DWest
10-27-2012, 05:56 AM
After reading some of the fluff vs. crunch debates around here, I felt a need to bring out the list I was running until CSM came out and try to make an argument with it. As you might have guessed from the title, this is a Salamanders list, based around Vulkan He'stan. And it's fairly mean and stacked towards taking full advantage of the rules available. And I want to try and explain why I think it still fits with the fluff.
The Forgefather's Own -- 1750 Codex Marines
This unit represents the hand-picked specialists who accompany the Forgefather on his mission to recover the lost treasures of the Primarch. As such, speed and overwhelming firepower are paramount. Units selected for service with the Forgefather's Own add a crest of nine stars around their Chapter badge; five burn bright to represent the artifacts which have been recovered, while the four standing for the treasures yet to be found are darkened.
HQ: Vulkan He'stan . . . 190 points
Can't exactly be The Forgefather's Own without the Forgefather himself, now can it? Vulkan rides with either Gauntlet or Anvil Squad in their drop pods.
Troop: Tactical Squad "Gauntlet". . . 230 points
10 models; Sergeant w/ Power Fist, 1 Flamer, 1 Multimelta; Drop Pod.
The Tactical Squad relies upon the precision deployment of a Drop Pod assault to land upon their objective before the foe even realizes that the Salamanders consider the target valuable, lest it be destroyed by accident or malice. Gauntlet Squad gets its' name from the heavy specialized glove worn by the blacksmith to hold on to the blazing hot metal he is shaping, just as the squad prides itself
Troop: Scout Squad "The Eyes of Vulkan". . . 200 points
10 models; Sergeant Telion*, Missile Launcher.
Vulkan's Scouts may be in the field many days before the main assault is launched, carefully observing the target and verifying the value of the objective in question. *Sergeant Talyx is a counts-as Telion, owing to the great length of time which he has served in the Forgefather's Own and the strenuous requirements placed upon this unit. To serve in the Eyes of Vulkan squad is as prestigious a posting as any outside the 1st Company, and many former Eyes later return serve in Gauntlet or even the Anvil Squad.
Elite: Sternguard Squad "Anvil" . . . 330 points
10 models; 2 Heavy Flamers, 5 Combi-Meltas; Drop Pod w/ Locator Beacon.
Anvil Squad has the simplest job in the whole army; land on the biggest threat and dispose of it. Anvil are all proud, hardened veterans who sport wargear constructed by their own hands to perfectly serve in the trials put before them. Anvil has the highest turnover of any unit in the Forgefather's Own, not because of deaths, but because the seasoned veterans are in high demand in other postings.
Elite: Ironclad Dreadnought "Beowulf" . . . 190 points
Ironclad w/ Seismic Hammer and Meltagun, Dreadnought CCW and Heavy Flamer; Drop Pod w/ Locator Beacon.
Venerated Brother Beowulf was a member of the Techmarine Corps before being interred in an Ironclad sarcophagus because of wounds suffered serving with the Forgefather's Own. A student of lore, Beowulf chose his new name after an ancient figure of myth; in service to the Forgefather's Own, he would hunt and slay monsters like the ones who laid him low so that they could not endanger the mission.
Fast Attack: Bike Squadron "Grasping Talon" . . . 215 points
5 bikes + 1 attack bike; Sgt w/ Power Weapon, 2 Flamers; Attack Bike w/ Multimelta.
Bike units are rare in the Salamanders Chapter, but the Forgefather's Own maintain a squadron after losing the whole of the original Eyes of Vulkan Squad when the Scouts were forced to advance lest the chosen objective be overrun and pillaged by Orks. Several times the whole of Grasping Talon has been removed and shipped to another task force who has need of the speed and flexibility which the bikes can provide, as this unit is easily the most experienced group of riders in the Chapter.
Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron "Fire Fury" . . . 140 points
2 Land Speeders; Multimelta and Heavy Flamer each.
As with the bikes of Grasping Talon, Land Speeders are rare within the Salamanders Chapter, and Fire Fury is always held in reserve and dropped into battle only upon direst need, for the fast, fragile skimmers are crewed by pilots normally assigned to Thunderhawk Gunships. It is a testament to the dedication of these crews that they fight in such circumstances, and in return, should one of the Fire Fury be knocked from the sky, the rest of the Forgefather's Own will fight like all hell to recover the crew.
Fast Attack: Stormtalon Gunship "Wyrmtalon" . . . 155 points
Gunship w/ twin-linked Assault Cannon and Cyclone Missile Launcher.
With the increasing number of encounters with enemy air support, the Forgefather's Own requisitioned one of the new Stormtalon light gunships to fly air cover. Sergeant Mar'kan takes special pleasure in hunting down and exterminating the wicked fliers of the Dark Eldar as retribution for his brethren's ill treatment at the hands of the pirates of Commoragh.
Heavy Support: Thunderfire Cannon "Iron Hammer" . . . 100 points
1 artillery piece.
The Iron Hammer is offloaded at the same time the Eyes of Vulkan are emplaced to give Techmarine Voltus time to prepare the battlefield as best as possible. When battle starts, the Iron Hammer lives up to its' name, bracketing and pulverizing units singled out by Anvil for "the works".
Comments and critiques are welcome; from a purely tabletop standpoint, the army has done quite well against most things I've run into, although after Grey Knights came out the army had quite a few "win on points, lose on fluff" moments where Vulkan was staked out as a sacrificial lamb to keep Draigo busy while the rest of the guys snatched up the objectives.
The Forgefather's Own -- 1750 Codex Marines
This unit represents the hand-picked specialists who accompany the Forgefather on his mission to recover the lost treasures of the Primarch. As such, speed and overwhelming firepower are paramount. Units selected for service with the Forgefather's Own add a crest of nine stars around their Chapter badge; five burn bright to represent the artifacts which have been recovered, while the four standing for the treasures yet to be found are darkened.
HQ: Vulkan He'stan . . . 190 points
Can't exactly be The Forgefather's Own without the Forgefather himself, now can it? Vulkan rides with either Gauntlet or Anvil Squad in their drop pods.
Troop: Tactical Squad "Gauntlet". . . 230 points
10 models; Sergeant w/ Power Fist, 1 Flamer, 1 Multimelta; Drop Pod.
The Tactical Squad relies upon the precision deployment of a Drop Pod assault to land upon their objective before the foe even realizes that the Salamanders consider the target valuable, lest it be destroyed by accident or malice. Gauntlet Squad gets its' name from the heavy specialized glove worn by the blacksmith to hold on to the blazing hot metal he is shaping, just as the squad prides itself
Troop: Scout Squad "The Eyes of Vulkan". . . 200 points
10 models; Sergeant Telion*, Missile Launcher.
Vulkan's Scouts may be in the field many days before the main assault is launched, carefully observing the target and verifying the value of the objective in question. *Sergeant Talyx is a counts-as Telion, owing to the great length of time which he has served in the Forgefather's Own and the strenuous requirements placed upon this unit. To serve in the Eyes of Vulkan squad is as prestigious a posting as any outside the 1st Company, and many former Eyes later return serve in Gauntlet or even the Anvil Squad.
Elite: Sternguard Squad "Anvil" . . . 330 points
10 models; 2 Heavy Flamers, 5 Combi-Meltas; Drop Pod w/ Locator Beacon.
Anvil Squad has the simplest job in the whole army; land on the biggest threat and dispose of it. Anvil are all proud, hardened veterans who sport wargear constructed by their own hands to perfectly serve in the trials put before them. Anvil has the highest turnover of any unit in the Forgefather's Own, not because of deaths, but because the seasoned veterans are in high demand in other postings.
Elite: Ironclad Dreadnought "Beowulf" . . . 190 points
Ironclad w/ Seismic Hammer and Meltagun, Dreadnought CCW and Heavy Flamer; Drop Pod w/ Locator Beacon.
Venerated Brother Beowulf was a member of the Techmarine Corps before being interred in an Ironclad sarcophagus because of wounds suffered serving with the Forgefather's Own. A student of lore, Beowulf chose his new name after an ancient figure of myth; in service to the Forgefather's Own, he would hunt and slay monsters like the ones who laid him low so that they could not endanger the mission.
Fast Attack: Bike Squadron "Grasping Talon" . . . 215 points
5 bikes + 1 attack bike; Sgt w/ Power Weapon, 2 Flamers; Attack Bike w/ Multimelta.
Bike units are rare in the Salamanders Chapter, but the Forgefather's Own maintain a squadron after losing the whole of the original Eyes of Vulkan Squad when the Scouts were forced to advance lest the chosen objective be overrun and pillaged by Orks. Several times the whole of Grasping Talon has been removed and shipped to another task force who has need of the speed and flexibility which the bikes can provide, as this unit is easily the most experienced group of riders in the Chapter.
Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron "Fire Fury" . . . 140 points
2 Land Speeders; Multimelta and Heavy Flamer each.
As with the bikes of Grasping Talon, Land Speeders are rare within the Salamanders Chapter, and Fire Fury is always held in reserve and dropped into battle only upon direst need, for the fast, fragile skimmers are crewed by pilots normally assigned to Thunderhawk Gunships. It is a testament to the dedication of these crews that they fight in such circumstances, and in return, should one of the Fire Fury be knocked from the sky, the rest of the Forgefather's Own will fight like all hell to recover the crew.
Fast Attack: Stormtalon Gunship "Wyrmtalon" . . . 155 points
Gunship w/ twin-linked Assault Cannon and Cyclone Missile Launcher.
With the increasing number of encounters with enemy air support, the Forgefather's Own requisitioned one of the new Stormtalon light gunships to fly air cover. Sergeant Mar'kan takes special pleasure in hunting down and exterminating the wicked fliers of the Dark Eldar as retribution for his brethren's ill treatment at the hands of the pirates of Commoragh.
Heavy Support: Thunderfire Cannon "Iron Hammer" . . . 100 points
1 artillery piece.
The Iron Hammer is offloaded at the same time the Eyes of Vulkan are emplaced to give Techmarine Voltus time to prepare the battlefield as best as possible. When battle starts, the Iron Hammer lives up to its' name, bracketing and pulverizing units singled out by Anvil for "the works".
Comments and critiques are welcome; from a purely tabletop standpoint, the army has done quite well against most things I've run into, although after Grey Knights came out the army had quite a few "win on points, lose on fluff" moments where Vulkan was staked out as a sacrificial lamb to keep Draigo busy while the rest of the guys snatched up the objectives.