How To: Space Marine Scouts

[ElectricPaladin]

Space Marine scouts. I can never seem to get them to work for me. I've heard good things about them - they provide access to sniper weapons, they infiltrate or outflank, they're the cheapest possible scoring unit - but I can never seem to get anything good out of them. Would anyone care to point me in the direction of a good tactica - or even outline the best practices right here - to get me on track?

In particular, I'm interested in the use of sniper scouts as support for an army that uses the Blood Angels codex... but a discussion of Space Marine scouts in general would be just fine.

[DarkLink]

Cheap scoring unit, in an edition where Ignores Cover kills cheap scoring units.

[ChacoStylez]

I can probably give a couple of examples I've used that have worked for me:

Allied Space Wolf scouts loaded with plasma & melta, outflanking to bust some armor.

Last turn objective grabbing in a Land Speeder Storm .

Long range sniper support for character picking, equipped with camo cloaks.

These are the ways I use them.

[Katharon]

A squad of ten camo-cloaked snipers is nothing to sniff your nose at. They provide a good way of picking off MCs and Special characters with rending and precision shot - and can act as area denial units by pinning infantry squads from getting too close. They're also pretty good (if you rend) at getting rid of light vehicles.

I've not had any trouble with them. Just keep them in cover and let them snipe.

[Anggul]

They're a bit pointless. Maybe if they were BS4 like they obviously should be (SoB and Guard Vets are, so Space Marine Scouts should be) they would be more worth it, but as it is a Scout with Sniper Rifle and Camo Cloak costs as much as a Space Marine, who is just so much more useful.

The Precision Shots are unlikely to actually accomplish much. You'll probably get one or two each turn, and the likelihood of one of those two shots Rending is pretty low, so it'll probably just bounce off of their armour. You're almost certainly better off just blasting them away with Bolters and special/heavy weapons.

Scout Bikers are quite interesting, I can see them working as Pseudo-Ravenwing to let Terminators Deep Strike right where you want them, but without LoS-blocking terrain I think they'll probably get blown away without much difficulty, so you need that to be conveniently where you want your Terminators.

[Aegwymourn]

As Darklink pointed out it depends a lot on your meta. If there are a lot of players with Tau/Eldar running around scouts just cannot justify their points.

On the other hand they can be handy for outflanking later in the game and trying for linebreaker/backfield objectives. Remember they do carry krak grenades as well, so they can threaten vehicles that like to hide.

[DarkLink]

Or CSM with Heldrakes. Or IG with enough brains to kill your scoring units. Or SM TFCs. Or Myeptic Spores and Drop Pods.

Otherwise, they're the one unit that contributes litttle but winning the game, which is great.

[Camael]

Otherwise, they're the one unit that contributes litttle but winning the game, which is great.
I think you hit the nail on the head there. I personally love them. I place them in ruins on an objective way the hell out of the way and go to ground. If I get lucky my foe even forgets about them.

[Patrick Boyle]

I can probably give a couple of examples I've used that have worked for me:

Allied Space Wolf scouts loaded with plasma & melta, outflanking to bust some armor.

Last turn objective grabbing in a Land Speeder Storm .

Long range sniper support for character picking, equipped with camo cloaks.

These are the ways I use them.

I hardly think Wolf Scouts are relevant in a discussion of how to use normal, carapace armor, BS/WS3 troop choice marine codex scouts, given they're BS/WS4, power armored, elite slot guys with all the extra Space Wolves rules and all.

[Chexmix282]

I hardly think Wolf Scouts are relevant in a discussion of how to use normal, carapace armor, BS/WS3 troop choice marine codex scouts, given they're BS/WS4, power armored, elite slot guys with all the extra Space Wolves rules and all.

Space Wolf Scouts have Carapace Armor just like every other Space Marine Scout. Meaning they die to Hellhounds just like every other Space Marine Scout.

But you are right... The huge difference in weapon options, the different outflank rules, and the lack of scoring makes Space Wolf Scouts very different from their Codex Astares-adhering counterparts.

[Bob821]

Have had some good results using two small squads with snipers rifles and camo cloaks. The basic plan is to keep there heads down and plink away. Hopefully either do a little damage or grab an objective at the end. There so small and not very dangerous that they often get over looked.

People who have pointed out that they can get killed if the right person shoots the right gun at them is true of all units in the game! Its kind of like saying Land Raiders are rubbish because 10 fire dragons can kill them with out to much bother...

They can even be of use against Tau! I Have used them against Tau armies to deny there path finders the sweetest spots to sit and fire there marker lights from.

And of course being a fellow Blood Angel player a squad of ten with a power fist, Chaplin and a Sanguinary priest can raise an eyebrow!

[Tynskel]

Be bloody, bold and resolute.

[Katharon]

Just keep them in cover and let them snipe.