Best Sternguard Loadout?

[ElectricPaladin]

I am considering - well, not really considering, I just bought the kit - trying out adding some sternguard vets to my Knights of Blood (Blood Angels codex) for my FLGSs upcoming Cities of Death campaign. Before I start to assemble my kit, I'm hoping for some guidance from those of you with more - really, any - experience fielding sternguard vets.

For context, this is a first draft of the module I'm thinking of:

• 5 Sternguard Vets, 2 w/Heavy Flamers, 2 w/Combi-Meltas, Drop Pod - 190

The idea is that I can Drop Pod Assault this unit directly up my opponent's nose. Depending on what I'm dealing with, I can put two heavy flamer templates on units in cover - along with rapid-fired Ignored Cover boltgun rounds. If push comes to shove, I can melta open vehicles, then toast whatever's inside. Light vehicles may also die to the flamers.

After that, they do what sternguard vets do - make sure nobody has the guts to get close enough to take whatever territory they're sitting on.

Of course, just because I plan to use this squad in a Cities of Death campaign doesn't mean I don't want them to be generally useful. It's an expensive damn kit!

So... what do you think? Before I take glue and clippers to the sprue, what kind of squad should I be assembling here?

[Bob821]

I like to include a power weapon or fist with mine if I think they are going to be charged.

I also feel that Combi plas works better than melta as you get two shots at close range rather than just one very powerful one and they still work at range. This also tends to focus what you doing with them ie killing infantry rather than being distracted by trying to kill shiny tanks with melta's when you could be wiping out infantry with the heavy flamers. Which I like, some people dont though of course.

If I run combi melta's I run all 5 like this and go tank hunting. Works great for hurting those really scary beastys my normally very assaulty army struggles with or is a serous threat to my land raiders ie Hammer Heads etc

If these bad boys are for a cities of death campaign have you thought about a couple of combi flamers to go with you heavy flamers! Burn the Xenos brother!

[ElectricPaladin]

If I run combi melta's I run all 5 like this and go tank hunting. Works great for hurting those really scary beastys my normally very assaulty army struggles with or is a serous threat to my land raiders ie Hammer Heads etc

If these bad boys are for a cities of death campaign have you thought about a couple of combi flamers to go with you heavy flamers! Burn the Xenos brother!

So, basically, what you're saying is that two combi-meltas are insufficiently reliable to give the squad a second purpose, and I should really go baals-out (:p) with all fire, all the time?

I'd worry about my army's ability to take on vehicles - with my multi-meltas/lascannons stormraven falling of the list, I don't have any high-power shooting - but that may be a whole-list problem, rather than a hole that this squad should be trying to fill. Maybe I should drop the Baal predator and put the vindicator back in?

[Tyrendian]

So, basically, what you're saying is that two combi-meltas are insufficiently reliable to give the squad a second purpose, and I should really go baals-out (:p) with all fire, all the time?

I'd worry about my army's ability to take on vehicles - with my multi-meltas/lascannons stormraven falling of the list, I don't have any high-power shooting - but that may be a whole-list problem, rather than a hole that this squad should be trying to fill. Maybe I should drop the Baal predator and put the vindicator back in?

or take 5 combi-meltas - Sternguard with their Dragonfire bolts are already plenty good at clearing light infantry from cover... kinda depends on your likely opponents though, if you expect to face lots of Fire Warriors/Aspects, the AP4 on the heavy flamers will come in very handy. You might also want to buff up the squad to 10, just to make them a bit harder to remove - 5 dudes in Power Armour die like so many flies usually...

[Bob821]

So, basically, what you're saying is that two combi-meltas are insufficiently reliable to give the squad a second purpose, and I should really go baals-out (:p) with all fire, all the time?

I'd worry about my army's ability to take on vehicles - with my multi-meltas/lascannons stormraven falling of the list, I don't have any high-power shooting - but that may be a whole-list problem, rather than a hole that this squad should be trying to fill. Maybe I should drop the Baal predator and put the vindicator back in?

I think if you going to put five marines in a Drop pod and dump them deep in enemy lines you need to make sure they do the job you want then to do fast. Because they are dead already. That deep inside your enemy’s lines there toast.

Before you arm your boys you need to decide 'the job' you want them to do. If it hollowing out the core of blob of 4+ save infantry then take the heavy flamers. The other 3 vets are far from useless with there 4+ bolters. If you want to waste elite infantry take 5 combi plas, Vehicles Combi meltas etc etc.

Don’t get me wrong though! If YOU want there 'Job' to be being multi role or fluffy arm them as such ie 1 heavy flamer, 2 X combi melta, 1 X Combi plas and a power axe etec etc. There still not going to let you down and this is much more fun than them all being clones IMO just not as good in a battle again IMO!

I ran a while back a 8 man squad with a priest and Tycho. Don’t recall what they were armed with exactly but it was a mix of combi weapons and heavy flamers. Took out 10 dire avengers, 10 Howling banshees and got Jan Zar down to a single wound before finally dying now that my friend is going Baals out! Of course you will have to pop out and treat yourself to 5 more vets or press some tacs in to service!

[ElectricPaladin]

Of course you will have to pop out and treat yourself to 5 more vets or press some tacs in to service!

That's not much of an issue. The new kit has so many tasty bits that I can easily buy a tac box - or even a couple of single figures on eBay - and trick them out as sternguard.

[Katharon]

Always combi-weapons. Otherwise you reduce the Sternguard to no longer being able to use the one thing that really sets them apart: special ammunition.

[ChacoStylez]

The thing about it ElectricPaladin is you are playing Cities of Death, which usuall means lots of cover for vehicles and infantry. Those one shot combi meltas will usually fail you more often then not. Saturation is the name of the game and your best option is the combi flamers or plasma with the extra shots, it will help you much better on the long run with Cities of Death.

[ElectricPaladin]

Fair enough, nix on the combi-meltas...

Now, what about those combi-flamers? Is there really a point to them, given that I can always opt to have my sternguard ignore cover? I guess they're good for overwatch... but if that's not worth five points a pop, maybe I can use those ten points better elsewhere (maybe meltabombs for my sternguard and tactical sergeants).

[GravesDisease]

I thought that at 5pt a pop combiflamers were worth it (4D3 autohits for 20pts isn't bad at all), but now at 10 they seem a little overcosted for their situational utility.

[Xarga]

I'd say combi-weapons, i'd personally not take more than one heavy flamer as it feels like it's wasting their versatility of their special ammo. As they basically are just suped up tactical marines, a sterngaurd is in a way paying 18pts for +1A/LD and a heavy flamer over a tactical marine. Which to me doesn't feel worth it, though one seems reasonable. Though i would just take a combi-flamer or two for that role. Also don't glue them and limit yourself, i'd really recommend magnetizing that squad with the vast array of options they can take.

[ElectricPaladin]

I can't bring myself to magnetize infantry, with the rare exception (ie. Tau battlesuits, where it's ok for the weapon mounts to look artificial, and the weapons mount on a large enough area that I can insert a peg to stop them from swiveling). I'm just too much of a painter/modeler and my skills are too limited to make them look good. Vehicles I magnetize or friction mount like a mother****er, but infantry... I just can't.

Besides, a single figure tactical marine is... what? Five bucks? And with all these amazing sternguard bits, I can easily dress up a single figure tactical marine and make him look suitably veteran.

I'm not good enough at it and it's not worth the trouble.

[Vangrail]

I like running my sternguard fairly plain. No combis no heavys, just a power fist too me they shouldent be hunting tanks plenty of other things to do that.

[ElectricPaladin]

I see the appeal of naked sternguard. However, I think I'm going to go with double heavy flamers for this list. I'm pretty comfortable with that because I can see the utility of that in the future. Blood Angels don't have a lot of access to stuff that ignores cover, and I can see the models remaining useful. Also, like I've said - especially with the new kit - I'm comfortable having some of the models be tricked out 'nilla tacs if I later decide to field a plainer squad.

[DarkLink]

The two heavy weapons are worth it. It's like taking Psycannons on Grey Knights, you might lose Str 5 Storm Bolters, but you gain something better. 10 Sternguard with 2 Heavy Flamers in a Pod are awesome.

[Cadian122]

I'd take 10 with 2 Heavy Flamers, and a bunch of Combi-Flamers (remember, yours are still 5pts each). I have 30 in my "crimson fist" (Imperial Fists) army that I run with Kantor. There are 10 with 2 Heavy Flamers, 4 Combi-Flamers, and 10 with 6 combi-meltas, and 10 with 6 combi-flamers. 2 in Rhinos, the other with Kantor in a Redeemer.

[ElectricPaladin]

I want to reiterate how awesome this kit is. I was already buying a spare heavy flamer in order to make a squad with two of them, but I decided to see how far I could stretch the kit assuming I wanted to make sternguard with just ordinary boltguns. Between the various Blood Angels (and other chapters) torsos, legs, and shoulder pads I already had lying around, I was able to make a total of 7 fully kitted out, recognizably sternguard marines. Number 8 requires that extra heavy flamer I mentioned. Number 9 will require a sternguard-style boltgun off eBay, and number 10 will require both that and an additional body (but that's a sign of my collection running out, not a flaw in the kit).

In other words, it's possible to - with minimal bits purchases - stretch a kit that's designed to make a five-man squad produce ten figures.

Whenever I don't play GW games for a while, I forget how ridiculously generous they are in this particular area.

[pchappel]

I almost always run with an Apothecary with Terminator Armor in one of my SG Squads... And then either 7 or 8 other guys... CPT Tycho can ride in as well, but one Heavy Flamer and the rest with a mix of Combi Melta and Combi Plasma... Heavier on the Melta, we see a LOT of Vehicles locally here, so... FnP can make them annoying to deal with if you get lucky and especially if you have a spare 2+ save to tank lots of non ID shooting... 'course, you could roll below average and just die too :-) That happens to me a fair bit as well...

[labmouse42]

I am considering - well, not really considering, I just bought the kit - trying out adding some sternguard vets to my Knights of Blood (Blood Angels codex) for my FLGSs upcoming Cities of Death campaign. Before I start to assemble my kit, I'm hoping for some guidance from those of you with more - really, any - experience fielding sternguard vets.In a normal game of 40k, bare bones sternguard are the way to go. There is far to much rope to hang yourself otherwise.

In a cities of death campaign, you might get more bang for your buck giving them some heavy flamers -- your just paying a premium for them.

I actually think that assault cents would be an overall better deal for the cities of death game. Assault cents are good for short range shooting.

[Katharon]

Largely depends on the army I am facing. If I am facing off against Dark Angels, then I take a full 10-man combi-plasma squad. If I am facing Orks or 'Nids, then I take a full 10-man combi-flamer squad. If I am facing off against regular Marines or CSM (and the rest), then I do a half-and-half mix of combi-plasma/melta.

[DWest]

I don't know if you have the budget and tools for magnetizing, but the new Sternguard lend themselves to magnets very well, with the weapon-in-hand / attach to wrist mechanism they use now, which would permit fairly easy swaps for whatever weapons you find yourself needing the most. Ultimately, I think the "best" Sternguard loadout is the one that fills the hole in your army that needs filling. Either build the Sternguard to do one thing well, then tailor your army around them being there, or stick in a 5-man team last, kitted out to fix whatever seems the most glaring weakness in your army is how I use them.

[KAPcom]

After fielding sterguard in a pod for a year or so now, I've had relative success with 8 man squads w/ 2 heavy flamers, 2 combi-plas, 1 combi-melta and 1 melta-gun. You can drop the plasma, but fielding one actual melta gun (which you should make sure is in the back of the squad) will make sure that if you wiff the first shooting phase, you get another chance to kill some vehicles.