Watching Out 4: Dreadnoughts & Venerable Dreadnoughts

[Ordo Machinum]

Let's continue the "Watching Out" discussions with a focus on the Ancients of the Watch:

Dreadnoughts & Venerable Dreadnoughts

 

I want to survey the boards opinions on their relevancy and useful weapon load-outs.

[Indefragable]

Venerable Dread with TL Lascannon and Missile Launcher = decent backfield dakka for supporting your Drop Podding KT's (and unlocking BSpSF). Hitting on 2's with BS5, re-rolling 1's To Hit and re-rolling glance/pens on incoming for 150pts is not bad at all. Same cost as a vanilla Dev squad with 4x Lascannons, but DW don't get no Dev squads... So in a pure DW list possible viability. If allying with other SM, then goes way down the list. 

 

Alternatively a cheap Dread with AC/Power Fist is never a bad unit per se....especially when adding re-rolls to anything. 

[Vel'Cona]

So if you like Dreadnoughts in C:SM, they're pretty much the same in C:DW with the added bonus of Mission Tactics.  This makes them a bit more accurate with ACs/MLs and in CC, too.  A single Dreadnought w/ AC and HF in a DP is a solid 155 points, and gives you an early game distraction unit or a solid third DP unit to get your more important stuff on the table earlier via Drop Pod Assault.

 

The problem here is that DW Terminators can do much of the same thing for far less cost, especially given Kill Teams let you slide them into other units easily.  If you're playing a CAD, you can choose between a single Dread w/ LC/ML or two Terminators w/ a CML each.  In another example, you can take the Dreadnought build I demonstrated above, or two Terminators with ACs (and have 35 points to spare, though they are riskier to DS).  Since Terminators get the same benefits from Mission Tactics, they're just as accurate in most cases but have a more helpful 5+ Invul and are easier to hide.

 

Oh, and if you're paying another 25 points for a Venerable Dreadnought, I really want to know why.  WS/BS 5 and re-rolling pens are not worth 25 points in my book, especially with the amount of players that will just torrent down your Dread with S6-8 glancing (negating Venerable entirely), as well as Mission Tactics (mostly negating WS/BS 5).

[Indefragable]

 

Oh, and if you're paying another 25 points for a Venerable Dreadnought, I really want to know why.  WS/BS 5 and re-rolling pens are not worth 25 points in my book, especially with the amount of players that will just torrent down your Dread with S6-8 glancing (negating Venerable entirely), as well as Mission Tactics (mostly negating WS/BS 5).

 

Since I'm a Blood Angel and not used to Dreads that shoot. :) 

[Vel'Cona]

Oh, and if you're paying another 25 points for a Venerable Dreadnought, I really want to know why. WS/BS 5 and re-rolling pens are not worth 25 points in my book, especially with the amount of players that will just torrent down your Dread with S6-8 glancing (negating Venerable entirely), as well as Mission Tactics (mostly negating WS/BS 5).

Since I'm a Blood Angel and not used to Dreads that shoot.

Hey, never underestimate the power of a single meltagun! Hope I didn't come across harsh tho, I just never understood the point of Venerables even before they had WS/BS 5.

[Irbis]

Yeah, TL Las/ML is sadly not very viable. If you want to have it in the backfield, paying for Venerable is not really efficient use of points. Better have an extra body somewhere.

 

I have also considered Dread with AC/Fist, cheapest possible, summoned with beacon angelis as a distraction Carnifex from remote corner, since DW Dreads stupidly cannot deep strike in BSSF. That could be maybe good tarpit/melee unit DW otherwise lack? Also, I could then use my Contemptor from Calth as count-as DW unit, at least until FW publishes official rules, so there's that?

[Vel'Cona]

It's a neat idea, but why not just pay 5 points more for a Drop Pod?  You get an extra objective contesting unit (and a storm bolter, FWIW) and aren't dependent on keeping an IC alive.

[abraxus]

I'm arming mine with a Hurricine Bolter, Heavy Flamer, and Stormshield.

 

Not codex legal at all, but will be sweet looking.