Dragoons in squads

[Bmseifer]

Hey

 

I'm getting a small detachment of admech to run with my guardsmen and I'm interested in the dragoons and was wondering:

 

Is there a benefit of running them together in a squad other than to save FA slots?

[Prot]

You would be maximizing the Strategem for +2 to hit, combined with the Taser rule.

 

I play a few solo units but quite often I use a three or even two man unit.

[DeStinyFiSh]

I take 3-4 in a unit most of the time and I love them !

S8, AP-1, D2 triggering the Taser rule on 4+ when using the Stratagem is just scarry. Make them Stygies for a -2 to hit outside 12" and they will for sure reach the opponent or at least soak up a lot of fire.

Imho Dragoons are one of the best (if not the best) unit in our book.

[synthaside]

I always take a squad of 3, I have separated them to stretch myself into brigades but they don't do anywhere near as much damage without the stratagem.

Saturday's game had my squad of 3 charges a demon prince to mow him down with no issues and then bound on to bigger and better things 
linebreaker and tieing up the horrible plague-burst crawlers in my opponents back lines .

As a unit of 1, they have a role as a screening/delaying unit but they won't have the punch to actually hurt anything unless you operate all 3 together and if done that way you will struggle to get them into combat together as the bases are so large and you cant use within 1 inch of a model .

[Scurvydog]

Putting them in a squad is definately mostly for the offensive strategem as mentioned, as it does make them slightly more vulnerable to incoming fire, as the opponent will have to divide attacks less, which also goes for the fight phase, as having them separate can result in wasted overkill of 1 instead of badly wounding a second for example. The stratagem is so good, that this is a real choice to do though.

 

Dragoons are so cost effective, if you had to cold cash to throw at it, then an army of just dragoons could work, or at least multiple units and solo objective grappers. All Stygies of course as that is the best synergy of all.

[Bmseifer]

Oh right. Haven't looked at the AdMech Stratagems yet so that explains it. Just read up on them and I guess we are talking about Conqueror Doctrina Imperative. That sure looks scary

[synthaside]

That's the one, the two Doctrina stratagems are what make both of our fast attack actually viable,

1 Cp to  hit on  2's explode on 4's, Dragoons 
1 Cp  to hit on 2's but while advancing the unit Ironstriders

I didn't ever us to bother with Striders until I realised that a baseline team of 3 of them with either weapon is pretty mobile and pretty nasty .

[Vel'Cona]

Oh right. Haven't looked at the AdMech Stratagems yet so that explains it. Just read up on them and I guess we are talking about Conqueror Doctrina Imperative. That sure looks scary

 

With Strategems included, Dragoons offer AdMech our best fast assault unit and they gain immense benefits from picking the correct Forgeworld Dogma, as well.  Examples include Stygies VIII for a cumulative -2 on enemy shooting hit rolls or Ryza for additional help on landing those all-important Wound rolls.

[DeStinyFiSh]

 

Oh right. Haven't looked at the AdMech Stratagems yet so that explains it. Just read up on them and I guess we are talking about Conqueror Doctrina Imperative. That sure looks scary

 

With Strategems included, Dragoons offer AdMech our best fast assault unit and they gain immense benefits from picking the correct Forgeworld Dogma, as well.  Examples include Stygies VIII for a cumulative -2 on enemy shooting hit rolls or Ryza for additional help on landing those all-important Wound rolls.

 

 

Saturday I had a game against Tyranids. 3 Dragoons, Ryza Dogma + right Canticle + right Stratagem is amazing.

 

9 attacks S8, AP-1, D2, hitting on 2s, reroll 1s (because of Canticle), every 4+ is 3 hits, wounding most stuff on 3s or even 2s, reroll 1s because of Ryza.

Without doing the math I am sure a bigger unit in this configuration can kill even Mortarion in 1 go.

 

Edit:

Just did the math

If I am correct, 3 Dragoons will deal 12,12 wounds to Morty.

4 Dragoons will deal 16,16 (nearly dead)

5 Dragoons will deal 20,20 (gone)

6 Dragoons will deal 24,24 (eat this !!!)

 

I dont know why the number behind the comma is always the same as the number before... maybe I did a mistake or made an amazing discovery

[synthaside]

My dragons have started to get a bit of rep amongst my playgroup .....  with people coming up with ways to counter them or .... expecting the advance deployment ....

They arent " Broken ... but im' sure it can feel that way on the receiving end .... it just feels bad to have a squad of Berzerkers ,  supposedly one of the primer combat units in the game" wiped quite handily by a team of chickens ...  or destroying and tien up multiple assault cannon Razorbacks in a space wolfy gunline .

[Feral_80]

I've tried my 3 as 3x 1-chicken units to fill an Outrider detachment.

 

Pros:

easier, more spread-out deployment

better chance for at least one to make a charge on first turn (you roll 3 times)

better survivability

 

Cons:

the stratagem is not worth it on a 1-chicken unit

the stratagem is a big deal

without the stratagem, they really don't do that much

 

 

All in all, the Cons are too significant to justify the pros. The chickens are nice, but without the stratagem they are barely a nuisance. Just like so many other AdMech units, unfortunately they rely heavily on a stratagem to become dangerous. I would only field them as a 3-chicken unit now.

[LT_CLAWS]

2 squads of 2 or 1 squad of 3-4 has always worked for me