mel_danes

Secondary market probably your best bet for quick access, box breakers will go after this hard.

Not a fan of fixed configurations, but if they have curbed the triple repeat weapon problem, I'm on board.

I've not run since the points update, but I run 1 each the 3 FBD and 2 MBH. I'm sub 2000 pts games they do work. It's 50 wounds at T9 on 10" M platforms. I just got a PBC done to add, and a Las Missile Dred to pack in there. I'm only going up to 2000 pts with this army. 30 PM in it now, so it's just a couple more characters and I'm maxed.

Wow, this is great. I was just coming in to ask this very question. I've not played my Nids since 7th. I have 6 Zoans already, and am building 3 Venoms. I've got 80 to 100 Termigants and many Hormigaunts. Is there any success using our stinky boys to help the swarm? Love to here from the hive mind.

Look! A Kroothound pupper! The 40k doggo train continues.

Agreed, the side arm combination with a melee weapon anyways struck me as odd when I was young. Then I saw a video of why officers had them in the military, and was like oh... On the point of not hurting those that can't hurt you, in practice, in the real world this is of course the only outcome. I'm not advocating or promoting unjust violence. In this shared setting we all enjoy the world of the 41st millennia is filled with asymmetrical conflict, those with power, those without, Eldritch horror, and brutal combat over resources. Astartes enter this as elite combat units not meant to hold ground, for long, but to take it from those that have it. Or to mount a defense when other troopers would fail. As devastating surgical weapons they will be faced with horrific choices and will always need to consider their mission. I suspect even the most enlightened marine is capable of incredible cruelty, should the situation merit it. Sorry if my replies ramble. Another bit comes to mind. There was a short paragraph story in a chaos codex that helped form this idea of fighting styles based on the opponent, and the wide variety a marine will face. A heretic Astartes was in melee combat with a loyalist. He had gained the upper hand and used a finishing move developed specifically for fighting an augmented opponent. I don't recall the exact language but it involved piercing the armor in such a way that it used a joint, or plate location that allowed the power sword to piece both hearts killing the opponent immediately. This would only be required against power armored augmented foes. The Heretic seemed quite smug in its execution and viewed his opponent with contempt, considering the hundreds or thousands of years of combat he had, and the number of times he has used this technique. Thanks again to everyone that has weighed in on this topic.

Rebel Moon, watched the whole thing for the team. The design work was fine, imagery is ok. The acting, dialogue and plot are thin at best. The sense of scale, of the events, the world and empire writ large all feel small. I find this in a lot of TV and film. They want us to think something is huge and cyclopean but they don't ever give us the visuals or in world Intel to back it up. It's a one man show, Zack. With all the limitations and shortcomings inherent in that kind of siloed production. Hopefully Cavill and "team" get some good writers, and break down our setting into it's bare components, and crart a story worth watching.

Jumping back in here. I'm combat ignorant so this has been a wonderful read. Thank you all. Question for the trained armed frater. In your training with a weapon I presume there is an ebb and flow of attack, defend and such. If you find yourself in a scenario where defense is not needed, IE your opponent cannot hurt you, you could just go through a series of attack stances/maneuvers. Essentially all out attack. I imagine Assault Intercessors in combat with chaos cultists. The cultists have make shift weaponry, the Astartes will have chain swords. The chances of a cultists actually causing injury is near zero. So if the Marines don't need to worry about parry or blocking and just go ape, that would be a thing? I presume there are forms of just sustained assault. Thanks again for the inside peek into your years of knowledge.

Great point Dracos. I think a fighting form that addressed high durability opponents is the baseline for Astartes, Orks being ever present. The boltgun and chainsword both being good weapons for harsh opponents. Specific styles for specific enemies might be something we see from the Deathwatch?

We need to go back a bit, and get this guy on a sprue.

I really should paint this terrain, I've owned it since it's original release. It sits, in this box on a shelf. The pilot has been an objective market for over a decade. The little force field things are pretty cool too.

Excellent replies, thank you. The Heresy component is one I am woefully under informed about. I've only read the first 6 or so of the bajillion novels for that setting. As for different forms for different opponents and it getting complex, I agree that's as lot to process. However their sole purpose is war, so training a lot is just part of the day. Another query for any that might know. How did armored knights deal with non armored foes? I've seen videos of full plate being very flexible and the user out maneuvered a modern soldier on an obstacle course. Fighting another knight was a different affair than fighting some unarmored militia. The fear is being swarmed, and then a dagger thrust through a visor or armpit. I struggle with the idea that Astartes do rolls and such. The backpack alone breaks that concept for me. They are designed to be athletic but not gymnasts. Again, thanks for reading.

Paladin, It looks like you need to start a WIP thread, to share your work?

We know the Space Marines train in all forms of combat, melee, firearms, vehicular, some psychological. Something I've always wondered about was the styles of armed and unarmed melee combat they learn. Switching between styles as the situation merits. When facing unarmed humans for instance I presume they switch to a form that maximizes their advantages? Increased speed, strength and stamina with nye invulnerability. If you know your opponent cannot hurt you, and you can concentrate all your efforts into inflicting damage; what would a combat form look like that completely forgoes defense, and is only attack? I go to the manga Gunnm, or Battle Angel Alita as an example. The story explored a couple cyborg only combat arts, again leveraging the practitioners increased speed, durability and stamina. If a cyborg engaged an non-augmented human, it was a mess even without these arts. One was Panzer Kunst another was Machine Klatsch. They were designed specifically to fight cyborgs and cripple or destroy them. I'm not a trained combatant, but I assume some of you are. Please share your thoughts. Do we have good representation in a novel or story?

What they've done to shields on models that already have an invulnerable safe in this edition I'll never understand. Adding an ablative wound, meh. As several have said the iconic storm bolter is also meh. I like the model, and his buff is cool. Sounds like not a lot of impact from this guy. No matter, he'll look cool doing little on the board.