Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (More info?)
>Thanks for the input, folks. Yeah, Im going to take your suggestions,
and
>stick with the Marines for right now. I was thinking about getting a
>Terminator squad, but I want to wait until this Summer when the new
minis
>come out ("Practically the same minis, but now in plastic with an
exciting
>20% price increase!"). So, looks like Im sold on a Devastator squad.
Now,
>for maximum punch and power, what weapon/s combo would you suggest?
Id like
>a nice balance of long distance and medium range power.
>Also any advice or ideas on SM Command squad
construction/composition(Who
>should get what weapons/gear, etc.) would be helpful!
Space Marines have one infantry heavy weapon (aside from the assault
cannon) no other army can take in the same quantities - make use of
it. With the missile launcher, the plasma cannon is the most versatile
of the options and both weapons are good for range. The plasma cannon
is also ideal for cracking infantry with 2+ saves. The heavy bolter
and multimelta both lack flexibility and range. The heavy bolter is
also the only Devastator weapon that can't pierce heavy armour, so it
doesn't complement any of the other options and only really works in
squads of 4 against lightly-armoured hordes.
Personally, I'm no fan of lascannon or their equivalents in other
armies - they cost more than missile launchers and lose flexibility.
Moreover one of their big selling points - AP2 - is redundant in a
list that can take plasma cannon, since these are far superior
anti-infantry weapons. truth be told, in a game where there aren't
that many vehicles better than AV12/13, +1 armour penetration compared
with the missile launcher just isn't valuable enough to warrant the
extra cost and loss of frag against most opponents (especially when
you have 2-4 of them pointing at the same target). Anyway, you can
always take a Chapter Trait that allows Devastators to be Tank
Hunters, which turns missile launchers into lascannon anyway.
Most players with Dev squads go for a 2/2 split or a full foursome of
one favoured weapon, so you've always got a decent target for a
significant part of the squad. 4 plasma cannon makes the unit weak
against medium tanks like Predators and Hammerheads, unable to
penetrate AV14 at all and prone to self-immolation. 4 missile
launchers render the unit worthless against the heaviest infantry and
not all that much use against basic Marines (since, like lascannon,
each is only one-shot no blast with krak). Don't forget that
Devastator squads also contain models with bolters - a dedicated
anti-tank unit with, say, lascannon won't do much to support the rest
of the squad against light infantry.
Short answer, then: Either 1 plasma, 3 ML or 2 plasma/2 ML.
Philip Bowles
>Thanks for the input, folks. Yeah, Im going to take your suggestions,
and
>stick with the Marines for right now. I was thinking about getting a
>Terminator squad, but I want to wait until this Summer when the new
minis
>come out ("Practically the same minis, but now in plastic with an
exciting
>20% price increase!"). So, looks like Im sold on a Devastator squad.
Now,
>for maximum punch and power, what weapon/s combo would you suggest?
Id like
>a nice balance of long distance and medium range power.
>Also any advice or ideas on SM Command squad
construction/composition(Who
>should get what weapons/gear, etc.) would be helpful!
Space Marines have one infantry heavy weapon (aside from the assault
cannon) no other army can take in the same quantities - make use of
it. With the missile launcher, the plasma cannon is the most versatile
of the options and both weapons are good for range. The plasma cannon
is also ideal for cracking infantry with 2+ saves. The heavy bolter
and multimelta both lack flexibility and range. The heavy bolter is
also the only Devastator weapon that can't pierce heavy armour, so it
doesn't complement any of the other options and only really works in
squads of 4 against lightly-armoured hordes.
Personally, I'm no fan of lascannon or their equivalents in other
armies - they cost more than missile launchers and lose flexibility.
Moreover one of their big selling points - AP2 - is redundant in a
list that can take plasma cannon, since these are far superior
anti-infantry weapons. truth be told, in a game where there aren't
that many vehicles better than AV12/13, +1 armour penetration compared
with the missile launcher just isn't valuable enough to warrant the
extra cost and loss of frag against most opponents (especially when
you have 2-4 of them pointing at the same target). Anyway, you can
always take a Chapter Trait that allows Devastators to be Tank
Hunters, which turns missile launchers into lascannon anyway.
Most players with Dev squads go for a 2/2 split or a full foursome of
one favoured weapon, so you've always got a decent target for a
significant part of the squad. 4 plasma cannon makes the unit weak
against medium tanks like Predators and Hammerheads, unable to
penetrate AV14 at all and prone to self-immolation. 4 missile
launchers render the unit worthless against the heaviest infantry and
not all that much use against basic Marines (since, like lascannon,
each is only one-shot no blast with krak). Don't forget that
Devastator squads also contain models with bolters - a dedicated
anti-tank unit with, say, lascannon won't do much to support the rest
of the squad against light infantry.
Short answer, then: Either 1 plasma, 3 ML or 2 plasma/2 ML.
Philip Bowles
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