making meltaguns deadly

[Turtleboy(AWOL)]

so I've been playing dark angels lately and I've discovered how to use meltaguns! I've always used them in regular old line squads or on deepstriking stormtrooper types but there is another VERY powerful way to use them: mechanized grenadier/stormtroopers. I've discovered that, with marines, rushing a few transports up the table, popping smoke, weathering the return fire, and finishing the advance puts me in range to pile out and be within prime meltagun range typically. meltaguns are dangerous DANGEROUS weapons, especially on BS4 models who can stand up to enemy rifle fire. in a mechanized grenadier squad they'd be sure to land a penning hit if not 2 and can be a great AT option as guard can often struggle to take down armor 14. buying a roll or two on the penning chart with a couple meltaguns is a HUGE thing, making it rather commonplace for that armor 14 monstrosity to go up in a fiery explosion.

the added benefit is that if there's other heavy armor around, then the chimera could easily become overlooked as your opponent dumps all his firepower into trying to take out the meltaguns to prevent them from moving on to the next.

remember you can always remount the survivors, move 6" (why not 12" you ask?...) and fire the meltaguns out of the top hatch - likely you won't be in the guns prime range but you'll get a couple high BS S8 shots off and be able to chew up some infantry with the chimera. next turn, if by some miracle you're still alive (sucks smoke is a one shot piece of wargear) then finish up the move and pile out for a couple more meltagun shots. alternatively you can stay away from the chimera as it's pretty much a deathtrap and just take the fight to the next armored unit on foot.

anyhow the point is, try doing a rhino rush with some chimerae and stormtrooper squads armed with meltaguns - you'll be amazed how squishy those high armor vehicles on the enemies side become!

[Deleted]

A Chimera Crash? Interesting. That can definatly make a big mess first turn. And nobody's gonna see it coming.

[Turtleboy(AWOL)]

good way to take ground too. definately expensive though - I wish we could get 35pt transports for the guard (dark angels and probably blood angel rhinos cost that much).

[sammy1979]

im pro melta guns myself TB after some skanky termies got deepstriked next to my hq and and it all looked like it was about to go pete tong till my body guard with his melta cooked one and my combat servitator with my tech priest cooked another they got a straight up charring allowing my boss squad and the combat servitators to finish them off it was a close run thing but melta's are superb termie burners ;D

[Mabus]

I ain't mad for meltas because of the range, I dunno, I think a couple of Lascannons would do the trick just as well. Interesting theory though TB.

[Turtleboy(AWOL)]

I've been wrecking people with meltaweapons in my dark angels army lately. I'll kill a tank or two with my lascannon devastator squad but most of the enemy armor dies to meltaguns, meltabombs, or powerfists. I'm playing a very aggressive army though - I've just found that it works well for me, even in friendly 'kill em up good' type games. the fact is, when it comes to tournament time, I'll already have what I need to take and hold objectives and table quarters and the like where my opponents will have to experiment with something new because they're used to me coming to them and not having to move themselves.

ultimately, it is just a decent theory, chimerae are cost-prohibitive unlike marine transport options, though it does beg the question if drop troops would be worthwhile when you can take special weapon squads and 5 man remnant squads with meltaguns all over. that'd be a cheap way to get ALOT of hurt stuck into the enemies armor (and hey, give some demo charges to the special weapon squads, they're not that expensive!).

[Deleted]

Melta guns with drop troops works just fine, but you have to be ready to accept losses. If you're running against an armoured company, yeah, you'll cook 'em good, but against an infantry-heavy guard army with A tank, you're done. The melta gun just isn't a viable option for taking out infantry.

Demo charge squads work very well, but again, you have to be prepared to accept the inevatible loss of a squad. Moral of the story: double and triple up wherever you can.

The main thing that people overlook when comparing the chimera to a rhino is that the chimera actually has some decent weapons. As soon as your dudes pop out, the Chimera can still roam the battlefield taking out light transports and medium infantry. So, unlike the rhino, the Chimera is still useful after letting out her cargo. And remember, when in doubt: TANK SHOCK!

[Rolling Thunder]

Turtleboy has realised what few gamers realise ever. meltaguns are lethal. They kill tanks like they aren't there, melt terminator armou and can instantkill Beakie charecters. I recall on game where the last survivor of a line infantry squad wandered up to a 200 point+ ,5 wound khornate lord abd melted him into a small pile of liquid tinfoil and goo. The expression on yon enemies face was somewhere between apoleptic rage ( I belive he would have attacked me if I wasen't considerably larger than him.) and a pulmonary emblism. Most droll.