Am I reading this right?

[that1guy]

So this here fancy Command Salamander I'm reading about says it gets to switch that big heavy flame thrower for a heavy bolter? Like the one mounted on top from the crew compartment?  What about the heavy bolter on the front? I don't see any rules saying anything about that front hull mounted heavy bolter that comes standard with the vehicle being swappable with any other weapon's option.

[yvain]

I think you have it backwards. You can replace the hull mounted heavy flamer with a heavy bolter. The other mounted bolter cannont be replaced.

So you could do 2 heavy bolters or a single heavy bolter and a flamer. Those are your options.

[jenburdoo]

No, no, you can switch out the one in the open top too. The model as advertised is shown with a heavy flamer, even though in the rules it starts with a bolter.

[that1guy]

I always thought that the term "hull mounted" was for the front weapon mounted typically lowest on the main body but after this thread I'm not so sure the term is so widely clairvoyant to a universal collective.

So from what jenburdoo here is telling me I can switch out BOTH?

Can I deploy these in squads?  Either in the scout variant or as the command with scout escort in squad?

[jenburdoo]

I think you don't get to switch the hull mount (the one next to the driver), but you can switch the one in the open cockpit. The problem here is that we would normally say "turret" but the Salamander doesn't have one.

Command Salamanders come as single HQ choices, or (depending on list) can substitute for an Armoured Fist or armoured company command squad.

The Salamander Scout can be taken in squadrons of three. You can't switch out the autocannon on the Scout.

[that1guy]

So a special weapon's squad can only consist of 6 men (I mean obviously unless the enemy kills half of them or what ever) and they can only take 3 special weapon's?    That doesn't sound very special!

[that1guy]

???Wait, now I can bring 5 heavy weapon's teams with one PCS? Aren't they heavy support choices?

[cheminhaler]

If you mean infantry platoons then everything just comes under 1 troop slot.

e.g. 1 x PCS, 5 x Infantry squads, 2 x special weapon squads, 5 x heavy weapon squads; would all be one slot.

The only disadvantage is when you need multiple CADs (to take more than 3 HS slots) you have to pay a lot of points to get a legal platoon, so most people wanting lots of HS slots use veterans instead.

[that1guy]

 *head asplode* A platoon command squad isn't a HQ choice?   I DON'T EVEN HAVE A SINGLE HQ CHOICE?  Wow, I need more help than I thought.

CAD's?  Multiple CAD's?  What are CAD's?

[RedCuffs]

yeah ... what's a CAD ?
I know I'm on my second bottle of cheap,sour plonk,
And it's nearly 2am ...
but you're going to have to remind me of what a CAD is ...

And when your answer is clearly something that I should have known I'll just blame the Cheap,Sour Plonk at 2am.

[RedCuffs]

1Guy ...
I had trouble figuring this out when I started.
Firstly, a company is usually made up of several platoons. You probably knew that already.

A "Company HQ" from the Codex fills one or both of the HQ "slots" in the "Force Organisation Chart".
It can only add Bodyguards and Regimental Advisors that join the HQ unit.

A "Platoon HQ" fills one of the six troops "slots" in the "Force Organisation Chart".
With each "Platoon HQ" you may add
and these are still within the same slot of the Force Organisation Chart):-

Between 2 and 6 x squads of 10 guardsmen each (the normal BS3 type, not Veterans).
Between 0 and 2 x Special Weapon Squads
Between 0 and 5 x Heavy Weapon Squads
Between 0 and 1 x squad of between 20 and 50 Conscripts.

(The 0 means that you don't have to actually take any of that type of unit at all if you don't want to).

All those units are just one of the two "Troops" slots you must fill.
You can take a second exactly the same or just 1 x Platoon HQ and 2 x squads as a minimum.
That would fill the second, mandatory Troops slot.
Or you could fill any/all of your troops slots with a 10 man Veteran squad in each.

Someone had to explain this to me in the same amount of detail when I started.

Still can't think what a CAD is ... damn cheap, sour plonk !!!

[RedCuffs]

But to answer your original Salamander question,
According to Imperial Armour Volume 1,
The hull mounted weapon is always a Heavy Bolter. That's the lower weapon beside the driver's hatch (without wanting to sound too partonising).
The Crew Compartment weapon (the upper weapon) can be a Heavy Flamer or a Heavy Bolter with no points difference between the two.

The Scout version can only have Auto Cannon and Heavy Bolter in the hull. No option to swap them out.

[cheminhaler]

Ok.. (I'm sure I've explained this before, but...)

A CAD (combined arms detachment) is the basic army FOC (1 hq, troops minimum and all the other options ; 3 heavy support, 3 fast attack)

THe name has changed now because of the edition. So 5th edition up to 3000 points you had to use one army (FOC), then anything else was apocalypse.

6th edition you could use one FOC but then had the option of using 2 FOCs for a 2000 point game. This was called 'Double Force Organisation Chart' game. In essence you can squeeze 6 heavy support choices into 2000 points if you pay the prerequisite 2 hqs and 4 troops so the game changed and became more like mini apocalypse (every game).

Now in 7th (and in the tail end of 6th) you had unbound (take what you want - anything - all captains, all land speeders, all assassins - as long as it has a unit entry in a book you can take it)

The CAD concept just stretches the double FOC concept into ' take as many FOC detachments as you want as long as you pay the 1 hq and 2 troops for each'.
Although in practise its hard to get three bare bones CADs into a legal list (say at 2000 points); 2 is the best I've managed with SM codex.

[RedCuffs]

Oh yeah ... CAD ... yeah ... I knew about that.

Damn them Cheap, Sour Plonk and late nights giving me the memory loss again !!!