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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Space Marine Terminators


Hey guys, I will be filling in for John today. My name is Clay and I will be talking about Codex:Space Marine Terminators (both types) today.   Now don’t be expecting a tactica, that will come in a later article.  Let’s start with a general overview. Well for starters, a terminator is durable (I know everyone knows this, but it still needs to be stated) and can put out a lot of damage if used right.  Now for the details. I typically run a 10 man squad of tactical terminators and this is what I have learned. For one storm bolters are deadly. You get 16-20 shots (with a 10 man squad). Now it’s time to look at the upgrades. Heavy flamers are ok, but you will probably kill more with a storm bolter.  Cyclone missile launchers are very deadly and have range but lack the ability to penetrate the heaviest armour.  Now, to my personal favorite, the Assault Cannon. It packs a high number of shots and when combined with the rending rule it has the chance to kill heavy armour.

The Assault phase is where Terminators really can shine. They are so good at what they do. Some drop their guns for more deadly weapons. Heresy you say, space marines without guns! Surely not. Joking aside, Assault Terminators can be even deadlier than their storm bolter armed brethren if used correctly. Now, on to armaments. A standard Terminator has a power fist for close combat. This makes them incredibly deadly. This means you can land a power fist on Independent Characters so you can trigger instant death, and even though you strike last, you can bet on doing a predictable amount of damage. Take the chain fist upgrade, and even Land Raiders will scream in terror.  That’s just the standard Terminator! Assault Terminators are even better. The basic armament is lightning claws. This will tear through low initiative opponents such as guardsmen and Tau.  That’s not all. We also have the thunder hammer storm shield option as well, which most people choose for the improved invulnerable save. They are very effective at killing tanks and enemy elites, as a thunder hammer works like a power fist.

This is how I use my terminators. I find that walking a 10 man tactical terminator squad down a flank is very effective.  As they not only tend to soak up a lot of firepower, but also tend to kill lots of enemy infantry. To help achieve this goal, I equip them with 2 assault cannons. For the assault terminators I tend to stick them in a land raider redeemer and slam them into my enemy's line with a mix of 3 TH SS and 2LCs.

That’s all for today, folks! Hope you enjoyed the post, look for more to come!