Right, as there seems to be some interest I will stir up some more.
Anyone who has a love for the space wolves and anything related to them this is the place for you!
Why? you may ask, well for starters:-
1) We have the fluffiest army there is.
2) We have the coolest models.
3) We have the best rules.
4) We do what we like and take orders from noone!
Anyone is able to join, the only requirement being a passion for all things Fenrisarian!
Just simply post here asking to enter and you're in!
For Russ!
Current Members,
Title
SilverMane Great Wolf
The_Outsider Grey Slayer
Whitewolf
Araith Rune Priest
Corporal Punishment Wolf Guard
Ikterus (Resident) Wolf Priest
Wulfbanes Wolf Scout
Chemicalcaveman
max_dammit Blood Claw
Morkai
R.A.P.T.O.R Blood Claw
DerkaDerka
bicycle repairman Grey Hunter Landspeeder Pilot
Grey
Kore Wolf Scout
Capt. Phil Storm Claw Wolf Guard Leader
JohnPublic
Pierced53
Glad-Of-War
Gorbiesidhe
scealon
ForgedInTheFurnaceOfWar
Jodfrey
RFT
Helbrecht
crucial
Tezuka
Longfangs
userpaladin
Gareth
Otaktay
spacewolf5462
Our glorious clan banner can be found
here
The post article link
http://www.librarium-online.com/forums/newbie-guides/62891-procedure-submitting-article.html?highlight=how+do+submit+an+article
HQ:
Wolf Lord
Wolf Guard Battle Leader
Rune Priest
Wolf Priest (by Wulfbanes)
HQ/ELITES
Venerable Dreadnought
ELITES:
Wolf Guard Bodyguard
Wolf Guard Pack Leader (by Bicycle repairman)
Wolf Scouts (by Wulfbanes) -------DONE
Iron Priest ( & Thralls)
Dreadnought
TROOPS:
Grey Hunters (by Araith)-----DONE
Blood Claws
FAST ATTACK:
Blood Claws Bikers
Blood Claws Jump Packers
Land Speeder Squadron (by Bicycle Repairman) -------DONE
HEAVY SUPPORT:
Long Fangs (by The_Outsider) DONE
Leman Russ
Whirlwind (by The_Outsider) DONE
Predator Annihilator (by Wulfbanes) DONE
Predator Destructor (by Wulfbanes) DONE
Land Raider
Land Raider Crusader
Vindicator (by Bicycle repairman)
( I seriously didn't knew we had THAT much heavy support!! )
TRANSPORT:
Rhino
Razorback
Drop Pod
13th Company
Everything that belongs there (by The Outsider) -------DONE
Tactica
Space Wolf Scouts
Who doesn't love the idea of stealthy approaching the enemy and them from behind? Well, most Space Wolf players do! So therefore, we are granted with the Elite choice of Wolf Scouts.
Costing 14 points, these are 1 of the cheapest (the other is a blood claw unit) choices in your army. But be warned, they get expensive very quickly.
Here we go then. Our scouts differ from those of other chapters trough the special ability Operate Behind Enemy Lines (also reffered to as OBEL). This gives them the ability to get on the battlefield at the side of your opponents, effectively ambushing your opponents fire support.
Wolf Scouts can get equipped in two different ways.
1. Anti Tank => with the options for melta and plasma-weaponry they can be really effective when shooting.
2. Anti Infantry => with the options for powerweapons, flamers, plasma weaponry. Effective in and out of charge.
Since Space Wolves are an essentially infantry based army and have little options to anti-tank, an anti-tank configuration is one of the most effective ways. Cost/effective we commonly suggests these configurations:
4 Scouts with 1 Meltagun (and maybe 1 Plasma Pistol) 66 to 76 points, that is minimal points, for maximal tank busting ability.
4 Scouts with 1 Meltagun + Meltabombs. 82 points. If you are in charge range, this unit will destroy any tank available to our enemies.
For anti-infantry, we suggest:
6 scouts (in Close Combat you want numbers) with Frag grenades, 2 powerweapons and a flamer. For 116 points, a unit made to kill in CC, including a way of transport (OBEL/Infiltrate). Maybe add an Wolf Guard Pack Leader, than the unit will be lethal in CC.
4 scouts with 1 powerweapon + frags. 70 points, a cheap, most of the time overlooked unit (or too heavily concentrated on) This unit is great at tying up devastator squads (and the like) in CC for whole games.
Remember, Scouts are cost/efficiency units, you should never forget how many points of enemy units your scouts will effectively kill. Scouts need to earn their points back, or they were a bad addition to your army. There are more ways than killing than getting points back. Here are they:
1. Tying up units. If you can get in Close Combat with your opponent's units, they will be effectively stopped at destroying your other units.
2. Act as Fire Magnet. Every weapon fired at your scouts is a weapon not fired at your other units. This is a good psychological strategy, if you have persons you play against often. Make them scared of Scouts. Destroy things with expensive scouts. And once in a while field a cheap scout unit which is eating fire away from your other units.
3. Kill stuff, effective, and what the whole game is about.
4. Be funny. There is nothing as important as having fun in your games. Having scouts not turning up till late game, because they fell asleep or got drunk behind enemy lines is hilarious, or they show up, and there is nothing left to do. (so they can take a nap right there.)
Grey Hunters
Grey Hunters … the codex says it clearly. The Grey Hunters are the greater mass of the Space Wolves. They’re ‘just’ marines, but marines with a nice special rule and potentially a lot of equipment to make them deadly in mid-, short range fire fights and in close combat. They can be given more equipment for close combat than normal marines can ever dream of. In fact they can have the same close combat equipment a normal Veteran Squad can have, for a lower price. But to the Space Wolves they aren’t the great assault troops, Space Wolves have plenty of that, to the Space Wolves Grey Hunters are essentially the closest thing to a tactical squad. Let’s look at the options first.
Armed with bolters Grey Hunters cost the same as any marine with a veteran skill. Fair enough. With bolt pistols they are a little cheaper and also better on the assault. If one think further it’s a small surprise as the Space Wolves have a lot of assault troops. The bolters are what can make the Grey Hunters special. The only option the Space Wolves have for a beefy mid-range support unit.
But the (cheaper) bolt pistols should not be overlooked. While Blood Claws charge with enormous ferocity and consequently carve a way through much of what they’ll face, in consecutive rounds they loose much of their threat. Then they’re just marines equipped for close combat with an inferior weapon skill of 3. Grey Hunters on the other hand lose little effectiveness after the assault. That’s what makes Grey Hunters very valuable follow-up troops and of course, they can make strong assaults themselves too.
For additional weaponry Grey Hunters have tons of options. Each unit can take up to two powerweapons or powerfists, up to two plasma pistols and up to one flamer, meltagun or plasmagun.
The multitude of powerweapons/fists are another thing that makes all Space Wolf units special and here again they should not be ignored. Powerfists are a good choice. First of all, they kill a lot. Most troops are instant-killed. Secondly, they kill things that one has problems with normally. Things like high toughness monsters, most will be wounded on 3s or better. HQs and other multi-wound characters with a Toughness of 4 or less will be instant-killed without an armour save allowed. Powerfists also have a fair chance of glancing or even penetrating all but the heaviest of armour. Thirdly, as can be read in detail in Chaosbrynn’s tactica on hidden powerfists, with a full unit of Grey Hunters there’s little chance of getting killed before the powerfists start swinging.
Powerweapons don’t have such good strength, but they’re cheaper and hit on Initiative. The latter does matter against opponents that could wipe out the entire unit in close combat in one turn only. Also, many don’t have enough powerfists to give all packs two, there powerweapons also are a nice alternative.
The plasma pistols are not commonly taken because people generally take have little use of it. While meltaguns are exceptional against armour and plasmaguns have a long range, plasma pistols have neither. But it could be used with success in a pack totally geared for shooting from very close range, a risky business at best. This will be worked out below.
Flamers are generally not much use in a squad on foot. And while it is a cheap option and for the Blood Claws it might be considered, it is not a good weapon for Grey Hunters. Meltaguns and plasmaguns on the other hand are great choice. Meltaguns go a good way in helping against the general weakness of Space Wolves against armour and as Grey Hunters are seen much in close proximity of the enemy they will do their jobs. Plasmaguns are not somewhat more expensive for nothing. Just as with the bolters this is one of the few opportunities for fire support and as such and for the S7 AP2 stats it is worth the extra cost.
Finally Grey Hunters also have the option for frag- and krak grenades. While krak grenades are a bad choice (seeing Grey Hunters already bristle with powerfists, meltaguns and plasma) frag grenades can certainly be of use for units meant for the assault.
Grey Hunters can be transported in various transports. First of all there’s the trusty old Rhino, aka Death Coffin. While many view it as a death coffin, the Rhino can certainly be of use to Grey Hunters. If for one reason only it’d be that all the Grey Hunters have for equipment is mid-ranged at best. Much of it is mostly used on the assault and in close combat. As such it is of great importance to get to the enemy fast. Rhino’s do serve for that. An equal alternative is the drop pod. The pod is safer in the notion that it can’t be shot early, but unreliable as one doesn’t know when it enters the field. But both are viable. There are also those who disdain drop pods as ‘unwolfy’, something extensively furthering the continued use of Rhino’s. A special not for both is that when one disembarks/arrives on the field one cannot assault. That’s another use of bolters and plasmaguns, which can rapid-fire on the turn they disembark/arrive.
Then there’s the Razorback. More expensive, not able to hold as many men and it carries a big gun. This one is ideal for smaller fire support packs, which it can support with the heavy gun.
Packs can also be mounted in stuff like Land Raiders. But IMO those should better be reserved for pure close combat units: Blood Claws and Wolf Guard. But then, a Grey Hunter unit used in a Land Raider is not unheard of.
Finally Grey Hunters can of course go on foot. For the more CC-dedicated packs that’s a bad choice as they’ll arrive in close combat far too late, but for fire support packs it is certainly an option.
Now on to configuration. As said before Grey Hunters are the closest thing to a tactical squad, both in the meaning of a SM tactical squad and a tactical squad in the true meaning of the word. They can be used in a lot of ways.
The dedicated assault pack
This configuration is not commonly taken as the Blood Claws are much more attractive as an assault pack, but it’s a viable configuration none the less.
First off, this pack should be filled out to 10 guys, maybe 1 or 2 off to make room in the transport for HQs or Wolf Guard.
For weaponry bolt pistols are the way to go. Two powerfists, a meltagun and frag grenades for the rest of the options. Powerfists will ensure they smash anything in close combat, the meltagun can fry something (maybe a transport…) on the assault and the frag grenades are helpful when charging into cover.
This pack absolutely needs a transport as it is dedicated to close combat. Drop pods and Rhino’s are all viable options. Furthermore, this is also the only configuration for which I would even consider using a Land Raider: to enable it to assault out of the vehicle. For the pods and the Rhino’s care must be taken because before it can get stuck in it is likely to have to weather one round of shooting. Placing them carefully in cover of the Rhino or pod is a good way to help the guys make the day.
Finally, this is a good pack to stick an HQ or a Wolf Guard to. Maybe even both if you feel like you can spare the points… not often. If the pack pods in the Wolf Guard is a very good option to give the pack extra punch to be able to survive under heavy pressure if it gets isolated when podding in.
The close support pack
This is the broadest class by far (and the most used), so far that I couldn’t make up a better name than this. For it is more. This is in essence the ‘tactical’ Grey Hunter pack as it can do much, from close combat to fire fights. Maybe ‘tactical pack’ would be a better name for the class.
The strength of such packs mostly varies from 8 to 10. I certainly recommend 10 Grey Hunters for maximum performance, but sometimes points or models don’t allow it.
This pack functions best with bolters. Thanks to the true grit rule they still get the extra attack in close combat, only not on the assault. As much of the close combat are prone to be lengthy fights the pack doesn’t lose much. But outside combat the bolters are mighty. They make it feasible not to move and blaze away instead and on the turn they disembark/arrive on the field they can rapid-fire right away. For other equipment I recommend either a meltagun or a plasmagun depending on preference as both have their uses, though IMO the meltagun has the edge in this pack. Both powerweapon/fist slots should also be filled. One of them should be a powerfist, for reasons listed above at the review of the options. The other also could be either, depending on preference and expectations concerning the enemy. Frag grenades are not needed as the pack is not expected to assault much.
For this pack too a transport, either a Drop pod or a Rhino is vital as it is built to be close to the enemy.
HQs could join these packs, but there should be more assaulty packs where they would come to their right more. If the Rhino is chosen a Wolf Guard is not needed as the player can control when it is where to ensure it doesn’t get isolated. When podding in however a Wolf Guard could be considered for reasons named above at the Dedicated assault pack.
The fire support pack
Here is what I’ve been talking about with ‘the closest thing the Space Wolves have to a tactical squad’. Note that here I mean a SM tactical squad, a squad that is primarily a shooting unit but that can hold out in combat due to the nature of Space Marines. This is such a pack.
Fire support packs need only 6-8 men. 6 is rather risky and fragile, 8 has besides more bodies also more guns. So 8 would be best, though 6 is still possible.
This pack needs bolters of course to riddle the enemy in support of the combat units. A plasmagun also is a central feature of the pack with high strength and a very good AP value. Plasma pistol and meltaguns are out of order as they’re too short ranged. A single powerweapon or powerfist is a good idea. They have the option for a reasonable amount of points (no need to pay for a Veteran Sergeant…) and well, 12-24” isn’t that far apart from close combat. Sometimes these packs need to move in to win the battle or they are attacked.
A transport is optional. Rhino’s and Razorbacks can be used to move the unit to a good position quickly. The Razorback can also give extra heavy weapon support, creating a potent firebase. Drop pods are not so good here as with the other transports only 1 turn to drive to good position is good enough, so they should be shooting from turn 2 onwards. But this pack can also well move on foot. It’s not a long walk to come in range and it saves points.
This pack certainly doesn’t need extra close combat prowess from a Wolf Guard or an HQ.
The plasma pack
This is a special variation on the fire support pack. At any rate it is more of a tactic than a composition. This is a drive-by-blazing-away pack. It should only be 6 men with bolters, a plasmagun and 2 plasma pistols. Mounted in a Razorback (with heavy bolter to enable it to fire at any time) or a Rhino they drive by, disembark and 4 plasma shots and 6 bolter shots from close range, before embarking again and riding off. It is risky, but it is devastating to MEQs and with only 6 men it’s a cheap pack and should be kept cheap.
Landspeeders
When you first look at the landspeeder profile in the codex you think meh. Only when you consider the ridiculous amount of roles it can play does it become a viable choice.
The one thing that anyone using landspeeders must remember is to move them over six inches a turn, otherwise they will descend to the ground in a not so gracefull spiral. However once moved over six inches they can only have glancing hits caused against them. I've lost count of the times a lascannon has caused cannot shoot.
Lets take a look at the basic speeder. For 50 points you get a heavy bolter mounted on a skimmer, with the option to upgrade to a multimelta for 15 points. Now I'm sure that everyone at this point is thinking Long Fangs. Which is fair enough, thier ability to split fire is good. But so is the landspeeders ability to be at the right place at the right time.
The heavy bolter landspeeder is good for gunning down light infantry and claiming table quarters (24" move in the last turn, ignoring terrian). Not much more to be said.
My favourite option at the moment is the multimelta. As landspeeders deploy last, you can easily place them opposite the enemy land raider, etc. This allows you to deploy your lang fangs in a position to cover the most ground, and the landspeeders to go for specific targets.
The multimelta landspeeder makes a durable and deadly tank hunter, it should not be underestimated.
The Landspeeder Tornado is really quite awesome. 4 S 6 AP 4 shots with rending is worth the extra points if verusing any sort of light infantry army, especially nids, as with rending you can even take down the big gribblies. Even against other marines the seven shots can still take thier toll.
Landspeeders with Multimeltas and Heavy flamers do have thier usefulness. Against guard and nids they really come into thier own, as thier ability to destroy tanks and monstrous creatures and then burninate the little guys shouldnt be underestimated.
The last variant is the Typhoon. With its missile launchers it can really put down the hurt on the light infantry.
Now for some general tactics.
With any sort of landspeeder armed with a multimelta, try to operate them in separate squadrons of one. This ensures the enemy cant destroy them all from one unit (trust me I learnt the hard way), and it allows for more variety in target selection.
The other landspeeders (Tornado, heavy bolter and typhoon) work well in pairs. This brings more shots onto the same unit, forcing you to concentrate your fire.
When deploying your speeders it is a good idea to have a rough plan of what you want to target in the first couple of turns. Is it the massive tank of destruction or thier most expensive unit? When you figure that out you can then deploy them to best carry out the plan. Deploy them BEHIND COVER. I cant stress that enough. Even if you have a venerable dread in your army, still try to protect them, as on the first turn they are sitting ducks. And once people realise what they can do, they tend to crash and burn very fast.
So just to recap:
Heavy Bolter Landspeeder - Infantry killer, Quarter claimer
Multimelta Landspeeder - Tank/Elite infantry Hunter, Quarter Claimer
Tornado - Everything killer (mainly infantry though), Quarter Claimer
Multimelta and heavy flamer - Tank/Elite infantry Hunter, Infantry killer, Quarter Claimer
Typhoon - Infantry killer, Quarter claimer
Always move over six inches. Always
Hopefully this has made you think about not taking those slow and predicitable Long Fangs but taking fast and deadly speeders
Long Fangs
Long fangs, possibly the best heavy support choice space wolves get, but there is more than what meets the eye.
First off, if you want pure tank hunting (i.e all lascannons) a predator is probably a better option, lascannon long fangs are expensive, damn expensive.
No matter how you arm you long fangs thay are going to be pretty expensive, so its all about getting best value for points.
Conventional wisdom tells us that it is a bad idea to mix weapons in squads as losses reduce effectiveness, while this is true long fangs do it a little differently.
Fire control. This is invavlauble to how you arm your pack, the ability to split fire is not to be underestimated and can really make long fangs worth more than their points.
The most general layout is two heavy bolters and two missile launchers, capable of killing hordes and tank equally, it is also one of the cheaper loadouts, jack of all trades master of none.
Now, when you start adding plasma cannons in does it get expensive, a loadout I find pretty effective is two missile launchers and plasma cannon, sure you only have four members but the squad is still kept fairly cheap and there is nothing it cannot kill. The plasma cannon is there to take out things like terminators while the missile launchers go tank hunting. You could add another plasma cannon but that puts the squad over 200 points (which is the sensible limit for a five strong squad in my opinion).
Lascannons can work, but generally the plasma cannon is better due to its versatility.
Heavy bolters should only be used if you know you are facing a 4+ save army, other wise they are wasted a bit, using them to support other weapons is good but a total heavy bolter squad is generally only effective half of the time.
Right, now you have armed your squad, what to do with it?
You ideally want them occupying any high ground and/or are in cover, dispite being only five strong max they can be surprisingly resilient. They are probably not going to move in a game so clear line of sight is very important.
Numbers, though the squad is very small normally they wouldn't live long, but since space wolves are a assaulty army they are generally ignored while more dangerous units (like blood claws) advance so they live a surprisingly long time.
For the absolute maximum effeciency (whatever their loadout) combine them with a venerable dreadnaughts ability to re-roll to see who gets first turn they now become lethal.
Getting the first turn and plasma cannoning that terminator squad/missile launchering that falcon/lascannoning that land raider/heavy boltering that pathfinder squad is invaluable.
Long Fangs are a powerful unit in the right hands, they cannot take abuse like a normal devastator squad can but they can be far more powerful.
Predators
Predators are mean machines. In even name they totaly give away the idea of a Space Wolves army. For Predators they are. Predators are the mobile firing force in a Space Wolves army. They posses movability over survivability opposed to Long Fangs, but both can give the same amount of punch.
You have three types of Predators:
1. Cheap Predators
2. Expensive Predators
3. Effective Predators
Everyone wants to have cheap Predators, especially Space Wolves players, because they need all the points they can get for more Close Combat Goodness. But Predators cost points, alot of them. The Cheapest Predator will be 100 points only toting a singe autocannon. So, at least we are going to spend points on sponsors to make the unit more Effective, precise the type of Predators we need.
There are three different Weapons available on a Predator
Here are their Pro's and Con's:
- The Autocannon Turret. This is the cheapest of the two turrets available. The Autocannon Turret has high strength and an AP4. The autocannon with it's two shots is used wisely by shooting at light infantry or transports which generaly have a low AV. It's high strength is handy for shooting stronger infantry, but it's bad AP makes it very ineffective against 3+ armour save armies.
- The Heavy Bolters Sponsors give away lots of shots. With these sponsors you have 6 shots to fire. As the Heavy Bolter is a defensive weapon being under strenght 7 it can be shot on the move in addition to a heavy turret weapon. They have fairly high strength and are perfect for killing light infantry with their AP4. However, the Heavy Bolter becomes much less effective once fighting units with an armour saving of 3+. Another weapon is mountable on a predator for that cause.
- The Lascannon. It can be mounted on the turret, which costs 20 points and makes the weapon twin-linked which makes sure it will hit target. The Lascannon can also be mounted on the Predators sponsor fits. This will give you two lascannon shots, both capable of dealing lots of damage to enemy vehicles. The Lascannon is a great weapon for blasting tanks to smithereens with it's Strength 9, but looses alot of it's effectiveness on troops which it does autokill, but just doesn't make the points back for shooting infantry.
Space Wolves are particulair well armed to kill infantry. Tanks pose the most problems against Space Wolves. However, large swarming armies are also a real pain. Giving that there are two types of predators worth using in a Space Wolves army:
- The Mighty Tank Eater:
Predator with Autocannon Turret and Lascannon Sponsors. 125 points.
Turret can be upgraded to a twin-linked lascannon at +20 points.
Advisable upgrades: Smoke Launchers.
Strategy: Best used in conjunction with a Venerable Dreadnought to have a high chance of getting the first turn. This Tank is to shoot high-cost/high danger-level enemy tanks and particulairy speeders down before they can get to move and get those pesky only glancing saves. This tank has a high chance of blowing up tanks, however, if some terminators, wraithlords or daemonprinces come nearby. Fire at will, points are back in a sec.
- The Mighty Horde Eater:
Predator with Autocannon Turret and Heavy Bolter Sponsors. 110 points.
Advisable Upgrades: Smoke Launchers, Extra Armour, Dozer Blade.
Strategy: This tank is best used in conjunction with an armoured Space Wolves army. It can hide transports behind itself while zooming up the board firing 8 high strength AP4 shots at the time. This is to shoot at infantry with. However, if that pesky speeders come in close. Fire at will, even at glancing, so many attacks WILL DO DAMAGE.
Whirlwind
The whirlwind is possibly the cheapest ordanace in the game and space marines use it to great effect, but how does it fit in with the space wolves?
Firstly it is cheap, damn cheap, for under 100 points you get a indirect firing ordanance weapon that will hammer anything up to marines (who don't like it much either).
The best place for it to sit is behind cover near the back of your deployment zone, use it to get early shots on large enemy units and things that need pinning down/stalling.
It is best used in pairs, take two and sit one at each corner of your deployment zone and you can get very effective covering fire for your advance. You have to aim for larger targets due to its tendency to scatter and missing unit all together.
I would use them to stall units that are going to be a threat (like large ork mobs, firewarriors etc), whirlwinds deny them a save and the -1LD for suffering ordanace barrage is not to be underestimated.
Personally I would keep the standard missile loadout, it is more versatile and makes it easier for the whirlwind to earn its points back.
If you use Castellan missiles things start to get more complicated. Whirlwinds with Castellan missiles practically never earn their points back, but they make life easier for other units when used correctly.
Castellan missiles are used to great effect against assault based armies, when you essentially get free wounds as the army comes to you and crosses the minefields.
Use them to block off areas that could hurt your deplyment, they can stop an enemy running down flanks very effectively. Another very powerful tactic is to drop minefields in the enemy deployment zone not with the intention to get direct wounds.
On most tables with a decent amount of scenery at some point or another the enemy is going to need to reshuffle their deployment zone to get better line of site, in rapid fire range etc, here chances are if they move 6" they will be on top of minefields. That tactic works better the later the game goes on so don't expect to see instant results.
Static units can also suffer from minefields, drop on on their head and any movement is going to hurt.
Vindicator
Whenever the word vindicator is mentioned around a group of 40k players the usual reactions are either to shudder or grin wolfishly. This little engine of destruction has the capacity to destroy an entire deep striking terminator squad in one turn . Now dont tell me that that hasnt got your attention.
The vindicator (vinnie) is basically a predator with no sponsons a behemoth cannon on the front (otherwise known as a demolisher). With a range of 24" it is perfectly suited to supporting the Wolves of Fenri up close and personnal, where they are at their best. The S 10 Ap 1 pie plate of doom can be an effective weapon against anything that is on the board.
One of the main reasons that I took the Vinnie is to use it as an aggressive Heavy Support in the deployment phase. As my only other heavy support choices consisted of a Whirlwind and Long Fangs, having something that you want up close and gives the opponent the jibbles is great. For missions that use quarters, the vinnie is deployed as close a possible to the centre, to push the enemy back. It also limits the opponents deployment choices as they have to either accept some units will be hit be the demolisher cannon, or put everything in cover. Thus mucking up thier battle plan with one model.
Target selection for the Vindicator is a bit of a no brainer. Just point in the direction of the most expensive enemy unit in range, and watch it disappear (fingers crossed). The one thing to remember is that when moving you roll to d6 and choose the highest when determining the distance scattered. So also try and pick an area that is filled to the brim with enemy models.
Vehcile upgrades that work best on the vindicator are a dozor blade (plus if using the forgeworld model it looks awesome) so you dont have to worry about terrian. Smoke launchers are also good, as if not in range of anything just pop em off.
The main advantage that the Vindicator gives you is the sheer impact it has on the opponent. Unless they have been verusing them regularly, they do tend to throw thier plan out the window and just concentrate on the Vinnie. This is great as it means the rest of your army is left unscathed for a while.
Space wolves 13th company
Wolf Lord
This guy is part of your main assault force, he should be fairly resilient so he can earn his points. If you choose to take him on foot a storm claw bodyguard is a must, at the 1500 level my preference is 7 storm claws, one with a power fist. This keeps them cheap and they do not lost too much effectiveness (as they are basically walking wounds for your lord).
However, if you want to make a combat monster unit, give the lord mark of wulfen, the storm claws a wolf guard pack leader with mark of wulfen and power weapon and take two powerfists from the squad options. The unit will cost nearly 300 points (and then the lord on top of that) but there is nothing they cannot kill and on the charge they are going to get a huge number of attacks, but that is still a lot of points to invest in one unit.
Giving him a bike is a good way of increasing his potential though he does get expensive quickly. A bike works best when you want to give the Belt of Russ to a Rune Priest (to keep him alive after using the gate).
Equipment- If its not needed elsewhere always give him the Belt of Russ, it is the most worthwhile item he can have, it will keep him alive for a very long time. The Wolf Tooth Necklace is a very good item if you use your HQ’s as character hunters, he will hit easier than most opponents and combines with a frost blade (+1S) he will wound more easily as well.
Mark of wulfen is also a great upgrade, it does enable the lord to get up to 9 attacks on the charge with some lucky dice rolling and hitting on a 3+ is very nice, however, being hit on a 3+ is not. With mark of wulfen the lord relies a lot on his initive to do damage, he needs to strike first or at the same time as what he is trying to kill or he will die rather easily.
Some Runic armour and Melta bombs are a good investment just to make him a bit more survivable and enables him to take on any tanks that come too close.
Wolf Priest
This guy need to be kept as cheap as possible, just give him a bolt pistol and that all he really needs.
Healing potions are balms are good but generally cost too much to be of use as the Wolf Priest is a support unit.
Use him to provide some muscle for the Grey Slayers or some power weapon aid for the Wulfen.
Rune Priest
He gets more complicated than the other HQ’s due to his power “The Gate”. I personally feel he needs to be kept as cheap as possible as he will be going into the most dangerous situations.
As he can gate around getting the free move isn’t as important so giving him terminator armour is a good idea. I like to arm him with twin lightning claws so he is good against squads and stands a fair chance against enemy HQ’s.
When he uses “The Gate” it should mostly be with a Grey Slayer squad, Long Fangs don’t have the numbers and Storm claws lack the shooting (as most times after they have arrived the entire enemy army will shoot at them).
Wulfen
These guys are somewhat unpredictable but are a great unit. They are never worth fielding in a squad of five, they really need to be ten strong otherwise they lack durability.
The Wulfen should be one of your main assault units because of the damage they can do. I like to have the Wolf Priest join them so he can control their animal rage and provide some power weapon support.
Deployment is key for these guys as often they are the first to face the enemies guns. Use them to go after other close combat units as the Wulfen will win most of the time however, power weapon toting squads should be approached with caution. Combat is where they need to be otherwise they are wasting themselves.
Animal Rage is not to be underestimated, it is lethal against infiltrating troops as they will probably be within the effective 24” charge range (6” free move, 6” movement, 6” animal rage (if you are lucky) and a 6” charge).
Please note that they do not get the mark of the wulfen abilities as it is in the armoury, that is a different type of the mark.
Storm Claws
These guys are your serious assault unit, more controllable than the Wulfen and easier to position.
First, as a bodyguard for the Wolf Lord- they are basically walking wounds in this case as no opponent will allow them to just stroll up to their lines unmolested. In this case I keep them cheap, just an addition of a power fist and they are done.
As a unit on their own they start to become really nasty, usually they are gated about but this is risky as they often are on the receiving end of battle cannons and the like.
When used in this manner they need to be 10 strong and packing some serious weaponry. Give them a wolf guard pack leader with mark of the wulfen and power weapon. Give two of the standard claws power fists to give the some heavy hitting power and throw them into combat.
If you use the Rune Priest to gate them around gate them in a defensive way, they lack the shooting power to land anywhere near open terrain. If the Rune Priest is in terminator armour it may not be a good idea to have him actually join the squad as they need maximum movement after combat.
Grey Slayers
These guy are the meat of your army and numbers are very important. In a 1500 point game I take no less than 20 of them, other wise your list is really low on numbers.
Although they are an assault unit they shouldn’t be geared too much towards close combat, they are best served being kept at ten strong with two special weapons, though plasma guns are a better choice meltaguns provide some nice (if not short ranged) anti-tank.
They generally don’t need a wolf guard pack leader as the squad gets expensive quickly.
However, if you want to give them supreme versatility you are going to need a hidden powerfist. Take a wolf guard pack leader with powerfist and wolf tooth necklace (do not upgrade his boltgun to bolt pistol as it costs points) you have a hidden powerfist that always hits on 3+ and will wound most things on 2+, expensive but it gives the pack the ability to kill anything.
Storm Claw bikers
These guys make a devastating, arm them with power weapons or meltaguns/plasma guns and they become a serious threat.
Give them a wolf guard pack leader (with power weapon) and two bikers with power fists and you have a very effective combat unit. They need to always be five strong otherwise they are too small to survive any decent shooting.
They make a very good bodyguard for biker lords and make them a powerful but expensive unit.
Wolf Packs
This is your harassment unit, they are there to tie up lone squads and the like.
They are as good as the Grey Slayers in close combat but lack the resilience of marines so they need to be used where return fire is minimal.
A pack or two of these should be all you need.
Long Fangs
These guy are your heavy support.
How you arm them is very important as they get very expensive very quickly., I like to arm mine with two missile launcher and two heavy bolters- this makes them very versatile and keep their cost down.
Try to avoid giving them larcenous as they will easily cost over 200 points which is too much.
Do not arm them all with special weapons as it is not worth it, the squad is too small and too costly to go that close to enemy guns and powerful short range weapons.
They are better with heavy weapons because of their free move- they can get into position after the enemy has put down their main target (defilers, wraith lords etc).
That’s it! I hope this tactica will help you be on your way to mastering the 13th company.