What Tactical Marines ought to be

Saw this thread on Warseer:
http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=323585

Thought it was interesting.  There's a ton of proposals in there, but I have one of my own:
Let Tactical Marines take 2 special weapons, 2 heavy weapons or a combination of both.

That is all, thanks for listening.

Playing some Space Marine!

Come at me bro.

Have you guys played it yet?  I'm loving the Multiplayer especially.  I haven't played single-player at all, but I've been hacking away at some faces in MP.  My main class is Assault, but I do like to roll Tacticals every now and then.

Chainsword/Bolt Pistol

Swordsman's Zeal

Air-cooled Thrusters

A lot of people complain that everything's overpowered, but hey you know what?  If everything seems imbalanced, then I'm willing to bet it's balanced.

Space Marine Mixed Armor Tactica

This is the long awaited vehicle tactica that deals with different armor groups, notably the AV13 toys that Space Marines have to play with.  One of the biggest follies in the 40K gaming community is that Predators and Vindicators suck because of their static nature and fixed firing ports.  A lot of people see this as a weakness because these two tanks, as dominate as they are in the front arc with their AV13 hulls, have AV11 side armor.  This means that every time they pivot and shoot, they're as durable as Rhino.

That must suck right?  Wrong.  This guide will show you the folly in your ways with some tested battle formations.  I took all these pics using my iPhone since my attempts at MS Paint sucked harder than it should have.  Keep in mind that this tactica is designed for a mechanized army.  Some elements in this guide may or may not work depending on what you field.

Space Marine Psykers

This is a follow-up to my Librarians, why not? article.  Each Librarian will list the powers I find most attractive and why.  Most libbies can only choose 2 powers, but the GK one can buy as many as he wants.

Space Marine Librarian
Null Zone, Avenger, Gate of Infinity

My builds:

Libby, TDA w/ SS (Null Zone, Gate of Infinity) leading 5x TH/SS Termies in a LRC

Libby, (Avenger, Gate of Infinity), Drop Pod, 10x Sternguard w/ Combi-weapons

The weakest Librarian out of the bunch, the standard SM Librarian gets access to quite a few unique powers.  Null Zone really screws anything with invul saves; ranging from TH/SS Terminators, Wyches in CC or 2++ Shadow Fields.  Avenger is one of the best templates in the game as S5 AP3 cuts through MEQ like butter.  GoI is a little tricky but can play a big part in your army as you can take your TH/SS Termies from one location to another or carry a large bunch of Sternguard into your enemies' face.

Blood Angels Librarian
Unleash Rage, Sanguine Sword, Shield of Sanguinius, Blood Lance

My builds:

Libby, TDA w/ SS (Unleash Rage, Sanguine Sword) leading 5x Assault Termies in a LRC

Libby, JP (Unleash Rage, Shield of Sanguinius) leading 10x ASM w/ PF, 2x Meltaguns

The Blood Angels Librarian holds many destructive abilities that compliment the offensive nature of the BA army.  Unleash Rage is one of the reasons the Reclusiarch is a subpar choice.  Preferred Enemy for multiple rounds of combat is much stronger than one round of re-roll hits.  Sanguine Sword allows the Librarian to take on anything in the game because S10 can touch anything on 2s while punching through the strongest armor.  Shield allows BA to spam mech like no other while advancing towards the enemy.  Then, there's the Blood Lance.  It's not as strong as JotWW in terms of what it can target, but it can threaten any vehicle with its S8 AP1 Lance.  Versus enemy tank lines, if you can line up a good shot, you might be able to take out quite a few targets per turn.  The best thing about these abilities is that both the offensive assault ones I noted (UR and SS) can be used in either player's turn.  Shield is a defensive ability that fires during your enemy's shooting phase and Blood Lance is in your shooting phase.  This healthy mix of choices allows the BA Librarian to get off psychic powers in either player's turn.

Grey Knights Librarian
Shrouding, Sanctuary, Might of Titans, Warp Rift

My builds:

Libby, (Shrouding, Sanctuary, Might), 3x Servo-skulls, MC Halberd leading..

6x Paladins (Apoth, MC DH, 2x MC Psycannons, BBanner, MC, all Halberds)

10x GKT (MC DH, DH, rest Halberds, 2x Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts)

Some say the GK Libby isn't needed, but I think he's one of the best buys in the book.  For 150 points, you get a Epistolary that's in Terminator Armor, can have a 4++ in close combat because of his Force Sword, has access to I6 Halberds or MC weapons, and is equipped with Frag and Krak grenades.  On top of this, he has 4 amazing psychic powers that compliments the GK army perfectly.  Shrouding keeps your units safe in cover with a whopping 3++ save, Sanctuary provides assault protection that covers a large area, and Might of Titans allows your units to punch through tanks with +1S and 2d6 armor pen.  This can be used in conjunction with Hammerhand for S6 vs. T4 MEQ or Hive Tyrant strength vs. armor.  Lastly, we have Warp Rift.  I like this ability because it's essentially a template-sized JotWW.  Sure, it doesn't target models, but against slow, expensive units who are bunched up (think Nids and Orks), this ability is invaluable.  Just like the BA Librarian, the GK Libby can get off multiple abilities per turn since Shrouding is cast in the enemies' shooting phase, Sanctuary in his assault, Might in your assault, Hammerhand whenever and Warp in your shooting.  An unupgraded GK Libby can cast 2 abilities per player turn, and up to 4 per game turn.  With Ld.10, he is my go-to guy to get off Hammerhand when my Paladins use their psychic ability to activate their Force Weapons via Brotherhood Banner.  Instant win.  Oh, and he has access to Servo-skulls, which is pretty much a must-have if you intend on taking Deep Strikers.

Space Wolves Rune Priest
Murderous Hurricane, Living Lightning, Jaws of the World Wolf

My builds:
Rune Priest (Chooser, Murderous Hurricane, LL) leading..
8x Grey Hunters w/ WG (Rhino, PF/cbM, Meltagun, WS, MotW)

Last, but certainly not least, is the SW Rune Priest.  The best thing about the Rune Priest is that his runic weapon nullifies enemy psychic abilities on a 4+.  No need to roll off like the other libbies, a 4+ within 24" is all you need to shut down enemy powers.  In addition, he can take quite a few pieces of wargear to make him stand out more so than the other librarians.  First, he can take Wolftooth Necklace that makes him hit anything with a WS at 3+, no matter what.  It doesn't matter if he's fighting a Gaunt or a Bloodthirster, if you roll a 3+, you hit.  See a trend here?  Second, is his ability to take Runic Armor, which is the SM-equiv to Artificer Armor w/ a built-in psychic protection.  Third, is his ability to take Sagas that improves his killing potential ontop of his natural Counter-attack.  He has so many different wargear options that he makes other librarians look broke ass poor, save maybe the GK one.  I guess since the Chooser of the Slain is pretty much an auto-include for me, he should get a mention.  18" perched on top of a high point gives the RP +1BS with Living Lightning and pushes back all infiltrated units.  Viewed as the best HQ choice in the game by many players, I take him in every game with Space Wolves.

As for powers, I find Murderous Hurricane, Living Lightning and Jaws to be the best choices.  Murderous Hurricane allows you to slow down and destroy enemy infantry, Living Lightning allows you to punch through armor from infinite range, and Jaws is just... jaws.  No other psychic ability in the game caused as much ruckus as Jaws did when it first came out and it's still being talked about today.  It has a 24" line that can snipe any model it touches and if they fail a I test, they're removed from play.  Laff.

Salamanders

"Into the fires of battle, unto the anvil of war!"

Battlecry of the Salamanders

Whenever you hear about Salamanders these days, you hear about Vulkan He'stan.  He is the current Forgefather for the Chapter, charged with finding the lost relics of his Primarch.  Being one of the First Founding Chapters, the Salamanders have served the Emperor with distinction for thousands of years.  They are known for their artisan craftsmanship and their use of heat-based weapons.  This should be no surprise as their homeworld of Nocturne is ridden with volcanic fire and violent radiation.  Weapons such as Flamers and Meltaguns are all commonly seen on the battlefield when the Salamanders are present.  Even Thunderhammers are expertly designed and perfectly balanced; fitting for the forge-born warriors of Nocturne.  By taking the Vulkan He'stan to battle, Space Marine players can truly enjoy the gifts of the forgefather.

Vulkan He'stan trades Chapter Tactics for something truly remarkable.  He makes all your fire-based weapons such as Flamers, Heavy Flamers, Meltaguns and Multi-meltas twin-linked.  Vulkan also makes all your Thunderhammers master-crafted.  The forgfather himself has Captain stats and has a 2+/3++ armor/invulnerable save.  He also comes with a MC Relic Blade (S6) and a built-in Heavy Flamer as well.  Because of this army-wide buff that Vulkan provides, Space Marine players can quickly take advantage of the most destructive weapons of mankind and use them with greater effect than other Marine Chapters.

With that in mind, it's not too difficult to construct a list that can take advantage of these bonuses and keep to the theme of the Salamanders Chapter.  The list below is the list that I constructed at 1750 points:

Raven Guard

"Victorus aut Mortis."

Battlecry of the Raven Guard

The Raven Guard are one of the original Space Marines Legions.  They are known for their hit and run tactics and their ability to strike unseen from the shadows.  Stealth and infiltration is their forte and their attacks are precise and focused.  By striking at their opponents weak points, they leave their opponents disorganized and confused; making them susceptible to the fury of the Space Marines.

My second thematic army from the C:SM Codex was the Raven Guard.  After playing Crimson Fists for a bit, I decided to needed to spice it up a bit.  After looking through the codex for some inspiration, I came along a Special Character named Kayvaan Shrike, Captain of the Raven Guard 3rd Company.  Being one of the more familiar names in Space Marine lore, I quickly looked over his special rules and noted what he can offer to the table.  The first thing I noticed about Shrike is that he trades Chapter Tactics for Fleet.  This makes the assault elements of your army even more deadly as they can close the distance and engage in battle much quicker.  The other thing to note about Shrike is that he can give him and the squad that he's in Infiltrate.  This means that regardless of where your opponents deploy, Shrike's squad can start 18" away from them (or 12" if they're out of LoS).  The ideas quickly started to pour into my head.  I needed an army that can have enormous first strike potential at the weaker points of my opponents' army.  The army needed to be precise like a surgeon's knife and hit hard like a hammer.  This is how I came up with my army list:

Crimson Fists

"There is only the Emperor!"

"He is our shield and our protector!"
Warcry of the Crimson Fists

The first army that I started with in the C:SM codex was the Crimson Fists.  Being a Seconding Founding Chapter of the Imperial Fists, the Crimson Fists received its unyielding tenacity from the Primarch Rogal Dorn.  Lately, tragedy has befallen the Chapter and their Fortress Monastery on Rynn's World has been destroyed the Orks.  Though injured and severely outnumbered, Pedro Kantor, Chapter Master of the Crimson Fists rallied the remnants of his Chapter and fought courageously to purge the Ork invaders from Rynn's World.

Ingame, Pedro Kantor is actually one of the most price effective choices in the entire book.  He's a Chapter Master so he automatically has access to Honor Guard and Orbital Bombardment.  His special rules replaces the entire army's Chapter Tactics with Stubborn and Hold The Line!  Stubborn makes it so you always take morale checks at max leadership when you lose combat and Hold The Line! makes all your Sternguard Veterans count as scoring units.  Probably the biggest bonus that he offers is an amazing 12" aura of +1 attack to all friendly units within 12" called Inspiring Presence.  This is huge!  It makes your basic Marines fight like Veterans and your Veterans fight like gods.  This also effects Dreadnoughts so your Ironclads get 5 attacks on the charge.  Aside from that, he comes with a S4 AP4 Assault 4 Storm Bolter at BS5 and a Power Fist at WS6 and 3 attacks base.

Three days, three Chapters

Over the next couple of days, I'll be revisiting the army lists that I've used for 5th Ed. Space Marines.  Space Marines was the first army that I started with 8 years ago and they're still my favorite.  When the new codex came out, I chose three thematic yet competitive ways to play the new book and I will cover one each day in the next three days.  Each list has a distinctive playstyle, true to the theme of the chapter they represent.  Those glorious heroes are the Crimson Fists, Raven Guard and Salamander Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes.  Enemies of the Imperium beware.