Tactica: Tactics of the Adeptus Astartes

   The following are a series of varying tactics for primarily offensive use, however a cunning commander can put these tactics to other designs as well and many variants of each tactic exist. It is up to you as commanders how you wish to employ these offensive tools.

-Armored Thrust

“If the Space Marines are able to land heavy equipment, an equally destructive tactic is the armoured spearhead. Maneuvering at speed, behind a far-ranging screen of bikes and land speeders, the Space marines smash their powerful tanks unerringly against the weak link in the enemy army, armoured columns slashing left and right before powering on into the foe’s vitals.”
-Codex: Space Marines, page 9

In essence the Armored Thrust is a spearhead of tanks and armored vehicles that busts through the enemies line, breaking them apart and taking them down. One way to do this is to form an armored inverted V. Land Raiders or other powerful vehicles take the point with other vehicles such as Predators, Razorbacks, Rhinos and even Dreadnaughts continuing down in two staggered lines from the point vehicle. The Infantry than fill the space in between, with a screen of heavy armor they advance unhindered until the armor slashes through the enemy lines, then the tanks shift to allow the Infantry gaps to fire through or charge through into the enemy, tearing them asunder. This tactic is not reliable against enemies with too much indirect fire, especially with weapons such as Earth Shaker or Battle Cannons. However in such a case the infantry can stay inside their transports although this can be riskier. Should a vehicle in the line be immobilized or destroyed the V can tighten to cover the gap or infantry can use the wreck as a defensive structure to cover the advance further.

The units that are best suited to this role are of course the more heavily armored tanks. Land Raider Crusaders being a great point vehicle due to their ability to continue keeping up their fire even on the move. Behind them Predator Destructors or Annihilators with Heavy Bolter Sponsons can extend the V nicely and the final points can easily be filled with Dreadnaughts of any type or Rhino’s and Razorbacks. Infantry of any sort can walk in the safe space provided by the armored wall, Assault Squads are a good choice however due to their jump packs which can let them leap over the vehicle wall to smash into the enemy when the attack reaches the foe.

However the Armored Thrust can be built around any design of armor and shapes, the essence is simply an armored attack with infantry support that is usually shielded by the approaching armor. The sheer number of vehicles creates something called target saturation, with so much armor it is likely that an opponent will either focus his fire and destroy a vehicle a turn or will spread out his fire too much and destroy none. Extra armor makes sure the column can keep moving even when taking shaken and stunned results and Techmarines can get immobilized vehicles moving again.

-Implacable Advance

“As our bodies are armoured with adamantium, our souls are protected with loyalty. As our bolters are charged with death for the Emperor’s enemies, our thoughts are charged with wisdom. As our ranks advance, so does our devotion, for are we not Space Marines? Are we not the chosen of the Emperor, his loyal servants unto death?”
-Chaplain Fergas Nils, Codex: Space Marines page 31.

The Implacable Advance is one part offense, one part defense and one part psychological. Units such as Terminators, full strength Tactical Squads and Bikes advancing forward, sending sheets of fire into the enemy and shrugging off whatever damage they take to draw the enemies firepower while faster units such as Assault Squads, Land Speeders and perhaps Bikes rush into the enemy from other angles and directions while their attention is fixed on the tough units approaching them. Killing a single squad of 10 Marines is not so hard, killing 30 or 40 marching relentlessly across the field with leadership 10 and centered with a squad of Terminators, sending out sheets of storm bolter and assault cannon fire is far harder to kill. This wall of power armor can be troublesome for many armies to deal with and is just a cover for the faster units that slip towards the enemy while their attention is fixed on the huge sea of Marines advancing on them.

The Implacable Advance is not the most complex of tactics but it can be psychologically effective, and is particularly strong in larger games where one has the points to throw down a large number of power armored bodies. This tactic works best when upgrades are kept to a minimum and a Master is used to give the army leadership 10 or a chaplain to make the primary unit centering the line fearless.

   Tactical squads and Terminator squads are best for the role of the center advance, taking the attention of the enemy and absorbing damage either through sheer numbers, their armor or both. Assault Squads, Land Speeders and Bike Squadrons make up the secondary assault which approaches the enemy using cover to remain out of LOS as much as possible and making use of the primary advance to keep the enemies attention busy. Once these secondary elements hit the enemy they can take the attention and keep them locked while the primary advance finishes covering the distance to the enemy and smashes into them.

-Drop Pod Assault

   “With paralyzing suddenness, they surgically destroy their targets, leaving the enemy leaderless and disorganized, incapable of anything except surrender or flight.”
-Codex: Space Marines page 9

   Drop Pods are an excellent tool for bringing forces in to devastating effect. The Drop Pod has fairly good armor meaning it takes serious heavy weapons to effectively remove and at such a cheap price it’s almost too good to be true. Melta guns dropping within range of their special effects, bolters in rapid fire range, multiple plasma weapons and such can do very satisfying damage to the enemy. Not only that, but the Drop Pod’s can physically split the enemies forces, their armored bulk cutting the enemy off from each other with a wall of armor and guns. This effectively allows you to split your opponent in half and keep their army from being able to support its individual elements and function in concert. For armies such as Eldar and Tau this can be devastating but it is also quite effective against almost any army.

   For instance an effective army can be almost fully loaded into drop pods. Meaning that even on turn 2 if you have 6 pods, an average of at least 3 should arrive, and 3 drop pods falling in a line, or close to it is a rather large amount of obstacles for an enemy to get around or see past which limits your enemies ability to counter your units. You can also of course use drop pods to land squads on or near objectives and land them behind enemy vehicles rear armor. A Drop Pod assault can be a fearsome thing.

   Squads best suited to Drop Pod deployment are usually Dreadnaughts and Tactical Squads, supported by long range fire from Devastators and secondary forces of Assault Marines can be employed as well. A Librarian with Fear of Darkness is also a good addition to a Drop Pod assault, which can be used to make a significant number of enemies run from the board, especially if they are lower leadership armies.

   However Drop Pods can be risky, due to the unreliability of reserve rolls, putting too many eggs in one basket can lead to your army arriving a squad at a time to be destroyed at leisure by the enemy. Some caution should be used when dealing with reserves.

-Bike Rush

“Bike squadrons are often used for reconnaissance missions into enemy held territory. When part of a larger battleforce, their speed and hitting power gives the Space Marine commander a fast, hard hitting punch to his attack.”
-Games Workshop UK Website: http://uk.games-workshop.com/spacemarines/miniature-gallery/22/

Space Marine Bikes are extraordinarily tough to kill. Toughness 5 and their 3+ save which becomes invulnerable when they turbo charge means that several squads of bikes turbo charging at the enemy will be able to shrug off an impressive amount of firepower and live to tell the tale. This can shock the foe, put teleport homers far forward, deliver characters into the heart of the enemy. Bike squadrons can have as many as two Melta Guns and a Multi Melta, which also makes them highly effective at destroying armor, and of course the sergeant can get a power fist for even more armor punching ability. The Bike Rush is a rash offensive tactic just like the Implacable Advance but where the Implacable Advance relies on sheer numbers the Bike Rush uses the toughness and armor of the bikes to allow them to survive an incredible amount of fire. A risky tactic but one that can well pay off, especially since the bikes can draw the attention of your foes guns to allow less tough units like Assault Marines, Tactical Marines, Veterans and others to reach the enemy intact.

Once the Bikes reach the enemy they can deliver large amounts of anti armor fire or deliver buried power fists into the enemy troops, where the high toughness of the Bikers makes up for their lack in numbers. However once more this is not a tactic one wants to throw too many resources into since bad luck and sheer firepower can seriously hurt such an attack.

-Flying Death

   “From the darkness we strike, fast and lethal, and by the time our foes can react…darkness there and nothing more.”
-Kayvaan Shrike, Codex: Space Marines page 46

   Assault Marines are pricey but deadly and when in numbers can be a threat beyond compare to the enemy. Three full squads of assault marines means thirty Space Marines moving 12” and assaulting a further 6” giving them an easy 2nd turn charge even if moving behind cover as best they can. Under covering fire from Tactical and Devastator squads and with other units such as Tactical Squads, Veteran Squads, Command Squads to name a few, backing them up they can make an effective first wave to tie up the enemy before the slower assaulting elements smash into them and add weight to the Assault Marine’s melee.

   Assault Marines also benefit greatly from a character such as a combat tooled Chaplain who makes them far more effective on the charge. Characters such as Lightning Claw armed Commanders or Veil of Time wielding Librarians are also immensely powerful and can add serious strength to an assault marine attack giving them the staying power to keep the enemy locked until the second wave arrives.

-Land Raider Assault

“The Land Raider is ideally suited to the highly mobile warfare employed by the Adeptus Astartes. Like Space Marines, the heavily armoured Land Raider is capable of fighting in almost any conditions, including extremes of climate, total vacuums and high gravity worlds. The Land Raider offers vital protection and transport for a squad of Space Marines, and has enough heavy weaponry to lay down considerable supporting fire once it has dropped its passengers at the battle zone.”
-Games Workshop UK Website: http://uk.games-workshop.com/spacemarines/miniature-gallery/27/

   The Land Raider is a potent engine of destruction. The heavy armor means most weapons are going to be totally ineffective against it and many more have a very small chance of destroying it, even the mighty Lascannon needs to roll a 5 to even glance the great vehicle. While not perfect the Land Raider can draw an immense amount of fire and survive and deliver powerful assault units into the heart of the enemy. One of the most typical units used with this tactic is a unit of Assault Terminators with a Terminator Chaplain attached. However larger squads of cheaper infantry can be extremely powerful. Space Wolves and Black Templars with their access to larger than normal squads can pour assault oriented squads forth into the center of the enemy line and tear them apart. The tactic is somewhat dangerous, fast moving enemies can surround the Land Raider and destroy it killing all those inside. Support for the Land Raider is important if you don’t want it to be destroyed too easily. Saturation of targets helps make the Land Raider less of a target when the enemy has other targets that it is more likely to destroy. Assault units can also follow the Land Raider on foot or on the flanks to rush in and support the bulk of attackers when the Land Raider reaches the enemies lines.

   Assault Marines without jump packs, Characters attached to close combat equipped units, Terminators especially Assault Terminators and such units make the best choices for loading into the Land Raider and sending into the enemy. The Land Raider Crusader is the best suited to delivering troops into the enemy lines because of its more support oriented units with increased rate of fire and its increased transport capacity.

-Teleport Strike

   “The enemies of the Emperor fear many things. They fear discovery, defeat, despair and death. Yet there is one thing they fear above all others. They fear the wrath of the Space Marines.”
-Codex: Space Marines page 30.

   Teleport strikes are performed with Terminator or Terminator Command Squads, Heavy Flamers or Assault Cannons rip into the enemy and the armor of the Terminators keeps them alive. A character on a bike with a teleport homer or bike sergeant with a homer make sure the Terminators arrive where they are needed and don’t scatter to their death. It also means that heavy flamers can be brought to bear exactly where needed to devastate the enemy or Assault Cannons can rip into the weaker parts of the enemies armor. Deadly effective when combined with the accuracy of a Teleport Homer deep striking Terminators can really do impressive damage to the enemy. Forcing them to regroup and move away from imminent assault and turn their guns on the Terminators or be charged from behind the next turn they can be thrown from attacking other units moving in as a secondary wave. Assault Squads, Tactical Squads on foot, Tac squads and Devastator Squads with heavy weapons ready to tear into the enemy when they are ousted from their cover by the Terminators. Coupled with the rest of the army a Teleport Assault ca be the blow that tears apart the enemy army.

   Not so effective with Terminator Assault Squads, Terminator Squads have the guns to hurt the enemy badly while they are unable to assault and can deal immense damage to a tough target with the sheer weight of fire from their guns.

-Rapid Fire Drop

   “Storm forth, disembark with speed and efficiency and fire on the enemy with precision and efficiency. Through the storm of fire let the enemy die!”
-Sergeant Tyriel of the Ultramarines 7th.

   When transported by a rhino or razorback it is true that a squad cannot disembark after the vehicle has moved and then charge. But the transport can be used to bring a squad into rapid fire range of their weapons. Dropping out the hatches of their transport and unloading an impressive weight of fire on a select target in one fell swoop the Rapid Fire Drop is not nearly as effective for Marines as it is for say Eldar or Tau who have either better weapons, skimmer transports or both to do it with. But that does not mean that bringing a full squad of marines into rapid fire range and letting them double tap into a target is not effective. Especially if the Army has Cleanse and Purify, 2 Plasma Guns and a Plasma Pistol or Combi Plasma on the sergeant can be absolutely devastating, 5-6 Plasma Shots has a good chance of devastating the target, whatever it is. Or the squad can bring an impressive weight of botler fire to bear to tear apart enemy infantry and clear a building for storming by other squads. A simple and basic tactic but one that has proven effective time and time again.

-Drive By

“Open the top and get these foul things off this tank!”
-Sergeant Tyriel to his men during the battle of Eramus IV

   A very simple rhino tactic, the top hatch of a Rhino can allow two marines to fire out of the vehicle. While a Rhino may not have an impressive armament to begin with the squad it is carrying can have two marines fire from it. This could be a pair of special weapons, bolters or other weapons they may have. This can be extremely useful on the move when you want to keep the squad moving, since you don’t have to get out the squad can’t be locked in combat but can still bring plasma, melta and bolter or even flamers to bear on the enemy, perhaps to gun down terminators, melta gun vehicles or flame down infantry from the relative safety of the Rhino.

Defensive Tactics

   The following tactics are primarily that, defensive, however they can be used to anchor an assault, hold off the enemy before a counter attack or cover an attack based on another tactic.

-Fortress

   “Dig in and prepare to meet the enemy, show them what the guns of the Adeptus Astartes can do!”
-Captain Thalion during the defense of Virial VII

   Basically this is picking a strong point or series of closely packed strong points to establish a heavy defense. Multiple shooting oriented Tactical and Devastator, Terminator and Veteran squads are excellent for taking up defensive positions in buildings, trenches or other fortifications. By the placement of your forces you can make a previously empty building a strong point for your force. If it is a multi leveled structure you can place counter charge units on the bottom and/or behind to meet the enemy should they get too close while the rest of the army rains death on the enemy, forcing your opponent to come and get you. A position heavily defended by marines can be a very hard thing to take with multiple squads pouring fire onto attackers. Should the enemy survive the fire to get close, Assault, Veteran, Terminator squads or other such units charging forth to meet them an be the final nail in the coffin for many enemies. In games where victory points is the primary objective, hold out at all costs and other such missions forming a heavy defensive location with supporting elements makes your enemy react to you and makes your force into a deadly defensive monster.

-Rapid Fire Rush

“When the attack by the enemy is imminent, standing still and accepting the inevitable is folly, storm forward with the wrath of the Emperor himself blazing from your guns and show these foul cretins how the Astartes wage war!”
-Captain Icarus, on defensive tactics.

The Rapid Fire Rush is simply where an assault against a defensive position those troops defending it rush to the edge of the terrain piece, or even out of it if you want to get into rapid fire range. This limits the kill range of the squad to kill the front rank of the approaching enemy which can delay their assault and double the output of fire from the squad to thin the ranks of the enemy before they get into combat. Tactical squads are the primary use of this tactic but it can be used with other squads should you wish.

-Rhino Bunker

   “Block the entrances, put fire points above and prepare to meet the enemy!”
-Captain Tarentius of the Imperial Fists during the defense of Quilara Prime

   Similar to the Drive By tactic this is best on the defense and with minimum sized Tactical Squads. Armed with the lascannon and plasma gun combination, and with a rhino, the transports park in a line at the base of a defensive structure with counter charge elements like assault squads waiting behind them. The special and heavy weapon marines pop out the top hatch to add their fire to Devastator and other defensive units in the upper floors of the defensive structure. This keeps the enemy from being able to sweep into the defensive position if they aren’t armed with jump packs and you can drive the Rhino’s apart to allow the counter charge unit/s to rush out and meet the enemy. All the while the lascannon and plasma guns of the transported squads can lay down accurate fire from within the safety of their transports. The Rhino’s armor is of course not great so the possibility of having the transports destroyed is always there but the tactic can be great for keeping a battle on your terms and adding to the defenses of a position.

-Infiltrated Gunline

   “When the theatre of operations offers the room, Space Marine forces can drop or infiltrate behind the front lines and launch a series of daring raids. The enemy reels from dozens of perfectly placed blows, clumsily lashing out at the Space Marines only to miss and be attacked again. There comes a point, exhausted and crippled, that even the mightiest army collapses, whereupon the Space Marines fall on them, like wolves upon the fold, to deliver the killing stroke.”
-Codex: Space Marines page 9

   This tactic is as simple as the name suggests. Scout Squads, Veteran Squads, Command Squads, Devastator Squads and Tactical Squads (depending on whether your army takes the traits to allow more units to infiltrate) use the Infiltrate rule to infiltrate into forward defensive positions. Catching the enemy in a lethal crossfire from Turn 1 and covering the advance of other elements of the army such as Assault Squads, non Infiltrating Tactical and Veteran Squads, Terminators and the like to move in on the enemy and deliver the killing blow while they reel from the vicious guns of the Infiltrated units. Spreading your force out too much can be risky but denying the enemy the ability to move forward safely behind terrain, keeping fire pouring into them constantly, thinning their ranks before they reach the defensive units or the attacking elements can be invaluable in securing victory. It also allows you to take possession of objectives and ideal strong points early in the game, an advantage not to be underestimated.

-Take Cover

   “The enemy approaches, take up defensive positions and prepare to be engaged!”
-Blood Ravens maxim on meeting assaults.

   This tactic is quite simple. When facing an enemy who has higher initiative, or better combat skills it can be highly advantageous to move into cover and meet them that way instead of remaining in open ground. Moving to the edge of the terrain and spreading out to make sure the enemy cannot move into the terrain prior to assaulting being a secondary objective. In this way you can gain the advantages of an enemy charging into your cover which could allow you to strike first or at least simultaneously with the enemy and can really put the hurt on expensive enemy characters or even units such as Assault Terminators and Striking Scorpions. This minimizes your losses while helping to maximize your potential damage against the enemy. It is up to the players judgment whether it is better to let the enemy charge, or to charge them instead, but this is always a good option to keep in mind if there is cover available.

Other Tactics

   These are tactics that are both offensive and defensive, or perhaps neither. In any case they are useful tactics to bring to bear should you see an opportunity to do so.

-Refused Flank

“Draw the enemy out, chasing after multiple shadows, reform your strength with speed and efficiency then strike into the heart of the enemy while they are still disoriented and chasing after ghosts.”
-Captain Icarus of the Blood Ravens on unorthodox tactics.

   The refused flank is a slightly more complex tactic than many of the others. It is basically breaking your force into two groups. One of which is entirely mobile and fast. You then deploy each of these two groups on separate flanks of your deployment zone. Your foe will then likely deploy his forces to counter your deployment. When the game begins however you race your mobile force to join with the rest of your army and then strike at your opponents force who is likewise split but also likely unable to re-deploy fast enough to stop you from bringing most, if not all of your force against a smaller proportion of theirs. The tactic does however require that your force be faster than your opponents and that your opponent doesn’t see past the ruse. Another possible risk is if your opponent gets first turn and is able to cut down your mobility. Thus it is a fairly tricky tactic to pull off effectively with marines who lack the speed of some armies but nevertheless an option to keep in mind. It is a good way to divide your opponent from the out set.

-Hammer and Anvil

   “One such eyewitness account, submitted by Captain Rakman of the Subjugators Chapter, records an incident in which his force found itself under attack by the Eldar of the Void Dragons pirate fleet. Surrounded and under heavy fire by the pirates' ultra-rapid anti-grav vehicles, Rakman states that a force bearing the livery of the Sons of Antaeus appeared unexpectedly and attacked the enemy vehicles from behind. Forced to redeploy, the Eldar suddenly found themselves faced with the prospect of having to make a breakout. The Eldar Falcons and Wave Serpents made straight for the Sons of Antaeus, judging them the lesser of the two Space Marine forces. The incredulous Captain Rakman gives an amazing account of the Sons of Antaeus' stand in the face of a storm of Eldar firepower, against which the mysterious Space Marines stood seemingly impervious. The Subjugators were able to press their attack on the enemy rear as the Sons of Antaeus held the Eldar in place, and the pirates were destroyed in short order, caught between the immovable anvil of the Sons, and the irresistible hammer of the Subjugators.”
-Games Workshop UK Website: http://uk.games-workshop.com/spacemarines/cursed/3/

   A popular tactic of late the Hammer and Anvil requires two elements of the army, a defensive element which draws the enemy in as bait or the Anvil, then the Hammer is an assaulting element that slips around behind the enemy when they move in on the anvil. This puts the enemy in a cross fire and to be attacked from both directions. A nice twist on putting your foe between a rock and a hard place, the question is what to use as bait. Defensive units like Devastators and Tactical squads that appear close together, without many upgrades and weak in combat can be a good lure depending on how your enemies army is constructed. The Hammer is best used with fast units like Assault Marines, Bike Squadrons and Land Speeders to get around behind the enemy quickly and shoot/assault them from behind.

   The decision of what to use as the bait and anvil and what to use as the hammer is mostly up to personal preference and the opponent being faced as different units will be better or worse suited to the job given different opponents and different armies.

-Beware of Mines

“Watch your step young initiate, those things hurt.”
-Sergeant Valius of the Blood Ravens to initiates on their fist mission in regard to mines.

   The Whirlwind’s capability to launch mines may not be an often used option but it can be useful. For the relative inexpensiveness of the Whirlwind it is quite possible to lay down a field of mines in an area you wish the enemy to move away from or an area the enemy must move through if they wish to attack you. Good for helping fortify a position. An interesting little tactic to direct your opponent where you want them or deplete their numbers before an attack reaches you.

-Mobile Terrain

   “Do not underestimate the humble Rhino, a tank is a tank and does as good a job blocking a hall as any other. Lets see the enemy climb over that.”
-Captain Trentius on Rhino APCs

   The Rhino may not be the best transport in the game but one thing it is very good at is mobile terrain. With the Rhino you can narrow your LOS to specific models, to thereby snipe specific characters in an enemy squad, keep the enemy from seeing you, cover the advance of units. Let it drive forward to be blown up placing cover for you on an approach to the enemy, sit on an objective to deny the enemy from being able to grab it, sit in a doorway or along the edge of a building to force the enemy to waist precious inches of movement and/or assault to get around it. The Rhino is an excellent tool in more ways than just transporting troops, which it isn’t that good at as many of you know. Yet used to effectively put a size 3 wall of terrain where you want is sometimes invaluable and very useful almost all the time.

Chapter Tactics

   These are some of the above tactics that work best with specific chapters, and possible unit combinations for each chapter but the chapters below are by no means the only ones who can make use of these tactics and they aren’t limited to just those tactics I mention for them.

-White Scars

   The White Scars with their predisposition for speed can make good use of the Bike Rush and Flying Death tactics to draw the enemies attention from the assault squads and perhaps some tooled out characters to move in for the kill, while the Bikes deliver the death blow to the enemy armor with melta weapons.

-Raven Guard

   The Raven Guard work well with the Infiltrated Gunline and the Flying Death tactics, scouts infiltrating forward to lay down fire on the enemy to cover the advance of a good number of Assault Marines allows the player to remove key threats before moving the assault marines in for the kill.

-Salamanders

   Drive By, Drop Pod Assault, Rapid Fire Drops, Land Raider Assaults etc are good tactics for the Salamanders to employ. Moving in quickly and close to bring flames and bolters onto the enemy and charging in with the fury of Vulkan himself.

-Iron hands

   A mixture of the Implacable Advance and the Armored Thrust works well with the Iron Hands. 6 Dreadnaughts with Marines walking behind them using the Dreadnaughts bulk to shield them while Techmarines keep the Dreadnaughts fully operational as they advance steadily on the enemy at the last minute stepping aside to allow the marines behind to rush forward and shoot/assault the enemy.

-Imperial Fists

   Fortress, Rhino Bunker and such defensive tactics work well with the Imperial Fists. With preferred enemy available the Imperial Fists can wait for the enemy to reach them before launching a counter attack, all the while having hosed down the enemy while they approached.

-Crimson Fists

   Troops in number and on the defensive with the few special units prepared to center the defense and form a counter attack are a good way to use the Crimson Fists with variants of tactics such as the Fotress, Refused Flank and Hammer and Anvil.

-Blood Ravens

   Infiltrated Gunline, and Fortress are great tactics to use with the Blood Ravens, especially since their defensive units can also effectively be their counter attack units as well making for a particularly efficient and effective defense.

-Ultramarines

   The Ultramarines of course can be tailored to do any of the tactics but with the Tyranid Veterans and the Honor Guard the Ultramarines can perform defensive tactics very well with the Honor Guard held back as the counter attack unit and to center morale while the Tyranid Veterans provide a storm of anti infantry fire to the defenses. Characters like Tigurius and Cassius are also good for centering an attack.

-Blood Angels

   The Blood Angels are one of the kings of the Flying Death, with the Death Company, Jump Pack armed Command Squads and tons of available Assault Squads the Blood Angels can put a lot of jump infantry on the board. Backed by units such as the Baal Predator and the Furioso Dreadnaught the Blood Angels can also perform the Armored Assault and Implacable Advance tactics at the same time.

-Dark Angels

   The stubbornness of the Dark Angels makes them great for holding a defensive position even under heavy fire and also makes them ideal for marching into heavy fire, quite capable of performing the Fortress and Implacable Advance while laying down immense amounts of fire into the enemy.

-Space Wolves

   Land Raider Assault, and Armored Thrust are surprisingly two things the Space Wolves do well. At first glance one might not think the Space Wolves the type to use a lot of armor but they are quite capable of doing so and doing it very effectively.

-Black Templars

   The Black Templars are great for storming into heavy fire with their rules that allow them to move forward even faster when under fire and with the ability to take lots of ablative wounds the Templars can perform the Implacable Advance, Land Raider Assault and Flying Death in most satisfying ways.

Concluding Thoughts

I hope my fellow Astartes have found this article useful in the ways of War that the Adeptus Astartes can employ, nevertheless these are just some of the tactics that I have come up with, seen and performed over the years and you are always encouraged to find new tactics, and make your own variants of existing tactics to better defeat the enemies of the Emperor.