Space Marine Command Squads = FUN!

Imagine a bicycle used to get you from point A to pint B. What kind of bicycle would you select? Maybe a mountain bike, or a sleek touring bike- either way it would be adapted for your immediate needs of A to B. If we are talking about the bike as a mode of transportation then why would you ever take a chromed, blinged out studded bike? It serves no practical reason other than to look good while you drink your soda riding down the street as slow as possible.

Space Marine command squads are exactly like this.

Fragile when compared to terminators, at sometimes twice the cost, they kill just as well- is there an end difference between twenty or thirty power weapon wounds?

Dead is dead.

That said, sometimes you want to deal it out in style and with some bling.

So why play a command squad? They are fun as hell and one of the best parts of my ‘Templar army, right along there with preferred enemy furious charge lightning claw terminators- strike first and re-roll everything FTW! In some armies where you elite slots are choked full already a command squad can give you that extra punch. Since I’m already playing an old and outdated book I don’t have to worry about trying to be optimal or competitive- on the flip side ‘Templars are a funfest to play since they still use so many old 4th edition rules like preferred enemy, furious charge, tank hunters, etc.

Should you play one in a competitive game? We’ll let’s just say I have never seen one in action other then when I’m playing my marines, which need to start hitting the tables more. From a pure number crunching point of view NO, for fun, hell yes. Can you be competitive and still have fun?

First things first- you are paying for the bling so no reason to do it on the cheap- go all out. My Black Templar has command squad has a marshal with the holy orb of Antioch just so I can say “Taste my holy balls!” to my opponent before I throw it, along with a banner, lightning claws, apoc dude, and a company champion all with preferred enemy and furious charge.

So what is the plan with them?

Kill stuff!

Command squads, much like vanguard vets, need to be worked into an overall army wide design list- send them out and they will just die. Use them as a primary assault unit and they will just die. One needs a primary deathstar unit first- like say termies in a Land Raider, and other assault based units backing them up- like assault marines and crusader squads rushing forward. Into this mix sprinkle in the command squad. Use them to take on that secondary unit your opponent is setting up to crash your terminators after they hit, send them into the back ranks or against weak units to really draw some attention- they should be part of the one/two punch of your army.

So what is your verdict on command squads?