Sternguard - a "how to"

Sternguard are Veteran Space Marines. They have the same stat-line as any other Veteran Marine, with a higher Leadership, 2 Attacks and the standard Marine numbers across the board. Clad in Power Armour and kitted out with Frag & Krak grenades, they’re able to take a lot of incoming fire power and still survive. But Sternguard are no ordinary Veteran Marines, they do things differently. Whereas most Marines go for the “jack of all trades, master of none” approach, Sternguard specialise in shooting. They do this through their superior Boltguns, which for the most part act exactly like any other Boltgun.

Except they are not “any other Boltgun”. This is due to the Specialist Ammunition that the squad can load into them before firing each turn, changing their ammo depending on what they’re facing. This special ammunition makes them more like the old Deathwatch Killteam as featured in Chapter Approved sometime in the last Ice Age, but their rules can still found if you look. Try here for example. These specialist rounds turn a fairly ordinary Marine unit into an absolutely devastating ranged killer which your opponent will hate, fear, loathe and dread in equal measure. As Veterans, they’re compared straight away to Terminators (more Veterans) and Vanguard (more Veterans again, but in between Sternguard and Terminators).

Let us have a visual example of the difference between these units. Just for fun.

Terminators:



Hit hard and steady the line. A highly resilient unit which can take a lot of punishment from range or in combat, they’ll best be used to anchor your battle line and take on the big stuff up close and personal.

Vanguard:



If used with Jump-packs, drop them in accurately and get an Assault off of the Deep Strike. One wrong twist though, and they’ll break. They can’t take punishment like Terminators can.

Sternguard:



The consummate “all rounder”. You want something dead? Point Sternguard at it. When all is said and done however, for all their virtues, they are expensive and fairly ordinary Marines so still need to be used carefully and with precision.



The Special Ammunition is Special indeed. No other Marine unit can carry these items, and each of them has their own role which they work well in. Each shooting phase, you have to choose which round you’re using. Sternguard don’t get standard boltgun rounds, so choosing the right one is essential.

Dragonfire

Closest to the normal boltgun rounds, but these ignore cover as they explode with super hot gases. Use against light to medium units (4+ armour save or worse) in cover, such as Imperial Guard Heavy Weapon teams, Eldar Pathfinders and Space Marine Scouts. I’d suggest using these against units with a 4+ armour save in cover, as it means they cannot choose to “go to ground” to gain the 3+ cover save. 4+ is worse than 3+, so force the inferior save to happen.

Hellfire

The Elephant Gun of 40k. Big game hunting a speciality with these things, as a barrage of Poisoned (2+) rounds is hard to survive. Not the best choice against units of light/medium infantry in cover and anything with a 2+ armour save can still shrug off the worst effects of them. Designed for taking out Monstrous Creatures particularly, Hellfire rounds are also great to use against anything with a Toughness higher than 4 such as Bikers and Plague Marines. Also great against Daemons of any type, as you need to cause more wounds to force more rolls of their (generally bad to average) Invulnerable saves.

Kraken

Long range at 30” and with an AP of 4, any light/medium infantry has best duck for cover (only to get Dragonfired ). These rounds I’ve used the least, as the others tend to do a better job of whatever I want the unit to achieve. They’re not useless however, as there will be that time when you need that AP4 or that extra range. Ideal for a gunline unit, and it’s not like you’re paying extra to take them – if you did, I’d have a hard time justifying them I think. Not the best rounds, but still handy.

Vengeance

AP3 boltguns, 18” range. Terrifying, huh? Yes, they are. Very terrifying. To you that is, as these things have the “gets hot!” rule. I have used these before, to try them out, and I ended up losing a Marine per volley because of it. This sort of attrition is not acceptable to me, and would advise that against anything with a 3+ armour save, use Hellfire rounds. Sure, the opponent gets a save and there is the chance that they’ll pass quite a few, but equally there’s the chance that they won’t and there’s also zero chance of Hellfire rounds causing your boltgun to explode in your Marine’s face. If the “gets hot!” rule is something you’re prepared to risk however, a ten man unit of these guys getting out from a Rhino is potentially devastating against anything but Plague/Nurgle Marines. You’ll likely lose some of your own, but you also stand a good chance of taking out far more of your opponent’s models too.



A point of much discussion among many people across many forums, and I have come up with (I think) the best way of describing their best loadout: it’s up to you. Yes, it’s a vague as that. Bottom line, Sternguard are just so flexible that you really can equip them however you want to, and as long as you use them wisely, they’ll do well. They have access to standard Marine option weapons such as Missile Launchers, Multi Meltas and Lascannons, but they also have access to the relatively rare Heavy Flamer. Each model can also take either a combi-flamer, combi-melta or a combi-plasma for a mere dribble of points each, and Sarge can take the standard array of Close Combat gear such as Power Weapons, Power Fists or even Lightning Claws. The upgrades add up quick however, so only take what you need to in order for them to do what you want. There are however one or two fairly standard builds which regularly see the light of day, so let’s take a look at those.

Walking/ Footslogging

Not my personal favourite, but it can work. With their Kraken rounds (30” range) they can reach out and touch enemy units much quicker, and although you sacrifice one of those precious boltguns to do so, they can still take a Heavy Weapon or two (even in a 5 man unit) and is only the third place where you can take a Heavy Flamer in a Marine unit (but this isn’t advised for a footslogging unit, you want range and strength). Keep them in cover and take a large unit with two Heavy Weapons, you can Combat Squad if you wish and even give Sarge a Power Weapon/Fist (Power Fist is a greater deterrent to more things) if you think he’ll need it. For this sort of unit, some combi-plasmas might come in handy. It’ll certainly deter any of those pesky Deep Striking units from getting too near! If you really want to crank up with effectiveness, add a Master of the Forge with a Conversion Beamer. Being an Independent Character you can do this quite nicely, and he’s also got a BFG (Big Fulsome Gun – see what I did there? ) and can Bolster your area. 3+ cover save anyone? A hardy unit which can take on anything, but still fragile in assault. But if this happens, you’re not shooting enough, and if you’re not shooting enough, you’re doing Sternguard wrong.

Rhino

Standard Marine transport which allows two models inside to fire from the hatches on top. Large capacity of 10 means that a full squad can be carted around quite nicely, and if you decide to take two Heavy Flamers you’ve a nice toasty unit right there. Add Vulkan in your army for extra lulz. Alternatively, use the Rhino as an extra layer of protection for your guys and keep them static with some Missile Launchers or some Lascannons firing from the top. The downside to this however is that you’re not using those boltguns, and it’s the boltguns which make Sternguard what they are. If you want to keep this unit mobile, perhaps think about some combi-flamers or combi-meltas. That way you can move your unit around the board and take out anything from tanks to light infantry, Monstrous Creatures to Terminators with relative ease. For the ten man unit, I’d recommend a Power Weapon or Fist for Sarge too. With 10 bodies, there’s enough ablative wounds to be able to see it be used, and if it comes to it, the Fist can still take out a pesky tank if you’re out of meltas.

Razorback

This is my personal favourite, and I like to keep the unit barebones. Basic Razorback, basic squad of 6 and go hunting big game. The primary target of this unit is things like Hive Tyrants, Greater Daemons, Daemon Princes and Wraithlords for me. From experience, anything large with 4 wounds can be killed in one volley of Hellfire (Poisoned 2+) rounds, and if you’re lucky they can even down a healthy Trygon in one strike too all due to failed armour saves. They can also do great service hunting down and taking out units in cover such as Scouts and Pathfinders/Rangers. Use their Dragonfire rounds and the 2/3+ cover saves which has been invested into them suddenly mean nothing.

However, I think this unit works best from reserve. After all, they’re no good to you dead if they’ve not killed something bigger than they are! Hold them in reserve and wait for the big game to arrive. If your unit arrives first, keep them out of trouble or don’t bring any attention to them. When the big game arrives, strike. Move them in and take it out. If you’re against an army that doesn’t have any big game, utilise their other rounds to good effect as mentioned above – take out units in cover and cover the flanks of your main attack.
The additional bonus for this unit is that they get a mobile twin linked heavy weapon on their transport. Even a standard Heavy Bolter will prove worth the effort, and if you want to upgrade it to the expensive Assault Cannons, Heavy Flamers, Lascannons or Plasma Gun/Lascannon combo, feel free to do so. But I find that Razorbacks die rather easily, so upgrading the vehicle to carry expensive weaponry can be a waste. This unit would also work well with combi-flamers/meltas and perhaps a Power Weapon (not a Fist, too few ablative wounds to see it used), and don’t forget the Lightning Claw – as you’ll most likely be receiving a charge and not initiating one, you’ll still get two attacks but with a re-roll to wound. Doesn’t sound as good as the potential +1 for having two Close Combat weapons but as you’ll want to keep the boltgun, you have to swap the Sarge’s pistol for the CC upgrade, and for the same cost as the Power Weapon, the Claw is likely to do more damage. For this unit, you drive up, jump out, toast/melta a pesky unit. Advantage of being relatively cheap whilst still capable and mobile with some light CC support if required.

Drop Pod

If you’re doing this, be 100% clear as to what you want them to achieve. Take 10 models and equip them with 5 combi-meltas and combi-flamers, or 10 of either. Drop them in and then Combat Squad them upon arrival. Each 5 man unit then takes out a different target depending on their loadout. Instant success right? Perhaps. You then get the lovely spectacle of watching your very expensive Veteran Marines get butchered by whatever else it was that they didn’t kill. For some, this is worth it. For me, this is not. Sternguard are expensive and capable, and used well they can survive a game and still be a pain to your opponent. Throwing a unit which can cost 335 points away as if they were nothing is not good sense to me. Even a 5 man suicide squad is too much: those 5 guys can do the job from a Rhino or a Razorback. You could drop the Pod in empty to mess around with your opponent’s area, and if you drop it in full and take out something big it’s a definite effect you’re having on your opponent’s psychological state as they watch their prize unit go up in flames. But, another big down side to this tactic (aside from throwing a large amount of points and bodies away) is that it’s easily countered. All your opponent has to do is go second or hold everything in reserve. You drop your guys in and they’ve nothing to kill. They are now prime target Number One. If your opponent tries this, drop your Pod in empty and deploy your squad as normal. Hi-jack a ride for them if you can. As I said, this tactic can work, but you need to be 100% sure as to what they’re going after, where it is and that they can take it out. They’re not likely to survive past their arrival.



So, to summarise: think of your concept and stick to it. Use them accordingly and they'll do well for you. Can't be simpler than that.