Dealing With the Emperors Finest

Dealing with Space Marines is a troublesome task for Guard players, and as Space Marines are the most common army, that's a problem. Luckily there is a unit designed to kill Space Marines for our playing pleasure. It is the Stormtrooper, the hotshot lasgun is AP 3, which is exactly what the doctor ordered. Throw in a powersword, and a plasmagun or two, and you have yourself a dandy Space Marine killer. However, Stormtroopers are expensive to buy, so what else can we do?

I find for dealing with those pesky Terminators a lot easier when you have a Demolisher tank by your side, instant death, and it pierces their armor. But again, that's a lot of money. Our heavy weapons are AP 4 pretty much across the board, and the lascannon is just too inefficient to kill those bastards. There is still hope however, and I found it in one man, Colonel Iron Hand Straken. WS 5, and S 6, 3+ armor saves, and much more goodness to be found there. He is cheap, and perfect for any infantry commander. He is my true answer to killing Space Marines, and he is even better with a regimental standard, medic, pair of bodyguards, and heavy flamer and flamer, which is what I take with him. Against Guard, you can count on him to live forever, against Space Marines, you can count on him to rack up a high body count. Best of all, he is practically free money wise, because you have to have a commander anyway, simply do a little converting, and you have a free Straken.

Also, for those who's budget knows few bounds, there's Ogryns, who do a fantastic job of wiping the floor with Space Marines, but they are pricey both in points and money.




Now, what are some tactics to beating Space Marines?

Simply put, you know what they are going to do as soon as you see the army. If it is mostly Rhinos, then it's pretty obvious, or mostly drop pods, or even mostly infantry, you can pretty much guess what play style they lend to.

If its a Rhino rush, beat them to a pulp with your heavy weapons, and make sure that your tank or two are right there to say hi, so they are targeted instead of your infantry, which are what really matter.

Drop pods give us the most trouble, because, we have no hope in close combat, so make sure you are ready to deal with them, and a timely, First Rank Fire, Second Rank Fire! can certainly win the day.

Lastly, mostly infantry is also particularly troublesome, make sure you pack a lot of heavy weaponry (as always) to deal with these guys. Range is your best friend here, use your Autocannons to bash them from the start, and when the time comes, maybe a sacrificial charge or so to keep them a little further away will help.


Here are some general notes on beating Space Marines as well:

their Devastator Teams are small enough to be devastated by snipers, a unit of Veterans with sniper rifles, an autocannon, and Forward Sentries, should easily beat them.

while we are on the subject, those same Veterans above, should be able to pulp Scouts, with the autocannon, and the sniper rifles, they don't stand a chance.

Space Marine tanks just can't compare to the Leman Russ, use that to your advantage.

Basalisks work well if you can keep your distance.


All that said, I hope you found something useful in there, good luck.