We’re here again today to weigh in about Space Marines begin one of the coolest looking yet worst armies to play in 8th edition. So how do we make them better?
Let’s be real here folks, Tactical squads are easily the worst troop choice for Space Marines hands down.
40k 8th: Let’s Make Space Marines Great Again
If you read any Black library book that has to do with Space Marines, you’ll see that there’s at least one point where the Space Marines literally walk through the enemy, blow up a big scary thing, save the princess, and don’t even break a sweat. (it’s actually not that dramatic but you get the idea). But 8th edition marines on the tabletop evaporate when you look at them. So how do we make them good again?
Artificer Armor
For the sake of argument, we are going to talk about Tactical Marines as an example. A bare-bones 5-man squad of Tactical Marines costs 65 points. Keep in mind that’s only 5 S4 shots with no AP. The most that will do is tickle a Termagaunt swarm and piss off an Imperial Guard infantry squad.
An Imperial Guard infantry squad costs 40 points for 10 guys. That unit can pump out double the shots and can be given orders to make them even more potent. Granted Space Marines are tougher and have a better save, but that doesn’t mean much at all with the way AP works in 8th edition.
Tactical Marines are most effective when you kit them out to the best of your ability. I.e. giving the sergeant a combi weapon and having some dude carry around a Melta/Plasma gun. But then again, that costs points and they are too over-costed to pay for their own points anyway. They need a special edge to keep them going.
What I’m suggesting here is that at the very least Sergeants have the option to take artificer armor for free. Space Marines are 300+-year-old super soldier veterans. A sergeant should at least be worthy of wearing Artificer armor. This Artificer armor should give them a simple 2+ armor save. It would be fair to do that because it implements the risk/reward mentality. You COULD throw all your saves on a 2+ armored model, but that means you COULD kill the model that’s giving your unit a higher leadership and attacks.
Tactical Flexibility
Tactical Marines are supposed to be tactical. But there aren’t many tactical things you can do with 5 guys and S4 weapons. I’m suggesting that they have the ability to take Melta bombs as well. Being able to pop these guys out of cover and finish off an enemy Dreadnought or even crack open a Tau Crisis Suit would make Tactical Marines leagues better than they are now.
I’m not asking Space Marines to be broken. But I’d like to see a competitive list that isn’t using Primaris or spamming Scouts. How can a Space Marine recruit be more useful than a veteran Marine in power armor?
What do you think about Tactical Marines in 8th edition? Do you wish they had something we didn’t mention?
Let us know what you think in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
