Help me to Help you.. [Space Marines]

..to help me

Anyways, I have no real clue as to what is and what is not "uber/cool/must have" when it comes to Space Marines.
What I do have is a crap load of sprues and bitz. So then.. help me out players:

What do you arm your Commander HQs with?

Your VetSgts?

How should I assemble this lot so they will sell once painted?

I give my Commander a Relic Blade, Digital Weapons, and the stuff he already comes with. (Except Chainsword)

And i usually give my Vet. Sergent a Power Fist just in case they run in to a vehicle then they can take it out

I don't know much besides the current flavors at tournies.

What iv seen is...

Vulkan with TH/SS termies, many bikes and speeders with flamers and multi meltas (id make this if I played marines)

shriek with massive termies, trifecta of landraiders.

The popular non gimic vanilla list seems to run pedro (vote for pedro!)

The tacticals seem to always have something like, plasmacannon,plasmagun and Pfist, not really sure how thats optimal for SM but im a guard player so we don't really mix and match.

A pretty solid tactics for shooty tactic squads is hugging ruins. power armor is cover is difficult to remove and makes even the simply tactic squad a pain. Not to mention for guard where our only viable AP3 comes from tanks and trying to remove these guys with plasma is a big double edge.


i'm probably telling you stuff you already know but I'd figure I'd post just in case.

No, no you're good.. I'm all ears

Keep it coming..

Yeah, special characters are where it's at with the new Codex. Basic Captains are ok, but most special characters have some sort of advantage over the basic Captain. I generally only use vanilla Chaplains and Librarians, not Captains or Chapter Masters.

I like to run a cheap Chaplain with jump pack to add some punch to my Assault Squad's charge. Under the old Codex I really liked to use a Termie Librarian with Fear of the Darkness to Deep Strike in with a 2-assault cannon squad of Termies, but I've realized it's not nearly as effective anymore.

My current favorite HQ is Lysander, I've started to run him as Captain Agemman of the Ultramarines 1st Company. He's pretty frickin tough.

Pod armies with libbys and or vulkan are pretty popular too.

Lots of meltas/flamers all around and then MM/HF speeders. Seems to be pretty popular.

I know some people are running Plasma as Cash was saying... but I also know there is a general anti-plasma thing going on with players in 5th now that cover is king.

I'll buy meltas/flamers off of you when I get back

Even vanilla chappies should probably be Cassius.

Cheers for all the info players, but it seems my sprues of Commanders and Command squads may only be used as Power Fist wielding Veteran Sgts. The Apothecary, Standard Bearer yada yada Command Squads box set seems to be nothing but a bitz box

Another question, have the Salamanders and Crimson Fists "taken over" the Ultramarines in "popularity" ..it use to be I could paint an Ultramarine or Dark Angel fig and the demand was there. Not so much?

With the Vulkan armies, and sternguard scoring armies etc etc. I think they most definitely have taken over.

Also..

Does a Librarian have the option to ride a bike in the new book?