[Epic] A Comparsion of Infantry

From: Sean Smith <seans_at_...>
Date: Tue, 02 Dec 1997 15:52:44 +1300

Comparsions of the infantry of the different races
  
I hope this provokes discussion on how to best use the various troops
included in it.
   
Executive Summary
-----------------

- Jervis was right in the last Q&A. Imperial guard infantry point for point
  have the same firepower as marines on overwatch. Also when imperial
  guard are supported by hydras, demolishers or ogyrns, their assault
  value is point for point better than marines supported by vindicators
  or dreadnoughts.
  
- Terminators combine with dreadnoughts or vindicators (especially)
  make a very powerful combination.
  
- Nobz point for point are the best orks. Orks overall have greater
  assualt value than marines, but pay for it by having less firepower
  and range.

- The Eldar have the second best assault values (after Tryanids), but low
  survivability. They compensate for this by having high speed (i.e jump
  packs), long range anti-tank (warengines of vule, phantoms titans),
  excellent disrupt weapons (e.g night spinners) and transports.
  
- Chaos cultist have the same firepower as marines on overwatch, beastmen
  with champions have excellent assault values. Daemons (particularly
  greater daemons) have excellent assualt values and survivability, but are
  generally slow.
  
- Tyranids have the best assault troops of any race, but they don't have
  the survivability of Chaos or the speed of Eldar.
 

Key
---
 
+ armour, speed movement and '#' are support units stats 
* for purposes of comparison with the normal imperial guard with 
  supports        
# Number of units it takes to equal the assault value of one space 
  marine unit. Note a unit can't be assaulted by more than two 
  units once. So the higher the number, the worse it is.
Example
-------
An example of how the firepower and assault comparsions were calculated,
using a normal space marine.
Normal firepower - 2/30=0.66667 (rounded down to .07)
Assault value    - 6/30=0.2
With firepower and assault value the higher it is, the better it is.
Note that were a unit as a special ability, such as assault, cavalry,
jump packs etc, it has already been included in their stats.  
                                     TABLE
                                     -----
                                     
SPACE MARINES
                Fire Power   Assault  Armour  Range  Movement   #
               (per point) (per point)
Normal 
   Normal fire    0.07        0.20      5+    30cm   10cm      1.00
   Overwatch      0.13         -        -      -      -        -
(Has Stubborn) 
   Normal*             
   + Dreadnought  0.07        0.18      6+    45cm   15cm      0.75+
   + Vindicator   0.10	      0.17      6+    15cm   25cm      1.00+
   
Assault
   Normal	 0.06	      0.24     5+     15cm   20cm      0.75
   Overwatch     0.12          -       -       -      -         -
(Has stubborn) 
Devastators      0.10         0.08     5+     45cm   10cm      2.00
Scouts	         0.07         0.19     5+     30cm   10cm      1.00
(have inflitrate & stubborn, can't have Rhinos)
Terminators      0.05         0.16     5+     30cm   10cm      1.00
 + Dreadnought   0.08         0.22     6+     45cm   15cm      0.75+
 + Vindicator    0.12         0.22     6+     15cm   25cm      1.00+
(Has save & stubborn, can only use land raiders as ground transport)
Bikes            0.10         0.20      4+    15cm   35cm      1.33  
(Has Stubborn)
 
Note - Clearly Vindacators in combination with Terminators are 
       the deadlist close combat and firefight option. However
       dreadnoughts have a 45cm range. However it seems to be
       wast of time to use Vindicators and Dreadnoughts to support
       normal, assault and devastators space marines.
IMPERIAL GUARD
              Fire Power    Assault  Armour  Range  Movement    #
              (per point) (per point)
                                              
Normal          0.14          0.14     3+     30cm    10cm     3.00
Normal       
 +Orgyn         0.13          0.25     5+     15cm    10cm     0.75+
 +Hellhounds    0.19          0.19     5+     15cm    20cm     1.00+
 +Demolisher    0.17          0.17     6+     15cm    15cm+    0.75+
Heavy Weapons   0.14          0.07     3+     45cm    10cm     6.00
Rough Riders    0.10          0.20     4+     15cm    20cm     0.66
Note - Jevis seems to right about the firepower of the imperial
       gaurd. The imperial guard fire power (if moving normally)
       is equal to space marine fire power on overwatch. Also
       normal imperial guard troops with support troops have an
       equal or better assault value to normal space marines, supported
       by dreadnoughts or vindicators. Orgyns provide the best assault 
       value, hellhounds give equal assault and firepower, demolishers 
       have slightly less firepower and assault value than hellhounds, but 
       have better armour. Of course assault values for imperial guard
       are easily beaten by Chaos, Eldar and Tryanids, the imperial
       guard therefore will need to use artillery reduce the strength of
       them before they get into close combat.
       
ORKS
              Fire Power    Assault  Armour  Range  Movement    #
              (per point) (per point)
              
Ork Boyz         0.11         0.22     4+     30cm    10cm     1.33
Ork Boyz
 +Stompa         0.22         0.15     5+     45cm    15cm     1.25+
 +Dreadnought    0.09         0.24     5+     45cm    15cm     1.00+
 +Squiggoth      0.11         0.20     5+     30cm    15cm     1.20+
  [assault value calculated on average die roll of 3.5. Assumed 1 Ork
   unit per mob]
  
Nobz             0.07         0.29     4+     30cm    10cm     0.75
(Has save)
Shooty Boyz      0.12         0.06     4+     45cm    10cm     3.00
Boarboyz         0.08         0.23     5+     15cm    20cm     1.00
Starboyz         0.09         0.27     4+     30cm    10cm     1.00
Stormboyz        0.08         0.25     4+     15cm    20cm     1.00
Kommandos        0.08         0.17     4+     30cm    10cm     1.33
Gretchin         0.20         0.20     3+     30cm    10cm     3.00
Gretchin
 +Stompa         0.14         0.14     5+     45cm    15cm     1.25+
 +Dreadnought    0.13         0.22     5+     45cm    15cm     1.00+
 +Squiggoth      0.11         0.20     5+     30cm    15cm     1.20+
  [assumed 2 getchin per mob]
Note - An all nobz army has the best assault and armour value (because
       of the save), but it doesn't look good, you normally don't have an 
       army of all officers. Gretchin have a higher assault and firepower
       values than nobz, but only two thirds of them could assault
       equal points value of normal space marines. Ork nobz have a
       higher assault value (per point) than any space marine infantry
       unit. Ork dreadnoughts seem be a bit of a fizzer.
       
ELDAR
              Fire Power    Assault  Armour  Range  Movement    #
              (per point) (per point)
              
Guardians        0.25         0.13     3+     15cm    15cm     3.00
Scouts           0.10         0.10     4+     30cm    15cm     3.00
(Has infiltrate)
Aspect Warrior   0.10         0.40     4+     15cm    15cm     0.66
Swooping Hawks/  0.07         0.29     4+     15cm    30cm     0.66
Warp Spiders 
Dark Reapers     0.05         0.10     4+     15cm    15cm     1.33
Aspect+Exarch    0.09         0.46     4+     15cm    15cm     0.60
Aspect+Exarch+   0.07         0.33     4+     15cm    30cm     0.60
Swooping Hawks
Aspect Warrior
 +Dreadnought   0.13          0.21     6+     45cm     15cm    0.80
Note - If you thought nobz had a high assault value, the aspect+exarch
       assault value is even higher. This compensated for by aspect 
       warriors having low fire power and short range. The best 
       combination for aspect warriors seems to be aspect+exarch+swooping 
       hawk. This allows Eldar to assault troops charge from outside of 
       the normal 30cm range of infantry weapons.            
   
CHAOS MARINES & CULTISTS
              Fire Power    Assault  Armour  Range  Movement    #
              (per point) (per point)
              
Marines
  Normal Fire   0.07          0.20     4+     30cm     10cm     1
  Overwatch     0.13           -       -       -        -       -
Veterans        
  Normal Fire   0.06          0.18     4+     30cm     10cm     1
  Overwatch     0.12           -       -       -        -       -
(Has Inflitrate)             
Noise Marines   0.09          0.07     4+     45cm     10cm     2
(Has Stubborn)
Thousand Sons
Normal Fire     0.06          0.19     4+     30cm     10cm     1
  Overwatch     0.13            -      -        -       -       -
Marines
 +Dreadnought   0.05          0.20     6+     45cm     15cm     0.6+
[assumed 1 chaos marine unit per squad]
Terminators
Normal Fire     0.06          0.17     4+     30cm     10cm     1
  Overwatch     1.11           -       -       -        -       -
(Has save)
Terminator
 + Dreadnought  0.05          0.19     6+     45cm     15cm+   0.60+
Bike Squad      0.10  	      0.20     4+     15cm     35cm    1.50
Cutlists        0.14          0.14     3+     30cm     10cm    3.00
Beastmen        n/a           0.20     4+     n/a      10cm    1.50
1 Champion per  n/a           0.33     4+     n/a      10cm    1.00
squad
[assumed only one unit per squad] 
CHAOS DAEMONS
              Fire Power    Assault  Armour  Range  Movement    #
              (per point) (per point)
              
Bloodthirster   n/a           0.21     6+     n/a      15cm    0.50
(Has save) 
Great Unc. One  0.07          0.29     6+     15cm     10cm    0.50
(Has save & psyker)
Keeper of       n/a           0.32     6+     n/a      15cm    0.50
Sercets
(Has save, psyker & stubborn) 
Lord of Change  n/a           0.29     6+     n/a      25cm    0.50
(Has save, psyker & skimmer)
Bloodletters    n/a           0.36     4+     n/a      15cm    0.75
(Has rampage+save)
Flesh hounds/   n/a           0.25     5+     n/a      30cm    0.75
Slaanesh fiends
(Has save)
Flamers         n/a           0.27     4+     n/a      30cm    0.75
Daemonette/     n/a           0.27     4+     n/a      15cm    0.75
Pink horror/
Plague bearers
(Has save)
 
Note - Cultists are really only useful for their firepower and to act as
       screen for other units. Because they have same fire power as
       marines overwatch when moving normally, they can advance and fire
       at the enemy at the sametime. Beastmen with champions are excellent 
       in assault, only being bettered by the bloodletters. With daemons it
       really is a case of horses for courses i.e choose what is best for 
       doing the job in hand. Your Daemons assault values are not as good
       as the Eldar aspect warriors. However chaos can concentrate more
       assault value at single point and have greater survivability (e.g
       daemon saves and armour of 6+). Chaos marines are very similar to
       normal marines. Personally I would weight a chaos army more in 
       favour of Daemons, cultists and beastmen. Only using marines for
       roles that can't be carried out by daemons, cultists or beastmen
       , such as drop pods and flank attacks by bikes. 
             
TYRANIDS
              Fire Power    Assault  Armour  Range  Movement    #
              (per point) (per point)       
Termagents      0.14          0.28     3+     15cm     15cm    1.33
Genestealers    n/a           0.60     4+     n/a      15cm    0.50
Lictors         n/a           0.23     6      n/a      15cm    0.75
(Has inflitrate)
Carnifexs       0.8           0.15     6      n/a      15cm    0.50
(has rampage)
Zoathropes      n/a           0.13     6      n/a      10cm    1.33
(Has psyker)
Note - The beauty of the tryanid broods is that they can creat great assualt
       detachments. The problem with the Tryanids is their lack of long 
       range infantry power. Which means that tryanids will face lots
       heavy weapon troops and anti-tank weapon fire. Also they don't have 
       jump packs or cavalry, so they will take longer to reach the enemy. 
       Tryanid players should make best use of cover possible and try and 
       take out the enemy artillery and anti-tank, once this has been done 
       the termagents can act as screen for genestealers etc, when advancing
       across open ground. Use artillery, flyers and mycetic spores to
       destroy enemy anti-tank weapons and artillery.
       
       
-- 
 Sean Smith 
 
 Home - Seans_at_...
 
-- 
Received on Tue Dec 02 1997 - 02:52:44 UTC

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