Space Marine Tactics


"In any army balance is the key to success. A commander who puts his faith in heavy weaponry alone will be outmanoeuvred. A commander who relies on close combat without support will lose his force to enemy fire. Each element must work in harmony, so that the effectiveness of the army is greater than the sum of its parts" -IMPERIUM TACTICA

Advantages


The Ultramarines are the greatest of all Space Marine Chapters. From the dawn of the Imperium they have served the Emperor with loyalty and a ferocity that no others can match. Their Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, wrote the Codex Astartes, and the Chapter has exemplified its teachings ever since. The Ultramarines were instrumental in the defeat of Hive Fleet Behemoth, saving the Imperium from almost certain destruction by the Tyranids. They are the warriors of Macragge in the realm of Ultramar, and in faith and in valour they are unmatched.

Assault Squads are designed for hand-to-hand combat. Each squad consists of a Sergeant and nine Space Marines armed with a close combat weapon in each hand. Common armament consists of a brace of bolt pistols or a bolt pistol and chainsword. Optionally, two of the Space Marines may carry special weapons and the whole squad can be equipped with jump packs. This combination is ideal for fast-attacking, close-quarter fighting assault troops

Tactical Squads are the most common type in a Chapter. A Tactical Squad is led by a Sergeant and includes nine other Space Marines. Of these, seven Space Marines are armed with boltguns, whilst the remaining two can be armed with botguns or, alternatively, one may carry a heavy weapon and the other may carry a special weapon. This combination is the most tactically flexible and offers a fair mixture of capabilities within a squad.

Devastator Squads consist of a Sergeant and nine Space Marines. Of these nine Space Marines, up to four may be armed with heavy weapons, whilst the remainder carry boltguns. This is the most heavily armed type of Space Marine squad of all. Devastators are deployed wherever extra firepower is needed, especially where the Chapter faces enemy tanks or fortified positions.

Terminator Squads wear the uniquely powerful Terminator armour. This is massive in construction and contains built-in weaponry so the Space Marine inside is virtually turned into a one-man tank. Every Chapter has a limited numer of Terminator armoured suits, and all are ancient artifacts created many thousands of years ago. Terminators are less mobile than other Space Marines and are only used when extreme firepower is called for.


Disadvantages


Generally speaking, Ultramarines are the weakest of the Space Marine Chapters. Almost anything they can do, the other chapters can do as well. The one exception is Veteran Sergeants, which I don't consider to be a huge advantage. On the other hand, you have no Veteran Assault Squads, no Wolf Guard, no Ravenwing, and no Death Company. Doesn't seem quite fair.

On the other hand, they are still Space Marines-- and played well, they will win their share of victories on the battlefield.

Psionics


UltraMarine's overall are the most versatile when it comes to psionics. Most librarians can take 3 types of spells. If that's not enough you can allie with Inquisitors, Eldar and the Imperial Guard... This makes a experienced army very dangerous if they have many psykers.

Vehicles


If you can still get your hands on a Land Raider, do so. Otherwise, I always try to take at least one support vehicle (usually my
Predator). On this point in particular, don't forget about your Imperial allies.. Here are a few examples:

Rhino: The fast speed and armoured hull of the Rhino allows Space Marine Squads to be quickly transported to vital points of the battlefield.
Tarantula : I like the these support weapons, but they are extremely fragile. Good for eating up points and very useful in batteries versus swarming enemies.
Leman Russ Tanks: Awesome arange of weaponry on these line of tanks. Whether it be the Battle Tank or the Siege Tank, Leman Russ anything is worth the points, if you can spare it.
Predator: The main armoured support of the Space Marines, the fearsome Predator is armed with a turret-mounted autocannon and twin lascannons.
Land Speeder: Powered by anti-gravitational engines, the Space Marine Land Speeder streaks across the battlefield to bring its formidable weaponry within range to blast the foe.
Dreadnought: My favorite Dread comes with an Assault Cannon. Determine what the role of the Dreadnought will be (firepower or HTH) and arm it accordingly. I have a customized Dreadnought with two Assault Cannons and
generally wreaks havoc on the enemy.
Space Marine Razorback: The deadly Razorback excels in its dual use as a troops transport vehicle and an enemy tank destroyer.
Space Marine Whirlwind: The Whirlwind showers tremendous salvoes of fragmentation missiles onto the foe.

Character Classification


This is about the only area in which the Ultramarines excel beyond their brethren.

Marneus Calgar -- a Devastating Hand-to-Hand Specialist. Especially effective against swarming troop types (Genestealers, Hormagaunts, Chaos Lesser Demons). By taking away the bonus for multiple combatants, Marneus basically fights every hand-to-hand combat one-on-one. Give him combat drugs to increase his attacks, and his 8 Weapons Skill will make mincemeat
out of all but the toughest of opponents. In addition, he has a Strategy Rating of 6, one higher than your standard Space Marine Commander, allowing you to take the initiative most of the time. With a Conversion Field, he has the added ability to blind his opponents, making them even easier to deal with. Finally, he is extremely cost effective for his points. The Primarchs (Jervis and Andy) have publically admitted that his low point cost was an error.

Chief Librarian Tigurius -- Another bright point in an otherwise bland army. I have found two effective strategies for Space Marine Librarians; 1) A Weapons Platform and 2) Hand-to-Hand Specialist. Tigurius is well suited for the former. He already has a ranged weapon (the Hood of Hellfire), so you don't have to worry about your draw. In competitive games, I always
grab 1 Librarian and 3 Inquisition Powers (hoping to get Vortex). If you get lucky, you can grab Vortex and Teleport, an awesome combination. Tigurius' Rod works as a Force Weapon, so it can store a power card, making it possible to use both these spells on the same turn. By the way, it is almost always worth invoking your Rod to cast a power that cannot be nullified. If you want to be cheesy, attach an Apothecary to him. In my first two games with Tigurius, he killed a Lord of Change and the Avatar.

Chaplain Cassius -- Ho hum. Not even a Mighty Hero. Okay against Tyranids I suppose, but I prefer a Chaplain Mighty Hero in Terminator Armor.

Ancient Helveticus -- With the Banner of Macragge, any unit he is with causes Fear. A nice addition to an Assault Squad -- but you'd have to use his one wargear slot for the Jump Pack WGC.

Invictus -- I tried to think of an awesome WGC combination for his Terminator bodyguards... and couldn't come up with one. Let me know if anyone finds one that is worth the points.

SQUADS


Terminator Squads -- These guys rock! If you only have the points for 5-men, I suggest the Assault Cannon, the supreme weapon of the Space Marines. I wiped out three Tyranid Warriors in one shooting round with this. You will never regret taking an Assault Cannon in your Space Marine Army. By the way, upgrade every one to Chainfists over Powerfists -- it's only 2 extra points and worth it.

Assault Squads -- Give everyone at least one sword (chainsword or powersword) so that they can parry.

Tactical Squads -- The double fire is your best friend, so consider carefully whether you want to use the Flamer option or not. I use these squads in split groups of 5, and deploy them in a circle on overwatch to protect my more vulnerable troops (Dev Squads).

Devastator Squads -- A must.

Scouts -- I don't field them myself, but I have seen them used to good effect. Infiltration can hinder an enemy's freedom to run, and you can even give one of them a Heavy Weapon.