Right, now its time to talk about some of the ways in which you might be able to use Grey Hunters.
Right, first thing is to decide on how your pack is going to get around the battlefield. There are 5 ways you can do it in my experience: Footslog, in a rhino, in a razorback, in a land raider (of some sort) or in a drop pod. I'll try and cover each of these as best I can and try to add some possible unit compositions that I've tried or that I think might work.
Footslogging
First off we have the footslogging Grey Hunter pack.
If you want to footslog a unit across the board then you probably want it as big as possible in order to actually be able to survive into combat. This means you're more likely to have something get into combat. However, the larger units cost more and so you'll have less which means that your opponent has less units that they need to shoot at.
There is however the possibility of taking more but smaller units. This is MSU (multiple small units) theory, which you could probably find in more depth if you look at google. This basically entails that 2 units can attack 2 units and have to be targetted seperately, whereas 1 unit is 1 target and can only target one enemy unit at a time. I've covered this a bit when I talk about pack size's for long fangs in small games. Space marines are one of the better armies for this, as the units tend to be small and fairly elite. This helps you get things into combat by giving your opponent too many targets. This means that he either has to concentrate fire to wipe out one of your small units or he has to spread fire across them all.
Right, now for some good loadouts for them. I won't include wolf guard, because I'll cover them later and I've always felt that wolf guard are a very personal choice in how you give them wargear and weapons.
Large Unit: 210 points
10 Grey Hunters, 2 Plasma Guns, Power Fist, Mark of the Wulfen, Wolf Standard.
This is a big and fairly expensive squad with a lot of upgrades. The reason I choose 2 plasma guns over any other options is simply just the range you can get from them. This squad also has the numbers and equipment to deal with most threats you're likely to come across. The problem though is that its a lot of models and a big target. You might need to make sure you use cover to help you get across the board, but this would mean that you move a lot more slowly.
Small Unit: 115 points
6 Grey Hunters, 1 Plasma Gun, Mark of the Wulfen.
This is a small compact unit that still manages to have the chance at packing a punch. This unit is easier to hide in cover than the large unit, the plasma gun gives it a decent mid ranged punch. I choose mark of the wulfen because the number of attacks you can get will help you in combat. On a roll of a 4, a charging model with mark of the wulfen has the same number of attacks as two normal charging Grey Hunters.
However, because this unit is small, it is a lot more fragile, but cheaper so it would allow you to purchase more of them.
Razorbacks
Next up is units of Grey Hunters in Razorbacks. Obviously, Razorbacks have the smallest troop capacity of any of the transport vehicles so you need to be selective about what you include in your pack. For me, it's all about getting the most for your points.
Also, your packs will be small and fragile so cheaper packs in Razorbacks tend to work well for me. The next decision is whether or not you want to include a Wolf Guard or not. This will have an impact for you as I've found that there is a big difference between a 5 man and 6 man pack.
Then we have the special weapon choices. Personally, it really tends to depend to depend on what you want them to do. If you want them to seize objectives, plasma guns and their extra range will be a benefit as the unit shouldnt move to much. However, if you want to go on the offensive with the smaller units then the flamer or meltagun is a good option because it allows you to shoot and assault.
The way I fill up a Razorback is by doing this. I usually tend to put 6 men in total in there (with or without a wolf guard). One model ends up with a special weapon and one model gets a close combat upgrade (power weapon, power fist or mark of the wulfen). If there is a Wolf Guard in the unit, I don't tend to give one of the Grey Hunters a close combat upgrade. On the rare occassion I would just have 5 marines in the Razorback without any Wolf Guard or Characters, I would just have them with a special weapon. This unit could then be used to capture objectives that larger more impressive units have cleared out.
The next thing you've got to think about is what guns you are going to give your Razorback. I tend to keep mine with the basic twin linked heavy bolters. This keeps the razorback relatively cheap (which means I can spend more points on other things) and still be enough of a nuissance if my opponent doesnt decide to destroy it.
The twin linked heavy flamer could be fun to use for a small assault unit of Grey Hunters, but if your Razorback is immobilised then the gun becomes virtually worthless. Would say that for 25 points, this is the worst of the upgrades.
Twin linked assault cannons seem to be a slightly better version of the heavy bolter for almost double the cost. Yes, I know that they have rending, but you can't really rely on rending to help you.
The twin linked lascannon and the lascannon/twin linked plasma gun seem to be very good upgrades on paper. To be honest, I don't see the attraction. I would rather have my really heavy weapons on my Long Fangs than on a fairly fragile tank.
Rhino's
To be honest, my favourite of the transport vehicles for Grey Hunters. Its cheap, it has a good transport capacity, and its cheap.
It will however not be the toughest thing on the board. My suggestion is the more the merrier, the more targets you give your opponent the more likely it is that some will survive.
Thats why in my 1000 point army I have 3 Rhinos with Grey Hunters in. A good solid core of Grey Hunters tends to be one of the best things in a Space Wolves army, I've often found they're more effective than some of the more elite units just because of the sheer numbers of them.
The question is whether to go for a unit of 10 or a unit of 8. Some of you may notice I don't go for a unit of 9, but their are reasons for that.
A unit of 10 has obvious benefits, the fact that you get 2 special weapons. That can often be a very effective reason for it, as two flamer shots out of a rhino is a lot better than one.
I tend to go for the 8 man squad for a number of reasons, but it's upto you to decide what works. I often find that a 10 man unit is too big, its too many points. In my experience, an 8 man combat unit tends to be more effective than a 10 man, mainly because you're less likely to wipe out your opponent and get shot up in your opponents turn. Also, an 8 man squad gives me room for a Wolf Guard and a Rune Priest passenger. In smallish games, having the space for a passenger can change the role of your squads from a shooting squad to an assault squad.
The next issue is to decide what you give them.
In a 10 man squad, give them 2 special weapons because there is no reason not to. The great thing with Rhino's is that you can fire out of the firepoint. This means that any of the 3 special weapons is worthwhile, it really depends on what armies you tend to face. Even flamers are worthwhile, but because of their range they are the hardest to use effectively.
In an 8 man squad, I would give them 1 special weapon, a wolf standard, a power fist and mark of the wulfen. My special weapon tends to be a melta gun because I play a lot against Imperial Guard, so having something that's got a good chance of getting rid of that pesky battle tank is nice. A wolf standard is fantastic in an assault unit (it's a real shame Wolf Guard can't have them) that its almost always worth having them. The trick is knowing when to use them, usually the first assault you make of the game or against something you think you might struggle against. The last unit tends to be fairly obvious,; any dedicated assault unit, monstrous creature, walker, independent character or something thats likely to give your Grey Hunters a run for their money. What you have to remember is that while Grey Hunters are good in combat, they aren't the best unit out there and will need all the help they can get. The power fist and mark of the wulfen are relatively simple to understand, they are there to give you a bit of extra kick in combat.
Land Raiders
The great thing about Land Raiders is the fact that you can cram more models in them. This means more Grey Hunters and more characters with them. If you're going to have Grey Hunters in a Land Raider of any sort, I would definately recommend a Wolf Lord with them, at the very least a Wolf Guard Battle Leader. A Wolf Priest would also help to send this unit through most things your opponent can field.
The problem is, Land Raiders (any of the variants) are a lot of points. Well, mostly of you are probably saying thats obvious and you'd be right. For the price of a Land Raider you could get a decent sized Grey Hunter pack equipped, in a rhino with a Wolf Guard Pack Leader. Me, I tend to go for the larger model count.
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