Today let's talk about that old chesnut the Space Marine Dreadnought, and how to get he best out of them on the tabletop. Lets hit it!
First, the chassis:
Venerable Dreadnought
Venerable Dreadnoughts benefit the most from their ability when not taking Melta hits. This means they’re the best choice for long-range fire platforms in the early game.
Dreadnought
The standard Dreadnought has options that make it good as a long-range shooter, a counter assault reserve, or a disruption unit. Each type of Dreadnought has it’s own usage and buildout below.
Ironclad Dreadnought
Ironclad Dreadnought usage is generally defined by the chassis, unlike the other two dreadnoughts. Ironclads are the only Dreadnought that has the ability to charge onto cover at initiative. Ironclads also can have 2 HK missiles, which gives them some ability to affect targets outside of their normal engagement range, but the Ironclad is generally a close combat platform.
Ironclads are best used as drop pod disruption platforms, though not necessarily directly into the enemy lines – drop them near an objective you can’t otherwise get to, use their missiles to pop a transport, and then head into knife range. Ironclads are perfect for grabbing a MEQ squad on an objective and keeping the objective at least contested for the rest of the game – AV13 makes them immune to Krak grenades and makes that Power Fist Sergeant a lot less dangerous. The Seismic Hammer also makes them a very viable threat against AV 14 in assault, so they’re good for protecting your own objectives as well. This chassis pretty much demands a reserved role in most viable army buildouts, and with the short overall range, a Drop Pod makes the most sense.
Venerable and Basic Dreadnoughts have a number of build out options available to them, and these buildouts dictate the role of the Dreadnought in your force. A Long-Range Shooter Dreadnought, such as twin-twin Autocannons (often called Rifleman, a nod to the Battletech Mech of the same general look), or the twin-linked Lascannon and Missile Launcher heavy shooter are designed to provide anti-vehicle fire and are thus best begun deployed at the start of the game, preferably behind cover so that they can step out and fire with the risk of getting demolished before they start. Though, I can find these point inefficent at times and rather spend it on other units.
These platforms may or may not have extra armor – the only time extra armor can be considered optional for a dreadnought build. Note that just because they aren’t designed to fight doesn’t mean they cannot do so, or should not do so, if the timing is right. Being able to grab onto a squad moving towards an objective may far outweigh the 2 or 3 more light vehicles your Rifleman might kill, so consider positioning it near objectives to make the most of this flexibility.
The Counter-assault Dreadnought generally comes with extra armor, a heavy flamer, and the stock Multimelta. This Dreadnought is idea for holding back to come towards the enemy advancing into your territory or dropping later in the game to go after their objectives. Either way, deploying at start is often counterproductive for this build. You can run it up behind your transports as well – a less certain but more predictable delivery. This dreadnought is also a great thing to get into combat with Thunderwolf Lords and other nasty combat units – the strength 10 helps to put the appropriate fear into them, and they are cheap enough to be expendable (though not necessarily easy to kill). A Venerable counter-assault Dreadnought can keep even dedicate CC units tied up for some time – though never when you count on it to do so, of course.
Disruption Dreadnoughts are used in a few ways – sometimes they come in via Drop Pod, sometimes they fire from the rear, and sometimes they just lurk off the board to provide a threat that the enemy must consider as a tactical problem. An ideal Disruption Dreadnought can kill light vehicles and heavy infantry, and has close combat as well as ranged threat. Plasma Cannon and Extra Armor with a Drop Pod is pretty much the best choice for this role (though the Assault Cannon is a choice that might appeal to you as well). The important thing is that this Dreadnought isn’t best used one way in every game. Sometimes dropping into enemy lines on turn 1 is ideal (against Necrons or Orks, for instance), sometimes deploying in your home area is best (Blood Angels HATE Plasma Cannons), and other times being in Reserve (either in or out of the Pod) will give you the most tactical usage. Notice that I assume that anyone using Drop Pods has at least 2 – seriously, if you’re using Drop Pods with any thought to flexible usage, you must have at least two of them.
Dreadnought Options
And a few words about options:
-Storm Bolter or Heavy Flamer? The Heavy Flamer is a better choice. But also the first place to save points.
-Twin-linked Heavy Flamer? No, just no. Never take this.
-Twin-linked Heavy Bolter? Wait, take the TL heavy flamer if this is your other option. Unthinkably terrible choice.
-Twin-linked Autocannon? Great for shooting AV 11 transport vehicles, which there seem to be a lot of these days. Plasma Cannon? Great for whacking enemy heavy infantry and denying Feel No Pain.
-Assault Cannon? Can occasionally penetrate AV 14, and has a lot of shots that can harm light vehicles and infantry. A decent choice if you feel lucky, but not one that you can count on performing.
-Twin-linked Lascannon? Makes your Dreadnought a vehicle hunter, a bigger anti-vehicle target, and a lot more expensive. Probably not something to put on a single Dreadnought in your force, but maybe a viable option, especially on a Venerable, if you have good numbers of targets for incoming anti-vehicle fire.
-Replacing Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon with Missile Launcher or TL Autocannon? I don’t favor either, but if you’re into putting a lot of shooting eggs into one basket, go for it.
-Extra Armor? If you have a Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon, always take this option. If you’re built as a pure shooter, you might ignore this one.
-For the Ironclad: I’m a fan of the Hunter Killers and Frag Launchers, though the Launchers can be dropped without crying too many tears.
So who's using the Emperor's finest walking shoebox? Comments and thoughts are welcome. Darkwynn out.
