A variant list expresses a particular style of warfare.  For Marines that's one they prefer and/or specialize in.  It's not the only way the chapter fights, just how they fight in this particular battle being played right this second.

Imperial Fists would use codex list organization to represent all the other stuff they do.  Same for Blood Angels, Dark Angels, White Scars and all the rest.  All of them have access to all the normal gear and codex tactica.  If they want to use the "normal" SM tactics they can use other lists.

Also, there's no reason a chapter cannot use other chapter variants if appropriate.  If you want a Ravenwing Dark Angel list, you can use the White Scars list with big bike formations and speeder support to represent that.  An Imperial Fist "siege" list with heavier equipment than normal could be used to represent Iron Hands or any other tech-heavy chapter.

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Thunderfire - I don't see that it necessarily needs BP.  Lots of template weapons in 40K don't count as BP in Epic.

Another option would be to make it part of a Tech Marine character upgrade.  Strip some of the other standard Marine character abilities and put in a ranged weapon stat line.  Adjust point costs if necessary.

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Neal

That would enable it to be transported inside a Razorback or Rhino, mind you...

I agree that BP isn't nessesarily the most appropriate stat type for it, some kind of multi-shot attack might be better.

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Okay, nealhunt, fair enough. That was the sound of me overreacting

(I still object to the notion that Imperial Fists are primarily a static, mudslogging chapter though as that is simply not true).

Well it has 4 3" BlastTemplates, same as the DKoK Quad-launcher but at least one of its three fire modi has enough Strength (6 same as a Multi-laser)to hurt vehicles. An other fire modus Ignores Cover saves (Strength 5 iirc) and the other shakes the ground (Strength 4 iirc)turning it to dangerous terrain.

@vytzka: No they aren't but they are THE chapter famous for doing siege stuff (ignoring the fact that GW seems to press the Salamanders in that niche).

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The IF list I occasionally try to make work is a siege/defend/attack beast without spacecraft. Rational being with spacecraft you simply drop into the heart of the defences/telport in etc. But no reason why thunderhawks aren't still around, instead of doing hot drops they could reposition troops well enough.

The generic dreadnought formation that works is 2 of each variant, 200 points. No problems with spam, thunderhawk assault etc.

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Sounds to me it could be represented in some manner such as:


Range - 60cm
Firepower - 2x AP4+ / AT6+     Ignores Cover or Disrupt (choose when firing)



The Imperial Fists aren't a known user of greater number of Dreadnoughts than normal.

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AS a turn in Epic represents several turns of Wh40k it is no problem to put all shots into one stat line. So Disrupt AND Ignore Cover seems simpler than to choose for every shot.

BTW: I know of no chapter which is known for fielding large numbers of Dreadnoughts. If not one if the 1st Founding Chapters which else?

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I've always seen them as appropriate to the Iron Hands (another 1st founding Chapter), being as they're all nutty about technology and replace bits of themselves with machine parts to get closer to the Machine God... what other way is best to commune with the Deus Mechanicus than to become one with a machine, a Dreadnought, an emblematical avatar of their cold God?

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Ironically enough some BL fiction book had them as having 8 Dreadnoughts total in the Chapter! Got to love Black Library writers

Yup well that's just silly.

They had 8 Dreadnoughts after the events of the Heresy, but they've had 10,000 years to build a couple dozen more since then... the idea that the Iron Hands can't make any more when newly constituted Chapters with far more distant ties to the Mechancius can field 2-4 Dreadnoughts per Company is silly.

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But imho the technology to build new Dreadnoughts is lost. Probably since the Heresy.

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The techniques of building them are 'almost lost', in the same manner as Terminator Armour, or Baneblades, etc.

That the Mechanicus wouldn't help out their most closely-allied Chapter by bunging them a Dreadnought or two every couple of centuries, when they can make enough to outfit a newly-constituted Chapter's full armoury, is silly.

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YAY! for GW fluff writers

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As they believe in machine over man it has prevented them from filling in the requisition form.

Then again BL fluff seems pretty dire. Just read out of boredom a blood angels book. I reckon they wipe out the chapter every 100 pages or so.

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