Word Bearers synergy, combos and don't take units

**EDITED**

As all legions can be said to wield the same weapon, it is up to you to wield that weapon in a way that will grant you victory (there's the dice too i guess, but come on that sounded cool). This is where making sure you use your legion rules is so important.

With the Word Bearers you are looking at getting into the assault with your opponent. With the rules that WBs have you will be better at sweeping enemy units, and they will be less likely to sweep you. Becaus of this you want to ensure that all of our units can make use of these rules. Take Tartarous terminators, Veteran squads/Assault squads with Power Swords. 

Because of our extra Chaplin/consul we need to create body guard squads for both of them, this is where WBs get expensive (points wise). Bikes are good as they are fast harassment units which can close down the flanks as your troops go down the middle. Diabolists cannot join them as they can't take bikes. Jet bikes are too expensive for my liking but they could be effective, but as they have heavy weapons you want to keep them out of the assault so they can use them. Doesn't work with WBs. Veteran squads are excellent with a min squad size of 5. Assault marines are also very good (you can't take any special characters with them though). Only veterans let you take special characters with them.

You could attach them to large blobs of tacticals but they will be slow and best at holding a position. Goes against WB style. Rhinos are questionable, they prevent characters from joining the unit, and you can't assault out of them. If you take rhinos take them in mass, get out, Wrath of The Legion your opponent, if there's 2 close units fire multiple squads at one target to bring them down. This part is the problem: you will now have to weather the return fire and the potential charge. You want to be placing your units 11&1/2 inches away from your opponent: 6inch move, 7inch average charge =11inches. This will just keep you in rapid fire range for 40 bolter shots. Either you will have scared your opponent off the objective or he will have moved closer to your unit, making for an easier charge.

Armoured spearhead sounds like a good way to get assault vehicles, but without the vehicle focussed rules if other legions like iron hands, these guys will be normal land raiders (still excellent in all sense of the word), but this tactic will mean that you haven't spent your points in the units that make use of our rules. Land raiders can't sweeping attack and don't have morale problems. 

Use your rhinos to use the above tactic to get our opponents off objectives, put your veterans in land raiders. 

Drop pods are good. Legion drop pods don't force you to disembark turn one and are assault vehicles for turn two. This is awesome, it does make you weak turn one with a smaller force in the table and can make you vulnerable to bad reserve rolls. Your opponent will need to bring heavy weapons against you to get rid of your objective securing pods as bolters can scratch them. And they will have to run away from them as there is no benefit from being near them when you come out turn two. Take Hol Beloth because he is cheaper than a paragon blade master crafted laser fist preator and will instant death them in combat with his power fist and most importantly he has master of the legion, unlocking Orbital Strike.

Your characters get psychic powers this is awesome because at time of writing no other legion has good psychic. Librarians are supporting officers and therefore don't count as compulsory HQ choices. We are the best psychic legion. Psychic shriek off telepathy is very nice and give you a chance at terrify (which supports our sweeping, but could make them run out of charge distance so be careful) invisibility speaks for it's self. Dominate is good as it can prevent over watch or return fire or counter assaults. 

Biomancy is awesome on characters: relentless tacticals yes please. They also have a 4+ FNP, awesome. Biomancy is very good, makes your characters better in challenges, give unit buffs and has some nice ap2 witchfires (one of which heals other characters). 

Demons are an amazing addition to Word Bearer forces. Blood letters are king; cheap, efficient and spamable. This is especially pronounced in smaller games where there just isn't enough fire power to take them down. Skarbrand is awesome, he will destroy anything that looks his way and gives all of you're units (and the enemies) Rage and Hatred, saving points in Dark Channeling and Locus' with Heralds.

Plague Bearers and nurglings are also amaizng objective holders, alowing your main forces to advance without having to run back and hold objectives.

Thanks for reading. 

It's always death, with you. Who needs to die this time? Whose death will set fate along the path you choose?

Betrayer by Aaron Dembski-Bowden pg 222 

Word Bearer special/unique units (I do not rate them)

**EDITED**

As I wrap up with the word bearers, here is my overview of their Legion specific units.

So starting off we have the Ashen Circle: WS 5 assault marines all with hand flamers (str3 ap6 so they're pretty bad) and special chain axes, which reduce fall back distances by one inch (only ap4). Not great as it means they're closer to you for a counter charge but then again you have 5-10 hand flamers so charging you isn't really the best idea.

They can all get power axes for 5 points but as they only have 3+ armour terminators and ultramarine 2+ squads are going to eat you for breakfast before you get to attack at initiative 1 this may not be as good as it sounds.

When Ashen Circle deep strike, units within d6 take damage from their flamers, nice, but not that game breaking. Their hammer of wrath counts as flame damage so it's less effective against salamaders. Over all pretty meh. Can't be joined by HQ because they have the same rule as destroyers. Can purchase phospherex grenades, doesn't do a lot for them. 

Ashen circle are supposed to attack the things that give the enemy morale. Yet you can't burn down banners and they don't have ap3/2 on intitive so they can't kill HQ or bodyguard squads effectively. Over all I do not rate this sqaud, even as troops with Zaylak. (Dark channeling doesn't make up for how meh this unit is).

Honestly an expensive unit that loses most of its bite against a tactical squad of 15 is not a winner in my books.


Ashen Circle
Kill 3 with hand flamers
-1 to over watch
Kill 1.5 HoW

Kill 2.6666666667 Chain Axes
- 1.5833333333 return combat
Kill 5.7777777778 Power Axes
-1 Sergeant return combat

- 3.5833333333
Kill 11.4444444445

Win combat by: 7.8611111112

 2.77777778% Rally Chance (snake eyes for LD)

Odds of sweeping 66.66666667%

64.8148148166% winning combat.

Meh

Gal Vorbak:

2 wounds (3 on the sergeant) Str/toughness and Initative 5, weapons skill 5 demon marines the size of terminators. Awesome. One problem, 3+ save 5++ invol. These guys are wanta be terminators with 2 wounds and higher toughness.

They are good, they have deep-strike, cause fear and are fearless. A better option stick them in a spartan or land raider Phobos and charge them into TACTICALS, never charge a squad with lots of power swords. These guys will go down even with T5, the 5++ helps but against a veteran squad with power swords you will be massacred (especially if they charge you with furious charge).

You can take 1 in 5 weapons like melta guns (don't you'll waste shooting) or power swords (TAKE THESE). The captain can take lighting claws or a Power Fist. Power Fist is probably your best bet as it goes to str10, with rending. Unlike Sergeants the Dark Mytar has T5 and 3 wounds so he can easily afford to go last.

These guys have rending, which counters their lack of ap anything when they come stock. This doesn't mean you can charge terminators, it just means that you will be better against marines.

Coupled with Rage and 2 CQC weapons each model has a whopping 5 attacks each, meaning you can expect a decent amount of rending hits.

Also nice little gimmick is they have bolt pistols so they can shoot unlike 40k possessed.

Over all a good unit but one that needs to be upgraded before its any good.

A full squad can convincingly take out a large Tac squad in one round of combat.
My preferred load out is for a full squad: DM with Art armour and a Power Fist, 7 stock Gal Vorbak and 2 Gal Vorbak with Power Swords.

If need be, you can equip them for vehicle hunting, giving them Power Mauls (Str5+2+Rending) and a Powerfist (Str10+Rending)

Finally we have the Mal Ghara contemptor dreadnought. This guy is very expensive points wise so make sure you know what you want him to do.

 The rules for this guy seem to contradict how WBs work: he damages near by demons and psykers. Two of the main things that sets WBs apart from the other legions by having. *facepalm*

With 4 attacks on the charge at Str 10 he is nasty in the assault. Don't put him in combat with marines they will just tie down your expensive model all game. Charge tanks and blow them up.

He has a nice rule where you have to reroll successful invulnerable saves in close comabt with him if he has his close combat weapon. Also you must test for morale of the unit suffers ANY casualties from his shooting. Can take a plasma cannon, multi melta and auto cannon with this rule (las cannon doesn't get this rule). This rule is nice but you want your enemy to be close to you with Word Bearers as they are an assault legion.

Over all I don't rate the Word Bearer special units (Expetion for Gal Vorbak). Unlike their special characters these units are over costed for what they do and don't really give you anything great that normal units couldn't do better for less points.

 I would say don't get these units, invest your points in legion units, give them dark channeling and artificer armour and power Axes, take the WB special characters and buy units that will work together.

This concludes my Word Bearer legion focus, if any new units are released I will come back and do an over view of them. Up next is Iron Hands, followed by their best friends/murderers the glorious Emperors Children. 

Hope you enjoyed this first legion overview, and I look forward to creating more.