Centurion Squad
Hey, you! Tired of just one Heavy Bolter? Wish to crush your foes with their own armour? Crave GIANT FUCKING DRILLS? Then the new Centurion Warsuit is for you!
A Centurion Squad is a new type of Space Marines Squad available with the release of 6th edition. A Centurion is a warsuit whose STC printout was discovered after the Age of Apostasy. After getting the "not heresy" stamp from the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Imperium of Man began supplying Space Marine Chapters with the suits, who dubbed them "Centurion" after the former officers of the Legiones Astartes. The Centurion is a specialist piece of equipment used for sieges or line-breaking. Despite not interfacing with the Space Marines Black Carapace, it gives the Marine durability that is rivaled by that of a Dreadnought, without the requirement of losing their spine and three out of four limbs in a heroic, but probably avoidable last stand. Instead of recruiting out of the Chapter's First Company Veterans, Centurion pilots are recruited from the Assault or Devastator Squads, as Centurions are only useful in specific roles of Assault and heavy weapons, and their pilots need to be immersed in a specific type of warfare (so why don't they recruit from the vanguard veterans?)
While you won't be blam'd for calling them "Reasonable Dreadnaughts", it should be noted that their current status makes them inferior to true dreadnaughts in both loadout and points price DUE TO LACK OF HEROIC SACRIFICE.
They are also commonly referred to as "Space Marine inside a Space Marine" or "baby Dreadknights" by fa/tg/uys. Sometimes "tubinators" by less fatguys.
Why they suck
All jokes aside these things suck. And not even the funny kind of suck that you get with Pyrovores, just the mediocre, almost-usable kind. Their kit and stats seems good on the surface however in practice glaring weaknesses arise.
Both squads are very durable with T5 W2 and 2+ saves, have a wide selection of mostly twin-linked weapons, and can fire both in the same turn and still assault thanks to Slow and Purposeful. Dev-Cens have the option for Heavy-Bolters, twin-linked Lascannons, or Grav-Cannons, which are the ultimate MEQ and TEQ killers along with Hurricane Bolters or missile launchers. Ass-Cens can take twin-linked flamers, or meltas, with Hurricane Bolters or Ironclad assault launchers, all the while packing two S9 AP2 weapons with Armorbane. Both sarges can take Omni-Scopes for Split-Fire and Night Vision.
Now for the bad. While the squads are tough they're very over-pointed. 190 base for three and 60 for more squad members. This kills the Dev-cens who already cost quite a bit to kit out. The Ass-Cens thankfully don't have this problem.
While being able to fire both their weapons after moving and then assault afterwards is awesome, they can't Overwatch, Sweeping Advance, or Run. This kills the Ass-Cens, who need a land raider to even reach assault. Being unable to Overwatch is a significant loss since they actually stand a chance of hitting with all their twin-linked weapons. Also, except for the sarges, the other members of both squads only get one attack. Combine this with a lack of power weapons and Dev-cens will get tar-pitted by anything. The Ass-Cens thankfully get +1 for having two weapons though.
The main reason they suck is that they just don't fill any gaps in a Space Marine army that weren't already filled by a cheaper squad more efficiently, other than giving them a squad of 2W models. And it's not like Space Marines lack durability anyway. For what it costs to get a squad of Dev-cens with Lascannons, you could get a full squad of regular Devastators with four for 30pts less. For what it costs to take Ass-Cens with a Land Raider, you could get two squads of Assault Terminators.
As if all that wasn't enough, the squad(s) also don't get any real bonuses from most chapter tactics in the vanilla codex.
- Ultramarines:
- Tactical Doctrine: No bonuses since all but one of their ranged weapons are twin-linked.
- Assault Doctrine: Useful for Ass-Cens.
- Devastator Doctrine: Completely useless since neither squad can Overwatch.
- White Scars: All the non-bike bonuses do not apply to these units(along with Terminators) specifically.
- Black Templars: Challenge support only really helps Ass-Cen Sarge since its the only version you'll want to get in CC. Crusaders is useless since they can't run or sweeping advance.
- Salamanders: Flamecraft is nice but the Ass-Cens would already get the re-rolls to wound from their flamers being twin-linked. Since all their weapons are twin-linked already you'll only ever master craft a missile launcher or siege drill.
- Raven Guard: Stealth and Scouts only apply to none bulky units/models. The second half only affects units with Jump Packs.
The only chapter tactics that aren't wasted on them are Iron Hands and Imperial Fists.
- Iron Hands: 6+ Feel No Pain gives them a small band-aid for their lack of invulns, and IWND can benefit their 2W sarges.
- Imperial Fists: The Dev-cents get Tank Hunters and +1 to building damage which turns Lascannon/missile launcher Dev-cents into terrifying long ranged tank killers that will allow you to show your foes the terror that were S10 Broadsides. Ass-cens on the other hand get nothing. Bolter drill is useless since all their weapons are twin-linked
TL;DR The squad has its uses but they can be very situational. Dev-Cents are the ultimate anti-everything-with-2+-save unit, if you get them close enough. Ass-Cents, sadly, are useless. Build them with Grav-Cannons. Trade all those Lascannon, Heavy Bolter and melta bits to your friendly Guard player.
A certain build called the Grav-Star has four to six of them with Grav-Cannons and hurricane Bolters paired with Tigurius rolling for Gates of Infinity and then whatever goodies he can get on other tables, then paired with whatever other HQs you feel like having (such as a beatstick build a chaptermaster and/or some psykers for more buffs) that can then be further paired with a Tau Buffmander. This can become very expensive (nearing 1000 points for a six cent build with all the bells and whistles!), but has the durability and firepower to devastate just about anything it meets while weathering the storm itself.
External Links
Gallery
-
Devastator Centurions -
Assault Centurions -
Daaaaaaawwwww.....
