My original idea was to try to tackle every army at once, but then I remembered the huge array of transports available to every race(If they even have any transports!), let alone the array of troops you can shove in them! So I am going to break it down for each race, one by one, and we are going to start with the army that most players can relate to(which I don't particularly see as a good thing): The good ol' fashioned Rhino, and its more heavily equipped cousin, the Razorback(I'm going to save Drop-Pod related transports for another day, because thats a whole new army aspect entirely in my mind).
First off, the cost: Your basic rhino will run you 35 points. Now, if you don't have transports, you're obviously going to have something else to fit the points, so lets make some comparisons:
3 Rhinos will run you the same price as a bare-bones Dreadnaught. Well that's awesome! Some of you may think, Why would I need 3 Rhinos when I can get myself a bad-ass Dreadnaught! Its got a giant fist, for pete's sake! Now don't get me wrong, I like dreads as much as the next guy, but is it worth the sacrifice? Will you even have the required Elite slot for it? You're turning 3 tanks into a single walker that only has a single additional point of armor in terms of protection. A Missile Launcher or Lascannon can still take it out easily in one shot, or at least do some good damage to hinder its effect on the battle around it. If you take the Rhinos you will have three times as many tanks roaming the battlefield. Now, although that is 3 easy kill points on the table, your enemy will need to sacrifice the power of 3 units to take a single round of firing at all of them, and in that situation you will either have units that can counter those threats that are going to continue fighting unharmed since they're not being shot at, or you're playing such a large game that 3 units is a tiny portion of the armies on the field. Plus your units are moving a consistent 12" down-field toward their objectives, or they're providing cover for the crew when they disembark. I give this point to the Rhinos.
The same thing works for all other units: 4 Rhinos gives you a Vindi with Extra armor and Dozer Blade, 3 Rhinos gives you a 5-man assault squad with melta bombs, so on and so forth. The point of the matter is that Rhinos are extremely cheap compared to other units in the codex, and only starts to make a dramatic difference when your're loading up on all 6 troop choices, with which you can save a hefty 210 points. But what are you going to get that can make up for the severe cut in mobility and protection? 5 Terminators? A small veteran squad? A single Assault squad? You can't even afford a Land Raider with those points.
Now, lets look at it the other way around: instead of figuring out the units you can fit in for the same points, lets look at how snugly it fits into in army trying to stay cheap. A nicely sized army will usually encompass a standard captain, minimum troops choices, and maybe one or 2 other units for extra power. I wanted to find an army list that a random 40k player made and posted online, but I couldn't find one that wasn't already mechanized or was a BA Assault list(Really says something, don't you think?), so I will go ahead and make one:
Captain
Power Weapon
Company Command Squad
· Company Banner
· Power Weapon
Tac Squad(10)
· Missile Launcher
· Flamer
Tac Squad(10)
· Missile Launcher
· Flamer
Scout Squad(5)
· Snipers
Assault Squad(5)
Dreadnaught
Predator
· Lascannon Sponsons
Now, I consider this a very healthy army, lascannons for AT power, tac squads with very flexible wargear, and a captain and guard that will give any other combat unit that can be fielded at this points level a run for their money(unless its 1/2 of the enemy army's points). Now, I have one obvious problem with this list: I do not like its lack of mobility. I believe that a Space Marine army that can move is a deadly thing, you're dealing with Power Armored giants that are running about in metal cans and don't have the sheer number of anti-tank shots to deal with ALL of them in one turn. So, lets remove that old Dread and replace it with a few Rhinos. You're adding 2 more tanks that are running around with your squads, including a CC squad that needs to get to combat quickly.
Another thing to deal with is the level of protection you're getting from these babies. Since marines are the most common army in the world, everyone will have at least one unit that is designed to take out Marines(or at least units similar to them). The thing that comes to my mind are the Eldar Dark Reapers(being an Eldar player myself, it's only natural this unit comes to mind). I love this unit, I don't ever want to start a battle without them. They may be expensive, but I have completely wiped out whole squads of marines in a single turn, including a Necron Warrior unit that was hiding behind cover(and considering they are even tougher than Marines, I take pride in this accomplishment). If they are in a Rhino, however(and mind you you're only spending 35 Points for this), my Reapers can't bring that devastation, I only have a slim chance of a single glancing hit. I need to sacrifice a whole other units power to take it down so I can take a shot at the Marines inside. I consider that a more then worthwhile investment, especially since you want to drive into combat with them, and every time I don't kill you thats another 12" you've advanced on my Reaper's position, and I need to divert a good portion of my army to make sure my precious Reapers don't get locked in. For only 35 points you turned a unit that's usually dead in the water just by looking at my Reapers into a real threat for them, and don't forget you have the option of slowing down a bit to fire that missile to pick off a Reaper a turn if there's something else you need to take care of.
So, considering that it's past midnight on a school night and my caffeine rush is starting to wear down I'm gonna call it a day. The advantage goes to the Rhino for now, I will move on and discuss another army later, most likely Eldar, or Chaos. So, until then, I bid you a good night, and happy killing!
