Army Focus: Militarum Tempestus

MILITARUM TEMPESTUS

Shock assault specialists with near inhuman skill and discipline- nothing describes Scions better than this. In 6th and 7th edition, I used them often as unreliable tank hunters. Why unreliable, you ask? Scatter dice and reserve rolls. I used to lose these guys to mishaps (on 3rd or 4th turn) so often that there was no reason to field them (and many of my friends argued with me about this matter). I am kind of a Commissar type (stubborn) so I kept them in my lists. I knew one day they would get better, and with 8the Edition my hopes became reality.

With reserve rolls and scatter dice being removed, Scions now represent a very reliable force; the hammer of your army. A special deployment they use, called Aerial Drop, gives them the possibility to be anywhere on the table, whenever you will need them. So what does this elite force have to offer you? 

HQ - Tempestor Prime

The Tempestor Prime is a born leader, and that is why you need him- To lead your Scions, to give them orders. The Voice of Command ability is one of the best tools the Astra Militarum have. A basic Tempestor Prime can issue one order per turn, however you can equip him with a command rod to allow him to issue a second order per turn. Most of the time you will be choosing Take Aim!, because re-rolling hit rolls of 1 for overcharged plasma guns is what you really want. Be careful with your Tempestor Prime, always keep him behind your Scions. Even with 4 Wounds he tends to die very quickly.    

Tempestor Prime with ciommand rod ordering his men to kill all xenos.
Supported by a company commander and a comissar.

Troops - Militarum Tempestus Scions

The best equipped and most extensively trained of all assets the Imperial Guard can field. Scions form units between 5 and 10 men. For every 5 models in the unit, two Scions may replace their Hot-Shot Lasguns with a special weapon of your choice. Yes, that means you can take 4 special weapons in one unit! All of the Special Weapons are good choices, but most agree that the Plasma Gun is the real winner. Thanks to the overcharge mode, Take Aim order, and the aerial drop, each unit generates up to 8 Plasma shots (9 shots with the sergeant´s plasma pistol) after they have landed. Two full (10-man) units of Scions with four Plasma Guns each, along with a Tempestor Prime, can unleash hell upon your enemies. Another good option is the Hot-Shot Volley Gun. You will lose the higher strength of the Plasma Gun, but gain more shots- twice as many shots. The Hot-Shot Volley Gun is great against elite units with lower toughness (T3/T4) such as Eldar, Dark Eldar, Space Marines, and Necrons. Don't forget that you still have 5 Hot-Shot Lasguns in each of your units. There's nothing better than stripping the last wound from a vehicle with a Hot-Shot Lasgun.

MT Scions trying to stop a Maulerfiend.
Sometimes even a full squad with plasma guns is not enough.

Elite - Militarum Tempestus Command Squad

These guys are basically a Scions unit without the hot-shot guys. It's four guys that can take four special weapons, without the regular non-special-weapon Scions. They are ideal for suicide missions- Fire and Forget. I usually play them with four Meltaguns to hunt down a lone vehicle, such as a Space Marine Predator, Chaos Maulerfiend, or a Dark Eldar Ravager. For your opponent, it's very frustrating to shoot at such a small unit, and if they survive they can be very annoying. I am planning to try them with Hot-Shot Volley Guns as a support unit, or with four flamers to counter-strike things that get too close. There is a limitation to running Command Squads, however. You can only take one Command Squad per Tempestor Prime in each detachment.

Transport - Taurox Prime

Honestly, I do not use them right now. I have 4 of them, but they are still on sprue.  I intend to play them as Autocannon platforms, since the Autocannon has shown to be a "Black Horse" for 8th Edition. The Taurox Prime's decent BS makes it worth it.

Tactics:

With the opportunity to keep Scions in reserve, and having them arrive on turn 1 with no scatter, their main role is to destroy the biggest threats in your opponent´s army. This gives you the opportunity to steer the game into your control, forcing your opponent to be on the defensive. This is similar to how the Space Marines' Drop Pods used to rattle opponents back in 7th Edition. I was always jealous about the Space Marines' mobility that the old Imperial Guard lacked. This is a great thing, but not the only useful thing about Scions.

They are very useful for determining initiative during deployment. Many armies are based on a few expensive elites (Necrons, Chaos, SM) numbering from 8 to 10 units in all. With alternating deployment of units, you can force your opponent to deploy all, or larger parts, of his units and then counter deploy the rest of your army. Right now I'm using 4 Militarum Tempestus units (Tempestor Prime, 2x Scions and 1x Command Squad) with 2x Rough Riders and Ratlings, which gives me 7 drops at the start of the game. You can put an infantry squad here and there and then, when your enemy is fully on the table, you can deploy the rest of your army as you see fit (from 10-17 units in my case, depending on a list). Once again, you are setting the stage, forcing your opponent to react to your actions.

Scions will always need a support.

Despite their strengths and elite training, Scions always need support- a second wave to finished what the Scions started. Sometimes we use Rough Riders to lock enemy units into close combat. Other times, artillery like Wyverns, Basilisks, Manticores, and Hellhounds can finish off units the Scions couldn't handle alone.  Consripts, Infantry Squads, and Veterans bring cheap bodies to balance out the expensive elite Scions. It depends on personal preferences, of course, but they can't quite do everything on their own. Scions are the hammer, and you WILL need an anvil. Don´t expect them to live through a whole game, or even to their second turn. They are usually the first casualties in your army, so use them wisely.

Lastly, don´t forget to charge with your Scions if the situation permits. You can lock 20 Necron Warriors in close combat for a turn, allowing your slower Supporting units to move closer without as much enemy fire shredding them to pieces.

+++ Alessan +++

Edit.: Big thank to Clayton Guerry for editing the text.