I wrote this piece for a new White Scars blog on Blogger and I figured that I would share it with all of you!

This discussion has lead to many heated debates amongst friends and forum goers about which character is better. So the goal of this is to provide the facts and help in your decision!

So whats the big deal?

Well assuming you haven’t read the space marine codex or are familiar with White Scars… The main strength of a White Scars army is the ability to take a ton of bikes and to make the good majority of those bikes scoring units by taking them as troop choices. The only way this goal can be accomplished is by selecting either a Captain or Kor’sorro Khan and mounting him on a bike. This allows all Space Marine Bike Squadrons above 5 models to be taken as a troop choice. However this is where the debate lies, as the Captain and Khan have two very distinct advantages and disadvantages then can radically change the way a biker list is written and played. So having the proper character is a very important decision which is not to be taken lightly.

So who is better?

Truly no character is “better” then the other, despite every one’s opinion. They are both radically different and suit completely different play styles. Stat wise they are the same, equipment and rule wise, they vary greatly, but each is suited to how they play which determines their usefulness. One is better against certain armies, where as the other is better suited against others.

So how do I decide?

Realistically it boils down to what the rest of your army consists of and how many points you have available for a game. But if you a looking to build your army around the character, which would be the smart thing to do, then the only way to figure this out is by analyzing each characters traits.

The Khan

Pros:

* Grants anyone who has access to combat tactics and dedicated transports the ability to outflank. This ability is great as it allows for loads of outflanking multi-meltas and opens up deployment options to cater how you play against what opponent you are facing. This is very useful for using bike’s superior mobility for boxing in units and annihilating them.
* Grants any squad he joins Furious Charge and Hit and Run. These abilities teamed up with a hardcore assault squad, such as a command squad on bikes or terminators increases their effectiveness tremendously.
* Has a weapon which can cause instant death. This is very useful for killing other characters before they swing on the charge.
* His mount, Moondrakken, gives the Khan Fleet. Not the coolest ability… but having access to the only fleeting bike in the game is awesome. I have used this ability before to catch up to running squads and it works.

Cons:

* Expensive! Compared to a standard Captain on bike he is 40 more points. Now not a huge difference, but in games smaller then 1500 points, that is a lot of points. I usually recommend in smaller games to avoid the khan.
* He only has a strength 4 power weapon. Even though it can cause instant death to anyone on a 6 to wound, if the Khan is in a prolonged combat amongst multiple enemies this can be a bad thing.
* The loss of combat tactics. In order to outflank, you give up combat tactics. Combat Tactics is an essential rule if you are playing defensively.
* There is no model for him. Though this isn’t a big deal, it would be nice to have a bike mounted version of the khan instead of converting one, but it does pave the way for some cool conversions.

Overall:

The Khan is typically a better option if you are building you army to be very aggressive with assault elements, typically Terminators or a Biker Command Squad. Outflanking is awesome for melta weapons and allows plenty of side armor shots besides the other benefits of multiple deployment options. Playing defensively with this character is quite frankly a bad idea and will lead to losses.

The Captain

Typically a sufficient bike mounted captain is more efficient the cheaper he is. Spending more points on him then necessary often leads to disappointment. The standard build for a captain is:

Captain
Bike and Relic Blade –165

Pros:

* Cheap* This all depends on the wargear and what you want him to be tasked with doing
* With that being said, the captain has access to tons of wargear and weapon options. Artificer armor, digital weapons, storm shields, lightning claws… the list goes on. This opens up loads of conversion opportunities.
* He is the most desirable choice for small games due to his low points and lack of deadly assault units.
* Being armed with a relic blade, the captain is actually better in assault against high toughness enemies.
* Combat Tactics. If you take a captain you get to keep this rule. This rule has been likened to a virtual “hit and run” in the shooting phase and is very great to preserving units by forcing them to fail leadership tests.

Cons:

* Tones down the effectiveness of a command squad. Without having furious charge and hit and run, the command squad becomes more vulnerable to prolonged assaults. This is not a good things
* With that being said, I would argue that if he is apart of a command squad, that it is more expensive then an effective one run with the khan since you will have to purchase more powerfists and stormshields to keep your squad alive and to make up for the lack of not being able to go first. Conversely however, this unit will suit the captain in hunting monstrous creatures.
* Not being able to outflank means that there is a loss of deployment options. Having the flexibility to deploy your army is essential for winning. It can be argued that turbo boost makes up for this, but I find the fear of outflanking bike squads far out weighs being able to move fast thanks to turbo boost.

Overall:

The Captain is best suited for a defensive list which has an emphasis of staying out of assault and relying on shooting. Bikes can bring a lot of firepower to bare, but the ability to assault after shooting those weapons has saved me numerous times. I definitely suggest the captain for low points games as outflanking isn’t as necessary due to smaller tables (typically) and the points need to be invested into troop units.

Now What?

In order to figure out which one suits you, first you must determine the points level of your game. Secondly, do you enjoy playing defensively or aggressively. Thirdly, are you planning on running dedicated assault squads? Finally, what have been your personal experiences with each character before this game. With all of this in mind you can finally choose what character best suits you! So go out and win one for the Scars!!!