I know what you're probably thinking. Assault Centurions? For Space Marines? Are those even a THING? The answer is yes! Not only do they exist, but most Space Marines armies either will be using them or should be using them.
When Space Marines were released back in 6th edition, Centurions were the new hotness and, as with most new model releases, had an immediate impact on the game, which lasted well into 7th edition. In those days, however, crazy deathstars were being built around Devastator Centurions. No one ever considered Assault Centurions, and for good reason. They were slow, had mediocre shooting, etc. Devastator Centurions were especially awesome because of access to what was then devastating Grav Cannon firepower.
Fast forward to 8th edition, Primaris marines are the new hotness, grav weaponry in general is just mediocre, and Centurions have been sitting on the shelf for years. With the release of the newest Space Marines codex, and particularly their respective codex supplements, Centurions are seeing play again, but this time it's in their assault loadout. Not only are Assault Centurions good now, they are actually great and many lists are being built around them as the primary core component.
Let's take a look at their basic profile. The Centurion Assault Squad is an Elites choice in Codex Space Marines. The unit contains 3 models each armed with Centurion Assault Launchers, 2 Flamers, and Siege Drills. They have a Move characteristic of 4" so they don't move especially fast. A WS and BS of 3+, Strength and Toughness of 5, with 4 Wounds each, 3 Attacks each (4 on the Sgt), Leadership of 8, and a Save of 2+. They have the Angels of Death special rule, Omniscope (which allows the unit to ignore cover), and the Combat Squads ability. Centurion Assault Launchers allows you to roll for each model that is within 1" of an enemy unit after finishing a charge move and on a 4+ that unit suffers a mortal wound...meh.
Their base profile is underwhelming, until we look at their wargear options. Assault Centurions can replace their mediocre Assault Launchers for Hurricane Bolters. In doing so, they lose the ability to cause a mortal wound on the charge, but thanks to Bolter Discipline, can fire off 12 shots each from 24" out! Not too shabby. And when they do make combat, they have 4 attacks each (5 on the sgt) thanks to Shock Assault that hit at STR 10, -4 AP (-5 if the Assault Doctrine is active), and 3 Damage flat. Wow these guys hit like a freight train if they can get in there! Sadly with a 4" move, that makes it pretty difficult. That's where the new Codex supplements come in. There are quite a few tricks you can use to make Assault Centurions go from medicore on paper to absolute nightmares to deal with on the table top!
Before we deep dive into some particularly nasty combos with Assault Centurions, we need to consider the basic considerations from Codex Space Marines. Regardless of which Chapter you decide to go for in order to really make these guys work we need to look at putting them into a detachment that is designed around custom Successor Traits. In particular we are looking at Long-range Marksmen. This trait extends the range of all ranged weapons for any unit by 3". This is extremely important as now those 2 Flamers each are 11" range instead of 8". This makes a difference when we get into Codex Supplement details because there are many tricks you can use to get these guys in close out of reserves. As for the second Successor Traits, that can be built maybe to maximize the other elements of your list, but I think Master Artisans is a good consideration.
Now let's look at some specific combos that make Assault Centurions the devastating beasts they are in combat.
White Scars
Assault Centurions will appear most frequently in White Scars armies. Why is this? Because of the Encirclement Stratagem. For 1 CP you can deploy these guys off the table. On Turns 2 or 3 they can then come in off any battlefield edge, more than 9" away from enemy units. With Long-range Marksmen now they are within range of those 2 Flamers they are each equipped with. So, a squad of 6 of these guys is throwing out 12d6 Flamer shots and 72 Bolter shots. That is well over 100 shots on the turn they come in! Throw a buff character nearby allowing re-rolls and you have some incredibly dangerous firepower. Toss in a Librarian throwing Ride the Winds and Storm-Wreathed on them and now the unit adds 2" to their charge roll and cannot be Overwatched! And when they get into combat? Well, they are putting out 25 attacks with their Siege Drills. If you're in Turn 3 and the Assault Doctrine is active, Those Siege Drills are doing 4 damage each at AP -5!
They will roll over anything they touch in combat usually. And, if you tag team them with your warlord nearby with Master of Snares, on a 4+ you can keep a unit from falling back. But, if they do fall back, so what. For 1 CP you can use Butchered Quarry to make attacks on them when they attempt to fall back which will usually be enough to kill anything lucky enough to have lived from your initial charge. And even if after all that a unit gets away freeing your Assault Centurions to be shot? For 2 CP you toss Transhuman Physiology on them and now you have a unit with Toughness 5, that can only be wounded on a 4+ regardless of the shooting weapon's strength, with a 2+ save, making them incredibly hard to remove.
Raven Guard
While White Scars offers a great turn 2 or 3 beta strike with Assault Centurions, Raven Guard can get out there and punch you in the face turn 1 with a devastating alpha strike. An ill prepared opponent will find the game over in the first turn if they do not know what they are in for and how to guard against it. This combo centers around a Raven Guard smash captain with the Master of Ambush warlord trait. At the start of the first battle round, before the first turn begins, the warlord and one Raven Guard Infantry unit may be removed from the battlefield and redeployed more than 9" from the enemy deployment zone and enemy models. Obviously you want to do this if you go first as it allows you to pick up your Assault Centurions, drop them within 9" before the first turn begins, then move, shoot and charge with them. Throw a Raven Guard librarian nearby to cast Enveloping Darkness on an enemy unit to deny them Overwatch, and suddenly these Assault Centurions are right in your lines crushing your army on turn 1.
If this tactic is too bold for your taste, you can always pay 1 CP for Strike from the Shadows and put the Assault Centurions into reserves, allowing them to come in anywhere on the table turns 2 or 3 more than 9" away from enemy models. Again, we are using Long-range marksmen so we can be in range to use those 2 flamers each on the turn they come in.
The Centurion Assault Squad, when given the proper wargear, traits and support, can make for a unit that can shift a game entirely. A unit of 6 with hurricane bolters is 312 points. A great value considering all the tricks you can pull with them to maximize their use. Expect to see them a lot on the top tables in the future.
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