4.5/5 stars. The rules are very good indeed, but I rounded down narrowly.
Background.
Regardless of the type or mark of armour worn, legion command squads are the personal body guard of a praetor or consul and highly trained and disciplined warriors. More than this, they carry the banner of the legion itself into battle which in turn serves as a rallying point for the men of the detachment. They are the elite fighters of the legion and trusted with plentiful access to all the best toys and gadgets that can be mustered.
Authors Note: I am combining the standard Praetorian Command Squad with the Jump Pack equipped one in this review due to their incredible similarities except for the obvious one.
Strengths.
With 2 wounds, WS=5 and a native 2+ save these marines are very flexible and simultaneously great for the points cost.
The upgrades are many and you can build this squad in a multitude of ways. Let's go through the options.
I don't like the volkite charger here much - you probably want a different squad for those kind of shenanigans. The disintegration rifles are actually a reasonable choice here given the 2+ armour save. The shot gun is fine for Stun on a couple of models, but otherwise leave at home. Thunder hammers, power fists, and power weapons all have their place here but I'd leave most of the rest at home unless swapping out the bolt gun for a chain axe.
Combat shields actively carry the rule of cool and present excellent painting options. They are okay on the tabletop, but the cost does add up faster than you would like.
In terms of pistols, going large on plasma pistols can be fun. The odd hand flamer is a reasonable option too.
Pairs of lightning claws are much more situational, and possibly even legion dependent. Could be good with jump packs for instance, but otherwise are not my first choice.
Bayonets are not worth the points, but have the rule of cool. Chain bayonets are only fractionally better.
Just take the legion standard whatever you do.
Weaknesses.
Too many choices feel over whelming. And the points cost adds up very quickly indeed. But there are many good builds to have and I'm hard pressed to say too many bad words against them.
Builds.
For all the builds below, please regard them as being viable with jump packs as well for a small points increase.
5 Chosen with Disintegration Rifles, Legion Standard (175 points).
They can survive using their own weapons. Victory!
5 Chosen, Power Weapons and Combat Shields, Legion Standard (210 points).
Very much has the rule of cool. Expensive.
5 Chosen, Thunder Hammers, Legion Standard (225 points).
Can be deadly in the right hands and situation, but expensive and terminators might do it better.
5 Chosen, Chain Axes, 4 Plasma Pistols, 1 Flamer, Legion Standard (175 points).
Mixed threats. Nice with jump packs. Swap out some bolt guns for shot guns for the Stun effect.
