4.5/5 stars. An excellent choice all round for maximal flexibility, hence why I've rounded up.
Background.
In the Heresy Days before the year 40,000, and before tactical squads routinely took special weapons, there were the legion tactical support squads. They bring to the battlefield bolt gun replacements, with options from flame units to plasma guns, and melta guns to more besides.
Strengths.
I will freely confess that I love the support squad and have done across all editions of Horus Heresy. The ability to take a squad of melta guns, or plasma guns, and so on and so forth is insanely good.
When 30k was first released, I mentally compared this squad to the likes of Eldar aspect warriors (e.g., fire dragons). Indeed, this is probably the best analogy I still have. These squads are specialized, but will find use on almost any battlefield depending on what your target is exactly. They bring solutions to your perceived problems.
Flamers are great for short range fights against enemies in cover, and causing panic is great of course.
Plasma Guns have high strength and double tap with breaching which you can overload for better breaching and strength if you wish (which no doubt you will). They lack the low AP of previous editions, so you are causing wounds with breaching here instead.
Melta Guns are your standard anti-armour weapon. Get within 6 inches to gain armour bane and double your damage for penetrating hits.
Volkite Chargers are assault weapons and you should take them in bulk to get the best of the volkite rule.
Volkite Calivers have better strength and longer ranges than the chargers, but again take them in numbers.
Rotor Cannons have poorer strength than you would like, but they look very cool and inflict suppressed which is psychologically enough for your opponent to think twice if you react with them.
Weaknesses.
They're just regular marines. You get what you pay for, but the points cost is more than entirely reasonable, hence the star rating at the top of this article.
Builds.
10 Tactical Support Marines, 10 Flamers, Sergeant with Power Fist (145 points).
Never underestimate a large blob of flamers. Take a rhino and demonstrate to your opponent how powerful they actually are. Or use them in Zone Mortalis where even a 5 man squad will be deadly. Death Guard love them. Salamanders too (and they also don't panic). Take a vexilla and nuncio vox to taste.
5 Tactical Support Marines, 5 Plasma Guns (90 points).
Cheap and cheerful plasma death. Take a transport to taste and nuncio vox and augury scanner.
5 Tactical Support Marines, 5 Melta Guns, Sergeant with Thunder Hammer, Nuncio Vox, Vexilla (150 points).
An anti-armour build with close combat capability for what may be an inevitable counter charge if you go exploding transports.
10 Tactical Support Marines, 10 Volkite Chargers, Sergeant with Power Weapon, Nuncio Vox, Vexilla (160 points).
Get close, shoot, and probably follow up with a melee. Take a transport or figure out how to give them infiltrate for maximal effect.
10 Tactical Support Marines, 10 Volkite Calivers, Augury Scanner, Nuncio Vox (200 points).
Longer range so you can sit back and ping your enemy.
5 Tactical Support Marines, 5 Rotor Cannons, Augury Scanner, Nuncio Vox (110 points).
Great to support a command character, and can be expanded to 10 members if you feel the need. Imperial Fists love these.
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