Is it better to spread Buffs around or is it more optimal to concentrate buffs? This is a fairly easy answer to address broadly but your specific circumstances will dictate needs that may be different. Use this handy guide to get the comparative value of buffs for your comparison: https://40kgamejournal.blogspot.com/2019/03/ranking-buffs.html
To keep it simple we'll use two equivalent buffs, Chapter Master Reroll and Bolter Drill on a 5+.
Imagine you have 2 squads of 10 Tactical Marines, and both have Rapid Fire range on a big blob of Orks you must kill. One squad has Pedro Kantor in range for his reroll to hits (an 8/6 force multiplier) and the other squad does not. Which squad is a better recipient of Bolter Drill?
If we spread the buffs around, we get an equation like this:
2 * (20 shots * 4/6 odds to hit * 1/2 odds to wound * 5/6 odds to fail armor save * 8/6 Kantor Buff/Bolter Drill Buff) = 15 wounds (14.8)
7.4 wounds per squad.
If we focus our buffs we get:
Squad Buff: (20 shot * 4/6 odds to hit * 1/2 * 5/6 * 8/6 * 8/6) +
Squad unBuff : (20 shot * 4/6 odds to hit * 1/2 * 5/6) = 15 wounds (15.4)
Squad Buff created 9.8 wounds, Squad unBuff created 5.6 wounds.
So this is a slight increase in production but we only stacked two buffs. Let's throw in a 3rd one, a meaty one. Crimson Fists have a Stratagem to reroll failed wound rolls VS Orks.
If we apply that to squad unBuff first, their production is:
(20 shot * 4/6 odds to hit * 1/2 * 5/6 * 9/6 reroll failed wounds) = 8.3333
If instead we apply that to squad Buff, we get:
(20 * 4/6 * 1/2 * 5/6 * 8/6 * 8/6 * 9/6) = 15 wounds (14.8)
The two squads together now produce 20.4 wounds.
So all of this is to say, you get substantial gains from stacking buffs rather than spreading them around. 2CP and 1 Character may seem like a big investment, but you go from 5.6 wounds from one squad, to 14.8 from one squad.
It is better to stack buffs than distribute them.
To keep it simple we'll use two equivalent buffs, Chapter Master Reroll and Bolter Drill on a 5+.
Imagine you have 2 squads of 10 Tactical Marines, and both have Rapid Fire range on a big blob of Orks you must kill. One squad has Pedro Kantor in range for his reroll to hits (an 8/6 force multiplier) and the other squad does not. Which squad is a better recipient of Bolter Drill?
If we spread the buffs around, we get an equation like this:
2 * (20 shots * 4/6 odds to hit * 1/2 odds to wound * 5/6 odds to fail armor save * 8/6 Kantor Buff/Bolter Drill Buff) = 15 wounds (14.8)
7.4 wounds per squad.
If we focus our buffs we get:
Squad Buff: (20 shot * 4/6 odds to hit * 1/2 * 5/6 * 8/6 * 8/6) +
Squad unBuff : (20 shot * 4/6 odds to hit * 1/2 * 5/6) = 15 wounds (15.4)
Squad Buff created 9.8 wounds, Squad unBuff created 5.6 wounds.
So this is a slight increase in production but we only stacked two buffs. Let's throw in a 3rd one, a meaty one. Crimson Fists have a Stratagem to reroll failed wound rolls VS Orks.
If we apply that to squad unBuff first, their production is:
(20 shot * 4/6 odds to hit * 1/2 * 5/6 * 9/6 reroll failed wounds) = 8.3333
If instead we apply that to squad Buff, we get:
(20 * 4/6 * 1/2 * 5/6 * 8/6 * 8/6 * 9/6) = 15 wounds (14.8)
The two squads together now produce 20.4 wounds.
So all of this is to say, you get substantial gains from stacking buffs rather than spreading them around. 2CP and 1 Character may seem like a big investment, but you go from 5.6 wounds from one squad, to 14.8 from one squad.
It is better to stack buffs than distribute them.
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