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So I'm coming back to the hobby after about a year and a half hiatus and I was wondering how people felt about the most glassy of space marine cannons, the thunderfire, after the new rules have come out. To me, artillery seems to be more viable what with their having a toughness value now instead of a meagre armor 10 that has an even higher chance of exploding than normal AV 10 vehicles iirc.

But what do you think? Is it still so fragile that it needs to be run, in most circumstances, in pairs or not at all? Or has it, in fact, gotten worse and there's something I'm missing?

The TFC is a beast of a choice in any marine army that can take it as a heavy option. It has a round for almost any situation.

 Lord PoPo wrote:
So I'm coming back to the hobby after about a year and a half hiatus and I was wondering how people felt about the most glassy of space marine cannons, the thunderfire, after the new rules have come out. To me, artillery seems to be more viable what with their having a toughness value now instead of a meagre armor 10 that has an even higher chance of exploding than normal AV 10 vehicles iirc.

But what do you think? Is it still so fragile that it needs to be run, in most circumstances, in pairs or not at all? Or has it, in fact, gotten worse and there's something I'm missing?

Remember like anything i 40k, if 1 is good 3 is more than likely better.

I'm a fan of the TFC in 6th, liked it alot in 5th but it was pretty meh.


I'd say to run 2 of them, not just 1. Again though I say that with most things.

The TFC is amazing. I run two in all my SM lists and they always make there points back and then some.

And the versatility of it is so helpful. Those pesky scouts/pathfinders are annoying you with there cover saves? You have air burst rounds!

Those hoards or termies getting to close and are about to assault? Then make them move as if they are in difficult terrain. And then to assault they are still considered to be in difficult terrain!

And you still have the regular str6 round for straight up infantry pounding!

Never leave home without them

The Thunderfire Cannon is much better than it was in 5th. Having T7 and a 3+ save means that it can take a surprising amount of punishment, particularly if it is in cover. Additionally, you are seeing fewer vehicles and more infantry in 6th, so it has a better selection of targets than it did in 5th where you were facing more parking lots. Even if you do face mech, the fact that blasts are now full strength anywhere on the template means that the gun has a higher chance of hitting a transport if you have to fire at one. And as an added, non-tactical bonus, the model itself is one of the few models that nobody is complaining about being recast in finecast.

Yea, I had to try and trade for awhile to get one in finecast, now I just need to try and get a second one.

Also you get the thunderfire cannon with a techmarine, with bolster defenses and all that other mumbo jumbo. Heck you run two and you can basically fortify your deployment zone.

is it possible to deploy one on top of a bastion battlement?

Think you could fit two

sweeeeet, So consensus seems to be that the TFire is even better than it used to be. Thanks guys!

TFC
The ultimate glass cannon
Easy as hell to take down (compared to real armor, not regular infantry)
Pounds pretty much anything without wings.

Boom.. uh.. really? t7 2 wounds 3+ save? Usually in 3+ ruins? How is that easier to take down than armour...

it's still immune to small arms, but DOESNT get one shotted by melta or ap2 weaponry (though it is more vulnerable to ap3 but then, it's 100 points! who cares! lol.)

the TFC will almost certainly get it's points back every game every time, it's a rockstar for our dex and about all we have, it's expecially good against any army which relies on covcer saves to survive (nids, scouts, hordes, etc), but it's also a great wound generator on marines as well. And you get a free techmarine pretty loaded for bear who is pretty beastly in CC if he gets to hit (and that 2+ armour doesnt hurt), so yeah, verrrry very worth it.

It still has the issue that it takes up an entire HS slot.

Of course this is countered by double FoC above 2k. And its always shined at low points.

And with infantry being more popular in 6th, it has more utility now.


I think it will be best used in low point games, and double FoC games. Mid range games(1500-1850) will probably still require a specific list to be built around them. One that gets its big guns from another FoC slot.

Its majestic.

Great in an allied detachment, or if you take some allies(which why the hell not) that is another heavy slot. I personally cant wait for the new dark angels book. Get two units of terminators as troops, divination, and something in the heavies. Thunderfire as a cheap heavy support slot fits in nicely.

Largo39 wrote:
Boom.. uh.. really? t7 2 wounds 3+ save? Usually in 3+ ruins? How is that easier to take down than armour...

it's still immune to small arms, but DOESNT get one shotted by melta or ap2 weaponry (though it is more vulnerable to ap3 but then, it's 100 points! who cares! lol.)

the TFC will almost certainly get it's points back every game every time, it's a rockstar for our dex and about all we have, it's expecially good against any army which relies on covcer saves to survive (nids, scouts, hordes, etc), but it's also a great wound generator on marines as well. And you get a free techmarine pretty loaded for bear who is pretty beastly in CC if he gets to hit (and that 2+ armour doesnt hurt), so yeah, verrrry very worth it.

Isn't techmarines armor 2+? Put that sucker in the front, behind some terrain and that tfc wont move anywhere.

The tech got one wound, the cannon got 2.
If the tech dies the cannon dies, the reverse is not true.

Better take the tech behind.


Largo39-maybe being used to Tau skimmers made me over regard real armor a bit, but T7 is NOT immue to small arms fire anyway, just takes TONS of it.

It's rowdy. I was still playing Vanilla Marines when 6th came out and used my TC just because of the new stuff. It performed way above expectation bogging down skimmers and bikers, blowing away hordes, and blasting away at snipers in cover. I can't even imagine what 2 or 3 of these beasts on the field could do.

yeah but tons is that much less for the rest of your army.

Consider this:

for str5 it takes 6's to wound, the exact same it takes to glance av11, but unlike av11 i'll have a 3+ armour save, wheras that tank just gets.. well a cover save.

str 6 is worse than against av12, since it's 5 to wound instead of the 6 to glance.. but then again the armour save still puts me ahead.

obvioisly higher vehicles are tougher against the shot, and higher power hits ususally strip the armour, but then.. they also cant one shot my guy, whereas AP 1 has a pretty good chance of one shotting a tank.



So we've established that our TFC is abouuut as tough as an av12 tank. All around AND in typically 3+ cover and with a techmarine (repairs, flamer, plasma pistol, 3 powerfist attacks) to boot annnd with fire that can ignore covers saves (say goodbye to av10 and even 11 skimmers) or make ground difficult or str 6 for only 100 points. Yeah... it's pretty much the best deal we have.

Its weakness in taking a HS slot. I like to run one in an ally list with MoTF with conversion beamer and bike, an elite dread, and the TFC in the heavy. Just a little fun.

To all the people saying that the biggest problem with the TFC is that it competes with other Heavy Support choices, I agree, but as with all things it ultimately depends on how you want to build your list. If you want to be loading up on tanks with Vindicators and Predators, then yes the TFC is drowned out. However, if you are taking double Melta Land Speeders or bike squads, then the TFC probably complements your list better than either tank since it provides strong anti-infantry support.

RegalPhantom wrote:
To all the people saying that the biggest problem with the TFC is that it competes with other Heavy Support choices, I agree, but as with all things it ultimately depends on how you want to build your list. If you want to be loading up on tanks with Vindicators and Predators, then yes the TFC is drowned out. However, if you are taking double Melta Land Speeders or bike squads, then the TFC probably complements your list better than either tank since it provides strong anti-infantry support.

yup, this

TFCs are good for lists that aren't going for armour.

As mentioned above.

If you are footslogging, or a gunline behind an Aegis Line, the TFC is definitely a better choice than the Vindicator.

And you get a Full Servo Harness Techmarine with it, who can do decent damage in combat. And he has a TL PP and a Flamer.

If I wasn't running a more aggressive, armour heavy list, I'd probably run 1 - 2 TFCs, chilling out on a second or third floor of a ruin.

To my knowledge when a TFC is targeted by ranged shots, the closest crewman is always giving the wound. Which means that once it receives that one wound, its taken off the table, since it wont have anymore crew manning the gun. Not at home right now, so I cant quote the actually rule.

That's Fantasy.

In 40k it's the closest one.

If the last Crewman dies, the gun is removed. However, if the Gun is closer than the crewman, the gun can die while leaving the crewman alive.

I don't play Fantasy, and don't have the rule book with me at the moment to quote from.

Crazyterran is right. The actual rule is Any Wounds that are caused are still allocated to the closest model first. (page 46).

Thanks, I always interpreted that as being the crewmen. Makes the TFC a hell of a lot better now, heh.

Yeah, the TFC has really taken off in 6th. I tend to bring two of them in a drop pod Sternguard list and they are beastly for backing up my Sternguard.
They can thin out numbers or create difficult terrain to keep the Sternguard out of cc, and this tends to help keep them alive for another round of special ammo shooting.

Started using a TFC cannon a while back, i will never look back again!

Its amazing its helps me out to no end with my freinds Necrons and his scarabs, 4 blasts that instant kill bases and ignore his save, all of his scarbs gone in 1 shooting phase!
Plus its versatility is excellent, three different round profiles for whatever situation you throw at it, plus bolster defences and all for 100points.

Also if the cannon gets shot up, out pops a techmarine! Whats not to like...

Can servitors be added to the techmarine on the TFC?


My thought:

TFC + 5 servitors + 2 plasma cannons.

For 210pts (It's not that cheap, I know) you get 4 special blasts at up to 48", 2x S7 AP2 blasts at 36" and 3 ablative wounds.

Also, was reading the rules for shooting at artillery: "If shooting at an Artillery unit, the Toughness of the guns is always used whilst one gun remains", holy crap! That's one tough nut to crack!