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Thunderfire Cannon's there not worth it at all. You just have to kill the tech marine that has 1 wound and the cannon is done. And it takes up a heavy support choice and is not that good.

So why do some people think this is good at all ?

This is more of a "Tactic" post

Moving now.

Ummmmm, I suppose because it's new?
And it has mole shells?
Dunno. Looks like it might be fun, but I haven't heard people raving about it. I put it in the same category as the Shokk Attack Gun. Fun, i'm glad it exists, but I wouldn't bring it to a tournament.

I'd be interested to hear some feedback from people that have used it in a game. It seems to me like something you would really do your best to hide at the back of the table. You've got to use it's range to make sure it can't be shot at. I could see it being an expensive distraction to draw fire from your charging troops

Well, it has possibilities against certain horde-army builds that are low on shooting.

It looks cool.

How about hiding the marine behind the cannon. I'm pretty sure that the cannon can not become destroyed like artilliary, but i don't know.

Looks like a fun thing to use once and a while.

I think it's pretty dumb that they make rules for artilery, and then release artilery for marines but don't use the rules for it.

What? The Thunderfire Cannon is Artillery. It's right there! Unit Type: Artillery.

Three cannons vs Orks can dish out serious damage. But it fills all your HS slots.

Shouldn't this be in the Tactics forum?

This weapons sounds nasty...another reason to take Snikrot if you play orks.

I don't know... 60" range and can ignore cover saves...

I know that would rain on my Eldar Ranger's parade (I hate the Tau air burst gun as well, but at least it's only got 18" range). Granted the Tau gun AP beats the ranger AP where as Vs the Thunder cannon the Rangers would at least get there 5-6 save.

O' and the fact that all it has to do is hit with the Sub rounds and force vehicles to make dangerous terrain rolls at least on paper sounds pretty cool.

Yes, that one tech marine will need to hide behind the gun and you better keep it waaaay towards the back and take advantage of it's 60" range.

Overall due to the $45 dollar price tag and it takes up a heavy slot I hope to not see it that often.

-Jara

Ah, the joys of working for store credit... $45? Pfft. Drop in the bucket...

The main uses I see for it, and will be using it for are:
#1 - Improve one ruin on the table.
#2 - Deny cover to poorly-armored units.
#3 - Slow down assault units and/or force dangerous on bikes/vehicles.
#4 - Light anti-tank and -MC work, with the str 6 shots.
#5 - Horde thinning ("30 Orks? *boom boom boom boom* What 30 Orks?").

I think it'll be a versatile and useful unit, but I can't see taking more than 2, except as a trick army of some type. Too many other nifty, useful things to take in HS.

They're not completely terrible. Having 2 and parking them in 3+ cover or the 2 corners of your deployment zone could wreck havoc on horde orks (or at least the ones without lootas).

If a Loota unit wants to waste a turn shooting at a Thunderfire, they're welcome to... there will be so many other, more dangerous targets that they could hit instead.

I agree with sutekh, the most obviously useful role that I saw straight away is the ability to slow down assault units with that mole round.

It's a whirlwind with higher str, lower AP, and 1 less armour (how many St 5 weapons have 60" range anyway?, oh right, thunderfires) and the ability to force dangerous terrain on vehicles/bikes and difficult terrain on infantry.

Is it the be all and end all of heavy support choices, no. But it's not worse than other options when you consider it comes with a fortified ruin IMO.

An interesting trick is giving the thunderfire a drop pod. It doesn't ride in it, the pod is just a nuisaince/LOS blocker/contestor and can be made more useful with deathwind or beacon (cheapest way to get a beacon for vanguard to come in on).

I can see 3 with pods being useable, not crazy good but interesting. Whirlwinds are probably better bets for anti-horde as they are more durable (remember, TFC is Ar10 artillery, so any glance or pen it gets is a destroy result and a 1W 2+ save only goes so far). Thunderfire does have a high ROF and the d terrain shot going for it though.

winterman wrote:An interesting trick is giving the thunderfire a drop pod. It doesn't ride in it, the pod is just a nuisaince/LOS blocker/contestor and can be made more useful with deathwind or beacon (cheapest way to get a beacon for vanguard to come in on).

I can see 3 with pods being useable, not crazy good but interesting. Whirlwinds are probably better bets for anti-horde as they are more durable (remember, TFC is Ar10 artillery, so any glance or pen it gets is a destroy result and a 1W 2+ save only goes so far). Thunderfire does have a high ROF and the d terrain shot going for it though.

ugh *slaps forehead* I forgot artillery isn't just an armour 10 vehicle it's got it's own damage rules, in that case it's not as safe as I thought but still I think it's a worthwhile investment at a mere 100 points.

@Winterman, that trick, although interesting, gives 3 additional easy killpoints to your opponent in 1/3 of the missions. In a KP mission, I am already looking at getting 3 easy KP's just from the guns themselves, but adding the potential of 3 more for the drop pods is like Christmas come early.

Yep that is very true. One could probably make the remainder of the list not bleed KPs but that is certainly going to be an issue.

But you just have to kill the Tech. and then the gun is worthless.
And why would I want that. when for cheaper I could take a Pred. With Heavy bolter and Auto cannon that will tear up that unit of orks.

I would rather pay like 150 more pts for a land raider then for this thing that all I'm saying.

Darrian13 wrote:@Winterman, that trick, although interesting, gives 3 additional easy killpoints to your opponent in 1/3 of the missions. In a KP mission, I am already looking at getting 3 easy KP's just from the guns themselves, but adding the potential of 3 more for the drop pods is like Christmas come early.

Wouldn't a single gun and Techmarine be two Kill Points, since he is an IC (just can't act as one as long as the gun is alive)?

hahaha maybe. thats a good point.

But as it stands Think the thing is worthess.

No, he's not a separate unit from the gun; if he was, he could leave it when he wanted to.

lord_sutekh wrote:No, he's not a separate unit from the gun; if he was, he could leave it when he wanted to.

An IC can't leave his retinue .

EDIT: But then, I think I remember that the rule for IC which is an exception to the 1 KP per unit specifically stated that an IC and it retinue are worth a KP each. The TCG is not a retinue so IMO the TFC and Techmarine are one unit.

Hrmm... have to look at that again. Might be an arguement against it, but I don't the think the gun is considered a unit like a squad is.

Sutekh: I just edited my post to insert an arguement to my arguement. Maybe you could check the rulebook and confirm?

but it also says on p.55 in the rulebook that IC do's not count as crew and can't fire artilary so is there something in the marine dex that makes the tech crew ?