Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Ive been playing around with a million and one combinations of the Russ and having had fair sucess with Pask in a recent tournament I was thinking how best to use him for an Ard Boyz list ( in case I cant afford to drop another 500 bucks for my crazy Salamanders on Wheels idea)

One of the problems with Pask was that his squadron was so prone to missing, and was so incapable of dealing with the late game when all the enemy vehicles are dead.

With Plasma Sponsons on his own tank you now have the same solid AT performance plus an extra two S8 templates and the ability to lay waste to infantry. This also makes his squadron a much better target to use as a Mystic Team mate since he can kill drop podding dreads and MC's as well as Obliterators and Sternguard with his 4 plasma templates and 4 high ST ap 2 shots.

The whole mess runs a very expensive 470 points, super heavy tank territory, but it can kill land raiders at 72", and then have little trouble finishing off the terminators the following turn.

Is this just wishfull thinking or is this unit worth considering?

Only in a 2500pt environment can you be this frivolus with your points but considering how much mech we are likley to see in this years ard boyz maybe this combo might just be better than a pair of Executioners?

Thoughts?

Sounds good. He'll be a bit of a fire magnet though, with all those sponsons (and cost twice as many points as a vanilla russ.)

Plasma cannons are only S7 btw.

Kapitan Montag wrote:Sounds good. He'll be a bit of a fire magnet though, with all those sponsons (and cost twice as many points as a vanilla russ.)

Plasma cannons are only S7 btw.

Pask adds plus 1 to your Armour Penetration rolls. The Plasma Cannons, essentially, are Strength 8 against vehicles.

I really like this idea, honestly, and I think it's good enough that I'm a little surprised it hasn't been mentioned previously. It is expensive, but you're getting a lot of power for your points.

The main problem, I suppose, is that the squad might not be able to kill things fast enough to be worth its points.

It's a lot of points for something that can be easily destroyed by drop podding multimelta dread, deep striking speeders, oblit, ...

How do you intend to protect them against such threats?

The same way you protect any guard tank. 30 or so guys with lasguns, plasma guns, and autocannons spread around the squadron to prevent close deep strikes.

Or an Inquisitor with Mystics in a Valkyrie sitting right next to them. Thats why they are squadroned instead of separate so they can throw all 8 shots at each deepstriker.

Deepstrikers are the least of my worries, but Snikrot is annoying as he will force me to leave the aforementioned 20 guardsmen behind just to provide an assault defense screening force.

All in all in almost 40 games now since I got my first .pdf copy (yes I bought the book too) I have only ever lost 4 tanks and in the most recent tournament I did not loose a single Russ in 5 games. Frankly if the enemy is focusing on my Tanks, I consider it a win as they are merely supplemental firepower there to protect the advance of my Chimera Phalanx.

I have had a similar experience, in about 6 2000 point games I was running two Leman Russ's as a squadron, and only ever lost one. 5th edition has added to the Russ's already legendary toughness.