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I've recently tried running Penitent Engines in a squad of 3 and I'm very pleased with the results I've had in playing 2 games with them. They've gained a huge benefit in the ability to be able to move, holy rage and then run so they have the ability to move up to 18 inches a turn. They have a heavy flamer on each engine, and can get up to 7 attacks a turn (assuming they've charged), They're walkers so they're easy to get cover saves for, and they're the same armor as a Rhino. They have the disadvantage of being open topped, and with squadron rules Immobilized means wrecked.

With all that being said, I have yet to have my Engines reach my opponent before I lose more than 1, they're 80 points each so only 240 for a squad of 3. Keeping them in cover, and rushing them behind my Sister squads as a means of counter assault seems to work very very well.

In the two games they managed to kill 5 TH/SS Terminators that were tarpitted against 13 Sisters in combat from the previous turn, and in the second game they killed a Honor Guard Squad with a Chapter Master.

What do you all think? I'm starting to think they've become much more useful, and I've invested into buying 3 off of GW. Anyone have anymore hints and tactics to how I should run these?

I'd rather have Immolators or Exorcists myself.

I tend to run non mech as a rule, although I do love mech, I've been having great success with a footslogging Sisters army, I do include 2 Immolators filled with Dominions in my list, and I use these to shield my penitents across open field. In my list I'm already using 2 Exorcists, I normally use 3, I've noticed that using 3 is overkill because they're not very effective against footslogging lists and even vs Mech lists they tend to become less useful the later the turns develop in the game, due to the lack of substantial targets to fire at. So, with my strive to be competitive and different, I'm thinking Penitents are against the standard, but still can be competitive units, but only fit in a very small percent of army lists due to taking exorcists and not meshing well with the current mech metagame.

I've been thinking of doing the same thing. I think they would be much more effective if you could take zealots still :/ Those guys were awesome!

Anyways, I'd say have them run behind rhinos or have them weave in and out of combat. They are pretty simple machines :p can't do a whole lot with them.

Took out a squad of PEs once with a Tau Sniper Drone team. It was awesome.

Play against any serious shooting army, and they are just too flimsy. My best friend plays sister and we have frequently experimented with penitent engines but they die too quickly is the bottom line

They are just killing scores for your opponent.

Open-topped. Run in squadron.

Every 3,4,5 and 6 would kill them while penetration.

2,3,4,5 and 6 for AP1 weapon.

And every shooty army could easily penetrate them.

ya gonna totally agree with the above posters. They are just to frail and exorcists/immolaters are so much better for the slot. That being said, every once in a while I dream about running 9 of them at once. Levity aside, the only way I can concieve of them being useful is in planetstrike/apoc or some variant that allows you to outflank them or come in from a table edge close to the enemy because pretty much anything shooting will kill them except lasguns.

I have an attraction to these things, as well. Somethng about insane penitents striving for death while strapped into a framework of razor-edged metal just screams "COOL".
They are just very tough to protect on the way in. AV11 and Open-topped kicks them in the backside. Doubly so when squadroned.

But, if you can overcome the lack of cover saves for large targets like that, I'd say run them hard and fast at the enemy lines.

I would really like to see an army full of PEs, Repentia, and/or Arcos on the table.

Sisters was my first army and I used to run penitents as well. Like the above posts I agree they're not very viable nowadays, but I have had luck with them. It really comes down to whether or not you think the rest of your army can do the heavy lifting. Reason I say that is that yes they do have a big bullseye on them so use them as such. They can attract fire that would otherwise destroy the mech part of your list and if your opponent ignores them for the immolators, they'll regret it. Not something I'd do in a tournament due to the high points cost, but for casual play it's something to consider.

ps - The unit is much better in other game modes: ie apocalypse games when combined with Flank March and planetstrike to take out bastions.