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.

Clthomps wrote:Since I run a Drop Pod army I choose to omit it. If it only fired as an assault weapon it might be worth taking, but as it stands the drop pod is a terrible option for it.

Thunderfire cannons can be excellent drop pod army tools, the trick is to buy it a drop pod, but never have it actually ride in the drop pod.

The empty pod pushes up your drop pod assault number, making it easier to get your aggressive killy units all down on turn 1, and the thunderfire cannon does exactly what drop pod assault armies can't really do effectively, handle horde armies.

I love my Thunderfire Cannon. It's great for forcing difficult terrain checks, especially on Jump Infantry. Like BlackDraco said, it's also good for diverting fire. He forgot to mention that his Defiler spent 3 turns trying to kill the techmarine (affectionately named Frank) with its battle cannon.

As far as servitors are concerned, I don't believe you can take them with the Techmarine, as well as any other wargear changes.

Well, I think I would prefer the AC/HB pred for anti infantry dakka....

jmurph wrote:Well, I think I would prefer the AC/HB pred for anti infantry dakka....

Not very versatile, though, is it?

Don't mind me. I'm just not a fan of Predators.

I've found that thunderfire's survive higher points games more then lower points games. In general my oppenent is trying to blast the land raider, attack bikes, land speeders, or vindicators that are racing towards his lines and cares little for the cannon sitting back in my deployment zone.

I think thunderfires have killed more models then anything else in my entire army.

Yes, they can die in one shot, but so can a land raider. The trick is to place them in a way to get the 3+ cover save AND let them fire at about anything on the table.

Can anyone say ruins?

So you really think they've killed more than land raiders, etc.? Do you just take one or a battery of them?

I take two in any game over 1500 points unless I'm testing something else out.

They kill anything with a bad armor save pretty easily.

Guard.... Nids.... Orks.... The cover save ignoring shot auto kills most orks.

Plus some people just love to group space marines together in cover or behind a rhino. With the strength 6 shot I'm wounding t4 on 2's. Get lucky with scatter & enemy placement and it is easily 15+ hits and 12+ wounds per shooting phase.

Personal record is 31 wounds on a full sternguard/libby squad that gated and then shot. My 100 point thunderfire just killed 400+ points worth of stuff.

The biggest problem is once you kill lots of things you don't get as many models wounded the next turn.

I should try running 2 or 3 of them. I don't have anything else in my heavy slots. I would just have to decide what to remove from my list...

KaloranSLC wrote:I should try running 2 or 3 of them. I don't have anything else in my heavy slots. I would just have to decide what to remove from my list...

Just be careful in annihilation missions. Each thunderfire cannon is essentially worth 2 kill points. Most of the time the cannon will die before the techmarine, so I like to have a unit nearby for the techmarine to walk over and join. Two thunderfires right next to each other can work for that. a techmarine gunner can join the other artillery unit.

He'd just stand there and say "oooh, I wouldn't have done it like that... but hey, its your cannon."

They ignore armour? Is that just due to barrage rules and when you fire or do they have some special rules with them? Either way I can see how 4 blasts could do a lot to tightly packed units. Anyone find that at the end of the game they are a lot less effective and maybe even dangerous to use once everyone is in melee?

One more question: Do they each take up a heavy slot or do they come in groups?

Good point. The IC status of a Techmarine completely escaped my thought process.

Grunt_For_Christ wrote:They ignore armour? Is that just due to barrage rules and when you fire or do they have some special rules with them? Either way I can see how 4 blasts could do a lot to tightly packed units. Anyone find that at the end of the game they are a lot less effective and maybe even dangerous to use once everyone is in melee?

One more question: Do they each take up a heavy slot or do they come in groups?

They don't ignore armor, actually. Each round has a different S, AP, and Special Rule. I don't have my 'dex with me, but I believe the "standard" shot is S6 AP4. Someone should correct me.

They each take up a Heavy slot on the FOC.

S6 AP5 for standard. Or S5 AP 6 for cover save ignoring

I almost never use the tremor shot at S4 Ap-

They don't ignore armor saves but in general anything with a 5+ save or worse is toast with the cover save ignoring shot.

For 3+ armor saves you want to use the strength 6 shot to wound easily.

Shep: Why do you think they give up 2 kill points?

In order to destroy a unit you have to kill the tech marine. If you destroy the cannon the techmarine is still a unit Thunderfire unit but gains independent character status.

Am I missing something?

asugradinwa wrote:Shep: Why do you think they give up 2 kill points?

In order to destroy a unit you have to kill the tech marine. If you destroy the cannon the techmarine is still a unit Thunderfire unit but gains independent character status.

Am I missing something?

I wish you were right. Its the same reason the old IG command squads were worth two.

dead independent characters grant a kp, dead units grant a kp, its double jeopardy, its stupid, but its the rules :(

The cover save ignoring is still S5? That really is nice... Orks and gaunts would be absolute toast with 4 of those coming down...

Shep wrote:

asugradinwa wrote:Shep: Why do you think they give up 2 kill points?

In order to destroy a unit you have to kill the tech marine. If you destroy the cannon the techmarine is still a unit Thunderfire unit but gains independent character status.

Am I missing something?

I wish you were right. Its the same reason the old IG command squads were worth two.

dead independent characters grant a kp, dead units grant a kp, its double jeopardy, its stupid, but its the rules :(

And indeed that is in the errata from the new rules. In fact it specifically mentions the command squad if memory serves, right?

Shep wrote:

Just be careful in annihilation missions. Each thunderfire cannon is essentially worth 2 kill points. Most of the time the cannon will die before the techmarine, so I like to have a unit nearby for the techmarine to walk over and join. Two thunderfires right next to each other can work for that. a techmarine gunner can join the other artillery unit.

He'd just stand there and say "oooh, I wouldn't have done it like that... but hey, its your cannon."

No. this is not true, a thunderfire cannon and its crew (a techmarine) count as 1 unit. A "Unit Composition" entry in the codex confirms this. Your opponent must kill both the techmarine and the cannon to score 1 kill point.

If he kills the techmarine first then the cannon is automatically counted as destroyed. But if he kills the cannon, then you have a techmarine who is loose to do whatever you wish. In order to get Any kill points in the later case he must also kill hte techmarine.

asugradinwa wrote:
I almost never use the tremor shot at S4 Ap-

You'd be surprised at how useful the Tremor shot actually is.

The few times I've used the tremor shot there has been little effect.

However I'm sure it can do some damage in the right situations and with bad dice rolls from the other player.

I use the tremor shot mostly to deny mobility to bikes.

I especially like using it against jump infantry and berserkers. Talk about making a tau player cry. I've tried it against a Land Raider in one game where there wasn't really much else to use it against, to little effect. However, I wouldn't write the shot off completely.

They can RAPE an ork player who doesnt use 2" coherency. against a friend of mine, I killed 23 orks in one shot with the round that ignores cover. I managed to get 9 orks under the template, he got stuck bogged down in difficult terrain between his other squads, so this one was almost base to base, 2 direct hits, 2 scatters that covered about 7 each, no armor or cover, wounds on 3+

Demogerg wrote:

No. this is not true, a thunderfire cannon and its crew (a techmarine) count as 1 unit. A "Unit Composition" entry in the codex confirms this. Your opponent must kill both the techmarine and the cannon to score 1 kill point.

If he kills the techmarine first then the cannon is automatically counted as destroyed. But if he kills the cannon, then you have a techmarine who is loose to do whatever you wish. In order to get Any kill points in the later case he must also kill hte techmarine.

Take it to YMDC and prepare to be disappointed.

EasyE wrote:i think the thunderfire cannon has made anti-infantry devestator squads obsolete

I think the new vehicle damage charts and 85 pt Predators have made anti-infantry dev squads obsolete.