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 Peregrine wrote:

 Joey wrote:
ITT - people who don't realise that Gets Hot! lowers the plasma gun's usefulness dramatically. For every three shots that a plasma gun fires, there's a 1/3 chance that the shooter will be dead. Getting an extra 2 shots in the first two turns isn't much use if the user is dead by turn 3, and therefore can't shoot turns 4, 5 and 6.

Who cares if the gunner is dead on the third turn from an overloading plasma gun when they're going to be dead on the third turn from bolter fire? Guardsmen aren't exactly known for their durability, so the threat of taking casualties in a unit that often only gets 1-2 rounds of shooting anyway isn't all that scary.

In a standard army of 5 boxes of troops plus 4 Russes (or 6 artillery). By turn 3 i would expect to lose maybe 2 or 3 boxes, and 1 or 2 squads. If all of your vets (and therefore troops) are dead by turn 3 then you're doing something horribly wrong. Hell one of the great things about mech guard is that your opponent can put a hell of a load of effort in to trashing your mechs, only for 6 BS4 meltaguns to run up to their deathstar and zap it to death.

In five shots, a plasma gun will more likely than not have killed himself. Within those shots he'll have gotten 3.3 hits, 2.7 wounds. So against uncovered MEQ, he'll make his points back. Now factor in 5+ invul/cover, for 1.8 kills. Already against MEQ, he'll not make his points back. That becomes even worse with 4+ cover or 3+ invulnerable.

tl;dr - a plasma gun vet is more likely to kill himself than get his points back against most enemies.

I use GLs with infantry squads with missile launchers. They provide an additionnal shot on transports vehicles with the Krak Grenade (if the krak missile didn't hit/cut it) not to mention an second template worthy against light infantry (IG, Orks etc).

Against Heavy infantry, I'd rather fire the Krak grenades/missiles. the missiles are ID to marines (with only the cover saves allowed thanksto AP3), the grenades, while they still allow armour saves, is a 2+ to wound.

I also use GL in my PCS: one is 3xGL, vox, officer (good for crowd control or to dish out some Str 6 attacks) the other 3xflamer, vox, officer, (to flame whatever melee untis gets in range).

A small squad with grenade launchers are also good with a Primaris Psyker around to dish out numerous Str6 attacks at 24''.

I use Ratlings rather than sniper rifles, so can't saw the value of those...I never gotten into range of anything for the melta (vehicle wise that is), must be because of the melta itself that it never happened. I used plasma a few times, mostly with pistols for my officers, and they always ended up rolling a 1. Good thing a Company commander got 3 wounds, else he would have been killed by his own wepaon at least a couple of times. I lost a few platoon commander like that as well.

also OP, try the special weapons by yourself rather than ignoring some because someone else told you they were no good. Proxing is the word. Just sayin'.