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.

Martel732 wrote:


They would be wrong. The concept of "threat bubble" is not that useful in my experience, since sometimes you want to move *away* from your opponent, and then you subtract your movement from the range. I bait in AC armed units all the time, because if they want to shoot their crappy little gun, they often have to move to specific spots. That is a serious gimping. With a 48" range imperial weapon, I can lounge around wherever in my deployment zone and maybe even put some enemy weapons out of LOS while still getting my target. The AC simply doesn't have the ROF to justify its price and range and opportunity cost.

"crappy little gun" which is better than the lascannon in many cases... biased much?

You wouldn't call the multimelta a "crappy little gun" even though it has worse range issues, would you?

The truth is that neither the lascannon nor assault cannon can be called the best in all situations. The lascannon works better on units that want to kite the enemy or hit from the back lines, and assault cannons are best for front line units and line breakers.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Martel732 wrote:



Most imperial weapon upgrades are overcosted, and the assault cannon is almost always one of the worst culprits.

So you're just saying that you made that stuff up about the assault cannon being more expensive. In fact, the lascannon and assault cannon are normally priced equally - stormraven and razorbacks are two examples where they are identically costed. What example do you have where the assault cannon is significantly more expensive?

Your generalizations are simply untrue, and your assessments are weak. The lascannon certainly has its place, but it is not always better than the assault cannon (in fact its the assault cannon which is normally superior!). Flyers with 36" movement are one of those units.

I'm not saying the lascannon is better. I'm not comparing the AC to the lascannon. I'm comparing it to a scatter laser. I'm saying that, in general, Imperial weapons are not very good.

I never said the AC was more expensive; I said it was the most overcosted. There is a difference. The platforms for the AC are also one of the worst things about it. Terminators, razorbacks and land speeders are all bad now. So its an ovecosted weapon on a bad platform. That's why I don't fear ACs in the least. And why I call it a crappy little gun. It's a lot of points and effort for ROF 4.

And, yes, I am biased. Against weapons that suck for their price. Being an Imperial player, I'm a expert on this matter.

Why are you comparing the assault cannon to the scatter lazer in a thread on how to equip a unit that can only take one? No one cares how much better a scatter lazer is than an assault cannon - you don't get to choose between the two.

That comparison serves no purpose except to distract from the thread.

Actually, I think quite a few players care how much better the scatter laser is than the assault cannon. They run into this fact every time they play against Eldar.

Between the two flawed choices of lascannon or assault cannon, there is no clear winner to me. The AC synergizes better with the sponsons, but you are already bringing two assault cannons on the Talons.

The lascannon is a good weapon if you want to perhaps fire the MM at a different target with PoTMS, but this is a dicey gambit at best. The lascannon is also a better choice for anti-Helldrake work, because trying HP out a helldrake is a poor choice.

Both weapons are overcosted compared to xeno weapons.

Okay, so how does the knowledge that the both of them are overcosted compared to xenos weapons help people choose between the two?

Stop trolling please.

I already covered that. Unless you have something super specific in mind, I don't think it really matters that much. I have noticed no difference in outcomes with my BA Ravens.

Now that I think about it, the lascannon does provide another shot that doubles out T4. But that's another really corner case reason.

These fliers are probably the best platforms for the AC that the Imperium has atm, since they aren't bothered by positioning nearly as much as ground forces. Still, I really wish there were something better to mount on these expensive and fragile platforms.