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I've just purchased my first LR, which I'm wanting to expand into a squadron of three after a few games / time to save up ^^. I was planning on assembling it in the vanilla fashion with a pair of magnetised HB sponsons for now...

What I'm looking at is a squadron with an Executioner, with plasma sponsons and a hull HB and then two battle tanks with Battle Cannons and hull lascannons. Has anyone had any experience with this kind of outfit / any thoughts?

Oh, the guys I play are marines, orks and 'nids.

Cheers!

Tom

Never squadron leman russ tanks. The rules (immobilised results become destroyed) are too punishing and the units are just too inflexible. A squadron that size would be a gigantic mess.

On the other hand, those three tanks are perfectly acceptable as independent heavy support choices!

I have a squadron of 2 LR battle tanks, and they do okay. The reason is because i made room for a second independant basilisk in my army. They do good, but be prepared to accept a great loss when a 4,5 or 6 can kill. So far the immobilized hasnt killed one of my LR's but i do dread the day when it happens. I would say the best way to see is try it, but if you don't want to spend money on something that might not be what you're looking for, look up some leman russ tactics on youtube to see if anyone else says its a good idea.

Btw, they do totally own for a turn or 2 or maybethe whole game so i would reduce the number to 2 tanks in there and keep the points low so it wont take a huge chunk out of your army if they blow up before even using 'em.

Russ squadrons have downsides sure. But upsides too (massed multiple wound allocation for example).. Most people seem to prefer non-squadroned though. There was a thread about that a few weeks ago as I remember.

Regardless, do not squadron Russes of different targeting roles. Putting x2 vanilla Russ in a squadron, sure, maybe. But never x1 vanilla + x1 plasma. The plasma blasts can support vanilla blast vs 3+ save targets but the vanilla blast can't support the plasma against 2+ targets. In fact, doing so will allow them to play wound allocation shenanigans and potentially do less damage.

They all have to shoot at the same thing, and a lot of the time the Vanquisher won't be in range.
You're really putting all your eggs in one basket.

Also, the hull mount... I'd almost always use a hull heavy flamer. 3 dinky inaccurate bolter shots isn't terribly useful. But there will be instances where having a hull heavy flamer will be really useful.

The exception is if you're running a dakka-boat. In which case you might as well go HB hull, HB sponsons, and a Stubber too.

But if only the hull mount, heavy flamer.

I think that the whole squadron thing is for when you are running more than 3 LR. So you only put two in a squadron when you have 4 so that you can always shot more targets.

In general, i'd say no.

Could it work sometimes, or in twos? Probably.

Is it a good idea that doesn't require to plan a whole list around? Probably not.

I've run squadrons of 2 LRBT and 2 Demolishers.
They've worked well for me. gave me room for the
Manticore and 2 Hydras.

Only squadron like with like - don't mix them up as range/target priority will be different.

Ah, right ^^

cheers for all the replies, guys

That's actually a better option... would fielding the two vanillas as a 2 tank squad plus the plasma be better? That'd leave both open to expansion and have room for a good ol' piece of ordnance...

The last 2000 point army I brought to battle had 4 leman russes. If I could have beared to take less inf, or had bought 2 more tanks in advance, I would have brought 6 Russes. If you have 3 tanks/artillery or less, then there is no reason to squadron them. But don't let the squadron rules turn you off of taking that extra tank. I have 2 Leman Russ Battle Cannon tanks that also have lascannons and plasma cannons. When firing down range, because they are a single unit, all those templates get placed before a single roll to wound needs to be made. That really allows to maximize the death you can bring to bear. Against a large mob or even against a small unit of marines, you can wipe out whole units just because you can cover them with 2 of every gun that you fire. Those two tanks might also run 410 points, but are worth every penny. If I had more tanks availiable, I might drop the sponsons to add a third tank to the squad for just 40 points more. Squadrons of tanks also gives your opponents tougher choices. While if might be easier to kill a tank that's in a squadron, there might be a more dangerous tank alone somewhere else. 4 twin linked Autocannon shots and 9 heavy bolter shots is nothing to scoff at, but at only 510 points you can have 3!!!! 12 twin linked Autocannon shots and 27 heavy bolter shots is something to fear. Use those 3 tanks to hold the center and pour long range fire at everything, while you have 2 other tanks with battle cannons/plasma cannons elsewhere and your opponent has some serious and unpleasant choices to make. Death by volume of fire or death by quality of fire is a choice I'll happily leave to my enemy any day.

Leman Russ squadrons should always be in squadrons of 2, to maximize the 50% cover rule.

Of the Leman Russ types themselves, the Vanquisher, Exterminator, and LRBT are, in my experience, total garbage and not worth wasting your time with. The rest are fine.

Sponsons are, as a rule, not worth their points. Unless you really have your heart set on them, I reccomend aboiding them.

odorofdeath wrote:Leman Russ squadrons should always be in squadrons of 2, to maximize the 50% cover rule.

Of the Leman Russ types themselves, the Vanquisher, Exterminator, and LRBT are, in my experience, total garbage and not worth wasting your time with. The rest are fine.

Sponsons are, as a rule, not worth their points. Unless you really have your heart set on them, I reccomend aboiding them.

I feel odor was close.

Good: LRBT, Executioner, Demolisher and Exterminator

Spnsons: situational. i can see Demolishers and Executioners with Plasma sponsons most of the time.
An Eterminator with H bolter most of the time. i'm still wanting to try them with Plasma sponsons someday.

make your army your army. not every other cookie cutter list there is.

I will only run a squadron of russes when I need to. My current list sort of makes me do it, due to the hydra and the demolisher. the third heavy option is my LRBT squadron. Two basic LR with a hull lascannon. I have had great success with this, but, also some real bad moments too. It is worth it in my opinion, but, keep them basic with no sponsons.

The only way to squad is if you've already taken your maximum number, have already fleshed out the rest of your army, and still have the points for like 3 more russes. The only way that's going to be possible is with bare bones russes or barebones russ equivalents. A squad with an exterminator isn't going to be a good idea.

This is an old topic. Search for some threads in the past for more info.

Lots of decent advice above. Kitting out is however a personal preference. What is a fact is never mix types within the squad.

In my experience, groups of 2 LRs make sense. 3 is just unmanageable in most maps.

Sponsons are questionable due to expense and firing rules. Also, sponsons make a lot of difference in manoverability, because they stick out a lot. Still, they can synergize well.

My favorite variant is an executioner with plasma sponsons. However, I have also seen a pair of LRBTs without sponsons being fairly effective and affordable. I like the idea of the exterminator, but it is not that efficient. Punisher and eradicator are stupid. I like the idea of the Vanquisher, especially with Pask in the command chair, but it is just too expensive.

By the way, if you do take the squadrons, remember that models within the same squad do not block line of sight for one another. Weird, but that is the way it works. So you can park one tank completely behind the other and still shoot as if the front tank is not there.

Squadrons are inevitable in my army because I like hydras, LR, and artillery. If I want to take them all, that is the only way to do it.

To odorofdeath, what is the 50% rule you mentioned?

I f half the squad is eligable for a cover save, the entire squad has a cover save. Say one tank loses the turrent, park it behind terrain and the second can be in full view, but retains the cover save.

LR's are fantastic distractions I've found. Friends of mine who run SM armies are terrified that I'll take my Executioner...if only for the one turn it get's to fire before getting popped by the 30 missile launchers they take.

General consensus is right, LR's (any variants) in squads of two. Or two separate choices, either way your opponent can't ignore them and usually has to spend a turn or two killing them. Yay AV14!

Squadron 3 Demolishers without sponsons and outflank with Creed. Tears holes in the opponent's army, especially gunline

In theory. In practice, they show up and have to shoot at the same target whilst driving right into melta/powerfist range. It is possible (if unlikely) for a single S4 powerfist model to destroy all 500 points in a single charge...

I guess if you also brought al'rahem, this might work, but creed and al'rahem, and his platoon and the demolishers is combined over 1000 points. What else are you bringing?