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I just got my Three M3 Lee/Grant Tanks. I am planning on using them a Leman Russ’s. I know what Variant I want each variant to be.

Leman Russ Demolisher
Leman Russ Executioner
Leman Russ Vanquisher (Most likely set up to use Pask with]

Demolisher: Basically I want to use it as a Close in/Urban Warfare Fire Support Vehicle for a Commander Chenkov Infantry Platoon. I was thinking of making its Hull Weapon and its Sponsons Heavy Weapon Heavy Flamers.

For the Executioner I plan on using as a Light Anti-Armor/Horde Fire Support Vehicle. I was thinking of keeping the Hull as a Heavy Bolter. For the Sponsons I was thinking either more Heavy Bolters or Plasma Cannons.

The Vanquisher is going to be Anti-Armor/Monstrous Creature Hunter. So I am making the Hull Weapon a Las-Cannon. The Sponsons I was thinking either Plasma Cannons or Multi-Meltas.

I am planning on getting a real Leman Russ to use an Executor in the future with PC Sponsons.


Basically what I asking is this.

For the Demolisher: Is the basic concept viable for the job I am planning on using it for?

For the Executioner: What Sponsons should I use: The Heavy Bolters or the Plasma Cannons?

For the Vanquisher: Considering unless I have points issue I am planning having Pask in it do I go with the Longer Range Plasma Cannons which will have a S8 vs. Vehicles when I don’t move, or the Shorter Range Multi-Meltas that will be S9 vs. Vehicles When I don’t move.

Executioners should always take plasma cannons, they have the right range and sync up with the main gun perfectly. The Vanquisher should never be close enough to enemy vehicles for the multimeltas to matter, and if you absolutely *must* have a sponson on it, then the plasma cannons are better. As Ailaros said, the thing is better off with heavy bolters if you must *insist* on giving it guns other than the hull one and the main cannon. I'd say that the demolisher is one of those tanks that can do without sponsons, but heavy flamers seem nice if just to be there to give anything left standing after the main gun fires the middle finger. But at it's range level the multimelta is better.

For the demolisher... sort of. The problem with heavy flamer sponsons isn't that they don't belong on a demolisher, so much as that heavy flamer sponsons are terrible. You're only ever going to get to shoot one of them at the same target at the same time (a vast majority of the time), and your opponents will always see it coming (so they can spread out or focus fire on the tank), and against a lot of targets, they're not even doing all that much in ideal circumstances. For this you have to drive the tank guaranteed into melta and assault range, while likely turning your armor somewhat to expose side and rear slightly more.

Honestly, a HHF would be okay, but I wouldn't bother with sponsons at all with the demolisher. If you really insist, I'd actually go with the multimeltas, which pair much more nicely with the main gun.

As for the executioner, don't bother at all. Executioners are hella expensive already, and plasma sponsons make them the most gigantic target on your side of the field. Plus, small blast templates can be seriously mitigated, so you're not even getting that much extra killing power. Currently, HB sponsons will make your tank WEAKER thanks to wound wrapping. We'll see when 6th comes out, but at the moment, I wouldn't do any more than add a hull lascannon (and even then, I think I might just keep it cheap with the flamer).

As for the vanquisher, I'd actually go with the heavy bolter sponsons. The vanquisher has the worst firepower of all the russ variants, so it needs the help a little more, and its main gun (and hull lascannon, which is practically required with this tank, pask or no), leaves HUGE gaps in its killing power, which heavy bolters best fill in. Plus, with pask, those HBs are S6 vs. vehicles, which, at that quantity with the extra BS is probably good enough against lighter vehicles.

A pask vanquisher is hella expensive, though, so once again I'd be tempted to leave the sponsons off altogether, and I really wouldn't bother with plasma. Not only is this once again a huge target, but by the time you throw on the sponsons you're looking at a roughly 250 point tank. Not really worth its points by the time it gets this bloated.

Wound wrapping means you're shafting yourself if your side sponsons are a lower AP than the main battle cannon, which it probably will be. Assuming it doesn't change radically in 6th, anyway.
So if you get lucky with your demolisher and get a wound on every single terminator...those heavy flamers are going to give them 2 or 3 armour saves that they wouldn't get before.
There aren't many things in the guard codex that have no role whatsoever but I'd say the Vanquisher was one. A single BS3 shot for what, 150, 165 points? No no no. No.
I'd personally leave the plasma sponsons off the executioner too. 40 points for an extra plasma cannon shot is pretty steep, since it should be moving every turn anyway.

I have run multimelta sponsons on my demolished and it seems to work good for me. Same range as the main gun and it isn't so bad when you get a weapon destroyed result. Still have good weapons to work with.

The Demolisher:
The only Reason to the Flamers on is for Cool Looking Fluff: Check
-Sponsons Multi-Meltas: Check

My Bad on the Executioner, it was supposed to be an Exterminator, I keep getting those two mixed up. I was going for the Twin-Linked AC.
-So; Heavy Bolters all of they around???

The Vanquisher: Las-Cannon Only: Check
-If I take Sponsons I should go with Heavy Bolters.
-The BS4 is usually why I choose Pask, that and the extra AP.
-Now we de use IA version and I usually take the Coaxial Heavy Stubber. Its special rule is if I hit with it I makes the Vanquisher Cannon “Twin-Linked”. Not that I plan on getting that close, I usually park it next to the Destroyer Tank Hunter.

The Plasma Sponsons Executioner Leman Russ I am planning getting is mostly a Cool Looking Fluff Tank that will only be taken out for fighting Terminator and Nid Armies. “I am mostly getting it for the Spare Parts.

Testify wrote:Wound wrapping means you're shafting yourself if your side sponsons are a lower AP than the main battle cannon, which it probably will be. Assuming it doesn't change radically in 6th, anyway.
So if you get lucky with your demolisher and get a wound on every single terminator...those heavy flamers are going to give them 2 or 3 armour saves that they wouldn't get before.
There aren't many things in the guard codex that have no role whatsoever but I'd say the Vanquisher was one. A single BS3 shot for what, 150, 165 points? No no no. No.
I'd personally leave the plasma sponsons off the executioner too. 40 points for an extra plasma cannon shot is pretty steep, since it should be moving every turn anyway.

I field my Vanquisher all the time. In my gaming group we play 3v3 and each team always get a Bastion. It honestly has never let me down when Bastions are on the field, and it has done a number on Land Raiders too. I typically put a Lascannon on it's hull. Pask isn't a horrible option for it either, but unless you are in my situation where you KNOW something 14/14/14 will be on the field it may be better to not take it.

Anpu42 wrote:My Bad on the Executioner, it was supposed to be an Exterminator, I keep getting those two mixed up. I was going for the Twin-Linked AC.
-So; Heavy Bolters all of they around???

In this case, yes, heavy bolters, if you can afford them. The hull lascannon sponson heavy bolters exterminator is arguably the best russ loadout in the codex. This is mostly because its firepower coverage is so broad. Against AV12, you've got the lascannon and the equivalent 3 autocannons. Against AV10/11, and MCs you've got 3 autocannons, 2 heavy bolters and a lascannon. Against infantry, you've got an awful lot of armor saves you're putting down, without having serious wound wrapping problems. Pretty much the only thing you can't handle with this loadout is the heaviest of vehicles, which you can still technically hurt, even if it's unlikely.

Note, though, the "if you can afford it" part. Heavy bolter sponsons aren't free, and if dropping them would allow you to, say, take another russ (or another anything, depending on what your points look like), it's probably better to leave them off, as a HLC exterminator is still pretty good, even without the sponsons.

Ok Lets go with:

Leman Russ Demolisher: Hull Mounted Heavy Flamer [it’s Free], and Sponson Mounted Multi-Meltas

Leman Russ Exterminator: Hull Mounted Heavy Bolter, and Sponson Heavy Bolters

Leman Russ Vanquisher: Hull Mounted Las-Cannon, with the Option of Pask.

The executioner is better run with heavy bolter sponsons and maybe a lascannon up front. It is maybe my favorite of the Leman Russ varients.

martin74 wrote:The executioner is better run with heavy bolter sponsons and maybe a lascannon up front. It is maybe my favorite of the Leman Russ varients.

Probably, but I Love Plasma and the way it Makes Marines Vaporize.

Kain wrote:Executioners should always take plasma cannons, they have the right range and sync up with the main gun perfectly.

They also cost 40 points and are by and large redundant. No offence, I just don't like plasma sponsons except on eradicators.

Ok here w go. This is for an upcoming 2,400 point game vs. Battle Wagon Heavy Orks

2400 Pts Imperial Guard Roster

Company Command Squad (Carapace Armour; Krak Grenades; Flamer x3; Heavy Flamer)
o Colonel 'Iron Hand' Straken
o 2x Bodyguard
o Astropath [To Mess with Reserves and an extra Wound]
o Master of Ordnance [For Pie is I can and an extra Wound]
o Officer of the Fleet [To Mess with Reserves and an extra Wound]
Valkyrie, 140 points (Multilaser; Multiple Rocket Pods x2; Heavy Bolter Sponsons x2)

Infantry Platoon
Platoon Command Squad (Krak Grenades; Medi-pack; Vox Caster)
o Heavy Weapons Team (Heavy Bolter)
o Commissar (Bolt Pistol; Krak Grenades; Power Fist)
o Commander Chenkov

Infantry Squad (Krak Grenades; Vox Caster; Grenade Launcher x1)
o Heavy Weapons Team (Heavy Bolter)
o Commissar (Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Krak Grenades)
o Sergeant (Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon; Krak Grenades; Melta Bombs)

Infantry Squad (Krak Grenades; Vox Caster; Grenade Launcher x1)
o Heavy Weapons Team (Heavy Bolter)
o Commissar (Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Krak Grenades)
o Sergeant (Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon; Krak Grenades; Melta Bombs)

50x Conscripts Squad (Send in the Next Wave)

Veteran Squad (Krak Grenades; Demolition Charge; Melta Bombs; Vox Caster; Grenade Launcher x3; Demolitions)
o Sergeant Bastonne
Vendetta, (Twin-linked Lascannon x3; Heavy Bolter Sponsons x2) [All mounted out one side like an SC-130 Specter]

Leman Russ Demolisher, (Demolisher Siege Cannon; Heavy Flamer; Multi-Melta Sponsons x2; Extra Armor; Hunter-killer Missile; Imperial Mine Plough (IA); Pintle Heavy Stubber)

Leman Russ Exterminator (Exterminator Autocannon; Heavy Bolter; Searchlight; Heavy Bolter Sponsons x2; Extra Armor; Hunter-killer Missile; Imperial Mine Plough (IA); Pintle Heavy Stubber)

Leman Russ Vanquisher (IA) (Vanquisher Battle Cannon; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon; Co-axial Heavy Stubber; Extra Armor; Hunter-killer Missile; Imperial Mine Plough (IA); Pintle Heavy Stubber; Co-axial Heavy Stubber)
o Knight Commander Pask

Tallarn Mukaali Riders Squad (IA), (Krak Grenades; Flamer x2)
o Mukaali Rider Sergeant (Krak Grenades; Hunting Lance; Power Weapon)

Guardsman Marbo

The basic plan it to Scout the Valkyrie and Vendetta and then move flat out to get behind the Orks.
Put the Infantry Platoon into cover in the center of my line and provide fire support along with the Exterminator.
Send the Conscripts along with the Demolisher up one side
Send the Tallarn Mukaali Riders Squad up the other side.
Place Pask were it looks like he will do the best and start popping Battlewagons.
When Marbo shows up let him do what he does best, create Chaos.

I'd look into hull lascannons for all your russes, but otherwise the tanks look fine here.

The list itself is a mess, but that's a matter for a different forum.

Buttons wrote:

Kain wrote:Executioners should always take plasma cannons, they have the right range and sync up with the main gun perfectly.

They also cost 40 points and are by and large redundant. No offence, I just don't like plasma sponsons except on eradicators.

They're also the only sponson gun that won't be shafted by wound wrapping. Never, ever take a gun with a different AP than the main gun for any reason ever.