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I had 30 extra points in a small scale list I was building and so I considered throwing my lootas in a Trukk for some added survivability. I figured that wrecking a vehicle would take a couple turns of dedication by my opponent with all his long range stuff and the lootas would be safe inside. Then I had a double take and realized if the Trukk exploded probably half the squad would die. Is putting the Lootas in a barebones Trukk actually going to increase their survivability or is it poorly calculated?

The good news is that with the new Ork codex and with 7th edition, the Trukk has a fairly low chance of exploding unless your opponent is using AP2 weapons on it. But still, it's open-topped so it can always happen. Long story short, it's a more viable strategy now than it was previously. Is it a good idea though? Can't say, I've never done it.

Personally I think your Lootas are better off in cover and going to ground if needed to stay alive.

I'm not invested in this or anything, just wanted something to spend the 30 points on. A Deffkopta is probably better anyway. (I just feel bad for the lootas mek, he gets the jitters without a vehicle to fix)

Whatever the rules says, I still got the feeling that Trukk are still very easy to blow-up, so not a good idea.

So as said Murdoxx, better stay in cover.

On the other hand, now that I think about it, , you could still use the trukk to "hide" your lootas
Like lootas in cover and all that,.. + the the trukk in front of them ( but not too close in case it explodes) blocking line of sight. Each turn you move it 12", shoot with the lootas, and then flat-out it back to hide the lootas.
Then your opponent really need to destroy it before he can have LOS with the lootas.

Problem is....yeah, it still very easy to blow up a trukk....

I'd probably go the other way and see of I could shave off 20 pts elsewhere and take a defense line. Unless you have a trukk model you want to use, then it'd work as a LoS blocker for a smaller unit of Lootas for a turn or two (definitely not the whole game, so you'd still need cover for them to be in).

Just use that truck as dedicated transport for your boyz. Another OS fast vehicle is alwayz useful.

30 extra points is an enviable position, but there are likely much better ways for you to spend them. Trukks are only good for their speed, which lootas don't need. Trukks really don't offer much protection and are generally death traps for 6+ save boyz, particularly those with a character leading them.

Given the loota range, i think they'd be fairly fine in the trukk but its highly debatable if its worth it.

First off, 12 model limit so 3 less lootas.
Second, if it explodes thats a lot of collateral damage
Third, if it moves at all lootas snap so the speed isnt that awesome.

However.... the perks..

Defense against ignore cover weapons, or at least until the trukk wrecks/explodes.
Snapfiring isnt THAT big a deal for lootas, so 12" move then snap > 6" move by a long shot. Great if theres a massive roadblock in your way.
Escape ability. If it isnt ignore cover weapons odds are its something that outflanks/deepstrikes and assaults them, the trukk can book it to buy some time or you can sacrifice their shooting to get across the table via 12" flat out.

Iffy, but interesting. Because of the 48" range there are a lot less guns that will kill it immediately. Especially when you got bikers and/or wagons in the list too

 Vineheart01 wrote:

Defense against ignore cover weapons, or at least until the trukk wrecks/explodes.

not even that, as it's open-topped. You'd need a KFF in there as well.

Thats only flamers, there are a vast amount of ignore covers that kill lootas before flamers. Flamers fall under the outflank/deepstrike issue where you just zip away.

I have found that "ignores cover" has become a lot less of an issue in 7th since people will rarely use corresponding psychic power due to better powers being available, less powers cast per turn and the power itself no longer being as reliable as before (4+ on X dice and DTW rather than just passing 2d6 vs 10). Against tau, marker lights don't invalidate cover anyways. They would have used the marker light to boost their BS otherwise.

The remaining big offender is the wave serpent and its shield, but a trukk doesn't exactly protect you from that.

 Amiricle wrote:
30 extra points is an enviable position, but there are likely much better ways for you to spend them. Trukks are only good for their speed, which lootas don't need. Trukks really don't offer much protection and are generally death traps for 6+ save boyz, particularly those with a character leading them.

Actually, you can run an empty objective secured truck. No need to put anything inside. See, not every unit has to do the killing to be truly effective. Use it as moving blos for your advancing forces. Use it as a troll-objective grabber that's OS to boot. Besides, it might have a rocket which ain't bad either.

Just play it as if it was a single buggy that pays 5 pts and looses TL on a rokkit for extra HP, larger hull, OS, ability to transport something if and when needed. And it doesn't eat slots.

Thats my big thing about Tau and ignoring cover. Everyone complains we can do it too easily but its pretty rare i have more than 2-3 lights on a single unit unless i expend them ALL or use a Mark'O strat. i'd rather buff my BS than strip cover.

However at least in my meta i still see a lot of ignore cover weapons that give lootas issues. Namely the wyvern? from IG (could be getting the name of that large blast table-shot pi plate shredding weapon wrong) or eldar waveserpents..since lootas only have a 6+ armor that thing will ravage orks despite no ap.

Admittedly both of those can kill the trukk, but has far less odds to do so than kill 5-6 lootas per unit shooting at them.