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Hello guys!

So I got the hammer of Cadia set for Christmas and I was wondering what sponsons you guys would put on Leman Russ battle tanks ( one will be a vanquisher variant)

Thanks

None. They're sort of a waste of points on the ordnance tanks since they will be forced to snap fire. However, if you must, take the Heavy Bolter sponsons. You're bound to make some shots since your dumping out 9 shots per round. For Vanquishers I'd go with Plasma Cannons.

The cool thing about Leman Russ tanks is that making the sponson guns swappable is the easiest thing ever. Just don't glue them in. Also, I recommend magnetizing the main gun. Exterminators are neat and Eradicators are good in this xeno heavy environment.

Thanks for the useful info!

Depends.

Will you run Pask or a regular tank? And what's your preferred LR variant?

When I asked this regarding my Guard army recently I was told not to bother.

Magnetize, magnetize, magnetize.

konst80hummel wrote:
Magnetize, magnetize, magnetize.

Is magnetizing them even necessary?

I found a little bit of Blu Tack works just fine.

I would use plasma cannons with lazcanon on demolisher no way those termies are surviving.

 e.earnshaw wrote:
I would use plasma cannons with lazcanon on demolisher no way those termies are surviving.

You can't even fire the plasma cannons because the Demolisher is an Ordnance weapon so make all other guns fire as snap fire.

I would advise against sponsoons as well. With the IG, you really want to try to keep the LRBT's cheap. I run an 1850pt Steel Host list with 12 LRBT's and I don't use sponsoons on any of them.

As everyone else said, sponsons are a definite "no" on any ordinance variant.

Multimelta's are a great idea on paper, but for any of the LRBT kit variants, you either don't want to be close enough to use them properly, or they will reduce the specialization of your other variants like exterminators.

Plasma cannons just scare me. I don't mind plasma weapons suiciding my guardsmen, but I really don't want them self-destructing my russes.

I am curious what the masses take though. I generally go standard LRBT or Extermie with HB sponsons, but I've increasingly found the latter to usually disappoint.

Exterminators are kind of lame especially since now they can't even cause explosion results. The Eradicator deals with medium infantry better, the Punisher does Light Infantry better, the Vanquisher does armor better and the Demolisher deals with heavy infantry/heavy armor better. In this day and age you can't afford to be a generalist. Either go big or go home.

I prefer taking a mix of Vanquisher, punishers and executioners. Typically a bolter boat Pasknisher backed up by an Eradicator with Plasma Cannon Sponons, a tank commander in a Vanquisher backed up by another Vanquisher and then on a couple of Executioners in the HS slot with a artillery tank to back them up. I'm considering using 2x Wyverns or a Manticore for this purpose.

Pask in a punisher with an executioner buddy with plasma sponsons.

PE allows re-rolls of gets hot, so you'd have to roll a 1 and then another 1 to lose a HP from the plasma cannons. Very unlikely.

The squad is dead killy, with Pask giving pseudo-split fire you can reliably wipe two separate units from the board in a single turn.

I'd love the eradicator if it was better than AP 4. My problem with it is that I rarely am shooting at stuff that has good cover saves and low armor. In general, I use Hellhounds for those missions.

Hi, I have recently been putting some thought into this and have a few ideas. I run a ton of russes in a massive glass cannon list. The problem you'll find with battle cannons and other large blasts is once the enemy get close you can't really fire at them without potentially killing your own with scatter (as I have on a couple occasions taken out a nearby tank or HQ unit with a stray demolisher round). As such I'd recommend heavy flamers. They are cheap, and for the sake of losing a snap firing heavy bolter can really save your Russ if they get close.

Say for example a bunch of genestealers are bearing down on you, you don't want to fire a battle cannon as they're too close, suddenly you've got 3 heavy flamers to purge them with. A lot more effective than a couple heavy bolters, which for the rest of the game would probably miss everything from snapfire.

On the Vanq I'd say probably take nothing, with their range I always keep mine as far away as possible so sponsons will spend most of their time out of range.

Heavy bolters are a solid choice on exterminators and punishers.

where does it say the rule in the new rule book that if you fire ordinance you have to snap fire with all other weapons? in the main rule book under ordinance i just read that only models that arent in a tank cant fire ordinance and move or fire any other weapons.
I dont doubt that the rule is not true, but ide like to know where it states this at.
FMJ

 fullmetaljacket wrote:
where does it say the rule in the new rule book that if you fire ordinance you have to snap fire with all other weapons? in the main rule book under ordinance i just read that only models that arent in a tank cant fire ordinance and move or fire any other weapons.
I dont doubt that the rule is not true, but ide like to know where it states this at.
FMJ

Its under "Vehicles and Ordnance Weapons" in the beginning of the vehicle section

Eradicators are cheap enough and weak enough that sponsons aren't a bad idea. 2 MM shots are pretty economical at their point cost. 6 Bolter shots are less so, but they synergize better with the AP4 main gun.

Using sponsons to diversify your Russes gives you better tactical flexibility at the cost that when you don't need that flexibility, those points are wasted.

Plasma sponsons should only be used when Preffered Enemy is available through Pask or Kurov's Aquilla. Otherwise, you'll shoot your eye out.

thankyou !
FMJ

 Corinthius wrote:
Hi, I have recently been putting some thought into this and have a few ideas. I run a ton of russes in a massive glass cannon list. The problem you'll find with battle cannons and other large blasts is once the enemy get close you can't really fire at them without potentially killing your own with scatter (as I have on a couple occasions taken out a nearby tank or HQ unit with a stray demolisher round). As such I'd recommend heavy flamers. They are cheap, and for the sake of losing a snap firing heavy bolter can really save your Russ if they get close.

Say for example a bunch of genestealers are bearing down on you, you don't want to fire a battle cannon as they're too close, suddenly you've got 3 heavy flamers to purge them with. A lot more effective than a couple heavy bolters, which for the rest of the game would probably miss everything from snapfire.

On the Vanq I'd say probably take nothing, with their range I always keep mine as far away as possible so sponsons will spend most of their time out of range.

Heavy bolters are a solid choice on exterminators and punishers.

That's an interesting idea i haven't considered before! If you don't have enough infantry to bauble-wrap your tanks or they're operating somewhere on the flank, a few HF can be useful to deal with assaulters. The enemy is gona move as close as possible not to fail a random charge. And instead of going backwards, you move forwards and flame him! Thus, you're still doing damage and he's not advancing towards your lines the next turn.