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Evening dakkanauts,

What do you guys all think about killkannons on battlewagons now that the 7th edition codex has been with us for a while?

I have had success running a battlewagon as a shoot a gunboat, maxing out on big shootas and a regular kannon.

Under the old codex, I could see why taking the further step of a killkannon wasn't worth it. However, it seems to me that, now that tankbustas and flash gitz have been buffed, we now have credible elite shooting units that negate the problem of reduced transport capacity and sync with the killkannon more effectively. They also have a slightly longer range, meaning that the wagon doesn't necessarily have to go full speed on the first turn and you don't lose a turn of killkannon fire. They are also able to target a different unit from the wagon if the situation demands it.

Thoughts?

I like using it. Turn 2 when I get in the face of the other player, I use it to "soften" up the enemy lines/ light AV support

The Killkanon would be great if not the 24" range. The BW has to get close, and moving means you loose a turn of shooting.

 hordrak wrote:
The Killkanon would be great if not the 24" range. The BW has to get close, and moving means you loose a turn of shooting.

You can move 6" and still fire the killkannon. It's only if you want to move 12" that it's a problem, and that shouldn't be necessary most of the time.

With a 6" move and 24" range on the gun, you have a threat range of 30", just as you would if you had tankbustas or flash gitz inside firing out. This should mean that there is something worth firing at within range on your first turn.

My shoota boyz in their wagon can usually fire at something on their first turn and do reasonable damage. They might have to go the full 12" and snap fire in order to do so, but then, that's because shootas only have an 18" range.

A Blitz brigade battlewagon with something like tankbustas, shootaboyz or flash gitz will most likely move 6' 1-st turn.

 koooaei wrote:
A Blitz brigade battlewagon with something like tankbustas, shootaboyz or flash gitz will most likely move 6' 1-st turn.

Then it's 36 inch range. The Tankbustas pop a tank, the Killkannons mop up its interior! If you fill 3 of the BWs with Bustas and give them Killkannons, then that's like 1000 points of destruction. If you get 1st turn, you move another 6", fry 3 tanks for 2x first blood, then kill 2 of the units that were embarked. If we're talking 10 man space marine squads in rhinos, or terminators in a land raider, let's see how much damage you can do! (I don't own the SM dex, so point values are approximate)

Land Raider with Terminators

Tankbustas shoot at Raider
Takes 2 Squads to reliably kill
12 shots, 4 hits, 2 HP (with tank hunter rerolls)

The 300 points of Tankbusta have killed a 250 point land raider, so they have come close to justifying their points.

Killkannons shoot at Terminators (Thunder hammer storm shield variants)
Takes 2 shots from the 2 battlewagons that were platforms
Average 3.5 hits per blast (there's a thread for this average I started somewhere) so...
7 hits, 6 wounds, 2 dead terminators

The Killkannons have killed 90(?) points of terminator, and have made back their 60 points.


Vs. Rhinos

1 Squad Tankbustas and 1 BW

Tankbustas shoot
With no cover one squad can take it down
12 shots, 4 hits, 3 HP

A 170 point unit killed a 60 point(?) transport... On their way to justifying their cost

BW shoots
3.5 hits, 3 wounds

3 dead marines is like 42 points, so the Killkannon has made up its points!

So overall, with Tankbustas breaking open ranks and the formation, the Battlewagon Killkannons can make up their points!

You could just take killkannons on looted wagons.
1 looted wagon with a ram 2 rokkit launchas ans a killkannon is only 87 points.

TheMisterBold wrote:
You could just take killkannons on looted wagons.
1 looted wagon with a ram 2 rokkit launchas ans a killkannon is only 87 points.

The only problem with that is that looted wagons are very easy to pop for the sake of a heavy support slot.