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In general which is more effective? Ranged ability and better armor, or melee ability and an invuln? Right now I'm leaning more towards slab because there is less AP3 than AP4 and it'd increase survivability against massed gunfire, but at the same time I love the idea of doing so much damage in melee.

Sadly neither lol. I can tell you I bought Bullgryns when they first came out, and I used them a total of 2 times now. The Brutes people just generally ignore...they are too slow to do anything, and honestly even with a priest the ap 4 is just forcing wounds against most things, and not enough of them. at 60 pts a model you ar only reliably putting out 2-3 wounds a turn with an average AP. They are too costly and not effective.

To be honest if they were 30 pts each with upgrades they may still not be competitive.

If you are going to use Slab shields they are still expensive...have a 12" range gun, and are bad in melee as well. Plus to get that better armor save you have to be in base contact meaning you are not screening very much.

Its very sad, I love the models but even in friendly fluffy games I cannot justify bringing them. Are they durable? Not as durable as you might think. Think about it for 180 pts (Min brute squad) You could field a platoon, with a priest, and a commissar....or some other upgrades....

The most certainly are for VERY casual games. But the types of shenanigans you can pull off with them can be very amusing. a Leman Russ with Camo nets driving up behind slab shield bullgryns has a standing 3+ cover save (5+ intervening models, they are big/tall enough to pull off the 1/4 obsucre, 4+ camo net, 3+ slab shield bonus), and t5 3+ isn't bad. But as slow as they are, they are thunderwolves that will never see melee. and the grenade gauntlet is nearly worthless.

 pumaman1 wrote:
The most certainly are for VERY casual games. But the types of shenanigans you can pull off with them can be very amusing. a Leman Russ with Camo nets driving up behind slab shield bullgryns has a standing 3+ cover save (5+ intervening models, they are big/tall enough to pull off the 1/4 obsucre, 4+ camo net, 3+ slab shield bonus), and t5 3+ isn't bad. But as slow as they are, they are thunderwolves that will never see melee. and the grenade gauntlet is nearly worthless.

So what you're saying is to ally in my DA with a darkshroud so I can get 2+ cover on my tanks?

If that's what you want to do, then by all means. and if your darkshroud is behind your ogryns, then they also get the benefit, and the dark shroud has a 2+ cover in the open.

 pumaman1 wrote:
If that's what you want to do, then by all means. and if your darkshroud is behind your ogryns, then they also get the benefit, and the dark shroud has a 2+ cover in the open.

Hahaha, I think the darkshroud on top of that would be a bit trollish

If you are paying the tax of bullgryn based units, you can troll with the rest.

I use my Ogryns as Adeptus Mechanicus Kataphron Battle Servitors/Destroyers unit Champions.

I love the Ogryns with shield, place a big Admech gun in one hand and the second weapon on the shoulder.
Looks cool and in this form they are even quite good :-)

Fluffwise, I think you probably want to go with a mix.

The unit is described as having a near-impenetrable wall of slabs, and once the enemy is near enough the brutes charge through.

As such I'd give the bonehead a brute, the rest get slabs.

Don't forget that the unit has frag grenades, so you aren't completely sacrificing your fire power as the 'gryn with a powermaul can also be throwing frag grenades.

In smaller games I might even consider making the bonehead my warlord (for lols of course).