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I am curious to see what Leman Russ variants are actually fielded. This is to say see regular table time (aka do not collect dust on the shelf).

We all know their is a relatively small number of these tanks that are considered "effective" versus pts cost, however, I am curious if the expected varieties are actually the ones seeing table time or if the expectations differ from reality.

If you would like to post I would love to hear in what type of numbers you field. Also if you have a cool trick/story you would like to share I would love to hear.

I have used: (Over the course of 10 games, one of which I played as FW ABG)
1 Demolisher
1 Punisher
1 Vanquisher
2 Executioner
1 Exterminator

The forgeworld Executioner is my favorite variant bar none, great model and an all around awesome tank.

So far in this rules edition I've managed to field everything but the executioner. And the two splat-cannon russes.

As for what I like, it's vanquishers and punishers. Punishers are pricey, though, so I'll often take exterminators as a sufficient substitute for the gatling tank.

I run em naked, battle tank style, all day err day.

It's effective against...everything. Never got the urge to specialize my tanks.

I once ran an executioner w/ plasma sponsons and pask for giggles, but that was more to screw around with than anything.

Demolisher and rarely a Vanquisher (more often once I get my ABG list done, as an HQ tank). If I ever get around to painting the turrets I'll probably use Executioners occasionally.

I use mostly Battle Tanks and Demolishers, unlike what seems like every other Guard player I didn't see the need to throw sponsons on when our tanks became Heavy.

I also voted the Vanquisher but that's strictly because of the Armoured Battlegroup list I now have access to.

In my ABG, Everything.

As for the tanks I rely on to be killy;

the Punisher with Pask; pricy, but it's a whole lot of accurate dakka,

Exterminator with las/mm, good generalist platform, doesn't break the bank, but I use it as an HQ tank, so it's more accurate.

Demolisher: Oh, you've got a mega-nob squad? Those things are pretty awesome - oh wait, they're all dead. Short range, and can miss at the worst times, but absolutely key against terminator-style armies

Commissar Vanquisher: BS 4, can re-roll main gun misses within 36'' due to the co-ax heavy stubber, complete death to vehicles. This thing runs around wrecking Land Raiders, Monoliths, the works. The Beast Slayer rounds (instant death, AP2 small blast template) really annoy MC heavy lists, and now that Daemons no longer have blanket EW, I'm going to go wreck some more giant beasties' days.

I used to really like the Executioner, and while I still like the model and the fluff, on the table, it's just kind of alright. Small blasts just aren't terrible effective at generating multiple wounds, and any termie army is going to space out, so it generally doesn't make its points back. Still, I ought to go back, touch up its paint and such, as it's fun, just not what I rely on.

Rarely a Demolisher, if anything.

Except in 500pts. Then definitely a Demolisher.

Battle tanks, vanquishers and an executioner, proxied various others and they never quite did it for me like those three have

 MajorStoffer wrote:
Commissar Vanquisher: BS 4, can re-roll main gun misses within 36'' due to the co-ax heavy stubber, complete death to vehicles. This thing runs around wrecking Land Raiders, Monoliths, the works. The Beast Slayer rounds (instant death, AP2 small blast template) really annoy MC heavy lists, and now that Daemons no longer have blanket EW, I'm going to go wreck some more giant beasties' days.

Im confused here? Vanquisher rerolling to to hit? Because of heavy stubber? Beast slayer rounds? Those rules from the IG codex?

aliusexalio wrote:
Im confused here? Vanquisher rerolling to to hit? Because of heavy stubber? Beast slayer rounds? Those rules from the IG codex?

Armored Battlegroup (found in IA1), an alternate IG army list focused around bringing lots of tanks.

Vulture with twin-linked punisher cannons. :p

Roll conquerors, roll!

I use three demolishers with a command vanquisher as the backbone of my list. They can deal with almost anything that they come across. Lately I have been trying a pair of commissar LRBTs with infernus shells, they are pretty effective against any infantry that isn't 2+. Used them against a tau player and he was removing fire warriors by the handful.

I've ran the exterminator several times with heavy bolters/lascannon/stubber. Its a lot of fun, though I may switch up my heavies soon to get some ap3 on the field.

Standard variant has also performed well for me at times, others not so much.

edit: I may pick up imperial armor volume 1 second edition to try out some armoured battlegroup allies

Demolishers, Executioners, Exterminators and until very recently the LRBT.

 Happygrunt wrote:
Demolishers, Executioners, Exterminators and until very recently the LRBT.

6th edition to a heavy vehicle hurt too bad? Turned me off to the MBT.

 Lobukia wrote:

 Happygrunt wrote:
Demolishers, Executioners, Exterminators and until very recently the LRBT.

6th edition to a heavy vehicle hurt too bad? Turned me off to the MBT.

No, I just started running out of point with the other Leman Russes.

And I found that for 15 points more, the Demolisher was doing everything I wanted the LRBT to do and more.

Also, I have been meaning to try out a punisher.

Punishers because they almost have enough dakka.

I've got a LRMBT with HBolters all around and a Demolisher with Lascannon.

I've got two more kits to build, and I'll probably make one more of each, though I'm undecided as to whether to give my next LRMBT HBolters all around or just a lascannon in the hull.

Mine are the old kits, so I'm kind of limited in my choices, but I find them to be plenty useful and in general I'd rather have more of the classics, than less of the other flavors.

The regular one, that range and template is key when facing a screaming horde of Xenos, also HB sponsons and hull mounted las cannon. If not fielding this I field the Punisher

Battle Tank, because I got an old box that didn't have options.

Nowadays I think I'd field nothing but Exterminators.

DKOK get the coax weapon on the vanquisher, which makes that tank just deadly vs enemy tanks. If im within 36" im almost guaranteed to TL the main gun.

Beyond that, executioner is always a good bet. With guard you can run executioner and 2 manticores to cover all bases.

It really depends on the list you're running, and unfortunately 6E has made tanks ridiculously easy to kill. For most IG lists, the basic naked LRBT is a solid choice, though I've been more and more attracted to a LC/HB Exterminator as a great all-rounder, especially as a "troop" LRBT in an Armoured Battlegroup.

The Eradicator unfortunately fills a role that so much other stuff in the IG army can do..

The Vanquisher is garbage outside the Armoured battlegroup list where you can get it with a stubber to TL the main gun and get it at BS4 (not to mention an upgrade to get it an S8 AP2 small blast that inflicts ID on anything)

The Punisher doesn't do anything an equivalent investment in Guardsmen can't as well or better unfortunately.

The Demolisher used to be a fine choice but the change in Lumbering Behemoth to Heavy has reduced much of its value over alternatives making just an up-armored Vindicator otherwise. Not bad but not particularly good or necessary either.

Executioners are powerful against heavy infantry, but...very expensive.

Conquerors are a bit more interesting, ironically as the exact opposite of what they are supposed to be, as they can still fire their S8 AP3 small blast and all hull/sponson weapons at full BS if stationary unlike a normal Russ battle tank.

Annihilators are ok, they look really cool, but aren't particularly great for their cost aside from just being cheap AV14. If set up with hull lascannon and sponson HB's for 165pts they're pretty decent however.

 Lobukia wrote:
Roll conquerors, roll!

I was going to say me two, but it looks like me three

I've used conquerors in most of my 6th Ed games.

Mostly been using the Exterminator lately, fills the roll I've been needing out of my Russes.

the couple of times Ive ran IG asallies, I used 2 Vanquishers. They killed whatever tank I pointed them at.

 Vaktathi wrote:
The Punisher doesn't do anything an equivalent investment in Guardsmen can't as well or better unfortunately.

There's one thing it does particularly better than those Guardsmen, it takes up a lot less space. Whether this is worth it or not depends on your list but when I run 10+ PISs I sometimes have traffic issues.

I think Exterminators are generally a pretty solid choice these days, especially if you're following the old "tanks kill infantry, infantry kills tanks" axiom. My Exterminator not only does pretty well against light tanks and infantry but it works as a pretty decent backup for anti-flier work if my Quad Gun gets knocked out early, which is pretty much invariably does.

at tuebor-couldn't agree more about the Exterminator, still fairly new to the posting on here but couldn't have said it better myself

Annihilator, Exterminator and an Eradicator that is run as a Demolisher simply because I haven't brought the Demolisher kit yet, just the plain Jane one (FLGS don't seem to ever have anything but the plain Russ kit in stock!)

I also have an FW Executioner turret and both my GW Russ hulls have been built as the specialist variants (a Destroyer and a Thunderer) and they have both worked fine for me. My Russes are Chimera hull based variants as part of my armies fluff.

Wow, the Executioner is only 2-3% behind the regular Leman Russ Battle Tank. I had no idea it was that "popular". I felt like such a special snowflake for recommending it too...

Crap, now I've gotta start using Eradicators to keep my street cred intact.