Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Ever since a couple of weeks ago when I began using my swanky new Leman Russ, I've become obsessed with the idea of mainly tank army, with two bare bones platoons for objectives and the rest of the army as LRs and maybe some arty to blast those who cower out of LOS. Is this viable? If so, what tanks should I get? I like all except the Punisher, and I don't glue in weapons so I can switch them up.

There are a few ways to create a full tank army with IG. I like using the ABG list from IA1, which lets you take russes as HQs, elites and troops. However, with the new codex just around the corner it is probably not a great time to invest in expensive IA books.

There are many ways to create a decent force using russes from the codex. I can't really talk too much on that topic, as I always ally ABG to codex, which gets around most of the FOC problems that you can encounter. The main thing that you need with a russ heavy force is a decent bubble wrap, usually platoons. I usually use Chenkov's conscripts to take most of the fire early in the match, then just walk them back on to claim objectives. A group of them can wrap a pair of russes really well, with the PCS behind to flamer or melta attack whatever gets close.

As for best russ types, I love a pair of demolishers. That gun can take out most targets in the game, other than fliers and MCs. Exterminators can be good for a bit more long range fire, and eradicators excel at taking out things with cover saves. Of course, a pair of colossus mortars are much better than eradicators. In fact, if I was building a codex tank army then 2 demolishers, 2 exterminators and 2 colossus would be a decent heavy support section.

I like my command vanquisher too much to ever stop playing ABG though. I wonder how well it will survive our new codex.

As i've allready written in an ig blob thread, there's a guy that uses Blob + Tanks quite sucksessfully. Here's the list:



Though with new inquisitors blob gets buffed alot so i'd reduce the number of tanks in a favor of better troops. However, new codex is comming - let's see what it brings.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
With the ammount of s7 shooting on board - either take av14/flyer or take none. I mean if you face tau - your colossus with av12 will guaranteely go down in 1 turn vs all that ignore cover + ignore los stuff.
Also, the guy that fielded this list told that hf on demolishers didn't shoot even once. But he took it cause of possibility of loosing a main weapon. I think it can easilly be swapped back for a hb to get a lucky snapshot.

What do you guys make of the other Russ variants, mainly the LRBT and Executioner. Also have you any experience with a Vanquisher? Are they good AT or does it get setback too much by the BS3. I was thinking that with Pask to make it more accurate.

Lrbt is good when you have 150 points and not a single point more. I'd go Demolisher over lrbt cause for 15 point difference you get a s10 ap2 and not just s8 ap3, also it has 11 rear armor which is handy. Lrbt has better range but generally 30' range is gona be enough. However, in most cases they'll both be meh. Since there's so many cover abusing or good invuls on the targets that they want to hit. Also you still have chances to miss the target even with large blasts.
Imo vanquisher's not worth it. Better get some meltadrop for this points. For example, i take min squad of stormtroopers with 2 meltas + plazma pistol sergeant. With insured deepstrike they're good and cost < 120.
I run exterminator with hb, hb sponsons and Pask as part of an allied detachment for my orkses. It's capable of putting some decent ammount of dakka capable of 9 s6 and 4 twin-linked s8 bs4 shots vs vehicles or rerolls vs toughness with 1 str less. However it costs 220 pts and is vulnerable for meltadrop. But it's good when i've got lotsa wagonz.

 Banzaimash wrote:
What do you guys make of the other Russ variants, mainly the LRBT and Executioner. Also have you any experience with a Vanquisher? Are they good AT or does it get setback too much by the BS3. I was thinking that with Pask to make it more accurate.

The Vanquisher + Pask + LC = Awesome

Yes, it expensive, but the combo of the Vanquisher Battle Cannon with a +1 to the Armor Penetration Roll (which makes it effectively S9 + 2D6) and the Hull Lascannon at S10 (if the Tank doesn't move, which it should rarely do) is truly deadly against other MBT's. It still has the typical weaknesses that all Russ variants do, but if tou want other vehicles or MC's to lay down, the Paskquisher is hard to beat.

The Executioner is one tank I still run once and a while, but it isn't what it was as a tank. A lot of this is due to the Edition change. The fact that the main weapon can glance the Tank to death is kind of sad. It's not as bad as when infantry fire plasma, but it is still awesome against almost anything within 36". Murders infantry, murders lighter vehicles and scares most players into doing something about the Tank at the expense of other models.

The Exterminator is one tank that has an entirely new life thanks to 6th, glancing is the newest way to mitigate armor and this tank does it very well. All light vehicles and some mediums cannot wander into the field of fire for fear of being peppered with S7 (and how I like to run them, and additional LC shot) to wipe down Hull Points. Even the mighty Wave Serpent is not impregnable from consistent S7 fire.

The Standard Russ is still quite viable as well, the Battlecannon smushes most anything with ease, and taking sponsons make the cannon less prone to weapon destroyed results.

The Eradicator is a nice tank, but its primary roles are better filled by the Hellhound, the only bonus I see for the Eradicator is stronger armor and a slightly longer ranged gun, but the Hellhound beats it in sheer versatility. Being cheapee doesn't hurt either.

The Demolisher is a great way to make less friends, its cannon does amazing against most thing on a pretty consistent basis. Biggest drawback is the range, superior armor helps mitigate that a bit. Most weapons struggle to consistently rake out AV14 without committing a lot to it, so it would be a perfect tank to draw lots of fire away from your artillery.

The cupboard is not bare for the Russ in 6th

Here's a general summary of Russes from my IG tactics article:

Paradigm Wrote:

Leman Russ Battle Tank: The most notable victim of the FAQ, with the Ordnance rule on its battle cannon meaning it must fire snap-shots from all other weapons. This relegates the use of sponsons on this tank, narrowing target range it can hurt. The primary target for the LRBT is Marines out of cover, as against other targets it is generally outperformed. The one advantage of this tank is the lack of sponsons allowing it to be kept cheap, and 150 points for a S8 AP3 Large Blast weapon on an AV14 chassis is not to be sniffed at if you're tight for points.

Leman Russ Exterminator: This variant is possibly the best for a cheap, all-round performer. With the simple addition of Heavy Bolter sponsons, this tank can put out a large volume of shots to threaten medium and light infantry, knock hull points of light vehicles, and potentially even hit fliers. For even more versatility, add a lascannon for help against AV12+.

Leman Russ Vanquisher: This tank at first glance seems single-minded. With a S8 gun that rolls 2d6 for armour penetration, it is a tank killer beyond compare in a Guard army, and with the addition of a lascannon, it is even more threatening. However, the Vanquisher can also be incredibly versatile with the right sponsons. Plasma Cannons give it even more AP2 fire-power, and increase its threat to Monstrous Creatures and enemies with 2+ saves, and can therefore be incredibly valuable. Although it is rather expensive, there are few tanks better for a take-all-comers list than a Vanquisher with lascannon and Plasma Cannons.

Leman Russ Eradicator: The Eradicator offers what is essentially a lighter version of the LRBT, able to target medium infantry, but also to ignore cover. It can also take sponsons that can fire effectively, unlike the LRBT, and I would suggest either Heavy Bolters, for the matching AP (which is lethal to xenos armies), or Plasma Cannons if you are worried about Marines. However, if the latter is true, you are probably better off with a Vanquisher, LRBT, or Executioner.

Leman Russ Demolisher: This tank is, simply put, scary. Admittedly, it suffered in the same way as the LRBT from the FAQ, but the Demolisher was never about the sponsons. Very few things in the game can drop a S10 AP2 Large Blast, which makes the Demolisher a threat to almost anything bar fliers. The price you pay for this fearsome armament, aside from the increased points cost, is range. The Demolisher lacks the ability of its cousins to sit back and shoot, instead needing to advance to get maximum use from its weapon. Therefore, they are best reserved for an aggressive list, and work well in pair. They are great as a threat to force on your opponent, who will have no choice but to deal with it, and can do a lot of damage.

Leman Russ Punisher: Significantly more expensive and specialised that most other Russes, the Punisher seems, on paper, to be absolute death to any infantry. While it is undoubtedly effective, especially with Heavy Bolter sponsons, the range is again a limiting factor, and BS3 also means half the shots will miss. That said, it can still be a solid investment against infantry-heavy armies, and is good for forcing saves on Monstrous Creatures. They also suffer from being an anti-infantry tank in an anti-infantry army, so their usefulness is limited.

Leman Russ Executioner: The Executioner is one of the best 'specialisation' tanks before upgrades are added, able to fire 3 plasma blasts with no risk of Gets Hot. Like the Demolisher, though, the raw power is offset by increased cost, and your targets are limited to 2+/3+ save infantry and Monstrous Creatures, as against any other target, other tanks do the job better and cheaper. Like the LRBT, take one if you see a lot of marines, if not, then take something else. I'd also advise against sponsons, 3 plasma blasts should kill most things, and the Executioner is expensive enough as it it.

If you're local group allows it, Armored Corps IA rules are awesome, and I like to think fairly balanced.

 Paradigm wrote:
Here's a general summary of Russes from my IG tactics article:

Paradigm Wrote:

Leman Russ Battle Tank: The most notable victim of the FAQ, with the Ordnance rule on its battle cannon meaning it must fire snap-shots from all other weapons. This relegates the use of sponsons on this tank, narrowing target range it can hurt. The primary target for the LRBT is Marines out of cover, as against other targets it is generally outperformed. The one advantage of this tank is the lack of sponsons allowing it to be kept cheap, and 150 points for a S8 AP3 Large Blast weapon on an AV14 chassis is not to be sniffed at if you're tight for points.

Leman Russ Exterminator: This variant is possibly the best for a cheap, all-round performer. With the simple addition of Heavy Bolter sponsons, this tank can put out a large volume of shots to threaten medium and light infantry, knock hull points of light vehicles, and potentially even hit fliers. For even more versatility, add a lascannon for help against AV12+.

Leman Russ Vanquisher: This tank at first glance seems single-minded. With a S8 gun that rolls 2d6 for armour penetration, it is a tank killer beyond compare in a Guard army, and with the addition of a lascannon, it is even more threatening. However, the Vanquisher can also be incredibly versatile with the right sponsons. Plasma Cannons give it even more AP2 fire-power, and increase its threat to Monstrous Creatures and enemies with 2+ saves, and can therefore be incredibly valuable. Although it is rather expensive, there are few tanks better for a take-all-comers list than a Vanquisher with lascannon and Plasma Cannons.

Leman Russ Eradicator: The Eradicator offers what is essentially a lighter version of the LRBT, able to target medium infantry, but also to ignore cover. It can also take sponsons that can fire effectively, unlike the LRBT, and I would suggest either Heavy Bolters, for the matching AP (which is lethal to xenos armies), or Plasma Cannons if you are worried about Marines. However, if the latter is true, you are probably better off with a Vanquisher, LRBT, or Executioner.

Leman Russ Demolisher: This tank is, simply put, scary. Admittedly, it suffered in the same way as the LRBT from the FAQ, but the Demolisher was never about the sponsons. Very few things in the game can drop a S10 AP2 Large Blast, which makes the Demolisher a threat to almost anything bar fliers. The price you pay for this fearsome armament, aside from the increased points cost, is range. The Demolisher lacks the ability of its cousins to sit back and shoot, instead needing to advance to get maximum use from its weapon. Therefore, they are best reserved for an aggressive list, and work well in pair. They are great as a threat to force on your opponent, who will have no choice but to deal with it, and can do a lot of damage.

Leman Russ Punisher: Significantly more expensive and specialised that most other Russes, the Punisher seems, on paper, to be absolute death to any infantry. While it is undoubtedly effective, especially with Heavy Bolter sponsons, the range is again a limiting factor, and BS3 also means half the shots will miss. That said, it can still be a solid investment against infantry-heavy armies, and is good for forcing saves on Monstrous Creatures. They also suffer from being an anti-infantry tank in an anti-infantry army, so their usefulness is limited.

Leman Russ Executioner: The Executioner is one of the best 'specialisation' tanks before upgrades are added, able to fire 3 plasma blasts with no risk of Gets Hot. Like the Demolisher, though, the raw power is offset by increased cost, and your targets are limited to 2+/3+ save infantry and Monstrous Creatures, as against any other target, other tanks do the job better and cheaper. Like the LRBT, take one if you see a lot of marines, if not, then take something else. I'd also advise against sponsons, 3 plasma blasts should kill most things, and the Executioner is expensive enough as it it.

I might just steal this from you as we have almost the same view points and I get tired of typing out the same responses over and over lol.

But yea I agree with this post^^^^

This is great guys cheers . I was thinking of taking a brace of Demolishers in a squadron, a lone las/plas Vanquisher and then a brace of Exterminators/Executioners (depending on points). What do you guys make of that (assuming it's wrapped by 2 platoons of 20 and 30)?

 Banzaimash wrote:
This is great guys cheers . I was thinking of taking a brace of Demolishers in a squadron, a lone las/plas Vanquisher and then a brace of Exterminators/Executioners (depending on points). What do you guys make of that (assuming it's wrapped by 2 platoons of 20 and 30)?

Sounds fair. Shove the Demolishers down their throat, preferably on a flank, hang back with the lasplas vanq and use bolter-boat exterminators for all-round purposes. Give the infantry flamers as you'll lack anti-horde in any significant capacity, and you're good to go.

Nice, flamers are the only special weapon I feel I can rely upon in the hands of BS3 guardsmen anyway, so I have a ton in my platoons already. Cheers for the advice guys, its been invaluable .

There is a school of thought that states a full 9 Leman Russes can table or at worst cripple many armies in a couple turns.
Probably not the best idea though.

 Banzaimash wrote:
Nice, flamers are the only special weapon I feel I can rely upon in the hands of BS3 guardsmen anyway, so I have a ton in my platoons already. Cheers for the advice guys, its been invaluable .

bs3 is good. Espetially with orders...and prescience

Ah, a fellow prospective tank commander. Well, my friend, I shall offer you some insight onto tank tactics. Put on the song "Panzerlied" if you wish.

Leman Russ tanks are very durable gun platforms that offer an excellent balance between toughness and firepower. You will not find any tougher mediums of blowing the ever loving gak out of your opponent. You will feel good when the opponent realizes 80% of his shooting can't even glance your tanks. The key thing to a Russ spam list, though, is to maximize this advantage. This basically means to camp and pray for the best. However, the main issue with this list is that, while your tanks are very survivable, your scoring units are not so much. And you better believe that the enemy will focus everything they can on those scoring units. There are two big ways to mitigate this.


Option A: Take minimal troops, stick them in Chimeras, and hide the Chimeras. "But CustomLime", I hear you object, "What about objectives!". While, yes, you -can- get fethed on objectives if your opponent is clever you can usually deny their objectives by making sure no one is there to cap them. Manticore rocket launchers is a good way to do this.

Option B: Stick the troops in Vendettas. You are taking Vendettas already, right? Might as well take advantage of them. A bonus of this method is that your troops can be anywhere you want them to be and you save points to boot. The downside is that the dice can feth you over real easy. Another downside is that they are crappy guardsmen. Also, don't take Carapace armor. 4+ armor saves are possibly the most useless pieces of wargear in existence.

Option C: All of the above. I prefer this method though it can get expensive. Basically, the troops in the Vendettas are an ace up your sleeve. Need a scoring unit real fast? Vendetta vets. Need a tank dead? Vendetta vets. And you also having mostly guaranteed scoring units.


If you go the Chimera route it is very important to hide them. An ADL is key for this especially if you use more than 2 Chimeras. While it won't help the Leman Russ tanks as much they are a god send to your scoring units. Another thing you need is something called the Imperial Guard parking lot. Basically, put your vehicles very close together in the corner behind said ADL. This creates more distance for your opponent to cross meaning extra shooting for you, makes things like the Farsight bomb and other deepstrikers easy to put down and you cover the weaker vehicles first. While it might be tempting to stick the Chimeras first it's usually not the best idea since you already have the cover save and the opponent loses nothing by just shooting your tanks.

Now, let's talk about variants. Despite what some may say I don't think any of the variants are bad. Some are situational but they handle those situations well.

Leman Russ Battle Tank: It's cheap, it drops a pie plate and it has AV14. What's not to love? Well, it can't fire sponsons at full BS and sponsons are part of why LR tanks are so good. Take them if you are low on points, at lower points level or you want a ton of AV14. But if you have points to spare they usually best spent on other variants.

Leman Russ Exterminator: It's a decent all rounders but it suffers from a lack of AP3 or better. Plasma Sponsons can mitigate this though. It's a great tank if your meta is xeno heavy. I should mention this now but you should be mindful of your meta.

LR Vanquisher: My favorite variants for several reasons. One, it's basically a hybrid of a meltagun and a lascannon. Two, it's cheapish meaning you get to take more goodies. Three, with pask it wrecks vehicles. Four, it ID's battlesuits. The only downside is that BS 3 really, really hurts it. If only a 10 point "Veteran crew" option was available... a boy can dream...

Leman Russ Eradicator: Not bad if you have an Eldar problem. Against Tau, though, you'd be better served by a Manticore.

Leman Russ Demolisher: Yeah... this thing.. this thing makes your opponent hate you. For only 15 points more you get +2 S and AP 2. And it's AV 11 rear. It's only downside is it's range but against a lot of armies this isn't so bad.

Leman Russ Punisher: Put pask and make AV12 vehicles a thing of the past. Wave Serpents will no longer bother you! Add sponson heavy bolters for maximum pleasure.

Leman Russ Executioners: Again, add pask and make this thing a doom machine. If you hate riptides this is the tank for you.

Now, a lot of these options are not the best at their intended role but they make up for it with staying power.

If there is one piece of advice is that you should never move your tanks forward. This is a campy build and you need to play that. Moving forward is just doing the enemy's working for them. The only time you should move forward is when you want to finish off a shattered enemy force.

imperial armored battle group version 2, have played it for around six months love this army you will lose a couple of tanks but they cant get them all. you have to protect your infantry as a smart opponent will focus on them and you can't win with out them but most armies cant deal with your army and you are able to control the flow of the battle. allied imperial guard allows you to bring lots of infantry to support the army. command vanquishers are amazing with an insta kill small template to compliment the at shot

To be honest, i'd rather go for extra bodies than chimera spam. U'll need more mtn to save the tanks from mc-s. And if u'r guards have nades they stand a chance vs most of them in mellee.
Also, 20 guyz are a more reliable scoring than 10 in chimera.

I used to play larger numbers of russes. It seemed kinda hit or miss for me. If I was able to keep the enemy away, I didnt do too bad but with all of the super fast armies out there and armies with stuff like genestealers assaulting out f nowhere or outflankers coming in on my back deployment zone, it was hard to keep them from being assaulted and with the rear armor of 10... Having them in squads made it that much worse.
My guard "career" went from...
1. All infantry cause thats all I had
2. Mostly tanks because they were cool and I had just gotten them.
3. A decent combinaton of both where they complimented one another.
4. Guard as in #3 either with an ally or as an ally with marines or grey Knights.

 Trickstick wrote:
There are a few ways to create a full tank army with IG. I like using the ABG list from IA1, which lets you take russes as HQs, elites and troops. However, with the new codex just around the corner it is probably not a great time to invest in expensive IA books.

There are many ways to create a decent force using russes from the codex. I can't really talk too much on that topic, as I always ally ABG to codex, which gets around most of the FOC problems that you can encounter. The main thing that you need with a russ heavy force is a decent bubble wrap, usually platoons. I usually use Chenkov's conscripts to take most of the fire early in the match, then just walk them back on to claim objectives. A group of them can wrap a pair of russes really well, with the PCS behind to flamer or melta attack whatever gets close.

As for best russ types, I love a pair of demolishers. That gun can take out most targets in the game, other than fliers and MCs. Exterminators can be good for a bit more long range fire, and eradicators excel at taking out things with cover saves. Of course, a pair of colossus mortars are much better than eradicators. In fact, if I was building a codex tank army then 2 demolishers, 2 exterminators and 2 colossus would be a decent heavy support section.

I like my command vanquisher too much to ever stop playing ABG though. I wonder how well it will survive our new codex.

Seeing as FW just redid IA1 to match 6e, and GW wants to be "closer" to FW, I think IA1 will be pretty safe.

With lots of tanks Preferably allied with the armored battlegroup or elysian drop troops

I've found an ABG company command tank vanquisher to be rather useful

Yup, the ABG CommandQuisher with Beast Hunter Shells is pretty much mandatory. With all the MCs rolling around, there's no way it wouldn't be a game changer. I'd probably take two. And then maybe a CommissarQuisher with the same.

Veterans in Chmeras will be better than platoons. Because they can operate with tanks without being harmed by anti-infantry weapons.
For examle:
CCS Chimera plasmas
Several Veterans meltas Chimera squads
And Leman Russes
For Anti-air Hydra or Aegis Line Quad - You can put there something like Tojan or Atlas to shoot Quad Gun (is it still working?)
Army will be pricy though and not so scary as in 5 edition