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.

Tank Bustas, and Burnas are some of my favorite ork units...what are some effective ways to use these two things?

Seriously love the models, love the ideas behind them, want to use them to as much effect as possible, and would love to hear what you've got in ways of suggestions.

Burnas: stick them in an open-topped transport (battlewagon ideally).
Make the most of the rule stating any part of the vehicles hull counts as a fire point.
Drive up (6" max if you wish to fire) place the template from any point of the vehicle, and multiply the result but the number of Burnas in the squad.
Include a Mek in the squad with a longer ranged weapon, so you can increase the range that wounds can be allocated to.

The above is how you use burnas. You simply don't use tankbustas at all.

This isn't a game where superior skill can make a crap unit good. Tankbustas are a lost cause.

If you like fun things.. a warphead deepstriking burnas from a wagon next to some gitz in cover can get some grins when it works

Do it once before they change weirdboyz

Tankbustas aren't optimal. I've made nice use of the grenades a couple times though. Take a wagon, and a plank for tankhammy giggles.. or maybe a grabbin klaw. Read the FAQ about them carefully, it doesnt fix them but is nicer

Problem w/ the Warphead tactic is only the 3 or so burnas immediately in front can even shoot.

If you are gonna use the Tankbustas I reckon load up on hammers and squigs, thats the real 'use' of the unit cuz the rokkits are garbage.

True that about only three or so burnas getting a template on target. It isnt optimal but you could also add a full compliment dakka meks to a smaller burna unit for some rear AV10 shots at things (also precision shots) or just some stray bullets. A way of dual purposing a for funsies unit.

I know I've heard it said that with burnawagon you go big or go home though : ) strictly for funsies here.

 Dakkamite wrote:
The above is how you use burnas. You simply don't use tankbustas at all.

This isn't a game where superior skill can make a crap unit good. Tankbustas are a lost cause.

Tankbustaz do make Tyranid MCs cry, but now all the strong Tyranids are all flying, all skyblight.

I think burnas have been summarised nicely, all I'll say is you have to split the ranges now (it was in an FAQ or errata somewhere) so a mek with a big shoota doesn't make burnas have a 36" wound-range. Best use for a burna unit is 10 or so, in a battlewagon with red paint and a deff rolla. movement phase will either wreck a vehicle or tankshock a unit into a much more bunched formation, then shooting phase removes the unit. if you can place the tamplate aiming forwards from the back of the wagon, then you'll be able to hit way more models than if you can only just reach them. it's wasted if you get 50 hits but can only kill 5 models.

tankbustas I've found to be a real surprise to my opponents. I run around 10 of them in a big trakk from time to time, and as they're so rarely seen the opponent usually opts to aim for dakkajets & lootas, the usual tank killers of the ork army. then suddenly i release 3 bomm squigs into one vehicle, 7 rokkits into another, and they find that my one 150 point unit just killed two 150 point tanks. 7 shots is enough to reliably expect a hit or two, and S8 isn't to be sniffed at if you target the right vehicle. also remember you don't have to shoot the nearest vehicle, you can shoot any that are in range. people always misread the glory hogs rule that way. they wreck landspeeders, rhinos, chimeras and even waveserpents quite efficiently, and then take 2 units shooting next turn to kill the trakk and then the tankbustas. with armies that rely on mobility like eldar do, once the tankbustas have revealed their damage capacity by wrecking one or two vehicles, they're onto the back foot. as also said, they are brilliant against tyranids.

Tankbustas need only 3 things IMHO: Tankhunters (old version), get rid of Glory Hogs or force a Ld test to target something else ala 4th Ed., and a reliable dedicated transport. The Junka is nice, BW would be better.

Nothing game breaking.

 some bloke wrote:
I think burnas have been summarised nicely, all I'll say is you have to split the ranges now (it was in an FAQ or errata somewhere) so a mek with a big shoota doesn't make burnas have a 36" wound-range.

It was indeed FAQ'd. But not the way you remember.
You can allocate wounds up to the longest weapon range. It doesn't actually increase the range of the burnas.

A squad of all Burnas (x10 for example) shoots a squad with only 1 enemy model in range.
Ten hits, ten wounds (example only) will only be able to allocate those wounds to the single model in range.
Adding a big shooter, the unit can now allocate those wounds to models up to 36".

Here's the FAQ:
Q: When making a Shooting attack against a unit, can Wounds from the Wound Pool be allocated to models that were not within range any of the shooting models when To Hit rolls were made (i.e. half the targeted model are in the shooting models’ range, and half are not)? (p15)
A: No.

I've underlined the important part. As long as the enemy model is in range of at least one weapon, you can allocate wounds to it.
Note: the weapon (Burna in this case) must still have been in range to hits.

You guys have given some pretty good tips for burnas.

The burna wagon seems to be the way to go with them, but I'm curious if there's any more tactica to be had for the tankbustas.

So far only one real bit of tactica I've read so far, any more thoughts on those guys?

Zomnivore wrote:
You guys have given some pretty good tips for burnas.

The burna wagon seems to be the way to go with them, but I'm curious if there's any more tactica to be had for the tankbustas.

So far only one real bit of tactica I've read so far, any more thoughts on those guys?

Considering their squishiness and lack of Transport, I'd argue TB's are better than Burnas if you want to use a Weirdboy.

Obviously all will be able to shoot their assault weapons as opposed to the Burnas as mentioned above.

Considering most people have some sort of template DSing them and leaving them clumped is probably a bad idea though.

Their low armor save is a huge problem especially if you do DS them into terrain.

Wait a couple of months and there will be a new dex out. Then we can figure out what works. I think both units need a dedicated transport and a points drop.

I have had some luck with Tankbustas; however, they require 1) a transport like a battlewagon and 2) anti-tank support. This latter item may seem counter-intuitive; however glory hog (even after FAQ) is annoying. When Tankbustas don't have to shoot/charge at a vehicle, they do fairly well. Even going up against vehicles, they are pretty effective thanks to bomb squigs. Their ultimate bane though is flyers. Squigs can't hit them and it's so easy for an opponent to force the tank busters to be worthless by keeping a flyer within their 24" range.

There are not many targets for tankbustas in regular games. Unfortunately, current ruleset and 'ballance' of codexes forces you to either take crazy-durable vehicles or not take them at all. Target saturation doesn't help no more with the ammount of cheap strong shooting that ignores everything.

However, if you play vs an opponent with a fun-crazy attitude, they'll be fine cause they're still not bad at hunting dreadnaught - level durability targets.

Burnas I've found useful when fighting Nid Swarms. I once wiped out 8 Genestealers with a pair of burnas.

Tanksbustas on the other hand... are absolute rubbish. They are too expensive and too squishy. They (like stormboyz) need Eavy armor to be worth their points.

Yeah, wait for the new codex - something as simple as both units now being allowed dedicated transports would make a massive difference. And for all we know 7th Ed may tweak flame weapon rules for better or worse...