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During the week, I have very little time to actually play (weekends, I will have a little more time). I will probably only have time for some very quick 1000 point games during the week, so I was considering running The Steel Host or Emperor's Fist Armored Company. The former includes some artillery, so it might make for a better option. I hope to run only one Battle Tank and then the rest will all be variants of the Leman Russ to cover all the options.

Would this work at 1000 vs 1000, or is this type of formation meant to compliment some foot soldiers as well?

Thanks in advance!

SG

It's taking rock scissors paper style armies to the extreme. If you face an army without much anti tank, you do well. Face a drop pod army, you lose. Face a well rounded army, you might do OK.

I've seen some local players use steel host at 1850, and some DKOK all tank lists at that point level, it doesnt' work out too well. Unbound all tanks worked well for them for a bit though. I can't recall what they ran.

 gwarsh41 wrote:
It's taking rock scissors paper style armies to the extreme. If you face an army without much anti tank, you do well. Face a drop pod army, you lose. Face a well rounded army, you might do OK.

I've seen some local players use steel host at 1850, and some DKOK all tank lists at that point level, it doesnt' work out too well. Unbound all tanks worked well for them for a bit though. I can't recall what they ran.

I had thought of an unbound tank army, but I wasn't sure I wanted to go that route. I guess it's been pounded into my head over the past year that formations are always better than unbound lists.

That said, I guess I'm not really overly concerned about very short games. So, if I win really fast or lose really fast, at least I got to play versus not getting to play at all. I had thought of doing this same type of thing with a Hammer of Caliban (DA formation) instead. Point cost is lower, but it's only four tanks (in my case Land Raider Crusader, and probably three Whirlwinds just in case of Flyers or MCs).

Thanks for the info!

SG

Tactical speaking. No a full tank army is not viable. You need infantry to defend your tanks. The formations are great options and so is the Armor Battle Group, but with out infantry to protect your tanks you will get assaulted and die every easily. You can go with a tank heavy force. I like to go with a 1:10 ratio of infantry to tanks. Each tank has 10 guys defending it.

Yes an army made entirely out of tanks is viable. there is a player at my local store that puts Cammo nets on every thing sits behind an aegis wall, uses Psykers for more cover and wins 85% of the time. He is supported be at least 3 squads of veterans. I don't know his exact list. I have never seen a list which uses a mobile IG full tanks. I can't say I'd recommend the strategy but he seems to win fairly frequently.

Green flame wrote:
Yes an army made entirely out of tanks is viable. there is a player at my local store that puts Cammo nets on every thing sits behind an aegis wall, uses Psykers for more cover and wins 85% of the time. He is supported be at least 3 squads of veterans. I don't know his exact list. I have never seen a list which uses a mobile IG full tanks. I can't say I'd recommend the strategy but he seems to win fairly frequently.

3+ squads of veterans isn't an 'all tank' list. It might be a mechanized list (if the troops are all in transports). But you might just as well say that dark eldar run an 'all tank' list when they have everyone in venoms and/or raiders. I think the OP is considering lots of leman ruses and artillery and no bodies at all. The problem with such a list is when you face fast assault armies like Fleshounds, Screamers, Necron Scarabs/wraiths etc. You will get multi-assaulted and ripped to pieces as they hit your rear armour. You just don't have the firepower to destroy an equivellent points cost of those units before they get to you. So IG lists usually run suicidal infrantry blobs or vets to tarpit or block assaults on the tanks as well as to provide mobile objective scoring.

First of all, thank you for all your help. Any further info you guys can give me on running an IG mostly tank list would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

SG

IG tanks don't have enough offense/pt, so I vote no on this concept being viable. IG are better off leaving all Russ hulls at home.

Ah, the OP can still have an HQ tank and Pask is always fun.
Non-Ordinance Russ hulls I have found to be quite good.

Dropping a few points on conscripts with a priest is a good investment in general.
Tanks going into melee is bad news so that is no joke of needing some troops.

Maybe mechanized with Veterans in Chimeras to add.

I'd personally suggest 2x IK and then a tiny CAD of infantry, or something like that, rather than run mostly tanks.

You get all the firepower, with none of the drawbacks.

If you want to do a Full tank army, you will need to build your list by assigning specific tanks for specific rolls. Anti-tank, anti-infantry, anti-heavy/elite infantry and anti-flier. Orders will be huge. You might consider running an IG tank commander and a ABG tank commander. The ABG tank commander can take specific gear for tanks and special ammo. Plus can issue orders to any friendly IG tank that is a Russ design.

Another option is the Emperor's wraith artillery command formation. This formation can really pack on the damage and quick.

I am gonna say no. You need the infantry to run interference for the armor or anybody with a Krak grenade or melta bomb is going to ruin your day. The scatter dice is a fickle Mistress and when she abandons you you won't kill enough enemies to keep out of assault with your 6" movement.

So, I have a almost full tank IG army, and I played several times against tyranids at 950 pts, with only 1 vet squad.

I can't speak for other opponents, but LRBT are bad against tyranids: venom give them cover, and T2 hormagaunts can assault you tank (10 at the rear).
I think a punisher could be better (10 hit rather than 1 against the synapse tyranids is better !).

Flying Monstruous creatures are a PAIN.



Against a marine army, it worked better, but I had more infantry (1500 pts).
Marines died to big blast more easily, and I could pierce theirs rhinos with my tanks.

So yes, tyranids are a good army against a full tank army, except if you field only those tank with 11 at the rear^^

*Mostly* tank IG armies can be really good. The ABG is pretty much the best option, sure some of the prices are off, but you want those BS 4 Vanquishers, with coaxil stubbers and Beast Hunter Shells.... they're nasty!

Also allows Vultures and you can just ally in some Guard Vets to Provide your infantry, 3ish vet squads (plasma or melta) in chimeras would work, so you still get them in armour. The get some salamanders for flanking goodness! Given them AutoCannons and Stubbers, sure they cost more but that turn they come in they can cause a hell of a lot of wounds in shooting!

My vanquisher one shooteed a trygon prime during my latest game, it was very funny ^^

A mostly tank army can do great things, I've been playing the emperors fist armoured company in my local meta for the past year or so on and off and its regularly putting my in the top 1/3 if not the top 1/4 at tournaments, mind you I can't seem to crack into the top tables but that's because whats on those top tables counters the hell out of our poor russ's. I'm taking the formation with a tank commander exterminator with kabe's herald, and he has a eradicator or vanquisher to literally some times cover his arse, then another eradicator (these dudes are amazing) and depending on the meta either a demolisher or executioner (this guys get s a bad wrap cos he kills himself but i find if it dies from over heats turn 3 chances are its already got its points back) and the last slot is for a punisher.
Kabe's Herald is everything in this list as if i am facing alpha strikes it allows me to start my tanks on the board rather than in reserves and use strike and shroud on the whole army, most of whom will have camo netting for a 4+ or even 3+ if night fighting.
The firepower is also pretty good, I find if i can keep at least 4 tanks shooting for 3 turns i win the game pretty easily. But this formation alone really can't win missions at all, you really need some fast dynamic stuff in there to get up the board and contest. I have had some awesome fun running this formation with the Sicarian Killklade, the formation is a really good giving you run and charge for 1 turn of the game, and the footprint of these models is pretty big, they can easily bubblewrap the tanks if needed and they will really pwn anything coming out of a drop pod on the retaliation. The other thing I've been using is a Militarum Tempestus CAD, min maxing scion squads with 2 meltas and a taurox prime, the scions all deep strike leaving the taurox's empty to go get objectives with their sweet move 12 shoot everything fast vehicle rules, and 5 taurox primes put out alot more hurt that most opponents realize.

Emperor's First Armoured Company + Emperor's Blade Assault Company is a good option and can be run, with upgrades, very comfortably at 1850. As Guard, you need all free rules you can get. However, while PE on all targets within 6" of an objective is very nice for the Assault Company, I'm not sure running the same units out of a CAD and taking a Vulture instead of a Hellhound isn't a better option.

MrCalamari wrote:
A mostly tank army can do great things, I've been playing the emperors fist armoured company in my local meta for the past year or so on and off and its regularly putting my in the top 1/3 if not the top 1/4 at tournaments, mind you I can't seem to crack into the top tables but that's because whats on those top tables counters the hell out of our poor russ's. I'm taking the formation with a tank commander exterminator with kabe's herald, and he has a eradicator or vanquisher to literally some times cover his arse, then another eradicator (these dudes are amazing) and depending on the meta either a demolisher or executioner (this guys get s a bad wrap cos he kills himself but i find if it dies from over heats turn 3 chances are its already got its points back) and the last slot is for a punisher.
Kabe's Herald is everything in this list as if i am facing alpha strikes it allows me to start my tanks on the board rather than in reserves and use strike and shroud on the whole army, most of whom will have camo netting for a 4+ or even 3+ if night fighting.

This response has piqued my interest. I've been wanting a full tank list for a long time now. I have been and still am interested in the Hammer of Caliban formation from the Dark Angels. My problem is simply the lack of Skyfire. There are a few people who play flyers and flying monstrous creatures (like Tyranids). Seems The Steel Host might be a better option because it does have a vehicle with Skyfire. What would you recommend?

Thanks

SG

Play 30k Solar Auxilia or Imperial Militia as a Leviathan Detachment. Not only is it all tank, it's all /superheavy/ tank.

It also requires the opponent's permission.

 ServiceGames wrote:
..snip..
I've been wanting a full tank list for a long time now. I have been and still am interested in the Hammer of Caliban formation from the Dark Angels. My problem is simply the lack of Skyfire. There are a few people who play flyers and flying monstrous creatures (like Tyranids). Seems The Steel Host might be a better option because it does have a vehicle with Skyfire. What would you recommend?

Thanks

SG

The Wyvern is sadly less than ideal in the skyfire problem space. However, if you're willing to shell out for 2 of them, a Company command squad w/Chimera, techpriest and a manticore , you can take the Emprah's Wrath formation as an autonomous detachment which allows the tanks (!) to take some IG orders; most relevant of which is Ignores Cover. You also get a situation twin linked Manticore/Deathstrike as an added extra. Normally this is used to bolt on Wyverns to anything (and by all means take a wyvern instead of the second hydra), but if all you want is IG specific skyfire without CAD, this is the best way you're going to get it.

 malamis wrote:
The Wyvern is sadly less than ideal in the skyfire problem space. However, if you're willing to shell out for 2 of them, a Company command squad w/Chimera, techpriest and a manticore , you can take the Emprah's Wrath formation as an autonomous detachment which allows the tanks (!) to take some IG orders; most relevant of which is Ignores Cover. You also get a situation twin linked Manticore/Deathstrike as an added extra. Normally this is used to bolt on Wyverns to anything (and by all means take a wyvern instead of the second hydra), but if all you want is IG specific skyfire without CAD, this is the best way you're going to get it.

Thank you for all the great info! I'll definitely look more into this!

SG

 Ashiraya wrote:
It also requires the opponent's permission.

Yes, yes it does. In fact, playing the game requires your opponent's permission; I cannot think of a way to coerce someone to play 40k if they don't want to.

 gwarsh41 wrote:
It's taking rock scissors paper style armies to the extreme. If you face an army without much anti tank, you do well. Face a drop pod army, you lose. Face a well rounded army, you might do OK.

Inquisitor with servo skulls is essential for an army like this.