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Greetings everyone,

So I have a friendly little game for those of us who post in this section. It's not for anything, just for funsies, but with that in mind here goes:

Design the points, options, and statline for a new Astra Militarum Auxillia unit:

"Ratling Tanks"

Obviously the idea here is some kind of armored vehicle crewed by Ratlings, but aside from that: go nuts! Personally, I envision something kinda similar to the ork "grot tanks" idea, but with some unique flavor and such. That's just me though.

What's your idea?

So, anywhere from a cheap as chips 80 points for 9 T6 wounds with a whopping 14" move, to 210 for a fully kitted out Sniper Tank with three sets of Defensive Sponsons.

Notably, Shoot and Scuttle combos well with Defensive Sponsons, allowing you to basically "Nope" a charge once per game.

Ratling Tank
WS 6+
BS 3+/4+/5+
S 6
T 7
W 10
A 3/D3/1
Ld 5
Sv 4+
Mv 6"/3"/1"

Weapons:
Two Gatling Sniper Cannons: Heavy 6, 36", S6, AP-1, dmg 1: Each time you select a target for this ranged weapon, you can ignore the Look Out Sir rule. Each unmodified wound roll of 6 causes a mortal wound in addition to the weapon's normal damage.

Thud Mortar: Heavy d6, 48", S4, AP-1, dmg 1: Blast. Each time you select a target for this ranged weapon, you can ignore the Look Out Sir rule. Each unmodified wound roll of 6 decreases the target's Movement characteristic by 1 to a minimum of 1" until the end of its target's next movement phase.

Special Rules:
Low Profile: The Ratling Tank treats all intervening Hills and Ruins as Dense terrain when resolving attacks made against it.

Cowardly Crew: At the end of your Morale phase, if any friendly unit was destroyed or lost models due to a failed Morale test while within 3" of the Ratling Tank, roll a Morale test for the Ratling Tank. Add 1 to the roll for each model lost this way within range.

Please let me see a model for this eventually! That would be awesome!

My first thought is, "Why would they go out of their way to make a tank specifically for ratlings? What's the advantage?" And the answer, to my mind, must surely be related to their small size.

So rather than doing a sniper tank or what have you, I'm picturing a tiny little baby tank that can navigate in close quarters. The kind of thing you send into the lower levels of the hive that your normal tanks can't be deployed to. So maybe something like this:

M - 14"
WS 6+
BS 4+
S 5
T 5
W 6
A 2
Ld 6+
Sv 4+

Squad: 1-3 models.
Wargear: 2 heavy stubbers and a twin heavy stubber.

Special Rules:
Cranny Crawler: This unit ignores difficult terrain. If this unit is placed in strategic reserves, do not count its power level when determining how many CP you pay to place units in strategic reserves.

Scurry Off: This unit may shoot on a turn in which it fell back but suffers a -1 to hit when it does so.

Options:
You may replace any model's twin heavy stubber for either a meltagun or a flamer.


So the idea is that it doesn't pack a ton of firepower, and it's not all that durable for a vehicle, but it can come in from an unexpected angle and shoot even after driving off. Just a cheap, mobile harassment unit. I can't think of another IG unit that really fills the niche. The closest thing would probably be sentinels, and they can't outflank for "free" or shoot after falling back.

The Hoover Tank, a vacuum-cleaner/main battle tank with a cost of 233 pts.

BS 4 Leman Russ hull with an all-munitions anti-tank gun and an all-munitions anti-infantry gun and finally an all-munitions anti-air gun and a suction cannon. It does not have Grinding Advance, instead it has the Hoovering Menace ability. Hoovering Menace: Infantry models within 6" of this model must subtract 1 from hit rolls as their ammunition and weapons are hoovered up by the Hoover Tank.

The all-munitions anti-tank gun is a lascannon that can fire twice if a model armed with a heavy weapon was destroyed while within 6" of the Hoover Tank since the end of your previous Shooting phase.

The all-munitions anti-infantry gun is a storm bolter that can fire twice if a model armed with a rapid fire weapon was destroyed while within 6" of the Hoover Tank since the end of your previous Shooting phase.

The all-munitions anti-air gun is an assault 2 autocannon that can fire twice if a model armed with an assault weapon was destroyed while within 6" of the Hoover Tank since the end of your previous Shooting phase.

The suction cannon is a heavy flamer, it can fire again after firing unless no models were destroyed in the attack, in which case something must have gotten stuck in the damn thing.

Pretty great responses so far!

I'm a little surprised no one tried to give out any ability to synergize with the other Ratlings (or ogryn) out there though :-)

Bugbear ATV

M14" WS5+ BS 3+ S2 T5 W6 Ld5 Sv4+

1-3 in a unit, each armed with one of the following:
- Twin autocannon
- Twin multi-laser
- Twin multiple rocket pod

Low profile: Subtract 1 from hit rolls for attacks made with ranged weapons that target this unit.

Spotters: At the start of your Shooting phase this unit may select a single enemy unit within 36" and line of sight. One friendly ASTRA MILITARUM unit within 6" (or RATLING unit within 18") adds 1 to any hit rolls that target the chosen unit until the end of the Shooting phase.

So, with leerm02 announce a winner?

Rattank.

move 7 inch, s5 t6 wounds 7 bs 3+ (there is a rat driver and gunner) ws5+. It has a scout move. Save 3+

The "rat tank" gets a ranged and close option. Ranged.. a missle launcher that is stolen from the taurox prime, ie, it can fire 2 shots s8/-2/d6 or 2d6 4/-/1. Unlike the taurox prime, it has a range of only 24 inches, still, bs3.
Alternately, it can replace the missle launcher with a twin heavy flamer and chainsword like thing that runs the length of the front bumper. This grants +1A and +1ap in melee.

These are small tanks. Maybe half the size of a taurox. Two ratlings drive it from the tiny cockpit in the very back, a driver on one side and a gunner using the weaponry built into the top of the cockpit (which is basicalyl open, so the weaponry up there has a couple control arms that reach down and back.)
In front, it has two tread drivers and in the back, it has a single largish wheel that comes down out the center. The machinery of the tank is mostly in front of the drivers, adding to the hopes they won't be blown to paste before the tank is. So a sort of demented tripod with the engine also serving as the box on which the weapon sits, with the cowering 2 little rats behind it.
The special ability it has is that any ratling wholly within 3 inch of it gains cover (+1 save style cover, which I believe gives them a net of +2 from their ability).
The special strategem it has is that ratlings
less than 1 inch away from it to their base can gain character protection. All of them. 1 cp, for the shooting phase, for any and all ratlings (even if multiple units) that are within this 1 inch to base contact, you got to treat them like they are all characters while shooting at them, and look, its a vehicle RIGHT THERE. However, there is trailing back to the unit -- each model protected must individually pass the under 1 inch to the craft test. The strategem affects the tank, giving the ability to do this, and not the individual protected ratlings directly. So only 1 cp per turn will "do it".

In use, practically, its not about its meh speed or moderately ok firepower -- but its basically a mobile (if not ultra sturdy) wall that ratlings can use to advance closer to an enemy while not being blown away with their t2 selves. The scout move serves to offset its rather unimpressive speed, or perhaps, the unimpressive speed offsets the scout move.

If.. sorry, WHEN.. it dies, it explodes on a +, and does d3 mortal wounds in a d6 inch radius. Sucks to be the ratlings then.

I know, I forgot Keywords, and there are typos, but...