http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/31.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net IRL and I was curious as too how do the various race's tanks compare to each other. I've seen the comparisons of Russes to Hammerheads in the fluff all the time. Was wondering, how well do things like Chaos Predators stack up against Leman Russes or those Heresy Era tank destroyers which seem like they should tear apart anything they see when they appear do. Also Do Guard Vanquishers have an advantage on against Predators or Fire Prisms. We all know in the fluff that everything seems to tear apart tyranid bio tanks, but they also seem to slaughter rhino chassis vehicles such as when a T-Fex Lol one shot a Vindicator during the Devastation of Baal Series.

How Do Ork tanks stack up in the fluff?

Particularly where can I read this stuff myself as it fascinates me. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042452.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042452.page GMT IG armoured company sent to recover the Fortress of Arrogance, the Baneblade that Yarrick famously rode against Ghazzy in the battle for Golgotha.

Baneblade and Shadowsword are another two tank centric focused books by Guy Haley if you're interested.

But to answer your other questions, I'd say generally speaking Leman Russes are significantly sturdier compared to Predators. Leman Russes are basically the workhorse of the guard when it comes to armoured assaults, and while Predators are no slouch I feel like they rely on ambushes and outflanking more since Russes are pretty slow in comparison but they can take hits better due to their heavier armour. So in a 1v1 the Predator might have a slight advantage with their greater speed but usually there's a significantly higher number of LR compared to the number of Predators a SM chapter can field, so the Leman Russes should win most engagements head on through attrition unless the Predators get the drop on them.

Similarly, Eldar tanks are all about maneuvrability rather than durability, so in most stories they dance circles around the ponderous guard tanks, I'd say Fire Prisms usually decisively win even against LR Vanquishers simply because they're so hard to hit and the whole Eldar modus operandi is to do lightning strike assaults.

Ork tanks are a mixed bag, given that there isn't any real standardization of Ork tanks other than potentially even thicker armour plating or overboosted engines. The general thing is that most Ork tanks are relatively short ranged when it comes to their weapons, but they pack a lot more munitions and explosives compared to their non-Orky counterparts. So Ork tanks are incredibly deadly in cityfights where they can bring their weapons close to bear, and unlike Imperial/Eldar tanks, they're also often armed for ramming or close quarters combat with deffrollas and wrecking balls so in a long-range enagement Orks generally don't do so well, but once you make it close range Ork tanks hold their own pretty well, especially since there's a lot of them.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042460.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042460.page GMT
Now that is a long time on the battlefield but one of the things I've found in 40k Novels is that the Authors never seem to have an idea for how long some of these ranges are. Its one thing to drop within a few dozen meters of the guy in a drop pod, its another to move to engage, particularly in open areas under artillery fire. In addition I've also seen, particularly from forge world fixed casemate tank destroyers with powerful weaponry like the Sicarian Venator that would indicate the Imperium in its early days was regularly running into highly durable xenos tanks it needed the extra firepower to bust, or bunkers.

I guess it could also be used for auxiliary titan hunting but it seems strange at least from a 40k perspective as outside of Ork vehicles and chaos vehicles the majority of the Imperium's opponents field tanks which are just flat out better than theirs. What's shocking is how rare they make baneblades out to be. It seems a rather simple tank in comparison to things like Titans, they should be relatively common. Its just a Big tank. Hell the Germans in World War 1 were able to make 140 ton K Wagons, well their production got cut off by the armistice. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042466.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042466.page GMT 40K. They may appear occasionally in the form of transports, armored thrusts happening somewhere nearby but not that many others that follow the experiences of the actual tankers. Despite having several tank centric characters like Chronos or Pask.

You may have the occasional blurb here and there in codexes or passages in books but sadly most of the novels seem to focus on the ground pounders with the very rare dreads appearing here and there.

As for orks, yeah very few actual tanks appear in novels. The occasional buggy but that's a different beast. Maaaaaybe one or two stompas. But not many tanks. The few I can remember are the battlewagons, and they were used to run down some fleeing civilians with wire strung between the tanks. And maybe there will be some looted tanks. Beyond that. Yeah there's a shortage and it seems they don't use many if any traditional tanks outside of the FW killtank.

As for Leman russ compared to modern day tanks, they seem to sit closer to the state of late WW1 tanks. Basic tech, short range radio, not much in the way of targeting assistance that you'd get in the like of a current tank and fairly slow and clunky. The Baneblades and the like on the other hand are filled with tech of all sorts, auto loaders, ability to fire the turrets remotely, autoloaders and the lot. They really are more like battleships on land than actual tanks.
]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042472.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042472.page GMT ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042475.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042475.page GMT 40k was a thing.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042517.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042517.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042526.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/795722/11042526.page GMT