Predator trio

[chapter master 454]

Now I'm a man who loves his tanks, armies whose feet are treads and whose guns echo through the battlefield. However I recently got myself at GDUK'09 a predator box set which is now a 3rd rhino chassis with interchangable weapons (blu-tac for the win!!!). Now I would like to field this one along with the other two (a destructor with LC sponsons and an Annilator with HB sponsons) by replacing one of my tanks which is a vindicator. The armaments would be the (in)famous dakka predator with HK, SB and EA to compensate for the loss of anti-infantry power (thats it's main role, never was a tank-hunter), the main thing I'm wondering is would it be a good choice or no difference at all?

 

Currently the list is very armour orienated: 2 venerable dreads with ACs and DCCW/HF&DCCW/SB, MotF with power weapon and 5 tech servitors, MotF with conversion beamer and 2 plasma cannon servitors, techmarines with full servo harness and 5 tech servitors, 2 tactical squads with plasma cannons and flamers. Repairing the tanks isn't a problem, the techmarine is charged with all 3 of them and so all I have to do it pick 2 that will be close to support each other and so the tech doesn't have to run far. The first Destructor (with LC sponsons) is the tank-hunter while the annilator (with HB sponsons) pairs up with the dakka pred to do anti-infantry (Total shots fired combined: 19. They have SBs. 21 if I let loose the HKs) so I feel they would do well in scything down enemy infantry and if infantry is hiding or sparse I can target light armour with the HKs, autocannon and TLLC for some extra tank-killing.

 

So let me just ask once more so the question is clear: Would replacing a vindicator a dakka predator work in this army?

[ShinyRhino]

Sounds like it would work well con combination with your Techamrines. But, one thing you'll lose is some heavy rolling fire to escort your Rhinos full of marines. The Vindicator works really well in that cpacity, as folks fear it (and rightly so), and so will focus fire on it instead of the Rhinos.

Preds are best when stationary, which lends itself to your Techmarine build. Vindicators have too shrot a range to just hang out in one spot.

[chapter master 454]

Sounds like it would work well con combination with your Techamrines. But, one thing you'll lose is some heavy rolling fire to escort your Rhinos full of marines. The Vindicator works really well in that cpacity, as folks fear it (and rightly so), and so will focus fire on it instead of the Rhinos.

Preds are best when stationary, which lends itself to your Techmarine build. Vindicators have too shrot a range to just hang out in one spot.

 

I don't have rhinos, they foot slog it (don't have the models ether, the 3 preds take them up) however I tend to send them to the objective leap frogging cover best I can to be safely within a last turn dash to the objective. I just had a match with the 3 preds against imperial guard and it didn't go well, too much front armour of 14 going around (4 leman russes, 2 normal, 1 vanquisher and 1 demolisher) with rather packed terrain city style. The pie plates and high volume of wounds took out my troops (however seeing a demolisher rolling three 1s on it's first 'to wound' roll was great) gradually and slowly and at turn 6 I took a draw by running a dread up a building king kong style however the match by then if it went any longer was easily mine since he had lost his vanquisher to a charging dread, his demolisher to tech servitors (highlight of the match!!!) and one to an assault cannon immobilising a leman russ in a squadron (oh how I loved that, killing a leman russ like that is so good) and his transprts were falling like flys along with his troops (one of which was run down by tech servitors that had lost their techmarine. those servitors weren't too happy about the techmarine dying). Personally the vindicator would of done better here (siege shield through the ruins) with the cramped area and blast the enemy armour away with it (lack of target here). In the end it was the poor line of sights that got me, I couldn't get my real anti-tank predator at the other leman russes and the assault cannons thanks to DoW deployment didn't reach til about turn 3-4 however I did well and the trio of preds will see service again next week.

 

Gonna refine the list more though, going to drop some upgrades here and there to try and fit something else in or do up other squads. Good list just needs some more troops (only 20 tactical marines in total, 2 troop choices. Not alot of scoring power)

[minigun762]

I think the Dakka Predator is a good match for Vindicators (same logic as Baal's for Blood Angel).

The reason is simple, after you've hit a squad with 1-2 pie plates, they're probably too thinned out to make for a really good target, so you finish the job with multi-shot dakka.

 

And against AV10 unit spamming like Warwalkers, Sentinels or Raiders where the Demolisher Cannon is both overkill and Unreliable, having the multi-shot weapons is against useful.

[Bannus]

I don't have rhinos, they foot slog it (don't have the models ether, the 3 preds take them up)...

In your position, I would magnetize them so you could configure them as either Rhinos or Preds - whatever is the need.

 

In fact, I have a set of 'twins' set up for that very purpose.

[chapter master 454]

I don't have rhinos, they foot slog it (don't have the models ether, the 3 preds take them up)...

In your position, I would magnetize them so you could configure them as either Rhinos or Preds - whatever is the need.

 

In fact, I have a set of 'twins' set up for that very purpose.

 

None of the weapons are glued on, they are all interchangable between razorback, pred and rhino. No worries there but I doubt I'm allowed to change their form mid-battle (transformer style!)