Plasma Cannon vs. Heavy Bolter

[Kaldoth]

Well, I'm having a hard time deciding what I want to kit out my tac squads with. I'm playing a Raven Guard army, and I'd like my force to be mainly troop based. At most, I'll have a few land speeders and rhinos to transport my troops, but that'll be about it for vehicles (barring Apoc games). I want to kit out my troops for troop killing, leaving the tank busting to the Assault Marines and the Speeders. I'm a bit hung up on what to kit my troops with, though. Between Plasma Cannons and Heavy Bolters for the weapon choices, it's a tough call.

 

On the plus side for Plasma Cannons, they have a higher strength and AP than the heavy bolter. This gives me the option of not only killing basic troops, but also more elite troops and light vehicles found in other armies. It also fires with the small blast template, which would be great against horde armies. But, on the down side there is the possibility for scatter, and I generally never find myself fitting more than three models under the small blast template, and there is the possibility of the gun suffering a Gets Hot! roll.

 

For Heavy Bolters, I have the same range as a Plasma Cannon, no scatter, no chance of killing my own model. Though there is no guarantee I will get three hits on the dice, the odds are in my favor, and that's a guaranteed three hits if I do. On the down side, the strength and AP are lower than that of the Plasma Cannon, so taking out more elite infantry would be a bit harder to do. But, then again, with massed bolter fire, it may not matter. The strength and AP of a Heavy Bolter are also strong enough to ignore most non PA armor saves.

 

So, what does everybody think? I'm thinking for unit composition, plasma gun and cannon, or heavy bolter and plasma gun/flamer, depending on who I'd be fighting.

 

Cheers,

-Kal

[rat of vengence]

A heavy bolter won't make anyone think twice about deepstriking terminators/crisis suits nearby. Plasma cannons do. And at only +5 points too! :)

 

Mind you, I seem to miss far more than you would think with the cannon. But when it hits, it can be gold. Oh, it ignores FnP and anyones armour save too. Instant kills T3.

 

RoV

[minigun762]

I think both are viable to be honest. Having said that, I'd probably go with Plasma Cannons as they make better multi-purpose weapons and in Tacticals, they're only 5 points more.

 

Between Dakka Predators, RifleDreads, Attack Bikes and Speeders, I think that the Heavy Bolter niche can be covered elsewhere, but you don't have the same variety of locations for the Plasma Cannon and only one of them is mobile.

[Giga]

I always have one tac squad with a plasma cannon.

 

It's cheap, strong, and worries the opponent.

 

Heavy bolter on the other hand is nothing special. It's only advantage is that it's free, but I'd take a missile launcher over it anyday.

[Daeghrefn]

Definitely Plasma Cannon, rather than Heavy Bolter. I usually run three tactical squads; two with missile launchers and one with plasma cannon. PC is good against just about everything... heavy bolter is only useful on a few targets.

[chapter master 454]

My tacticals will only ever see 4 weapons armed to the basic marine in them: Plasma gun, Plasma cannon, Flamer and Missle launcher. Ok sure you've got a safe 3 shots that will hit 2 out of 3 shots and with MEQs wound about 2 thirds so at least one wound but armour saves will ruin your day. Plasma cannons however are the most under-pointed upgrade ever, then again even if they were 10pts I'd take them! Yes there's 'gets hot' but statistically it'll do that once a battle and even less than a third of your overheats will kill your marine. The benefit, well let me put it this way when I put on on a servitor: It nailed 3 out of 5, a measly 40point model with T3 just wiped out 3 times it's own points cost with one shot and thats one of my body bag servitors for my MotF with conversion beamer!

 

Plasma weapons to me are sendings of the emperor, they just do so well and are so darn effective it's unreal they're as cheap as they are (well ok, plasma pistols tend to be steep but 15pts for an assault1 Str7 AP2 shot and +1 attack in CC if you have the ever present power weapon is a good deal) and if i was ever asked what kind of devastor squad I'd field, I'd be torn between missle launchers and plasma cannons because both are so versatile. Plasma cannons can do some game winning shots in one turn: terminators in the way, a blast or two will clear them. Maybe just the one will do for what you need. Those horde guys getting in your way, swift barrages of this weapon soon see those nob squads hurt bad as they find their FNP roll taken away so your other guys don't need to sink fire into them and concetrate on taking down that 30 strong conga line of orks. Very few weapons can match what the plasma does however don't have the benefits of being ether fairly priced or just too rare to make such an effective impact. Plasma cannon vs. HB is a no-brainer, however ML vs. PC is a close call for me (long time ago a veteran who I have missed dearly and who formed what I am told me missle launchers are the most versitile weapon there is. He may be gone now from GW Falkirk but I have never ever forgotten that advice and so far, it's yet to be proved wrong!)

[DerekLee688]

My heavy bolter serves me fine on the razorback or Typhoon LS. I may even run a formation of land speeders with nothing but heavy bolters.

 

As for plasma cannons, they'll sit with an objective holding Tac squad every time because nothing else scares a Deep striking whatever worse than that. It's just as mean to anything that wants to drop a transport of whatever nearby too.

[Ming]

I put Plasma Cannons in scoring units, and heavy bolters and MLs in dev squads, just to get the most from the point costs. I have in the armory more PGs than MGs, as well, so PC-PG squads are getting to be more common in my list builds. In addition, I am always looking to max on AP2/AP1 weapons whenever I can. That is a big edge in everything we do.

[minigun762]

My heavy bolter serves me fine on the razorback or Typhoon LS. I may even run a formation of land speeders with nothing but heavy bolters.

 

Yeah TL Heavy Bolter Razorbacks are great buys I think. 40 points for a mobile dakka platform, hell yeah.

[I AM THE AWESOME]

Can you accompany a plasma cannon-armed Tactical Squad with a TLHB Razor? Yes? Can you accompany a heavy bolter-armed Tactical Squad with a PC Razor? No? Well, there you go.

[slayer138]

I've killed Leman Russ's with plasma, nuff said

[Deus de Mortalis]

I've killed Leman Russ's with plasma, nuff said

 

Though scout's krak grenade can too.

[chapter master 454]

I've killed Leman Russ's with plasma, nuff said

 

Though scout's krak grenade can too.

 

Along with tech servitors, it was sweet, demolisher leman russ too!

 

Edit, making it clear the servs destroyed a leman russ demolisher, mind lock can't stop the servs of destruction!

[Frosty the Pyro]

I would take the plasma cannon. Almost garenteed kills when a plasma cannon hits, and you have a .611 chance to hit the model targeted by the plasma cannon (.444 to get no scatter). The heavy bolter only has a .3 chance of hitting with all three (.44 for 2 hits, .22 for one hit and .04 for no hits) or an average of 2 hits. When you consider average to wound and saves, plasma is going to win, even with the chance to lose the model to gets hot (which is only a .056 chance)