Armoured battlegroup- Worth it?

[Arufel87]

I have recently researched this forgeworld option and it looks intriguing as an allied detachment. The beasthunter shells on a vanquisher in particular seem to fill a gap that guard might find difficult such as daemon princes and riptides. I am wondering if they are at all viable as a primary detachment? I know scoring is limited but I suppose you could reserve some squads in chimeras to grab objectives. 

[Kilofix]

In games under 2000 points, I tend to have more infantry nowadays. So I use the standard IG as my main detachment. It provides me with Infantry Orders (AB does not).

 

In games over 2000 points, where I may have much more armor (and where my opponents have more heavies that require armor to deal with) then I may use the AB as my main detachment.

 

That said, if I know that I'm going up against something like Nids, I take a Command and / or Commisar Vanquisher with Beast Hunter (along with the requisite Troop 1 squad in Chimera) as an Allied Detachment.

[WarriorFish]

Where is the Armoured army list these days? I remember it in days of yore, but has it been updated in one of the more recent books in some way?

 

That aside, I feel the Guard codex makes for a better primary if you want to ally them in like Kilo says. That way you can get the best of both worlds as the allied FOC will likely have all you want for your specialist tank needs. The tanks aren't cheap so cost can rack up quickly in order to get enough on the table, so at higher points it becomes more viable as your primary. Tanks aren't quite as durable in 6th, but a Russ is still a Russ!

[Kilofix]

It's definately in IA:Vol 1 Second Edition (but could be elsewhere too, not sure).

[Warhead01]

It looks like a good rule set. It doesn't read like it will play to differently from a vet spam id army packing loads of tanks.

If anything it opens up the potion for a few more tanks and aircraft in slots they wouldn't normally get to be in. 

[Arufel87]

I think the main advantage is those instant death shells and access to BS 4 russes. If you were planning to run guardsmen in chimeras anyway then it looks like it could be solid. There's a read only version online but not sure if I can post it and still maintain the forum rules. Also the fact that you can give orders to other tanks getting an enemy to re-roll cover saves can be very useful. 

[WarriorFish]

Last I remember, I think FW had it up for download but sadly my copy went with my PC. I'm assuming it's still the same one, unless there was a 6th update? If it's something that FW or GW provides for download then you can link to it ok :)

[Arufel87]

It has changed since then. The new version is in Imperial Armour 1 2nd edition. It basically adds special ammunition for commander and commissar tanks as well as a new warlord table and some extra gear. The shells I mentioned before are an upgrade for a vanquisher and allows it a S8 AP2 small blast that causes instant death! Combined with a co-axle heavy stubber for twin-linking at BS4 it can be a pretty reliable tank and MC killer. 

[Kilofix]

Oh right, apart from those Beast Hunter shells, theres the co-axial that allows rerolls for the main gun helps.

 

Also along with the other order that forces a reroll of cover saves. That makes even the regular LR BT more potent.

 

Also along with the other shell that makes the LR like a Hellhound.

[WarriorFish]

Poop. I'm a little out of date on the FW books, maybe I'll look into it at some point. I do like tanks, so fielding nothing but tanks would be quite fun!

[hendrik]

the armoured battalion is a no-brainer options as soon as your normal list includes at least 2 leman russes since the only tax you have to pay is the 10 pts upgrade of a normal leman russ into a command tank, making it BS4 at the same time (hardly a tax if you ask me!) and here's why:

-includes special upgrades not accesable in the normal codex: beast hunter shells,coaxial weapons, etc etc

-hellhounds have an extra 6" range on their flamer

as well as all the extra goodies that come in the IA volume 1 second edition

 

however, i've played with the armoured battalion list ever since it was rereleased (and before) and i've found it i tend to prefer normal imperial guard as my primary list and allied armoured battalion instead of the other way around.

one of the main reasons is the survivability of a command squad in comparison to a leman russ.

WHOAH, hold you're horses. i'm not saying a 5 man command squad is more durable than that AV14 leman russ command tank. but unlike the command vanquisher it has a lower dammage output, making it a less high ranking target for my opponent. now suddently my opponent won't get "slay the warlord" anymore when he destroys my beloved command vanquisher. in addition you can always field a second "actuall" command squad. keeping the bare bones(maybe upgrade with a mortar) in reserves and safe from harm. but more over, denying your opponent that precious "slay the warlord". In addition the armoured battalion list also doesn't have acces to manticores, which are rock solid, especially the IA volume 1 2nd edition variant which is cheaper, has a more powerful weapon profile and can be squadroned!(and yet can only be taken in normal imperial guard armies. Besides, in 2000-2500 pts games i've rarely found the need to field more than 1 command tank.

[FashaTheDog]

Is it worth it, you ask.  The first question I have for you is are you a tread-head?  If yes skip to the next paragraph.  If no, then do you run Veterans in Chimeras and/or Valkyrie/Vendettas as your main scoring units?  If yes skip to the next paragraph, otherwise do you hate vehicles?  If yes, leave the thread, otherwise continue on to the next paragraph.

 

The list is good and can hold its own as a primary.  The major weakness is that you only have a small number of scoring units, but you get Vendettas so you can just have a few empty Chimeras instead and if you want you can back it up with more aircraft from your heavy support.  If you want Oddball from Kelly's Heroes, you can take him as an HQ unit.  There are options for a traditional command squad in a Chimera if you want to keep your warlord hidden away, but I'm cavalier enough to say "damn the meltas and full speed ahead," driving my entire armored might right down my foe's throat.  I don't mean in a "drive me closer, I want to hit them with my sword" kind of way, but rather a concentrated attack against one flank or the other utilizing the ability to move and still drop ordnance to keep my foe reacting rather than letting them dictate the flow of the game.  It is not always successful or wise (Necrons, may they rust), but it is great fun and is no less viable a build than a great many others (like many lists in 40K it has hard counters and is a hard counter to others).  It is also worth noting that while hull points makes tanks easy to kill, running a dozen or so Leman Russ chassis can go a long way to mitigating that weakness.