How do you run your Dunecrawlers?

[vadafallon]

In your list where you are running 3 of them do you a) run them all in one unit for the 4++ save, or do you run them in separate units so you can shoot at different targets? I have played a 1500 point battle and i had 2 in one unit and 1 by itself. The one by itself ate dirt the first round by some eldar. The other two lasted the whole game. Also any suggestions on kitting them out against an Eldar army. He had a Wraithknight last game but i think tonight he is going to be running a guardian host. We are only playing 1000 point tonight. 

[heron]

I only have two, so any thoughts on three are speculative, but I will say that its tempting to run three together for the extra save. I know that many people will feel that its overkill, and if you are paying for the neutron laser, or the skyfire, I am sure it could be, but I have up to this point run them stock with the Eradication Beamer, allowing me to spend the points on a Manipulator and Stubber for each of them. I have found with the beamer that I am rarely ever in a situation where it hasn't been good to pour more fire on the same unit- so I don't think I would hesitate to add a third one to the squad.

[Vel'Cona]

The 4++ is very tempting but it forces you to focus fire.  Since Kastelans bring a lot more Heavy Phosphor bang for the buck, I'd only consider taking a full Onager squadron if I'm leaving them stock, as heron said.  This is the cheapest way to run them in full squadrons, but it does restrict them to anti-infantry/light vehicle work unless they can get close to the enemy.

 

If you're going for the Icarus Array, you will probably never want to squadron these up since they're going to be targeting very specific units.

 

With the Neutron Laser, you really don't want to run full squadrons since few enemy units will warrant that much concentrated fire.  2 in a squadron is probably about right for Neutron Lasers (for redundancy), though you could run them solo if the table you're playing on has a reasonable level of terrain.

[Jarl of Wulfen]

I've played 3 games where I squaded 3 together.  2 Neutron lasers and a phosphor blaster, each with the extra stubber.  Against tau they were probably over kill.  I wiped out 3 broadsides behind an aegis.  Killed a 3 man crisis suit unit as well.  Against a necron warrior blob, despite all the shot and wounds I put on them, the player made a ridiculous amount of saves.  In the end I might have killed 5.  Against chaos marines I wiped out a 10 man unit.

 

The 4++ helped against the tau as he ws running lots of missiles on his broadsides and crisis suits.  The str 7 missiles eventually started taking their toll through weight of fire.  The same with the necron warriors and the guass rolling 6's.

 

I personally like running them in a 3 squad.

[Scurvydog]

I run them as singles, using their crawler rule to easily get them into cover, besides their large bases they are the easiest to position in cover, especially with scout you got a good shot at getting them where you want from the start.

 

I prefer the neutron lasers and an extra cognis heavy stubber, they are experts at crippling T5 elite squads like thunderwolves, and their long range is of great help to take shots at vehicles from the beginning of the game where other weaponry just can't reach.

[Dalymiddleboro]

Gonna be running a squad of 2 with icRus array. See you

Later flyrants/fliers/skimmers!!

[Terminus]

I have a Thanatar Prime and Thanatar Calix that I will be using to represent two Dunewalkers with two cognis stubbers, manipulator, and neutron laser.

[munocat]

I run one squad of 3 nuetron blasters with the extra heavy stubbers, and I also run a unit of 2 icarus auto canons.

 

I have had lots of success with both. Especially the once where I ran one Icarus canon, it destroyed 2 storm talons and a stormraven in 2 turns( intercepted one talon out, in my shooting used the other weapons and took the second one down). Also had good success with against eldar flyers

[Frater Cornelius]

Two solo Neutron is my favourite. No overkill, usually 4+ or 5+ cover and pretty annoying all around.

[Brother Amarel]

I only have two, so any thoughts on three are speculative, but I will say that its tempting to run three together for the extra save. I know that many people will feel that its overkill, and if you are paying for the neutron laser, or the skyfire, I am sure it could be, but I have up to this point run them stock with the Eradication Beamer, allowing me to spend the points on a Manipulator and Stubber for each of them. I have found with the beamer that I am rarely ever in a situation where it hasn't been good to pour more fire on the same unit- so I don't think I would hesitate to add a third one to the squad.

 

I also do not have three yet, but my first impression when they came out was that three in a unit all with Eradication Beamers and Cognis Manipulators would be a pretty menacing use of circa 350 pts (I'm used to IWND on vehicles from using Iron Hands and it can be a real pain to deal with, even on Dreadnoughts with similar stat-lines). 

 

However those armed with an Icarus Array or Neutron Laser are generally not going to need buddies to do their job in standard size games.

[Scurvydog]

I don't run my dunecrawlers with anything, the crawler rules says they cannot run... Ba dum tss :p

[Vel'Cona]

Gonna echo Immersturm here: dual Neutron Onagers is pretty solid for most lists.  As I go up in point values, I tend to just add more of these (since the Skitarii Maniple has 4 HS slots to burn anyway) to deal with increasingly larger numbers of tanks and elite infantry.

[MaulerUK]

When I get a second model I'll probably run them as a pair, one with the Icarus Array and the other with the Heavy Phosphor Blaster, both with Manipulators and Stubbers.  When I knew I was against a friend without fliers I took a Neutron Laser as I didn't have much other AT (and it makes the tank look awesome - always important!) and the thing killed a few models but ended up locked in combat vs a Morkanaut (or possibly a Gorkanaut) which had it's Klaw destroyed and my Dunecrawler slowly got battered into scrap as it was unable to damage the 'Naut without a Manipulator.  Lesson there!

 

In my game last week using my league list I had an Icarus Crawler vs a side with no flyers or skimmers but when chucking out 8 shots per turn, not including the Stubber it still hit on 6s surprisingly often, especially with the Gatling which was handy for killing Scouts with every hit.  I figure that plus a Blaster Onager may complement each other nicely as even vs flyers the Blaster should hit around half the time and S6 is the average AA strength...with -1 to Jink saves.

[Vel'Cona]

How did the Morkanaut get close enough to engage your Onager?

[Charlo]

Two solo Neutron is my favourite. No overkill, usually 4+ or 5+ cover and pretty annoying all around.

This is pretty much perfect. Add an icarus one if you feel the need for anti air/ skimmer,but keep it hidden if you aren't getting first turn. Or have something bigger to shoot at!

[Frater Cornelius]

Actually, now that I think of it, Dunecrawlers can not run.

Get it? :D

...

Alright, I am going back into my room

[78zrider]

2 neutron laser, 1 Icarus array in a unit

[MaulerUK]

How did the Morkanaut get close enough to engage your Onager?

 

It's faster and I didn't take any Haywire in my one-off Dark Angels/Skitarii list.  Orks were deployed forward and the Coke can (Cokeanaut) representing the damn thing was deployed just behind the front row.  Due to the terrain placement I had to move my Onager to get decent targets in LOS and that put him nearer the approaching frontline.  Yup, got caught!