The Emperor's Wrath Artillery Company formation Questions

[Exark]

Hey fellow Guardsmen, I've recently begun using this gem as an allied formation for my space wolves and I've been finding it fairly decent (mostly due to the cover ignoring Basilisk I bring and the Wyverns....throne the Wyverns)

 

Anyway I had a thought regarding the annoying Manticore tax and was wondering what the consensus was, the thing is the Forgeworld version is not only cheaper by about 25 points but it comes base with Manticore missiles, S9 AP2 7" blast that don't (AFAIK) have that annoying "cannot fire directly" caveat that the Manitocre has in the codex, nor do the FW Storm Eagle missiles. Now here's my question: 1)Is this version still legal and

2)Is its legal to swap in this entry for the AM codex entry when building the Emp's wrath artillery company

 

I'm inclined to go with yes given its the exact same unit, sense it is possible (at least AFAIK) to use the FW versions of the codex units isn't (Like LRBTs Chimeras etc. even though you'd be at a disadvantage)

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong. 

[The Acid Dog]

Interesting question... The GW plastic Manticore was the first version of the Manticore I was familiar with, as I wasn't really that into FW at the time. I'm going to do some research on the subject, but to answer your question: Where are you hoping to bring this formation, friendly games in your local scene or a tournament? If it's a friendly game, just okay it with your buddies. I'm sure they'll be accomodating, as you can only bring one per formation anyway (if I remember right). If it's a tournament, it's a two-fold issue.

1. How current are the FW Manticore rules? What edition were they printed for and have they since been reprinted to be up to the current edition?

2. The Mont'Ka book states that the formations can be used alongside the rules found in Codex: Astra Militarum. Per legalese, this means they can only be used with the AM codex Manticore... However, if the FW Manticore rules have been reprinted and are current, they may say something along the lines of "You may use these rules in place of the rules found in Codex: Astra Militarum," or something to that effect, or pay an appropriate points cost for missile upgrades, etc. That may give you a backdoor to use them in the formation.

At the end of the day, though, if you really want to use them in a tournament, you have to ask the tournament organizer. They may say it's fine or they may bar you for a myriad of reasons, from "I think it was intended to be balanced with the standard GW Manticore rules," to "I hate you."

(Note: If the latter is the reason, maybe consider finding a different tournament scene? )

[WarriorFish]

The FW one is pretty much supplanted by the GW version, so I don't think you'd get much traction trying to swap it. It's not so much of a tax though as it is pretty nasty, dropping a load of pie plates on parking lots is fun and it'll put wounds on other things easily. You might find it takes from flak for your other units too.

[librisrouge]

Officially, you're stuck with the GW codex version. Its the most recent rules so they're what you get. The only exception would be from Tournament Organizers and friendly allowances.

 

With that statement in mind, ITC allows IG players to us the FW version and, since it is still a Manticore, it should be fine in the formation. Personally, I like the GW version and would use it a lot more if it were a Russ. What can I say, I like heavier armor.

[Goonbandito]

I wouldnt exactly consider D3 S10 AP4 Large Blasts with Ignore Cover (you are taking the Swagger Stick relic on the company commander right?) for the first 4 turns of the game a tax.