Legiones Astartes War Machine Detachment rule

[Canadian_F_H]

i've been thinking about this one a fair bit recently.  I had completely overlooked it until a month ago.  Apparently in the Legiones Astartes Army List REDBOOK there is a rule towards the beginning that they can include squadrons of 2 similar superheavies so long as each of them is below 25% of your army's points and has 8 or less hull points each.

 

Maybe I missed it, but i was trying to find a good discussion about this on the B&C, and I couldn't find it.  So lets start one! (or point this fool at the one I missed)

 

 

For my own perspective, we play almost exclusively 3000 point games locally, except when we play 2vs2 and then each player has 3000 points.

 

I am the only player who hasn't brought a LOW yet, and I am getting ready to change that.  actually i have yet to play a game where anybody didn't take a LOW or Primarch(as a low or not)

 

 

viable candidates for the War Machine Detachment are the macharius tanks, the spartan-esque tanks, various knights questoris and some other things I am less familiar with.

 

I was thinking of taking a pair of Typhons or a pair of Macharius Vanquishers.

 

 

Has anybody else used the War Machine Detachment rule?  What options do you think are effective or interesting.

[Marshal Vespasian]

I think the macharius omega (?) the one with the shadowblade gun might be pretty brutal, two 7'' s10 ap2 templates a turn should be pretty brutal.

 

I havent yet used anything bigger than a spartan but on my to get list are a typhon a falchion and a fellblade. Maybe the shadowsword since I like the sound of apoc blast sized plasma explosions at s10 ap2 and a plasma blastgun should be converted pretty easily.

[Canadian_F_H]

and the next day google reveals a topic.  

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/341936-war-machine-detatchment-is-there-a-list-of-all-options/

 

It is an old topic, good for a reference, but no need to Necromance it.

 

 

I have been pondering the tactical options of the War Machine Detachment.  WMD for short.  oh how appropriate?  So far i've looked at the following pairs of LOW.

1. Dominus Armoured Siege Bombards (never had a model, but often simply 3 big guns mounted on a Crassus chassis aka macharius or preator chassis)
2. Praetor Armoured Assault Launchers
3. Macharius Vanquishers
4. Macharius Omegas (model discontinued)
5. Typhon Heavy Siege Tanks

Points costs are always a factor.  For all I assume we are paying for space marine crew and things like Armoured Ceramite when available. used BS because my books arent handy, and i have a feeling somethings might not be right since they don't have all the stats and options look to be missing, but its a start.

 

the dominus and praetors are fairly inexpensive. 2 praetors are 630pts, and 2 Dominus are 590points.

the Macharius Vanquishers are 780 and the Macharius Omegas are 740.

and the Typhons are 870 (with Armoured ceramite, and heavy bolter sponsons)

 

 

Durability!

 

they are all Super Heavies with 6HP, making 12HP for each pair.  SH = Immune to damage results which is always good, and since many of these are individually of comparable cost to things like Spartans that are not superheavies, this is a very important difference to me.  unlike singular LOW choices with as much as 12HP being separate units any damage from an attack that goes over their remaining HP on one is wasted, this probably won't amount to too much, but every little bit helps.  plus they can move independently which can help one or the other out maneuver the enemy's best weapons for hunting Super Heavies.

 

the Typhon is AV14 all around and can have armoured ceramite.  the pair have a combined 12HP.  this will take serious dedicated anti-tank to eliminate.

 

all the rest are AV:14/13/12  not too shabby.

 

The Dominus and 2 of the variations of the Praetor have Barrage weapons, so they can hide out of LOS.

 

 

Firepower!

 

Praetors long range helps them stay out of danger.  I can see a pair of praetors surviving late into a lot of games because they are out of LOS of the enemy Deployment zone, very far from the enemy, and ultimately durable enough to survive whatever eventually gets a shot at them.  otherwise they are just a pair of durable twinlinked 2 shot earthshaker equivalents.  or a long ranged S6 AP4 ignores cover barrage weapon, depending on the rockets you chose.

 

the Dominus when it doesn't move shoots like a medusa battery except AP3.  which is nice. botht the Dominus and Praetor have barrage weapons which go well with Iron Fire.

 

the Macharius variations have a fair bit of firepower.  the Omega fires either 3 5" blasts of S7AP2 plasma, or a single 7" blast at S9 AP2 with a "gets hot" rule that inflicts d3 glances on a 1.  both version have "primary weapon" which if i recall has a similar rule to ordinance when shooting at vehicles. 

 

the Vanquisher rules aren't on BS, so i am not certain, but i believe it has an ordinance 2 twin linked battle cannon with a 7" blast.  or it can fire like a twin linked version of a leman russ vanquisher (might be 2 shots?  im not sure)

 

and of course the glorious Typhon has a S10 AP1 Primary Weapon 1, Massive Blast (7" right?), No Cover Save Allowed.  which a pair of these might cost you friends.

[Cadmus Tyro]

Just a quick question, the version of the rules for the omega that I have (imperial armour apocalypse version 2) state a single glancing hit is suffered when used on overcharge. Where does the D3 come from?

 

Cadmus

[Canadian_F_H]

Just a quick question, the version of the rules for the omega that I have (imperial armour apocalypse version 2) state a single glancing hit is suffered when used on overcharge. Where does the D3 come from?

 

Cadmus

According to battlescribe

Macharius Omega

Omega Pattern Plasma Blastgun (Maximal) Has the "Meltdown" rule.

 

Roll 1d6 for each shot fired by the weapon... On a 1 (after Rerolls if applicable) the vehicle suffers D3 glancing hits.

 

IA Apoc 2013 p135

 

...

 

If this is out of date then that's something that needs to be pointed out to the folks that maintain the BS files.

[Cadmus Tyro]

Interesting, so the Imperial armour apocalypse: second edition, was printed 2011. So it would seem that the 2013 iteration of the rules supersede my copy. Although, I would like to see a copy of the unit entry see if anything else changed.

 

Cadmus