Titan orbital combat drop?

[Trokair]

So I know Titans are normally ferried down to planets in specialised landers, then have to be prepared and such before they Walk.

 

Knights operate on similar principle, though in one of the HH books there was a drop castle thing that could deploy a household into battle directly/act as instant fortification.

 

 

Now this is where I am not sure I am remembering something, or just headcanon that’s been in my head for so long that I am conflating it with actual fluff.

 

I seem to remember old fluff (mid 3^rd edition  or early) abut some Titan legions being able to drop Titants directly into combat akin to space marines and their drop pods.

 

I have looked through my old WD and other books from the time but have found nothing, but I do not have AT/Epic rulebook (which I suspect would be the most obvious source). I have also had a look at some modern wikis but found nothing conclusive.

 

 

So does anybody else remember such a lore snippet, and if so any further details.

 

 

 

Actual fluff aside (if there is non) how feasible would you consider a small specialised Legio be that consists mostly of Reavers that can be combat dropped from orbit if needed (though obviously only when required, proper landers and Walking is still the normal way).  

Edited May 6, 2022 by Trokair

[Noserenda]

Im sure i recall something similar in the old old days too, but typically titans are dropped somewhat out of combat these days, the cowards :D 

[Beren]

Horus Heresy era Legio Tempestus is known to apply this tactic upon occassion (they even have a stratagem to represent it.)

 

Loyalist Legios and Knight Households also dropped knights and titans directly into combat as desperate reinforcements to the battle for the Carthega Telapathica during the final stage of the battle in the Beta-Garmon system, though they risked suffering damage and being destroyed in the process (again, there are scenario rules to represent this).

[Xin Ceithan]

I am not sure if something like this is mentioned in Abnett’s Titanicus also?

 

The Titan Landers are described as Coffin Ships anyway and in the Titandeath HH book, they already have literal bastions defended by   Knight engines in space, so I’d say it’s not to far a stretch to assume either dropping the entire lander as a sort of bastion drop pod with Titans or at least having something alike a dread naught drop pod available to them.

[Trokair]

Im sure i recall something similar in the old old days too, but typically titans are dropped somewhat out of combat these days, the cowards

 

Nice to know I am not the only one who remembers this.

 

Horus Heresy era Legio Tempestus is known to apply this tactic upon occassion (they even have a stratagem to represent it.)

 

Loyalist Legios and Knight Households also dropped knights and titans directly into combat as desperate reinforcements to the battle for the Carthega Telapathica during the final stage of the battle in the Beta-Garmon system, though they risked suffering damage and being destroyed in the process (again, there are scenario rules to represent this).

 

Thanks, that gives me a bit more to look into, and cool that it is an option in game as well. If I ever get round to playing I will try and make it work.  

 

I am not sure if something like this is mentioned in Abnett’s Titanicus also?

 

The Titan Landers are described as Coffin Ships anyway and in the Titandeath HH book, they already have literal bastions defended by   Knight engines in space, so I’d say it’s not to far a stretch to assume either dropping the entire lander as a sort of bastion drop pod with Titans or at least having something alike a dread naught drop pod available to them.

 

It’s been a while since I read Titanicus, might need to schedule a reread.   

 

A dreadnaught like drop pod but large large scale is certainly one way, but ever since that one Dawn of War III trailer I have been imagining it like that knight.

[Sword Brother Adelard]

Titans are dropped into a warzone in massive drop pods in the Imperator novel. Fureans Warlords if I recall correctly.

[Mandragola]

Most of the fluff I've read is quite vague and inconsistent, perhaps reflecting that there are lots of ways to get titans onto planets. Usually I think we hear about titans coming down in single drop-pod-like "coffin ships" but there are plenty of alternatives.

 

In Titandeath (IIRC) a single lander brings down a maniple of five Solaria Warlords, rather than them coming down individually.

 

There are also a few mentions of seriously big landers transporting lots of titans. On Calth, for example there's a scenario in the main rulebook about the wreck of the Arutan - an orbital lander that is carrying "a significant number of battle titans". There are even a few references to the Legio Damnatus coming down to Terra in a single ship which gets destroyed, so the whole Legio ceases to exist - which is probably why you've never heard of them.

 

Finally there are various references to Astorum being able to teleport titans about the place, though there aren't any rules for that in the game.

 

For the most part I think the Legios would want to land their titans somewhere safe and walk towards combat. After all, they'd be very vulnerable in their ships and losing a titan on the drop would be kind of disastrous. Titan Legio strategy tends to be based on the fact that they out-range pretty much everything, so they don't usually want to start all that close. This sort of thing is best left for the Astartes I think.

 

You could potentially just play using the Tempestus rules (or simply as Tempestus, who are quite cool). Alternatively the outflank strat could represent landing nearby but not on the battlefield itself.

[Lord_Borak]

I remember, back in ye olden days, a bit of fluff about titan drop pods with 1km high doors. I'm pretty sure it was a bit of fluff about the assault on terra from a 2nd ED book. I'll have to have a read of my old books to see if I can find it.

 

But, yeah, Titans used to do combat drops. Nowadays in modern day fluff I'm not so sure.

[schoon]

This is giving me a "bad" hobby idea - replacing the carapace mount(s) on a Reaver or Warlord with come sort of jump pack.

 

This strikes me as something that could look really cool AND have some interesting rules for the battlefield...

[Mandragola]

This is giving me a "bad" hobby idea - replacing the carapace mount(s) on a Reaver or Warlord with come sort of jump pack.

 

This strikes me as something that could look really cool AND have some interesting rules for the battlefield...

That sounds interesting, but I agree that it would be quite a bad idea to mount rockets on top of the titan. That would just drive it harder into the ground, with unsatisfactory results.

 

A better option mioght be some sort of titan drop pod, perhaps with an open top. The titan itself is void-hardened so it would basically need a sort of platform to stand on with a heat shield and lots of rockets to slow it down.

[Sword Brother Adelard]

Parachutes.

[Xin Ceithan]

Giant rockets? Parachutes ?! Pffft…

Please, what is this, a Mekboy‘s Workshop?

 

Now, if I could interest you in these carapace mounted short range empyrean displacement and relocation engines on the other hand?

And maybe a Geller field buffering array for you void shields while we are at  it?

 

Why yes, it‘s all totally safe, of course…

[Slave to Darkness]

In the old battle for earth story they did mention Titans coming down in big drop pod style things I believe.