kyussinchains wrote:
I didn't put them in as upgrades as I feel that they're not really transports, and the other land raider variants were better in that role
I'd prefer to see them available for infantry formations, they have a transport capacity in 40k even if it's only a single stand in Epic. They'd seem pretty fitting as at least a Devestator transport to me and I'd take them for Tacticals too if they were available. In either case I'd add one over other Land Raider choices. One could garrison forward with infantry or otherwise their transport capacity of 1 means they don't reduce the number of Rhinos you get.
kyussinchains wrote:
regarding the Achilles, it is probably a bit better than a land raider, however I think land raiders are a little bit expensive, coming in at a massive 81.25 points per tank in a standard formation.... I'd like them tested as a straight swap at the moment, if everyone finds them to be significantly better than regular land raiders, then we can look into upgrades, 25 points each is very expensive, I would think twice about paying over 100 points for a single AV, good as it is
I use a Land Raider formation a lot, probably in around half my games, and I reckon they are worth it at 325 (I know the Epic-UK ones are slightly more expensive). With an attached Hunter they make a tough BTS that draws and soaks up fire from the many other vehicles in my army.
Achilles look a fair bit better again, I really do think they are worth +25 over Land Raiders. Their weapons and FF are very powerful! They have good specialised anti-infantry fire power at long-ish range and are absolutely deadly at close range and in FF. To illustrate their potential with a couple of scenarios:
Scenario 1: there are enemy infantry deployed garrisoned forward close to the mid table in a building on overwatch. To attack them first turn most SM formations would need to move forward to attack them (potentially getting overwatched) and the -1 for cover and 4+ cover save would limit kills. With a 60cm range the Achilles could be deployed in a position within range at the start and could sustain fire using ignore cover shells with their Thunderfires, on average hitting 5.33 of the enemy infantry.
Scenario 2: put onto overwatch a formation of Achilles would make an excellent blitz guard (and perhaps BTS) against CC attackers like Terminators, Tyranids or Orks. At 15cm their overwatch is enough to kill on average 3 teleporting Terminators and leave the surviving one with 7 blast markers. If air assaulted by an Ork Warband in a Landa the overwatch would on average kill 6.6 of the infantry.
With 8 x 15cm 4+ MW attacks and a FF4+ MW they would be a threat to enemy titans or armour too, doubled up shooting then providing 2 MW FF support fire hits on average for another unit or units to assault it (then sustained firing first thing next turn if the titan or whatever were still there).
I am looking inside my shoebox full of bright red Blood Angels right now, though, and wishing they were all bright yellow and I had a bunch of Thunderfire Cannon models and not quite so many assault marines, etc etc 
