Bit of a necro but this is still such a good article and a star component of the internet's sparse Epic tacticas - thanks so much, Spectrar Ghost!
One thing I think is missing is a discussion of Warhounds. These are a big boon to the army in my opinion, as they are to most Guard armies, because of their 1+ initiative. They often move to the midboard quickly with their high speed, delete or break a formation with their guns, soak a bunch of fire, and then trigger an engage in turn 2. It can be difficult for guard to execute the 1-2 of positioning a unit with strong FF in range and then retaining to engage, and Warhounds let a list like Minervans reap the benefits of unique units like 6 Demolishers, 2-3 Baneblades or especially, with their 30cm move, 6 Hellhounds.
Another thing to be discussed is the utility of Conquerer units. A 4+ RA hull with 30cm move is quite unique and offers some very interesting tactical options, from a lategame charge at the blitz that's far more resilient than most other options for it, to the opportunity to offset a weak 5+/5+ gun by setting up a 90º crossfire.
I also have some hot takes on Russes vs. Superheavies and the composition of the latter in Companies. So far I've found I basically never want to run regular Russes for two reasons. Firstly, the unit is much weaker to being suppressed and broken, particularly by enemy Manticores. Even just 6 Russes is probably more hits than you can get trying to put 2-3 templates over a unit of SHTs when you can't centre any easily but the first one (which takes only minimal positioning to achieve.) Each BM suppresses a model whereas it takes 3 to suppress a single SHT. Secondly, the 4+/4+ gun means the units' firepower is significantly reduced by doubling, whereas the relatively high FF encourages you to close, making the long range cannon less useful. In contrast, a Baneblade now gets two shots at 75cm that hit on a 4+/4+ even when doubling. You can cover 30cm in turn 1 while shooting and then set up to fire all your secondary weapons in t2 and ideally support an engage as well.
If not Baneblades, I would rather run Demolishers, which exchange less useful range for very valuable IC (less effected by doubling against infantry) and two additional AT shots in the form of Plasma Cannon sponsons.
I also think the traditional wisdom of running separate Baneblade and Shadowsword companies should be challenged. A single Volcano Cannon shot will do 2 damage to an enemy SHT on average, and two Shadowswords will do 4 which means the second one is often "wasted" compared to a single successful regular AT hit (without TK d3), and then the third one is unlikely to kill another outright or break the unit by itself. A unit of one Shadowsword and two Baneblades is almost as likely to kill a single enemy SHT without wasted overkill and gives you a much more dynamic company capable of contesting the midboard while still dealing formidable AT/MW damage even when doubling.
It's sad to say but I think the other SHT variants are quite bad, especially the Stormsword which would otherwise be my favourite. The fundamental problem is that its short range and FF value encourages you to double it up the board turn 1, making its cannon very unlikely to hit, and then any maneuvering after that makes it only hit on a 4+ at best. You sacrifice the points value of that turn 1 fire and I don't think the templates often touch enough models to compensate for the need to sustain fire for a decent hit roll. The Stormhammer is now totally outclassed by the Baneblade getting 2 shots on its main gun (despite having half the barrels available) and the Stormblade is neutered turn 2 by slow fire or only gets to shoot once all game if it spends t1 getting into range.
In my mind the main challenge with Armoured Regiments is that games of Epic are often won (in my experience) by engagements, and as guardsmen these armies lack both a reliable initiative for retain and a strong standalone CC unit. I generally try to organize my list around a Warhound triggering an engagement adjacent to a Small Tank Company of Demolishers, a Hellhound Platoon or a Superheavy Company (the Hammer) and an infantry unit holding midboard objectives with one of the aforementioned in support (the Anvil.) A Mechanized Infantry Co. or Stormtrooper unit in Chimeras offers 12-15 bases to give you a far better chance of outnumbering a given attacking formation 2-1. Planning for an engage also lets you effectively "shoot twice" with expensive units like SHTs or Demolishers, which I think is important for counteracting the cost of those units vs. other armies comparable formations.
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