There has been quite a bit of debate about the Ordinatus Medrengard going back to 2011, so
the goal of this thread is to try make sure that at least the argument is well informed.
Below are the stats for the Ordinatus, followed by the stats and prices of Epic's other great artillery batteries. Direct comparisons between lists is always a bit tricky, but I'll attempt to compare them below as best I can on a whole range of in-game factors.
Expect quite a lot of text, but I hope it's helpful
Ordinatus Medrengard 600ptsWE 10cm Armour 5+ CC 6+ FF 4+
Siege Cannon 60cm 9BP, Disrupt, Indirect Fire
2x Mars Bolters 30cm AP5+/AA6+
2x Lascannon 45cm AT5+
DC 4: 4 Void Shields, RA.
Critical Hit: The Ordinatus’ plasma reactor explodes in a roiling blast of energy, the war engine is destroyed and all units within 15cm suffer a hit on a 4+
Steel Legion / Minervans Artillery Company 650 points
Any nine of the following units:
Basilisk, Manticore
[] Basilisk
AV 20cm Armour 5+ CC 6+ FF5+
Earthshaker 120cm AP4+/AT4+ or 120cm 1BP, Ind
[] Manticore
AV 20cm Armour 6+ CC 6+ FF5+
Rocket Launcher
150cm 2BP, D, Ind, Slow firing
Baran Siegemasters Artillery Company 425 points
Nine Götterdämmerung Howitzers and nine Gun Emplacements
[] Götterdämmerung Howitzer
LV 0cm Armour - CC - FF 6+ Howitzer 90cm 1BP, Ind
Death Korps Artillery Support Company 600 points
Nine Earthshaker Platforms and nine of the following:
Gun Emplacements (5+ Cover Save) or Trojans
[] Earthshaker Platform
LV 0cm Armour 6+ 6+ 6+
Earthshaker 120cm AP4+/AT4+ or 120cm 1BP, Ind
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Damage Output:All of the above can put out 9BP per turn.
Steel Legion and Minervan Artillery Companies can also be specified to use slow firing Manticores to fire 10 one turn and 8 the next, for the same 9BP average per turn.
Result: All do the same average damage per turn
Blast MarkersKreig Earthshakers and Baran Siegemasters do not Disrupt; they will cause 2 BM on the target plus BM from units lost.
SL and Minervan Basilisks also don't have Disrupt. If using Manticores instead they will gain Disrupt, generally producing a significant amount of extra BM on top of the initial 2.
Ordinatus Medrengard has disrupt, generally producing a significant amount of extra BM.
Result: The Ordinatus is significantly better at causing BM than Krieg and Baran artillery companies, and significantly better than SL and Minervan artillery companies with Basilisks. If SL and Minervans use Manticores instead they come out slightly ahead (by 1 BM) every second turn.
Resilience9 AP or AT hits are required to kill 9 Howitzers (light vehicles)
10.5 AT hits are required to kill 9 Manticores
12 AP or AT hits are required to kill 9 Earthshaker Platforms or Howitzers (light vehicles) that are in Gun Emplacements (5+ Cover)
A little over 10 AT hits are required to kill 1 Ordinatus (4 to remove Void Shields, about 6.24 to get through DC4 5+RA)
12 AT hits are required to kill 9 Basilisks
Result: The light vehicle artillery batteries are almost always going to be significantly easier to kill due to taking hits from both AP and AT weapons, and because AP weapons generally hit on lower numbers than AT weapons.
The 9 Basilisk formation (Armour 5+) require the most AT hits to kill. The Ordinatus requires about 2 less AT hits to kill, although the actual amount required may increase because the Void Shields recharge (two VS recharges would make it require about as many hits as Basilisks).
SuppressionTheoretically:
The Ordinatus requires 4 BM to break
The Artillery formations require 9 BM to break (exception: Krieg, which can take additional LV to boost numbers but have a whole different set of AP vulnerabilities)
In reality:
If the Ordinatus takes 4 hits, it will be broken and lose its void shields and be broken, but take no damage.
If the Artillery Companies take 4 hits,
Basilisks would be reduced by about 3, leaving 6 survivors with 4 BM and requiring more one more hit to break.
(Note: while not broken, this formation now only has 2 models that can fire)
Manticores would be reduced by about 3.3, leaving 5.7 survivors with 3 or 4 BM and requiring more one more hit to break.
(Note: while not broken, this formation now only has 1 or 2 models that can fire)
Result: The Ordinatus is easier to suppress, but not by nearly as much as might be expected when looking at the relative size of formations.
The other formations are reduced in number as well as being suppressed.
RegroupingThe Ordinatus regroups on a 3+ and fires at full effect (9BP Disrupt)
The other formations regroup on 4+
A broken Basilisk formation that's been broken once may have around 5 or 6 survivors, 1 or 2 of whom will be suppressed (assuming Commissar) meaning 3BP or 4BP of firepower.
Result: A massive advantage to the Ordinatus
InitiativeOrdinatus 1+, all others 2+
Result: Advantage to the Ordinatus; Initiative is particularly important to indirect firing units kept out of Line of Fire.
Strategy RatingOrdinatus is in a SR4 army, the other Artillery formations are in SR2 armies.
Result: Large advantage to Ordinatus due to the importance of being the first to shoot in an artillery duel
Resilience to Counter Battery Artillery fireIn the type of artillery duel common between two armies with large artillery assets:
The Ordinatus can take a maximum of 2 hits (average 1 at AT4+) from an Artillery battery that centres the template on it. It would take 2BM from basilisks, or 3BM from Manticores firing just over half their slow-fire weapons. It is likely to lose 1 Void Shield, maximum one.
The three templates fired are likely to cover about 8 members of an Artillery formation if it is spaced out well, or 9 and part of another unit if it is not. If 8 are covered, it is likely to take 2+4=6BM and lose 3 models (closer to 4 if Manticores or Howitzers), meaning that it is a very common result that the formation breaks. If unbroken, the most common result would be that only 1 gun is still available to fire (1 or 2BP)
Result: Overwhelming advantage to the Ordinatus; no artillery formation can hope to win a duel with a disrupt-artillery WE.
Critical Hits and TK weaponsNone of the formation being reviewed can suffer additional damage from an Critical result, or take multiple hits from a TK weapon.
Result: Disadvantage for the Ordinatus
RangeBasilisk 120/240 cm
Manticore 150/300 cm
Howitzer 90/180 cm
Ordinatus 60/120 cm
Note that the range of 120cm means that there are small areas at the edge of the opponent's deployment zone that the Ordinatus cannot reach even if placed centrally and on the 15cm line of its own deployment zone.
Result: Clear advantage to the artillery that can set up anywhere and still reach anything on the board. Disadvantage to the Ordinatus.
FF Assault The first 4 hits on the Ordinatus would be Shields, and not count for combat resolution. Once the Shield is down, 5+RA stops just over half (5/9) of the hits . It has 4 attacks at FF 4+ (2 hits).
Hits on other artillery formations generally result in kills (66% of hits on Basilisks, 83% on Manticores, 100% on Howitzers) which count towards combat resolution. They all have 9 attacks at FF6+ (1.5 hits). They should have +1 from a commissar (assuming assigned to this formation and not a casualty).
Result: Advantage to the Ordinatus
CC AssaultCC bypasses Void Shields, so hit would be against the unit's hull which count towards assault resolution. 5+RA stops just over half (5/9) of the hits. It has 4 attacks at FF 6+ (.66 hits).
Hits on other artillery formations generally result in kills (66% of hits on Basilisks, 83% on Manticores, 100% on Howitzers) which count towards combat resolution. They all have 9 attacks at CC6+ (1.5 hits), except for howitzers which are CC-. They should have +1 from a commissar (assuming assigned to this formation and not a casualty).
Result: The Ordinatus should be similar to Basilisks; The basilisks stop less hits so have more casualties for resolution, but are a larger formation and have a commissar.
The clear losers are howitzers with CC-
Air AssaultThe Ordinatus has 2x AA6+
None of the other Artillery formations being reviewed have anti-air included in their cost. If taken as they come:
Result: Advantage to the Ordinatus. With two 6+ shots the chance to shoot enemy aircraft down is small, but it is guaranteed to place at least one BM on an unit doing an air assault to potentially gain 'I have no BM' and 'You have more BM' bonuses to combat resolution.
OR
SL and Minervas can add 1 or 2 hydras respectively, for 50pts each.
Result: This would make them better against air assault (Hydras are 45cm 2xAA5+ while the Ordinatus' native AA is 30cm 2xAA6+). This makes the price difference larger, but means the the category is a win to Minervans, followed by SL.
The Krieg and Baran Siegemasters artillery formations don't have access to Hydras so remain considerably worse vs Air Assault.
Other Weapons:Manticores and Basilisks have Heavy Bolters: 1x AP6+
Baran Howitzers have no secondary weapons
Krieg Earthshakers have no secondary weapons
The Ordinatus has 2x Mars Bolters 30cm AP5+/AA6+ and 2x Lascannon 45cm AT5+
Price:Steel Legion / Minervans Artillery Company 650pts (or 700 with Hydra, Minervan 750 with 2)
Death Korps 600pts
Ordinatus Medrengard 600pts
Baran Siegemasters Artillery Company 425 points
Result: Clear advantage to the Baran Seigemasters, who pay considerably less than the other forces being compared.
(If anyone thinks any factors are missing or spots any mistakes please let me know, thanks)