Leman Russ Painting: Finale

So, I finished up some Russ.

The command Exterminator...

The Steel Host

I'm still awaiting my Knights because the mail is slow these days...but I did pick up Sanctus Reach: The Red WAAAAAAAAGH! (had to be done.) I can't help but feel that between meh fluff and the Adamantine Lance that a hidden jewel has gone unnoticed within this tome: The Steel Host.

Its just an iconic thing

I've got knights: Knight List @ 1850

So, after much begging and pleading, my wife finally let me spend the money to acquire another two knights to that I can field a primary Imperial Knight Detachment. I love my wife. Of course, this means I need a sweet list for the Knights and I decided that allied IG and their accompanying treads are the best fit.

Biting Off More Than I Can Chew: Maybe Hitting A GT

I've always wanted to go to a GT but life and the painting requirement have always kept me from going...sadly. Well, this new codex has given me some ideas for armored lists (because I play any other?) and I've decided to start painting a list at 2000 points. If I can get it painted by this August then I'll attempt to take it to the Pleasentville GT to test my mettle against other people with the time and will to paint an army.

Yep, I'm taking this seriously. :)

Current Rumors: Vendetta vs. Hydra

I looked at the current rumors today at Natfka's Place and saw that the Vendetta (justifiably) will probably be going up to 170 points. While I'm nominally fine with the increase, the increase to the Valkyrie (see some rumors at Imperial Patrol) going up about 20-30 points seems harsh on top. Air Cavalry is surely getting hit with the stick I was afraid of. Good thing I don't play Air Cavalry :)

How Its Done

Tournament Saturday: My List

So I've got a tournament on Saturday (yep, I read the title too) and I'm thinking about taking a different list than normal for me. Its still mostly mechanized (I'm an addict) but it also plays an interesting reserves game and doesn't use Forgeworld, something that'll make many locals happy.

The Reserves

2k Six Russ Mk. II

So, I've gotten some feedback on my list from a few different websites and friends. While the reviews have been generally positive I'm not thrilled by them. I'm thinking about going an alternative route of having mounted squads in Chimeras working in support of the Russ. This is the list below. Please comment your thoughts.

HQ-
Primaris Psyker x2

Trp-
Veteran Squad - Plasmagun x3
Chimera - Hull Heavy Flamer and Turret Multilaser

Veteran Squad - Plasmagun x3
Chimera - Hull Heavy Flamer and Turret Multilaser

Veteran Squad - Plasmagun x3
Chimera - Hull Heavy Flamer and Turret Multilaser

Veteran Squad - Plasmagun x3
Chimera - Hull Heavy Flamer and Turret Multilaser

Fst-
Vendetta Gunship

Hvy-
Thunderer Siege Tank

Thunderer Siege Tank

Leman Russ Demolisher - Hull Heavy Bolter

Leman Russ Demolisher - Hull Heavy Bolter

Leman Russ Executioner - Hull/Sponson Heavy Bolters

Leman Russ Exterminator - Hull/Sponson Heavy Bolters, Heavy Stubber, and Knight-Commander Pask

Battle Plan- In early game, the Chimera basically hid behind the armor and work in support of it. Veterans disembark only to claim objectives (9/10th of time at least.) The Vendetta replaces the Quad as my anti-air. The Psykers make for cheap HQs that I don't need to buy a transport for.

A simpler list but every unit in it seems like it has more of a purpose. The other list seemed less focused. Plus, this list plays up the theme of armored advance a lot more. I can hear the creaking of treads now.

Heavy Armor Deployment

Playing Imperial Guard is a pleasure. Truly, a pleasure. No other army can do the kinds of things the Imperial Guard can do and do them as well as us. It actually serves to make this army unique. One example of this is our ability to field masses AV14 vehicles. Some may ask why this is so fun when the meta still incorporates enough melta and melee to deal with a few measly Leman Russ tanks and I'll respond by stating that those people are clearly not taking enough Leman Russ in their army (I don't take less that 3 above 1k points.)

Two months ago I was in a tournament. The point level was 2500 and I had fourteen vehicles in my army. Five of them were Leman Russ variants (2 Demolishers, a Vanquisher, an Executioner, and a Exterminator) while my sixth heavy support was a Manticore. In each game I found the exact same result and that was the enemy being unable to deal with my heavy armor enough. Sure, I lost 2-3 tanks a game but that didn't matter since I still had 2-3 tanks left!

The durability of my Russ, combined with the amount of pain they can bring if left to their own devices, meant my enemy was in a tough spot. They needed to hurt my armor but had to also thin down my amount of scoring units (8 for those wondering.) This left them with hard choices to make, often leaving both concerns only half done and myself still possessing enough scoring units and firepower to do finish the game on top.

An example:
I went up against a Ravenwing DA list. You guys know the one. It has a LRC with the salvo banner in it. A few cheap tactical squads to hold backfield units and then as many bikes and black knights as possible. A solid, if generic, list. The problem was their inability to face that many tanks and threats at once. I could ignore their backfield for 2-3 turns while my whole army concentrated on the bikes. Missiles couldn't hurt my Russ and the Russ would act as mobile cover for the rest of the army (which was full mechanized.)

Turn 2 Marbo silenced their Lascannon devastators. By turn 3, all of the bikes were dead and I wasn't going to be taking anymore casualties for the rest of the game, baring 3-4 guardsmen. Also, the Vanquisher (a disappointing tank sadly) had been left alone since it wasn't much of a threat to bikes. This gave it plenty of time to kill that LRC, denying the enemy is precious banner just as the guardsmen would start emerging from Chimera to claim objectives.

His melta didn't cut it in only a couple of squads. The Black Knights plasma talons were almost worthless since their only target was AV12 in cover. My tanks plus veterans could then counter attack and make him pay for thinking he was going to be facing space marines.

Who else fields Russ like this (outside of an Armored Company?) Anybody care to share their own experiences?