i'd like to see both the options to go up to super heavies, but also down to lighter vehicles like sentinels. In my mind it stands to reason that some kind of sentinel/recon officer should exist atleast lorewise so why not in game.
I personally would prefer it if the Tank Commanders unit was just a *a guy* with a points value and a set of rules (Orders, mainly), and you needed to choose a vehicle for him to roll around in, paying the points for that vehicle accordingly. Maybe call him Armoured Commander or something.
We kiiiiind of have this function with the Vaunted Praetorian tank ace rule
The vehicle selections could be anything, perhaps excluding like transports. Imagine an Armoured Commander in a sentinel leading a flank of chicken walkers - fun!
This kind of rule would only ever materialize with a model, of course. But thankfully things like that tank commander in the cadian upgrade pack do exist. Would be cool if that guy was the basis for a 'vehicle-agnostic armoured commander' unit.
I'd like that idea, it'd be better implemented if he had a different cost depending on his vehicle though. Upgrades to better vehicles should be more expensive since they're harder to kill for your opponents.
It really boggles my mind that the Rogal Dorn isn't a TC upgrade option. The TC can't be fielded as part of a Squadron already, so why not just let the Dorn be an option with a 25 point base cost bump on the basic Dorn?
I'm also really shocked that so far they haven't brough Knight Commander Pask back as at least a sprue upgrade (give him a fancy turret) for a basic Leman Russ TC. He's an iconic character, is a former fieldable character that's not been killed off in lore, and could add a lot of flavor.
The only way I'd be interested in a Superheavy TC would be if they tossed on some extra stuff for it, as that's a crazy amount of points to spend and it would likely need to have a -3CP purchase price on top of base points. Give it something like "Enhanced Tactical Suite" that gives it a Vox Caster. Instead of Gatekeeper, give it a relic that lets me pick one Squadron unit per turn to treat as though it has a Vox Caster for receiving orders. Or maybe a special Demolisher that's got tweaks like the Gatekeeper (D3+3, instead of D6 shots, a small range bump to something like 30", otherwise same statline)
EDIT: Honestly, just take another pass at the Apocalypse-era ruleset. Make it a 3-tank Superheavy Squadron for a base cost of 1700 points, which includes a TC Baneblade with all the trimmings above and your choice of 2x other Baneblade-chassis options (Baneswords, Hellhammers, etc). That's the Warlord choice for your army.
The cadian upgrade sprue has a tank commander which looks like pask and they pretty much alluded to it being him in a warcom article
Additionally you can make the rogal dorn an officer by making it tank ace Vaunted pretorian for 15 points, and because it doesn't lose squadron it can also order itself
More options is always good for the players and this seems relatively easy to balance with points cost. Lore wise a Baneblade is often a command vehicle so I could se that as something like a platoon commander that can give squadron and platoon orders but only 1 or 2
Low key hoping they bring back Yarrick as a Supreme Commander model with a custom Baneblade kit to represent the Fortress of Arrogance. It'd be a suitably epic Guard supreme Commander model to go toe to toe with Silent kings and flying primarchs and the like! A boy can dream, right!?! 😅
That's what vaunted praetorian tank ace trait is for. Tank commander HQ is a 10 pt upgrade for a russ to be an officer, for the heavier tanks its a higher point cost to upgrade to an officer because its harder to kill for your opponents.
Agreed. I am really hoping that with 10th edition GW will give the Tank Commander option to all three of the main battle tanks. Especially since they already made a tank officer model for the Rogal Dorn in the Cadian Accessories kit.
So it isn't a HQ then. That's the main point of this poll. Seeing if people want to have different tanks for their HQ and not being stuck with a Leman Russ.
I already knew about the orders. The poll isn't about tank orders, it was about the HQ slot itself. Vaunted Praetorian is really useful, but sadly doesn't allow for a tank to become a HQ since it doesn't add the Character tag.
Yeah but I find it limiting visually, lorewise and in rules that a tank army of Rogal Dorns or Super Heavies are forced to be led by small Leman Russ rather than something of equal strength.
Kind of wished it just worked like how marks of chaos or tank aces or rites of initiation worked where it was a points/power upgrade based off the model which would allow you to balance just the upgrade better than needing to nerf an entire unit.
in the lore a Baneblade is used as a mobile command bunker, so why should it not get an option for tanj HQ but yet it can field a commisar altough that can only be done through using tank ace.
i'd like to see both the options to go up to super heavies, but also down to lighter vehicles like sentinels. In my mind it stands to reason that some kind of sentinel/recon officer should exist atleast lorewise so why not in game.
I like this idea, I am using a sentinel as my Lord Solar proxy, I added some additional comms bits and a standard.
I personally would prefer it if the Tank Commanders unit was just a *a guy* with a points value and a set of rules (Orders, mainly), and you needed to choose a vehicle for him to roll around in, paying the points for that vehicle accordingly. Maybe call him Armoured Commander or something. We kiiiiind of have this function with the Vaunted Praetorian tank ace rule The vehicle selections could be anything, perhaps excluding like transports. Imagine an Armoured Commander in a sentinel leading a flank of chicken walkers - fun! This kind of rule would only ever materialize with a model, of course. But thankfully things like that tank commander in the cadian upgrade pack do exist. Would be cool if that guy was the basis for a 'vehicle-agnostic armoured commander' unit.
I'd like that idea, it'd be better implemented if he had a different cost depending on his vehicle though. Upgrades to better vehicles should be more expensive since they're harder to kill for your opponents.
Fuck the dorn, where’s my malcador and macharius tank commanders?
It really boggles my mind that the Rogal Dorn isn't a TC upgrade option. The TC can't be fielded as part of a Squadron already, so why not just let the Dorn be an option with a 25 point base cost bump on the basic Dorn? I'm also really shocked that so far they haven't brough Knight Commander Pask back as at least a sprue upgrade (give him a fancy turret) for a basic Leman Russ TC. He's an iconic character, is a former fieldable character that's not been killed off in lore, and could add a lot of flavor. The only way I'd be interested in a Superheavy TC would be if they tossed on some extra stuff for it, as that's a crazy amount of points to spend and it would likely need to have a -3CP purchase price on top of base points. Give it something like "Enhanced Tactical Suite" that gives it a Vox Caster. Instead of Gatekeeper, give it a relic that lets me pick one Squadron unit per turn to treat as though it has a Vox Caster for receiving orders. Or maybe a special Demolisher that's got tweaks like the Gatekeeper (D3+3, instead of D6 shots, a small range bump to something like 30", otherwise same statline) EDIT: Honestly, just take another pass at the Apocalypse-era ruleset. Make it a 3-tank Superheavy Squadron for a base cost of 1700 points, which includes a TC Baneblade with all the trimmings above and your choice of 2x other Baneblade-chassis options (Baneswords, Hellhammers, etc). That's the Warlord choice for your army.
The cadian upgrade sprue has a tank commander which looks like pask and they pretty much alluded to it being him in a warcom article Additionally you can make the rogal dorn an officer by making it tank ace Vaunted pretorian for 15 points, and because it doesn't lose squadron it can also order itself
More options is always good for the players and this seems relatively easy to balance with points cost. Lore wise a Baneblade is often a command vehicle so I could se that as something like a platoon commander that can give squadron and platoon orders but only 1 or 2
Back in the day, Yarrick was also a tank commander in a Baneblade in Apocalypse.
Low key hoping they bring back Yarrick as a Supreme Commander model with a custom Baneblade kit to represent the Fortress of Arrogance. It'd be a suitably epic Guard supreme Commander model to go toe to toe with Silent kings and flying primarchs and the like! A boy can dream, right!?! 😅
That's what vaunted praetorian tank ace trait is for. Tank commander HQ is a 10 pt upgrade for a russ to be an officer, for the heavier tanks its a higher point cost to upgrade to an officer because its harder to kill for your opponents.
It would definitely make sense from a lore perspective. On the table I don’t think it would be OP either.
Agreed. I am really hoping that with 10th edition GW will give the Tank Commander option to all three of the main battle tanks. Especially since they already made a tank officer model for the Rogal Dorn in the Cadian Accessories kit.
You do know you can give it officer keyword for 15 points right?
Does that automatically allow it to be a HQ though? I've never seen anyone take a Baneblade and Rogal Dorn as a HQ before.
It doesn't take an hq slot it just allows it to issue orders which is great because slots are limited In arks
So it isn't a HQ then. That's the main point of this poll. Seeing if people want to have different tanks for their HQ and not being stuck with a Leman Russ.
No problem but by the sounds of it you hadn't read the codex and wasn't aware you could give the dorn the ability to give orders.
I already knew about the orders. The poll isn't about tank orders, it was about the HQ slot itself. Vaunted Praetorian is really useful, but sadly doesn't allow for a tank to become a HQ since it doesn't add the Character tag.
Surely that's a blessing though, one less unit to count towards assassinate but can still buff other units
Yeah but I find it limiting visually, lorewise and in rules that a tank army of Rogal Dorns or Super Heavies are forced to be led by small Leman Russ rather than something of equal strength.
Kind of wished it just worked like how marks of chaos or tank aces or rites of initiation worked where it was a points/power upgrade based off the model which would allow you to balance just the upgrade better than needing to nerf an entire unit.
in the lore a Baneblade is used as a mobile command bunker, so why should it not get an option for tanj HQ but yet it can field a commisar altough that can only be done through using tank ace.
When the question is tanks the answer is more
What I would really like is a sentinel commander.
I think it should be available to all mainline tanks, from hellhounds up to baneblades.
I’d love him to be an upgrade for any tank. Malcador Infernus FTW!
A named Hq baneblade