Thoughts on the Tauros Venerator

[inquisitor0sylver]

Ok first off I haven't got any more info on this thing than anyone else, but as I have already got a few conversions that I will use a venerators once the rules are up (commissar.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Painting&action=display&thread=8312) I have been doing a lot of thinking about this unit and how to use it in the game.

First off you will of course need your opponent's consent to use this thing in a game, which is actually rare for IG now that most of forgeworld's stuff is legal in normal games.

Anyways I expect that the vehicle will have the following profile:

Type___Front___Side____Rear___BS
Fast_____10____10______10___3

Cost: 35-45
Options: May upgrade its twin linked multilasers for twin linked lascannons for 15-20 points. May take 2 Hunter Killer Missiles for 15-20 points.

Now the point ranges are from the fact that the venerator is not a trasport as far as we know and that it is essentially just a sentinel on wheels. It will probably cost the same as a vanilla sentinel unless it has the scout special rule, in which case just from armament is will be 5-10 points more expensive. But you can probably field them with multilasers and dual HKs for around 50-55 points.

Now for what the venerator brings IG armies that we lack. Except for the Valkyrie IG lack a fast moving and expendable anti vehicle harrassment unit. The issue with using the valkyrie for this role is that you need a Vendetta to make it worth it and they are rather pricey, especially if you through a squad of veterans in it as well. The venerator gives us a unit which is very decent at killing light vehicles like rhinos and other transports while still being cheap and entirely expendable. Its also fast enough to rush in front of your more valuable units and create a vehicle wall, sparing your chimeras from having to perform this role.

I'm personally going to field a squad of 3 with dual HKs and multilasers as they will be comparatively cheap (Around 150-165 for the unit) and offer me a very reliable anti-armor punch on turn 1 (6 Krak Missiles and 9 twin linked multilaser shots will reliably kill or at least stop a rhino, even smoked.), in addition to all of the other bonuses you get for having fast vehicles (ie: Contesting objectives). Sure they will be fragile as hell, but thanks to their speed you can afford to deploy them either out on a flank all alone or behind your other units without losing any of their capabilities.

Ok, enough of my thoughts, what are yours?

[Warden]

It will be in a Armour book this thing you recon.?
and sry about the nub question, but will you be able to use it in regular games then.?

[Makarova (M.I.A)]

Imperial Armour, a supplement book produced by the splinter company Forge World, who make books with new units you may use with the opponents permission, as well as absurdly expensive nice looking models for said units and other things.

The Venerator is a lot of fun, I've used a very similar houseruled unit, a simple buggy. Pretty much the same stats, but open-topped, and with a heavy stubber rather than these more heavy weapons. Wonderfully fun to drive around and harass things with, my favourite unit in the whole game. Now when the buggys have changed to bikes (seeing as they're way too small to get vehicle armour) I'll probably make or even buy one or two Venerators as heavier support vehicles.