[Spiteful]

I've found a great VDR site on the net and I'm wondering if the values that they give actually are correct.
Here is the site: http://home.freeuk.net/theuk/vdr/
I've been fiddling around with these as I hope to do some conversions to a standard chimera to make it a bit more menacing. So here goes:

Name Points FA SA RA BS

Assault Chimera 145 13 12 10 3


Type: Tank
Size: Normal
Speed: Normal

Weapons:
1 x Vanquisher cannon + co-axial Heavy bolter

Vehicle Category: Heavy Support

Can any of you verify that it is the correct value? It's basically a Hellhound with its inferno cannon swapped out for a hull mounted vanquisher cannon and +1 armour at the front. Does it seem good to you guys?

I'll post some fluff if there are any objections to why a chimera has a vanquisher cannon.

[Elessar]

my costs came out to 125 points, not 145.

also, vanquishers are very rare weapons, issued to only the most experianced crews. they are very valueable and will not be wasted under any circumstance. so tell us, why have you put one on a hellhound?

[Wargamer]

My thoughts exactly. I can't ever see the Guard doing this...

[Spiteful]

I'll quickly find some of my pretyped fluff, but essentially the planet is famous for it's armoured divisions and as a result has a close relationship with the tech adept from Gryphone IV. So when the planet fell they went to help, salvaged some premade cannons (sans chassis -LRVs are quite common) and pulled a StuG/jagdpanzer style conversion on the only available units that the had.
Gimme a sec while I find my whole story.

Well here goes:
And a bit of fluff: During the fall of Gryphone IV, the planet of Janus (located about halfway between gryphone and baal) sent an expeditionary force to assist in any way that it could (most of their special war material came from gryphone). Despite the fierce fighting, the Skitaari insisted on fighting alone, an the Hell's Scouts were relagated into gaurding important space docks to allow the skitaari their mobility. Unfortunately all hope was lost and the tech adepts were soon forced to evacuate. Now finding themselves ideally suited to the warfare in the closed off corridors and smoldering balkheads around the docks, the Hell Scouts oversaw the evacuation of much equipment and personel. When the planet finally succombed, fully half of the hell scouts managed to get away along with wast ammounts of the famed Gryphone pattern Vanquisher Cannon. As a result the planet of Janus now has a large stockpile of precious vanquisher cannons, but not enough leman russ tanks to mount them on. With the aid of several tech adepts the famous Janus Panzer divisions attached these cannons to Hellhound flame tanks. The increased value of these vehicles and the priceless technology that they hold necessatated the addition of extra armour on the front. The result was a vehicle that was nearly as effective as the leman russ battle tank, but much more suited to a defensive stance.

Also someone on 40konline pointed this out:

There used to be 3 varient chimeras in epic for assaults with the same idea, though they could still carry infantry. One had a reloading hunterkiller missile system, another a shortened battlecannon, and the last had quad autocannons. They were the Chimerax, Chimeradon and something else, though I can't remember which is which.

I realised that the vanquisher cannon is almost sacred, but I think that the fluff justifies this. As a result of some serious fighting all russes were being rushed into action in their primer alone. The only vehicles that were beinf produced in any numbers approaching what was needed was chimera varients. As a result a mating between the recovered vanquisher cannons and the chimeras was a neccesity. I'll perhaps go as far as to say that after the conflict most were taken appart and sent to the next vanquisher producing forgeworld for some reverse engineering, but at least a couple remained as divisional heritage vehicles. Hence my one conversion.

What do you guys think?

Also is there any planets near the maelstrom that produces chimeras on a similar scale to armageddon?

[Wargamer]

There's one big flaw in your plan... Vanquishers are rare. I mean rare! Most Armoured Companies have one at most.

As such, the odds of any regiment having more Vanquisher Cannons than Russes are somewhat less than the odds of you winning the lottery.

[Spiteful]

Oops, guess that i didn't convey that correctly. There aren't more vanquisher turrets than russes, rather there are no available russes to convert modify. (they are driven straight into battle from the factory: seige of moscow style).

However you are absolutely correct with the fact that they turrets are very rare (although i wouldn't say that they are arranged in fluff like they are arranged in game - I'd imagine it would be more along the lines of an WW2 wafen SS armoured division fielding tiger tanks: an entire company in the division fielding vanquishers.

I came up with the idea while I was bemoaning the loss of Gryphone and wondering what happened to all of that wonderous war material. I then decided to make something akin to a jagdpanzer/StuG.

I thought that while the Russes are hard pressed in battle, the abundance of Chimeras would make this pairing possible. I guess it is a bit of a long shot.

If i fielded one of these in my army, would you play against it? I'm worried that people will cry foul.

[Wargamer]

Originally Posted by Spiteful

Oops, guess that i didn't convey that correctly. There aren't more vanquisher turrets than russes, rather there are no available russes to convert modify. (they are driven straight into battle from the factory: seige of moscow style).

Come on man, that is weak.

You're seriously suggesting they'd rather modify a weaker, slower and all-round inferior tank to sport one of the most valuable weapons in the Imperium than just nick one of one-hundred mass-produced Russes?

[the_vilest_worm]

It is pretty poor...

[HailTheRuss]

why not put the vanq cannon on russ and battle cannon on chimera? or maybe conq cannon?

[Spiteful]

Perhaps it is. Hmn guess I'll come up with something else. Plasma cannon anyone? Nah not really.

Sorry if you guys think that it was weak. I run a mech list based on WW2 Panzergrenadiers, and was writing some fluff involving Gryphone 4 (the stuff above - except the rescued vanqs were pressed into service, not just the cannons). As I wanted to try my hand at some conversions and wanted a StuG I guess the above option seemed reasonable (hey, they did out a long 75 on a panzer 3).

Oh well. Thanks for the help. I'm going for some holidaying in South Africa, so I'll see you in a month or so. Good luck with Medusa V