"Just drive down that road, until you get blown up"- General George Patton, addressing reconnaissance troops
Since the Blog gets more hits from International viewers then from Polish ones, I’ve decided to go for an full English article this time. This article is a continuation of previous Tactica Imperialis articles written by your humble scribe (me) in low gothic (Polish) about Griffons, Penal Legions and Sentinels.
So without further ado...
Tauros and Tauros Venator are the two new toys from Forge World for all the Tread Heads out there. Their rules can be found in Imperial Armour Vol. 8 Raid on Kastorel-Novem. All the coolness factor aside (IG buggies - yeah!!!), let us consider their battlefield efficiency.
These two vehicles share a few special rules: scout, open-topped and fast are the standard ones, but theres more...
You’ve been thinking about buying a hybrid car? - Well, think again: the purely electric driven Tauros (thanks to the Galvanic Motors®) is the best thing since bread came sliced. On 4+ you ignore Immobilized armor penetration results. This is just awesome for a squadroned vehicle (one does not need to deny the enemy his vehicle by blowing it up!) . On top of that you can re-roll failed Dangerous Terrain tests, when moving at combat speed- this too sometimes comes in handy.
Let’s take on the smaller of the two vehicles first: the Tauros.
I will compare it to the most similar unit from the generic IG codex: the sturdy Scout Sentinel (later referred to as SS (but not as “The SS”) For just the same cost as a SS with a heavy flamer you get the basic Tauros (with a heavy flamer as well). You loose the ability to engage the enemy in close combat, but you get the ability to move 12” and still fire your heavy flamer. When outflanking this gives your the ability to threaten enemy infantry that is up to 20” from a short table edge.
This buggy has a drawback however- the options it has are generally sub-par army wise. The special-issue Tauros grenade launcher is a mid-strength/low-strength blast weapon- one of many, many the IG can field (the 4 GL Platoon Command Squad comes to mind) and I really don’t see anything justifying mounting it on a speedy car. The grenade launcher variant does not improve the overall army performance of the Imperial Guard. A fast and cheap heavy flamer carrier does.
And now for something completely different...
oh well, maybe not that much different: Tauros Venator (I will restrain myself from using the TV abbreviation)
for 10 points more you can buy Tauros’ combi-cabrio version: you get 2 more wheels and 2mm armored plate for some real protection from the front - STOP- this doesn't interest gamers that much, let's try again...
for 10 points more then the standard Tauros you get AV11 front, and a twin-linked multilaser. Honestly I think that multilaser SSs are much better. Point for point (almost) they have the same firepower and can take just as much punishment before going down (2 TVs vs. 3 SSs), but Sentinels can attack in close combat- which is advantageous for a outflanking unit.
So what makes the Venator good?- well the TL lascannon does. The lascannons always have come with some kind of sacrifice in the IG codex, and it’s great to have one more option of deploying this powerful tool of Emperor’s Justice. For 65 pts, you get a fast moving lascannon platform, that is quite accurate, and has a small size (so is easily to hide).
Unlike the Vendetta- it can easily be completely or partially hidden (even behind infantry!). A squadron of Venators can maintain maximum firepower when moving up to 12”, whereas a Vendetta can not. For these advantages one has to sacrifice the transport ability and some firepower at low speeds.
The goodies don’t just stop here- the Venator can take up to 2 HKM’s (bumping it’s cost to a whooping 85 pts for a wet paper buggy [with some cardboard to the front- to make it just]. This certainly is a valid option, although one has to be very careful in using this paper sword. A squadron of 3 TVs all kitted out with lascannons and HKM’s costs over 250, and I would only seldom advise taking it.
Summary:
The Tauros and Tauros Venator make great additions to the Imperial Guard Army, but unlike Scout Sentinels they are highly specialized, and can only perform well their specific task: Tauros as a infantry killer, and Venator as a Tank/Monster hunter. Both Tauros variants are designed to punch the enemy in the face (the Venator preferably from 2 leagues away, as not to get punched back) and should be used this way. They either can not fulfill the many roles the Sentinels can, or would so for much more points, so it’s probably good to use both these units at the same time. The Venators present a valid alternative to the much loved (or hated, dependant upon if you are looking up or down the lascannon’s barrel) Vendetta Gunship, whereas the smaller Tauros replaces Flamer Sentinels.
