Why cant my Vanquisher fire HE rounds?!

[Aldramelech]

So Ive got my Vanquisher all nicely painted and ready to go but then I start to wonder "why cant the Vanquisher battle cannon fire a HE round?" Being a bit of a real life tread head I know as much as the next man the huge variation in tank main gun rounds available so you would think in the 41st they'd have figured out how to do the same?

[chromedog]

Because they made a standard leman russ obsolete by being able to fire both rounds.
I mean, who would use a standard russ with it's 72" battle cannon round range, when the vanquisher could use its round and had a longer range too?

[Aldramelech]

The Vanquisher and the Battle Cannon both have a range of 72", they are both strength 8. The big V is AP2 the battle cannon is AP3. Large Blast for the Battle Cannon, Extra D6 penetration for the Vanquisher.

This in my opinion gives the Vanquisher a big disadvantage.

Why cant the V fire a HE shell using the small blast template at AP3? That would make it value for the points

[bob]

It's the same reason that the sergeant in your infantry squads can't carry a lasgun.
The same reason you tech priest engineseer can't bring a chimera.

Robin Cruddace (responsible for the guard dex) thinks it's better this way.

By the way can anyone think of a reason for the change in name of the hellgun? it's bugged me for a whilke

[bob]

Sorry double post

[Old_Paladin]

chromedog hit the nail on the head; It's purely a game-play thing.
Each tank has a role in mind. Russ, general purpose. Vanq, anti-tank. Nova, anti-covered infanty.

If I could take the cheaper Russ, give it a couple each of Hi-Ex, Sabot, and inferno shells; why take any other tank?
If the Vanq had Hi-Ex, then the normal Russ is redundant; unless you know ahead of time that you won't face much armour, and the AT shots would be pointless.

This isn't real life, where MBT's cannons are as versitial as possible; so that one kind of tank can do lots of jobs.

[Col.Gravis]

In honesty I hav'nt tried the Vanquisher out under the new codex yet, but at a guess it was to remove making taking the Vanquisher a no brainer over a standard Leman Russ, I mean how much extra would you charge for the Vanquishers special AT shot, at the 180 odd of the old codex it was probably over costed, but put it much less and it's just a case of spare points.

Im not sure I agree with what they've done too it, but it is if that was the percieved problem a solution, though from a 'tankers' stand point it does'nt make much sense really.

@bob, to partly answer a question with a question, why did they change the name to a Helgun in the first place? A Stormtroopers lasweapon was originally the Hotshot Lasgun, it did'nt become a Helgun until 3rd Edition.

[Maturin]

Since the guys who wrote Imperial Armour were treadheads as well, I believe the Vanquisher is supposed to be an analogue to the WWII Sherman Firefly (if you take the Leman Russ as the Sherman). And though the Firefly was equipped with the best Allied (US/UK) anti-tank gun of the war (17 pounder), it didn't have HE shells available until later in the war due to poor HE shell performance.

But in the far future, you can justify anything by the use of STC's, or the loss thereof.

[Aldramelech]

If I was a cynical person I could say it was done to sell more tank models........ But the nice guys at GW wouldn't deliberately try and get me to part with my hard earned cash would they?

[Col.Gravis]

If I was a cynical person I could say it was done to sell more tank models........ But the nice guys at GW wouldn't deliberately try and get me to part with my hard earned cash would they?

I would'nt of disagreed entirely until the Demolisher kit, but now I'd not be in the least bit surprised to see the Vanquisher done as a swapable weapon option of the normal Russ kit when it arrives.