Collegia Titanica: Plasma Blastgun- Overload Fire Mode

Welcome to our next installment of Collegia Titanica. We continue to review Titans, Void Shields, Battle Engines, Titan Weaponry, and even Titan movement to enable you to get the most out of your table top giants or at least help you choose how best to utilize a firing solution. 

Today we look at the Warhound Titan's Plasma Blastgun in its overload fire mode.  The rapid fire mode of this weapon was covered in a previous article. This is one of the most popular options for the Warhounds as well as a classic often shown off in the books.

Range 96" - S10 - AP2 - Primary Weapon 1, Apocalyptic Blast

Range: At 96 inches the Plasma Blastgun in overload mode can hit anything on a standard sized table.  Range won't be an issue in this firing mode and the only thing that will threaten your Titan that far out is another super-heavy, even in Apocalypse.

General Effectiveness: The Plasma Blastgun is easily one of the most effective and versatile loadouts of any of the Titan weapons out there.  However, this review will focus on just the overload fire mode, and even then it is quite a versatile weapon.  Firing in the overload mode for the Plasma Blastgun retains the same effectiveness against infantry than in its rapid fire state.  That means using overload mode is actually a waste of the gun's effectiveness against infantry (due to the reduced number of shots in spite of the larger blast radius) unless you're targeting very hard enemies such as Wraithlords or above.  This fire mode, however, has some serious armor cracking ability and takes on the likes of even the Land Raider with an ease eclipsed only by Destroyer Weapons.  With Primary Weapon and S10, a Plasma Blastgun will make very short work of vehicles of all stripes.  It will kill just about any infantry that it can hit (causing Instant Death to enemies T5 or less) and is a highly dreaded vehicle killer for anything that isn't a super-heavy class.

Effectiveness Against Titans: The Plasma Blastgun is a weapon that is designed to be able to tackle any battlefield threat due to its two firing modes.  The overload mode of the Plasma Blastgun allows it to fight other Titans; even the powerful Warlord Titans.  Once a Titan's void shields are stripped out, preferably by the Vulcan Mega Bolter, an overload shot has a good chance of making damage stick to an enemy God-Engine.  It won't have much issue harming other Warhounds and even manages to damage Reaver Titans with relative ease.

Recommended Deployments: In its overload fire mode this weapon is best used against enemy elite infantry, Monstrous Creatures, and all types of enemy armor in particular.  The weapon can kill hordes, but at a reduced capacity compared to its rapid fire mode.  It really shines against vehicles where it can crack armor easily.  As mentioned in an earlier article, this is one of the few weapons that Warhounds can safely take in pairs and still maintain battlefield versatility.  Once more, like most of the Warhound's weapons, it would do better paired with a weapon of a different type.  Pairing the Plasma Blastgun with a Turbo Laser raises the sheer destructive force of the Titan and allows it to tackle anything in the game.  Pairing it with the classic Vulcan Mega-Bolter makes the Warhound able to deal with infantry at any range with comparative safety and means that it will also be able to shred Monstrous Creatures and light to medium armor even more effectively.

Image Source: https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-US/Mars-Pattern-Warhound-Titan-Plasma-Blastgun

Summary: The Plasma Blastgun is a deadly addition to any Warhound Titan's arsenal.  Second only to the Turbo Laser in its versatility (and only due to the fact it is not a Destroyer weapon), this gun is fearsome in either of its firing modes.  In the overload fire mode reviewed here, it is extremely capable of tackling vehicles and Monstrous Creatures in particular, and can threaten other Titans with its high strength value.  The large size of the template at ten inches also means it will be extremely accurate (not likely to miss at all, in truth) and can cover multiple units per shot.  It's capable of hurting any unit in the game and is a particularly good vehicle killer.  It is a powerful weapon that also gives the Titan range and the security of knowing it can handle anything facing it.

Please comment below to discuss the Plasma Blastgun in overload fire mode.  

Collegia Titanica: Plasma Blastgun- Rapid Fire Mode

Welcome to our next installment of Collegia Titanica. We continue to review Titans, Void Shields, Battle Engines, Titan Weaponry, and even Titan movement to enable you to get the most out of your table top giants or at least help you choose how best to utilize a firing solution. 

Today we look at the Warhound Titan's Plasma Blastgun in its rapid fire mode.  The overload mode of this weapon will be covered at a later time. This is one of the most popular options for the Warhounds as well as a classic often shown off in the books.

Range 72" - S8 - AP2 - Primary Weapon 2, Massive Blast

Range: At 72 inches the Plasma Blastgun in rapid fire mode is able to hit practically anything on a standard table size.  In Apocalypse on larger tables this is still a quite respectable distance and will often keep your Warhound out of range but all of the most long range of weapons.  This often means the ability to fire from safety and relative impunity. 

General Effectiveness: The Plasma Blastgun is easily one of the most effective and versatile loadouts of any of the Titan weapons out there.  However, this review will focus on just the rapid fire mode, and even then it is quite a versatile weapon.  This gun is the bane of infantry squads, especially when the Warhound has the luxury of range to work with (shorter range is where the Vulcan Mega-Bolter shines) and the seven inch blast makes this weapon able to kill squads in droves since it can effectively target more than one unit in a sense.  Couple that with the fact that it can fire two shots in this mode and there will be a lot of wounds going around.  Even elite infantry has to worry about this weapon at AP2, meaning invulnerable and cover saves are the only real hope of survival.  This is also why Monstrous Creatures will dislike it since it has a high strength and excellent AP value on it, allowing it to easily cause wounds that will stick.  At S8 it will also be able to instant kill most enemies in the game.  And furthermore, due to the S8 of the weapon it's able to damage light and medium vehicles with ease.  While the weapon lacks the sheer stopping power of a D weapon, it is very powerful and in rapid fire mode can handle all but the toughest of vehicles.  Its ability to kill infantry in large piles and light to medium armor is extremely useful and allows the Warhound to serve in multiple roles.

Effectiveness Against Titans: The Plasma Blastgun is a weapon that is designed to be able to tackle any battlefield threat due to its two firing modes.  However, in the rapid fire mode, it struggles against other Titans.  While it is capable of glancing or penetrating other Titans at respectable odds, the rapid fire mode will often rely upon the void shields being stripped off and having the opportunity to hit the other Titan on the side or rear armor.  Using the Plasma Blastgun in rapid fire mode against another Titan should only be done in more desperate circumstances where the volume of dice seems to be more advantageous.

Recommended Deployments: In its rapid fire mode this weapon is best used against enemy infantry, Monstrous Creatures, and light to medium armor.  The weapon can kill hordes with a terrifying efficiency and also has a very strong change of making wounds stick to Monstrous Creatures.  This is one of the few weapons that Warhounds can safely take in pairs and still maintain battlefield versatility and tackle even Titans (when one or both are used in overload fire).  However, like most of the Warhound's weapons, it would do better paired with a weapon of a different type.  Pairing the Plasma Blastgun with a Turbo Laser raises the sheer destructive force of the Titan and allows it to tackle anything in the game.  Pairing it with the classic Vulcan Mega-Bolter makes the Warhound able to deal with infantry at any range with comparative safety and means that it will also be able to shred Monstrous Creatures and light to medium armor even more effectively.

Image Source: https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-US/Mars-Pattern-Warhound-Titan-Plasma-Blastgun

Summary: The Plasma Blastgun is a deadly addition to any Warhound Titan's arsenal.  Second only to the Turbo Laser in its versatility (and only due to the fact it is not a Destroyer weapon), this gun is fearsome in either of its firing modes.  In the rapid fire mode reviewed here, it is extremely capable of slaughtering infantry squads and often landing quite solid wounds on Monstrous Creatures that will stick.  The large size of the template at seven inches also means it will be deadly accurate and can cover multiple units per shot.  It's capable of tackling light to medium armor with ease in this state and can even damage other Titans if used correctly.  It is a powerful weapon that also gives the Titan range and the security of knowing it can handle anything facing it.

Please comment below to discuss the Plasma Blastgun in rapid fire mode.  Review of the Plasma Blastgun in overload mode will be coming at a later date.

Collegia Titanica: Inferno Gun

Welcome to our next installment of Collegia Titanica. We continue to review Titans, Void Shields, Battle Engines, Titan Weaponry, and even Titan movement to enable you to get the most out of your table top giants or at least help you choose how best to utilize a firing solution. 

Today we look at the Warhound Titan's Inferno Gun. This weapon is often overlooked in favor of the more powerful weapons and ranged warfare, but it does still have its uses.

Range Hellstorm Template - S7 - AP3 - Primary Weapon 1, Hellstorm. 

Range: The Inferno Gun suffers from two major issues: range and vehicles.  We'll cover the vehicle issue later in the article.  Of the two flaws the Inferno Gun has, the range is the worst of the two.  While a Hellstorm template is big and covers a large swathe of area, making it ideal for infantry killing, it requires that a Titan get very close to the enemy.  This ultimately means that a Titan is within striking range of about every weapon imaginable and places units that can harm it within the Titan's protective void shields.  However, while the Titan does sacrifice range in order to use this weapon, the area that the Inferno Gun covers means that it will hit plenty of targets and will make even spread out infantry suffer from its flames.

General Effectiveness: Of the four Warhound weapons, the Inferno Gun is probably the least generally effective of the group and has the least amount of versatility.  This is due to the fact that it serves only one purpose: infantry slaughter.  The Inferno Gun, while capable of handling light armor, only fares so well against medium armor, and cannot hurt heavy armor at all.  This means that it's a dedicated infantry killer.  However, due to its ability to cover many enemies at once, it is the most effective anti-infantry weapon the Warhound possesses.  It will kill infantry that doesn't have an invulnerable save 5/6 times and slices through almost all armor.  It will struggle against elite infantry often as this opponent tends to have 2+ armor that will negate the AP of the weapon.  Using this weapon against an enemy with 3+ armor or less is practically a death sentence.

Effectiveness Against Titans: The Inferno Gun is going to be the least effective option for a Warhound to deal with another Titan.  The simplest advice of using an Inferno Gun against a Titan is: DON'T.  While it can damage another Warhound or even a Reaver, the odds are slim and put the Warhound squarely within the sights of other Titans and Super-heavies. 

Recommended Deployments: This weapon is best used against enemy infantry (preferably with lower invulnerable saves), especially light infantry with power armor or worse.  The Inferno Gun will struggle against elite infantry (2+).  The weapon is very capable of killing hordes and soft opponents and is the only area at which it excels.  A Warhound equipped with an Inferno Gun is ill suited to carrying two of the weapon is it gives the Titan no versatility.  A Warhound that has an Inferno Gun may be well suited to having a Vulcan Mega-Bolter on the other side in order to keep it from being swarmed by ground troops.  However, Titans carrying the Inferno Gun will likely wish to bring a Plasma Blastgun or Twin-Barreled Turbo Laser Destructor instead to provide it the opportunity to tackle infantry and tanks alike.

Image Source: https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-US/Mars-Pattern-Warhound-Titan-Inferno-Cannon

*NOTE: The Forge World Website refers to the weapon as the Inferno Cannon, the official Apocalypse book refers to it as the Inferno Gun.  These weapons are indeed the same.

Summary: The Inferno Gun is probably the least versatile weapon that a Warhound Titan can carry.  However, while it lacks the ability to kill vehicles and can only moderately handle light armor the weapon excels against light infantry and hordes.  This gives the Warhound Titan the chance to clear enemy infantry in order to allow your own infantry to push forward with little resistance and allows other Titans to focus on larger threats.  This weapon is best paired using another weapon type that has range and punch to give the Warhound versatility and the ability to deal with other threats when needed.

Please comment below to discuss the Inferno Gun. 

Collegia Titanica: Twin-Barreled Turbo Laser Destructor

Welcome to our second Collegia Titanica article. We continue to review Titans, Void Shields, Battle Engines, Titan Weaponry, and even Titan movement to enable you to get the most out of your table top giants. Hopefully this may help you decide what weapons to load your Titan out with or at least help you choose how best to utilize a firing solution. 

Today we continue with the Twin-Barreled Turbo Laser Destructor (the official name in the Apocalypse book, which we'll just call the Turbo Laser for short). This weapon is among the most common of the Warhound weapon options used because of its shear lethality and well known and feared stopping power.

Range 96" - SD - AP2 - Primary Weapon 2, Blast. 

**NOTE: The possibility of rolling a 6 on the D Table will rarely be discussed in this article as it is only a 1/6 chance.  Warhound owners can reasonably expect to roll the 2-5 result often and should consider that from the tactical standpoint instead of its maximum.

Range: At 96", this mammoth of a weapon can hit anything it wants on a standard sized table. The Turbo Laser can easily out-distance heavy weapons teams and is rarely out-ranged by other equipment.  Using a Turbo Laser, a Warhound can sit outside of the main battle, in spite of its nature as a Scout Titan, and lay the hate from safety.

General Effectiveness: The Turbo Laser really offers itself up as a very versatile weapon for a Titan to use. Due to its nature as a Destroyer weapon, something heavily feared in the current state of 30k/40k, it's able to harm anything and everything with ease.  Results of the Turbo Laser, like any D weapon, rely upon a single dice roll to determine just how devastating the weapon may have a chance to be.  There is always a 1/6 chance of doing no damage at all, but this is largely made up for by the fact that 2/3 of the time you'll deal an average of 2 wounds or Hull Points per hit, usually causing Instant Death in the process.  Because of the D weapon rules, its general effectiveness in combat is very high.  However, this weapon shines the most against 2+ armor opponents with lower invulnerable saves, multi-wound models that you have to kill quickly, and other vehicles, especially Titans that need to go down fast.  Shooting at infantry type units, while brutally devastating, should be reserved for after other "battlefield kings" have been dealt with.  Furthermore, care should be taken against enemies that have respectable invulnerable saves as the multi-wound nature of a D weapon shot can easily be negated by invulnerable saves that will completely ignore the effect once the save has been passed.

Effectiveness Against Titans: As previously mentioned, the Turbo Laser is really good against vehicles, and is among the best counters for other Titans.  Titans, being notoriously hard to kill, obviously need to be dealt with by superior weaponry.  D weapons are known as "Titan killers" for good reason.  Often a Turbo Laser won't miss its shots due to its BS4, reducing scatter, coupled with the shear size of other Titans.  This means that on average, a Turbo Laser will strip out 4 Hull Points per salvo once the Void Shields have been stripped (see the Vulcan Mega Bolter article for more information about this tactic.)  Furthermore, rolling a 6 on the D table has the chance of completely coring out a Warhound Titan in one shot, and a Reaver Titan with two very lucky rolls on the table.  This makes the Turbo Laser the Warhound's best option at killing fellow Titans due to the ease with which it can damage them, and it's potential to completely kill them in one shot with luck.  It is important to note that a hit from a D weapon will automatically collapse a Titan's Void Shields.  This should probably only be used as a last resort after all other nearby support units have attempted to knock out an enemy Titan's Void Shields, since these shots are much more useful in killing the enemy instead of taking out defensive measures where no real damage will be done.

Recommended Deployments: This weapon is best used against enemy elite infantry (preferably with lower invulnerable saves), multi-wound characters that can be killed by Instant Death, vehicles, and other Titans.  While the weapon is very capable of killing hordes and soft opponents, the shots are somewhat wasted compared to its ability to kill heavy armor and major threats.  Once the major threats have been eliminated, this weapon can be used to devastate infantry and punish them.  This weapon is good against any and all opponents, shooting just comes down to a matter of target priority.  While tempting to take two of this heavy hitting weapon on the battlefield, it does limit your Titan to being able to hunt only hard hitting targets in a way.  Pairing the Warhound with another weapon type, such as the Plasma Blastgun or Vulcan Mega Bolter, gives the Titan much more versatility and helps it to tackle the entire spectrum of opponents and increases its effectiveness.

Source: https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-US/Mars-Pattern-Warhound-Titan-Turbo-Laser-arm-only

Summary: The Turbo Laser is probably the most versatile weapon that a Warhound Titan can carry.  Due to its nature as a D weapon, it is able to kill infantry and vehicles alike with ease using the Destroyer Table.  However, the weapon shines most against elite infantry, vehicles, and in particular other Titans.  Care should be taken during target selection to maximize the lethality and impact of this weapon on the battlefield.  Wasted opportunities with this weapon can lead to your own Titan's death. 

Please comment below to discuss the Twin-Barreled Turbo Laser Destructor. 

Shadow

Collegia Titanica: Vulcan Mega-Bolter

Hello and welcome to our first of many articles titled Collegia Titanica. In these articles we (Shadow and I) are aiming to review Titans, Void Shields, Battle Engines, Titan Weaponary and even Titan movement, to enable you to get them most out of your table top giants. Hopefully this may help you decide what weapons to load your Titan out with or at least help you choose how best to utilise a firing solution. 

Today we start with the Vulcan Mega-Bolter. This weapon is often overlooked in favour of the more deadly Plasma Blastgun and Turbo Laser Destructor, but at the end of the day it simply is horses for courses. 

Range 60" - S6 - AP3 - Heavy 15. 

Range: at 60" you are able to shoot up over 2 realm of battle board segments. This immediately places the Engine outside the range of Heavy support squads and most other forms of dangerous Weaponary. 

General Effectiveness: Well it isn't the most flattering results you will see today, especially when you compare it to other forms of Titan Weaponary. It can mow through light - medium Infantry units, especially if your opponent strings out his infantry squads to make them less susceptible to blast templates. The weapon does struggle against Heavy armoured troops and I would go as far to say as just charge them instead as you would get a better result anyway. 

It eats through monstrous creatures probably better than most other Titan Weaponary apart from Destroyer Weapons. 

Effectiveness Against Titans: the best thing to gleam from this is; in a Titan battle, this little weapon has a good chance of stripping down 1-2 Void Shields a turn. This goes extremely well with the fluff as it is recorded that Princeps would use these sort of weapons to batter the shields before firing a Titan damaging weapon like a Turbo Laser Destructor or Plasma Blastgun (in a Warhound's case). 

Recommended Deployments: This weapon is best utilised against Forces like Tyranids and Orks, where it can be used to destroy Dreadnoughts, Monstrous Creatures and medium strength infantry units like Tyranid warriors and Ork Nobz / Killer Kanz etc. 

It is also effective against Legion / Space Marine forces where the opponent brings a lot of Sv3+ squads. 

Summary: The Vulcan Mega-Bolter is an effective weapon, but sadly lacks the stopping power of some of the alternative Titan weapons. Generally when a Titan walks, it walks against something almost equally as destructive, so this weapon may not find a place in your arsenal unfortunately. 

Please comment below to discuss the Vulcan Mega-Bolter. 

Drake Seta