# Versus... Steam Tanks (7th)



## squeek (Jun 8, 2008)

Hi all,

Continuing with the Fantasy Versus... series, next on the list is steam tanks (suggested by maddermax). If you want to add your suggestions as to who Fantasy Versus should deal with next, go here for the general thread.

So steam tanks, how do you combat these metal monsters? It is arguably one of the best hammer units in the warhammer world AND it has a cannon! Apart from the high toughness and wounds, they autofail initiative tests but are immune to pyschology and are immune to spells that don't have a strength value, so you can't just use pit of shades, etc.

Though we are primarily discussing the Stank here feel free to mention tactics versus the double Stank and popemobile tournie special lists if you think it is relevant.

So how do you plan to combat them? Do you have a preferred unit or tactic that works every time?


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## Hudson (Jun 3, 2008)

sorry to question you squeek but i'm sure it says steam tanks automatically FAIL initiative based tests?


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## Gharof von Carstein (May 19, 2008)

well as far as i know you can not pit of shades a steam tank anyway so its a moot point. 

btw for VC killing steamtanks is cake. throw a vampire against it and tarpit it with the unit he is in. hit, wound, reraise casualties, rinse and repeat. If you face stanks often id say konrad von carstein is your friend. he hits automatically with 5 attacks (yay!) and for every wound that lands he causes 2 wounds (double yay!) and for every wound caused gets a extra attack that again auto lands! konrad is the stank slayer for real!


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## squeek (Jun 8, 2008)

Hudson said:


> sorry to question you squeek but i'm sure it says steam tanks automatically FAIL initiative based tests?


Question away my friend, I would rather it be correct! Well spotted I misread that one, I will reword it.


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## Hudson (Jun 3, 2008)

Gharof von Carstein said:


> well as far as i know you can not pit of shades a steam tank anyway so its a moot point.
> 
> btw for VC killing steamtanks is cake. throw a vampire against it and tarpit it with the unit he is in. hit, wound, reraise casualties, rinse and repeat. If you face stanks often id say konrad von carstein is your friend. he hits automatically with 5 attacks (yay!) and for every wound that lands he causes 2 wounds (double yay!) and for every wound caused gets a extra attack that again auto lands! konrad is the stank slayer for real!


yes my steam tank will be staying well clear of him lol

i find empire cannons kick a stanks butt (i know empire on empire but hey thats the army i use and know) 

if you hit its D6 wounds and as any empire general knows a steam tank becomes useless when wounds are lowered and steam points become more difficult to gain.

chaos knights also hit a Stank hard especially with the autohit rule

For those unaware anything in CC with a steam tank will auto hit, only needing to wound. so anything with S7+ is partcularly evil to the tank


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Kholek. Monstrous Ceature, D3 Wounds, Toughness 8, Str 8.

Scythed Heavy Chariots.

Lanced Chaos Knights.

Or Nurgle Sorceror, with the spell 'Quagmire', if it has an Armour Save. Autofails Initiative, and then must fail an Armour Save, or die, with no armour saves allowed.


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## Baalirock (Oct 6, 2008)

Hope that the blow themselves up? That's worked ok for me so far. :grin:


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## MaidenManiac (Oct 2, 2008)

Either tarpitting units like zombies/goblins/whatevers to prevent its usefullness during the battle...
Or any "hits like a ten ton hammer unit" like Blood Knights, Chosen with GW's, Grail Knights, Kroxigors or whatever. The main importance is to deal _alot_ of damage the first round to cripple it. Once thats done you can revert to grinding it down the old fashioned way


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## kungfoomasta (May 8, 2008)

i have only seen a steamtank once and iw was killed by 2 dragons eating it. other than that being VC i would have a wight king w ax of krell-s6 d3 wounds or have black knights or blood knights charge it.


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## thomas2 (Nov 4, 2007)

Auto fails intuitive test you say?

Well O&G have a spell that has them take a I test, and take D6 S10 hits if they fail. That could be a useful damage dealer.


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## Othiem (Apr 20, 2008)

Bolt throwers seem highly effective, especially the orkish variety that come in at such a low point cost. The key to the stank is once you've brought it down a few wounds, the player either has to tone it down a ton, or get crazy and risk blowing it up. Focus on the tank early so you can cut it's effectiveness asap. Like a few others said, any unit that brings a lot of high str attacks wil do well thanks to autohitting. Unbreakable tarpits are the other option. The biggest threat of the STank imo is not it's combat effectiveness, but it's effectiveness at VP denial. How you counter that, I have no idea.


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## warboss nazwart (Sep 15, 2008)

ya, the thing about the steam tank is not how to knock it out of the game but how to get those 300 VPs. Cannon/bolt throwers or a high strength can do it. But it will take at least 2 turns so that high strengh has to stay.

Also to any of you that want to use a spell on the Stank only spells with a strength value will work, so for example Quagmire, pit of shades, etc. will not work but that O&G spell will as it has a strength value. 

i have found that a simple redirect then charge with a strength unit will still take care of a Stank, once it has taken 3 wounds it is really going to be useless. Unless the empire player is really ballzy and takes a chance to blow him self up.


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## Vorag of Strigos (Feb 25, 2009)

I've fought against an Empire army with 2 Steam Tanks which he kept within 6" of each other, they battered right through 2 units of Zombies about 12 skeletons and left my Vampire Hero almost dead, before I took a risky move and threw my Zombie Dragon with my Vampire lord into the fray, (currantly borrowed from a friend just to see how good it could be) turns out, HUZZAH! the dragon itself held it off long enough for my blood knights and Wights to come to the rescue


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