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Ironhead Squat Prospectors

2023-02-13T20:43:42Z

2601:1C0:4500:A540:C113:B5DE:8066:B5CC:

[[File:IronheadSymbol.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Symbol of the Ironhead Squat Prospectors.]]
{{Topquote|Rock and Stone!|The Prospector's infamous battlecry}}

{{Topquote|I am a <s>dwarf</s> squat and I'm digging a hole. Diggy diggy hole, I'm digging a hole!|Ironhead mining song}}

Squat Prospectors from [[Necromunda]]. Basically [[Video games|Deep Rock Galactic]], but Necromundan. While they’re miners and resources diggers through and through, like any space dorf, they’re just as willing to use their guns and mining gear to fight off anyone trying to hijack their ore. What little we know comes from [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/05/06/revealed-squat-prospectors-hit-the-motherlode-in-the-ash-wastes/ this] post over on Warcom. While they’re culturally distant cousins with the [[Leagues of Votann]] due to settling Necromunda some time in M31, they’re said to get along well.
==Overview==
[[File:Ironhead-prospector-1.jpg|260px|right|thumb|You don't Rock and Stone, you ain't coming home!]]
Like the Tau-aligned [[Demiurg]], the Ironheads were once a Prospect fleet of Kin who came to Necromunda as part of the clean up crew in M31, in the wake of the Horus Heresy. Apparently, the rebellious sons of the Emperor also made a mess of their room (that being the galaxy), as Necromunda had so much trash and scrap on it, that the Kin were contracted to come clean it up. Well, nine millennia later, the Kin that came to Necromunda have diverged heavily from their League-bound cousins. Going so far as to lose much contact with them, though retaining familial bonds. Kinda like an uncle twice-removed from the family. You’re not really very close or know much about him but you respect him enough to get along, and maybe you agree on a few things, but that's basically it. Going officially by the name "[[Squats|Squats]]", the Ironheads formed a nomadic, mining-based culture on the hive world, where their massive rig-cities, dust crawlers, and [[Cargo-8 Ridgehauler|
land trains]] travel the dune wastes looking for junk and scrap to harvest, as well as digging up valuable ores, archaeotech, ancestral shards of valuable lost data, and shooting any longshanks dumb enough to try and take their shit.

For the most part the Ironheads tend to avoid traveling to or dealing directly with the Hive cities as the guys on the upper levels of the hive tend to be a bunch of racist small minded assholes and won’t let the abhumans in thus forcing them to use other wasteland traders as intermediaries. Should news of a piece of valuable tech or data getting uncovered reach their ears though, or should a Squat become an outcast amongst his people due to some past action, then you will occasionally see them sneaking in and visiting the underhive, something which is a lot easier than visiting the upper levels since Hive Enforcer patrols tend to be lighter down there and, due to the rampant mutation occurring on the lowers levels, the people down there tend to be a bit more accepting of abhumans.

Culturally, the Ironheads have retained an affinity with better tech, though theirs is much more along the lines of everyone having artificer wargear rather than ion guns and true AI, unlike the Kin. Their society is divided into a set of twelve clans with each having a separate fort from which they seasonally leave in Land Trains to find prospective drill sites for valuable scrap tech and ore to extract for use or profit. The four biggest clans are the mercantile Anglish, mercenary Svardhol (Icelandic for black hole), the technophilic Tapferkeit, and the exploratory Scragfrid. Since the loss of their [[Votann]] sometime in the last 10 millennia under mysterious circumstances (looking at you [[House Van Saar]]), their society has become one of a rigid workplace environment, with the bosses and overseers, known as Charter Masters, with their centuries of experience and their sick ass hammers, leading their efforts. Below them are the Drill Masters, which would be akin to middle management, as well as serving the role as champions. Working under them are the Drill-Kyn, who are the workhorse grunts of the clans raised from their rookies that are called Diggers. Supporting them are the [[Vartijan Exo-Driller| Vartijan Exo-Driller]]s, who take their name from the legendary Squat engineer Valya Vartijan of the Svardhol mining clan who managed to modify the prospectors remaining old [[Hearthguard]] [[Exo-Armour]] suits into an incredibly useful general purpose tool. The giant mech suits that resulted, seriously they could rival [[Centurion Armour]] in girth and rotundness, effectively turned the [[Vartijan Exo-Driller| Vartijan Exo-Driller]]s into heavy duty guardians for the mining crews, that is when they weren’t helping with the heavy lifting. Any enemies that dared to threaten one of the mining crews equipped with these mechs would soon either get pounded flat by their piston-powered pulverizing fist and seismic crusher or find themselves blasted by bursts of fire from either a heavy flamer or heavy bolter depending on how the suit was equipped. Last but not least amongst the prospectors, are the squats known as Gearheads who pilot the vehicles needed to maintain their nomadic lifestyle. Only thing they're lacking is a Molly of their own to carry their rocks and stones to go full Deep Rock Galactic.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Inronhead-prospector-2.png|Deep is where we go.
File:Ironhead-prospector-3.png|Heave Ho! For Rock and Stone!
File:Inronhead-prospector-4.png|Bend your backs to take your gold.
File:Ironhead-prospector-5.png|Dirt and dark is what we know.
File:Vartijan Exo-Driller.jpg|Deep in Rock is where we go!
</gallery>
{{Ironhead Squat Prospectors}}
{{Necromunda}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Dwarves]]
[[Category:Squats]]
[[Category:Abhumans]]
{{Template:Imperium}}

Gepard Flakpanzer Batterie

2023-02-13T19:11:25Z

2601:1C0:4500:A540:C113:B5DE:8066:B5CC: /* IRL */

[[File:Gepard.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Gepard is German for Cheetah. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6Qh3VTmtxU *Tweet!*]]]

The Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard (or Flakpanzer Gepard for those who don't have all day to say one word) is a SPAAG used by West Germany and later just Germany. Built on a stretched Leopard 1 hull and armed with a pair of 35,L/90 Guns, the Gepard is one of the definitive AA Platforms of the Cold War.

==In Team Yankee==
===West German===
[[File:Gepard Stat Card.jpg|300px|left|thumb|Die Stats]]

The Gepard used to be the gold standard for all SPAAGs (Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun) and is still widely considered one of the best units in the game.

First off, the Twin 35mm L/90 Gun is just beastly. With AT 11 and a 4+ FP, the Gepard can tear apart BMPs, BTRs, Recon vehicles, and artillery and even tanks (from the side) out to a range of 28 inches, and with its halted ROF 5 (4 on the move), enemy infantry melt away in its fury.

The Gepard can also deal with airborne threats (if you're into that sort of thing). Like all SPAAGs, the Gepard gets the Dedicated AA and Radar Rules, which basically mean that you can use your full ROF against air targets (rather than just rolling one dice) and ignore the penalties for shooting at long range. Oh, and your bubble of AA coverage is extended to 40 inches. Basically, if you have a Gepard Batterie in a corner of the map, that corner is covered.

As for defence, the Gepard is as well armoured as an [[M113 Armored Personnel Carrier|M113]], so you should be okay against things like Machine guns and small arms fire, but the moment someone points something serious at you, you should probably endeavour to be somewhere else. Notable is that the roof is covered so, unlike the [[M163 VADS]], the vehicle stands slightly more of a chance vs. enemy fire.

Most importantly, you're not going to leave this unit off the board even when your opponent doesn't bring in aircraft: this is the main thing which turns the Gepard from an excellent unit to one of the most cost-efficient AA pieces for NATO. Unlike the Blowpipe, the Gepard is a unit you will want to bring for dealing with ground units. The only real competition to the Gepard is the ADATS, which is still specialized for dealing with expensive units: aircraft and tanks. In the current meta of BMP and infantry parades, the Gepard is the better choice. Note that Gepards CAN destroy modern tanks from the side thanks to its monstrously high AT (for an autocannon) if your opponent is derpy enough to charge your death machines.

One of the best units in the game, and an auto-include in virtually all lists thanks to its firepower and versatility. A pair of Gepards will cost you five points. West German armies my take these things in platoons of 2, 4, or 6 (which will cost you 5, 10, or 15 points respectively). The Gepard comes second to the [[Chieftain#Marksman|Marksman]] only in front armour and points.

===Netherlands===
[[file:PRTL AA CARD.jpg|300px|thumb|left|De stats, mensen.]]
The PRTL (Pantser, Rups, Tegen Luchtdoelen, or Tank, Tracked, Anti-Air) is the premier Dutch anti-air vehicle that fills the air defence role very admirably while punching through most vehicles you will face in the game.

Nearly identical to the West German variant (which makes sense, as the PRTL is literally just a Gepard with a Dutch Radar set), the PRTL drops the morale and skill stat to a 4+, reducing the chances for blitz or ‘shoot and scoot’ orders. That aside, Gepards are not units which should be taking casualties for the most part. As support units, their first job is to stay in cover and knock enemy flyers out of the skies.

In the Dutch list, the PRTL counters many of the same targets that your IFVs do. This does NOT mean they’re redundant, just that you shouldn’t be using them as offensive vehicles like a West German list might.

{{clear}}

==IRL==
[[File:1024px-FLAK-Panzer Gepard Übungsschießen Todendorf 1987.jpg|right|300px|thumb|DAKADAKADAKADAKADAKADAKADAKADAKADAKA]]
This is what every SPAAG in the Western world and most of South East Asia has taken its inspiration from. The Germans already had experience with using the body of a tank as a base for SPAAGs, but those early models suffered from the drawback that target tracking had to be done by human eyes (and sometimes by hand on the lightest gun mounts), which severely limited their use against the ever faster flying CAS aircraft. The Gepard solved this problem with the elegant solution of using two radars: the tracking radar is located between the guns and keeps them on target while the search radar is located at the back of the turret and keeps track of the larger battle. The downside of this is that such advanced tracking systems leave little room for ammunition. The Gepard configuration has become the "rule of thumb" design for all modern systems, even if these days not many users of this vehicle remain and only Japan and South Korea are making improvements on this proven design. Hell, when General Dynamics entered the "DIVAD" air defence contract, their proposition was basically to take an [[A-10 Warthog|A-10's]] GAU-8 cannon, mount it next to the tracking radar of the Gepard and put the whole in a turret to unleash some "BRAAAAAAAP" level [[Dakka]] at any aircraft suicidal enough to come close.

While increasingly obsolete in a world of 5th generation stealth fighters, they remain a deadly foe against helicopters without stealth capability and typically accompany Division air defense artillery battalions alongside more advanced hardware to protect against close air assault, and of course god help you if you're an infantryman anywhere near this thing. The Gepard has experienced somewhat of a renaissance with the advent of the war in Ukraine, with German Gepards donated to Ukraine used in the anti-missile role and especially the anti-drone where they are one of the few cost effect replys to an off the shelf amazon quad copter that pop up to just take a look at your trenches. What? going to shoot a 10,000 stinger at That?

{{West German Forces in Team Yankee}}
{{Dutch Forces in Team Yankee}}
[[Category:Vehicles]]

M270 MLRS

2023-02-13T19:09:20Z

2601:1C0:4500:A540:C113:B5DE:8066:B5CC: /* IRL */

{{America}}
[[File:MLRSMODEL.jpg|300px|right|thumb|See that grid square? I don't want to. ]]

The lovechild between an American engineer and a Soviet lady named Katyusha, the M270 combines the raw firepower of a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) with the laser guidance systems of modern artillery warheads. Despite its Yankee heritage, the M270 is used around the world by NATO countries looking for a long-ranged artillery system that can hit harder than any other weapon on the battlefield, short of dropping bombs and nukes.

A strategic weapon, these units were almost always classed at the division level thanks to the logistical strain, and the immense range one of these systems can fire up to. As with other Battlefront artillery pieces, this thing that should be sitting beyond 25km from the battlefield is here to support your forces half a mile away from the front.

==In Team Yankee==
===USA===
[[File:MLRSUSA.jpg|300px|thumb|left|See how they like freedom via steel rain.]]
Finally, the US gets a cheap anti-infantry Salvo template that doesn't come strapped to a pair of wings, either fixed or rotary.

The M270 Multiple-Launch Rocket System is a multiple rocket launcher platform able to launch 12 rockets up to 20 miles (or more, depending on the version and munitions). It utilizes a crew of three and was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1983, so the system has only been in service for two years by the time the Cold War finally goes hot in August 1985. The M270 is tracked, unlike standard wheeled platforms on the Soviet side, like the BM-21, but similar to them its armour is only meant for protection against small arms fire at best; anything much heavier and the M270, which is supposed to be literally miles to the rear of the line of battle, is in big trouble. Seriously. With 0 on the front, 0 on the side, and just 1 point of armour on top, the M270 is about as heavily armoured as a civilian's car. Protect it, or Ivan will make it disappear.

The defining feature of the M270 is that each vehicle counts as 2 guns firing, which means a platoon of 3 drops as much firepower as a unit twice its size. Enjoy your rerolls and extra minefields! While it can drop some serious firepower, the paltry FP 5+ means you'll mostly be pinning or bailing stuff until your main force hits.

Deployment of the M270 is straightforward. Keep it firing as far from the enemy as possible, and deny enemy air power and artillery any opportunity to reach it. Like its Warsaw Pact counterparts, the M270's rockets explode above the target area rather than impacting the ground to shower their enemy in shrapnel, popularly known as "steel rain" for the M270. This means that the system can do some pretty serious damage to infantry and lightly-armored targets, but heavily-armored units like the T-55 and T-72 main battle tank will be largely unaffected.
{{clear}}

===UK===
[[File:MLRSUK.jpg|300px|thumb|left|The Royal Artillery declare this an infantry-free zone in the name of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.]]
The M270 MLRS is an artillery system that uses a variety of warheads to pulverize enemy positions of all sorts. Coming in at 3 points apiece (more than the Abbot and M109), this unit is the British answer to infantry and BMP hordes when the M109 just won’t do.

When using the M270, make sure you screen it with some troops. Units like the Abbot and the M109 can fire directly if needed, but the M270 literally has no other weapons to speak of. Its designers intended for it to be miles to the rear, firing toward the battlefield from a long distance.
{{Clear}}

===Deutschland===
[[File:MARSGER.jpg|300px|left|thumb|Gotta be special with the name, eh Germany?]] The M270 Mittleres Artillerieraketensystem (MARS) is the Bundeswehr's version of the American M270 MLRS; the name MARS more or less means Main Rocket Artillery System, although "Mittlerer" literally means "Middle," as in medium or middle between a heavier and a lighter weapon. The M270 MARS is essentially identical to the original American version, depicted here in Team Yankee as being part of the artillery formations of the West German Army's 1st Panzer Division.

Apart from being 1 point more skilled than their American counterparts, the West German M270 crews are also the most determined, with a morale check of only 3 needed for them to pass. Their tracked MARS are just as helpless if attacked up close as the American and British versions, so keep these rocket-throwers well to the rear, where they can rain steel on the Reds like they were meant to do.
{{clear}}

==IRL==
[[File:MLRSIRL.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Some one is about to have a very bad day]]
[[File:Jericho_Test.gif|right|thumb]]
The M270 multiple launch rocket system is relatively new as far as Team Yankee is concerned, coming into service during 1983. It is used not only by NATO countries but Japan and Israel, the latter giving it the name "Smasher" in Hebrew. In its long and storied history as one of NATO’s premier MLRS, it’s gained a number of nicknames such as the Grid Square Removal System, the Finger of God, the Commander’s personal shotgun, and the Gypsy Wagon due to either its ridiculous amount of firepower or its inability to carry personal gear without lashing it on top of the roof.

The main loadout for the M270 is the M26 rocket, carrying between 500 and 650 submunitions depending on the size of the rocket motor. Each submunition is a multi-purpose antitank/antipersonnel/incendiary device with a cute teeny tiny little shaped charges in the bottom side that are capable of punching through 2" of rolled homogeneous armor, which is more than enough for most of the world's AFVs, even MBTs. Fully loaded with 12 rockets, an M270 can pick a square kilometer somewhere 30 to 40 kilometers away and [[awesome|make about 7,000 grenades drop out of the sky]] there.

The powers that be don't look to kindly on nonprecision area denial weaponry though, never mind that the USA never signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions to ban the things, the PR of [[GRIMDARK|children finding unexploaded bomblet's is a bit more then the US tends to like]] so the M270 had to reinvent itself for the post cold war era. The first development was the GPS guided MGM-140, although its size meant that one missile took the space of six rockets. Eventually the M30/31 guided rockets were developed, the M31 having a uniary warhead instead of bomblets. These fit in the same racks as the M26.

Its performance against Iraqis in 1991 and 2003 suggests that in the game it's kind of nerfed. Then again, IRL, a full battery volley of eight M270s ripple-firing twelve rockets each in a few seconds results in over sixty thousand bomblets raining down on an area a kilometer across. That is a time-on-target barrage that gives the unfortunate fellows occupying that grid square an average of one bomblet for every seventeen square meters. Reports from the battlefield suggest that this inflicts 40-50% casualties on units of AFVs in that area that aren't parked under substantial overhead cover, approaching the (estimated) effectiveness of a tactical nuclear weapon in the two kiloton range, only without the fallout--radioactive or political. In '91 MRLS fire made the recipients' shit all retarded, if not literally pushing their shit in. It also means that if you presume a 1% failure rate, you have about 600 unexploded munitions left over. We keep mentioning this but there is a reason most of the world does not use these things, and goes to show how desperate Ukraine is if they want cluster weapons.

Given the scale of battles and size of battlefields in Team Yankee it is probably appropriate either to deny the US player this "I Win" button entirely, by saying "yes, it EXISTS, but that's corps artillery, it's not available to your single mechanized heavy combat team in a blocking position, it's being used for other purposes/held in reserve for counterbattery fire/whatever." It'd be not much different from breaking out the nukes, or letting the American player call in B52s for ARC LIGHT strikes. In my opinion that would be more satisfying than making it available but nerfing it this badly and making it all but unrecognizable.

{{British Forces in Team Yankee}}
{{US Forces in Team Yankee}}
{{West German Forces in Team Yankee}}

[[Category:Vehicles]]

Basilisk Artillery Gun

2023-02-13T19:00:05Z

2601:1C0:4500:A540:C113:B5DE:8066:B5CC: /* Variants */

[[Image:Basilisk.png|thumb|right|It's almost as fuckawesome as the [[Baneblade]].]]

:''This article is about the [[Imperial Guard]] artillery tank. For the creature, see [[Basilisk]].''

{{topquote|Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.|Frederick II of Prussia}}

{{topquote|Though my guards may sleep and my ships may lay at anchor, our foes know full well that the big guns never tire.|[[Lugft Huron]]}}

{{topquote|SHATTER. THEIR. SKY!|Basilisk commander from Dawn of War 1, about to fire the [[rape|earth shaker round]].}}

The '''Basilisk Artillery Gun''' is the iconic [[Imperial Guard]] self-propelled artillery piece. It is based on the versatile [[Chimera Transport|Chimera]] chassis, and it carries a massive [[Earthshaker]] cannon. It dates at least as far back as the [[Great Crusade]], where it was used by the artillery batteries of the [[Space Marine]] Legions and Imperial Army; though they were too slow for the slimmer, faster post-[[Codex Astartes]] Space Marines, they could move at just the right pace to keep up with an [[Imperial Guard]] siege operation.

Of course, given its tremendous range, it doesn't need to move very fast to keep pounding the enemy, and it's not supposed to be at the front line -- rather, the Basilisk crews get told where to shoot, they launch great quantities of shells in that direction, and then they move away before they get hit by counter-battery fire.

== Variants ==

; Standard Pattern: You know'em, you love'em. The OG Basilisk with the famous gun shield. It is by far one of the most iconic vehicles from the Imperium of Man, let alone the Imperial Guard and stands equal with the [[Leman Russ Battle Tank]], [[Baneblade]], [[Land Raider]] and [[Rhino]] as most famous tank.
; Armageddon Pattern : Because [[Armageddon]] is a <s>desert world</s> <s>irradiated, poisonous shithole</s> [[Ork|Ork]] playground, they developed a Basilisk pattern that fully enclosed the entire tank, sheltering the loading mechanism (and, coincidentally, the loader and gunner) from the <s>harsh environment</s> [[Dakka|retarded amounts of small-arms fire constantly filling the air]]. <span style='color:green;font-size:115%'>Kallin' Ork gunz small? I oughter give yer a stamp!</span>
; [[Basilisk Magnus]] : A variant of the Basilisk fielded by [[Vance Motherfucking Stubbs]], which seems to be dug into an immobile concrete position. It's like a regular Basilisk, except it can strike targets anywhere within the Imperial Dussala Precinct base, fires an absurdly powerful Earthshaker shell, and has styrofoam for armor. However along with the 100 [[Baneblade]]s, Stubbs lost the targeting matrix for the thing and so it requires a spotter every time it shoots. Its size compared to the turret and crew suggest it would also be as well proportioned for mounting on a Macharius tank chassis as a normal Earthshaker is on a chimera chassis. Dis gon b gud.
; Legion Basilisk : Before the [[Codex Astartes]] reforms, the [[Space Marine Legions]] operated some artillery of their own, including the Basilisk. The gun shield and crew compartment looks beefier, and the engine exhausts run out the sides of the tank. We don't know if they any Astartes Chapters have them stored as relics. Though a bit redundant when they have access to the [[Whirlwind]] and can just straight up pick up a [[Lascannon]] then start shooting.
; [[Solar Auxilia]] Basilisk : Like the Armageddon Pattern, the gun and its crew are entirely enclosed, but the chassis is built around a Leman Russ rather than a Chimera. The gun is placed to the left of driver's compartment while the engine is left exposed behind the driver's compartment like the Mars-Alpha Pattern Leman Russ. The result is a smaller profile, although ammunition is sacrificed as space suddenly becomes a premium due to its enclosed and cramped nature.
; Vanaheim Pattern : It's the same as the original Basilisk, with a less goofy-looking gun shield which offers additional protection for the gun crew from both the front and sides. Although its overall protection is not to the extent as that of the Armageddon Pattern or the Legion Basilisks.
; [[Fail|Basilisk Anti-Aircraft Emplacement]]: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/10/20/flight-plan-youre-grounded/ It exists]...don't ask us how the fuck it works. While the first assumption might be 'AAA' (Anti-Air Artillery), there's a reason such guns were entirely different from the regular howitzers and field guns. If a Basilisk was modified to act as an AAA gun, it'd require so much change to its system and design that it'd no longer be a similar gun. The Imperium seemingly forgot how to make surface to air missiles viable on emplacements, even though [[Space Marine Hunter|there]] [[Whirlwind#Hyperios|are]] [[Manticore Launcher Tank|several]] [[Praetor Armoured Assault Launcher|artillery]] [[Exorcist|pieces]] that can make use of said surface to air missiles. Hell it makes more sense to use the [[Vanquisher Battle Cannon|Vanquisher Cannon]] as an anti air gun given how often in the real world the best anti-tank guns such as the famed German 88mm and Soviet 85mm guns

<gallery>

File:OG_Basilisk.jpg|Standard Pattern Basilisk

File:armageddon-basilisk.jpg|Armageddon Pattern Basilisk

File:SoulstormBasiliskMagnus.png|Basilisk Magnus

File:Legion_basilisk.jpg|A Legion Basilisk of the [[Iron Warriors]].

File:SolarAuxiliaBasilisk.jpg|Solar Auxilia Basilisk

File:Vanaheim_Basilisk.jpg|Vanaheim Pattern Basilisk

File:AntiAirBasilisk.jpg|Anti-Air Basilisk Emplacement

</gallery>

== Tabletop ==

The Basilisk's Earthshaker cannon has the longest range of any Imperial Guard weapon, beating out the Banesword's Quake Cannon by a good 100 inches(the Deathstrike lost its infinite range and the Manticore's was cut to 120"), able to drop a shell anywhere within 20 feet (which is pitifully small when scaled up to real-world dimensions...but so are all 40K weapon ranges). That is enough range to target an enemy on the next TABLE and is more than enough even for apocalypse. Prior to 8th it was possible for a single IG army to have up to nine of these monsters (three per Heavy Support slot, times three Heavy Support choices) for just under 1000 points, which would rapidly turn the entire battlefield into a moonscape.

In the couple of editions leading up to 8th, the Basilisk was something of an awkward middle child between the powerful Manticore and the Infantry shredding Wyvern. The Manticore launcher could provide more destruction pound for pound if you just wanted to plonk 1 ordnance template on the field, whilst the Wyvern (or even mortars) were far cheaper. In 8th, the Basilisk truly shines as it is meant to be played: in groups. An economy of scale with 3 of these boys will cost just over 300 points, but every turn you will likely destroy at the very least a Leman Russ, and at the very best a Baneblade. The Basilisk must take a support role, but when aided with a Master of Ordnance and a cup of hot cocoa, it will make your army suited to dealing with whatever your opponent may throw at you. MEQs, tanks and even Terminators can not afford to scoff at shots that deal 2D6 (pick highest) S9 AP-3 hits with D3 damage (just don't expect to quickly wipe out blobs with a single gun). The Emperor's Wrath Artillery Company specialist detachment makes them even stronger, giving the option for a unit to shoot twice and ''really'' lay down the hate, or else suppress a target of choice, at a fairly low CP cost.

In ''Second Edition'', where it first appeared, the Basilisk featured epic levels of [[RAGE|bullshit]] since it rolled a D3 for damage to vehicles even if it ''didn't'' penetrate armour, and since the template usually hit every location on the vehicle it was statistically likely that anything hit by a Basilisk would be crippled or destroyed even if all AP rolls failed. Thanks to the preliminary barrage rule, it also got to fire a battle cannon round (somehow) before the game had actually started.

== [[Dawn of War]] ==

These babies were in Dawn of War 1 and BY THE EMPEROR they are awesome. They are one of the "must-get" units for the Imperial Guard faction because they make up for the Guards' shitty early game when they don't have more models and plasma gun upgrade, and they are one of the reasons people play IG (the others being THE BANEEEEEBLADE and the Commissar). They are best at blowing up infantry blobs and scattering them like frigging marbles for the Guardsmen to mop up. Most importantly, their Earthshaker round deals a fuck load of damage to ANYTHING.

== Notable Basilisks ==

; Fluffy : The personal attack vehicle/pet of [[Commissar Dan]]. Being the retard that he is, he uses the thing as a front line assault tank instead of a full-time artillery piece.

== Why A Basilisk is The Best Place To Be In The Whole Goddamn Imperium ==

* You're ten miles from the front lines and whatever [[Grimdark|fanged horrors]] or [[World Eaters|berserk]] supersoldiers are invading the [[Imperium]] this week.
* You get to fire a MASSIVE fucking gun and blow shit up. It's one of the best artillery weapons in the galaxy, able to mow down whole swathes of armies in minutes. Thus, the [[Tyranid]]s' numerical superiority is irrelevant.
* If your regiment is commanded by [[Creed]], you're one of a select few that knows how it is possible to deploy a dozen pieces of mobile artillery inside an impenetrable [[Ork]] stronghold.
* All the [[Commissar|commissars]] (save [[Ciaphas Cain|one]]) are also at the front lines, seeing as that is where the business of <s>executing cowa..</s> erm ''upholding morale'' is most wanted.
* You can probably even get away with complaining about the [[High Lords of Terra]] and their general not giving a shit, seeing as there are no senior officers, no [[Inquisitor]]s (since you're probably in a depopulated area far away from Inquisitorial interest), and no fucking [[Commissar|commiss]]{{BLAM}}
* You're not at risk of being blown up when your commander tells the artillery to shoot right in front of his own troops. Though you will probably hear their screams over your vox-unit, and any complaints about your orders will get you {{BLAM}}'med.
* Canon says you're going to go deaf, but whatever right? Hearing problems are the least [[grimdark]] thing in the entire setting. Or just stuff your ears with wads from your [[Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer|Uplifting Primer-]]{{BLAM}}
* Not just anybody can drive one of these, therefore you are not as expendable as other Guardsmen, and Commissars are less likely to shoot you if you start fleeing (which is frankly what you '''SHOULD''' do if the enemy comes close to your art{{BLAM}}
* If not you’re not singing Bosanka Artiljerija when using the Basilisk, you’re doing it wrong.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Imperial Guard]]

[[Category: Chaos]]

[[Category: Lost and the Damned]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

{{40k-Imperial-Vehicles}}

{{Template:Imperial-Guard}}
{{Solar Auxilia}}
{{Lost-and-Damned}}