Editing Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Imperial Guard (section)

====Leman Russ Weaponry====

*'''Annihilator Twin Lascannon''': You know it, you love it. Twice the cost of a Demolisher Cannon that trades the flexibility against infantry for a reliable number of shots and twice the range. More exciting then most of the other Imperium forces' versions due to Grinding Advance and Tank Orders, amongst other things. Works wonders as a {{W40Kkeyword|Cadian}} tank!

*'''Battle Cannon:''' The main gun of your standard Leman Russ. The Heavy D6 S8 AP-2 DD3 profile combined with the being able to fire twice when moving at half speed with no penalty turns these into scary good weapons. While inefficient against hordes, it is able to inflict a respectable amount of damage on basically anything. Grinding advance averages you 7 shots and its profile is verstile enough to threaten just about anything. The Battle Cannon is very much a generalist weapon able to do most battlefield roles but will lose out to more specialised weapons. The main downsides are the variable damage, as you are relying on RNG against low multi-wound models whom you'll either kill outright or scratch them to death in a nonstop battle of attrition, and that it struggles against invulnerable saves which negate the cannon's AP advantage.

*'''Conqueror Battle Cannon''': A Battle Cannon with less range that costs more. However, the gun itself is not important; it's the co-axial Storm Bolter and the associated ability that is the real selling point here. When shooting the main gun at the same target as the Co-axial, you may reroll any and all hits made with the cannon. This makes the Conqueror the most potent and flexible Russ variants this edition. So much so you should be asking yourself 'Why SHOULDN'T I take a Conqueror?' Just keep in mind your Storm Bolter's range is half your cannon's, so you gotta get up close and personal to make the most of this; still though, you'll be performing identically to the battle cannon from 24-48", and significantly better inside of 24". 
**Remember, with a 4+ BS rerolling misses raises your average accuracy from 50% to 75%; a big deal when you are putting out an average of 7 S8 AP-2 shots. This is probably the best all-rounder turret option for your Leman Russes.
**As a side note, Forge World no long sells these turrets so you'll need to kitbash. The easiest (albeit not at all the cheapest) way is to saw off the barrel of a Vanquisher Stygies VIII Conversion Kit. Alternatively, you could just cut down a storm bolter and attach it to a regular battlecannon turret.

*'''Demolisher Cannon''': Statistically the best tank-buster of all Russ cannons, and easily the most powerful of all the Leman Russ options. At 20 pts, the Demolisher is S10 AP-3 dealing '''D6''' damage. And, as of the latest errata, it is now Heavy D6 at all times, regardless of the number of models in the target unit. The caveat? It has the same range as a lasgun, a 24" bubble of pure unadulterated murder. If you have to choose it's best taken on a Leman Russ rather than a Baneblade/Hellhammer (which won't benefit from '''"Grinding Advance"''').
***{{W40Kkeyword|Vostroya}} Demolishers improve the cannon's range to 30".
***{{W40Kkeyword|Catachan}} Demolishers are probably your best bet as they reroll their D6 shots with '''"Brutal Strength"'''. Before hit modifiers, the average jungle boy demolisher will reliably average 9+ wounds on anything T9 3+ or lower. 

*'''Eradicator Nova Cannon: ''' Often overlooked. For less points than a Battle Cannon, you lose 36" of range and only hit at S6. In exchange you ignore cover bonuses, ensuring power armor saves on a 5+. This is perhaps the most specialized of all the Leman Russ options, so only consider bringing it against targets that depend on cover saves (Space Marine Scouts with camo cloaks, Eldar Rangers, AdMech with cover canticles, Poxwalkers, Vindicare Assassins, ''Imperial Guard'', etc). Perhaps the best at straight-up ''murdering'' GEQs in cover (wounding on 2+ with no save), its extra 12" range edging out the Demolisher Cannon. 

*'''Executioner Plasma Cannon''': A plasma cannon with nearly double the rate of fire even before you use Grinding Advance to shoot twice and without a movement penalty. If you fire it on Supercharge - which you should - it will outshine the Battle Cannon easily because of its improved AP and consistent dammage. The Executioner - when supercharged - is actually in direct competition with the Demolisher Cannon in terms of anti-tank. The Demolisher's only improvement against most targets is +2S, which is of dubious utility, given that it costs more and has 66.67% the range. The Demolisher is, point for point, better against heavy targets, but the Executioner is probably the second best all-rounder turret choice (first place being the Conqueror turret, see below).

*'''Exterminator Autocannon:''' Costs less than the Battle Cannon and has a consistent four shots instead of the Battle Cannon's 3.5 average. The Exterminator is ostensibly just a pair of autocannons on a Russ. It is inferior against T4, T7, T8, anything with a 5+ or better save, and anything without exactly 2 wounds. The Exterminator Autocannon is an extremely niche choice.

*'''Vanquisher Battle Cannon''': The Vanquisher, a dedicated anti-tank cannon, is proof that GW is incapable of statistics. It performs worse against heavy armor than every Leman Russ turret except the exterminator, (doing 0.93 wounds to another Russ; every other variant manages at least 1 wound). Sad thing is, if GW had given it a flat 2+ to wound against vehicles, S9, or flat 2D6 damage instead of 2D6 drop the lowest, it’d perform better against most vehicles than other Russes. While it is bad, it is the cheapest turret options available. 
**'''Stygies Vanquisher Battle Cannon''': Forgeworld's crack at trying to make the Vanquisher usable. They... did not completely fail. With +1 BS if the tank did not move this turn and a Co-axial Storm Bolter or Heavy Stubber to reroll Hit rolls, it ''technically'' has the highest theoretical damage against enemy armor, though only outdoing the Demolisher and Annihilator by virtue of it's Co-axial mount. Even then only under the perfect storm conditions of all your bonuses going off. 

*'''Punisher Gatling Cannon''': Tank-mounted BRRRT. Statistically, your best friend against infantry, but it lacks range and struggles against heavy stuff. However, consider grinding advance. While the range is short you will be putting out *40* S5. Virtually no {{W40Kkeyword|Infantry}} units in the game can withstand that level of firepower. Additionally, because of the way AP works in 8e the sheer volume of fire can do decent damage against targets that might not immediately come to mind when thinking about a minigun on steroids. This is particularly true if you can get a punisher to hit more that 50% of the time... Looking at you Pask!
** If you're running {{W40Kkeyword|Cadian}} Punishers then the punisher cannon is amazing at causing unsaved wounds for use with the '''Overlapping Fields of Fire''' stratagem. Drown the target in dice!