Is it just me or is Old Trusty on the table top going to become Old Dusty on the shelf this edition?
The Rhino sucks.
Yeah, I said it. The venerable Rhino just flat out sucks this edition. Please, please, please prove me wrong as I have a metric crap ton of them, but for the life of me I cannot justify the points for these stinkers.
While any vehicle with offensive output or that is an assault vehicle either stayed the same or arguably got better, the Rhino turned into a detriment. It actually makes the unit in it worse than it was. A unit on foot can move and shoot to 24″, is cheaper without the transport, and doesn’t suffer the obnoxious downside of having any damage result on the vehicles transfer onto the unit.
That is really the kicker. Becoming stunned or shaken if the vehicle was just sucks. Not being able to assault if you had been in a transport is the nail in the coffin to me. I have tried finding a use for them as they are faster now, but that is seriously it. Mobile LoS blocking terrain is the only other worthwhile use I have found. If you play against a lot of barrage or template weapons that can tear through infantry (such as Helldrakes or Heavy Barrage weapons) the Rhino can be nice to keep you safe for a while, but I haven’t seen enough of those here to overwhelm my defenses against those units and warrant investing in Rhinos.
If the unit inside didn’t suffer stunned or shaken I could live with not being able to assault, but the two together means any transport that isn’t an assault vehicle and doesn’t have offensive capabilities is just terrible.
Have you guys found any use for these? So far for me I have found that units on foot are just better off by a long shot.
If they’re working for you please share your knowledge as I am stumped!
Depends on the meta in your area. With Feast of Blades showing a fad for Flamers and Screamers, Rhinos can protect your unit for a turn. The following turn shoot.
Very situational, but worth the 35 points to keep your units alive longer. Against other armies, you can always march your units behind a line of rhinos for mobile cover.
I agree with this, if you play against lots of those types of units, then the Rhino totally shuts them down for at least a turn.
For ~225 points, I like a unit of 10 CSM with two plasma guns in a rhino. This gives the unit some mobility to snag an objective, and they can put out 2-4 s7 ap2 shots. The only trick is not to cough up first blood.
You can’t use a rhino for any assault unit anymore though.
Yeah, Zerkers and Rhinos are now a total mismatch.
The only possible use I can see is in reserve, with 5 guys scoring inside, to get to mid-range objectives and deny First Blood… They’re not great though. They’re actually pretty bad…
I tend to agree with you.
After hearing some people I know saying they like them I decided I might be able to get away with 1 -3 in reserves and boosting 18 to where they cannot be seen. Eh, it seems like if you want to make a play for the late game it just seems like you should take a Night Scythe or Storm Raven. The GW studio never ceases to disappoint.
I agree that the Rhino just doesn’t seem to pull it’s weight.
Turn 1 Flat Out 18″, and you get a little protection from enemy shooting for the squad inside, and after that just fight on foot. If the Rhino lives, then keep it alive until late game in case you need a rapid redeploy.
That’s about it, though, and that’s not really anything special.
I agree. On foot you can be advancing and firing from turn 1. Sure you don’t go as far as fast, or have the protection, but it sure isn’t anything worth jumping up and down about.
Search lights. Move up 12, light up a target within 36 and then blast it. Good use of 35 pts in 50% of games :P. But honestlyI think the rhino is far from dead. Their role has changed, you can’t just rush up and get in someones face. But moving up to drop off troops in a good spot turn 2 and then the squad fights on foot is where it is at. Also, for marines great way to drop combat squads in different locations as the tank goes. The list goes on and on, at least now its worth the 35pts and not horribly underpriced.
I still find that units on foot are better than in the Rhino, that is my problem with it. So far, I have found the Rhino actually hurts my units! I find they’re worse off in the damned things!
Two words… Dirge Casters. It’s worth the 40 points for the rhino if I can get those dirge casters in the right spot. I usually use the rhinos for my second wave troops, or i have them empty escorting the foot marines. they tend to get ignored when there is no one in them, or if there is a number of targets down field (with the exception of First Blood),
Dirge Casters are pretty good for Chaos. Although I have to say, in my test games so far, they hardly ever do their job. They die before they can.
So, being unfathomably afraid of giving up first blood for the last 5 weeks in an escalation League, I finally took 3 w/ Havocs last week. Extremely useful. CSM are leadership light as we’ve discussed so putting them inside a turboboosting rhino gets them where they need to be. After the delivery sight has been made, I dont care about them, but after my opponent focusses on getting that First Blood VP, he doesnt care about them either. So, I sitt back shoot, drive around, whateves.
Heres an idea, i have been really excited for: Matching Kharn with Huron. Take some Berzerkers or Khorne-Light CSM with a rhino and another dedicated assault unit, a land raider and 30ish cultists with 3 flamers. The reason I love matching these 2 is the Master of Deception Warlord trait on Huron. D3 units infiltrate. I love assault units in the backfield. The reaon you take the units above is that they allow you an option every game REGARDLESS of your Master of Deception roll to put a dedicated assault unit into outflank for scoring purposes and really screwing with your opponents threat mitigation calculus.
On a dreaded one roll for # of units, outflank a basic Helbrute (theres a great use for him and protects him from the slog up the board) or a vindicator of a Maulerfiend. The side armor shots will be glorious until the Helbrute or Malerfiend (which cant shoot obv) can charge backfiled armor or obj holders.
On a 2, you put Kharn and a dedicated transport in outflank, or Kharn and the 30 strong cultist unit. Again, you have a scoring unit in the backfield where most obj’s are and an absolute killer in Kharn (oh and since he isnt warlord, the enemy should be gunning for Huron sitting behind a Aegis manning that Lascannon or quad gun with his BS 5 all the way across the board).
On a 3 you can put Kharn, another assault unit like Possessed or Terms or Mutilators in a Land Raider with a dirge caster and dozer blades. Maybe garnish with a havoc launcher and/or a destroyer blades. Outflank, shoot 2 twin-linked lascannons and a HB into some side armor. Assault following round, take obj, win game, get the girl, save the world.
Oh yea, rhinos help with survivability, mobility and shooting.
Regarding your suggestion if you roll a ‘dreaded 1’ for number of units, Master of Deception only allows you to infiltrate ‘Infantry’ units. So Hellbrutes, Vindicators & Maulerfiends are all invalid targets.
Good Catch.
I agree that CSM benefit more from Rhinos than Vanilla Marines (who with Combat Squads, tactics and ATSKNF are fantastic on foot), but I think using Master of Deception to get CSMs in the backfield may be a really good idea. Huron is pretty cool, too. He suffers ID syndrome, but he still fights really well, all things considered.
Agreed – you have to be careful who you send him against, but he’s got a weapon for everything, which is really nice. I wish he had a jump pack, then he’d be one of the best characters in the codex, IMHO.
I fully agree there are several issues with the rhino. I need one or two in my SM army. Ideally, drive forward 6″, spin around, move out 6″, shoot, move rhino 12″, spin it sideways and block LOS to the disembarked squad. Now, if the rhino is standing on top of an objective, the enemy can neither shoot or assault the squad as it is out of LOS. It is very unlikely that the rhino will blow up by enemy shooting, so you now have a LOS blocker exactly where you want to have one.
There are other uses aswell, one important role is to add some unpredictability. By having a transport, the unit can potentially do much more actions that the enemy must consider.
IIRC, you cannot further move a vehicle if a unit has disembarked from it. You can leap frog this way and dish out the pain, though. 🙂
True, if a unit embarks or disembarks, you can’t flat out.
Again, board control is what we’re hearing over and over as the best use for them.
Gahh, I want to change my post to have ‘but,’ instead of the dot ending my first sentence!
They are still a pimp ride.
Pimp Master Calgar has Spinners on his!
i would have to say using them either to move up aggressively and deploy marines aggressively , or leave them empty and out of sight early and be available late game to shuttle troops to objectives. Also they can be used defensively to protect your marines from alpha strikes. Other then that its all a matter of how you are comfortable playing. If they are a liability to your army leave them out. They are not a key to play anymore. i will use them because i want to be aggressive early and try to apply pressure. I works sometimes lol
I play against tyranids mostly so i use them to get protection from biovores and warp blast. They save me from early casualties but impaler cannons and heavy venom cannons kill them quick so i dont expect more then a few turns to get some where. Hopefully long enough to get in position to wreak maximum bolter/plasma casualties.
Do you not find them giving up First Blood too easily?
For that purpose I find Drop Pods to be the better choice, though. Rhinos can still tank shock though, which is a legitimate use, particularly now that you have to get out of a transport to score an objective.
Grey hunters still love rhinos as they get out rapid fire and countercharge people
I have to agree with this, a combination of Rhinos, Drop Pods and allied Guard Vets in Chimeras (most all loaded with Plasma weaponry) has been really been allowing me to deploy Grey Hunters around the board effectively. Letting me position them to use their mid-range game and make plays for objectives when necessary. I think part of the issue is target saturation, from the games I’ve played anti-tank is on the decrease, (if only slightly in a lot cases) due to foot troops seeing a revival, so when they have to aim their heavy weaponry at fliers or higher priority targets (in my case Vindicators or Manticore) by the time they come to focus on the Rhinos (which I try keep out of site/in cover early to avoid giving up an easy first blood) I have usually made my play for board control and simply using them as LOS blockers and mobile cover to protect objective holding units.
Grey Hunters love everything. They’re the game’s best troops! haha
Perfect use for the Rhino – affixing my Forge World doors and emblems and then putting it back in the case.
lol
Still, keep the troops out side it and use it as a portable cockblocker… works best with more than one.
3 rhinos with dirge casters can screen a 20 man zerker squad well
Hahahaha, this has been the case for me as well, unfortunately.
The demise of vehicles may have been premature. I think 2 gives you more options especially for Vannila marines and Sisters. First off they are 35 points can give you 18″ move have a 5+ cover save for one turn and 2 st 4 shots. Here why i still love my Rhino’s :
1) allows squad to shoot without being exposed to nasty combat units or infantry effects (doom)
2) late game contest objectives
3) block charge lanes
4) Redeployment
5) Line breaker (empty)
4)
I don’t think vehicles in general are dead, quite the contrary, I think offensive vehicles arguably got better.
Board control sounds like the best use for the old stanbys that anyone has come up with so far.
Have been toying with the idea of loading up a Rhino with an Iron Priest, 2 Multi-melta Servitors and then driving straight into the middle of the other guy’s parking lot. Maybe include some Cyberwolves for flexibility & taking wounds.
That is an expensive suicide unit, but it would certainly draw attention!
Sorry for the OT:
Israel just _stomped_ through the Reno 1750pt No Holds Barred (FW allowed) Tournament with his awesome Tau FW Force.
Best Overall with massive wins over two of the Toughest Wolfbrothers we have.
Great Job! Fantastically awesome Murder. Im glad I wasent on the receiving end of that beatdown, Today.
Congratz to Israel!
If you jump forward to 3:40, this seems like a very handy use for them 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIwkuzZexJM
This guy also came up with a great, if slightly situational, use for them 😉
https://www.frontlinegaming.org/2012/07/07/40k-rules-issue-the-scouring-and-big-guns-never-tire/
Yeah, that was pretty good! If you play book missions a lot, then that is a pretty viable use.
The rhino’s use is to screen for a land raider enjoy
So, to make a Rhino useful, all We need to do is buy a Land Raider? Haha, I am teasing of course, but I don’t see a 35pt investment being worth a screen for another expensive unit that can be killed in a single shot. As things go though, they do make useful screens.
HOWL!
–Ye olde LOS sniping was an old use for rhinos back in 4ed (when they were worse off being more expensive and more deathtrappy) and that’s back in 6ed. Won’t win you any friends but its balanced by look out sir in this edition.
–I have considered putting a couple into reserve empty and having them come on where I need them and pick up a squad, hopefully avoiding granting first blood but giving me much needed late game redeployability.
–Tank shock is also still useful, if not as game changing as it used to be due to changes in regroup rules. Finally I think a BA rhino rush could be interesting. Fast gives them a 24″ first turn move and with sheild of sang they can still get a smoke like 5+ cover despite going flat out. With enough bodies involved, tons of flamer templates and FnP that could be an interesting way to play in the current infantry heavy meta.
Tank sniping is still really good, not as good as 4th as you noted, but still really good. I think that may be a legit use, although also as you pointed out, First Blood hurts.
The BA Rhino is a different story. Going 24″ with a unit of Tac Marines is pretty awesome. Still not sure if it’s worth the points, but rapid re-positioning is pretty good. It’s just really lame they can’t charge out of a stationary Rhino.
I like rhinos because of the extra protection. The reason that I do not take them now is because of “First Blood” (or any other non-LR vehicle for that matter). FB just matters too much. I bet if transport vehicles were excluded from this rule, rhinos would see a slight resurgence.
I totally agree, my group have house ruled that any dedicated transport with str5 or less weaponry does not count for First Blood. It has brought a few Rhinos back onto the table.
Hey Reece, hope you feel better! I’m sick too, seems like everyone’s got something -.-
Anyway, I use Rhinos in my CSM for mainly LOS blocking. I stick a havoc launcher and a dirge caster on em, and use them for three purposes.
1) Get my troop choices to an objective
2) Once they disembark, block line of site to the troop
3) Harass with havoc launchers. S5 twin-linked blast is no joke, and I’ve found that after first blood, most people ignore Rhinos entirely.
On a similar note, I run (like you) a Night Lords army, and love raptors – I’ve found that using a single rhino to run upfield diagonally in front of the raptors, 12″ a turn, really helps their survivability by blocking LoS to them. It’s just tall enough to do it, and when you combine it with other terrain, gives a nice, annoying wall for your opponents to not see your chompy assault unit through. Seems like basic tactics, I know, but in practice Rhinos still serve me well and are rarely, if ever, the focus of the match.
That seems to be what everyone is saying. Board control.
While I agree that is a very good use, I keep thinking that for the points, a few Rhino adds up to another unit! I’d rather have another unit of Havocs than 2 tricked out Rhinos, you know?
getting first blood from my opponent. very useful.
I gotta agree with tw input. Late game reserves for contesting objectives: I think the most competitive build hands down would be grey hunters or plague marines. Rhino spam with an aegis quad gun and something to take out enemy tanks like missile wolves or hell, blod angels with 3 librarian dreadnoughts jumping and lancing upfield. I would sacrifice 1 kp and gw
Get 1 pt for line breaker. I think it evens out
Use it as a LOS blocker for your units to force the enemy to shoot at it instead of your marines!
http://www.thediceabide.com/stuff/rhino.jpg
Step 1: Deploy rhino sideways in front of unit.
Step 2: Move rhino 6″ out of the way of unit that wishes to shoot.
Step 3: Shoot with unit.
Step 4: Flat-out move Rhino back in the way.
Step 5: Profit?
That’s the only way I can think of using them.
Yeah, We’ve found that to be a pretty good use, also. But then, again, is it better than taking more Marines? That’s the question that has bothered me.