I think the populace is pretty split on this discussion. The real question is, how do you plan on using him? Is he going to hunt down mages? Is he going to run interference? Is he going into combat? For me it boils down to whether or not you are going to be aggressive or reactionary. Rippers are better for aggressive Cheifs and Terradons are better for reactionary Chiefs. At least that's what I think.
Agree. But Ive never used one either I think it comes down to whether you want the killing blow or not. The rippper is obviously better (on paper) for killing mages etc, but I cant see much difference when it comes to warmachine hunting - the chief should do the business nicely. Even if he takes two turns to kill it, youre still free in your next turn to use him.
A Ripper can do more than kill mages. My success rate with rippers is still mixed, but I like to flank things with a Ripper Chief. They usually do some decent damage and then get very few attacks back. I learned a few things the hard way. First, the unit is usually steadfast so if you beat them by 4 CR it will rarely matter. Second, if you flank an enemy fairly close to your front lines you can combo charge the flanked unit. If you vanguard forward and closer to the enemy's front lines, someone will flank your Ripper Chief and kill it dead.