8th Ed. Are single carnosaurs worth it?

[Pinktaco]

So we have a tactica about how to use dual carnosaurs, but how are people doing with just a single carnosaur? For instance a scarnocaur (@2500pts).

I personally feel that by bringing just a single carnosaur you're doing it just because that was the mood you were in when making your army list.

Maybe I'm wrong though, but when you're including a carnosaur you're pretty much building the rest of the list around him (be it target saturation or magic to help him).

If that's what you're doing why not just go full mental and include two of the bastards along with some flyers and a couple of stegadons?

It's just that I feel the carnosaur is sort of a ... erhh... I wouldn't say mediocre monster, but with the low WS, Initiative, armour save and T5 it's not the best thing around and in order to fully utilize it I just feel that more than one is needed.

So.. Discuss away

 

[Putzfrau]

I love the carno model so i've been forcing it into my lists.

I've been fiddling with a cheap slann + old blood cowboy (on a cold one with a toy or 2) a scarnosaur (cheapish... around 350) and another scar vet cowboy.

I think you still need to benefit of the cowboys, they are a huge crutch for the lizardmen list so i didn't want to replace them with the scarnosaur.

I also run an ancient steg in the list. Overall it gives me 3 nice cannon targets between slann/steg/carno along with 2 solo cowboys (the oldblood and second scar vet) so I don't honestly feel like i'm giving much up.

It's a little light on magic power, as its tough to fit in a beefy slann with the old blood, or a priest with the scarnosaur/cowboy combo, but I feel like it works out okay.

However, my experience is limited and my opponent is almost always skaven. I pretty much hide my carnosaur behind a building for 2 or 3 turns before slamming it into something. I also tend to swing it really wide and try to come into his backline from the side.

I dont think its the most competitive choice out there, but i think it can certainly work. Honestly i think it gives the lizards some real scary combat punch that they are otherwise lacking... just have to dodge cannons

Low (relative to monsters) toughness makes it a tad on the squishy side, but as long as your careful with your matchups and know what you can throw it into its not a HUGE deal.

5 multiple wound attacks at strength 7 is pretty scary.

 

[Pinktaco]

Dodge cannons...

In my last game I lost 2 stegs after the second turn since my friend's (single) dwarf cannon was able to snipe them out like nothing. So yeah

anyway I agree with your statement about power and hey - at least they can easily get 5 attacks compared to our ancient stegs lousy 3 attacks

 

[VampTeddy]

It's just that I feel the carnosaur is sort of a ... erhh... I wouldn't say mediocre monster, but with the low WS, Initiative, armour save and T5 it's not the best thing around and in order to fully utilize it I just feel that more than one is needed.

But you didnt buy a carno.

You bought a scar veteran on a mount.

there's a big difference, because the scar veteran is so powerful, and before he's dead, noone gains any pts for the 220 meat block he was sitting on, AND the meatblock eats high armor save targets for lunch!

The WS i mildly mitigated by paying a little to have the beast Terror on 3 dice instead of 2, increasing the chance of hitting againt ws1. besides, standard infantry and the likes wouls still be hit on a 4+, 3 + prolly i a bit much to ask for anyways, when we're talkin str 7 multipl wounds d3.

It's quite obvious that the carno was desiged as a glass cannon! but remember it is also a way to mitigate the amount of pts your enemy earns in the battle. You may spend a lot on the beast, but to get those pts, he needs to kill the scar vet on it, and that's hard work!

Warammer is a game of points, carnosaurs conserve pts through their riders.

 

[Putzfrau]

Dodge cannons...

In my last game I lost 2 stegs after the second turn since my friend's (single) dwarf cannon was able to snipe them out like nothing. So yeah

anyway I agree with your statement about power and hey - at least they can easily get 5 attacks compared to our ancient stegs lousy 3 attacks

How much terrain do you usually play with ?

I find that the amount of quality LOS blocking terrain really swings how effective things like the carnosaur or stegadon are.

Between charmed shield and hiding like a coward my brother tends to look for other targets with his warp lightning cannon. You also can't bounce a cannon ball through a building like you can a hill.

 

[Pinktaco]

We have no houses or towers yet D:

we got trees, hills, a mountain and some home made forests and marsh + river, but no house. We also generally play with out own rules to set up the terrain meaning that my friend is more or less always guaranteed to have a hill for his cannon.

<.<

 

[Putzfrau]

We have no houses or towers yet D:

we got trees, hills, a mountain and some home made forests and marsh + river, but no house. We also generally play with out own rules to set up the terrain meaning that my friend is more or less always guaranteed to have a hill for his cannon.

<.<

tsk tsk! Every board needs at least one building! Stack u p some paperback books and use that


Me and my brother started to set up terrain based on what makes the best looking (and fairest) board, and it tends to work out pretty well.

/shrug.

 

[VampTeddy]

We have no houses or towers yet D:

we got trees, hills, a mountain and some home made forests and marsh + river, but no house. We also generally play with out own rules to set up the terrain meaning that my friend is more or less always guaranteed to have a hill for his cannon.

<.<

By the graveyard.

It's so good value for the bucks in my opinion!

you get 2 wall sections (per BRB rules), a statue and 3 houses.

It looks awesome too :3

 

[Pinktaco]

Garden of morr? That's actually not that expensive for what you get. Tax money incoming next week so I might jump on that. I belive my friend have an unassembled tower so if we could get those two + the mountain on the board it would do wonder :3

And yes, the graveyard looks great, but it probably wouldn't be painted immediately

 

[VampTeddy]

Garden of morr? That's actually not that expensive for what you get. Tax money incoming next week so I might jump on that. I belive my friend have an unassembled tower so if we could get those two + the mountain on the board it would do wonder :3

And yes, the graveyard looks great, but it probably wouldn't be painted immediately

Yes the garden

 

[Sleboda]

I pretty much hide my carnosaur behind a building for 2 or 3 turns before slamming it into something.

=> You are fortunate indeed to play with buildings large enough to hide that model. Do you think your opinion would change if you could not hide him?

I never get to hide mine, but I still take him each and every game, so I'm just curious about your thoughts on it.


RE: Garden

It really is a great kit. Worth getting just to enjoy as a hobby item. It's buildings are far too small to hide a monster, but it's still cool.

 

[Putzfrau]

I pretty much hide my carnosaur behind a building for 2 or 3 turns before slamming it into something.

=> You are fortunate indeed to play with buildings large enough to hide that model. Do you think your opinion would change if you could not hide him?

I never get to hide mine, but I still take him each and every game, so I'm just curious about your thoughts on it.


RE: Garden

It really is a great kit. Worth getting just to enjoy as a hobby item. It's buildings are far too small to hide a monster, but it's still cool.

IMO if there isn't at least 2 pieces of terrain on the board that provide decent LOS it completely changes the game and i do not enjoy playing it. The carnosaur is only 6 inches tall as well, so its actually just as easy to hide as the stegadon. It's just a tad longer. Also, sometimes you can just getaway with placing the building between you and the cannon to stop the bounce if its not high enough to completely obscure LOS.

To more specifically answer your question, yeah it would probably change my opinion of him if i couldn't hide him as well. More so it would change my opinion of wherever I played this game with crappy terrain. If i could at least keep him somewhat hidden on the first turn so he doesnt get blasted off before he moves i'd be okay with that.