The Tanshe Artillery Chariots are an improbable mix of tuk-tuk trike and mortar, complete with little back-wheels to help the vehicle manage recoil as it kicks-up skyward, are both extremely characterful, and a fantastic all-rounder unit. They are reasonably easy to assemble from the sprue and because the Tanshe shares a common chassis with the Bao Flak Launchers, you have a choice about which cavalry unit to make when fitting the final end of the weapon barrel. Those seeking high levels of detail should also consider painting the vehicle gunner separately before fitting them into place, although there is no such option for the driver, meaning some careful brushwork is needed.
Mixing indirect fire with scythed wheels and Cavalry status, the Tanshe can operate comfortably in either an offensive, or defensive role which is its special sauce, and the reason I think that one unit is almost always a good inclusion in an Empire force. Moving at a zippy Speed 8”, the Tanshe has Defence 3 and Damage Limit 1, meaning one model is removed for every 3 hits inflicted.
The
Tanshe’s mortar can fire at both Heavy and Light units 4”/24” with both attacks
being INDIRECT, meaning you can use a friendly unit to establish line-of-sight
for a weakened attack outside short range if you want to protect your Tanshe
from return fire. Against Light targets
it fires a solid 4/8/12 (for basic/Reinforced/Full Size units) while
against Heavy targets a slightly less effective 3/6/9. To add some extra spice, the Tanshe has an
Impact attack of 3(6)/5(8)/8(11) with the SHOCK special rule, meaning
you use the parenthesis value against Light units.
This makes
the Tanshe a good mid-table option in the early turns, hanging back and using
cover to snipe enemy Light troops as they advance, then (if necessary) plunging
forward to Charge enemy troops, scything them down to clear Objectives and
claim them for the Empire in later turns.
In this role they excel, but there are a couple of other ways that you
might prefer to employ the Tanshe.
First, they are relatively fast and able to claim Objectives which puts
them among a small group of Empire units that can make an early Objective grab
– especially in the Cargo Drop Clash. In
this capacity they have more survivability than some others, for example the
Jindoyun Steambikes.
Second, the
Tanshe’s mix of speed and versatility of attack also make them a reasonable
flank-guard to protect the Empire Artillery and Field Guns against unwanted
incursions by Light units. In this role,
they can pull off a devastating countercharge, or attack with withering fire,
and still have enough speed and range to contribute to fighting in subsequent
turns, if no flanking threat emerges (or if one is rapidly defeated).
But despite these benefits, the Tanshe is also fairly fragile, especially if you plan to use it beyond the range of Empire Commanders. The Tanshe has a poor Discipline of 5 and Break Limit of 1 it may be able to take an Objective swiftly, but holding onto it is another matter. This means you want to consider when you activate them, potentially leaving them until late in the turn to reduce the chance that they are forced back, of their hard-won Objective by enemy fire.
In terms of
cost, a unit of Tanshe Artillery Chariots will set you back 70/120/180 points
and yield a hefty 2/4/6 Victory Points when destroyed. In both cases, the Tanshe buys you
versatility and the ability to swiftly respond to the enemy, which is a real
asset in a faction which is generally slower and more difficult to redeploy
than many others. Overall, the Tanshe is a fantastically useful
unit to support the slow marching Empire troops with indirect fire, especially
as it also has the potential to mount a swift attack on an Objective, scything
down surprised enemies.
