Centurion Mk. 1
The workhorse of many armies in the post-war period, the Centurion in its multitude of makes and upgrades is an instantly recognisable staple of the British armed forces. In development from 1943, the Centurion was designed as a “universal tank” to replace the existing cruiser and infantry tanks. Starting with the humble Mk. I and armed with the OQF 17-Pdr gun, the Centurion began its service from 1947.
The Centurion Mk. I makes its first appearance on the tabletop inside the 2023 Starter Set. It lives up to its “universal tank” designation with a strong baseline across all stats, and the Medium Tank type to top it all off. With Mobility 2 and Survivability 2, keep the Centurion Mk. I moving and flanking to maximise both its hitpoints and attack rerolls.
The Centurion is a dynamic tank in the online game, able to relocate to where it is most needed and use its decent turret armour and DPM to provide support to the heavy tanks on the frontline. The Firepower 5 allows for consistent damage to unsuspecting tanks, and a great place to start upgrading this medium tank is to supplement this with upgrades that benefit shooting on the move. At 7 hitpoints, the Centurion Mk. I is also more than capable of closing in and brawling when needed, and combining the Mobility 2 with the Survivability 2 will help mitigate any return fire. Make use of the high base Initiative to move last and shoot first, hitting enemies in the flanks and closing in to close range to ensure the damage goes through.
Where the Centurion truly comes into its own is its massive potential for upgrades. Coming in at only 66 points, the 7 Initiative base allows you to focus on fine-tuning the Mk. I into various roles as you see fit, loading up on crew and ammo to enhance the Firepower, using cover and camo to make it extremely difficult to damage, or sending the Initiative through the roof to control the flow of the battle. We’ll take a deeper dive into this flexibility in another article.
Maus
The Maus is an iconic WWII prototype vehicle, developed from 1942 and designed as the ultimate breakthrough tank, capable of punching holes through enemy fortifications while taking almost no damage in return. Weighing almost 200 tonnes and mounting the big 12.8cm KwK 44 gun, had the Maus entered service it would have been a force to be reckoned with.
The 2023 Starter Set allows you to bring this behemoth onto your battlefield. The Maus puts the Heavy in Heavy Tank, with a massive Survivability of 4 and a huge chunk of hitpoints to play with. With such a high Survivability, the Maus is capable of being a bullet sponge, sitting in the middle of the map and dominating sight lines and objectives.
Much like the online game, the Maus is sluggish and slow to respond to threats. The Mobility 1 and Initiative 4 reflect this, but give you a good place to start when considering upgrades for this tank. However, because of its large hitpoint pool, the low Initiative won’t stop the Maus from firing back, and in that area it excels. The 12.8cm Kwk 44 gun throws 7 dice when it fires, and Big Gun will modify a Hit to a Crit just to rub it in. Park the Maus in a dominating position, keep it stationary to reroll misses and maximise the Firepower, and the Maus can completely wipe smaller tanks off the table.
Coming in at a whopping 128 points, planning a 200 point platoon with the Maus requires a bit more thinking. We’ll dive into building a platoon around the Maus and maximising its potential whilst mitigating the downsides in a later article.
The World of Tanks: Miniatures Game is available to order now, both online and at your local FLGS!
Join our Facebook group to discuss all things World of Tanks: Miniatures Game related
