My thoughts on this are reasonably random, but otherwise cogent...
They're too powerful. When the veichle is destroyed the crew is fine. So you're getting a free crew + armoured beast.
Plus being able to move, then shoot, then move, then shoot and stuff is a bit wang.
I think the game works better without the tanks and just some good old foot sloggin' love.
The crew being fine rule was one that we were doing wrong, I think.
Destroyed Vehicles: A tank or vehicle that is reduced to zero wounds is destroyed, but it is not removed from the table. The vehicle or tank remains on the board and becomes an obstacle. However, the obstacle is potentially dangerous. Roll a 1d6 once on the table below to determine what happens to the wreck.
1) Explodes - At the end of the turn, the vehicle explodes, killing all crew and passengers still inside of it. All models within 3" of the vehicle take 6+d6 damage. Afterwards the wrecked model, and any models within 6 inches of it, are covered in Smoke for d6 game turns. (all models within 6" of the wreck are covered by smoke and thus take additional cover and RC penalties).
2-3) Smoldering Wreck - The model is covered in smoke for the remainder of the game (all models within 6" of the wreck are covered by smoke and thus take addition cover and RC penalties). At the end of each turn roll a d6. On a 1 there is an ammo explosion. All models within 6" of the vehicle takes 3+d6 damage (No Cover).
4-6) Wrecked Vehicle - The vehicle is left where it stands. No further effects.
We never did that...
The main rule book says that once the vehicle is destroyed, the crew and passengers must disembark on their next activation, which I agree is a little too weighted in the vehicle player's favour.
The Battle Challenge was before the Tank Detachment rules came out. I don't know if they've changed from that in the Basra book - maybe psycho can enlighten us?
Essentially, dealing with a tank was like dealing with a Mechanic/Buffalo combo. My armoured car in the games that we did play were only A 8, like the Buffalo. A Buffalo with M1919s and a Mechanic to buff them had more of a chance of destroying a detachment, apart from the movement issues (but with no Handling stat to worry about).
Page 34 of the OTW quoted above has some good tips for attacking and destroying tanks.
Re: the tactics of taking out tanks, if you're used to playing vs. foot sloggers, then you tailor your list to take foot sloggers out, with snipers or CC monsters, etc. That has to change with vehicles, and in one sense, I would have to change my list if I was facing AT stuff every time. The Panzerschrek in the hands of an Unstoppable Rohlingsoldat is deadly to my shiny tank or armoured car, simply because it does 8+2d6 damage... that's a range of 10-20, with my armour being only 8. In addition, the OTW-16 marks it as Armour Piercing, so any time it hits, it's doing damage, and even on a roll of 6 for my armour save, it is potentially doing 2+ wounds 36% of the time. And that's with me rolling a 6!
