GW got me at exactly the right time. A little groggy from waking up, a nice cup of coffee, and oh look a 40k instant purchase. cool!
I like the concept of dataslates. This one allows two storm talons to escort a storm raven onto the battlefield. The storm raven gets strafing run as a bonus. This is pretty cool. Having two flyers escort a troop transport will look really good on the table. I imagine dawn raids and zero dark thirty situations, all made possible because I can finally use air cavalry. Just load up a vet squad and a dreadnought in a storm raven and escort those guys in. I think think the AASW will add a lot of fun to space marine armies.
Then I read the part about how formations are taken.
bleh.... not so hot.
I don't want to see random armies on the table. Imagine an Ork mob being supported by chaos marine allies and a space marine storm wing assisting. I just don't want to see that on the table. The army would look random and pieced together. I just don't see an army built like that telling a good story.
How about this for a solution. Only allow dataslates for primary or allied detachments. Ensure that the primary detachment makes up 75% of the points spent.
It does feel like GW flip flops between wanting 40k to be a beer and pretzels game and a serious competitive game. I echo your concern re the weird mixed armies that wouldn't support the background.
ReplyDeleteI think they have no idea what they want it to be; they just hope to sell models by flinging ideas at the wall and hoping they stick.
DeleteAdding random formations to any build you want w/out any real restrictions beyond the points (Which aren't a restriction if you're being allowed to spend your points on entirely optimal selections due to having access to better flyers/heavies/whatever from other codices at really no plus-up) creates anti-thematic hodge-podge army feels, but also makes competition more difficult by creating an impossibly wild and shifting bar for what to do or not to do with what's available.
It's a cluster, is what it is, more than it's either a more competitive or more thematic situation.
I just don't want to fight battles with weirdly chained together forces. I love the concept of allies, but mainly because it means I can have guard and marines together!
DeleteI think that is a good point Mike. Random forces are equally bad from the narrative perspective as from the balance perspective. Maybe another way to reward narratively styled forces is to award +1 VP for all forces from a single codex.
DeleteInteresting things, but I am thinking that it is not something well thought out or tested... On one hand, I CAN actually field fliers with my Wolves now... Kind of... But on the other hand, every army now can field some of the best anti armor and fairly overpowered Marine killing power with the Tau silliness... Have to agree completely with Mike, looks like it is just a sell digital content and more models without much additional effort...
ReplyDeleteIt seems like GW is asking players to police themselves, and not do silly thing because the players themselves would not want to play those kinds of games.
DeleteHorus Heresy could be the adult version of the game to the kids version that 40k appears to be moving towards. Maybe they are building an artificial division.
Thank you very much. The posters are actually driving my desire to build more buildings.
ReplyDelete