I'm back with thoughts to spare

Well I've finally returned to this Maelstrom of battles and after grabbing a copy of 6th edition it's safe to say that (When combined with the 6th edition amendments) the new rules really are quite fun to play... though I've found the challenge rule seems a bit out of place and easy to abuse and Deny the Witch seems illogical for the most part but hey I'll roll with it; after all with the new vehicle rules, flyers, chariots and weapon rules that all seem to work a treat there is very little to complain about really.

Probably the one thing that is most impressive is the new Allied Matrix; I see a massive potentual for expansion in the Allied Detachment field in the form of specialised detachments(One of these specialised detachments included a small army of Grey Knights or perhaps Blood Angels coming in on a Stormraven to claim a critical objective.) In Addition the inclusion of Allied detachments has opened the door for the smaller armies that Games Workshop makes but then tosses them inside larger armies otherwise they would be unplayable; Armies such as the Inquisition, the Harlequins and the Kroot can now stand independent as they meant to be. Since this is my first post in such a long time let me leave you with a little taste of what could be potentually the next mission book installment:

Special Rules: The following Allied detachments have the Critical Mission rule. (Below)

Critical Mission: If objectives markers are used then nominate one objective; if this allied detachment claims that objective it is worth double victory points. If objective markers are not used then this allied detachment gains double victory points for achieving any of the following secondary objectives: First Blood, Line Breaker, Slay the Warlord. However should this allied detachment fail in it's objective or didn't score any of the above secondary objective then the opponent gets three victory points for robbing the objective.

Simplified Examples of specialist allied detachments (Note all of these use the same allied chart as their parent codex, parent codices are treated as battle brothers):

Inquisition: (Parent Codex: Grey Knights)
HQ: Inquisitor or Inquisitor Character
Elites: Assassin
Troops: Henchmen
Fast Attack: Valkyrie Assault Carrier (Codex: Imperial Guard)

Harlequin: (Parent Codex: Eldar)
HQ: Autarch
Troops and Elite: Harlequin troupe
Heavy: a squad of 3-5 Death Jesters and 0-1 Shadowseer

Kroot: (Parent Codex: Tau)
HQ: Kroot Shaper
Troops: Kroot Carnivore Squad (Minus Shaper, Hounds and Krootox)
Fast Attack: a squad of 6-12 Kroot Hounds
Heavy: a squad of 1-3 Krootox riders

Well that's it for now, enjoy.

6th Edition: Is GW digging a hole or redeeming themselves?

Rumours are that the 6th Edition for Warhammer 40k will be released some time next year. I'm sure a lot of people will moan that it's too soon for another edition others will complain about how their are still codices stuck in 3rd edition or are otherwise broken. some will see it as a waste of money, Quite a few may even quit the hobby altogether.

Quite simple with all the turmoil over the past couple of years and the price hikes Games Workshop is asking an aweful lot to get players to commit themselves to a new edition and it may be seen as corperate grave digging. However if they play their cards right they may actually restore the sinking reputation of their business.

For thoses that remember the 3rd edition release, the book contained not only the rules but some basic codices so that anyone could simply pick up and play. If they think along these lines they may restore WH40k to a playable game and avoid any major backlash.

However, With all the expansions to the rules it would be unlikely that they can fit them all so only the most basic Codices should be included:

Spacemarines
Imperial Guard
Eldar
Orks
Tau
Necrons

These are for the most part only simple rewrites of current rules made to the point of being playable again or to hint what a future proper release would be like.
(I have Omitted Chaos on the basis that they are Spacemarines on the most part)

Another way they could redeem themselves is to release Beta Editions of the core Codices along side the Main Rulebook:

Beta Editions are basic rewrites for the most parts to keep the standard races playable

Beta Editions would be made to sate the customers need for new rules until future editions can be released.

So the question still remains will Games Workshop fix the foundations of their gaming empire or let it collapse on itself? Only time will tell...

Now thinking Vampire Counts

My, my it's been a while...

Once again I'm thinking of rule improvements this time it's in the realm of fantasy or more specifically: Vampires

I've been learning the 8th ed core rules (yeah I know better late then never)

all and all some rules were nerfed (like fear, terror, and a maximum on power dice) and others were boosted like adding mage level to casting and dispelling, most importantly everything is a lot more simpler for faster, more fun gameplay.

so though one can say that Vampire Counts have been nerfed, People were complaining that they were overpowering so it's probably fair in the long run.

any way this is not what this is about...

in my honest opinion Vampire Counts don't feel like vampires just chaos lords with magic.

so I suggest this improvement to the vampire rule:

If a vampire slays an opponent in a challenge the vampire may then recover wounds equal to the overkill bonus this may take the vampire past it's starting wound count.
(reflects them feasting on the rival's corpse before his comrades eyes)

Vehicles: A Rule I'd Like to See Fixed in 6th

I know it's a couple years early to be talking a about 6th but it is an inevitablity we all must endure so I'm puting my opinion in on what I'd like to see changed.

Namely what should be counted as a defensive weapon on a vehicle.

in previous edition it was strength 5 or less which was fine by my opinion

in the current edition it's now strength 4 or less which is also fine however some weapons become defensive that shouldn't e.g. frag/plasma missiles and vice versa some weapons are no longer defensive that should be e.g. heavy flamers.

I think the following rule would be a better solution:

Rapid Fire and Assault (Edit: and Pintle Mounted) weapons are defensive, Heavy weapons are primary.

quite simple if a standard infantry model could fire the weapon on the move unaided then so can a vehicle.

The many forms of Wraithlord

Wraithlords are the embodiment of fallen heroes; Exarches, Autarches, Witches, etc of the pass returned to fight for their craftworld again. Each Wraithlord is tailored for that heroes preferred method of fighting.

In total there are 78 different weapon combinations for Wraithlords and over 500 different ways of mounting the weapons, add in conversions and the possiblities are endless.

With so many combinations it can be hard to decide what kind of Wraithlord to make let alone how to model it to capture the style of it's hero's soul.

One way to do it is to select a path to follow and build around that path.

Some of the paths to consider are:

Dire Avenger: Dual: Shuriken Weaponry.

Howling Banshee: Close Combat: Anti-Heavy Infantry and template "screams".

Fire Dragon: Ranged: Heat Weapons and anti-Armour.

Striking Scorpion: Close Combat: Anti-Swarm.

Dark Reaper: Ranged: Missiles and Anti-Heavy Infantry.

Swooping Hawk: Ranged: Lasers and Templates.

Warp Spider: Ranged: Anti-Swarm.

Shining Spear: Dual: Brightlances,Shuriken Weaponry, Wraithswords.

Ranger: Ranged: Single Shot Lasers.

Witch: Dual: Templates and Wraithswords.

Pilot: Ranged: Dual Purpose Combinations.

Autarch: All of the above and any missed.

The Future Avatar of Khaine: my thoughts and Triskele Conversion

Once again I'm talking about ways to improve the Avatar... well not so much as improve, more like balancing him with simular creatures i.e. Greater Daemons

As I mentioned before the no brainer is to replace "Molten Body" with "Eternal Warrior"

however I've been doing some math (shock horror!) and I still don't like the odds against simular daemons in close combat.

----------------------------------
*Numbers Alert*

Chance winning a round of close combat:

Bloodthirster > Avatar by 48%

Keeper of Secrets > Avatar by 14%

Lord of Change < Avatar by 5%

Great Unclean One < Avatar by 12%
----------------------------------

that's without factoring who is assaulting, iniative, wounds or abilities

though being beaten narrowly by a Slaanesh greater daemon makes sense (though if the other factors were included the odds quickly stack against the Avatar) being owned by the Bloodthirster by such a margin does not.

so after doing several pages of math I have come up with the following changes to the Avatar:

Stats change: +1A

Additional Rules: "Always hits on a 3+", "Counterattack"

----------------------------------
*Numbers Alert*

Chance winning a round of close combat:

Bloodthirster > Avatar by 25%

Keeper of Secrets < Avatar by 2%

Lord of Change < Avatar by 16%

Great Unclean One < Avatar by 28%
----------------------------------

that's without factoring who is assaulting, iniative, wounds or other abilities


Conclusion

By doing these changes the Avatar; whilst still the under dog will have a fighting chance against the bloodthirster, be roughly on par (if a little under due to iniative) with the Keeper of Secrets and have the edge over non-warrior greater daemons.

This would also provide more entertainment as the winner will not be so clearly defined before the battle begins.


Additional Notes

For thoses who are curious about my math I used this simple group of equations

%Wounds/Attack = 100(Chance of Hit x Chance of Wound x Chance of Armour Fail)

%Wounds/Round = Number of Attacks x %Wounds/Attack

%Win Margin = Attacker 1 (%Wounds/Round) - Attacker 2 (%Wounds/Round)





Banshee Triskele

I'm currently working on another tutorial, this time for the Triskele. I'll post it when it's done however in the meantime to see my progress so far follow this link:

Custodes Eternal: Banshee Triskele Tutorial

The Future Eldar Codex: My Thoughts Pt 3

Once again I'm thinking... I wonder what qualifications I need to get a job at the big GW?

I've also been thinking Eldar again

more importantly the Avatar

One rule I would drop right of the hammer is the immunity to heat weapons, This isn't warhammer fantasy we don't normally factor in elements with our weapons so this rule should be scrapped.

Instead they should give the Avatar "Eternal Warrior" to be on par with other daemons.

Speaking of daemons I was a little insulted when I read through the greater daemon list and saw that the bloodthirster has a WS of 10 I mean sheesh if I didn't know better I'd say there is a lack of communication between the fluff writers and the rule writers

each greater daemon has it's own aspect of war:

Bloodthirster: Slaughter; large number of high strength attacks.

Keeper of Secrets: Temptation and pain; makes the opponent drop their guard then puts them in a world of hurt.

The Unclean One: Disease and endurance; weaken the opponent whilst taking every hit.

Lord of Change: Magic; Ranged combat, psychic powers,

and

Avatar of Khaine: War Mastery; Skillful strikes and parries, inspiring commander

The bloodthirster has encroached on the Khaine's territory so that is something that needs to be fixed

perhaps always hits on a 3+ can only be hit on a 5+ in close combat regardless of weapon skill? that way Khaine will still keep his war mastery.

Because of his WS this boost is a minor thing and thus combined with Eternal Warrior easily makes up for the loss of his immunity to heat weapons.

The Future Eldar Codex: My Thoughts Pt 2

More thoughts on things I'd like to see changed for Eldar

Farseer Powers

Fortune

instead of re-roll armour saves, re-roll successful to hit rolls against that unit in the opponents shooting phase.
This would better reflect the description and adds to the Eldars elusive nature.

Warlock Powers

Wraithsong (bongsinger)

pick a unit or vehicle within 6", if psychic test is passed then that unit gets +1 to all saving throws until the next Eldar turn (an unmodified 1 still fails though). If the target is a vehicle then -1 to dice rolls made on the vehicle damage chart (to the minimum of 1)until the next Eldar turn.

Court of the Young King

An addition to what I have previously wrote

Exarches may choose any wargear of their aspect but may not have any warrior powers.

Warriors of Khaine; the Court of the Young King and any Autarch with it have the Furious Charge and Counter Attack universal rules.

Warp Spiders

Surprise Assault: Warp Spiders get the Scout rule.

Rangers

An expansion on what I previously wrote

5-10 Rangers

Wargear: Camocloak, Eldar Long Rifle, Shuriken Pistol

Special Rules: Fleet.

Upgrades:

1 ranger may be upgraded to Pathfinder (+1WS,BS,I,A,Ld,Sv)

The Pathfinder may replace his long rifle with:
a Pinpoint Rifle
(Ap 1 on a 4+)
for 10pts

or a Prism Rifle:
(Rg:48" Str:X Ap:3 Heavy1Sniper) /
(Rg:48" Str:4 Ap:5 Heavy1Blast)
for 20pts.

may take a Poison Knife for 10pts

Warrior Powers:
Master of Stealth: Stealth, Infiltrate universal rules

Pathfinder: Scout, Move Through Cover universal rules

The Future Eldar Codex: My Thoughts Pt 1

These are just some of the changes I'd like to see in the future Eldar Codex:

Misc' Wargear changes:

Universal Wargear

Plasma Grenades: either both offensive and defensive to match description and/or boost to strength 5 against vehicles like in 4th edition.

Wargear for Warlocks and Exarches:

Waystones: a unit with a waystone doesn't need to be in range or los to benefit from a farseers psychic power

HQ changes:

Farseer:

Runestaff: a two handed power weapon, if the farseer can cast a second power the farseer can cast the same power twice.

Forewarn power: Range 6", a unit that this power is cast on may make a free round of shooting at a unit arriving from reserve in the following opponents turn however if they choose to do this they may not fire in the next eldar turn.
(Amendment made based on sonsoftaurus's comment)

Warlocks:

+1 Iniative and Leadership to match aspect warriors.

Spiritseer becomes a power not an upgrade.

Bonesinger becomes a power.

Enhance adds 1 to ballistic skill as well.

Autarch:

Master Strategist: replace "has a strategy rating of 4" with "can steal the iniative on a 5+"

Witchblade becomes an option.

Court of the Young King:

A honour guard for the Autarch

3-10 Exarches

Shrine Leaders: for each exarch in the court the player may take a bonus unit of that exarches aspect, this unit doesn't take up any force slots.

Troop Changes:

Rangers:

Pathfinders become like exarches for rangers with exarch like stats. Pathfinder and master of stealth rules becomes its powers and Poison pack (poison close combat attacks)one of it's weapon upgrades.

Fast Attack Changes:

Warp Spiders:

Death spinners gain rending (if the nightspinner is anything to go by this is confirmed)

Roll a D6 on second movement and on a 1 lose a member instead of 2D6 and a double. Allow full 12" movement, more worth the risk especially with autarches.

Heavy Support Changes:

Wraithlords:

Wraithcannon an optional replacement for flamers/shuriken catapults.

Support Weapons

Shadow weaver gains rending.(if the nightspinner is anything to go by this is confirmed)

Craftworld tailoring rules for characters

Biel-Tan: Aspects count as scoring units.

Saim-Hann: all Jetbikes and skimmers gain the scout rule.

Ulthw'e: All psykers may take an additional power.

Alaitoc: May steal the iniative on a 3+.

Iyanden: All psykers add 6" to see if they are in range for wraithsight.