Not necro if it's your own (post-COVID?) playtest thread
So I've managed to get a couple of games in with my desired playtests over the past month, on top of a one or two small games late last year before everything shut down again, and I've made a few changes to my proposed changes.
Folder Link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14Y0s2YhSgSbfFBL6-O7fshuo-rfq7De4?usp=sharingThat should let people in to the folder contents, and still should match the initial post. If it doesn't work, let me know.Rationale behind my proposed changes at this point:
1) Havoc upgrade to Iron Warriors Company - It's a relatively minor upgrade option, and makes a core infantry formation slightly more expensive, but slightly more shooty. People asked, and I don't see a reason not to entertain it; Iron Warriors like their excessive firepower after all.
2) Defilers at 400 points for 4 - for what they actually do at 400 points, and compared to 4 for 275 points in the Black Legion list, (a) I think they attract too much attention and (b) break way too easily for a potential BTS in a higher activation count list. Part of me would rather make it 4 for 275, and let you buy additional Defilers if you wanted to get back up to 400 (2 for 125 would get you there), but for now I'll keep it at the bigger (6 model) unit with the pros & cons that has.
3) Obliterators to Siege Support - Siege Assault section is way too bloated, gameplay options pretty much force you into taking Chosen and either Terminators or Dreadnoughts most of the time. While Obliterators *can* firefight effectively, mostly they're an AA bubble/"distraction carnifex." I'm keeping them 0-1 per army though; if you want more, you'll need to attach them to Terminators or an IW Company.
4) Havoc Company to Siege Support - Siege Assault section is way too bloated, gameplay options pretty much force you into taking Chosen and either Terminators or Dreadnoughts most of the time. Havocs offer an interesting activation with powerful shooting but limited numbers. While I worry it might devalue the Armoured Company somewhat, 4 Predators + 1 Stalker is still a super cheap activation that can reasonably threaten most scouting units or early overextended pushes, and it still has a place in the list.
5) Land Raiders move to 75pts for 1, 125pts for 2 (200pts for 3, 250pts for 4) - stealing this from the Space Marines list after talking with
gunslinger007, but I think it's appropriate, at least for the potentially armor-heavy Iron Warriors. This makes Land Raiders a little more viable as heavy transports for infantry, and while it plays a little with the Armored Company unit cost overall, you're still likely either taking Predators for the cheap cavalry tank activation, and putting Land Raiders elsewhere where they can stiffen up an infantry force. Two Land Raiders and two Predators for 225 points does feel potentially a little cheap relative to 6 Vindicators for 250, but it'll also break a heck of a lot quicker even if the Land Raiders are soaking AT shots. 275 points for that formation + 1 Stalker isn't horrible; you're still lower activation count and higher cost than the Vindicators, and that Stalker is still relatively easy to suppress given the unit size.
6) Siegehammer Company stays 6 units + Lord for 225pts, but picks up more possible upgrades - This is one of those units that looks craptastic on paper, but actually performs pretty damned well when loaded up in Land Raiders and driven around the battlefield... or loaded up with Dreadnoughts and Dreadclaw'd down on a Blitz. The infantry are a relatively cheap jump pack-less Raptor unit that sucks on its own, but
can shine (as recent battles have shown) as a delivery vehicle for other offensive units. Sounds counterintuitive, but making footslogging assaulters better with special rules only impinged on Terminators, Chosen and Raptors, and I'd rather these guys hold a reasonable place in the list as a deep list swiss army knife, as a weaker alternative to the IW Company. Making them 250 for 8 made the unit way too effective, and dropping their cost also made them too much of a steal. I figured rather than tweak the unit, I'd get more mileage out of tweaking its options. Will be testing this more, but after the last game I think I'm on to something here.
7) Ordinatus Medrengard picks up Fearless, critical hits now do +1 damage instead of autokill - Got this one from
Dave, and I think he's right. After testing in games, I think it's worth keeping it at 650 points. I can sort of see the suggestion to bring it down to 600, but I think the significant increase in durability warrants holding it at 650. It'll still eat a pair of Deathstrikes on turn 1, or watch Volcano Cannon jockeying for position to unload on it, and it still has intentional range limitations, but that BP 9 Disrupt is still a heck of a wallop. This should make it a little more resilient vs. repeated air strikes, and make it less of a glass cannon BTS (pardon the pun). Overall, I think that's a better solution than playing with points on a hard-hitting unit.
8) Siegelord armaments to include modified battlehead & tail, revert back to "standard" power fist - I'd briefly considered giving it a Doomfist, but I think I'd be putting too much shooting on the Warlord at that point. Heavy flamer battlehead (stolen from EUK I think) feels fluffy, and I think the Tail battlecannon still has a place as a 75cm blast marker plinking weapon as you advance. The real challenge is going to come from trying to shift this guy off of midfield objectives, with the base attacks, Fearless 4+ RA, power fist, all the extra firefight, and potential transport capacity. If you pull it off you'll probably get T&H and BTS though. Good luck.
Now that that's had a moment to absorb & be digested, here's what I haven't changed -
A) Vindicators stay 250 points for 6 - I don't like this and it still feels like a tax, but it maintains relative parity with the Death Guard list, and I think that's appropriate.
B) Basilisks stay 325 points for 4 - Yeah, I'll cop to it, artillery can be really swingy, but 2x Basilisk batteries are (a) nearly autoinclude, and (b) damn powerful. For a BP 4 barrage that activates on 1+, 81.25 points per Basilisk is appropriate.
C) Not adding Trenches, Razorwire & Minefields JUST yet - I've seen this requested here and in my local group, and while my initial reaction has shifted from "no" to "why not? it's all going to come at a premium that reduces your activation count anyhow...", I'm not making the adjustment *just* yet.
I think I want to get a few more games in over the next couple of months against a variety of opponents to really test out the things I'm considering changing so far, and get to a go/no-go decision on those eight tweaks first. Once that's done, I'll explore just how game-changing adding fortifications to the Iron Warriors list could be.
