I played a few test run scenarios with a few people with the support sentinels.
Here are a few things that came up.
On average - the three support sentinels threw out there 3 BP (which consulting the barrage tables ended up with a single template, no extra blast markers AP4+/AT6+) We were on average getting the blast marker to hit ~ four or five stands (infantry was laid out in an advancing pattern, not all grouped together - then we would have hit more, but people tend to space their stuff out and not pack all their stands right next to each other).
Hitting 50% of the time, we were hitting about 2-3 stands. Of which about one was saving (these are rough numbers after running a bunch of tests). So total effect for a barrage from a full support sentinel unit was a total of one/two killed infantry stands (we actually had some good rolling where he would save two stands a few times - with 6+ saves, that's damn good) and ending up with a total of 2 blast markers on the unit.
I didn't relay the cost to them, but when I told them it was 100 points - definately not worth it came to mind. Being a Griffin battery is laying out pretty much the same effect round after round, has double the range the support sentinels do, has a little more punch to it with the heavy bolter, 1.5 times faster, and is a full armored vehicle (not a lightvehicle, so not as succeptable to all weapons, and most multi purpose weapons having both an AP and AT value have a better AP rating - making the sentinel even more succeptable) - it pretty much didn't even compare.
So what would you do? Asked if they would up them to a unti of four, add disrupt - what would you do to make them a more effective support weapon.
You could up them to four - that would give them the extra template, thereby hitting more teams and having a greater chance to kill/add more blast markers - as this is typically a one shot unit - so it needs more punch in that full barrage.
Alternatively, disrput would allow them to lay more blast markers on the enemy unit, but wouldn't really allow them to kill any more infantry -so net net, same infantry loses, but we were able to throw down 3-4 blast markers on the unit versus the normal 2.
Both wouldn't be entirely out of the question, as your only doing it once - just working through these, not with them - I would imagine this barrage to hit about 8 stands of infantry or so - without disrupt, it would probably kill 2-3 stands - resulting in 3-4 BP and two dead stands - which is where I think we should be.
I think having four and disrupt is way over the top - as if you hit 8 infantry stands you'd only end up killing the same amount - 2-3, but would be throwing down a whopping 9 BPs for that (way too much for this unit).
Just a thought and some outside advice - but the end results were either make them units of four, or give them disrupt (and there is a precedence for this, the Valkyries have the rocket pods and they have disrupt). I don't consider this official playtesting, more weapons testing with players willing to comment.
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