|
I made my peace with the 1.8 version for the most part. I just let it stand (aside from the Aspect Troupe). But since it was asked...
I never thought the armor formations needed such a drastic overhaul. All the composition options invite min-maxing.
The Pulse/2x switch for the Falcons was a nice boost and didn't require adding formation size flexibility. Even if you think it did, changing the Firestorms-per-formation was unnecessary and no doubt screwed up many people's painted models/formations as it did around here (2 Firestorms being a common choice). The formation composition could have been left completely alone.
The Shields of Vaul troupe can produce prodigious amounts of AA. Going from Pulse to 2x was a boost for the Firestorms as well as the Falcons. For 25 points more than a Hydra formation, they have 50% better AA (4+ v 5+), less units to protect (i.e. easier to keep under the AA umbrella), faster move, Skimmer, a potential triple Farsight activation, and Hit and Run, while only giving up a small amount of AP fire in comparison. Their AA to-hit value is good enough that even with the -1 to-hit mod for flak rushing, it's still worth it in many cases. For a few hundred points the Eldar can effectively shut down any amount of aircraft. If I know I'm facing 1.8 I won't take any aircraft at all because it's a complete waste of points.
If a dedicated AA formation was needed in the absence of AA Prism Cannons, it should have been a separate formation, priced on its own and without composition choices. Both raw power for the points and the min-max combos are a concern for me on the Shields.
Prism Cannons did need to be adjusted for the new Codex as it was a pretty radical change. The formation of 3 was also an issue. I would have preferred they remain a dedicated formation and be priced appropriately for the new stats. Otherwise they could have been rolled in as a single choice in the Falcons. In light of subsequent developments in Apocalypse, maintaining a formation of dedicated Firestorms seems like it would have been particularly appropriate.
I'm undecided about the Revenants because I haven't seen them in play. I've finally managed to convince the guys I play with to use the Handbook, but they won't test Revenants because of the way they look on paper. I thought the main things that made them too powerful were Spirit Stones (never suppressed after a rally, no matter what) and the Sustained Fire pulse (8+ MW hits). I didn't think the lower to-hit was necessary.
The Aspect troupe always just felt like it was thrown in.
Greg's major reservation, iirc, was the rolling assault was still allowed and he favored a flat 15cm consolidation limit.
===
There's a particular army list around here that everyone's had a lot of trouble beating. So far, the only thing any of us can come up with as a defense is high volumes of artillery or a Turn 1 Pod/Teleport SM drop list. Of course, those are army comp choices, not actual tactical approaches. Under the Swordwind rules it was:
Guardians (usually w/ Wraithguard)
DAs w/ Autarch
DAs or Spiders
Warlock Titan
3 Storm Serpents
2-3 Falcon formations with 2 Firestorms each
Nightwings
Wraithgate
Additions to increase points would be another Aspect formation or jetbikes.
The basic plan is to pack everything in super-tight (lots of FF support and I dare you to intermingle them...) and leapfrog forward with AA cover. Nightwings go on CAP immediately to stall and help prevent any deepstrike attacks that might try to take advantage of the position. If the enemy comes off the base line at all, you can assault on Turn 1. If not, you position turn 1 and assault turn 2. If need be, you can do risky baseline assaults in turn 1 regardless (to pick off potential arty threats).
It's brutal. The only real threat to it is lots of arty (possibly an orbital barrage/pod barrage).
Under 1.8, it actually got nastier because of the Shields formation. Now, instead of needing to field Falcons for ground AA, you can field dedicated AA even cheaper and spend the points on better assaults. Just as important, you can mix barrage and AA in the Shields formation. One good defense against this army is bunching up tight to protect against the assaults that are the primary attack. However, with a 2/1 Firestorm/Nightspinner formation composition you can drop templates on formations that bunch up. Sure, 6+ isn't much to-hit, but when you get 6-8 targets under a template, it starts to add up and if you're in position, Sustain Fire more than makes up for the loss of the Firestorm direct fire shots. And, of course, Falcons got a bit of a boost with the Pulse change, so any choice to still field 1-2 Falcon formations gets those benefits and the lack of AA availability is easily compensated for elsewhere.
===
I didn't start a new thread because I don't want to rehash all the arguments. This was just an explanation of my remaining concerns because I was asked. Like I said, I've made my peace with it. The only real balance concern I have is the Shields of Vaul and maybe the Revenants. Overall, it's a workable list and despite my reservations I think it's an improvement.
I just think it could and should have been done with a lot less disruption to the old list and a lot less invalidating of people's carefully painted armies.
_________________
Neal
|
