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An oblique question :- What is it that makes EPIC "Fun"?
I played a game with TRC last night, BL Vs IG as it happens. Was trying out some ideas that failed miserably. Fortunately we were proxying stuff, otherwise I can imagine being more than a bit miffed at having spent time and effort in modeling something, setting up a battle etc, putting the models on the table for all of 5 minutes during which they did nothing except getting hit by Deathstrikes and dying. The problem in my army was that I did not have an effective counter to the Vultures / Deathstrikes / Warhound formations in that particular IG army (though I could have done).
I am hearing a similar kind of debate here where certain units in the Tau (and elsewhere) have a similar 'point-and-click' feel to them, resulting in the complete destruction of opposing formations, unless that opponent has one of the (usually limited) counters available, in this case some form of long-range, high damage shooting capability.
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The issue here (and many of the other threads) is the general tendency for units that are both increasingly powerfull that have fewer defences against them, which IMHO both reduces the tactical element and the "fun" in the game, and ultimately which turns people off playing. Note, that line between good and 'Over The Top' (OTT) is often small and hard to define.
As in the BL list, I suspect that the problem with the Tau in general and the Moray in this discussion is in the combination of several factors and abilities that taken separately are sensible. Here it is :-
- Superb shooting (Unlimited, good range, 3+ to hit and lots of dice)
- Resilient (DC3 and 'shielded')
- Support craft 'Removes cover' (ie you cannot hide behind hills etc)
- Skimmer (limiting the formations that can hurt it)
- Good availability (300 points in air section, but otherwise unlimited)
So, in summary, while the Moray is effectively the "Warhound" of the Tau list, it is harder to attack, more resilient and better armed for only 25 points more.
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Some suggestions:-
1) Reduce the number of "shots" available to the Moray, and/or reduce their chance to hit. While the Tau lack 'artillery' in general, they do have a lot of formations that fill in, so in general these should either be very accurate but limited spread effects, or general spread, but limited damage. This point is also linked to an extent with both the "markerlight" and "Drone" debates elsewhere in terms of accuracy and BM placement.
2) Reduce the range of the weapons slightly (to 60cm and 45 cm) the better to reflect the notion that these craft are hovering thousands of feet in the air. (This follows the same logic applied to aircraft in the game where the ranges of related weaponry is similarly reduced.)
3) Increase their cost to reflect the number of additional boosts they have over similar units elsewhere.
4) Make them slightly more vulnerable to counter-measures - perhaps DC2, or indeed make it a general condition of a critical hit that the Tau 'shield' system fails.
5) Reduce (or remove) the effect of "Support craft" allowing targets more defence. While I like the concept, the rule is essentially an ad-mix of "flier" and "Skimmer", and while I know there was much effort and debate on it, I can't help feeling uneasy about the way this ability impacts the game when combined with other abilities.
Etc
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In summary, it is suggested that we need to find ways to tone down this particular unit (and others generally in various lists) so that it does not impact the game quite as much, allowing the opponent to do more than waste a lot of time, effort and money creating formations and armies that spend little actual time on the table.
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"Play up and play the game"
Vitai lampada
Sir Hemry Newbolt
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