frogbear wrote:
It is turn 3 and you have to make a run to either secure or contest an objective. An Opposition General worth his salt may just place a unit within charge range of one or even two formations.
Using an activation to attempt to block an activation during an objective grab is a non-issue. It's probably a net loss for the blocker, so unless there's already a substantial activation advantage it's a bad idea. If there is a substantial activation advantage during an objective grab, the game is probably over anyway. It's pretty much a last resort move, where a formation simply can't do anything better.
I still see it as a net benefit, the value of which will be pretty dependent on the context of the army. That's fine. How much it helps or hinders can be managed with point costs in the individual lists.
However... a real problem I see is that the "-1 in range" allows a gamey tactic - use a broken formation's withdrawal move to bait a formation. That causes the hindrance without using up a precious objective grab activation. Broken formations become useful as sacrificial pawns. That's something I don't really like.
On the whole, I still favor it over the BA rule and I'd like to see it tested to fine out if broken formation bait is a problem in actual play.
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The rule should also be modified so that it doesn't cause problems with other armies that don't have a 2+ initiative rating. Granting a 0+ initiative rating to initiative 1+ armies is not going to be acceptable.
I don't know that this is all that bad. A 0+ initiative on a single kind of action in a single circumstance probably isn't something that most people would consider to be especially unfair. It's a strong power, for sure, but as I noted how much of a real advantage it is will vary by list. If something has a powerful combination that guarantees this advantage is substantially greater than the drawbacks (like high SR Terminators that can teleport and auto-Engage) then they are made more expensive.
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Air assaults - Personally, I'd say the rule shouldn't count for aircraft. No other "check range" abilities work with aircraft or off-board units.
If you count it, it's going to be automatic, which will necessarily require an increase in air transport costs.
Also, it's not an "Engage" action for aircraft. It's "ground attack" and that covers both air assaults and strafing runs. So, that's another exception to split it up and not give them automatic strafing. I suppose you can do that, as it's a special rule and all, but if there's not a pressing need, KISS.
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Side note: This is an ability which affects a formation, not an individual weapon or unit. If the goal is a generic ability, we need to address how it is designated and applied.
