Hena wrote:
What it represents is what the fluff makes it. I can't for life of me understand what this fixed life to 40k stats is. Why aren't you clamouring to change las cannon to have high AP value as well since it can destroy infantry in 40k? Why don't you want eldar vehicles have high armour as they are quite tough in 40k (due to holofields and what not)? Epic is better game as it models the idea of unit instead its 40k stats.
Of course Lascannons shouldn't have an AP value, they can kill an enemy infantryman with ease but the loss of a single infantryman isn't enough to wipe out the squad like an epic kill. Eldar vehicles are supposed to be fragile and Epic doesn't normally consider optional upgrades when representing unit stats.
Your version of the THT doesn't fit with the background and idea of the unit, that is the problem. The background has the THT equivalently survivable as a SM Thunderhawk as the SM care about landing their vehicles and troops intact. Their frequent method of air assaults on enemy mean they design their craft to be able to take enemy AA fire and keep going. What the fluff says is that it is a logistical support transporter for ferrying troops and that it's weapons are for defensive purposes, not that it's armour is weak.
If we look at the background Forge World write for the THT they say it is used “to quickly move a Space Marine Chapter's vehicles from their Strike Cruisers in orbit to the planet's surface, or from one ground operation to another” and elsewhere that it “may be used to quickly deploy or redeploy armoured vehicles and or deliver supplies in heavily contested warzones where less well armed and armoured craft would prove extremely vulnerable.”
Hena wrote:
If it has 4 Twin Heavy Bolters and 4+RA armour, I would not take it due to transport. I would take it for it's ability demolish enemy infantry.
I'm not going so far - I will leave each THT having 2 x all-round 15cm 4+ shots per aircraft. The fire arcs on the aircraft are somewhat limited, their weapons are really just defensive only and it is common for Epic aircraft translations to reduce the number and effectiveness of the weapons compared to 40k (e.g. not representing the pair of wing Lascanons that a Thunderhawk model has).
I'll run through some comparisons of a formation of 3 THT for 350 points compared to a Landing Craft to asses their relative worth. The THT would have 1 more shot overall, but 2 of the LC's shots would be more valuable 45cm AT4+ shots. The LC would score 1 AA hit on enemy aircraft on average while 3 THT would score 2 hits on average, however these shots are only range 15cm and given the size of the models and the possible positioning it may often be possible for enemy aircraft to position to fly through the 15cm AA umbrella of only 1 or 2 THT rather than all 3. In FF the Landing Craft on average would score 2.66 hits compared to the 6 x FF5+ from the 3 THT scoring 2 hits. A LC can carry up to 4 formations while 3 THT in the BT list can carry a maximum of 2. The THT are 3 models and so cover a greater area which has advantages and disadvantages. The THT have 2 more DC overall and the LC can be destroyed by a single critical which would only take out a single THT, however the LC has the advantage of fearless and not getting auto-destroyed if it looses an assault on the ground. Ideally the formations will both be good balanced options, with advantages and disadvantages to each. I will try them out in games and see how they go but the more I think it over and compare them I am leaning towards them probably going up in price to 275 for 2 and 375 for 3.
For the moment I plan to keep it simple and run them as they are and but a possible plan B I have in mind is to emphasise their transport role through their special rule. Something like “Thunderhawk Transporters are dedicated transport vehicles and their armament is for defensive purposes only. A Thunderhawk Transporter formation may not attack enemy units on the ground while it is airbourne. The Thunderhawk Transporter formation may only attack enemy ground units during an action in which it embarks or disembarks one or more vehicles during the action. Otherwise it may only land without attacking or stand down.” That then focuses it on being the dedicated transport it is meant to be, making it stand down rather than carry out attack runs if there are no vehicles wanting to be picked up or dropped off at that point. The THT already has a “Thunderhawk Transporter” special rule in the Scions and other lists it's in to represent it's transport abilities (due to the fact splitting a formation between multiple WE transports isn't allowed by the rulebook WE transport rules) so it would be adding to the existing THT special rule, not creating a new special rule for a unit which doesn't have one.
