Presence of Faeit is my weekly editorial. I generally report during the week what is going on, and today is my day to comment on what exactly it is that I am thinking of. Its a day late, but late is better than skipping it this week.
Balance
Warhammer 40k is making a big change, and so far I like what I see. I think the game will become more visceral, more heart pounding, and more balanced..... Yes I said balanced. Just follow me for a second.
Lets discuss balance. In 5th edition we had a lot of great releases for the game. The power level went up from 4th edition, and to be honest, most 4th edition codices were left in the dust (some more than others). A 5th edition codex, was by far superior to a 4th edition one. This led to 2 levels of play. Most players lost interest in their old codices and seeing them on the tabletop became rare.
Allies breathes a new breathe of fresh air into the life of a codex. It not only allows someone to collect smaller armies and play their different armies in the same game, but it gives older codices a chance to use newer units from recently released codices. So no longer with allies will armies be completely left in the dust, or to gather dust.
It also allows for codices that feel sub par, to be buffed up, or holes filled, and I think that after the dust settles (and the crying stops.... at least for most), we will see a far more superior game.
One thing on tournaments..... For those of you having a hard time with a lot of this, I can't see tournaments not allowing the core rules of the game, which means allies will be there. If you think they won't be, I think the wake up call will be harsh, so I am whispering it gently to you. To not allow core rules of a game into a tournament really means you are playing something else, and not 40k. I can see allies not happening in friendly pick up games, but tournaments are about playing the game as it is, and TO's that change the core rules really do a disservice to the hobby and game in general.
Dark Eldar
Am I a little excited about them? You bet your arse I am. I really need to get a hold of that rulebook, which I should have here sometime this coming week. I am going to be looking hard at how vehicles move and people disembark. My current guess is that open top vehicles can still go 12" and deploy, while non open top vehicles cannot. All I can say is Haywire Blasters.... Which leads me to the next subject.
Vehicles and Damage
Vehicle Damage Table 1 chart to rule them all
1-2 Shaken
3 Stunned
4-5 Weapon Destroyed and Immobilized (I wonder if its both or 4 is Wpn Dstrd and 5 is Imm?)
6 Explodes
AP1 +2 to the damage table
AP2 +1 to the damage table
Hull points:
Glancing hits remove one hull point with no roll on the table
Penetrating hits remove one hull point with a roll on the table
Missile Launchers gone with the wind? for Marines they are free, so probably not, but are definitely taking a hit in their ability to destroy vehicles. Can we say return of the Lascannon? It will be more expensive, but it will return to its former glory, and make its way into more lists now. Even plasma guns being able to fire the full distance even if you moved is going to bring a new experience to the table top. Dark Lances will gain some momentum, and Haywire grenades or Haywire Blasters will gain some new strength for you Dark Eldar players out there.
A word on melta spam........
According to the latest, you can only move your vehicles 6" and deploy. Even the deployment is different now, not giving you the full 2" from the hatch. I am curious how that plays out, but I guess I will have to wait and see. The main thing now is, that you will not be moving those rhino's 12" deploying 2" and double tapping those meltas anymore.