Between Voidshields and other upgrades these fortifications are going to be allowed to have, there are a lot of options in Stronghold Assault. Being able to build your own fortification lines and use overlapping Voidshields, I can see fortifications becoming an integrated part of many army lists.
Please remember that these are still considered to be rumors until we get the official release.
via an anonymous source that has the book from the Faeit 212 inbox
1.a. Void Shields are provided by Void Shield Generators, a completely separate structure that has a datasheet without a picture (It's Forbidden by Inquisitorial Decree) so making the structure is pretty much up to you at this point. The Projected Void Shields special rule project a 12" area of effect (measured from any point of the building) that can overlap, anything inside that is shot hits the AV12 shield. When the shield is hit it rolls as normal for against a vehicle, and if the shield is Glanced, Penetrated or ANY SINGLE HIT from a Strength D weapon, the Void Shield collapses. At the end of the turn of the player who controls a collapsed void shield, they can roll to restore it on a 5+.
1.b. You can also purchase void shields (25 points) as a building upgrade for the following:
- Bastion
- Wall of Martyrs Imperial Bunker
- Wall of Martyrs Firestorm Redoubt
- Fortress of Redemption
- Aquila Strongpoint
They all follow the rules as stated above, but do not project the void shield past anywhere except the building itself.
2. I am afraid that Xenos get the shaft here again, however the Void Shield Generator and the new Promethium Relay Pipes (Explained momentarily) have no picture, so those who enjoy the conversion aspect are free to create their own designs to represent these pieces.
There are, however, a number of upgrades that are catagorized under either:
- Building Upgrades (Void Shields, Booby Traps, Searchlights, etc.)
- Obstacles (Tanglewire, Barricades and Tank Traps)
- Battlements &; Battlefield Upgrades (Ammo Dump, Comms Relays and Gun Emplacements Icarus Lascannon/Quad-Gun)
Every building has the option to take some of these upgrades, including the Aegis Line (Which can take Obstacles only.)
The Promethium Relay Pipes (40 Points) can be taken as 3 long and 4 short pieces (A la Aegis Line) and must be placed together, they grant a 4+ cover but on the roll of a 6 cover save you must roll a further D6 and should you roll a 1 a small explosion occurs and the unit being shot at takes D6 S4 AP5 hits which ignore cover and are randomly allocated. Vehicles are hit on the nearest Armour Facing. However, the special rule: Fuel Siphon allows any flamer weapon fired by a non-vehicle unit within 2" of the Relay Pipes to change its type to Heavy from Assault or Pistol. Doing so will allow the Flamer weapon to gain the Torrent special rule.
3. There are 3 Fortification combination which allow for anywhere from "budget" Strongpoint combos to be made to all out impregnable Fortresses. These are:
- Imperial Strongpoint (1-3 Imperial Bastions, 1-5 Aegis Defence Lines, 0-1 Skyshield Landing Pad, 0-1 Honoured Imperium (<--yep gets="" it="" its="" own="" p="" rules.="">- Void Relay Network (1-3 Promethium Relay Pipes, 1-3 Void Shield Generators, 0-1 Honoured Imperium)
- Wall of Martyrs Imperial Defence Network (1-3 WoM Imperial Bunker, 1-4 WoM Imperial Defence Lines, 1-3 Imperial Defence Emplacements, 0-2 WoM Firestorm Redoubts, 0-2 WoM Vengeance Weapons Batteries)
All of these cost no extra points other than the point cost of the models themselves and the upgrades you give them.
The Tempestus Firebase cannot be made as the Aquila Strongpoint does not figure into any of these Fortification Combinations.
4. I haven't gone over in fine detail yet, the artwork is absolutely fantastic though some brand new pieces depicting the Howling Griffons Fortress Monastery, an intense assault by Tyranids on the Imperial Guard frontlines with macrocannons belching warheads in the background and more Tyranids assaulting the Ultramarine held positions in a fantastic 2-page spread. (At no point do you see Tyranids holding the line, which would've amused me to no end.)
The book also contains updated rules for buildings which I've not been over yet (went to dinner) but will have a look at soon enough.
Assorted tid-bits:
- Jump infantry and Jet Pack infantry are allowed to embark inside fortifications that are buildings.
- Jump, Jet, Jetbike and Skimmer units do not take dangerous terrain if they start or end their movement on battlements.
- Buildings with units hit by a template weapon also take a hit as well.
- There is an updated Building Damage Chart that reaches 7 (Detonation)
- I have not yet run into any instances of the Escalation Expansion being referenced in the book, but I can't see anywhere in the book where it wouldn't be compatible. (Although I don't have Escalation, so what the heck do I know? :p)
