Hi Folks,

 No painting progress ythis week. I have been kept busy by a challenging professionnal agenda and barely touched a brush. Just made some preliminary test of yellows on Micromachiens from Epic era, which turned out to be, well, no so convincing, but, hey, let´s talk about that in a future entry.

So, my New Year/New Army 2023 project is now mature enough not to be considered anymore as such in a couple of weeks. But I will not commit any other New Year/New Army project for 2024 (I swear) and will instead focus on expanding the Cyborg host and/or resuming my Eldar Force resurrected this summer in the 2023 Painting Challenge.

But Ad Mechs will be first, mainly because I like them better in terms of outlook. Playwise, I still do not really know how they manage beyond Patrol Format...

ALthough being apparently a gunline army, these chaps are extremely mobile. If you play with some Legends units such as a Termite drill as I do, even better. But mobility means close quarters. here, I am not that convinced by my recent perfs and I feel like some extar hitting power may be needed.

Which unit(s)?

• Kastellans - Robots looks alright now (apparently, as I still haven´t played with Codex rules)
• Sicarans - I do not like the models and they are expensive
• Electropriests - but these models are generaly speaking "ugly" and expensives, except there are some left boxes at old proces in a nearby FLGS... And beside the "ugliness" I may atttribute t these sculpts, I dislike then less than Sicarans
• Secutarii hoplites - I play mostly only friendly games with Legendary units and shall I have an extra Skitarii unit I´d like trying a different stuff wit them that the usual suspects (Vanguards or Rangers)
• Breachers - I will pass this time, I have too much Kataphrons to my taste and sanity atm

As I already have a box of Kastellans and want to keep to the rule of cool that drives the project, my heart hesitate between Electropriests and Secutarii. My planned next investment in a Patrol box (new version) will let me with sprues for Skitarii that might be upgraded with the FW Hoplite kit for the cost of a single Electropriest box (more or less). So from an economic PoW, Hoplites may have a small premium. Pts-wise 10 hoplites or 10 electropriests are more or less similar.

But what about their "performance" - ¡ beware of the Math Hammer"*!

Shall the different versions of Priests and te Oplite be compared in their HtH performance (this is my point afterall), what does the stats say?:

1. Weapons profiles are very close ones to anoter but differ from SPecial rules point of view (still and only talking about melée)
2. My reference will be against an Intercessor SM - these are popular apparently

Results are interesting as in the end once everything is accounted, my napkin calculations gives me that Gauntlets from Corpuscarii and ArcLances from Hoplites lead to the same probability to inflict a wound. 41-42%. Being Damage 1, the number of models removed is straight forward. 

Staff from the others Priest give 56% probability to inflict an unsaved hit, at D2 they break the deal.

So staff is superior once in HtH. But you have to reach HtH and the Fulgurite Priests (except if in the relative safety of a transport - hello Termite of mine) might be reduced in numbers when they arrive at contact. While other guies, while wandering in the open and viced air of the battlefield, may have time to shoot a volley or two of their pistolled ranged weapons, compensating in a way the potential losses on the march. This extra dimension may change the decision making process? Qualitatively I would say: "partly". Another partial impact is the Lance rule of the Hoplites. Shall they charge, well, they may improve their kill ratio. This... plus their 0 CP heroic intervention stratagem...

Hum, what do we end up with all this once accounting time as come?

I guess my tabulation would say that for HtH buff unit we have a win and two quasi ex-aequos

1. Fulgurite
2. Hoplites
3. Cospuscarii

Maths are guiding my choice? I really like the idea of Hoplites, so, in a couple of weeks I may end up with Rule of cool being the final arbitration... And as I mostly play friendly games with Legends...

What to you think?

* the playskool version of course.

POSTSCRIPTUM: I have considered in the main body of the blog entry mostly only the damage dealt in HtH as a "rationalized" decision making factor. Although, from a qualitative point of view, I touched the additional shooting contribution as a side benefit that might shift the case analysis. Yet the capacity of the models to survive to an attack is also an important feature. As the T of the 3 types of models are more or less the same it is the invulnerable Svg  of the Hoplites that make this unit climbing to the top position in defense mode. It allows them to walk on the battlefield while Fulgurites will need to pay a taxi tax in order to really reach their full efficiency... Does it looks like I am looking for any argument to go for Hoplites?