First Thoughts After Initial Readthu and Silly Test Game

[number6]

(LD 8/9 vs LD 10? Fuhgeddaboudit!) Seriously, there is a HUGE difference between testing on LD 9 and LD 10. And LD 8 is simply not reliable at all.

Probabilities of successful Psychic/Leadership checks on:

 

- Ld 8: 73%

- Ld 9: 84%

- Ld 10: 92%

 

I don't even want to try my hand at opposing hoods either...I just worked the simple numbers! I guess the only lesson learned is that one can't use their high-number-rigged dice when doing GK psychic tests ;).

My dice don't believe in odds. Ask my fellow attendees about my dice results over the weekend, 'hawk! :) In my test game, it seems like whenever I needed an 8, I got a 9. And when I needed a 9, I got a 10. Or I made it easily and the Libby got to laugh at me for even trying. Sooooo disappointing. ;)

 

73% and 84% odds really aren't bad, in the grand scheme of things, but neither compare to 92%.

 

The issue I have with Hammerhand is that it isn't constant, and it makes a HUGE difference in combat. At a constant Str 6, always 2 attacks, you got truly reliable results. Now, as INP has stated, getting the charge AND Hammerhand off are incredibly important. Old GKs, it made little difference whether you charged or got charged. It's a completely different tactical approach to carefully arrange your own charges and not find yourself getting charged. And the effectiveness of your assault either way hinging so strongly on the ability to pass a risky psychic test.... I, for one, am not used to that! :P Playing GKs for years has spoiled me big time.

 

Like I said up top: I must unlearn what I have learned. It's a completely new army now. Very little of what used to matter has any value whatsoever under the new codex.

[Seahawk]

My IG stormtroopers never pass their Morale tests, even on those 8's. My guardsmen, on the other hand, always roll 4's. Egh...

[Krieghammer]

Considering old PAGK vs new GKSS all i can say is; Purifiers

Purifier is the name of the game, the way i see things they are just MEANT to be troops. 3 named characters and 1 standard hq (Draigo, Mordrak, Crowe and Grand Master) have the ability to turn them into troops should the mission played require so, otherwise fill troops with terminators. They are superior in every aspect, only real discussion may be Fearless vs Know No Fear. Well they cant get pinned... Also they cant Deep Strike, but as nr. 6 pointed out mech is pretty much a must.

 

About the codex as a whole (just pure GK stuff), what I miss is Anti Tank. But that may be becouse my TH/SS is not legal anymore :ph34r: I think GK main anti-tank will be the squads in themselves with master crafted hammers and psycannons, not dual autocannon dreads or lascannon razorbacks.

[number6]

I disagree, Krieghammer. Don't get me wrong, Purifiers are sexy ;) , but they aren't a priori "better" than Strike Squads. Neither are terminators a priori "better" than Strike Squads, for that matter. All three of these units have uses, but only in the right army list.

 

Check out the army list I am going to build. It doesn't use a GM, or Draigo, or Crowe, or Purifiers. Yet it has a significant amount of assault, counterassault, anti-infantry firepower, and even a metric ton of anti-tank firepower. It is balanced, mobile, and decently resilient. And it only works the way it works precisely because I didn't take Purifiers. Purifiers would actually break the army.

[Inquisitor Fox]

I've also put up the list I'm thinking about building.. located here , and is likewise slanted towards units I want to try running with and seeing how it goes ;) That and the Inquisition presence that I refuse to give up!

[Wildfire]

You can't just footslog GKs on the table any more. They aren't as shooty, they aren't as assaulty, yet they are more fragile. You better have vehicles around to protect them and/or find ways to get them where you need them immediately while still managing the task of supplying target saturation to your opponent. With a small, elite force, this is incredibly challenging to pull off. There is no such thing as a cheap unit; the army will still be outnumbered and must worry about casualties.

 

Unless you embrace Coteaz and multiple scoring Inquisition warbands. That is the one safety valve provided in the codex. It irritates me that Coteaz is such an important unit, but what can you do? I don't intend to use him, but trust me when I say that makes the job of building a balanced, all-comers pure GK list an incredibly difficult proposition.

 

Actually, I really like Coteaz. He's responsible for 90% of my interest in this 'dex. I'm not a huge GK fan, but I do love the warbands. I just hope they eventually come out with a pure =I= 'dex that allows the same sort of customization of squads.

 

I will say that I got a good look at the new sprues today, and I'll be buying a couple boxes. The CC weapons look very very nice for conversions. Those halberds will go great with White Scar bikers as power lances! The swords and hammers look pretty boss as well. Too bad the guns all look retarded.