State of the Union (Heresy)

[Sothalor]

It'll be interesting to see what they do with Blackshield Destroyer units. There's a lot of narrative potential to make them play differently depending on the reasons they struck out on their own and how they engage in the Heresy.

 

While, honestly, I think it's incredibly optimistic to expect Blackshield-specific Destroyers at this point (Lord knows, FW seem to be having enough trouble supporting the primary HH lines), there is a ton of potential for out-there stuff. 

 

Separated from their original Legions means being bereft of logistical support for all that specialized world-burner gear - which means improvisation and sourcing stuff from other sources - weird archaeotech, xenos munitions, improvised environmental WMDs.

 

Lots of cool potential.

[infyrana]

Nice to see a themed unit getting some new attention, I shall be interested to hear how, whatever they, do will fit in with the Death Guard.  I have zero hopes up, so perhaps I can be pleasantly surprised :)

[Calibanite Knight Angel]

I saw the article and I laughed. THAT is their big news?  That this kit that has already existed for almost a decade, but that they themselves removed, will now be un-removed? Without even a date attached? And say that new rules will be coming IN THE FUTURE? It's literally one page of rules. It's not that hard to write. Sure, playtesting is work, but it's one unit that already exists, so surely they could just get their interns to test the new rules over one or two days and have them ready? It shouldn't be hard for them to put out content. This is pathetic. Truly.

I remember when the Heresy was cool. Now GW/FW don't even care. It's too funny for me to be mad about.

[Marshal Rohr]

If they do the Praevian style update with each legion getting a special flavor option I hope they embrace that for everything from Tactical Squads on up.

[Astartes Consul]

If they do the Praevian style update with each legion getting a special flavor option I hope they embrace that for everything from Tactical Squads on up.

 

Arguably that already exists in the form of every Legion's special rules etc though?

[MCC]

I saw the article and I laughed. THAT is their big news?  That this kit that has already existed for almost a decade, but that they themselves removed, will now be un-removed? Without even a date attached? And say that new rules will be coming IN THE FUTURE? It's literally one page of rules. It's not that hard to write. Sure, playtesting is work, but it's one unit that already exists, so surely they could just get their interns to test the new rules over one or two days and have them ready? It shouldn't be hard for them to put out content. This is pathetic. Truly.

 

I remember when the Heresy was cool. Now GW/FW don't even care. It's too funny for me to be mad about.

 

Whilst I understand why your angry with the legion dispatch (I am too). It seems odd for you to say they don't care given the amount of new releases we have had recently and the free campaign packs they're starting to release. Not to mention we know there's going to be a massive amount of support upcoming with the new edition release and the potential new plastic kits. What else can they do for you?

[derLumpi]

And to be fair. The things they have shown via dispatch in the last two or three months were released pretty fast.

[Bung]

If they do the Praevian style update with each legion getting a special flavor option I hope they embrace that for everything from Tactical Squads on up.

I hope that wont happen or we may end with one Codex per Legion.

[LameBeard]

Yes one of the best bits of Heresy could be eroded away, if we move to the world of 20 or 30 codices.

[Slips]

If they do the Praevian style update with each legion getting a special flavor option I hope they embrace that for everything from Tactical Squads on up.

So, literally the Legiones Astartes Rules we already have?

 

Remember, the Praevian got the rules it did only because the Robots didnt get LA:<x>

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Yeah hopefully the Legion-specific aspect of these upcoming destroyer rules are instead wargear to reflect the diverging restricted arsenals of the Legions, stuff like banestrike munitions (SoH/ AL), aether-fire (TS), toxin gear (DG), etc.

 

Maybe even emerging stuff like the Word Bearers/ Sons of Horus experimenting with demon weaponry within their Destroyer cadres/ the Iron Hands accessing stuff from the Vaults of Mimir.

[Rejects of Anvilus]

Yeah hopefully the Legion-specific aspect of these upcoming destroyer rules are instead wargear to reflect the diverging restricted arsenals of the Legions, stuff like banestrike munitions (SoH/ AL), aether-fire (TS), toxin gear (DG), etc.

 

Maybe even emerging stuff like the Word Bearers/ Sons of Horus experimenting with demon weaponry within their Destroyer cadres/ the Iron Hands accessing stuff from the Vaults of Mimir.

I think this would be the way to do this, tie them into some of the legions themes. Experimental sonic pistols duel wielded by EC ones, giving WS ones the options to be bike mounted, or giving IF ones the options for combat shields. 

[Lord Marshal]

False alarm, Lightning's back.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

 

Yeah hopefully the Legion-specific aspect of these upcoming destroyer rules are instead wargear to reflect the diverging restricted arsenals of the Legions, stuff like banestrike munitions (SoH/ AL), aether-fire (TS), toxin gear (DG), etc.

 

Maybe even emerging stuff like the Word Bearers/ Sons of Horus experimenting with demon weaponry within their Destroyer cadres/ the Iron Hands accessing stuff from the Vaults of Mimir.

I think this would be the way to do this, tie them into some of the legions themes. Experimental sonic pistols duel wielded by EC ones, giving WS ones the options to be bike mounted, or giving IF ones the options for combat shields. 

 

 

Heh let's just say that with my Patreon plans to release a supplement with 5 units for each Legion, destroyer variants are certainly among the concepts so I've had a fair bit of thinking along these lines 

[SkimaskMohawk]

Man if soh/Al got bane strike while others got shred or equivalents that'll just be insult to injury.

[depthcharge12]

I spit balled a few Legion specific destroyer rules that I thought would be interesting.

 

 

Imperial Fists:

Defense in detail/Rad Mines

 

After deployment, 1 enemy infantry unit chosen at random take d6 rad missiles profile hits.

 

 

Iron Warriors Destroyers:

Deny strategic value

 

D3 Objective markers in no man’s land cause -1 toughness when within 6”

 

 

Raven Guard:

3 man unit of destroyers with similar stats to Firewing but are quasi moritats.

 

Either:

1. Unit fires at every unit within 12” of its deepstrike (like the pod)

 

Or

 

2. Unit fires twice at a single unit when deep striking

[sarabando]

the iron warriors one looks cool

[Brofist]

 

If they do the Praevian style update with each legion getting a special flavor option I hope they embrace that for everything from Tactical Squads on up.

 

Arguably that already exists in the form of every Legion's special rules etc though?

 

Yeah exactly. That's why I don't like, from a balance and gameplay perspective, giving every single legion unique stuff for every unit

 

Thematically I love it. I wish we could have it, but pragmatically speaking there's no way it will be balanced or leave everyone happy. The LA rules are enough imo.

[Hungry Nostraman Lizard]

 

If they do the Praevian style update with each legion getting a special flavor option I hope they embrace that for everything from Tactical Squads on up.

 

Arguably that already exists in the form of every Legion's special rules etc though?

 

One way to approach this may be to fluff out Fury of the Legion with some flavor. Though that might make it bloated, admittedly. I think I'd rather give a "Pick one" for FotL and buff it out so that it feels more "oomph". Something akin to;

 

"When declaring Fury of the Legion, you may choose the Tactical Squad to bolster their firing with one of the following effects."

• Annihilation. When a Legion went to war, entire cultures were erased.

   

  For the duration of this Firing Phase Only, the unit Tactical Squads' bolt weaponry gains shred.

   

• ​Ground them to dust. The staccato sound of a bolter fire becomes cacophonous when hundreds of barrels spit fourth their hate in unison.

   

  For the duration of this Firing Phase Only, the unit Tactical Squads' bolt weaponry generates additional shots on to-hit rolls of 6's, these rolls themselves do not generate additional hits.

• Exterminate Priority Target. At the shouted commands of Sergeants' and Captains, the Legions persecuted their wars with trans-human precision and training.

   

  For the duration of this Firing Phase Only, the unit Tactical Squads' bolt weaponry may reroll hits of 1. (alternatively, this could be a quasi-Preferred Enemy, but I digress, all 1s feels better)

 

 

[Mogsam]

I can't express how much I don't want that sort of rule.

 

I love the fact that all marines are marines, some might be stubborn, some better with a bolter etc, but they're just marines. You know what they can do when you see them and theres no massive gulf between them. This is a civil war between cousins, not different races.

 

If the new heresy edition starts dumping one turn rules, cards that you can activate, rerolls for no reason, special points you can spend on stuff etc, I'll be very, very disappointed! I don't want to play 40k.

[MCC]

I can't express how much I don't want that sort of rule.

 

I love the fact that all marines are marines, some might be stubborn, some better with a bolter etc, but they're just marines. You know what they can do when you see them and theres no massive gulf between them. This is a civil war between cousins, not different races.

 

If the new heresy edition starts dumping one turn rules, cards that you can activate, rerolls for no reason, special points you can spend on stuff etc, I'll be very, very disappointed! I don't want to play 40k.

 

I agree, keeping the legion specific rules and the legions rights of war is more than enough to create the variance between legions. The last thing the game needs for me is to go down the command points and stratagem route!

[Valkyrion]

If there's an argument that armies aren't flavourful enough then I couldn't disagree more. 

 

Even if neither player used a rite or war, and even if neither player used Legion rules, and even if neither player used legion specific units, there is still enough in the red book to have two massively different armies.

 

3 bullet points of special rules, two unique rites of war, a primarch (which is a force multiplier on top of being a power house) and 3-5 unique units/characters, allied with the generic rites of war and varying FOC charts is more than enough to differentiate between the legions. 

[Cerbero666]

I would love thematically specific Destroyers for each legion. I guess not all Legion Destroyers used the same tactics and/or weaponry. F'rex I can't really guess how IF Destroyers would work given the character of their Primarch (Though after John French's The Will of the Legion I guess he wouldn't mind a bit of cruelty). For me any flavoured rules would be good, even if they're not 100% balanced. But I'm more a narrative player than a competitive one, so I understand the objections.

 

Even so, I think Destroyers need some love. Lorewise they are described as bringers of utter destruction with a varied arsenal of Old Night weaponry, but rulewise they only have rad grenades, phosphex bombs and rad missiles. Kinda meh TBH.

[Marshal Rohr]

 

 

If they do the Praevian style update with each legion getting a special flavor option I hope they embrace that for everything from Tactical Squads on up.

Arguably that already exists in the form of every Legion's special rules etc though?

Absolutely, I’m thinking more along the lines of little flavor mechanics that are unique to each unit and each legion. Alpha legion tacticals always start with 6+ cover, or Emperor children add +2 to the first movement for sky hunters. Stuff like that

[Rejects of Anvilus]

Have to say I hope they don’t start adding more legion specific rules to individual units. The thing I like about AoD is that it only has a few ways to make unique armies (LA rules, RoW, special characters) which means that it can stay quite balanced. The more things you add the more potential for powerful combinations, and the more open to abuse it is. The LA rules already add quite a bit of customisation and I’m happy to stick with that. More RoW though would be good.