To raid, or not to raid...

[Plague _Lord]

We have two solid options for army composition - a realspace raid battalion  or multiple patrol choices...  What do you pick?

It's basically either rerolls to hit from your archon on the whole army (core) or starting the game with 14 command points (crazy). I'm planning around a realspace raid battalion but having no problems with command points does seem enticing.

[ThePenitentOne]

You identified the mechanical consequences of the two options. But I think for at least some of us, the choice is more based on fluff.

 

IS the battle a realspace raid? Forget rules for a second; are multiple groups of Drukhari uniting for a limited time under a single leader in order to cross into realspace and lead a coordinated attack against a non-Eldar race for the purpose of acquiring slaves and other loot?

 

If so, you're realspace raiding.

 

In any other scenario, you're not.

 

Sometimes my DE Crusade(s) will work together- when it's in their best interest. Sometimes they'll fight each other over territory too. Sometimes a single faction will risk realspace alone rather than going as a raid because they want their activity "off the books."

 

As such, I would say MOST of the time, I'm just using patrols. But certainly by the time my Archon earns his rank as a master, he'll need to raid increasingly often to maintain his wealth and power, so at least some of my battles will be raids.

Edited April 7, 2021 by ThePenitentOne

[Snazzy]

It can be a case of the tail wagging the dog.  That is, the rules dictating things.  The Realspace Raid is weighted more favorably for Black Heart, then maybe Poisoned Tongue.  It will also be better for fielding Blades For Hire, as opposed to lots of Troops.

 

I wouldn't worry about the 14 CPs.  Alliance of Agony will give you 2 WLTs for 1 CP.  That closes some of the distance with triple patrol.

[jgascoine011]

There is very little reason to take a realspace raid.

 

So taking a archon would already give you re-roll 1s on kabal core and incubi units

For covens, well you should be taking liquifers so it only really helps you pain engines

For cult units its probably the biggest benifactor but you really already have a strat for that and if you are going big into cult, is it really worth paying into having  kabal and coven units.

 

The benefit is so minor that it is not really worth trying to build your list around, however, if you want to take black heart and have kabal, coven and cult units, dont want drazhar, and dont want multiple succubi/archons then i would probably go for it...but i think competitvely its not worth it.

 

The only thing it may be good for is giving advance and charge turn 1 to your inucbi

[ThePenitentOne]

My dex finally came home.

 

Here's one thing that is good about RSR's: it's the only way you can have more than one Master Level Character in your army, which means it's also the only way to have more than one favored retinue.

 

And that's a lot of reasons to take a Realspace raid. Again, Crusader here, so I've got to grow each of my HQ's to Blooded in order to give them Master status with RP before this will be relevant to me personally but the buff to those six units is likely to be the talk of the competitive table. 

 

Being limited to only one Master, and only that Master's favoured retinue is quite a drawback on the multi-patrol option.

[Snazzy]

There is very little reason to take a realspace raid.

 

So taking a archon would already give you re-roll 1s on kabal core and incubi units

For covens, well you should be taking liquifers so it only really helps you pain engines

For cult units its probably the biggest benifactor but you really already have a strat for that and if you are going big into cult, is it really worth paying into having  kabal and coven units.

 

The benefit is so minor that it is not really worth trying to build your list around, however, if you want to take black heart and have kabal, coven and cult units, dont want drazhar, and dont want multiple succubi/archons then i would probably go for it...but i think competitvely its not worth it.

 

The only thing it may be good for is giving advance and charge turn 1 to your inucbi

 

You can upgrade one character per Detachment, or 1 Archon, Succubus and Haemonculous per Realspace Raid Detatchment.  Just no duplicates of the same subfaction.  A good thing, too, because Trueborn are really alluring, while Master Archon is somewhat unremarkable compared to the other HQs.

[ThePenitentOne]

 

 

You can upgrade one character per Detachment, or 1 Archon, Succubus and Haemonculous per Realspace Raid Detatchment.  Just no duplicates of the same subfaction.  A good thing, too, because Trueborn are really alluring, while Master Archon is somewhat unremarkable compared to the other HQs.

 

 

I stand corrected- completely misread the rule.