Is This a Balanced Intro Game?

[ChapterMasterGodfrey]

Before we get into this, I know Combat Patrol exists but I don't have the models to make the forces.

 

My wife has expressed an interest in playing the tabletop game after watching me fill the back bedroom with two miniatures cabinets and a pile of shame. She has chosen to play Black Legion Chaos Space Marines (picked from them, Imperial Guard, Space Marines & Eldar). So, this weekend I'm going to run a 500 point intro game.

 

We'll play on a 44" x 30" map with 4 objectives, one in each deployment and two in No Man's Land. Hammer and Avil deployemt. Take and Hold Primary and we'll both play No Prisoners Secondary throughout the game.

 

I'm thinking I'm going to play Faction Rules but not Detachment Rules and therefore we'll only play core stratagems. I know there's an argument to drop strats all together but the fact is they're a fundamental part of the game any newcomer will have to learn at some point.

 

So Here are the lists, I've tried to balance them against each other:

 

Black Legion Chaos Space Marines

• Master of Possesion
• x5 Legionaries
  • Plasma Pistol, Heavy Melee Weapon
  • Plasma Gun
  • Balefire Tome
• x5 Legionaries
  • Plasma Pistol, Accursed Weapon
  • Havoc Autocannon
• x5 Havocs
  • Plasma Gun, Astartes Chainsword
  • x2 Havoc Lascannon
  • x2 Havoc Reaper Chaincannon
• x5 Possessed

535 points

 

Knights of Ibelin Space Marines

• Lieutenant
  • Master Crafted Bolter
  • CCW
• x5 Hellblasters
• x5 Sternguard
  • x4 Sternguard Bolt Riles
  • Sternguard Heavy Bolter
• x5 Terminators
  • Power Weapon
  • x4 Power Fists
  • x4 Storm Bolters
  • Assault Cannon

495 points

 

[TrawlingCleaner]

If you've not go the combat patrols these look like good balanced lists to start! You've got shooting and combat in both, although I would say the Terminators are very tough the Possessed should deal with them easily enough.

How new to tabletop games/ board games is your wife? I personally go for just the datasheets for the first few intro games and "smash toys", then generic strats and objectives after a few games, then detachments and army rules after a few more.

Strats are baked into the game but it's a lot of information to take in for your first game in my opinion and it's an extra layer of stuff on top of the basics like moving, shooting, combat, LoS etc etc

[ChapterMasterGodfrey]

13 minutes ago, TrawlingCleaner said:

If you've not go the combat patrols these look like good balanced lists to start! You've got shooting and combat in both, although I would say the Terminators are very tough the Possessed should deal with them easily enough.

How new to tabletop games/ board games is your wife? I personally go for just the datasheets for the first few intro games and "smash toys", then generic strats and objectives after a few games, then detachments and army rules after a few more.

Strats are baked into the game but it's a lot of information to take in for your first game in my opinion and it's an extra layer of stuff on top of the basics like moving, shooting, combat, LoS etc etc

So she's played a lot of DnD and a couple years back she played a 500 point 9th edition game as well as a game of first edition Kill Team. 

 

I might do away with the objectives though and roll strats back to Re-Roll and Overwatch?

[TrawlingCleaner]

Re-roll and Overwatch are good ones to get used to for sure, with the other 9 strats it's a lot to remember on top of the basics. I always forget about Rapid Ingress and Heroic Intervention

Let us know how it goes!

 

[ChapterMasterGodfrey]

Yeah well I did think about repid ingress because of the Terminators teleport beacon. However, it seems a bit counter intuitive to include a strat just because there's a rule that negates it. Probably just drop the teleport beacon too. Yeah I will thank you! 

[Noserenda]

Id probably vastly simplify the scenario, a basic 12" deployment zone, drop secondaries and have a much more focused objective, such as a single central one, or getting into the opponents deployment zone.

Possibly id look at fielding a more different opposing force, but thats really high level stuff tbh, probably over thinking it :D 

[terminator ultra]

if dnd is enjoyable, maybe a narrative play game

[gideon stargreave]

19 hours ago, terminator ultra said:

if dnd is enjoyable, maybe a narrative play game

This. If the other player is used to rpgs simply provide a problem for them to solve. 
collect an artefact

rescue a hostage, 

hold out for 4 turns 

or something 

[ChapterMasterGodfrey]

On 3/20/2024 at 11:32 AM, TrawlingCleaner said:

Let us know how it goes!

So I made an adjustment and swapped out my Hellblasters for a squad of Assault Intercessors. I then went with just the one objective and gave it some narrative flavour (the middle of the board lined up with a crypt thing on the battlemat so I said it was an ancient relic long buried...). 

 

In the end she tabled me on turn 4! Havocs are no joke and the Possessed ripped me apart. I didn't really think too hard about my choices though to keep things moving (although my termies failed two charge rolls BOTH with re-rolled and failed again).

 

Most importantly, she had a good time and enjoyed the game. She understood the rules and said she'd happily play again.

[TrawlingCleaner]

*The Bell tolls as another soul joins the hobby*

 

Glad to hear it went well, Possessed are no joke!

[Xenith]

Seems like a good plan! I'd go with one objective in the middle to fight over, or nominate d3+2 buildings or terrain features to hold for a more thematic game, give your dudes a reason to capture things, rather than abstract spots on the ground. I would only bother with CP reroll for strats, the rest are too complex or game breaking at low point levels (overwatch lets ~20% of your army shoot in the opponent's turn at 500pts, whereas it's 5-10% at 2000).