New Drop Pod

[Burni]

4 hours ago, ThaneOfTas said:

They're cool both conceptually and aesthetically. Rules come and go, Looks and lore stick around for a fair bit longer.

Well said Frater - exactly this (well I might have said "incredibly cool" but we're on the same page  )

[Cenobite Terminator]

Nobody wants a drop pod more than CSM players.

[jaxom]

11 hours ago, Inquisitor_Lensoven said:

Can someone explain the appeal outside of a fluffy army aspect? I’ve never understood the drop pod love.

 

7 hours ago, ThaneOfTas said:

They're cool both conceptually and aesthetically. Rules come and go, Looks and lore stick around for a fair bit longer.

 

3 hours ago, Burni said:

Well said Frater - exactly this (well I might have said "incredibly cool" but we're on the same page  )

@Inquisitor_Lensoven, it’s hard not to connect it all back to the rules and not fluff. Arguably, because it let a variety of units act as rapid deployment shock troops it was the one SM unit which neatly matched with the fluff for marines and consistently lived up to its power fantasy.

[Malakithe]

I've always like the concept of drop pods. I'm hoping the rules are improved.

 

Would like to see dedicated transport and maybe a capacity of 11 or 12. And measuring from the inner part would do wonders for the footprint.

[Dried]

Rule-wise I hope something like the Deathstrike missile : you put a marker on the table turn 1 and starting turn 2 you can put it on the marker dealing damage to everything too close.

[Wispy]

I actually thought about it, remembering how a pain of the ass painting my drop pods actually were, and changed my mind. You don't have to paint the exterior now! The interior is basically all metallics dry brushing!

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

On 4/16/2025 at 2:19 AM, ThaneOfTas said:

They're cool both conceptually and aesthetically. Rules come and go, Looks and lore stick around for a fair bit longer.

I mean conceptually you could get the same effect by just having a drop pod stratagem for like 2CP

 

As for looks they look the part but beyond that I don’t see it lol.

[ThaneOfTas]

13 hours ago, Inquisitor_Lensoven said:

I mean conceptually you could get the same effect by just having a drop pod stratagem for like 2CP

And you could just play the game with tokens rather than flavourful painted miniatures. There's a difference between paying 2cp to place your models down from deepstrike, and having them ride in a tin can fired down from space. One is overly gamified the other is actually fun.

Edited Saturday at 11:27 AM by ThaneOfTas

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

2 hours ago, ThaneOfTas said:

And you could just play the game with tokens rather than flavourful painted miniatures. There's a difference between paying 2cp to place your models down from deepstrike, and having them ride in a tin can fired down from space. One is overly gamified the other is actually fun.

I don’t see the appeal of an $85+ model just to put it down, in order to put other models down.

 

a model to allow other models to use a rule that other units can use on their own.

[SkimaskMohawk]

Back in the day, abilities were tied to something tangible. If your wargear didn't let you deep strike, and you didn't have access to wargear that did, you didn't get to do it. The drop pod broke that rule, and also broke the rules for reserves and deep strike mishaps. It opened up a lot of new options and play styles for Marines, especially with dreadnoughts piling out of them. 

 

But ya, if you're used to everything is an abstract stratagem and uppy downy of a bunch of units/sub factions, then the pod seems superfluous in this era of rules. It's hard to reconcile its effect now with the impact it had back in 5th.

 

 

Edited Saturday at 07:24 PM by SkimaskMohawk

[Dried]

I prefer to have the model but in 3rd edition it was just a special rule for the whole army without needing any model.

But personally, using an actual model for the drop pod feels right.

[ThaneOfTas]

8 hours ago, Inquisitor_Lensoven said:

I don’t see the appeal of an $85+ model just to put it down, in order to put other models down.

I mean, once you start down that road you might as well only play on TableTop Simulator, because why pay potentially hundreds of dollars to buy models that you just use to roll dice at other models, when you could just roll the dice without paying.

[TheMawr]

As someone who has few rules experience in general and none with marines / drop pods ( ive never played against marines as in an prime example of how anecdotal situations say nothing, I have met very few spacemarine players in my life. ) i see people focusing on 2 things both positively and negatively.. the Visual factor and the deployment factor.

 

But isnt the board control factor a significant element too ? Its basically terrain you can place where you want midgame... to me that sounds like a huge utility to have, potentially ruining another player their plans ? Or am i overestimating terrain ?

[Rain]

1 hour ago, ThaneOfTas said:

I mean, once you start down that road you might as well only play on TableTop Simulator, because why pay potentially hundreds of dollars to buy models that you just use to roll dice at other models, when you could just roll the dice without paying.

Or just glue scale cutouts of units from card stock to appropriate sized bases if you want to go physical. You’d save so much money and time! Obviously having actual models to represent drop pods is a positive from an immersion standpoint.

[Wormwoods]

1 hour ago, TheMawr said:

( ive never played against marines as in an prime example of how anecdotal situations say nothing, I have met very few spacemarine players in my life.)

Friend, what planet are you living on? That's WILD.

[DemonGSides]

3 hours ago, TheMawr said:

But isnt the board control factor a significant element too ? Its basically terrain you can place where you want midgame... to me that sounds like a huge utility to have, potentially ruining another player their plans ? Or am i overestimating terrain ?

 

Board control factor will depend on it's rules.  Too weak and it just gets removed.  Too strong and it might be too reliable, but it also gives enemies a target that can't move.   Might help melee.

[brother_b]

The drop pod model is a throwback to lore and past editions. There’s no need for the model, there’s so many ways to get onto the battlefield, from deep strike to rapid ingress.

 

It needs to come with a rule that allows closer than 9” arrival and causes mortal wounds or

something.

 

Also I’ll probably buy them because they’re ICONIC to space marines. I still have my BA drop pod and will add some for my White Scars.

[Deafbok]

I have 5 of the old pods, which have been relegated to the shelf since...7th?

 

My wish-list would definitely include some form of anti-screening ability (may deploy within 3/6" without restrictions), possibly a 'units within x" on arrival take d3/6 mortal wounds' thing, costed appropriately. 

[Karhedron]

8 hours ago, TheMawr said:

But isnt the board control factor a significant element too ? Its basically terrain you can place where you want midgame... to me that sounds like a huge utility to have, potentially ruining another player their plans ? Or am i overestimating terrain ?

 

Up to a point, certainly. But 1oth ed has smaller battlefields and more dense terrain than older editions meaning finding space to land one without being screened out is harder.

[Rhavien]

19 hours ago, Inquisitor_Lensoven said:

I don’t see the appeal of an $85+ model just to put it down, in order to put other models down.

 

a model to allow other models to use a rule that other units can use on their own.

Do you own any terrain pieces or fortification? You can spend a lot more for models just to put other models down. 

[Mogger351]

33 minutes ago, Rhavien said:

Do you own any terrain pieces or fortification? You can spend a lot more for models just to put other models down. 

The issue is the drop pod is insisting on being a game piece, not terrain. If it was just a generic battlefield terrain then that'd be cool. But ultimately as all it does it sit there and do nothing, whilst insisting on being a functional miniature in 1 players army, it's a bit odd.