[NetEpic ML] Re: NetEpic future

From: Stephane <kotrin_at_...>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 14:28:32 -0000

Hi Niels,

> You could always allow understhrenght units. However you would
> probably never want to purchase them exept when you were some
> points short of your army strenght... Since they, as you point out,
> would be risky to take along.

It depends. Taking understrengh unit can be the result of a cunning
plan, or simply a limit dictated by some miniature ability. At least
in this latter case it would allow gamers to field newer Epic models
without the burden of purchasing extra units because of badly
numbered blisters conflicting with detachment sizes. In this
environment, supposing both players would be affected, I don't see
that as a problem but rather as an interesting option: for the
moment, players can't field such models AT ALL.

And for the understrength strategy, it depends of the unit. If you
consider a one-shot launcher like a Death Strike, it can make sense,
especially if you make sure that your army will protect the
vulnerable launchers. It really boils down to what the player wants.

The issue you raise with an ork army, or any +X to break point army,
is interesting but by no means unable to overcome:

> You could for instance boost a couple of Boyz mobz with a couple of
> Nobz stands... Making it a far better unit at a lower than expected
> cost.

Hopefully, we are helped by the special status of those detachments,
because each one is labelled as improving the company/clan's break
point by X, so we know we are following different rules here.

In that case, the number of models removed from the original strength
of the unit would ALSO give a penalty to the X bonus. For example,
take a detachment of 5 Ork tanks, giving a +3 to its klan's
breakpoint. If an Ork player is 2 tanks short, the understrenght card
only gives a +1 to the klan. It's just a transposition of the "same
breakpoint rule" discussed previously.

It's up to the group to decide if the +X can get below 0 to become a
penalty. If the ork player wanted at all cost to field a single tank
instead of 5 (that's -4), then the +3 to break point could turn into
a -1 instead or be capped to 0.

It does not prevent an ork player to let the boyz at home to field a
maximum of Nobz; but frankly, such an army would be weaker, not
stronger. Each removed boyz would only reap a small number of points
('cause they're not elite fighters anyway) but bring the klan
dangerously close to its break point before even the battle start.

It leaves open the interest of such an army. IMHO a whole Nobz army
defeats the purpose of the Ork army list, but that's just me and it's
another topic.

I eagerly wait for another cunning example :)

 Stephane
Received on Tue Aug 31 2004 - 14:28:32 UTC