Hi,
The problem Nils, is that is already broken for the squats. From my PoV, the Squat army on it's own is useless, although a very good ally. At the beggining they seem very difficult to beat them, but once you've got THE TACTIC to fight them, they have nothing to do. It is not that they have few tactical possibilities, it is that they only have one. And this is due to the fact that they have very few units to choose.
You will notice that Squats tend to field always a very similar army: 1 infantry company(with or without Leviathan), 1 praetorian, 1 bike company, another praetorian, a Light artillery company/ Gyro / Zeppelin company (depends on available points) and a personality or another praetorian. Add two-three support cards (say more thunderers / bikes / Gyros / Zeps) and you have a 4-5k army. If you are playing bigger games, just repeat the receipt until you reach the limit. And that's all, you have no more choices. And if you are fighting someone who knows how to beat this tactic you are done.
The intention on allowing different infantry (shortbeards, flamers, medium support, slayers) or vehicle variants (like heavy armoured tunellers with medium range weapons) is to add more possibilities to the squat player, not to make an unbeatable army. Keep in mind that my (our) intention is to add variety to this army without losing it's personality.
Do you think adding low cost units (shortbeards) will change squat overall rating? their numbers are very reduced, normally one company per game (that will mean an average of seven/eight more stands than normally). Do you think high CAF units will make Squats more tougher? High CAF units only serve to 2 purposes: Defending objectives (Slayers can't) and making surgical attacks (try them, they hardly can due to erratic movement), so for the moment, they won't make very much of an impact.
I think that adding units with the same cost and purpose as existing units, even if they improve them, is hardly useful. I mean, it doesn't matter if you bring a Colossus with a DDay cannon or a Goliath with a Mega-Titan-f****r cannon. They don't allow tactical innovation. In the other hand: a Special Card that brought a Gyro unit with transport capacity, even weaponless, and at the same cost that Iron eagles, DOES allow tactical innovation, even though I would make it even more expensive to avoid Cheese smelling and I also will limit it so it doesn't change very much the army philosophy. This new tactical possibility will make your army (even) more reduced but with a little added movility for some (few) stands. Your opponent will also wonder where will you use them and will have to think a little to avoid losing some 5-10 VPs.
I think that's the point: the strategy (the philosophy) of the army should only change a little (say 10 - 20%) but the tactical approach should. And sometimes a little variance from the piloshophy allows a lot of tactical variations. And sometimes it is needed to change it a little.
Albert
P.D.I sent this message on tue 12 at 19:00 (Barcelona's hour), I hope it arrives to the list before Christmas. Hotmail delaying sucks!
----- Original Message -----
From: nils.saugen_at_...
To: netepic_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2001 1:56 PM
Subject: RE: RE: [NetEpic ML] On the new squat units
SM chapters has been there all the time. As has most IG, ork and chaos
units. I agree that one could make new units for the squats, as we have in
the past. Hellfury, Gyrokoper Varians, assault tanks and Grudgekeeper
artillery, to name a few. However, I strongly oppose units that are out ov
the Natural order for the squats. Namly cheap infantry (Short beards) and
close assault infantry (Slayers). These are units that eliminates known
weaknesses in the squat army. I know these units will only be optional, but
ar things often are once they are there it's hard to deny a player the usage
of them. Especially because one might have been using other optional units
in the past.
Trygve made an interesting comment last week. If the short squats should
have Shortbeards/Slayers why shouldn't Chaos have some long range heavy
infantry units. The IG could sure use som nifty assault troops them selves,
how about some drugcrazed Ogryns with +8 in caf and exoskeleton armour
giving them a fixed save of 4+. How about a Space Marine Preatorian, Black
orks Clans, Eldar aspect warrior companies the list could go on and on.
Poin is: IF IT AINT BROKE DON'T TRY TO FIX IT.
Just my 2 kroner.
Nils
-----Original Message-----
From: eivind.borgeteien_at_... [mailto:eivind.borgeteien_at_...]
Sent: 12. juni 2001 13:23
To: netepic_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: Sv: RE: [NetEpic ML] On the new squat units
Sensitivity: Confidential
We are not trying improve the Squat armiy in terms of intoducing better and
cheesier units, only to give them some more choices to choose from. The
squat army is the same every time you field it, its variation we are trying
to achieve here.
Every player that owns a Squat army has put a lot of money in it but
recieved no support from GW beyond the first release. Sm has a lot of
chapters to choose from, orks also have a lot to choose from, only surpassed
by IG and Chaos has recieved two new armylists.
I think its highly on time that some new choices are added to the little
guys, so any constructive suggestion here are very welcome!
Eivind
>
> Fra: nils.saugen_at_...
> Dato: 2001/06/12 Tue AM 11:32:22 CEST
> Til: netepic_at_yahoogroups.com
> Emne: RE: [NetEpic ML] On the new squat units
>
> Hm, yes but one should perhaps then concentrate on winning with the units
> one has got, rather than to make new ones? Remember that even if the
Squats
> haven't won many games in our group, they have probably done so in many
> other groups. It all comes down to deviceing a winning strategy. Let us
> change armies for a couple of battles and see how tings works out!!!!
Rather
> than to introduce new armies to unbalance the squats. Actually, I consider
> the squats one of the hardest armies to beat!
>
> Nils
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: eivind.borgeteien_at_... [mailto:eivind.borgeteien_at_...]
> Sent: 12. juni 2001 11:13
> To: netepic_at_yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [NetEpic ML] On the new squat units
> Sensitivity: Confidential
>
>
> One of the main grudges people have against the squats is that they are
hard
> to break. The Shortbeards are much easier to break and should provide some
> easier VPs for the oponent. This way it should be very well balanced.
>
> The Slayer Cult is taken from WFB and I think it would have been
introduced
> sooner or later if GW has continued their squat range for epic. At least
> thats my personal POV...
>
> It WAS introduced as a joke, but then as a Companycard with 3
detatchments,
> with +6, +7 or something in CAF. As a specialcard of one detatchment with
> far reduced CAF, I think this units deserves some testing.
>
> Isnt it food for thought that the only ones crying "wolf!" here are the
ones
> that always have beaten the Squats.....? :-)
>
> There are at present time no stats for the APC carrying the robots. I
havent
> gotten around to do that yet, but you might want to take a look at the
> Hellfury APC
>
> Eivind
>
>
>
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Received on Tue Jun 12 2001 - 17:00:12 UTC