On Tue 10 Mar, Stephen Sheldon wrote:
> Don't know if anyone ever received this message because of the list
> errors, but, I am compiling a database of detachments, which I wish to
> create for use by the list. therefore, I would like to see everyones
> favourite playtested detachments for any race, so that I may put 'em all
> together and give everyone a copy as a reference and source...
> Mail them to me (s_sheldon_at_...) or the list...
> Steve
I have duobts about the merit of a database of detachments.
You cannot weigh up the value of detachments in isolation,
detachments only have value in terms of how effectively they
perform certain roles within an army. You only include
particular detachments in an army if you think the roles
that they perform effectively are what you need in your army.
So for example, if you had a space marine army facing an
Eldar army, the space marine player may decide not to take
aircraft at all, because he has decided that they are very
uneffective vs Eldar night wings. Or the space marine
player may decide to take detachments with long range and high
fire power but which slow, instead of fast moving detachments his
tactics are to take advantage of the space marines
firepower on overwatch, instead of trying to out manoeuvre eldar,
because eldar has the advantage in manoeuvering. In this situation
space marine detachments with high movement rates and short range
would be of considerably less value to the space marine player
than slow detachments with long ranges and high fire power.
A second reason why I don't think a database of detachments is
a good idea is because it doesn't take into account that some
detachments only have value when used in combination with certain
other detachments. For example, the ideal 2000pt tyranid army I
designed had the following detachment in it:
> >1st Tyranid Swarm - 1 Hive Tyrant (1) 50
> > - 1 Tyranid Warrior brood (2) 34
> > - 3 Dactylis broods (9) 288
> > - 4 Temagent broods (12) 84 456
This detachment only has value if it is used in combination with
other detachments which are very effective close combat.
Finally a detachments value depends on the tactics you use. For
the detachment above to be used most effectively all the detachments
in the army have to support one another and coordinate their actions.
In an alternative tryranid a player might want detachments to act
independently of one another, so detachments would be designed so that
they have their own disrupt, firepower and close combat capabilities
built into them, so that they are able to act independently of one
another.
Well those are my reasons for deciding not to submit detachments
for the database.
---
Sean Smith
Seans_at_...
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Received on Thu Jan 01 1970 - 00:00:00 UTC