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While gluing together my sisters who had fallen apart, something occurred to me about the SoB troops.
I'll guess it's obvious to you all, but the sisters seem to have the most expensive troop choice in the game.
Not maximum, maybe, but the minimum required points to hold an objective, at 125.
I don't know of another army that has a more expensive minimum troop unit.
But as if that wasn't the worst, a sisters troop choice has no real means to contribute to a fight from their objective until the fight comes to them.

Space marines, at 80 points (the second half of a combat tactics squad) has a missile launcher, or 10 points more for a lascannon.
Or Scouts, who can have all sniper rifles at 75.
Termagaunts have the fleshborer, which might as well be a bolt pistol, But a squad of 10 only cost 50 points. So they aren't much of a sink if they're just objective sitting.
Warrior brood can manage 100 points to get a single 36 inch range gun (barbed strangler) while sisters would need 130 for the same with a heavy bolter.
Orks can easily squeeze out a troop choice for around 60 points, or less with gretchin.
Guardsmen not only have a number of cheap troops choices, but are designed to still be able to be useful when the rest of the army is assaulting an enemy across the board with morters, lascannons, autocannons and the like.

I suppose you could argue that the sisters trade the ability to kill enemies at range for the ability to survive when fired upon at range, but it's a dang expensive trade.
Especially for a unit that (ideally) survives through all 5-7 rounds of combat in a game.

But maybe I'm thinking about more typical tactics, and the Battle sisters troops aren't designed for them.
It's starting to look like the best idea for my girls is to place my objectives or starting line as close as possible to the enemy.
Not because I'm a CC army, of course not, but so that they're that likely to end up in bolter range at the beginning/sooner in the fight.
I need more 40k friends so I can test this.

Complaining about my favorite army... again.

otakutaylor wrote:I don't know of another army that has a more expensive minimum troop unit.
But as if that wasn't the worst, a sisters troop choice has no real means to contribute to a fight from their objective until the fight comes to them.

You're probably right. I can't think of a more expensive basic troop. Sisters can get multi-meltas though, which gives them a solid bubble of 'don't come here'

I suppose you could argue that the sisters trade the ability to kill enemies at range for the ability to survive when fired upon at range, but it's a dang expensive trade.
Especially for a unit that (ideally) survives through all 5-7 rounds of combat in a game.

BSS are cheap, durable, have good BS and Leadership and a good choice of close-range weapons.

But maybe I'm thinking about more typical tactics, and the Battle sisters troops aren't designed for them.
It's starting to look like the best idea for my girls is to place my objectives or starting line as close as possible to the enemy.
Not because I'm a CC army, of course not, but so that they're that likely to end up in bolter range at the beginning/sooner in the fight.
I need more 40k friends so I can test this.

BSS are not designed for typical tactics. BSS are a drive-by unit. The idea is to get them the guns you anticipate them using in a Rhino and keep them in there for the entire game. This basically turns their rhino into a strange razorback.

I run 1-2 MM/Melta girls for a Melta-Rhino and 1 either Meltax2 or Melta/HF Rhino. If they get out of the rhino, either I got disembarked by the enemy or I'm about to do something stupid.

I agree, we are Guard Veterans with Power Armour and 6++. And with each unit having it's own special abilities, I can see why the points are high. What would even this out, is if all the units could have multiple abilities. One per phase, troops able to rend, Dominions able to rally, etc., but only one power per phase. It that too much to ask?

It would have been better if they included the zelot rules from the WD or even a way to unlock seraphim as troops or battle convlaves like with Coteaz in GK, even if it was just one or two. Only one troop type is limiting.

Mr. S Baldrick wrote:It would have been better if they included the zelot rules from the WD or even a way to unlock seraphim as troops or battle convlaves like with Coteaz in GK, even if it was just one or two. Only one troop type is limiting.

Zealots, Frateris or Redemptionists all would have been a good choice. God, in 3rd edition I practically gorged on my troops. 2 Squads of BSS and 2 Huge Redemptionists squad. Oh, I guess I should get something else to put in...