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I was thinking about the FOC the other day, and it occured to me that perhaps there are certain units within the selections of each army list that don't really fit the bill. If that didn't make sense, then let me put it this way: the currect Force Organization Chart of HQ, Elite, Troops, Fast Attack, Heavy Support simply seems inadequate for the diversity of forces some codexes allow. While this may seem extraneous, I think that there are at least two additional slots that should be allowed in an Expanded version.

Expanded FOC:

HQ: 1-2. This seems like a reasonable setup that is not easily abused, due to the points sink that is a commander and his/her accompanying unit. It should be left as is.

Special Forces: 0-2. Similar to Elites, Special Forces units would represent those select individuals whose battlefield experience and tactical acumen are unmatched by those around them (Spetsnaz, Delta Force)These slots would be filled by incredibly powerful units that would be more of a finesse selection than the Elite slots, which should IMHO represent the better equipped arm of a regular army, rather than the super-powered figures they seem to embody in the current FOC.

Elites: 0-3. These types of units, as mentioned before, would essentially be regular soldiers, albeit with better equipment and some additional training and combat experience (US Marines, Army Rangers), but would not be on the level that the Special Forces slots would embody. Perhaps some sort of rule could be put in place where in the absence of an HQ unit (which often represent high-ranking officers that would not necessarily be required for a small-scale engagement), an Elites slot could be filled in its place for battles under a certain points level - say, 750pts. It could help armies get additional fighting units into a small points game without having to spend a disproportionate amount of points on a unit that will be detrimental to the rest of its army in such a small combat.

Regulars: 2-8. These slots represent the core of an army, its troops or likewise equivalent. I expanded it to 8 maximum to encourage players to use their base selections more, instead of taking the 2 minimums and maxing on everything else.

Transports: 0-12. This type of unit would be designated for every transport option that an army may have. This would mean that since the transport is its own type of unit, that it would be a scoring unit and could no longer be held to the designated transport system. The number of transports taken would never be allowed to exceed the number of transportable units in a single list (special exceptions could be made for the Guard with their total of 6 eligible squads per Troops/Regulars slot).

Light Armor: 0-3. These units would be things like Sentinels, Predators, Hellhounds, Dreadnoughts, and anything that has a cumulative armor value under 35, with a few exceptions.

Rapid Strike: 0-3. Salamanders, Land Speeders, Shining Spears, and anything that has low armor and is a fast or agile vehicle (agile vehicles would essentially be treated as fast vehicles with a maximum move of 18" ) would fall into this slot.

Heavy Armor: 0-3. Leman Russes, Land Raiders, Monoliths and the like with cumulative armor values equal to or greater than 35 (with a couple exceptions), and that have huge guns would fall in here.

Air Support: 0-2. In an effort to encourage people to use aircraft in games, these slots have been added in hopes that they can become a critical component of a game, rather than an annoying pest that strafes a squad or two each turn. Perhaps they'd be better off for larger games, but for the most part the idea of having aerial battles overhead while the war rages on the ground is one that's too good to pass up.

In sum:

HQ:0-2

Special Forces: 0-2

Elites: 0-3

Regulars: 2-8

Light Armor: 0-3

Rapid Strike: 0-3

Heavy Armor: 0-3

Air Support: 0-2

 

C&C welcome.

CK

I have no complaints about the force organisation chart, it allows armies to be diverse already. Furthermore, real life rationale seldom works when applied to the 40K universe.

Way too complex, and when things get complex, loopholes form, allowing people to game the system and pervert the balance. Nice thought, but no thanks.

Posted By lord_sutekh on 01/28/2007 8:13 PM
Way too complex, and when things get complex, loopholes form, allowing people to game the system and pervert the balance.

It also gives the designers sufficient rope with which to hang themselves.

I think 1 additional FOC slot would be adequate.

Auxiliaries 0-3: SM scouts, Eldar rangers, conscripts, kroot; stuff that doesn't really qualify as "elite" but aren't exactly mainstays.

Don't infect my game with your reality. As Mythbuster Jamie said "I reject your reality and substitute my own." If I want to think that Hardend Veterans AND GK Terminators can take the same place in an army - I will.

That's Adam who said that, you heretic!

Good points all around. I guess I was having a bout of wishful thinking.

CK

I sorta like the idea of cutting the FOC in half - say 1 HQ, 0-1 Elites, 1-3 Troops, 0-1 Fast Attack, 0-1 Heavy Support - thus making multiple FOC games the norm. This would allow alliances on a bit more of a routine basis. Dovetails with making Marines as rare as their fluff suggests - just give all Armies of the Imperium 0-1 Space Marine Detachments. They can still force Ultras down the noob's throats this way.