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Made in us
Fixture of Dakka






San Jose, CA

I'd like everyone's help in assembling a list of the (changes to) metagame considerations which result from v5. Let's not worry too much about individual armies, and instead focus on those factors which should be universally considered. My proposed format is as follows:

#) <General Rule>
a) Resulting metagame consideration
b) Resulting metagame consideration

I'll try to keep the top post updated and properly numbered, to facilitate discussion (e.g., "I disagree with 4b, because..."). For some, it will be hard to cite a single "general" rule (e.g., for inferred changes, resulting from a combination of rules) - just try to be as clear as you can. If you're point requires explanation, feel free to include it (though if you can indicate a separation between discussion & the parent consideration, it'll make my life easier).

I'll throw out a few starting ideas:

1) Non-swarm, non-vehicle Troops score, to the last man
a) Greater emphasis on bringing Troops, particularly cheaper & morale-resilient Troops
b) Greater emphasis on killing Troops
c) Troops mobility may become more important; in conjunction with the "Transports as Taxis" rule, transports available in non-Troops slots may be "borrowed" for extra mobility.

2) Prevalent 4+ cover
a) Lessened reliance on AP negation, and increasing reliance on volume of fire
b) Lessened need for save-enhancing wargear, particularly on models with poor armor
c) Increased utility for template weapons

3) The Run rule
a) Less mobile selections become more viable
b) Armies close faster, and avoidance-type armies have a harder time disengaging
c) "Refused flank" tactics are less effective, as it is harder to isolate portions of the opponent's army

4) No consolidation into assault
a) Single "uber" units are less effective
b) Greater emphasis on engaging on a wide front
c) More prevalent use of disposable "speed bump" units, to receive the initial charge and leave the assaulters stranded.

5) Combination of 2, 3, & 4
a) Shift towards close-range firepower.
Given the speed at which the enemy will close, shooty units will have fewer turns to engage them. Abundance of cover means long-range fire will likely be significantly diluted. No consolidation after assault means that if you can strand the assaulting enemy out in front, you get 1 turn to hit them, and can likely setup your fire so as to avoid cover saves. This seems to suggest move-and-fire short-range weapons, rather than massed heavy weapons. From a defensive perspective, you'll want to be able to bring as much firepower to bear as possible, without creating cover from intervening squads. Also, move-and-fire weapons let you dynamically adjust your lines to prevent multiple assaults. From an offensive perspective, focusing on short-range firepower gives you more control over which of your opponent's units benefit from cover, while mitigating the "stranded" handicap of assault - you can choose where to fire from, so as to avoid some enemy return fire/counter-assault.

Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes? 
   
Made in ca
Devious Space Marine dedicated to Tzeentch






Creston, BC

2d) "screen" sweepers role. With units being used to screen other units, opponents may want to remove the screen or enough of it to prevent cover saves.

A fires at X so B can fire at a more visible Y.

The order that units fire as well as casualty removal ought to be more important than in 4e.


   
Made in us
Painlord Titan Princeps of Slaanesh






Dallas, TX

4d) Assault units will now try to pick off stragglers and units that have become divided from the main army, to prevent being torn apart by massed fire afterwards.

40k Armies I play:


Glory for Slaanesh!

 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





6) Vehicle increase in durability vs. shooting through cover save and changed damage table, decrease in durability vs. assault due to always hit rear, vehicles less maneuverable if they wish to fire, and no longer scoring
a) "Pillbox" vehicles increase in popularity, the vehicle as firing platform experiences a resurgence
b) Skimmers which need to be close to their opponent in order to be effective decline, as they suffer from assault in comparison with 4e
c) Vehicles previously taken in order to zip out and score on the last round lose this role, are re-evalutated for the new battlefield, and in most cases will be less used.

All in all, fact is that Warhammer 40K has never been as balanced as it is now, and codex releases have never been as interesting as they are now (new units and vehicles and tons of new special rules/strategies each release -- not just the same old crap with a few changes in statlines and points costs).

-Therion
_______________________________________

New Codexia's Finest Hour - my fluff about the change between codexes, roughly novel length. 
   
Made in us
Foul Dwimmerlaik






Minneapolis, MN

6) 'Going to Ground' rule
a) Increased cover save by +1 (see #2) or 6+ cover save if not in cover.
b) Is a great response after the enemy has rolled to hit and to wound.
c) Assault units with no shooting skills may do this after deepstriking, to better ensure that they will be able to make it into CC if they scatter badly or are placed in a bad position by the enemy.
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran




Lexington, KY

8) Wound allocation changes
a) Ability to defensively place multiple save-ignoring shots on the same model weakens units with mixed weapon types
b) Ability to offensively force multiple saves on "important" models in a squad favors volume of fire

9) Combination of 2 & 8
a) Significantly less emphasis on low-volume low-AP weapon options for killing non-vehicle models
b) Significantly less emphasis on low-volume low-AP squad upgrades for killing non-vehicle models


Stop trolling us so Lowinor and I can go back to beating each other's faces in. -pretre 
   
Made in us
Nurgle Predator Driver with an Infestation





9) GtG and LoS
a) Units going to ground can lie the models down. This means these models will no longer provide cover to/from the units behind them.
b) Screening units which take fire can GtG, thereby providing a clear field of fire for shooting units behind them in the next turn.
   
Made in us
Executing Exarch





Los Angeles

6d) Long range fire power is more expensive and less effective so it will be taken less often than short range or hand to hand based anti tank options

10) With the addition of the run rule and the change of the fleet rule all infantry now moves at the same speed on the battlefield
a) Non-assault based fleet units have had the mobility significantly reduced in comparison to other units and will not be taken as much.

**** Phoenix ****

Threads should be like skirts: long enough to cover what's important but short enough to keep it interesting. 
   
 
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