Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

There is a huge flaw that I just noticed the other day with Drop Pods. Under the Drop Pods rule it says you MUST choose half your Drop Pods to come in on the first turn. This really sucks in 5th when holding things in reserve is really important. I thought that you actually have the option. I think unless used properly this will hurt most marine players. Anybody esle have any thoughts.



Matt

I think its more advantageous, but it does depend on a few things.

1 - How much of your army is dropping.
2 - Going first or second.
3 - What the other guy has.

Now lets look at some of these.

1 - An army that mixes drop and some normal on the table units, it won't be such an issue. You will have stuff on the table and first turn drop support. If the other guy starts everything in reserves, you just drop near your own stuff and set up a base camp, using pods to protect your flanks from outflanking units.

If your playing all drop, you do the same thing, its a little more of a gamble, but nothing a deamon player hasn't ever faced. You then drop onto stratigic locations and set up to deal with their army coming in piecemeal.

2 - First or second matters a lot. Personally if your dropping a lot of stuff, always try for going second. However, if you are forced into going first, its an easy way to claim objectives early. Clump all your hard stuff around a few objectives and make the other guy work for it. Remember, you have half your army. The other guy might not get half of his if he started all units in reserve.

3 - Some enemy armies just don't want to start off the table. Ork horde would be hard pressed to come on peicemeal if units of 30 boys have to trudge across the table with only 3 turns to get there.

The dropping player has to be smart on how he deploys when all the early positions are said and done. Drop podding natually has more risk to it than just setting up 10 units on your side of the table and marching forward. But for some people, the higher risk is worth it for a greatly increased fun factor.

corwindal5 wrote:There is a huge flaw that I just noticed the other day with Drop Pods. Under the Drop Pods rule it says you MUST choose half your Drop Pods to come in on the first turn. This really sucks in 5th when holding things in reserve is really important. I thought that you actually have the option. I think unless used properly this will hurt most marine players. Anybody esle have any thoughts.

Yeah, obviously it´s better when you have more options (MAY is always better than MUST), but I don't think that half of the drop pod coming in the first turn it´s so bad. At least if all your army is in Drop Pods, or you just have one (is rounding up, isn´t it?).

I think that GW just try to encourage people to buy a lot of Drop Pods and build armies around them. But this is not something new. GW wants to sell a lot of models, and rules are oriented to achieve this goal.

We've been playing lots of drop pods for a while now.

At least, the 4th ed drop pod "mini" was usually a coke bottle. At least they have a mini now.

I am actually kind of curious how Drop Pods arriving on the first turn allow Locator beacons as I could understand the first on having to scatter but woulc the second and subsequent ones be able to use the locator beacon from the very inital one that landed?

The locator beacon has to be on the table BEFORE the movement phase begins to be used.

Meaning the Scout Bike Locator Beacon has a little extra use.

Yup. Hence the premium price.

the other flew i have noticed is that it holds twelve space marines yet oddlly enough there is only ten seats interesting but i'm not sure of this as i collect IW

warsmith pyrus wrote:the other flew i have noticed is that it holds twelve space marines yet oddlly enough there is only ten seats interesting but i'm not sure of this as i collect IW

the other two marines hang onto the sides as its plummetting through the atmosphere, shouting "for the emperor" inside their helmets.

Jayden summed it up pretty well but I'd add that first turn drop has some advantages.

1)You get more control as to what arrives when. This is huge. Anyone who has played pods can relate to the pain when a key element like a librarian or terminator squad doesn't show up till turn 6 or never (as in 4ed). Now you can ensure your heavy hitter or a key unit are their turn 1, while your scoring units or weaker KP units are delayed atleast a turn if not longer.

2) You don't have to decide until your turn starts. This is big as at the very least you can see your opponents deployment before figuring the split and even better see their 1st turn move if going 2nd. And unlike daemons you don't have any concerns of the wrong half appearing.

Overall I like it better. The opponent gets a more fun game and you aren't as stressed waiting for key stuff.

In my DP army, the 1/2 drop first is an integral part of the army, allowing, as others have said, more control, and more cohesion in your strategy.

I think that it is an error to say that this rule depends on the army, as any army based around drop pods should be using this rule to it's advantage, and if not, then the army needs to be modified.

Any army that uses a rule in such a way that it only hurts the army is in need of change. Every aspect of your army should be working together, or independently to achieve an objective. To do otherwise is poor planning.

As Jayden said there are some ways around this flaw and you can even use it to your advantage when halve of the pods arrive at 1st turn. This allows you to react to the enemy deployment and enemy army. I'd be inclined to mount all units into pods.