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.

I was just thinking about army composition today and two of the things that I've noticed that you find in opponents armies MUCH more often nowadays than say 5+ years ago are....

1)BIKERS (nob bikers, and eldar warlocks sure, but even space marine bikers seem more tasty and viable)

2)PSYKERS (not since 2nd edition have psychic powers been so prevelant and psychers so readily taken in armies)


I dunno, I just thought that this was relevant and perhaps worthy of discussion.

Well then, let's discuss it.

I think your ideas are interesting, Deadshane1. [Edited by moderator]

Mod: Let's not try to deliberately provoke an argument.

I would definitely agree on the bikers. Bikers were something nobody seemed to care about, back in the day, but now people are actually discussing the validity of bikes in a competitive list. I havent noticed the psyker thing so much.

I make extensive use of Psykers. Mainly because it is the only ranged AT 'Nids have left.

Crazy_Carnifex wrote:I make extensive use of Psykers. Mainly because it is the only ranged AT 'Nids have left.

We still have Carnifex Barbed Stranglers. They can hurt most tanks.

Id forgotten about zoanthropes

Bikes were awesome back in 3rd ed. when I hadn't got a firm grasp on the rules and thought twin-linked weapons allowed you to fire BOTH guns AND re-roll to hit. At short range my Ravenwing Bikers were taking 4 shots each and re-rolling misses. My Ork Warbikes were nigh-on unstoppable.

Psykers I can see. With Eldrad, Chaos Daemons, and Lash, armies built around Psychic powers are fairly common. Other armies have useful psykers (Nids and Space Marines) that can find a place in a lot of lists. I think this is cool, because the Psyker background was some of the stuff I loved from 2nd edition when I started.
I'd love to see the sanctioned psykers for IG made more useful because I think the concept and miniatures are rockin'.

Bikers, apart from Eldar and Orks I'm not seeing so much. I did fight a bike orientated Khan army from the new marine dex, but it's not so good. Ork bikes rock, and eldar bikes can be great. I don't hear much about Chaos bikes, not that they're really weak but they're not a stand out choice. DE I know little about, (haven't played against them since 3rd)and other races don't have bikes. Are ravenwing considered very good? I've never fought them.

All throughout 3E, I routinely ran Eldar with 2 Farseers for Fortune, so I don't see Psykers as anything new.

Bikers were huge in 4E for Daemonbombing, so Bikers aren't very new, either...

OTOH, there are other recent developments that are far more disconcerting. Such as how the tournament scene has shifted...

Bikers and Psykers aren't what I'm seeing lots of.

Its Shrike leading 10 assault terminators, most with TH and SS, rest wit LCs.

Seems every second SM army is running it.

Also drop pod spam seems to have dropped off since the kill point rules were brought in with 5th ed.

Don't forget Necrons *love* their jetbikes. But they have since Necrons received a codex. I don't know if Necron builds have changed, much though, but maybe the monolith is more common now to due the change in damage charts.