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Ah, yeah sorry I phrased that question all wrong but you told me what I was trying to get at. So in my playtesting (this is all on vassal against myself mind you) I have found the halligan to be really good. With a riot shield+hk missle and a body of repressor/chimeras (all with riot plows) to protect them they can really ruin an army with high AV vehicles day. I think that the riot shield is too good with its +1 front AV for 10pts, maybe this should only be against death or glory attacks and it could work as a dozer on a 4+. As for the halligan I suggest dropping the ordnance status or making the +d3 only against buildings and giving it 2 shots. It doesn't necessarily need an increase in range although 36" would be nice if you change the riot plow.
PS I really like the chimera with a web cannon replacing the HB ( and a riot plow, of course) and I like to call them chim-pressors


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, servo-jaws on the cyber mastiff pack seems under costed. Only five points for an extra attack with a power fist when it's 10pts for power weapons? Doesn't seem right

Also; combat teams seem to be mIssing the option to take shotguns and the options table says they have shotguns when they have boltguns. I think you should bring detectives back to the main list and give them some psi defense. Two speeders with 2 HKs and ACs for 140 is a really good ranged anti tank, maybe too good even at 0-1, consider removing the 0-1 and disallowing squads (the 2hk/ac speeder is awesome btw, is it fluff?). I think the ICs and retinues should be able to take breeching charges. I have heard some people say the aux. is too complex, so I wanted to say I really like it and the rest of the book. This codex is so good, I downloaded all the codexs you have written. Well done sir, GW is really missing out. I hope you have submitted at least the arbites codex to them directly. Any plans for future books? Genestealer cults or lost/damned maybe?

Thanks for the additional comments mossman jones! Sorry I haven't replied before now, I have been busy with a death in the family and three sick kids. I have been tinkering away at the Arbites Codex in my spare time to get my mind off things though, so expect the next revision in a few days.

Thank you for taking the time to actually playtest these rules, even if it was Vassal-solitaire style. Every little bit helps!

I have been looking extensively into the best way to update the Halligan rules, and your suggestions are weighing very heavily into that. I am very seriously considering your input on the riot plow as well.

Thanks for catching my oversight in the Combat team entry - obviously a relic from the first version of the codex. I will get that tidied up. If you see any other similar issues, please let me know so I can make this the best it can be.

I think Detectives will stay in the Auxiliaries, as I really am starting to see them as something you are less likely to run across in standard Arbites actions, and I am trying to focus the main list on things that you would. Auxiliaries are for the things rarely used or called on (i.e. the Russ), those pressed into service under dire circumstances (Mutants, Hive Gangs, Civilians), those that operate outside the normal bounds of the Arbites (Detectives fit here I think, as do PDF and Inquisitors) or not available to all precincts (like the Ogryns, Ratlings, Land Speeders). Also, I am trying to keep the really complex stuff (like the Detective and his Operatives) relegated to the Auxiliaries so that the main list is less cluttered with special rules and can be judged on its own. One thing I am thinking of doing once 6th edition comes out and I have a chance to update this codex to comply to any changes is to cut the whole thing down to something more palatable in a competitive setting and shop it out for more general inclusion in non-GW events and such. (As I am led to understand has happened with a certain Chaos Dwarf army book.) Keeping the complex stuff separated as Auxiliaries will make this a smoother transition when the time comes.

I will bear your concerns about the Land Speeder squadron in mind, but I am not sure they are warranted. Other armies have access to swift anti-tank of similar quality (Tau can get 2 Fusion Gun Pirahnas w/ seeker missiles for a slightly higher cost, IG can get 3 AC/HK sentinels for 10 more points, etc). I think at the very worst a slight price hike for the AC's may be in order. (The HK's stay balanced that way, since they won't be a high premium cost on a mixed-role speeder with a Heavy Bolter or Web Cannon.) By the way, they aren't found in any fluff I know of, but I thought the weapons options I gave them really fit in with the Arbites well.

Not sure about putting Breaching Charges on characters and the Personal Staff. I see them more as a tool used by Task Teams to bust their way into buildings as part of an operation. The Arbitor General / Judge and his Retinue would not really be expected to lead those kind of operations from the front, since ambush is not only possible, but rather likely, and risking your commander to opening salvos coming out of freshly-breached enemy bunkers just doesn't seem like something the Arbites would do. I think rather they would let the front-line teams crack open the shell, then once the chances of ambush are diminished, they would storm in with their highly-skilled cadre and take charge of the place, putting down whatever resitance is left. So while it may make a lot of sense rules-wise, I think fluff-wise I have to say no on this one.

Thanks for the compliments as well. I try my best to make rules that are fair, balanced, and fun. I do my best to avoid carbon-copies of existing armies (which I am still trying to weed out of my Exodite and Harlequin books - still too much Craftworld flavor in those, especially the psychic powers in the Exodite rules), and I try to bring something different to the table so that more varied styles of play can be enjoyed.

As to submitting to GW, I've thought about it, and I don't think there is much point. Since the end of things like the Citadel Journal and the Chapter Approved articles in White Dwarf, GW hasn't really seemed very receptive to player-submitted material other than modelling and painting. More specifically, the Adeptus Arbites Garrison group at Yahoo Groups, of which I am a part, have submitted at least one set of Arbites rules in the past, and GW just doesn't seem keen on including the Arbites as a playable force these days. The most we ever saw of that was the throw-away reference to using Storm Troopers from Codex: Witch Hunters as Arbites by arming them with Shotguns. I firmly believe this was a response, at least in part, to the urgings and submissions from said Arbites Garrison group. Sadly, I just don't think seeing the Arbites in print for 40K is in the cards. (At least for now.)

As evidenced by my "Adversaries" rules, I do have a bit of a soft spot for GS Cults and the Lost and the Damned. I am considering the GS Cult for my next codex project, and I would love (once my Arbites army is finished, or at least well under way) to put together an army of 'Stealer cultists as a good strong narrative opponent for my Thin Blue Line. The idea of a long, drawn-out campaign between the two forces is very appealing to me.

Awesome. I knew you'd be back eventually as this is clearly a very serious work. Sorry to hear about your family misfortunes brother, best of luck to you in the real world.
So...on the land speeder squads, I don't find it out of sync with other good ranged anti-tank, I just thought it went against the weakness the list is supposed to have and is therefore kind of an auto-include in a competitive arbites list. I use my solitaire vassal games to fine tune my armies against the best lists on the Internet and to learn how to use those lists and other fun things I can't afford (like calvary judges with retinue, very fun units). So I try to play as honestly as possible.
As for submitting to GW; i think the quality of your layout alone on this codex would impress, even if they weren't interested in the publishing this particular army book. At least I hope for their sake. They really need to get behind some of the fan-driven works out there. Why not publish chapter approved and white-dwarf lists again? White dwarf is woefully low on good matieral to publish. To speak bluntly, they need to pull the video game thumb out of their asses and start focusing on developing their universe again. I'm kinda worked up about this now I think everyone should submit their work to GW and a letter asking them to support outside material officially. I have so many great things like this Arbites codex, the BoLS codexs, Deathsquads, the Ash Wastes rewrite for Necromunda, ect. It would be so easy to throw these in a white dwarf, most of the authors would agree for a pittance of pay or just official recognition. Anyway I'll get off the horse now.

Wow mossman, where have you been all my creative life? Your comments are both entertaining and quite constructive. Please don't ever stop visiting my thread!!! (And check out the other ones I post in the near future too...)

Anyway, I really see now what you are saying about the AC/2HK speeders now. One of my two big pitfalls is losing sight of the drawbacks I try to build into my armies (the other is trying to make too many new units and special rules). I think I may be a bit guilty of hitting that wall with these now that you really pointed it out.

However, what do I do to fix it? I could just lose the AC option altogether, and just trust to the HK's to do the Anti-Tank role for them, but the AC just seems so fun. Another option is limiting a single LS in the squadron to getting an AC. That way, you still have the option, but unless you only run one, you have to mix weapons, which inherently makes the unit both more flexible and less focused - both good and bad.

Your use for vassal seems very interesting. I have been considering doing up a series of half-sized cardstock stand-in models (based on 1/2" metal washers) for similar purposes - allowing myself and sometimes my wife to playtest rules with less space requirement, and without having to remember which proxy model is which (since we can just print up enough "models" to represent whatever we want). Terrain is a slight issue, though some of what I already have works already. Vehicles are also another small hurdle, as fold-up vehicles are rather difficult at that size, and flat "counter" type vehicles just don't do it for me.

As to the rest of your post - preaching to the choir bud.

I've now uploaded version 1.2 - links in the first post of this thread.

Change Log 4/16/2012:

Increased the cost of the Riot Plow to 15 points, and changed it to simply be a Dozer Blade with additional rules.

Updated the Repressor to come with the Riot Plow standard. Cost updated to reflect this. It was suggested that I alter the "Fire Points" to reflect the Forgeworld version, but in my opinion, if Chimeras can do it, so can Repressors. (Note that I only allow 6 models to fire, rather than the 7 total the FW Repressor allows.)

Limited the Book of Precepts and Icons of Judgement to vehicles selected as transports for a Personal Staff only. The army-wide usage of the Stubborn and Re-rolling To-Hit was just too good. Limiting them to a single command vehicle like this will help them to seem more special and less overpowered.

Moved Response Team from Fast Attack to Elites to help balance out the number of choices for these slots.

Increased the Front Armour on the Halligan to 12, and changed the Halligan Missile Launcher to S9, AP3, Ordnance 2, with the special +D3 AP only applying to Buildings and Fortifications, which it should now tear through like tissue paper... Points increased slightly to compensate.

Added the "Entangling" rule to Webbers (replacing the Pinning rule), allowing them to pin units normally immune to pinning in some way, and bringing back the Strength test that just feels so right with webbers.

Added the Land Speeder Storm as a Fast Attack choice. Several people suggested it, and I liked the idea so much that it got included in the primary army list. It is slightly modified from the Space Marine version. The BS is increased to 4 to represent the Arbites Crew rather than Space Marine Scouts, but it lost the "Jamming Beacon" rule to indicate that the Arbites version is slightly lower on the technology scale.

Added the option for the Leman Russ to be upgraded to either an Exterminator or a Punisher. (None of the other variants seemed to fit the Arbites well.)

Increased the upgrade cost of the Land Speeder squadron's Autocannons to 10 pts - it was noted that LS's with AC's and 2 HK missiles were very good at bringing down transports and other light to medium vehicles, and as such they were just a bit too cheap.

Replaced the Valkyrie with the Eagle Assault Shuttle (based on references from Execution Hour). I designed it as a hybrid between the Valkyrie and the Stormraven/Storm Eagle, and its armament is based largely on the descriptions in Execution Hour. It was also moved to Heavy Support due to its high levels of anti-tank ability, and to provide greater contrast between it and the Land Speeder Storm. (You can still get these in larger numbers as dedicated transports using Judge Schindler's Spacebourne Precinct rule.)

Cleaned up a few straggler issues related to removing the Patrol Vox, as well as some issues resulting from combining a few units from V1.0 to V1.1. (i.e. references to shotguns in the the Combat Team options.)

Modelling & Painting section updated with many new, better images thanks to ArbitorIan.


Other Notes:

Still need a better name for the "power ram".

Does the new "Entangling" rule work for you? Is it straightforward or confusing? Is anything about it ambiguous? Are there any "Strength bonuses" which exist that you are unsure whether they would count or not?

Stealth edit - I had forgotten to update the cost on the Land Speeder Storm's Autocannon to match the Land Speeder Squadron. This is now updated. (I won't be changing the version number for that little edit!)