New AM FAQ

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**Melissia**

No, I did not miss their point. I think their point was garbage. Disagreement is not the same as a lack of understanding.

**MrMoustaffa**

Unit1126PLL wrote:
I think Valhallans are still badass for conscripts for more reasons than that - remember, their relic is still unchanged as well, so their regiment still has one Oldissar hanging around somewhere with Pietrov's Mk .45

Yeah I remembered that right after I posted and edited it in. Good thing I started Valhallans I guess

**vipoid**

It's weird that a Valhallan Company Commander can now be far better Commissar than an actual Commissar.

**Unit1126PLL**

vipoid wrote:
It's weird that a Valhallan Company Commander can now be far better Commissar than an actual Commissar.

I mean, Chenkov (back when he was a thing) was a better commissar than a commissar (his aura was 12").

**Dionysodorus**

Melissia wrote:
No, I did not miss their point. I think their point was garbage. Disagreement is not the same as a lack of understanding.

Sure, but I hope you can see how it was confusing since your post didn't actually engage with this point at all.

**vipoid**

Unit1126PLL wrote:
vipoid wrote:
It's weird that a Valhallan Company Commander can now be far better Commissar than an actual Commissar.

I mean, Chenkov (back when he was a thing) was a better commissar than a commissar (his aura was 12").

Huh, fair enough.

**Imperator97**

I kinda like it. Caveat, not a guard player, but conscripts don't strike me as the kind of dudes that will stick around when a carnifex eats 8 of them, and won't respond particularly well with having a friend of theirs shot.
On the flip side, a commissar isn't going to ask the conscripts why they're running from said carnifex, he's just going to shoot one of them and expect them to get back in there.
From the perspective of a guardsman, 3 of a squad of 10 die, those guys will probably stick around, and if a coward is shot, they may still consider getting back in there. If 7 of them are exploded by a tank, the commissar shooting one may well do more harm than good.
Fluff wise, big fan. Crunch wise, it's certainly very different, but I'm not going to pretend I fully understand the implications.

**MrMoustaffa**

tneva82 wrote:
GW should have worded it so it's not mandatory. Then it's at least less likely to actually HURT you from having. Kinda silly to have rule that's more likely to hurt you than not. Especially when it's supposed to be advantage rather than disadvantage to balance otherwise too good model.

But that's not how commissars work in the background though. Unless command tells them to fall back they're going to make you stick around whether you like it or not. Aside from very rare exceptions they don't really go "oh wow Bob you're right, that IS a really scary carnifex! You are excused private, feel free to retire to the rear."

It is annoying that the guardsmen still take an additional casualty for 0 gain but it does give an actual trade off to how they work now.

I think it would've been a good rule for just conscripts getting it personally, and everything else staying the same, but here we are.

**VictorVonTzeentch**

Melissia wrote:
tpogs wrote:
People seem to be forgetting that Commissars still grant leadership 8 to infantry.
No we aren't; if a conscript squad is taking 10 casualties already, having Ld8 doesn't really help that much on the leadership test. If it was "roll twice and take the best" it'd be better, but it's not. It's just a reroll. And with a reroll, you take the second result even if it's a worse result.

So let's say you fail the leadership test by the bare minimum. Sorry, your unit takes another casualty, then rerolls. Now you took the maximum losses possible for that test... plus one more loss because the commissar is an donkey-cave. GOOD JOB COMMISSAR.

In before someone says"anyone who complains is a whiny guard player who just wants to be OP and walk over everyone else" again, even though I haven't owned any Guard models for years.

You could also take into account that vs certain Army builds you wont even get Ld 8. Vs the Night Lord build GW showed off, theres the -5 Ld Bubble so your guys are down to 3 Ld. Throw in a Chaos Leviathan with Butcher Cannons and you can stack on a further -2. So now with that -7 Ld you have 1 Ld. Good luck passing tests.

**Blacksails**

Solid FAQ. Clears up some stuff for sure. Never been fond of conscripts myself, so I'm not bothered by the nerf.

**Elbows**

I see zero issue with this FAQ. Fixed a few abused things, reworded stuff properly...looks fine to me.

**Insectum7**

Yeah I have mixed feelings on this one. Morale affecting Conscripts more makes sense, though I would have rather left Commissar effect on normal guardsman unchanged.

I dislike the idea of giving in to the conscript rage, but then again, I'm happy they didnt make it a point change. Killing an extra five Conscripts with morale is still just 15 points.

**daedalus**

Blacksails wrote:
Solid FAQ. Clears up some stuff for sure. Never been fond of conscripts myself, so I'm not bothered by the nerf.

I'm not personally bothered by it, but it shows that GW (still) isn't thinking their rules all the way through.

I'll fill it out on their behalf:

Spoiler:

To be fair, I checked less boxes than I figured I would.

**Inquisitor Lord Katherine**

My 2c?

They adjusted the Commissar-Conscript interaction, which I don't really appreciate because it's a concession and it's attempting to address a problem without actually fixing the source thereof, and instead fixing a symptom.

They've failed to adjust Baneblades, particularly the Shadowsword. A 40-point cost reduction was not warranted on a platform that has 10 Heavy Bolters, 4 Lascannons, and is immune to melee.

They've also failed to adjust Manticores, which will continue to strictly outperform Leman Russes in most circumstances.

Certain Leman Russ variants are definitely still terrible, and fail to conform to expectations.

Otherwise, most of it makes sense.

**Blacksails**

There's a template for that checklist, right? Cause that'd be a lot of effort for one post. I respect that though.

I agree with the sentiment that GW can't figure out how to actually write any worthwhile rules. Its a hamfisted approach, just like the Russ double shot buff. It definitely could have been done better, but I don't know what people expect from GW.

I will have to use that checklist though at some point.

**daedalus**

It came from a old message board thread about anti-spam solutions for email. I just modified it for conscripts. I'd open it up when the anti-conscript threads were going on and see how many boxes I could tick for each "helpful recommendation" any given poster would leave about how to fix conscripts.

Do feel free to do whatever with it you desire though.

**clownshoes**

xmbk wrote:
Galas wrote:
vipoid wrote:
Galas wrote:

Commissars have still a place with Conscripts and Infantry squads. Buffing morale, even without using the Summary Execution, is pretty good.

What planet are you on?

Commissars are now garbage for both of those - but especially Conscripts.

Yes, you are right!
For a second I forgot I was in Dakkadakka, where things are only Garbage or OP without a middle ground. I apologize.

Can you suggest a reasonable use for them now?

Painting practice for your eldar paint scheme.

**pismakron**

The "summary execution ability" was clearly overnerfed in this FAQ. I don't mind it all that much, as it clearly did not work the way it was before. But let us not kid our self: Commisars will do very little to help with morale now, except occasionally increasing friendly morale losses by one.

**nateprati**

Why didnt they adress missing wargear like demo charges and riugh riders. Or am i missing somthing? Im going to end up using the index over this

**Kdash**

Inquisitor Lord Katherine wrote:
My 2c?

They adjusted the Commissar-Conscript interaction, which I don't really appreciate because it's a concession and it's attempting to address a problem without actually fixing the source thereof, and instead fixing a symptom.

They've failed to adjust Baneblades, particularly the Shadowsword. A 40-point cost reduction was not warranted on a platform that has 10 Heavy Bolters, 4 Lascannons, and is immune to melee.

They've also failed to adjust Manticores, which will continue to strictly outperform Leman Russes in most circumstances.

Certain Leman Russ variants are definitely still terrible, and fail to conform to expectations.

Otherwise, most of it makes sense.

They didn't do any points changes at all, so, i think that'll come at a later date once more games are played and understood. Most of the changes they've made so far are do to with simple rules questions and interactions. Once the initial questions are answered they can then look at specific balance issues due to points.

**Azuza001**

Eh, I still plan to run commisars in my guard army (if I ever get it done....), I was never planning on using conscripts anyways, just many infantry squads. And it does make some sense even if it sucks that a commisar can make a bad situation worse, but there is an English problem here.

The commisar rule says "the first time an astra militarum unit fails whilst within 6" of any friendly commisar models, one model is slain and the moral test is rerolled"

OK, the problem is the first time part of the rule. Is that

A. The first unit that fails near the commisar gets shot so the second one near it doesn't have to worry about getting shot?

B. A squad can only ever be effected by this rule once (ie the first time it happens)?

I have read it a few times now and I can see an argument going both ways. Again, doesn't effect me much because I don't run squads bigger than 10 but this could cause some arguments. I think it means A. Personally so if you have a squad of infantry and a squad of conscripts both near the commisar and are both going to need to take a moral test you can pick which squad you want the commisar to "help" out with the reroll.

Also, tanks not being able to "take cover" and the mobile wound with ogryn bodyguards makes perfect sense.

**Kdash**

I am, however, a little surprised by the Tallaran nerf to only 1 vehicle unit out of the 3. Certainly changes a lot for my plans anyway(and i was only thinking of 2 russes and a cheap cyclops!) with obsec in a spearhead.

**Elbows**

Read the bottom portion regarding Tallarn...you can still take a "unit" of vehicles, meaning three Russes etc. Not quite as mix-n-match friendly but still pretty damn good.

**Kanluwen**

Elbows wrote:
Read the bottom portion regarding Tallarn...you can still take a "unit" of vehicles, meaning three Russes etc. Not quite as mix-n-match friendly but still pretty damn good.

Read his post again.

He is saying that out of the 3 units that get to come in, the FAQ specifies that only one unit can be vehicles.

**grouchoben**

Really? A nerf to Krieg? thank the lord they finally reigned us in, I was beginning to feel bad!

(Krieg can no longer take any traits or relics from the codex, despite being <AM>.)

Seriously, this heavy nerfing of Commissars does actually leave Krieg in an enviable position in terms of morale resistance.

**Xenomancers**

Spamming command points to keep 1 unit of conscripts alive is still very much viable. As AM have a ton of command points to spare. That's all conscripts were ever supposed to be anyways. A single large squad that slowed people down with bodies. Not an impenetrable wall of indestructible soldiers.

**Bobthehero**

grouchoben wrote:
Really? A nerf to Krieg? thank the lord they finally reigned us in, I was beginning to feel bad! (Krieg can no longer take any traits or relics from the codex, despite being <AM>.)

Seriously, this heavy nerfing of Commissars does actually leave Krieg in an enviable position in terms of morale resistance.

Krieg seems to be in the same position as last edition as far as morale goes, shooting wont affect it much, and they'll usually get wiped in melee, so they'll never technically fail a LD test

**Aenarian**

grouchoben wrote:
Really? A nerf to Krieg? thank the lord they finally reigned us in, I was beginning to feel bad! (Krieg can no longer take any traits or relics from the codex, despite being <AM>.)

Seriously, this heavy nerfing of Commissars does actually leave Krieg in an enviable position in terms of morale resistance.

We are not allowed to take any of the regiment-specific traits and stuff, but nothing about the general case, which I guess is still up in the air.

**Unit1126PLL**

Aenarian wrote:
grouchoben wrote:
Really? A nerf to Krieg? thank the lord they finally reigned us in, I was beginning to feel bad! (Krieg can no longer take any traits or relics from the codex, despite being <AM>.)

Seriously, this heavy nerfing of Commissars does actually leave Krieg in an enviable position in terms of morale resistance.

We are not allowed to take any of the regiment-specific traits and stuff, but nothing about the general case, which I guess is still up in the air.

Actually, I would say it's less up in the air than before, as GW now had the opportunity to say it was allowed, and then didn't say it wasn't. Either this is a missed opportunity for them to spell out intent, or it is intended that any of the generic AM stratagems are permitted.

**lolman1c**

Oh no, my really useful 3pt model actually loses more than 1 guy now to moral after having half their line crunched by a giant robot?!?! But no seriously... I think this rule change should have been limited to conscripts and at worse the commissar does D3 mortal wounds to guards men like most other factions do.