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Quick question really, I'm really looking forward to get back into the tournament side of things, I was wondering can you use special characters like gunnery sgt harker and sly marbo in official 40k tourneys? I'm looking forward to making something to count as them, but dont want to waste my time if i cant use them!!!

cheers

You can in most tournaments, yes.

thanks alot!

Tortured-Robot wrote:Quick question really, I'm really looking forward to get back into the tournament side of things, I was wondering can you use special characters like gunnery sgt harker and sly marbo in official 40k tourneys? I'm looking forward to making something to count as them, but dont want to waste my time if i cant use them!!!

cheers

GW has really changed how special characters work in the game. First of all, they're not even called 'special characters' anymore, they're now just called 'unique' characters (meaning you can only have 1 in your army). And for quite a while all the new codexes no longer require your opponent's consent to use these types of characters.

Second, they've now made these characters 'keys' to unlocking special portions of the army list, so if a tournament doesn't allow these characters they're blocking many of the variants of the armies that are available to the game.


So because of this most tournaments have long since gotten rid of the ban on these types of characters. In fact, here in the US I can't remember the last time I even heard of a tournament doing such a thing.

However over in Europe I do know that there are some tournaments still run this way (the ETC was, for example). But I would guess that even over there the vast majority of tourneys now allow unique characters to be used.

Went to 40K doubles at Warhammer World in Jan and was surprised that Special Characters where rife.

Had assumed they'd be banned for some odd reason, so yeah, certainly in use over here for the most part.

When we go next Feb, we'll be taking Ghaz and Zog to make up for last year.

It would be horrible for DA if that still applied. They wouldn't have access to raven-wing forces or death-wing forces or just a wing force.

Thanks for taking the time to answer, really helped!

Plus i get to make 2 more models

Yep, much more common now. I've heard of some tournaments still not allowing them, but it's very outside the norm.

Certainly allowed at my GT's and events. Would make the game more boring without them, and would be a kick in the nuts to many people who have armies they can't play without them. 40k uses a lot of the characters to add in special rules and mechanics for the entire army.

Banning things usually just ends up with balance being shifted elsewhere

Ironically people who ban special characters do so under the guise of "making games fair", yet in this case it would only make SW and IG even MORE powerful cause you'd never have to fight mephiston, vulkan, doom, etc.. and those two armies dont need SC at all

I think Kirasu hit the nail on the head. With the advent of SC's opening up completely new army lists and styles you restrict more competitive builds.

I have seen 3 approaches:

No SCs: Almost NO 40k tournament does this to my knowledge
Only SCs that alter force org, such as Logan and Belial: very few
All SCs: The default for more than 99% of tournaments.

Note that Fantasy tournaments still seem to be stuck in the dark ages, with most non-GW seeming to ban SCs. This appears to be based on nothing more than prejudice of old codexes

You do pay for good SCs, so they need to be used well if your going to earn their points back.

Vulkan (190) for example is almost as much as 5 hammer terminators (200). He is great but thats a significant opportunity cost.

So if an opponent wants to load up with SCs, fill your boots.

Glad someone mentioned the points value, Gunnery sgt Harker seems fantastic value at 55 points.

In that 55 points you basically get a Squad Doctrine which all seem to cost 30 points, and a heavy bolter upgrade which is another 10. Plus all the other stuff he does its seems a good option.

Tortured-Robot wrote:Glad someone mentioned the points value, Gunnery sgt Harker seems fantastic value at 55 points.

In that 55 points you basically get a Squad Doctrine which all seem to cost 30 points, and a heavy bolter upgrade which is another 10. Plus all the other stuff he does its seems a good option.

No, he's really not.

each to his own

Well Vulkan twin links all flamer and melta weapons as well as making all thunder hammers master crafted. Its a massive improvement for marines looking for a CC oriented army.

Having said that if you take Vulkan, you need to take a CC army, you are going to have to suffer more losses in your force organisation chart if you also want a libby, and your yet another Salamanders army.

Same with all the other armies out there.

There is only one Swarmlord, one Yuriel etc.