Peregrine wrote:

But these "complex" actions are straightforward and simple ones. Take target priority for example. Choosing which unit to shoot is a basic part of the game, but now you have to roll to see if you can shoot at the obvious correct target instead of the irrelevant cannon fodder that is 0.1" closer. That's a significant difference in how the game goes and it's determined entirely by the dice and not by player actions. Randomly having your units fail to work is not fun.

catbarf wrote:

Sherrypie wrote:1. You get a token for all units as normal, ie. the transport and every unit inside. The restrictions are as normal: if you want to disembark with a unit, you have to do that before the transport moves but otherwise you just move that unit out and act with it. Likewise you get a token for all units in reserves if they are able to come on the field that turn. Haven't had any problems with that even with both sides flinging Rhinos and Chimeras around while scions and terminators drop from the sky in a nice staccato. The cool thing here is that you can get some extra mileage out of transports by first moving with a unit that embarks on one and then speeding away with it. Like you would, you know, with a machine dedicated to transporting things!

2. In an alternating action game early moves are often bad, because your opponent is either hiding or biding their important moves until an opportunity presents itself. Sure, you can have lots of units and ensure you probably get the first move, but then that's done and your knight stays where it is and the enemy has easier time adapting their forces to deal with it. Especially if you get into combat with it, the enemy can then fall back and carry on blasting it apart. Given how this system creates a lot more ebb and flow in the game compared to regular 40k, things like Rotate Ion Shields and such aren't so frustratingly powerful as the situation can then change after further moves. Personally I'm not opposed to MSU's in this context as the opponent will still have time to react, even if taking heavy blows early on (that are still a lot less devastating then the whole force alpha strikes you see in IGOUGO). For another personal anecdote, my Death Guard usually runs maybe 7-8 tokens against Guard's 15-20, so I usually get to do 1-2 at a time against 3-5 from them and I'm not seeing too much problems even when they spend some of those first ones on Leman Russes hammering me. Hell, then I know where my terminators will strike in retaliation

Most importantly, as a caveat, this style is meant to create better and deeper games with like-minded fellows and there are going to be situations where the quick and dirty frame requires some sportsmanship. A nice talk between sensible adults should make clear what's the level of cheese desired

I like this system you've described, but personally I'd just draw and activate one unit at a time, a la Bolt Action- I think there's some fun tension when you activate a unit not knowing if you'll get another activation before the opponent can retaliate.

The only concern I have with it is that the melee retaliation system greatly disfavors horde units. In current 40K, I can charge a unit of Terminators with four squads of Guardsmen, hit with all my squads, and then the Terminators hit back. With this alternating activation system, the Terminators get to hit back after every Guardsman squad charges (!). I'd maybe limit it to saying that each unit can counterattack once, and fight once on their own turn. That way a unit locked in melee is fighting twice per combined-turn, just as now.