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I've never been one to make much use of drop pods myself, but I recognize the issues with their current incarnation. Namely...

*They're awfully expensive for a delivery system that sits there and doesn't do much after the turn they arrive.
*They're still durable enough to be annoying to deal with if they happen to land on an objective.

So thinking about drop pods, they're basically the scrawniest automated turret in 40k mounted on a lump of metal with retrothrusters and seatbelts. The only thing about them that really lets them prevent an enemy from controlling a point on the battlefield is that storm bolter that can be quite distracting to a would-be point taker. If one were to destroy that one measley little weapon, you'd be left with a lump of metal that, if anything, would make a point even more defensible for an enemy.

With that in mind, I propose...

*Lowering the drop pod's cost significantly. Let's make them.... I don't know. 50 points or something. Maybe 70 points given that they can hold multiple squads now.
* Lowering their wounds to like... 1 or 2.

The intended end result being that drop pods are now affordable enough to make armies themed around drop pod assaults viable while also being fragile enough to be blown away by your opponent without too much fuss. At 70 points, 3 pods (roughly 6 MSU squads worth of transportation) would cost you about 210 points and would give your opponent some easy kill points.

What do you think?

My issue with Drop Pods is that they're a strategic tool getting implemented in a tactical game. The Captain doesn't scan over the battlefield, harrumph to himself, and pick a specific point to land his Drop Pods on when the fight is in full swing in any of the books I've read, there's a large-scale rain of pods across the field and then Marines link up to form larger forces. The pods should have all arrived before the game starts, not somewhere in the middle in any kind of intentional way.

I'd rather see Drop Pods as an infiltrate mechanic where you get to deploy pods (as terrain, not as models) and Marines in no-man's-land before the game starts rather than dumping them onto the field right into the middle of things after the fact.

Its a 9 point Grav chute upgrade that sticks around and is annoying.

I dont like the idea of making them cheaper. its a trickle effect that will have unintended consequences with other units that normally cannot deep strike.

 Desubot wrote:
Its a 9 point Grav chute upgrade that sticks around and is annoying.

I dont like the idea of making them cheaper. its a trickle effect that will have unintended consequences with other units that normally cannot deep strike.

They were barely taken as is for Marines.

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 Desubot wrote:
Its a 9 point Grav chute upgrade that sticks around and is annoying.

I dont like the idea of making them cheaper. its a trickle effect that will have unintended consequences with other units that normally cannot deep strike.

They were barely taken as is for Marines.

Barring Skyhammer and Blackmanes, that is. The former more than the latter, due to the hilarity of some Grav Cannon marines popping out and going "sup" and mowing something down before the foe could react to anything.

 MagicJuggler wrote:

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 Desubot wrote:
Its a 9 point Grav chute upgrade that sticks around and is annoying.

I dont like the idea of making them cheaper. its a trickle effect that will have unintended consequences with other units that normally cannot deep strike.

They were barely taken as is for Marines.

Barring Skyhammer and Blackmanes, that is. The former more than the latter, due to the hilarity of some Grav Cannon marines popping out and going "sup" and mowing something down before the foe could react to anything.

You mean the formation everyone and their mother learned to play around after the first few months of the formation existing? Okay. I don't know what Blackmanes is so I cannot comment.

Outside that? You got Grey Hunters that actually used them to decent effect, Skitarii and Scions that stole them, Sisters that stole them, and the various suicide drops from either Sternguard or Command Squads. Drop Pod was fine as is up to 7th, and people refuse to accept that fact.

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 MagicJuggler wrote:

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 Desubot wrote:
Its a 9 point Grav chute upgrade that sticks around and is annoying.

I dont like the idea of making them cheaper. its a trickle effect that will have unintended consequences with other units that normally cannot deep strike.

They were barely taken as is for Marines.

Barring Skyhammer and Blackmanes, that is. The former more than the latter, due to the hilarity of some Grav Cannon marines popping out and going "sup" and mowing something down before the foe could react to anything.

You mean the formation everyone and their mother learned to play around after the first few months of the formation existing? Okay. I don't know what Blackmanes is so I cannot comment.

Outside that? You got Grey Hunters that actually used them to decent effect, Skitarii and Scions that stole them, Sisters that stole them, and the various suicide drops from either Sternguard or Command Squads. Drop Pod was fine as is up to 7th, and people refuse to accept that fact.

The SW version that also gave everyone free FnP 6+ on the game turn they arrived (along with another rule I can't remember).

 Matt.Kingsley wrote:

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 MagicJuggler wrote:

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 Desubot wrote:
Its a 9 point Grav chute upgrade that sticks around and is annoying.

I dont like the idea of making them cheaper. its a trickle effect that will have unintended consequences with other units that normally cannot deep strike.

They were barely taken as is for Marines.

Barring Skyhammer and Blackmanes, that is. The former more than the latter, due to the hilarity of some Grav Cannon marines popping out and going "sup" and mowing something down before the foe could react to anything.

You mean the formation everyone and their mother learned to play around after the first few months of the formation existing? Okay. I don't know what Blackmanes is so I cannot comment.

Outside that? You got Grey Hunters that actually used them to decent effect, Skitarii and Scions that stole them, Sisters that stole them, and the various suicide drops from either Sternguard or Command Squads. Drop Pod was fine as is up to 7th, and people refuse to accept that fact.

The SW version that also gave everyone free FnP 6+ on the game turn they arrived (along with another rule I can't remember).

I don't remember that, but that sounds like something Kelly might do. I'm guessing Kelly anyway.

Yeah, I think I'm correct. Space Marines don't make Drop Pods dangerous, even with suicide Command Squads or Sternguard...

 Desubot wrote:
Its a 9 point Grav chute upgrade that sticks around and is annoying.

I dont like the idea of making them cheaper. its a trickle effect that will have unintended consequences with other units that normally cannot deep strike.

Are you saying that you don't like the idea of marines drop podding a lot of units in in general? Or that you think 70 points specifically would be *too* cheap? My initial goal was to make the "drop pod assault" army concept viable while also making it less annoying (by making the drop pods less of a headache to remove), but maybe that concept is flawed in general. Do you feel that there are units that are "too good" now using the current drop pod price point and rules?

its a safe way of getting 10 men pretty much where you want on a battlefield safely (no mishaps). It is a great option and gives some real tactical fleibility

For their cost - some space marine units should come with a drop pod for free.

Lots a units get deep strike for free. A drop pod is just that but it has a storm bolter and takes up some space. whats it worth? 20 points? At most?