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This one isn't about balance or necessity. Who would enjoy if bikes of since/any faction could do the following? Keep in mind the biker keyword prevents easy access to cover so this isn't as bad as infantry doing fire and fade. Bikers with fly could perhaps benefit too much.

"If every model in this unit moved at least 3 inches and at most 3 inches less than its movement characteristic in the movement phase it may declare a DRIVE BY or HIT AND RUN."

DRIVE BY: This unit may move again immediately after finishing all of its shooting attacks in the shooting phase. This movement must be for at least 3 inches and up to the difference between the units movement characteristic and the distance moved in the movement phase."

HIT AND RUN: Do not perform a consolidate action in the fight phase, instead this unit performs a fall back action.This movement must be for at least 3 inches and up to the difference between the units movement characteristic and the distance moved in the movement phase."

I can see what you are trying to do here, but think the wording is a little convoluted. I suggest wording it more closely to the turbo boost rule.


From what I understand, you are trying to allow the unit to make an additional move after shooting (drive-by) and to allow it to fall-back immediately after fighting (hit-and-run).


Perhaps this is a cleaner way of writing the rules to give a similar effect:


Drive-By: in the Charge phase this unit may be selected to perform a Drive-By provided it is more than 1" from any enemy models. It may move up to 6" as if it were the movement phase. Units may not perform a Drive-by and a Charge in the same turn.


Hit-and-run: In the turn that this unit charged, it may perform a Hit-and-run instead of consolidating. It may move up to 6" as if falling back in the movement phase.


I think these rules are a little clearer and you don't have to keep track of how far you moved in the movement phase. I picked 6" because its the same as the space marine Turbo-boost rule. I think a hit-and-run makes sense in the turn you charged, but not if you were charged or already in combat from a previous turn.


This is quite powerful, especially the way I've written the Drive-By rule, as it is essentially a free advance with no shooting penalties. I'd suggest that if you like these rules they'd be better suited to being stratagems that can be used by units with the BIKER keyword rather than rules for bikers. Not sure how many CP each would be worth, I'd start at 3CP each and see if that seems too much after trying it out a couple of times and refine from there.

Alternatively, just give all BIKERs the following:

HIT & RUN: Units with the BIKER keyword may fall back and still charge in the same turn. In addition, they may make 6" Consolidation and Pile-In moves in the same turn that they successfully Charged.

Most assault oriented Bikes already have something similar, this would just streamline it for all Bike units.

I am not a fan of the OP's Drive-by suggestion. It's too convoluted and reminiscent of the Jump-Shoot-Jump that Eldar Jetbikes and T'au suits used to have that gave people headaches in prior editions

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Just want to highlight the fact that there are already rules in 40K that does EXACTLY what is described.
Check the Ravenwing Squadron for Vigilus. HR to allows it to any Bikes. Done... at least the part about close combat.
P.S: Yes, it's a Stratagem. But, it's 8th, everything meaningful is a Stratagem!

Instead, I-m not sure that "Drive by" makes any sense.
As Eldar and Tau could shoot and move again after... this is useful ONLY to go back and negate LOS.

Really I don't think this should be an option for anyone (with the current ruleset in place).

For the "Drive By", why not simply say:

If this unit did not move in the movement phase, it may declare that it is doing a drive by instead of shooting normally. The unit makes a shooting attack, counting as having moved, and may then move as if it were the movement phase. This unit may not advance this turn.

Basically swap move & shoot to shoot & move. Meaning over 2 turns, you moved, shot twice then moved away. That's a drive by to me! It also means you can get some close-range shots on one target, then move and charge something elsewhere.

Thanks for the feedback! I will need to look up the vigilus stratagem.

I did not want to give these units free bonus movement or simply take their turn out of order. My way is too much record keeping i admit. I wanted to make use of the high movement characteristic. Maybe i could change it to 3-half twice instead of record keeping.

What i was inspired by was last night my unit of csm bikers could not get in 24" of a crisis suit unit without being in retaliation range. Later they could move a little to be in range of either a capture point or the enemy but for all their speed could not get much out of it.

 some bloke wrote:
For the "Drive By", why not simply say:

If this unit did not move in the movement phase, it may declare that it is doing a drive by instead of shooting normally. The unit makes a shooting attack, counting as having moved, and may then move as if it were the movement phase. This unit may not advance this turn.

Basically swap move & shoot to shoot & move. Meaning over 2 turns, you moved, shot twice then moved away. That's a drive by to me! It also means you can get some close-range shots on one target, then move and charge something elsewhere.

I kind of like this. It avoids jump-shoot-jump every turn but lets you sacrifice/stagger your mobility to sort of kind of get it back. JSJ was frustrating to play against but always felt very fluffy for eldar and tau.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Shas'O'Ceris wrote:


I did not want to give these units free bonus movement or simply take their turn out of order. My way is too much record keeping i admit. I wanted to make use of the high movement characteristic. Maybe i could change it to 3-half twice instead of record keeping.

The problem with that is that you effectively bring back jump-shoot-jump for things like scatter laser jetbikes or, more relevantly, harlequin skyweavers. Half my movement with those units is 8". So you'd be giving my 36" Strength 6, 4 shot bikes 8" (with fly) with which to jump over a ruin wall, shoot downtable, and then hop back out of line of sight.

What i was inspired by was last night my unit of csm bikers could not get in 24" of a crisis suit unit without being in retaliation range. Later they could move a little to be in range of either a capture point or the enemy but for all their speed could not get much out of it.

I like the idea of bikes feeling more mobile, but I wonder if it might be fair to point out that marine bikers seem like more of a "shoot the enemy while drive up and punch them" unit rather than a cagey dragoon unit. But maybe that's just my interpretation of things. The White Scars novels I've ready always make it seem like the 'scars are sort of charging through enemy formations cavalry style rather than kiting the enemy from afar.

Vertus Praetors be like =)