H.B.M.C. wrote:You can do that without the need for bespoke rules though.
Using your good Termy/'Stealer example, say rather than having two slightly different Deep Strike rules you had a single Deep Strike rule:
Deep Strike (X)
And "X" is the minimum inches away that the unit must be deployed. Most things would have Deep Strike (9), but some things, like super-sneaky Genestealers or appear-out-of-the-shadows Mandrakes could have Deep Strike (5), or something like that.
A single rule that allows variance within itself. It's built in.
Think this was mentioned further up. You could maintain the individual flavour still by giving different names but still calling out the same
USR, e.g.
Genestealers - "They're Coming Out Of The Goddamn Walls" - unit has
Deep Strike (5)
Mandrakes - "Strike From The Shadows" - unit has
Deep Strike (5)
I think the fact that most people who played the editions with
USRs still refer to those abilities by the
USR names shows how useful they are. It absolutely eases the rules burden. My son has only played since 8th, and had no idea that things like Deep Strike, Feel No Pain, Objective Secured and so on were effectively still
USRs but have just been given a different name each time they appear.
My big criticism of 9th edition would be that it seems to assume prior knowledge of previous editions like that. The codexes are massively disappointing from a fluff perspective in that respect. Looking back at my 6th edition
CSM codex, each unit had a full page of text explaining the unit in the lore. That just doesn't exist any more, it just seems to be assumed knowledge that you've already read in previous editions. Nowadays you just get a little side box with barely a sentence in it. Before, the Heldrake entry went into all the details of how they are formed from a mutated and daemon-infused space marine fighter ship, and deep within it's core there is still a shrivelled husk of a pilot, whose cries of anguish are amplified and blared out as the screams of the monster he has become. I eagerly await the 9th edition version with a little blink-and-you'll-miss-it text box saying "dragon dinobot
LOL"...