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I was pondering whether Initiative is really beneficial to the game. It obviously is advantageous to certain armies over others, which is either good or bad depending on your taste I suppose, but it does seem to add time to the game (I make my attacks, then you make your attacks, then I make mine), and gives low Initiative armies a reason to want to avoid close combat. I think everything going off at once would certainly make everything quicker, and perhaps funner, as well.

The only thing I'd miss without Initiative is Unwieldy weapons, but you could keep them while ditching Initiative by having 2 Initiative steps, one for non-unwieldy weapons, then one for unwieldy weapons.

What do you think?

I don't think it will remove time or steps from the close combat process. Both players will roll the same amount... more actually because the player with lower initiative usually has fewer models to attack with by the time he gets to attack.

Makes it uncredibly unfair for eldar race armies many daemons and BAs and it gives Necrons and Orks a much bigger advantage. Initiative plays a HUGE roll in games.

You know which stat I find has the least impact in a game? Weapon Skill.

It'll slow things down as more models have to attack. It'll also unbalance the game - No more CC vulnerability for Necrons, for example.

Honestly, everything all at once really helps low-Initiative armies like Necrons while really hurting armies like Harlequins and Slaanesh Daemons, who rely on being able to kill the enemy's deadly models before they can attack. It would radically shift the balance, and probably nerf assault armies even more than they already are.

It might save a small amount of time, but at the cost of making glass cannon assault armies pretty much useless (you charge in, both units kill each other - unlike now, where the glass cannons charge in and kill the dangerous fighters in the other unit, sweep, and continue on.)

Removing INT would feth the game even more. But what it would not do is add time. The idea that "everyone swings at once" is slower than 10 intitiative steps, pile ins, allocated attacks and so forth is lunacy.

Do you really want to have 120 Ork attacks at the same Initiative as yourself?

Ya know though

I wouldn't mind simplifying the game as Everyone CQB together
with the exception of ASF and ASL rules.

Rolling a large pool of dice with specials going separately or different colors really doesn't slow the game down that much.

Nah - You need it to keep Eldar alive. Also imagine horde guard or green tide going at the same time as marines. Ouch.

I think 40k would be improved if the primary focus became EITHER shooting OR melee. You could simplify things quite a bit by just shooting when locked in CC instead of all the song and dance that is the assault phase.

That's just my preference though, I suppose - I like my sci-fi shooty and my fantasy stabby. When you put magic bolts/legolas level archer sniping in fantasy and sword play along space ships, ugh, ne'er should the two cross.

 zgort wrote:
Nah - You need it to keep Eldar alive.

Yeah. That codex just wouldn't have anything to fall back on without above average Initiative.

Poly Ranger wrote:
Makes it uncredibly unfair for eldar race armies many daemons and BAs and it gives Necrons and Orks a much bigger advantage. Initiative plays a HUGE roll in games.

You know which stat I find has the least impact in a game? Weapon Skill.

Eh. I find it makes a difference when Special Snowflakes or serious weapon upgrades get involved.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Eldarain wrote:

 zgort wrote:
Nah - You need it to keep Eldar alive.

Yeah. That codex just wouldn't have anything to fall back on without above average Initiative. /sarcasm

Hahaha touche - I was thinking both species when I wrote it - but you got me. Exalt!