This turned into a longer post and more abstract perhaps but I feel I want to keep the discussion going and explain what I'd like to see more of.
Tycho wrote:Problem is GW have proved the core codex and supplements system works and makes me it easier to roll out models and rule books. They will be ok the hook for a long time now for not providing the same offering for other races or factions. In many instances you wouldn’t need to deliver many new models to accompany a new rule set.
Supplements for guard regiments, ork klans, hive fleets, why not?
They haven't really proven that though. In fact, in the past, when they've tried it for the non-marine factions, they've walked away from it.
And actually, even some of the previous marine supplements, didn't sell as well as you might think.
Personally, not just for guard but for everyone, I'd rather see the codex get slightly bigger, and have more rules for varied armies within the codex itself. For example, while not all the rules were awesome, I liked what they did for
CSM in Faith and Fury. It allowed me to play my Iron Warriors as actual Iron Warriors (instead of just silver spikey marines). I'd love to see a section in the Chaos book where those rules now permanently reside, but I don't feel like I need a supplement for my
IW.
Same idea for Guard regiments. Give me 10-20 or so pages of new rules to represent Steel Legion, Iron Guard, etc, etc, and I'll be happy.
While 10-20 pages of rules and fluff would be nice, I think it would be a bare minimum to be honest if it was to be divided between maybe 3-4 special regiment types. The problem with only a slighly larger codex, the way I see it, is that page and word count will be eaten to a large degree by the established lore and leave less for new lore, characters and unit rules.
Thus the reason I proposed entire codex supplements was that it would offer the author(s) alot of space to get new stuff regarding these regiment types to us. I looked at the White Scard codex supplement for 8th edition and its 64 pages. Think of how much new lore and characters and unit rules and list variations that could be applied to, for example, Krieg if this kind of space was open for development to Krieg alone? As opposed to rehash the same old stuff from previous editions to 1/2 or 1/3 of a page?
And if combined with maybe a novel from Black Library for each of the regiment types, say 3 or 4, that's being expanded on with a codex supplement, I can see the
AM getting the profile to attract more attention. Like the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money and I would love for the
AM to get
GW more money so that the development on the
AM can go further.
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But my personal dream, just so I am also suggesting something, would be for there to be a codex with some basic stuff and allow the creation or more weirdness with either alternative lists or some other way to allow the creation of various kinds of
AM regiments. The following is more dreaming than an actual wish but its kind of direction I'm looking for.
PS: Note that "powerful" is with
AM standards. And these are just my initial thoughts and not any dogma I have for how these ideas must end up if put into practice.
Line infantry - Essentially the basic regiment
Light infantry - Based on light troops with plenty of snipers, cover bonuses, character killing, hidden deployment and so on
Siege infantry - Great war regiment with a lack of vehicles and fast troops in return to massive fire power and reliable close combat capabilities
Light armoured regiment - Essentially based on relatively many vehicles
Heavy armoured regiment - Based around having a few massive armoured beasts and lighter vehicles and infantry to protect thes behemoths from flanking and swamping
Mechanized infantry - A mix between Chimera-mounted infantry with some heavier support from, dare I suggest, assault guns?
Hunter-Killer regiment - Based on essentiially a glass cannon concept
Banner regiment - Regiment that's powerful in melee and with ok armour and good conversion oppertunities for mixing parts from Bretonnian knights and Guardsmen, probably pretty character heavy in terms of killing power
Tribal regiment - Fast moving melee troops with phenomenal cover saves and ready to take the enemy on with melee weapons, grenades and melta charges
Gang regiment - I haven't check the size of Necromunda miniatures but if the right size, a good oppertunity for conversion and also a whole bunch of improvished and "improved" stuff that can work or not work, in a Skaven-ish direction
Cavalry regiment - You've probably all seen some gorgeous models with Napoleonic cavalry? Now's our chance to add the flair of cuirassiers and hussars to the field! Fast moving and manouverable troops that still keeps being fast even if the vehicles get's turned to molten scrap. If we can also use dragoons to carry heavier weapons and be able to both change positions and also do a charge in a pinch, we're good to go.
