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Would it be allowed to have a model have a Drone controller on a hard point and a Hard wired drone controller so that the model may have 4 drones?

Well, first there is the issue of not taking the same piece of wargear twice. I supose that you could argue that a Drone Controller is different from a hardwired Drone controller though.

The next issue is that the book makes no distinction between hard wired drone controller and hard point drone controller. It only describes a Drone Controller as forcing the user to take one or two drones.

So, the way I read it is that you can have one drone controller and control one, or two drones.
Or, you can have two drone controllers and control one or two drones since the book doesn't tell us that they stack, only that the user must take one or two drones.

The argument can be made that a hardwired drone controller is wargear, whilst the hardpoint controller is a suit support system. The codex forbids duplicating wargear and support systems, but does not forbid the use of two items -- with the same function -- from the different categories.

A single drone controller allows the attachment of one or two drones, so two drone controllers allow the attachment of two to four drones.

I would also like to note that shadowsun basically has two drone controllers, she does not have any special drone controller or anything, just has 3 drones.

I have been looking for a reason that a model couldn't have say 4 sheild drones (besides that it would be dumb) and can't find one. Drone controllers and hard wired drone controllers are under different columns, one is a support system, one is wargear so there is no duplication.

If you go rules lawyering them maybe you could fight about talking two drone controllers and win, but if you follow the sense and what GW probably meant then I'd say no, you can't. Most Tournament judges would probably rule no as well.

@mephet'ran: I don't see that there was ever any intent to give a model only one drone controller, mainly b/c shadowsun has 3 drones attached, one is a command link drone that only she can get but I really don't see how it is any different than having a HW drone controller and a regular drone controller.

It never notes that she has any type of special drone controller, all it notes is: "drone controller and command link drone, two shield drones"

In the NEW codex it does not destinguish between HW DC and DC. In the armoury section it clearly states that no model may take the same item twice. And since there is no difference between a HW DC and a DC they are the same item and thus you cannot take it twice.

Not only that but it also says that the same rules apply whether it is hard-wired or hard-point mounted.

I'd say it is pretty clear.

Maybe I should have gone through my train of logic more in depth in my previous post. The Drone contoller (hard point or wired) forces the user to purchase one or two drones. It does not say anywhere that for each drone controller the user may buy 2 drones. It only says that a model with a drone controller must take one drone, but may take 2.

So it doesn't matter if the model has one drone controller or 4 drone controllers. He still must purchase one drone, but may purchase a second drone.

As far as shadowsun is concerned she does have a special drone controller that controls 3 drones. The description for the drone controller first states that it allows the user to control a number of drones. "Number" being the non-descript term for any number of drones. Then, it lays down the law and tells us that a model using one must take one or two drones with it. It just sounds to me like there are drone controllers in the Tau empire that can control more than 2 drones, like the one Shadowsun uses, and because the description says they are used "as a hub for communications between the operator and a number of drones." However, the ones that we are using in the game are only going to allow 2 drones.

Just my opinion.

"A model with a [one, single] drone controller must take one or two..." (p.26.) My inclusion.

In what way does that mean "A model with two drone controllers must take one or two..." ?

This is clearly another lacuna in the rules. As often happens, GW's intent is impossible to discern. They probably didn't intend a suit to have two controllers, but they don't seem to have ruled it out.

Frankly, I don't see the advantage of letting team leaders take four drones anyway, considering they must pay the points for them. It's an amusing conceit, nothing more.

Using special characters as comparitive examples is not valid as special characters usually have at least one rule or piece of wargear that is different from the norm.
The fact that shadowsun has three drones is irrelevant to anyone elses situation.

"A model with a [one, single] drone controller must take one or two..." (p.26.) My inclusion.

In what way does that mean "A model with two drone controllers must take one or two..." ?

In the way that a model with 2 controllers has a controller.
It doesn't say that the model gets 2 drones per controller, just that, if the model has a controller, it must have 1 or 2 drones.

Thank you insaniak. I guess my rambling posts aren't very coherent.

I would also like to point out that although I agree with Orlanth in that Shadowsun and the Sniper Drone Team Spotter seem to have drone controllers that control more than two drones, but it doesn't dictate the rules for other models.