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I've played a couple games now like this and am starting to think that default Matched Play would benefit greatly from having the Night Fight rules apply by default.

It weakens the ever present 36"+ gunlines that seem to dominate (Guard, Dark Reapers, etc) while also nerfing the 1st turn deepstrike alpha meta. And there is even a handy stratagem for you to REALLY focus down an enemy unit if you need to.

I can't see any downside to it really.

I wouldn't be surprised to see it in the next Chapter Approved.

Not sure for every game, but could be interesting for the first say two turns.

perhaps combine with making deep strikes arrive a bit further away, not much, maybe just more than 10"

I dunno but something needs to be done. So far most games are decided in the first turn.

For instance I used a list(uncompetitive) against my friend and crippled most of his stuff and removed most of his markerlights. Next game he goes first and takes out most of my units without breaking a sweat.

I think it lies more in how the new ap system works and how a lot of weapons do arguably too much damage.

I'm also gonna dump a huge load of salt and say branched nova charge only costing 1cp is bad comedy

In with a reasonable caveat before the “assault needs to be nerfed into the ground” crowd:
You need something to mitigate first-turn assault alpha strikes as well. Personally, I think “re-roll failed charges” is as good as it should get; 3D6, flat additions, and universal first turn deepstrike probably needs to be a lot more limited.

Personally there are easier ways to resolve the "first turn" issue

On the first player turn
- No charges may be declared, no close combat may be fought
- No deep striking units may arrive by any means
- All models count as having moved at their full movement for working out their ranged attacks

This does not apply on the second players first turn

The point is to ensure that both players have a movement phase to react to the enemy prior to any deep striking or assaults and after they know who has the first turn.

It also mitigates the ranged alpha strike somewhat


This concept has been used, apart from the prohibition on assaults, on FoW for a while under V3 - and there the only way the second player is getting assaulted is generally to have deployed to allow it

leopard wrote:
Personally there are easier ways to resolve the "first turn" issue

On the first player turn
- No charges may be declared, no close combat may be fought
- No deep striking units may arrive by any means
- All models count as having moved at their full movement for working out their ranged attacks

This does not apply on the second players first turn

The point is to ensure that both players have a movement phase to react to the enemy prior to any deep striking or assaults and after they know who has the first turn.

It also mitigates the ranged alpha strike somewhat


This concept has been used, apart from the prohibition on assaults, on FoW for a while under V3 - and there the only way the second player is getting assaulted is generally to have deployed to allow it

I'm personally not a fan of this.

* Not charging on first turn means that gunlines get to alpha strike an extra time. Basically the same problem that the recent FAQ changes have introduced. First turn charges are a tool for trying to deal with less interactive gunlines. I know your other points are meant to mitigate the dakka side of things, but we'll get to those. Also, my admittedly biased self has come to like turn 1 assaults with red grief reavers and would be disappointed to see that go away.

* No deepstrikers showing up on turn 1 is tied to the first point. I'm mostly okay with making reserves actually wait in reserves for a turn, but only if gunlines aren't reaching out and tabling the rest of my army with minimal resistance because my best answers to gunlines have been hamstrung.

* I don't think "counting as moving their maximum distance" does what you want it to do. Presumably, the intention is to impose a -1 to hit penalty on all ranged units. It doesn't. My ravagers, for instance, will be shooting at the same BS, and my dark reapers will ignore the penalty. Even if they did suffer the -1 to being hit, I'm not sure if that's really an effective way of taking the teeth off of gunlines. Sure, missing one extra time for every 6 shots you fire is significant, but is it significant enough to neutralize the "alpha strike" phenomenon? Especially if you get to shoot twice before deepstrikers even show up?

*Having it only apply to the player that goes first seems like it almost makes going second more of an advantage. Not only will you get the last chance to go stand on objectives in many mission formats, you'll also get to use your entire army on turn 1 while your opponent has his reserves and shooting minimized. I know I just said that the -1 to hit might not be enough to hinder gunlines, but picture a well-rounded, non-gunline army that goes first against a gunline army. The well-rounded force would take penalties to his shooting and not be able to after the heavy hitters across the table with his reserves, and the gunline would get to hit him without penalty.