So, what has changed? Seems like the Imperial Militia has gotten more flexible and even had units added to their roster, particularly those from Necromunda and Genestealer Cultists from the 40K line. Their rules have a glowup - they are Irregulars, which allows you to score or contest objectives with them even when they suffer tactical statuses. Of course, they're limited to only scoring 1 victory point and Line doesn't count, but it still helps a lot to even the scoring despite having lots of them die. They do die if they get routed and run all the way to the edge of the table, though.
Vehicles retain their Third-Line rule, but now it means you suffer a hull point's worth of damage if you get glanced. I assume Armorbane weapons will deal 2 hull points worth of damage (or 1 + the damage of the Armorbane weapon). Super-heavy vehicles also suffer two hull points worth of damage if glanced. Ouch.
Now, on to the fun part: Provenances of War. They're more flexible than before, allowing you to mix and match without as many restrictions as during the first and second editions. Some are locked to specific allegiances, such as Traitor, though. So no running Tainted Flesh or Debased Rabble with Talons of the Emperor, for example.
Also, Imperial Militia only get one Provenance now. Hang on, calm down before you start screaming about nerfs. It's actually a buff because if you take a Force Commander with his Planetary Overlord Trait, you get a second Provenance, so you go back to square one - but it's a buff if you're taking an army without a Force Commander. Say, if for some reason you don't want to use the Special Assignment Prime Advantage to turn a Command into a High Command slot, or you just want to run several command troops for their amazing Officer of the Line (3) that unlocks 3 auxiliary detachments. Yes, you readd that right. Officer of the Line (3). Hell, yeah!
Anyway, what are the Provenancess of War?
Abhuman Master: Irregulars (basically non-vehicles and non-walkers and non-Ogryns) get +1 Strength, +1 WS, -1 BS, Impact (LD), and access to assault shields for 1 point each.
Alchem-jackers: Ignore negative modifiers to Leadership or Cool when making checks for Tactical Statuses, and access to Frenzon for 1 point each, which gives them Hatred (infantry, cavalry, automata) and Heedless.
Armory of Old Night: My good old Provenance for Ryuusei Katanas (or Household Militia). We keep our volkite chargers and volkite serpentas (for officers and sergeants), and they cost 5 points each now. Volkite culverins are now heavy weapons that cost 15 points each, so now my Grenadiers suddenly lost access to them and their loadout is illegal. However, they can take special weapons (2 per squad), which means they gained volkite calivers for 10 points each. Sure, I'll just swap the volkite culverins out for volkite calivers then.
However, the most insane upgrade is that now my Ryuusei Katanas have their Armor saves improved by +1, the tradeoff being they are Slow and Purposeful. That means my Grenadiers now have 3+ armor saves, putting them on par with Astartes legionnaires in terms of armor saves! WHAT IN THE HOLY EMPEROR'S NAME?!
Arms of the Omnissiah: Hooray, they combined the two pseudo-Skitarii rules! Now your Skitarii-wannabes have access to las-locks for the standard infantry troops (Grenadiers already have access by default, and they cost an extra point each), plus arc rifles in special weapons (again, 2 for Grenadiers, 1 for infantry troops). Not only that, they now can ride in Triaros armored conveyors as heavy transports and take an armored detachment of Krios tanks, but these vehicles get Third-Line and -1 BS.
Augmented Levy: The third pseudo-Skitarii that got left out and not combined with the other two, Irregulars gain Rite of Pure Thought, and Command Troops can repair automata for 2 points per model. Huh?
Cyber-augmetics: Good old original pseudo-Skitarii rule from both the first and second editions, not the three provenances we got from a 2nd edition Exemplary Battle. Irregulars infantry gain Eternal Warrior (1), which is hilarious when you consider that most of your non-Character infantry only have 1 wound. Could have been useful on, say, Cavalry or units, but nope. On the other hand, your multi-wound artillery dudes are tougher? So Field Guns, Ordnance Batteries, etc.? Bizarre, but what do I know?
Oh, they also get +1 Cool and Intelligence, as well as rad grenades for Characters costing 5 points each. No Feel No Pain or invulnerable saves. Sad. But rad.
Debased Rabble: Traitors only. The opposite of Cyber-augmetics, sort of, with +1 Cool but -1 Intelligence. Melee dudes and Officers get Tainted implements for 1 point each. Basically Rending (6+) melee weapons.
Feral Warriors: Irregulars get Impact (WS), but are forced to make an Intelligence Check whenever they're within 8" of an enemy unit. Failing that, they must charge that unit. But you were going to do that anyway...right? Also, they get paired close combat weapons for 3 points each. That just gives them an extra attack.
Gene-crafted: Irregulars get Light sub-type, or lose Heavy if they have Heavy sub-type. They also get needle pistols for 5 points each, assault needlers for 5, needle rifles as special weapons for 10, and needle cannons as heavy weapons for 15. Basically separating them out from volkite in Armory of Old Night, and making them more Necromunda-ish. Cool.
Imperialis Provosts: Irregular infantry without Expendable get +1 Cool, melee dudes and officers get shock mauls for 3 points each, and they also get webbers as special weapons for 3 points.
Industrial Levy: Irregulars get Move Through Cover, access to Heavy Industrial weapons for 8 points each, mining lasers and seismic cannons as special weapons for 15, heavy mining lasers and heavy seismic weapons as heavy weapons for 25. Start converting your Genestealer Cultists into Militia!
Kinfolk Helots: Squats, Space Dwarves, Heresy-era Votann, whatever you want to call them. Irregular infantry get +1 Toughness, but -1 Initiative and Movement. You can choose one Grenadier Troop in each detachment and upgrade them to Exo-riggers for 8 points per model, which makes them Heavy, Bulky (2) and Slow and Purposeful, improve their Armor save to 3+, gives them 6++ invulnerable, an Intelligence of 7, Sergeants get Battlesmith (1), and access to heavy industrial weapons for 8 points each, or a pair of industrial weapons for 10.
Legacy of the Great Crusade: Hell, yeah! It's back! Irregulars who are not Expendable get +1 BS, infantry troops get access to lasrifles for 1 point each, and rotor cannons are added to special weapons at 10 points.
Ogryn Conscripts: Ogryn brutes lose Heedless if they have Discipline Masters attached to them, and they can swap their assault shields for boarding shields for 2 points each.
Survivors of the Dark Age: All vehicles gain Auto-Repair (5+), and your dudes can ride in Rhinos, Termites and Land Carriers, but as usual, they get -1 BS and Third-Line. Would be hilarious to take this for your Yeomanry Mesnie to support your Knights with frakking self-repairing Land Raiders. God-Emperor.
Tainted Flesh: Irregulars get Aflame (1) and Impact (1). Ghost Riders, anyone? Rogue Psykers also get two psychic disciplines instead of one.
Voidbourne: Also separated from Armory of Old Night, these guys get Infiltrate (18) as long as they are Irregulars without Expendable and Bulky. Reconnaissance Troops or Command Troops can be upgraded to voidjumpers for 3 points per model, giving them Antigrav, Bulky (2), Deep Strike, Firestorm, Movement 10" and access to two pistols (2 laspistols will cost 1 point per model).
Warrior Elite: Irregulars get +1 Leadership to a maximum of 9, and may swap their Militia vexilla for auxillia vexilla for free, which helps rally your troops when they're routed.
Unending Horde: Infantry Troops and Levy Troops get Endless Horde (4+), which means you can replace them on a roll of 4+ whenever they're wiped out, by placing a "new" unit in Reserves. Obviously, attached Characters don't get revived, so no resurrecting your Force Commander or Discipline Master or Rogue Psyker when they die. Also, you can give your Command Troop and Infantry Troops Expendable (1) for 1 point per model.
Which is your favorite Provenance?
Imperial Militia players are eating good. In addition to these new Provenances, we also have an immense number of new detachments!
6 Apex detachments, giving us an insane number of whatever units we want to spam, whether they are Grenadiers or Ogryns, or maybe infantry. Or artillery and heavy weapons. We even have cavalry spam and tank spam (you can take up to 8 tanks!) options for Apex.
Three auxiliary detachments give you one for an extra command slot accompanied by 4 supports for Medicae units only, a Storm Cadre for 2 Grenadiers if you don't want to take a Force Commander but still want to bring Grenadiers for an allied detachment, and Daemonic Manifestation that summons 3 units of Ruinstorm Daemon Brutes, but only for Imperial Militia armies who brought Rogue Psykers.
So what does that mean for my Imperial Militia? Either I have the volkite culverins count as bulky, old-fashioned volkite calivers, or I just cut them off and equip them with volkite calivers. I....don't think I want to do that, so I'll just pretend they are distinctive volkite calivers. They fit my Yeomanry Mesnie for my Knights really well, taking up the 2 Elite slots. Perhaps I might get cavalry to join them in the future, or a squad of Snipers. I don't really want to bring Gorgons, though. Unless they're fine with me proxying a Stormlord as a Gorgon or something...or I kitbash a Stormlord into a Gorgon. maybe.
Rules-wise, they're...fine? But I find myself wondering if I should just take Solar Auxilia instead. After all, the same loadout on a 10-men Veletaris squad costs 90 points (95 with vox interlock), minus 2 shots from the volkite calivers, and they're already hitting on 3+ instead of 4+ with their BS4. Plus they have access to Dracosan Armored Transports. There's...no reason to take Armory of Old Night Imperial Militia over Veletaris Solar Auxilia. The only edge they have over their Solar Auxilia counterparts is a 3+ armor save, but I'm paying over 50% more for them (145 points for a squad with 8 volkite chargers and 2 volkite calivers). Are they worth it? Even if I say fluff, for all intents and purposes, Veletaris Solar Auxilia with volkite chargers are identical, aside from the better BS and worse armor save.
I honestly don't know. What do you think?
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