Post by Rolling Thunder on Nov 30, 2016 16:53:12 GMT -5
Dear Games Workshop,
I recently returned from a brief sojourn away from the hobby, caused bythose meddling inquisitors and their wretched cyber-mastiff real life. I'm sure you, as hobbyists , have had similar experiences. You put away the models for a while, or can't find the time to nip down the club for a game, and whoops, suddenly two editions have passed, Archaeon has splintered the world into a million fragments, and Blood Bowl's coming home. It is of this experience, that I write to you of; and my dismay of finding that 7th edition has killed my army.
I returned to 40K full of bhope. The new edition seemed excellent; a broad plethora of varied missions, random objectives, warlord traits, a massive expansion in the range ofunholy witchcraft psychic powers, a broad standardization of the innumerable special rules of the game. Huge expansion in the amount of content available; credit were credit is due, the edition, as a whole, is a good step forward from where I left it at 5th. Likewise, the Astra Militarum Imperial Guard codex, on the whole, was a decent piece of work: Vendettas got a necessary points nerf, Ogryns are still massively overcosted, you made the best troops choice (Veterans) better and Storm Scions Stormtroopers got their own codex and some general buffs. Good times. Forge Worlds Lost and the Damned list is also pretty awesome; really old guard, customisable to the teeth. Wonderful.
So, credit where credit's due; the reason for the letter.
You made Valkyries flyers. Flyers have to start in reserve. Not "Zooming flyers"; all flyers, which you've helpfully clarified in the official FAQs.
Likewise, you've included this particular phrase "if at the end of any game turn, one player has no models on the battlefield his opponent automatically wins. Units occupying a building or embarked on a vehicle still count as being on the battlefield, but units which are in Reserve (including Ongoing Reserve) do not."
Furthermore, you include this particular gem of clarification: "Q: Since a player automatically loses at the end of any game turn in which he has no models on the table, does a player taking a Detachment that requires him to start all his models in Reserve (such as the Ravenwing Strike Force with Flyers) automatically lose every game he plays?
A: A player who takes an army that consists entirely of units and/or Detachments which must be set up in Reserve, with no special rule that allows them to arrive in the first game turn, will automatically lose the game. We do not recommend choosing an army like this!"
The effect of both of these rules has been to kill my Aerial Cavalry army stone dead. As Imperial Guard lack any means of bringing a Valkyrie on in Turn 1, unlike, say, Space Marines, whom this rule still allows to leave a clear field for a mass assault from reserve, I can pull up with my list, my opponent can have a turn, and then I can lose. Exactly what the reasoning behind this rule was, I cannot attest to, as it does not seem to do anything other than limit the players' choice of army styles. I can no longer deploy, as per my army's background, as a formation of veteran soldiers operating from aerial assets. My four Valkyries, and my converted Vendetta, my fifty converted veterans, are all now wonderful display models, because my play style has been ruled out of existence.
It goes rather without saying that I am quite sad at this state of affairs. I remember, back in 2009, when the Valkyrie kits and rules were first released, my excitement at finally being able to build an all-Valkyrie force, which I promptly did. Now it's no more; killed off, not by meta, or power creep, but by a random act of fiat on the part of a rules writer. It saddens me to say this, but due to this rules change, I cannot return to 40K. I could probably play some hybridised list, or even just mechanized IG, but, frankly, I don't want to. I've spent six years building The Mercenaries, and I want to play them as I envisaged, and as you permitted and indeed encouraged people to, during 5th Edition; in their rampant, turbofans-blazing glory as an aerial assault force. But, apparently, you no longer recommend choosing an army like this.
I would be interested in hearing your reasons why. I would be also interested in a proposed amendment to this rule, either in this edition or the next. There are a number; from allowing flyers to deploy in Hover, as Fast Skimmers, or allowing them to be deployed into Ongoing Reserves, or allowing them to be deployed-on table. I would propose removing the "end of turn automatic lose" clause, as the best solution, as it adds nothing to the game other than to force players to use a certain playstyle.
Regardless, I sign this off with a heavy heart, as a fan of nineteen years, that I can not return to the fold.
Yours sincerely,
Rolling Thunder
I recently returned from a brief sojourn away from the hobby, caused by
I returned to 40K full of bhope. The new edition seemed excellent; a broad plethora of varied missions, random objectives, warlord traits, a massive expansion in the range of
So, credit where credit's due; the reason for the letter.
You made Valkyries flyers. Flyers have to start in reserve. Not "Zooming flyers"; all flyers, which you've helpfully clarified in the official FAQs.
Likewise, you've included this particular phrase "if at the end of any game turn, one player has no models on the battlefield his opponent automatically wins. Units occupying a building or embarked on a vehicle still count as being on the battlefield, but units which are in Reserve (including Ongoing Reserve) do not."
Furthermore, you include this particular gem of clarification: "Q: Since a player automatically loses at the end of any game turn in which he has no models on the table, does a player taking a Detachment that requires him to start all his models in Reserve (such as the Ravenwing Strike Force with Flyers) automatically lose every game he plays?
A: A player who takes an army that consists entirely of units and/or Detachments which must be set up in Reserve, with no special rule that allows them to arrive in the first game turn, will automatically lose the game. We do not recommend choosing an army like this!"
The effect of both of these rules has been to kill my Aerial Cavalry army stone dead. As Imperial Guard lack any means of bringing a Valkyrie on in Turn 1, unlike, say, Space Marines, whom this rule still allows to leave a clear field for a mass assault from reserve, I can pull up with my list, my opponent can have a turn, and then I can lose. Exactly what the reasoning behind this rule was, I cannot attest to, as it does not seem to do anything other than limit the players' choice of army styles. I can no longer deploy, as per my army's background, as a formation of veteran soldiers operating from aerial assets. My four Valkyries, and my converted Vendetta, my fifty converted veterans, are all now wonderful display models, because my play style has been ruled out of existence.
It goes rather without saying that I am quite sad at this state of affairs. I remember, back in 2009, when the Valkyrie kits and rules were first released, my excitement at finally being able to build an all-Valkyrie force, which I promptly did. Now it's no more; killed off, not by meta, or power creep, but by a random act of fiat on the part of a rules writer. It saddens me to say this, but due to this rules change, I cannot return to 40K. I could probably play some hybridised list, or even just mechanized IG, but, frankly, I don't want to. I've spent six years building The Mercenaries, and I want to play them as I envisaged, and as you permitted and indeed encouraged people to, during 5th Edition; in their rampant, turbofans-blazing glory as an aerial assault force. But, apparently, you no longer recommend choosing an army like this.
I would be interested in hearing your reasons why. I would be also interested in a proposed amendment to this rule, either in this edition or the next. There are a number; from allowing flyers to deploy in Hover, as Fast Skimmers, or allowing them to be deployed into Ongoing Reserves, or allowing them to be deployed-on table. I would propose removing the "end of turn automatic lose" clause, as the best solution, as it adds nothing to the game other than to force players to use a certain playstyle.
Regardless, I sign this off with a heavy heart, as a fan of nineteen years, that I can not return to the fold.
Yours sincerely,
Rolling Thunder
Honestly buddy, you just have to look for a way to make it work for you, and whatever you do, get those Snipers some cover!!!
