1. Restriction on Blastmasters
Back in the day (v3.0-v3.5), Noise Marine squads could upgrade one weapon per 6 Noise Marines (remember sacred numbers) to a Blastmaster. This resulted in a typical 6 man squad being a Champ, 4 Sonics and a Blastmaster. This was replicated across the army.
The new rules have one BM once you get to 10 Noise Marines meaning that all those six man squads are now five man squads. When this is coupled with the erradication of Noise Havocs, most long time EC players are now sitting on a swathe of useless blastmaster-totting marines. Frustrating.
"We Should Have Bought Apple Shares"
Quartermaster Alwyk Considers Telling Noise Lord Challis Drant About Losses Suffered As A Result Of The Legion's Investment In Blastmasters.
2. Change to Sonics
Sonics used to be Assault 2 weapons or Heavy 3. This made them extremely mobile and it also supported their Mark Attribute +1 Initiative. With the change to Salvo they are effectively one of the most immobile units in the game with a Mark Attribute entirely at odds with how the rules change will see them used. It doesn't appear as if a lot of thought has gone into this.
For me, it wouldn't have taken much in terms of the new codex to make existing armies more useable. This likely would have driven new Noise Marine sales. As it stands I don't see too many people rushing to build a full Noise Marine army given how it will play.
Frustrating!
Stop living in previous editions especially two editions ago. The game has changed and with that units have changed over the course of time. Sacred numbers are a thing of the past.
ReplyDeleteIt called an opinion Mr Panda.....
ReplyDeleteNot sure how my recollection of what I thought was a more accurate representation of the Legion impinges on your enjoyment of the game?
why can't I live in the past?
Another minus in the nerfing of sonic blasters is that unlike rapid fire weapons that can move and still fire a shot at 24", salvo weapons can't. They can move and fire twice at 12" max. The loss of the assault profile is a paradigm shift too. On the plus side to the army, the icon of excess is good and the psychic powers aren't too shabby either. I've got a spare blastmaster or 10 if you ever run out.
DeleteSuggestion on the Blastmaster models is to just take a Mark of Slaanesh Havoc squad with Autocannons, and have the blastmasters represent Autocannons in the squad.
ReplyDeleteYep and that certainly is an option - 115 points for 5 Havocs with 4 AC looks a good deal, though I'd probably buy an extra for fluff.
ReplyDeleteServes them right for violating their oaths to the God-Emperor. Think of it as his divine vengeance reaching back through time to punish the Emperor's Children for the faithless abominations they are by nerfing them and draining their character.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you sticking to the fluff though. I think more should be made of sacred numbers in Fantasy as well. But then it's all one big tea-party in the warp these days, I guess the Dark Gods are too busy drinking earl grey and eating cucumber sandwiches to bother about how they're worshipped.
Evidently Peter, your army was so against the fluff and ethos of the legion that GW have gone out of their way for the better part of half a decade to make sure you never construct such a ridiculous abomination ever again.
ReplyDeleteI have always suspected that it was the case Charlie. Nefarious forces driven by envy
ReplyDeleteLike the Primarch himself, the army was perfection.