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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 10:52 pm
Posts: 9617
Location: Nashville, TN, USA
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(Evil and Chaos @ Feb. 06 2007,22:42)
QUOTE And I'm still not understanding why this change was even conceived, let alone deemed necessary.
Me too.
Noone's providing me with an adequate reason as to why MW / TK should be downgraded so radically, seemingly against the background and to the detriment of the game (The hit allocation process becomes MUCH MORE abstract... and this is NOT a good thing without SERIOUS REASON).
First, the downgrade to MW and TK weapons is being grossly exaggerated. It's a modest downgrade in the large majority of situations. It only really only makes a substantial difference with void shields/power fields. Against other units, the actual change is that you've gone from the attacker applying to the most valuable eligible unit to the hit being applied to the closest surviving units.
Most of the time the difference is no more than a pip or two on a saving throw. That's practically nothing. To go with the Ork example, now a grot takes the MW and the boyz stand behind it gets a 6+ save instead of none. And that's a big deal? As Chroma pointed out indirectly, it's not uncommon that the majority of units in a formation are of roughly the same power anyway. Who cares if this Leman Russ takes the MW hit or that Leman Russ takes it? In that case it makes absolutely no difference.
Any WE can still be targetted per the WE rules, so it's not like you'll have to burn a MW attack on an IG infantry stand attached to a SHT company. Just target the WE.
Also, I rather suspect that most people claiming there is a big downgrade are doing their allocations wrong. There is not a tremendous amount of "penetrating" into the formation as several people have implied. It's actually very little, which is what makes me thing it's being done incorrectly.
MW hits under the book rules form an entirely separate allocation after the other hits are allocated and saved. So, just to pick on Bombot's example, you couldn't use the MW to pick off Stompas attached to an Ork Warband. You would apply all the normal hits, make all the saves, and then any remaining MW hits would be allocated as a separate round, starting with the units at the front, probably back to the Boyz. The Stompa would only be a valid MW target if the regular fire destroyed every other model between the firing formation and the Stompa, regardless of how far the first volley of non-MW fire penetrated into the formation.
Finally (on this point), short range MW attacks have actually received an upgrade, especially MWCC attacks. Under the current book rules, when it comes time to allocate MW hits, if something is out of range you lose the hits because there are no valid targets for allocation.
Sure it's a downgrade, but outside of the fields/shields, it is quite modest. With respect to the fields/shields, I consider it more of an upgrade for them than a downgrade for the TK.
Second, there are several reasons for the changes to hit allocation. I suppose most of them must have been before you came around. In no particular order:
1) It allows LVs to be better at screening their respective formations. This is desired partly to offset their inherent vulnerability but also to help them function better as screening units as they were intended.
By allocating hits that can be applied to all the units first, the LVs can receive a hit, but then hits which can only be applied to the LVs have to double up. For example, a KoS with 6 bikes and 2 buggies (in front) is hit by 2 AP hits and 1 AT hit. The Ork player can allocate the AP hits first. As the buggies are in front and a valid target they are hit first. Then when the defender applies the AT hit, the only valid targets are the buggies. One of them gets a doubled up hit, rather than hitting a thrid unit.
2) It removes the entirely goony MW hit allocation round which caused (causes) no end of questions. As noted above, it seems from the descriptions of people's play just in this thread that it's misunderstood and misapplied.
3) It fixes the doubling up of multi-TK weapons. As the rules are written, if you fire 2 Deathstrikes at a formation of Warhounds and both hit, they are both allocated to a single titan because each is a single "hit." And yes, I'm aware the FAQ changes that, but FAQs aren't supposed to change rules, only clarify or resolve contradictions. The hit allocation rule codifies that change.
4) There was a desire to upgrade the MWCC attack. Really good CC units could actually do better by having normal CC attacks than MWCC because normal hits were never wasted. For example, Terminators couldn't effectively CC a formation of light units because they would lose almost half their attacks (the valid targets were dead before MW attacks were applied), while the same number of Ork Nobz with all normal attacks could do a lot more damage because all their hits were always applied.
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Neal
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