I. Design Concept & Theme
So, how do you build an armor list that isn't just "Better Minervans?" I started with the previous version of the list, but I'm not wedded to it. I was given one sacred calf that I couldn't slaughter, and asked to be respectful of the folks who might have built collections for the previous experimental list.
I've tried to abide by those guidelines, but there is nothing set in stone here. If something truly needs to come out or something else truly needs to come in, it'll happen. If formation sizes need to grow or contract to better fit game balance, it'll happen.
Before starting to mess with the list, I stepped back a little and had a thought experiment: "If I'm a Skitarii Alpha with literally the entire productive capacity of a forge world at my dendrites' distal phalanges, how would I build a mechanized force?" Simplest, most straight-forward solution: pick the perfect tank for each combat role, and spam the Omnissiah-praising heck out of it.
That's wonderful, but "all overpowered tanks, all the time" isn't exactly a theme. Nor is "Everybody gets MW!" So I took away a few options, and replaced them with alternatives that are either fewer in number (Shadowswords replaced with Ordinatus Minoris from the Allies section), less durable (Valdor tank hunters replaced with Dunecrawler Annihilators), or shorter-ranged (added in Dunecrawler Onagers). I won't pretend it solves the cheese issue entirely, but I hope it's an incremental step in that direction.
This is a list that wants to grind forward and advance up to the mid-line, although it's going to be a slower-moving force compared to Eldar or ground marines. It's going to suffer when facing swarms of infantry, unless you bring in Allied units that can answer those sorts of threats. It's also going to be extremely vulnerable to air assaults if the attacker can make it through the flak screen, but, well, it's an army of tanks, what do you expect?
II. Regarding the Lore...
So, we have literally decades of marginalia around the Skitarii, as well as two editions of codices (7th Edition, 8th Edition) to reconcile. That covers everything from Gryphonne IV testing the Leman Russ Conqueror by deploying entire companies of the tank in support of the War Gryphons as outriders, to statements like "Ryza's Skitarii are exclusively kitted out with the Leman Russ Executioner" on the one hand, and maniples of Onager Dunecrawlers and Ironstriders on the other.
My goal was to provide a list that allows the player to go theme for pure Leman Russes or Dunecrawlers, or anything in between. I’m hoping to provide Skitarii generals with specialized tanks in manageable numbers, and allow them to build lists that could be recognizably themed to a couple of different forge worlds off of this list. Ryza should be viable, as should Gryphonne, and a more generic “Martian” list.
For now I’ve kept the Horus Heresy tanks out of the list, but only because Forge World seems to be in no hurry to import things like the Krios or Karacnos, or any of the Thallaxi into 40K. There’s probably a reason for that. That said, if Forge World does release an Adeptus Mechanicus Supplement book that advances the lore, I’ll happily incorporate them at that time.
III. Balance & New Units
Please everyone and you'll please no one. That said, for now I'm starting this off with what might potentially be over-inclusion, as well as some potential overlapping between unit types. I'd rather give some specific combinations an opportunity to be tested and units can drop out of the list if playtesting dictates in order to keep things balanced.
I opted to bring in the Dunecrawler variants as an alternative armored unit. There aren't any official models available, but there are some proxy options that can fit most variants with a little converting, and a few options on the Shapers-of-Ways, if you know what to look for.
Based on the 40K rules, their chassis is roughly armored up like a Space Marine Predator, plus an invulnerable save. This gets you a cheaper and more fragile main line unit if you so desire, and a way of building an army such that you're not cloning the Minervan list.
I opted to bring in the Ironstriders as well, and while I don't think there's an easily accessible Shapers-of-Ways stand-in, a little converting on a Sentinel chassis, especially the old plastic ones, should get you something recognizable. They're there for cheap scouting activations, and to provide an actual assault unit to escort your armor (and so that there's at least one activation in the list that doesn't have MW).
I also took out the Manticore. I figure this one's going to catch me a lot of flack, but, think back to that first statement about not making this just "Better Minervans." Instead, I added Ordinatus Minoris as an Allies option. I figure this makes sense, and gives you either direct-fire alternatives, or weaker indirect fire-capable salvoes, but overall afford a little more balance and helps keep the army advancing relentlessly toward the enemy instead of standing back and shooting. I'm almost wondering if I should expand the Allies section to include Praetorian Combat Servitors too.
The army list-wide special rules came out for now. They might go back in, but to be honest, Leman Russes with invulnerable saves weren’t going to be fun to fight against, and most of the leadership-based modifications present in the current Adeptus Mechanicus Codex really don’t translate well into Epic: Armageddon. Plus, balancing and scaling army-wide special rules is rough, and I’m not sure I’m quite up to the challenge at the moment.
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