Chapter Tactics is a 40k podcast which focuses on promoting better tactical play and situational awareness across all variations of the game. Today Peteypab, Reece, The Falcon, Sean and Val all go over the new Space Marine codex, predict the most powerful units and stratagem changes in it, and talk about the ETC results.
Show Notes:
- Head on over to 40kstats.com for more faction stats for all major ITC tournaments!
- Support us on Patreon this month and get a chance to receive random stuff from us!
- Click here for a link for information on downloading best coast pairings app where you can find lists for most of the events I mention.
- Check out the last episode of Chapter Tactics here. Or, click here for a link to a full archive of all of our episodes.
- Commercial music by: www.bensound.com
- Intro by: Justin Mahar
About the bit with the +1 to hit abilities and Bolter Drill, I think Bolter Drill won’t be in the eventual Imperial Fists (Sons of Dorn?) supplement. Partly because GW is evidently phasing out all the abilities that trigger on 6+s in favour of unmodified 6s (which is a shame if you ask me), but more specifically because Bolter Drill kinda got baked into the IF and CF chapter tactics, much like how Dakka Dakka Dakka went from a (shitty) stratagem to an (amazing) global ability. Till the hypothetical supplement drops though I expect some of the +1 to hit/Bolter Drill combos to be meta, particularly Siegebreaker Centurions.
That aside, taking a look at the leaked stuff for the White Scars supplement it’s actually nuts how much of their ruleset screams “USE THESE WITH MELEE BIKERS” whereas the only real non-character melee bikers are index-only company vets on bikes. Bit sad.
Really a missed opportunity to allow Bikes to fill troop slots for White Scars, and have obsec etc.
It’s because it goes against the Codex Astartes. WC are a codex compliant chapter.
They really missed the opportunity to reverse the trend of making every Codex release about making armies more killy, while letting the defensibility of armies stagnate at basically index-leaves (aside from hording out with cheaper stuff).
The game IMO doesn’t need even better (offensive) re-rolls, but more ways to counter an opponent‘s re-rolls. Not more double-activations, but more ways to stop opponents from (double) activating. Not more ways to ignore modifiers, damage tables, movement penalties, etc… but more ways to make them meaningful.
I am honestly not sure what the playtesters are smoking. If you play two typical armies (new Marines, triple Crusaders, triple Riptide, whatever), on a typical „White Dwarf battle report table“, most armies have little left for meaningful gameplay turn 4 or 5 or so.
Are playtesters testing the game already with houserules like ITC ruin-rules that just put bandaids on the symptoms or are there efforts to one day make the game playable again as written?
Playtesters don’t write rules, friend. So aiming this at them is a waste of time.
I know. Maybe I should‘ve said rules writers.
Believe it or not, I did some minuscule „playtesting“ for GW in darker days, when I was freelancing a bit for GW, and they invited me in for a couple of games, including one with Jervis, for their 7th Flyer „game“ they packaged with two flyers, etc..
Just saying, if armies now put out, dunno, 200% of the damage (especially in CP-fueled early turns) compared to their Index equivalent, but the defensive side of the equation remains comparatively unchanged overall, and their approach to (re-)balance older army is largely to make them even more Killy with specialist detachments, 2.0. Codexes, etc.., more double activations, more ways to ignore modifiers and degrading stats, more ways to get into position, etc.. the Long Term direction looks unsustainable, even if the initial assessment of Index-40k might have been, that it wasn’t lethal enough.
Worst part is definitely the supplement money grab. I miss only needing one book to play an army.
You can play without the supplements. Then you would need only one codex.
I prefer the supplement model. Everybody gets something for their armies and I don’t have to pay for rules I don’t want to use.
Really GW has given us all the rules to play the game for free. (Hear me out)
While they can’t just give out free PDF’s off their website because of what they have promised their Stock Holders they do let things leak pretty “easily”.
Almost all the people they give review copies to put something up on Youtube or other outlet with full High Rez photos of the WHOLE book. Does GW force those videos down? (they are within rights to do so) No.
After a week all the info you would ever want and need is there for download somewhere.
GW Books are a collectors item thing at this point. If having pulp from dead trees with ink on it is your thing then go for it. If you think it is just an added cost you don’t need then don’t.
I don’t get this whining attitude from (what I assume are) functional adults with Jobs.
Man, complaining about getting more stuff? The chapters are perfectly standalone without the supplement. I’d kill for a supplement of that quality for FSE.