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Author Topic: Army Character and Making a Unit pay  (Read 1919 times)

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Offline Artuk

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Army Character and Making a Unit pay
« on: March 27, 2002, 04:20:04 AM »
Hi, just joined the board.  Nice to find a decent board for
the emperors footsloggers (this includes you flashy ac types).

Anyway had a couple of points i wanted to air and thought this might be a goo place.  Ive just started playing 40k again after a long break (about 7 or 8 yrs) and as such for the last few months ive been surfing various message boards catching up on things.

During this ive noticed a familiar and to me depressingly common them.  This is that when army lists or compositions many people seem to focus on the efficiency of the army to the nth degree completely ignoring or eradicating from it any kind of colour, character or realism.

Consistantly i here people knocking carapace armour, refractor fields, power weapons, vet sargeants, Basic Leman Russ's, numerous wargear items just because the points could be spent elsewhere buying an extra Plasma gun or Hvy bolter etc....

Am i in a minority when i say i would rather spend points on giving my army some kind of character.  Personally speaking im far happier spending points on stuff that fits in with the army character and losing, rather then winning with an army i have no attachment to.


My second issue is the following statement.
"Dont take that unit because it wont make its points back".  
Now this statment then assumes are unit is only worth its points if it causes enough enemy casualties to match its own point cost.  Surely the effictiveness of a unit should not be based only on this criteria.  If a unit of guard tie up a unit of marines for one turn thus giving me time that i need to prepeare some response, then even with the unit wiped out they have still potentially made there points worth.


Anyway thats all i have to say for now.  
Regards
Art

Offline Delone

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Re:Army Character and Making a Unit pay
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2002, 08:09:31 AM »
Yup, you're right.  BUT if you spend $90 to go to a tournament to play.  I WANT TO WIN, I don't want to have character in my army.  Well I do, but I want to be effective at least.

I don't want to waste $90 just because I want my army to be realistic.  I would actually rather have both  :D

Offline lastrati

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Re:Army Character and Making a Unit pay
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2002, 09:44:59 AM »
Well, I'm one of those guys who doesn't spend points on vet sgts, refractor fields, or carapace armor because I think those points could be spent better elsewhere.

However, that is not to say that I don't value "character" in my army.  

Would you be more inspired by an officer who is cowering behind cover, wearing carapace armor and protected by a refractor field, or by an officer who is wearing a flak jacket, just like you?

As for veteran sgts?  I'd like to include one per platoon, and one as a bodyguard for each of my officers, but for 10 pts?  All of my squads already have Ld 8 because I keep my formation tight.  The extra attack doesn't really help much, and the only weapon option that I would like him to take (and that he is allowed to take) is a boltgun.  I'm not going to spend 13 pts to give my sgt a boltgun!  If the cost of the Vet Sgt were cut to 6 pts, i would probably include one or two.  Instead, I'll occasionally purchase a Confessor with a conversion field (since he can't buy a flak jacket) and call him a Master Sergeant with Carapace Armor-when points allow.

My objective is to try to represent an infantry company- originally defined as three 35 man platoons led by a Captain (not a Colonel!)- and to have a few close support vehicles permanently attached.  

Due to thick terrain combat experience, my companies now consist of two-35 man platoons, and 2 armored fist squads led by a Chimera mounted Captain.   They are almost always supported by a Hellhound and a Demolisher.  If points allow, I throw in a Commisar, a couple of scout Sentinels, and a standard Leman Russ.  

Wargear is kept to a minimum!  Extra Armor, Smoke, Searchlights, and RTM's are the only vehicle wargear I usually take, and on officers, a powersword (an occasionally useful badge of rank) and boltpistol is the most I normally provide.  If I have points to spare, trademark items (the odd uniforms of the officers) are pointed as well.

I don't point for the comm links my command squads carry since all of the units that have them already have Ld8.  

I am a number's cruncher.  I take what I think the army should logically have, and I try to get it as cheaply as possible.  I don't want to spend points on things that don't work.  While I have models with frag grenades on them, and models with comm links on them, instead of spending 130 pts on paying for these things that, while fluffy, I can't actually benefit from, I'd rather save the points and buy a supporting Hellhound and a Commisar with a powersword.

For me, it's okay to spend some points on fluff, but it's real easy to go overboard, and it's real hard to neatly strip off extra gear from a model when you are playing at a different points value than the one you designed your force to meet.  

These are my views only, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of other guard players nor of the management of this station.



Offline Staatz

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Re:Army Character and Making a Unit pay
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2002, 02:57:32 PM »
Ya, I like to make a back story to fit my army and not an army to fit a back story, generaly you can have a good colorful army that fights well If you do it like that

 


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