Comp, Camp and Clump

So the Dred is done.

If you ignore the purity seal frosting on the left shoulder pad and that I have forgotten to dot barrel of the big shoota.

So I have been fiddling about with Excel trying to come up with a list, as the missus has given me permission to go out to play.

In other news, BoLS is alive with discussion about the merits (or not) of AV10. According to the editorial the new Dark Elves are not going to be the mega-army some are predicting.

But as the basis for the arguement relates to tiers, and powerplay theory, it is not something that particularly interests me.

Not least because it is meta-game and a huge psych out.

Who knows?

Maybe when people get the codex in their greasy mitts and start actually playing with the new rules they will find combos and synergies that could never have been predicted. And may well give the uber armies a run for their money.

Speaking of people rethinking things with the book in their hands, The Quiet Limit has a post about the proposed comp system for next year's WFB ETC.

When 8th ed was launched the mantra, oft repeated, was that no comp should be considered for at least a year, because no one knew what would be effective (perhaps because they had wiped their mind of all experience- perhaps not). Well it seems the ETC commitee have decided against that approach and have come up with a list of restrictions. And not only restrictions, they have even started rewriting the core rules.

The steadfast rule as it appears in the rules has been discarded, and replaced by a modified version of the outflanking rules from 7th. True LoS is being replaced by an as yet to be decided system. These are the two main changes. But perhaps more surprising is the composition restriction that imposes a maximum figure count on units, making the maximum unit size 40. And that is only possible if the figures cost 5 points or less.

The rationale behind this change is sound, in that the organisers see a problem in large bunker units. Yet equally it does seem to work against the declared rationale and supposed balancing element within the rules between small elite units and cheap hordes. It is also interesting that they choose 40 as the maximum unit size, given that all the talk out of GW when the rules were launched was about having 50 strong horde units.

The magic phase has also been addressed. But in some ways the ETC has missed an opportunity. Because rather than limiting the power dice, I wonder why they don't just rewrite the spells to make them less stoopid.

Obviously this would upset a number of people. But it strikes me that if you are going to limit unit size and the do away with the steadfast rule, and effectively nerf horde armies, is it really such a problem to rewrite Purple Sun? or whatever.

It doesn't necessarily need a total rewrite - in the sense of actual invention - it could be something as simple as reversing the failure criteria. After all in 8th iniative is offers many advantages already - why not make it detrimental to balance the magic phase?

Or another simple change that would balance the magic phase would be to resolve the miscast before the spell effects - in much the same way as a RiP spell ends if the caster dies. Voila, suddenly the magic phase works in a way closer to the intention of the rules writers - or at least the intention they stated at the time - i.e. that the player has to make balance risk vs reward when casting.

Of course all of this has to be accepted by the WAAC vested interests that play certain armies - not to mention the morons who say things like "if you don't like the magic, go play WAB". And assumes that the ETC is interested in genuinely balancing the game. Which is questionable given the limiting of unit size, and the abolition of the steadfast rule.

But I guess it is a question of wait and see.

Oh and another thing... this makes me laugh whenever I read it. Narcissus is alive and well ;-)

peace:)