GW have just released a new errata and FAQ based on the new Astra Militarum codex. If you haven't seen it, you can find it on the following link.
I don't normally post about these, but there were a couple of things that caught my interest and came at a good time as I was working on my Codex review.
The first major one is the change to Commissars. Under the old rules, Astra Militarum units within 6" of a Commissar could never lose more than a single model as a result of a single failed morale test. Under the new rules: "The first time an Astra Militarum unit fails a Morale test during the Morale phase whilst it is within 6" of any friendly Commissars, one model of your choice in that unit is slain and the Morale test is re-rolled (do not include this slain model when re-rolling the Morale test)."
This has big implications for Conscript spam units in the game. Previously, if you were to wipe out half of a 30-strong Conscript squad, they could only lose a single model to morale. Now, however, you are only getting a re-roll for the cost of a single member of the unit rather than "automatically passing". This is a big change meaning that morale will have a big effect on these units and other Guard units in the game. I think this is probably a change for the better, making conscript mobs much more likely to fold under intense firepower.
In fact, most of the time you are probably better off not including a Commissar in your army. The rule states that you must lose a single model and re-roll the test. This could be more detrimental in a lot of situations. For example, say you fail a morale test on a 1 or a 2 and would lose a single model from your unit. If there was a Commissar nearby, you would be forced to lose a single model and still re-roll the morale test, potentially losing even more from your squad.
The other big change for me was that Genestealer Cults armies now use the new Grinding Advance rule for their Leman Russ tanks, allowing them to fire twice if they remain stationary or move below half speed. As I was planning on adding a Russ to my army, this is a great boost for them, giving them much more firepower.
It is a little annoying that my brand new Astra Militarum codex that is less than 2 weeks old is already out of date, but I do appreciate the speed with which they are fixing things.
It is a little annoying that my brand new Astra Militarum codex that is less than 2 weeks old is already out of date, but I do appreciate the speed with which they are fixing things.
What do you think of the new FAQ? Is it going to improve things in competitive 40k without conscript blobs tying everything up.
I think that the changes to the commissar are purely to deal with the tournament conscript problem and is not a good change overall. The whole point of a commissar is to maintain discipline and anything you read in the fluff talks about executing a man to keep the other in line, this move seems to run counter to this. Loosing one model may well have been underpowered, but I think something like halving the number of casualties or implementing different rules for conscripts, along side the Raw Recruits rule, would have been a better move. With the removal of Priest and Fearless, we are again limited in terms of proper moral bonus'.
ReplyDeleteI like that GW is interacting more with the community, but it also seem to be pandering to certain elements, which i'm less sure about.
I agree. I think excluding conscripts from the bonus as you suggest would have toned them down while still providing protection for smaller squads.
Delete"It is a little annoying that my brand new Astra Militarum codex that is less than 2 weeks old is already out of date, but I do appreciate the speed with which they are fixing things."
ReplyDeleteI suspect that part of this is how far ahead they have to work on these things. I wouldn't be surprised if we're still seeing content that was locked in before 8th was even released and they started getting broader feedback on it.
I understand that these things are planned well in advance, plus I much prefer they fix issues now rather than having to wait for the next update or codex release. Just a shame I'll need to print off a separate sheet and keep it with my new codex now.
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