Tuesday, December 6, 2011

40k: Black Templar Rumors and Rumblings


Some Templar rumors have been floating around, and I felt that as a well known Black Templar blogger, giving my thoughts on them would be marginally appropriate.  So here goes, my thoughts following each item in orange.

Vow to do something good in 6th Edition
-          Phil Kelly is writing the Codex.

This could be a good thing (IG) or a bad thing (Tyranids).  Time will tell.   This WILL be a good thing.

-          More emphasis on the horde aspect of the army with lots of large units of Initiates and Neophytes.

If this is true, it’s an abject failure in the making, unless they make the units insanely cheap, and give them really good anti-tank weapons, like 4 meltaguns per 20 or something.  Unless 6th Edition is radically different, the game is about maneuver and killing light mech.  Hordes of power armor with one special weapon do neither.

-          Emperors Champion is more in line with the company champion of the Grey Knights but is still 2 wounds. Gains preferred enemy against independent characters and monstrous creatures.

I take it that means we won’t be getting a preferred enemy vow, if this is true.  That will be sad.  We don’t have counter attack, or likely Furious Charge (since BA got that) so I’m not sure what useful USR the Templars will get to make them CC beasts.  If the answer is “you get cheaper dudes and more dudes = more attacks” I’ll be bummed.  More attacks are good, but efficient units are better.

-          Emperors Champion is more in line with the company champion of the Grey Knights but is still 2 wounds. Gains preferred enemy against independent characters and monstrous creatures.

Oh boy, I can’t wait to have a 20 man unit that completely fails when one Neophyte dies.  That will make my huge points investment useful.  Since when has rage been used on a competitive unit?

-          All the current special characters (ie: Helbrect and Grimaldius) will remain. Also I had heard of an mention of a special character who is like the greatest of all of the Emperor's Champions and the greatest warrior in the Black Templars. I had heard mention of a bike mounted special character with a lance like weapon but I cannot confirm this yet. "

The old special characters were boring, so them coming back is whatever.  Hopefully there is a reason to take them (hint: Helbrect makes Sword Brethren into Troops would be good).  The new special characters are no brainers.  The “epic” EC is an obvious idea, and the mounted “Questing Knight” character is also a good idea.  Hopefully their rules make them useable. 

-Sword Brethren are to get a special rule where when they are assaulted the enemy unit has to re-roll all* successful hits, at the expense of 1 attack. It's called "parry".

This doesn’t excite me much.  Genestealers and Incubi will still kill you.  Everything else you should be beating up.

-Land Raiders, when suffering a 5 or 6 on the damage chart* (so "wrecked" or "destroyed") gets one more turn where it rampage, think along the lines of the machine spirit going bezerk.

Better than nothing, but I’d prefer Blessed Hull that stops the melta bonus.

-No horses as far as I am aware, bikes would be the direction (if any at all) for riding knights.

Unless they reinvent the fluff (and I wouldn’t be against it if they did) the BT don’t have any bike “Questing Knight” uber unit.  Multi-wound Sword Brethren on bikes would be pretty fun.

That’s it for now.  Some of this stuff has me worried, but some of it has definite potential.  This codex can’t come soon enough to remove the bad taste of Necrons from my mouth.

12 comments:

  1. Phil Kelly wrote SW and DE. Cruddance wrote SoB, IG and Nids. I think you have them confused :P!

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  2. "-Phil Kelly is writing the Codex.

    This could be a good thing (IG) or a bad thing (Tyranids). Time will tell."

    Actually, Robin Cruddace wrote those codices. Phil Kelly is responsible for the Space Wolves, Dark Eldar, Orcs, and the most recent Eldar book. But Kelly did have a hand in writing the 3rd/4th edition Tyranid book. Which was well balanced.

    So outside of a 4th Edition locked codex that was extremely good at the time (Eldar), we're looking at getting a very well balanced set of rules...plus good fluff. :)

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  3. Ah, I do. Good call. SW and DE were both great so that makes me happier.

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  4. I've heard otherwise from a reliable source. Don't expect anything really accurate until after the next xeno codex. :)

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  5. So share what you've heard with us.

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  6. @Laeroth - Kelly I think is given too much credit - I certainly like him but he has a history of "crap units" along with a set of "good units to choose from." Look at the SWolves for example.

    Now, if he writes everything in terms of Dark Eldar internal balance (let's disregard external balance since opinions differ so vastly here) then fucking spot on as I think Dark Eldar and Blood Angels in terms of internal choice which can compete externally (again, we'll leave the debate to how well externally alone) are the best books ever produced by GW.

    So, let's go Dark Kin Black Templars!!!!!

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  7. What is killing me about the whole situation is that it is so.... half arsed. You know, it really shouldn't matter who the codex writer is to a large extent. Yes, Bob might have a bit more flair than Bill or Joe, while Joe's work has a bit better internal balance. The key term "a bit".

    The only way the SoB crapdex and the Necron codex make sense in some of the points costs & balance choices is when you simply ask the question: "What would sell more new models for GW?"

    Little illogical things like the Monolith not only losing (for all practical purposes) its ability to deep strike, its ability to fire the whip with its gauss guns and the ability to pull units out of CC, but they also killed the meltaproofing. Oh, you can play reserve games, but why is the Roomba effect random range? Gah, trashed Monoliths. Maybe for 150 points. Maybe.

    Destroyers: Still kinda cool, but again lose one shot and 12" of range. Oh, plus jam both kinds of destroyers into one FoC slot. FU to that army build.

    Then the silly questions: "Let me see, my Necron Lord can give up his two handed staff that is no longer a power weapon for a power weapon, but unlike virtually every other model who gives up a two handed shooting weapon, I don't have the option of taking a PISTOL plus some kind of CCW, right?"

    Otherwise, I like what was attempted and partly succeeded, a way to make multiple lists that play differently than variations on the Imperial MSU theme and should all be near the competitive level.

    On the BT codex. I just don't know. Templorks might have their fans, but if we get pushed towards that plus Rage, then why not paint ourselves green & red while shouting "Blood for the blood god!"? Necrons, they could make them sufficiently nifty to suspend my issues with the retcon & current fluff inconsistencies, but Templars? Much as I love them, they are still Space Marines. They aren't going to get all kinds of nifty gadgets that fall far outside the norm of the rest of the Marines. The thing to see is if whomever is writing the codex can figure out that a "close combat focus" not only describes Khorne berserkers, but Necrons & SoB. In other words, 0-24", not only blade to blade.

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  8. making a foe re-roll to hit you does NOT sound great? WTF, I'd love that with Thunderwolves hitting my elites....

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  9. Its still early days. I am hoping the new characters will have more use.

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  10. I'm just pumped for the idea of new models (if SW, BA and GK marines are any indication... /drool)

    I am also pumped to see some new units and tricks. I feel like the codex works fine as it is now, but I'm willing to give up our amazing Pref Enemy for some new tactics and larger selection of "viable" units.

    Good read.

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  11. "Emperors Champion is more in line with the company champion of the Grey Knights but is still 2 wounds. Gains preferred enemy against independent characters and monstrous creatures."

    This is up there twice, with 2 different commentaries. The second makes a remark about rage, which is unmentioned in the preceding rumor.

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  12. Horde aspect sounds fun, but if we are putting 240+ points into a unit on foot - it better be bloody good. At the moment 250 points of templars on foot will get wasted by nob bikers.


    Phil made the Ork Codex good. Tons of new options and alot to play with.
    IG got decent rules like fire on my target - etc - useful.

    It will be interesting to see what happens with Kill them all and righteous zeal.

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