Friday, November 25, 2011

Forum think tank. Part 6.

So that is it for my summation of what the PP forum thinks about RoS units, by and large. Of course someone will always have an alternate view, but hopefully I have given the line of best fit for what the majority of players think is true.

I have deliberately left out the Casters, who are a little too complex to be given such a glossing over by an inexperienced player as myself. Likewise with the named Solos.

Hopefully this has been a help to budding RoS players out there.

:)

Forum think tank. Part 5.



Odds and ends.

These don't particularly belong anywhere and so here is the post for them :)

Arcanist.
As a Myrmidon mechanic, he adds some useful buffs to a RoS player. Firstly, our Casters are not renowned for their harmony with the Myrmidons, especially when compared to some Factions out there. The Arcanist can ease some of the focus strain from our Casters, allowing them to perform the role they are designed for, and so giving the most benefit to the army. Secondly, our Myrmidons are notoriously underdone in mêlée, perhaps as you'd expect for a Generalist 'jack, and so the Arcanist's damage increase spell can be handy. A well thought of Solo.

Soulless Escort.
This is a unit attachment, and gives some anti-magic protection to what it is joined to. When combined with flank: unit the Escort becomes a solid choice, if not a must have. This choice seems more dependent on your local gaming situation and what your mates are running than anything else, and so is not universally as lauded as the Arcanist. If you have a big unit to attach the Escort to, the value from its protection increases both in terms of number of friendly models protected, but also the priority the opponent will allocate against taking out said unit in the first place.

Both of these odds and ends choices are quite good, and help augment most RoS armies.

Forum think tank. Part 4.



Hybrids - a little choppy and a little shooty.

Dawnguard Invictors.
Whilst not as well loved as the Sentinels, these Dawnguard are decent enough in combat, when combined with a 'jack, as they have flank: Myrmidon, giving them a to hit and a damage buff. If a Myrmidon with reach is employed, so much the better. Their shooting is solid and whilst it won't be taking out Heavies, it can cause problems for Lights and anything else. The UA give them a mini-feat extra range buff, making it hard for the opponent to not have his forces whittled down somewhat. Their shooting is strong enough that they make the Missile Specialists somewhat redundant giving the extra toughness and combat ability that Invictors bring.

Mage Hunter Strike Force.
You know this unit is good [maybe a little too good?] when they get complained about AND some RoS players think they are a bit too cheap. I'm not sure that is true, as there are OP [over powered] things laced throughout most factions lists, so make of that what you will. The MHSF are not that choppy, but due to their abilities and emphasis on movement and assassination, I consider them a hybrid unit, even if they are more shooty than choppy. MHSF aren't especially deadly until you bring the UA along. Besides having a reasonable turn of speed, a decent range and strength of shot, it is the enemy buffs that the MHSF ignores that makes them so feared.
Muahahaha!

House Shyeel Battle Mages.
This is a somewhat peculiar unit, without great range or combat ability.... But the Mittens are quite good. They have the ability to move around the enemies units when shooting or hitting, and have magic weapons, meaning that when the enemy puts X in your way to defend Y, the HSBM can affect an opening for another part of your army to hunt down Y. A useful ability in a game of manoeuvre ;)

House Shyeel Magister.
Much like the unit, the Magister Solo has similar quirky abilities, but with an extra buff. Whip Snap is a short ranged spell that allows a nearby unit to advance 3" on a successful hit. This could be used to get your unit out of harms way, block an attack run of your opponents, open an attack run of your own, or get a unit within range of a target.

House Shyeel Artificer.
Unfortunately for this Solo, the bang for buck that it offers over the Magister is poor, and it seems fairly unpopular online. People try to use it, but it seems rather niche and not very powerful.

Dawnguard Destors and Dawnguard Destor Thane.
These cavalry are not that well regarded, and this is a shame, as I think the minis are sweet. Their abilities all round are quite good, and the movement is nice, but they are not quite enough in a bang for buck sense, to get people to use them. When you add in their high dollars cost, it is little wonder that they see little table time. Boo!
I am thinking of using them in that Secondary Jack role. So many experiments to try!

Our hybrid units are a mixed bag, but with the Mage Hunters providing some serious head taking ability, and perhaps what RoS is most infamous for, we have not been short changed, even if some units are a little like deadwood than something worth taking. The Invictors are solid, as are two of the House Shyeel selections. But remember, flexibility has been priced at a premium by PP, and so it is up to the player to make sure he isn't stuck with an overpriced unit but rather an all star.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Forum think tank. Part 3.



Missile Specialists.


Stormfall Archers.
Hahaa! Going all John Rambo on the enemies of Ios with grenade loaded arrows? Oh yeah baby!
With long range available, to extra powa! and then with onfire as the last of three modes of shooting, this unit offers powerful shooting, and with the needed ability to move and shoot. The Stormfall Archers would be our most highly spoken of missile specialists.


Houseguard Rifleman.
Whilst not a terrible unit, and can work well with Halberdiers, they are a little underwhelming. WM isn't really a shooty game, and whilst shooting does have its part to play, close combat will happen sooner rather than later. As Rifleman are not ridiculously ranged or especially killy, they don't bring enough oomph for the points paid for them.

Ghost Sniper.
This Solo isn't bringing enough heat for the points paid for it, much like the Riflemen. It does have the neat ability of loading 3 damage points onto a target, regardless of Armour. But when you consider the few times the Sniper will fire, it's benefits really are niche thing.

Heavy Rifle Team.
This unit makes the Sniper and Riflemen look good, unfortunately. The biggest problem is that it cannot move and shoot, and given that its gun is not outrageously ranged, the Team will be gobbled up quite easily.


As you can see, RoS are not blessed with any great shooting units. However, this is a common thing with WM, and PP seems to want movement involved to keep the game dynamic. So RoS isn't worse at shooting than any faction and is in fact better than most :P

Forum think tank. Part 2.


Mêlée Specialists.


Dawnguard Sentinels.
These guys are great and well loved. MC Hammer pants, big shoulder pads, gleaming white armour and a honking great sword, what more could you want?

Our Myrmidons, being mostly a hybrid of mêlée and shooting, lack the serious grunt that other factions can bring from their 'jacks and beasts, especially in a bang for buck sense. Having Sentinels really covers that weakness, and they can be used for running a Secondary Jack.

Houseguard Halberdiers.
Whilst not quite as renowned as the Sentinels, this is a solid unit. The UA [unit attachment, which is an Officer and a Standard] turn them into something a bit more offensive [a full unit of them on the mini-feat turn can mulch a Heavy] but generally they are a solid unit, a bit more defensive than the Sentinels, but this can be a good fulcrum for other units to work off.

Dawnguard Scyir.
This Solo is a high ranking knight. Unfortunately, his rules require a bit of a dance to get the most out of him, as it has to be done in order. Not highly regarded, though not terrible. Better choices are out  there.

Mage Hunter Assassin.
A ninja elf ready to behead the baddies Caster? - brilliant! The MHA has a fearsome reputation, in being quick and killy. The thing is, they are actually quite dice'y, meaning they are not something to hang your hat on. But because of the high potential they have, they can really cause a headache for your opponent, who will be nervous about the MHA having an attack run on their Caster, Solo or even 'jack. This in itself can be game-altering.

Our mêlée specialists are generally very good, barring the Scyir. As WM is mostly about movement and combat, these choices will nearly always be a solid choice for a RoS player.

Forum think tank. Part 1.

Hello visitors,

I have finished Year 12, at the age of 30 :D and so can now begin to paint my RoS minis with my fancy new airbrush, and get some games in. Sounds good to me ;)





I thought to do something fairly easy, which is to compile the general consensus on units and Myrmidons from over on the RoS forum on the PP boards. Whilst there is always the danger of forumitis, the dudes seem to get a good amount of games in and participate in tournaments often enough to not be talking from a small pond, so to speak.

Now things seem a little more complex or intriguing in terms of how to get the best out of a thing in WarmaHordes, which is great, but as someone who has not played yet, don't expect anything world changing in this post. It is primarily to compile thoughts for greenhorns like myself and of course, is imo.

+++



Light Myrmidons - Chimera, Gorgon, Griffon and Aspis.

This quartet are not that well thought of. They are not generally seen as terrible, per se, but seem to lack that secret ingredient to make them well thought of, let alone compulsory. Where they can work is in filling out a list, due to being cheaper than a Heavy, and so seem to get game time that way. When 'jack marshal'ed [this is when someone, though not the Caster, runs them and will be to a lesser effect than if the Caster did] by the Sentinels, they can become a useful missile. The Sentinels perk drive: pronto gives the 'jack an extra full move, which is very helpful in WM.

Heavy Myrmidons.
The loved - Discordia, the Phoenix and the Manticore.
These are all staples in the diet of list-fu. All three are quite killy and/or have some very useful buffs.

The also ran - the Hydra.
This 'jack just doesn't quite have the abilities that the others bring, or at least not offering bang for buck.
I will be trying to jack marshal it as a Secondary Jack, and perhaps boosting it with the Arcanist [a mechanic, if you will] but don't build your list around one.

The to be judged - the Vyre Myrmidons.
These guys look decent enough, although perhaps the Sphinx is a little underwhelming. Due to the minis not yet being released, guys haven't played with them, and proxying isn't really embraced in WM.

Skarath & Dahlia.
These guys intrigue me, though I am not sure why, lol. They are a Heavy Beast and warlock-lite combination [A Warlock is the Hordes equivalent to a Warcaster in WM]. These are not on par with 'the loved' but, like the Hydra or the Lights, could be an interesting Secondary Jack. I will be giving this a try in the future.

Generally speaking, our Myrmidons are a hybrid of shooting and chopping, which has its own strengths and flaws in flexibility and cost. It is up to us to make sure we are getting the best out of them, whereas the user of a specialist has less weighing up to do.