Heresy & Heroes

So, a new day is dawning on the 41st Millennium and all those power lists, death stars and WAAC tactics are going to be knocked out of the park by the nerf bat of newhammer. But if I know one thing about this community, it’s that there is an element within our ranks who, within hours of the new game’s release, will have worked out exactly how to crush everything in their path.

The rules may change, but the game’s the same and with all those math-hammer freaks and keyword and rules stackers out there, you can be sure of seeing something “broken” very early on. Of course, GW has vowed to respond to these sorts of things with a little more alacrity than it has done before, but the serious player, in the words of the immortal Jeff Goldblum (no, he actually is immortal – I checked), finds a way. I get all this. It’s part of the game. I just want to see some cool, fluffy units get their turn in the limelight.

With all that in mind, here are my Top 10 units that I want to see performing better in 8th Ed. The units that have for too long lived in the backs of draws and the bottom levels of carry cases. The units that are reserved purely for ‘fluffy’ lists. And even some of the units that were perfectly alright. in 7th, but just a bit underwhelming. Let’s take a look at the list…

When these leviathans were released, Ork players were enraptured to see their beleaguered army get something big and stompy that could match the giants that other armies were enjoying. Alas, all of that excitement was for naut (get it?) and as cool and orky as they looked, the rules just didn’t back up the looks. It was a little too slow, not quite tough enough, and for a horde army, a transport capacity of 6 wasn’t ideal. Giving it a couple extra wounds, and doing some fun things with its weaponry meansthere’s no reason why this couldn’t be a star of 8th Ed.

Well, well, if it ain’t my favourite broken record. I know, I bang on about my favourite ever unit ever a little too much, but I just think that the new setup of rules and keywords and all the rest of it… there must be a way to make these guys awesome. We just got good again thanks to the traitor legions book and now the game is changing so new rules and (here comes the crescendo of that broken record) a new kit would be a joy to behold. Please, GW? Pretty please with sugar on top?

Because this is what the whole Tau mantra is supposed to be about. It’s their bit, their gag and their gimmick – the greater good. But aside from the extremely occasional Kroot, this side of the fishface army has been largely neglected of late, and boy, are the Vespids symptomatic of this. They’re a relatively cheap unit yet they seem overcosted – that’s how bad they are. In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen any on a table in real life. If the Tau are going to maintain this aspect of their identity into 8th Ed, the Vespid, and the Kroot too, need some attention.

Ah, the slow-witted step child of the warp. Used by absolutely no-one and I imagine routinely made fun of by their gun-toting tool-kit cousins, the Obliterators, these guys need a real helping hand. More wounds for a start, and a drop in points costs will get them some of the way there, but they also just need to be a little more interesting in general. This is a unit in real dire need of assistance.

I’ve said it before on this blog, but I remember when the Tyranid Carnifex, then called the Screamer Killer (yes, I’m old), was the scariest thing that anyone could put on the table. In fairness, it’s still plenty scary in 7th Ed, but it can also be cut down a little too easy with massed firepower for the points it costs. I want this chappy to return to the status of ‘nightmare tank’ again. I want it to regain its mantle as the Tyranids’ most potent, end-of-level boss-style hulk. And even with larger bugs in existence, we can just say that he suffers somewhat from short-man syndrome. Easy.

I’m already excited about this. By far the coolest of all the aspect warriors, the Scorpions have already had their rules announced and they look awesome. In previous editions, the Eldar’s lack of assault vehicles and the preference of Howling Banshees has meant the Scorpions were relegated to fluffy lists. I’ve always been their champion, but now, I won’t have to do so much flag waving as they’ll be able to leap from Wave Serpents, chain blades whirring and madiblasters inflicting wounds a plenty. If they can get past the overwatch, they’ll be perfect for ripping down infantry units.

Something tells me that the Space Marines won’t be needing much more help in the new setting, but I’ve been feeling sorry for the vanilla Chaplain for a while now. For his points cost, he doesn’t add enough to an army to make him worth taking, and thanks to the big impact of the psychic phase in recent editions, Librarians are far more attractive option. Chaplains need to be a truly inspiring presence on the battlefield. How does a big bubble that negates morale tests sound?

I’m not sure that 8th Ed can fix these, and in fairness, they don’t actually need fixing. The problem is that they’re a risky option to take because if you’re opponent doesn’t have any flyers, they’re completely useless. But even then, Devs with flakk/skyfire are just better. Stick said Devs behind a defence line with a quad gun and you make the H/S tanks look more than a bit superfluous. Interceptor (or the new equivalent) if they don’t move? Another cool looking unit that I don’t think I’ve ever seen on the battlefield.

A unit statistically more likely to hurt itself than the enemy with its fluffiest attack. I shall say no more.

It’s annoying, because their current rules and stats broadly fit their fluff, but when their fluff makes them out to be stupid, easily confused… what’s like one step above ‘cowards’? They should be able to punch a tank to death, but instead they have guns they can’t shoot and a toughness that is rarely tested as they draw so much fire and their poor save can rarely handle it. They have their issues. So some sort of ‘stupidly determined’ rule would help them avoid morale issues, while an extra couple of wounds could keep them alive for a lot longer.

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And that’s my list. I could have gone on – there are plenty of cool units that need rules to back them up, and if you think that there is a glaring omission to this list, stick a comment below. I know that there are more than a few players praying that their favourite looking units get a boost, and it will be exciting to see what is revealed in the coming weeks. Until then; Onwards!