With my mystical Runes of Fateandstufforwhatever, I have somehow divined the information I need to play with the new rules tomorrow! So much for pseudo Biel-tan. I'm going to be playing around with Rangers/Pathfinders, Illic, Warp Spiders, our psykers and shuriken death.
I'm relieved that at 1,000 points I don't feel like it is crazy hard to fit in units. While the heavy hitters still cost quite a bit, we have shed costs in many other places. Warp Spiders, for example. They have dropped by 3 points per model. But in addition to that, they have Hit and Run standard. Now that the Exarch can get a twin-linked Deathspinner, but not a pair (cheap and more effective than another body in the 4th ed book), you have to invest somewhat heavily for him to effective enough to want. To get an Exarch with the new Spinneret Rifle, Fast Shot and Power Blades, you're looking at 55 points for the whole package. I'd rather save the points because without him the unit is insanely fast, can escape combat still and shoots harder than ever. Oh and I get to say I called it on the rending monofilament! Hehe. I thought that looked pretty likely. Flamers would have been neat, but again I think 12" range and Assault 2 is the more powerful of the two, all things considered.
Anyway, sorry for the tangent. The point is that a unit that used to cost me 262 points is now 190. Rangers that I used to take are now 35 points cheaper. Those two changes alone buy me almost two more units of Rangers! I expect to feel the points crunch a little more when I write lists meant to be hard. Right now I'm indulging in playing around with stuff. Obviously the Heavy Support section is more crowded than ever and features lots of expensive options. Elites are pricey as well and it won't be any easier to fit in lots of mech elements. But it seems to me that some of my better lists from the last book are still plenty viable and have gotten a good deal better due to the BS boost among other things.
For now, I'm looking at trying out something like:
Illic
5 Pathfinders
5 Pathfinders
5 Pathfinders
10 Warp Spiders - Exarch w/ Spinneret Rifle
9 Shining Spears - Exarch w/ Star Lance, Hit & Run, Disarming Strike
Total 1,000
I don't really need the Spider Exarch here, but I had 25 points left over and didn't have much else to do with it. This isn't meant to be competitive at all, but I do think it could hold it's own. Anything with short range is insanely fast. Anything that's not fast has good range. All the Pathfinders have stealth and shrouded. Oh and they always shoot precision shots thanks to Illic! So any flamer that isn't DSing onto my face is going to die before he gets a chance to light up the burner on his weapon. And I don't have enough anti-tank, but Warp Spiders are now S7 against anything <I3 and anything without an initiative value. And Shining Spears finally get their lance rule during assaults too, so maybe I'll be better off than it seems on paper. That's what test lists are for! Figuring that out! I expect some of what I learn here will help me in homing in on tough, similar lists. I have some ideas on which ways that'll take me, but I'm trying to fight coming to conclusions that aren't based on experience.
Hope you all get some gaming in with the new book soon! If you write some lists this weekend, post them! I'd love to see what you're cooking up.