Ok that's the Eisenstein - not the Einstein - but close enough. This will be a quickie, but following on from my article on Unit Design and Balance, and after receiving some nice feedback on here and BOLS lounge, this was the conclusion.
UNIT VALUE = USEFULNESS x SURVIVABILITY
Yep. As simple and as boring (some will say elegant) as that. If a unit can do something effective to help you win the game (or more than one thing) and will not get shot off the board instantly, then it has value. How much value depends on how useful it is, and how survivable. A survivable unit that is not useful (Mutilators) or a useful unit that is not survivable (Cultists) will have low value. Note that survivability is related to value in the sense that a cheap unit may be more survivable due to number of wounds (so I am being a little unfair to cultists). Usefulness, however is key (mutilators). I could have used the word effectiveness, but sometimes things are useful in unusual ways.
What do we think? Is this the new gold standard, or just fool's gold?
Wade in...
In future articles, I'll start applying these principles to list building and then the real fun begins!
by Mephistoned
by Mephistoned