Before the topic gets me started, please keep in mind that the whole “count as issue” is a really subjective matter. The single most important factor is that you and your opponent is cool with what you’re doing and what not. Don’t let someone from the internet steal your fun!
Phew, this had to be said as I can be as stiff as a poker regarding some count as ideas. “Oh really, your Melter is a Plasma Gun today? No way!” Also I’ve noticed quite often that some gamers use the count as idea as a lame excuse because they like this or that model better. “I like the rules of this gun better but also prefer the look of the other one. So let’s just pretend we have a ‘count as’ here”. Hehe, as you can see … I’m not a fan of this.
So is “count as” a bad idea at all? Definitely not! Some of the most awesome projects rely on this and are a real source of dedication, inspiration and creativity. Just check out this blog from our blog roll. Hobby goodness like this can never be a bad thing at all. I’ve noticed that the tolerance for freaky ideas is way higher when the other hobbyists see what effort and thought actually were put in a project. On the other hand you can’t expect much applause when everybody clearly sees that you were just too lazy to paint a Marine with the gun you would like to field that day. Again, if you and your gaming group is handling this in a different way, good for you!
So what can you do if you would like to field an Enslaver Kill Team yet you would like to stick to the regular rule set of Warhammer 40K? The answer lies within the Tyranid Codex. The actual Enslavers are going as Zoanthropes, pretty easy. They are independent from the hive mind, their stats are just about right and their psychic powers such as the warp blast are a good fit.
As there are no humans in the codex the Enlavers’ victims are another issue. They will go as a Termagant Brood. Wait, wait…let me explain: The basic stat line of a Termagant is pretty similar to the one of a regular guardsman. WS, BS, S, T, W & A are all the same. There are three things different which need further explanation though.
- The special rule “instinctive behaviour (lurk)”: This one does indeed fit the bill. The poor men’s brains are under the control of the Enslavers. As long as they stay close to them there are no problems. If they move away the Enslavers lose their grip on them a bit.
- Leadership of 6, Armour 6+ and the available weapons: These three things together actually helped me to come up with an idea. I had the vision of a pretty poor planet in the Aleator sector, lacking most technical advantages yet still in need to bring up guardsmen for the Emperor. They were the first unfortunate victims of the Enslavers (maybe the Black Ships ignored the planet for too long thus the amount of unbound psykers rose, luring the Enslavers from the Warp?). Of course their Leadership is not as good as the one of a well-trained Soldier from Cadia f.e. The same goes for their equipment, the armour vest was the only modern thing available from the Adeptus Munitorum giving them at least a bit the look of a soldier from the future (and a 6+ armour save, bearing in mind that they have no helmet or shoulder plates like the 5+ Cadians). When I checked the available Termagant weapons I liked the spike rifle the most. With its 18″, S 3 and Assault 1 it is somewhere in between a grot gun and an imperial shot gun. A good fit for not really advanced powder weapons and a good excuse to use miscellaneous warhammer guns for them.
- Initiative of 4 and the special rule “move through cover”: If you imagine them to move like your regular rotten zombie then these two don’t work too well. But if you picture them to move like in movies such as “World War Z” or “28 days later” you can imagine what the brutal orders of the Enslavers can get out of a human body, not caring if he will survive the exertion.
Well and that’s what crossed my mind. If you managed to read everything – kudos!
Five former Guardsmen of the planet Agricola are under the control of the mean Enslavers.
The Feudal World did not supply the soldiers in an all too modern way.
*insert hypnotoad sound*