 |
| Tesla goes with everything. I mean everything. |
As you are doubtless unaware, I sometimes spend stupid amounts of time trying to answer an unanswerable question regarding points. By this point, I've pretty much given up doing so for infantry. But the vehicle one worked OK. Unfortunately, GW has decided it doesn't like me, so threw in an extra new variable. Hull Points. And a new type, Flyer. Question is, does this mean I've completely lost Bryss' Improvised Points Theory? Let's find out.
A quick recap, using figures from the Hints For Homebrew: Vehicles article:
- All Vehicle Types cost 5 points. The exceptions are Fast, which becomes 10 on a Skimmer, Open-Topped, which is too double-edged to add points except on strong Transports, and Walker, which cannot be done using this formula as they're too much like infantry.
- The base cost of 10-10-10 armour is 15, 12-12-12 is 75 and 14-14-14 is 150.
- Most guns go for wargear costs, sometimes incurring a discount of 5-10 as it doesn't replace a weapon. You get your army's base BS for free.
- Smoke launchers and other similar base sundries are free, or 1-2 points if it helps.
- Special rules (like Power of the Machine Spirit) go for 10-20 depending on usefulness.
- Ordnance weapons are ludicrously expensive.
Example 1: The Raider. If we assume 15 for 10-10-10, add 15 for Fast and Skimmer and add the cost of a Dark Lance for Warriors, we get 55. Add 5 for capacity and we're there at the actual cost of 60. .
Example 2: The Rhino. If we assume 20 for 11-11-10, add 5 for the Storm Bolter, 5 for Tank, 5 for capacity and 5 for Fire Points, we get 40. Because I think the Rhino is underpriced, my theory still works. This defenitely isn't me being stubborn.
Incidentally, the Grey Knights Rhino is fine, as it's identical bar Psychic Pilot and I feel it's costed accordingly.
Example 3: The Land Raider. If we assume 150 for 14-14-14, add 10 for the Heavy Bolter, 60 for the lascannons, 20 for Transport (including Assault Vehicle) and 10 for Power of the Machine Spirit, we get 250.
Now then, let's address Hull Points. My gut feeling is that the default should be 3, however if I went with that I could create:
_______________________________________________________________________________
Harasser Attack Buggy: 25 Points.
Front: 10 Side: 10 Rear: 10 BS:3 Hull Points: 3
Type: Fast
Wargear: Heavy Bolter, Searchlight
________________________________________________________________________________
And I can't help but think that's undercosted. Therefore, I now feel confident in saying that if the vehicle hasn't got 2 AVs beyond 10, it probably needs to pay for the third Hull Point. If we go back to my Raider example, that's not a big deal as I could probably slash 5 off the cost of the Dark Lance as it doesn't replace anything. Again, I feel I can do that. It's not like I'm pulling stuff out of my rear to fight atheism or anything.
The fourth Hull Point most probably comes free at 14-14-14, as that's the apex of toughness, but needs to be paid for at other levels. I'd love to use the Defiler to exemplify this, but...Walker. Damn.
Example?: The Doomsday Ark, I guess. 45 for 11-11-11, 5 for Skimmer, 15x2 Gauss Flayer Arrays, 50 for the Doomsday Cannon, 25 for Quantum Shielding. That leaves 20 for the cost of the extra Hull Point. Under the old book I'd had it as 60 for the Cannon and 35 for Shielding.
Well, that actually worked out quite well. Now then, Flyer. If I were to cost the Night Scythe under the old book, it's 45 for 11-11-11, 25 for the gun, 15 for Fast Skimmer, 25 for Aerial Assault and Supersonic and 15 for capacity as it's such a good transport. That's 100. However, GW has thrown me a lifeline here. Aerial Assault and Supersonic are no longer relevant. That would seem to imply that 40 is the cost of Flyerdom (the combined cost of AA+SS+ Fast Skimmer, which are no longer in use).
Now, let's apply that thinking to something that was never a Skimmer originally, like the Heldrake.
Assuming 50 for 12-12-10 and 3 Hull Points, 40 for Flyer, another 5 for Hover, 15 for Daemon, another 10 for Daemonforge, that's 120. 15 for the weapon, that's 135. 20 for It Will Not Die makes 155. And the remaining 15 allocates nicely to the 'second weapon,' Meteoric Descent. The Drake's reduced BS is factored into the cost of Daemon as that's thematically what makes that happen.
I can't help but think the Baleflamer is slightly undercosted, mind. Especially considering the lastest FAQ. But that's GW's fault, not that of my theory.
Well, after that immensely long round of Top Bryss Maths, it seems that all this silly make-believe logic and formula still makes sense inside of my head. And that is why they will probably never let me out of the asylum.
Signing off...