REORG!

I played 40K back in the day.

Like, I owned the original Warhammer 40000 Rogue Trader book.

(and STILL kick myself for getting rid of it!?).

I had a lot of fun with it. But I had stopped playing by the time 2nd edition came out. I didn't play again until 7th edition. Oh, I'd picked up more than a few miniatures in the intervening years - and used them with other games (Savage Worlds, etc). But for various reasons, I never really had any interest in playing 40K itself. I played a few games of 7th edition (the game reports can be found on this blog). It seemed tired and convoluted at the same time. There are so many better games out there...

So I was reluctant to even look at 8th edition. But I had a look at the basic rules in the FREE Battle Primer. It looks like they've simplified and streamlined things and so I decided to have another go at it and picked up the main rulebook and the Index: Imperium 2 (the kids have subsequently picked up their respective Index: Xenos).

Unfortunately they've redefined a bunch of things in the force organization rules. (I know, I could just use the Open or Narrative styles of play and play with whatever I want and organize it however I want... But the OCD bean-counter in me feels the urge to have a force that conforms to a "Battle Forged" list...).

In the new edition a platoon commanders and their accompanying command squad are two separate entities - the Platoon Commander (an HQ element and an individual character) and the Command Squad (an elite unit). Infantry Squads are still "Troop" elements, but Special Weapon Squads are now "Elites" and Heavy Weapon Squads are now considered "Heavy Support"!? Previously an Imperial Guard PLATOON consisted of a Platoon  Command Squad (which included the Platoon commander), 2-5 Infantry Squads, 0-5 Heavy Weapon Squads and 0-3 Special Weapon Squads - all of which, together, counted as a single TROOP Element... Even a Veteran Squad is now considered "Elite" (which used to be "Troops").



So I 've been reorganizing my Guaiacan Commandoes.

I can basically field them as a single "Brigade Detachment" with a Power Level of about 66 (or just over 1000 points). I've had to take the Heavy Weapon teams out of the Command Squads and form them into Heavy Weapon Squads and I'll have to build up at least two of the Scout Sentinels for this force (I have three of them unassembled in a box, I'd been considering assembling them and converting them to be something like a Tallarn Desert Raider "Outrider Detachment" and have all manner of kit dangling off them much like the British SAS jeeps in WW2.... I'm still going to do that with the one that I don't need and I may still pick up a few more SOME day and make myself a Scout Sentinel raiding force...). I also have to use one proxy mortar team (it's a team from I-Kore's Void range). I'd like to get a few different Heavy Weapon teams, form the one I currently have - so I'll have to hit eBay once I'm in the black and look for some old metal ones that will match the ones I have...

If I needed to field a larger force I could add in additional detachments of stuff like Psykers, a Commissar,  and Ministorium priests. Oh yeah, Ministorium priests and Commissars used to be able to be added to just about any unit and counted as part of that unit. Now they're all individual characters and also count as "Elites"!? I doubt I have to worry about adding anything at this point because none of my opponents have anything close to this much at the moment. (Well... Finnegan has about 60 Power Levels of Orks ready to go - and another 20 if he finished painting his buggies and Killa Cans...).

The force will look something like this:

Company Commander (HQ)
Command Squad (Elites)
Special Weapon Squad (Elites)
Heavy Weapon Squad (Heavy Support)

Platoon Commander (HQ)
Command Squad (Elites)
3x Infantry Squads (Troops)
Special Weapon Squad (Elites)
Heavy Weapon Squad (Heavy Support)

Platoon Commander (HQ)
Command Squad (Elites)
3x Infantry Squads (Troops)
Special Weapon Squad (Elites)
Heavy Weapon Squad (Heavy Support)

Ogryn Squad (Elites)

Ratling Sniper Squad (Elites)

3x Scout Sentinels (Fast Attack)

That makes:
3xHQ
6x Troops
8x Elites
3x Fast Attack
3x Heavy Support

So I could add a Lord commissar (an HQ element) but not a regular Commissar (Elites)...? I could add piles of more troops (like SIX MORE) but as the only thing that counts as "Troops" any more are infantry Squads - it would mean simply adding more troops to the existing platoons - because I can't take MORE platoons as I've maxed out on Elites and so can't take another Platoon Command Section... I could add additional Platoons as extra "Patrol Detachments" if I really wanted... but that would mean picking up more infantry models which I have no interest in doing at the moment.

Anyone out there have an old metal Catachan mortar, lascannon, or heavy bolter team...?


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

July Boardgames Round-Up