Plant the Flag: 40K Needs to Overhaul Scoring Units
The game has become all about uber-killers and dirt-cheap junk units. But there is one obvious culprit and solution.
It didn’t have to be this way. There was a time when 40K used to be a game where you would see lots of army and unit diversity. But 8th Edition was designed to upset the apple-cart and upset it it did.
Welcome to 8th
Now armies are souped to provide the best min-maxed amount of CPs and the best Stratagems. Worse, the armies themselves have become an exercise in finding the perfect combo of uber killy unit and the cheapest crappiest units out there with no other role than to fill out detachment slots and camp objectives.
We won’t ever see Tactical or Intercessors because Scouts exist and they just cheaper. CSMs have it even worse because there’s always a new unit of Cultists waiting to get set on fire for a dirt cheap budget price.
King of the universe baby!
The Problem
The problem of course is in the rules that determined what units are scoring. In 8th, it’s all about being TROOPS. And that’s it. No quality levels, no nothing. To make things worse, in the event of two competing TROOPS units competing the one with the higher model count win – again skewing things in favor of hordes of dreck 4th-line units, over the old-school heroes of the Grimdark.
If only something could be done…
Heroes needed: apply within!
The Fix
The obvious fix is staring us in the face. What the game needs is a slight overhaul to exactly who can score and claim objectives. WE have seen GW fix ares of the rules where they got unexpected results out of 8th – and this is no difference. What we need is a way for GW to redefine the beating heart of each codex. Define exactly who the meat and potatoes units are who do the hard work of holding ground and beating back a hostile universe against all comers. The tough as nails bread and butter dog-soldiers upon which every army in the galaxy is built.
And you know what – that’s not Chaos Cultists…
I SWEAR I’m punching the next cultist who gives me sass!
Consider this Rule that could be easily added to the next FAQ, or Chapter Approved:
Plant the Flag:
The armies of the galaxy are built upon the shoulders of heroes – who will hold out till the last to achieve their objectives.
“Units with the Plant the Flag special rule that are within range of an objective control it, ignoring all other units who do not possess this rule. If another enemy unit within range of the same objective has the Plant the Flag rule, then the objective is controlled by the player who has the least amount of models – signifying their exceptional determination and bravery in the face of superior enemy numbers.”
The following units possess the Plant the Flag special rule:
- Space Marines (BA,DA,SW,DW): Tactical Marines, Intercessors, Grey Hunters, DW Veterans, DW Intercessors
- Grey Knights: Strike Squads
- CSMs: Chaos Marines, Plague Marines (DG only), Rubric Marines (TS Only)
- AM: Infantry Squads, Scions
- Ad-Mech: Skitarii
- CD: Plaguebearers, Daemonettes, Horrors, Bloodletters
- Eldar: Dire Avengers, Guardian Defenders, Warriors, Wyches, Troupes
- Orks: Boyz
- Tau: Strike Teams, Breacher Teams
Note: Not all armies have TROOPS units with this rule, representing units that are essentially mindless, or perhaps so lethal that no additional adjustment is needed. Note that the current TROOPS scoring rules in the game are still in effect, but that Plant the Flag takes precedence over them in cases of multiple units contesting.
~What do you think and how would adjust the rule or the list of units who have it?
