9th Age 9th Age (beta) out now - check link in first post

I'll make up a review when I've walked the dog so 30-40 minutes.

 

Wyssans Wildform on a unit of 14 skink javelin skirmisher in close range of T3 heavy armour elfs = 6 wounds done. Let them charge you and use stand and shoot reaction for another 4 wounds. You can strip away 10 wounds easily!

The issue is rather that blowpipes didn't see any love. This can be fixed. So if you want poison = blowpipes and murder machines against elf = javelins.

 

You speak of things like they cannot be changed. People will react to this and the developers will figure it out. On of their very first thing to say about the project was that it was supposed to allow as many units as possible to be fielded. If the cannon turns out utterly useless they'll obviously change it. It's as simple as that.

Nothing is ruined since this is a beta.

 

I posted this on the 9th age board:

I'm going to give my view on our new and updated army. My inititial impression is that it's a very good basis that we can improve upon.
I'm going to address all units and put them under catergories of Hot, lukewarm, cold.

Hot

Predatory Fighter now affects all models. Rerolling 1s are, to my fuzzy math better than the gaining another attack. I do, however, add more rerolls to the game so there's that.

Piranha sword, steggie helmet, cloak of feathers and cube are all the same and that's fine. They didn't need a change.

Characters

Oldbloods at Ld9 is great. I always found it akward that they were limited to Ld8. Price increase on saurus characters was justified and wasn't overdone. PF affect them just as much as the old PF rule so they didn't suffer a power loss there.

Skink characters are fine. I hope either Tiktak'to will be allowed to join rippers and terradons OR a change in the BRB which I proposed somewhere else on the forum. Allowing chief to mount steggie bolt thrower isn't super competitive, but funny in friendly games. Overall these guys didn't need much of a change.

Core

Saurus warriors benefit greatly from the changed weapon profiles. Rerollings 1s is better than previously so that's lovely. Magic banner is great - now we can opt for either triple movement banner or +1M banner so they can get into combat faster. With that said I think it's too extreme for these guys to be I1. I mean, really...? I2 wouldn't make them that much better in CC, but work as defence against initative spells. Also initative spells that work in our favor would have a bigger effect, I mean getting off +D3 initative on these guys when they're I1 is just not worth it.
Skink cohort also benefit from the new parry rule and their javelins now as S4 can allow for some new and interesting usage. WS3 I've yet to decide upon - I cannot quite figure out if it's a typo due to the inconsistiency of the book (other skinks have WS2).

Skink cohort with kroxigors recieved a buff. Removing 2/3 of the attacks directed at kroxigors is a solution that lands in the middle of the road compared to the 7th edition AB and 8th edition AB when played under the 8th edition BRB. Change in the fear rules also benefit these guys and then there's the fact that the new PF rule actually work in this unit, which it didn't before. Many small changes and hopefully they'll see more play.

Skink Skirmisher (javelins) are very intersting with their S4 javelins, although no poison. Wyssan's Wildform will see them at S5. Now that we're only allowed to duplicate units 4 times we could see somewhat larger skirmisher units (in the 12-14 model range). If at close range with wyssan's wildform those guys can easily remove 4-6 swordmasters or similar elves in one go. Potent!

Special

Templeguards remain the same although they're now immune to psychology without the frog. I'm okay with that. I do, however, hope that we can go for more flexibility and allow them to be 13pts with hw/s with halbards at 1pts. That would allow for a tanky unit with parry and AS3+ in close combat, which would also be cheaper by a bit. Just a suggestion.

Cold One Riders are great! I mean sure they still suffer from I2, but S6 on the charge at 30pts? Rerolling 1s? That's very nice. Also rerolling 1s on the mounts = even more wounds done and is there to differentiate them from the Dark Elf counterpart. Personally I find the light armour to be too expensive. At 40pts they're more expensive than a Chaos Knight who have WS5 and strikes at I4 and have 1+ save. Maybe keep it at 5-6pts? I just fear that people will steer away from 40pts cavalry models, but I could be wrong.

Kroxigors recieved full command which was great and a slight point decrease. In itself that is fine, but I think we can do more. Comparably we have the new minotaurs who have a ton more options and way more flexibility once on the board. Mark of Khorne with addition hand weapon = WS4 S6, 5A, I4 and impact hit as well. They can chop up most things in the game and can also take a magic banner so if granted flaming banner they'll remove any regen monsters.

If allowed to switch to halbard and take 25pts magic banner I think kroxigors would be in a good position.

Terradons are the same so that's fine . Upgrades to spear and shield is fine for these guys as it allow for some more options and I like having options.

Bastiladon though is the true winner. I'd even go as far as to say that the monster is an auto-include in most lists. 90pts for a +1WS monster with a bound spell and thunderstomp? DEAL. It's unfortunate that the flavor of the monster, however, was taken a bit away from it - the former special rules weren't good-good, but they fit the model. I hope this will be added back in the full book.

The poison upgrade is also perfect. I can see myself having both in some game. Kroxigors with poison and rerolling 1s should make for an interesting combo.

One suggestion: I'd easily take +10pts if the bast was given S5. Not more attacks, but S5 thunderstomp would be appropriate. It won't hit with the normal attacks, but at least it can stomp on squishy humans. S4 monster is just so so counter intuitive and hardly useful.
Rare

Salamanaders - Not much to say. They lost their skink handlers and 10pts. It's fine for these guys, but different for the razordons. I'll talk about them later.

Stegadon is uh.. I love the fact that it is much more useful, but I hate the fact that we lost a special monster. We need something back in special. We're a monster army and I think the 8th edition book had a good balance of 2 monsters in each section.

Suggestion: put the stegadon as is in special and add a carnosaur as rare monster. People on lustria a miffed about losing the baby steg in special.

Lukewarm

Characters

None

Core

Skink Skirmisher Blowpipes. I firmly believe that these guys somewhat got the short end of the stick. They're exactly the same and previously they didn't see much use. With javelins being S4 and have the improved parry this didn't change, despite being the only one of the two having poison.

I have several proposals:

- Quick to Fire.

- BS4.

- Move Cameleons to Core as a seperat unit and remove the BP option from skirmishers. 10pts base cost and +2pts for scout upgrade. This also mean they wouldn't interfere with terradons and allow for a more varied core section.

Special

Cameleon skinks did get a price reduction. It's "fine", but I'm currently hooked on the came skink in core idea so I'm biased lol. These guys remained the same and in most ways that's okay I suppose.

Snake Swarms in special is going to be overlooked for sure. Their special rule is now better, but that won't quite change our look on them. Price reduction was good as well, but move to core and people might actually take them. We just have so many good options in special.

Rare

Troglodon. Well it got the price reduction it deserved and that's good, but the engine from the bastiladon comes off as lazy. I mean it's interesting that it's a faster bastiladon that can keep up with our cavalry for that +1WS, but overall I think I hoped to see something else. Someone proposed the troglodon should have the roar to be frenzy or something like that. That would be more interesting and fit better with the fluff.

Also it need +1A the way I see it. 3A on such a big monste? It's just akward and doesn't fit the model. Give it +1A and a roar that grants 1 nearby model + the troglodon itself frenzy or something like that.

Personally I think the spit should be a small round template doing S3 wounds with no armour save or something like that. Or maybe S2 no AS. I think hitting just one model is very meh. Just suggestions of course.

It is, however, much more usable, but with the bastiladon sitting at 90pts I'm not sure I'd want the troglodon.

Cold

Characters

The Slann saw an unecessary nerf. Do remember that the Slann got a MAJOR nerf back from 7th to 8th edition. The Slann under 8th edition AB was powerful and flexible due to the disciplines. He was by no mean overpowered because of a base price of 300pts and you'd quickly find him at 4-450pts with disciplines and the BSB. The slann is our center piece and why people LM. They want the slann and the monsters. Nerfing the slann because he's taken a lot isn't the way to go about thinks - make skink priests a better alternative and not the slann a worse one.

The solution is simple though. Allow us to take 4 disciplines and put in 1-2 more disciplines. Preferably the same amount as previously where they're all useful. I've already seen the first two members of Lustria Online declare they won't be playing 9th Age with this change so the Slann is very important for LM players.

I think the 8th edition AB Slann was good, powerful and not overpowered. He mostly sufferend from a slew of bad discipines (healing, terror, etheral, magic resistance) which just needed fixing. For further details check my previous post in this thread about the Slann.

Core

None.

Special

Lack of baby steg or a substitute. To be honest I'm happy about all the other useful addition, but this still sting a little. I'd say it's between lukewarm and cold.

Rare

None.

Leftover:

The Razordon. I need to understand the rules better so I didn't put it in,

All in all I'm VERY happy for this. I cannot wait to play and use all our units, especially the bastiladons.

 

It took some time for me to understand the new razordon so here's how I think it works:

It now have 2D6 shots, but suffer no penalty from - so it still hits at 5+ on long range. 2D6 ~ 7 hits with is approximately 1 more than previously, but with a greater chance of misfire. The first misfire result = -1 To Hit and the second = -1W.

I'd say the change didn't do its job because now we're left with smaller units (1-3 models) and we didn't get that much of a benefit and what little we got was hampered by double miscast result.

On top of that you'd normally take up to 6 razordons in a unit. That meant they'd be accompanied by 18-24 skinks in close combat (unless some died on the way). Skinks are silly in CC, but that many skinks will add to the overall combat resolution, but not anymore..

On top of that we lost the "ward" and gained a price reduction. I'm not sure that's going to fix anything.

 

Yup, Bastiladon is an auto-include. It's almost as cheap as 10 skink skirmishers.