Nuke Lacks Oommph!!

[MarkNorfolk]

Fired a new style Pee-Wee at the tanker bug today. Did two wounds to it. Taking away Killshot and/or multihit really sapped it's hitting power. Ok so it clears out 1 hit models but you'd expect it to do a bit more to a big beastie. Please beef this baby up....

Cheers
Mark

 

[Rabidchild]

It does still have multi-hit/killshot: "All Damage Dice that roll the Target score of a model will be counted as having rolled the Kill score instead."

It doesn't say this on the CAP trooper w/ javelin, but it must be a typo.

 

[MarkNorfolk]

Ahh, that was my source. Relief all round (unless your a Tanker bug!).

Cheers
Mark

 

[Xorrandor]

I'll point out that, in the Evo paradigm, that just means that the LAMI get better quality nukes than those CAP troopers :twisted: . Although I suppose these should be considered playtest cards, and thus still have typos in them. (Yes, published cards sometimes have typos too. Those are called fancy names like "eratta", though.)

I must say, I'm a little surprised. When I noted this before (back when it was the LAMI preview cards from S&P42, which used the Javelin trooper's card text), I was assured that this was intentional. And I can see the game-balance reasoning: you want a weapon that can take out swarms, but doesn't auto-kill big guys. It didn't seem very nuke-like, but I figured that was why they put the Pee-Wee in front. Oh well, still a work in progress I suppose. (I should go back and see how many of my other card questions got fixed.)

 

[dyssnowman]

I am thinking that these are still a work in progress because there are other typos on the cards. For example, the CHAS card says that you can take up to five additional Rippler bugs with it.

 

[Hiromoon]

Well, it's a very special sort of CHAS.

 

[Kristovich]

Well, it's a very special sort of CHAS.

'Special' being the key-word 8)

 

[Hiromoon]

You'd know, Kristovich!

*waggles newspaper at him*

 

[Voracioustigger]

Well...

As someone who generally plays with 90+ bugs on the table, I'd say nukes are about the same as before. A little less useful against the big bugs (which IMHO died far too easily before), but a LOT more useful against smaller bugs.

With the shortened tables, deployment zones are 2/3 the size that they were before, which means bugs are packed even tighter, AND (unless the rules have changed since the last time I looked) the nukes AoE doesn't take center points into account as before, which, for many bugs, adds about 1-3" to the radius, which equals A LOT more dead bugs.

Sure, the tanker can survive a nuke SOME of the time, but not all of the time. I never liked that the nuke was almost a game ender sometimes, but the nuke is certainly painful against horde armies now, where one good shot and an entire flank is wiped out!

 

[Salem]

I am still yet to play the game (still madly assembling the swarm), but the nuke looks plenty powerful as it reads in the Evo cards. The Tanker can effectively take 6 hits and the nuke (on a really good roll) can deliver that damage. Even if you don't take out a big target like a Tanker, you will certainly wound it badly enough to make it think twice before charging into the line of fire.

 

[Kristovich]

You'd know, Kristovich!

*waggles newspaper at him*

Umm.... Urm....

Don't hit me now, but what do you mean?

 

[jmpltd]

The original Pee wee was perfect - The cards only needs one line added.
Rolls that equal or exceed the kill number score two kills (meaning 4 hits)
This means that a nuke will take out on average any big bug- especially tankers. (Wroked just fine in the two games we did so far!- really no change in firepower that the orginal rules- BTW both losses for the MI- In fact a Plasma bug survied a nuke hit- charmed life and poor die rolls)

Just remember nukes run out but swarms of warriors don't (well maybe a bit in the EVO rules)

Yes I am a bug man and my big babies shouldn't have much of chance of surviving a nuke. Just means my other warrior swams clean up the MI after they use their nuke to take out my Tanker or Plasma.

 

[jmpltd]

PEE-Wee nukes.

We don't usually play head to head games of SST just scenarios. Many of which are shoot and scoot - take out the plasma bugs that are killing the fleet and then get away before you are all killed in the process. (Lot's of fun no matter which side you play)

Where I was headed was that in the old rules a Pee -Wee rolled three d10+4 - If you made the target score it equaled 2 hits and if you rolled the kill score it was 4 hits. (Because of the multihit factor) Flame and killshot too.

As written so far (on these demo cards- that is) if you roll the target number it equals a kill and 2 hits. Still with three d10+4 rolled. Which if you look below that means a Plasma and King Tanker have a 100% chance to survive a Pee-wee Nuke.

I would suggest that if they insert the sentence?

"Damage dice that roll the kill score of a model will count as having rolled two kills......" thus a maximum of 12 hits which kills everything under the sun. Just to keep them consistant with 1st edition rules.

Then the universe is back in order again.

Since the point shift didn't really affect the old play as all these items nuke and bugs are more or less 300 pt.

Here is the issue/ question:

Old rules: plasma bug -10 hits Target 5 and Kill 9 Good chance a nuke toasted the bug
Now: Plasma bug 8 hits Target 5 and Kill 10 Nuke can not kill as written -six is the most hits possible?

Old Tanker 6 hits. Target 7 and kill 12. Good chance a nuke kills the bug
New tanker 6 hits. Target 7 and Kill 12 Good chance a nuke kills the bug
No problem here three roles of three or better equals a kill - 2 hits. total 6 hits.

Old King tanker I can't remember- don't have my Bug book with me. Good chance a nuke kills the bug
New King Tanker 8 hits. Target 7 and kill 12. Nuke can not kill as written- again six hits is the max?

 

[roughneck GIR mk2]

You'd know, Kristovich!

*waggles newspaper at him*

Umm.... Urm....

Don't hit me now, but what do you mean?

*senses a newspaper, then ducks from view*

Oh, I haven't even looked at the evo rules. Then again a few small skirmishes between a select few of my MI vs what little bugs I have(I don't wanna paint swarms of bugs).

 

[Kristovich]

*pulls GIR from his hiding and takes it for self*

I second that by the way. Not read the EVO rules. Not even played a 1,000pts game of SST yet :shock:

Oh and by the way GIR, that achievement of yours, I didn't know that was possible, so kudos for that, I'd guess 8)

 

[roughneck GIR mk2]

Oh, I don't even know, but I was rather busy over the summer, so I didn't visit the forums much. Oh well, nothing different other than register dates and post count hehe

 

[Kristovich]

Well, you went from having that GIR-dude to a Hunter as an avtar as well! 8) Which reminds me, I gotta get Halo 3 ASAP!