There was a GW event thrown some time back that ran the below composition rules along with a few other changes, but I liked them quite a bit:
The Armies For every 25 counted wounds you may take:
• 4 Warscrolls
• 8 Wounds of models with the Hero keyword (only 60% can be spent on a single model, rounding up)
Works alright in higher point games, but if you play any low end 25 wound skirmish games then this is unnecessarily restrictive to ogre players. Considering that everyone is new to this game, imo early events should focus on smaller games that play faster, so how the rules work at the smallest incarnation matters.
• 6 Wounds of models with the Monster keyword
• 5 Wounds of models with the Warmachine keyword
Feels kind of arbitrary. Additionally, some armies have cool heroes, monsters and warmachines, but some armies focus on one or the other of these themes, and imo that should be catered to rather than blocked. Basically what I'm getting at is that I think a larger shared pool of 'limited' scrolls or wounds that combines heroes, war machines, and monsters is a better way to go than separate limits applying to each. Like, no more than half your points may come from those categories combined, or something like that.
• All models with 10 or more wounds must be from the same Compendium as the General. Regardless of Wound Totals
I don't know. I like the idea of mixed chaos mortal/daemon forces, or tomb king/vamp counts, or w/e. And the compendiums have enough internal synergy that I don't think arbitrary restrictions on this front are necessary. Just say the army must come from the same 'big four' category (order/disorder/death/chaos).
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• All unnamed Heroes are 0-2 choices and may not be taken more than twice.
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I'm still not convinced this is necessary. Most of the theoretically abusible abilities are command abilities that are for the most part restricted to your general anyway, requiring you to sink your whole army gimmick into getting multiples (via settra or whatever) anyway, so... I guess this just feels unnecessary to me.
• No more than 35% of the army’s total Wounds may be models with the Fly special rule.
Considering that fly doesn't actually mean you move any faster than other models, and melee control areas still apply, this feels entirely arbitrary and unnecessary to me.
• When a unit exceeds 10 models, receive 2 models for each that is purchased with wounds. i.e. a unit that begins at Five, 1-wound models, would cost 10 wounds total for a unit of 10, but only 15 wounds for a unit of 20.
sounds somewhat arbitrary, and abusable. Better to just put a cap on total number of units.
Otherwise the rules were changed to as follows:
- Page 2 - BATTLE ROUNDS Remove Initiative from the Game.
Arbitrary. Unnecessary. This is an important new aspect of the game and nobody has played it enough to say if it's even a problem. It's just different. If you're at risk of your opponent getting two turns in a row, then you've already had more turns than them, turns that you can use to prepare for that possibility. This change more than anything indicates house rules based on knee jerk reactions rather than experience or necessity, and imo that is a very bad place to be starting from.
- Page 3 - COMMAND ABILITY Change the section to read: In your hero phase, your general can use one command ability. All generals have the Inspiring Presence command ability, which they may use any number of times per battle. If they have one, your general may use each printed command ability on their Warscroll once per game.
Again, arbitrary, unnecessary, cannot be based on experience, smacks of knee jerk judgments.
- Page 4 - PICKING TARGETS Add the following section: If the attack is being made with a Ranged Weapon in the Shooting phase additional requirements apply: Units with any models engaged with enemies (within 3” of an enemy model) may not perform shooting attacks in the shooting phase. Special Rules which specifically allow for Shooting Attacks to be made in the Combat Phase (such as the Skull Cannons’ Grind their Bones, Seize their Skulls ability) circumvent this limitation. When targeting an enemy unit with models engaged with allied models, only those which are greater than 3” of an allied model are eligible to take Wounds. These models must be the closest to the firing unit, who cannot shoot through allied models. When assigning the Wound Pool, should the closest model to the firing unit be within 3” of an ally, or be an ally, all remaining Wounds are discounted and the attack ends Look Out Sir!: Hero models without the Monster keyword within 3” of an allied unit cannot be targeted by ranged attacks unless they are the closest model to the firing unit. When attacked by a ranged attack, after rolling to wound, but before making saves of any kind, the Hero may make a Look out Sir! Roll. On a 4+ an allied unit within 3” (who is not engaged in close combat) immediately takes any saves they are required to take as though they were the initial target of the attack.
again, too soon for this major a change, and too disruptive to the core rules of the game. Putting wounds on closest models is an
especially terrible choice that goes against deliberate design. Suddenly you're forced to hide your banners and musicians? Or actually go ahead and include all musician/standard units, which the core rules allow but that there's no reason for because you choose casualties anyway? Casualties from the front was and is terrible in
40k, there is absolutely no reason to be grafting it on to age of sigmar, what a terrible thing to do. No wonder these rules think shooting is too good and need to be nerfed if they're doing that. When one arbitrary house rule forces another, that's a bad sign.
Something may prove necessary to address the ease with which warmachines designed to damage units of many models can instead be used to pick out and assassinate non-monstrous heroes. However, there's no need for complicated look out sir mechanics if you're already making those models untargetable in the shooting phase.
Likewise, if shooting into/out of close combat becomes a problem (which I'm not at all convinced it is yet, personally), I think mitigation (penalty to hit for firing unit, or bonus save on targeted unit) would be a better solution than an outright ban.
- Page 4 - MAKING ATTACKS Change Step 4) Determine Damage to read: Once all of the attacks made by a unit have been carried out, each successful attack inflicts a number of wounds equal to the Damage characteristic of the weapon. Most weapons have a Damage characteristic of 1, but some can inflict 2 or more wounds, allowing them to cause grievous injuries to even the mightiest foe, or to cleave through more than one opponent with but a single blow! In order to make several attacks at once, all of the attacks must have the same To Hit, To Wound, Rend and Damage characteristics, and must be directed at the same enemy unit. If this is the case, make all of the hit rolls at the same time, then all of the wound rolls, and finally all of the save rolls; then add up the total number of wounds caused. This is the Wound Pool for the attack
Is... is this even different from the actual rules?
- Page 4 - Inflicting Damage Change the section to read: After all of the attacks made by a unit have been carried out, the player commanding the target unit resolves the Wound Pool by allocating the wounds to the closest model to the attacking unit. Sometimes it will be unclear which model in a target unit is closest to the attacking unit because there is no discernible difference between the attacking unit and several models in the target unit. If two or more models are equidistant from the attacking unit, the owning player chooses which model is dealt the wound. The model is treated as being the closest model and remains so until either the attacking unit’s attack ends or the model is slain. When inflicting damage, if a model is allocated a wound, it must be allocated all remaining wounds in the pool until either it is slain or no more wounds remain to be allocated. When assigning wounds, Unit Command models are always treated as not being the closest model until they are the only models remaining. Instead, after wounds are done, Command Models are immediately pushed back to be within 1” of the closest surviving models in the unit or 3” directly away from the attacking unit if they are the only models left alive. This may sometimes cause a combat to break apart if enough wounds are dealt. Units that begin a Combat Phase engaged with an enemy unit may always attempt to Pile in and Attack, even if when Activated they are greater than 3” away. Once the number of wounds suffered by a model during the battle equals its Wounds characteristic, the model is slain. Place the slain model to one side – it is removed from play. Some warscrolls include abilities that allow wounds to be healed. A healed wound no longer has any effect. You can’t heal wounds on a model that has been slain.
No no no no no. Why is letting defending players assign the casualties as they want so terrible? It's such a better system. It makes more sense (why wouldn't the next guy over pick up the banner when the bearer is killed?), it plays faster, it's friendlier to modelling, it's way less confusing than this garglemess. No.
- Page 4 - CASTING SPELLS Add the following to the second paragraph: Wizards may attempt to cast spells when engaged (within 3” of enemy models), but any spell which directly targets an enemy unit may only target models they are engaged with. Beneficial spells may only be cast on allied models or units engaged in the same combat. Wizards are considered unable to draw line of sight out of the combat for spells that are neither beneficial nor offensive. Add the following to the end of the section:
Unnecessary. I mean, why bother? What's the point? Where's the need?
- Summoning: Units Summoned during the Hero Phase may not be activated until the start of their controlling player’s Movement Phase.
The only new rule I actually agree with, although these rules still don't address the problems of summon-spamming armies adding tons of wounds to the game and throwing the whole thing out of whack. And if we restrict summoning to a pre-defined sideboard or summoning pool, then chain summoning stops even being a problem.
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