The backbone of every army, giving access to Objective Secured and filling out the Detachments that give the most command points - Troops. The Asuryani have 4 choices here and, like the rest of their army, each one has a specific purpose.
Guardians
When the Craftworld is in threat, all must help defend. Those that don't join the Path of and Aspect take up the mantle of Guardians.
Guardian Defenders
The standard of the Asuryani. Combat stats of the Space Marine, physical stats of the Imperial Guardsman but with a higher Movement value. Backed up by Battle Focus and Shuriken Catapults. These guys aren't exciting, but for every 10 in the unit you can add Heavy Weapons Platform. If this isn't a Shuriken Cannon, you lose out on the mobility of Battle Focus though. They are the solid Troops choice, nothing special but nothing bad. I would take the Heavy Weapons platforms and use them to hold an Objective while shooting choice targets.
They have been largely unchanged over time, though 4th Edition upped their Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill.
Storm Guardians
Same stat line as the Defenders, but with a unit cap of 24 rather than 20. Regardless of unit size, 2 models can have either a Flamer or a Fusion Gun. I wouldn't take them these days. While they are the cheapest option for Troops, their role is eclipsed by other units in the army. Everything they do except cheapness is better done by something else. And while Defenders cost 24 more points at minimum, their Shuriken fire is better than Aeldari Blades or Chainswords. While they are better than they have been in previous editions, I still can't see much use for them.
Storm Guardians didn't exist in 2nd Edition. You could simply purchase close combat weapons for regular Guardians, making them a unit that could do both jobs if you were willing to pay the points. It made them one of the few options in the army that was customisable. 2nd Edition was weird for it's rules that allowed models to carry numerous weapons for different purposes.
Dire Avengers
The Aspect of Asurman, first of the Phoenix Lords. They have longer range that Guardian Defenders plus they Overwatch on 5s. These are the Troops you want mobile Shuriken fire. They really exemplify Battle Focus. Their Exarch has several options, an extra Catapult is a good choice. My preferred choice is the Shimmershield to give the unit a 5+ Invulnerable save.
The Aspect Warriors are much like their Pheonix Lords, in that they haven't really changed as the rules changed around them.
Rangers
Character support is key in 8th Edition. Having lesser Characters in the right place with the correct skills is integral to a battle plan. The rules let those Characters hide, making them difficult to deal with before you opponent gets maximum benefit from them. These guys are the answer.
While the stats on the Ranger Long Rifle aren't exceptional, they do additional mortal wounds on a 6 on the Wound roll. They also have the ability to pick out Characters. This means units like Commissars, Lieutenants and other support Characters can be easy pickings. They can also help soften up stronger Characters before a more capable unit tackles them.
They give the opponent -1 to hit them at Range, and get +2 to their saving throws while in cover, making shifting them an effort for the opponent. That choice will come down to how important their Characters are. They also have the ability to Infiltrate, placing them in exactly the best vantage point right from the start of the game.
3rd Edition brought us Pathfinders in the Craftworld Supplement. They were better Rangers, but have since fallen to the wayside.
This is the end of Part Five. Next will be the review of the Elite units, where the majority of the Aspect Warriors reside.
No comments:
Post a Comment