February 26, 2011

Adeptus Mechanicus:
Incoming!

Actual Fanbase Attractiveness May Vary

Hello, again. As we're approaching the final few days before v2.0 of the AdMech FanDex, I wanted to take a few minutes to describe some of what you all will be seeing. As of today, the dex is ready to roll, most everything has been finalized and I should be posting the new version on the 28th. The only reason for the delay is I'd like to get in one more day of playtesting before launch. So since things are pretty concrete at this point, I'm going to delve into what new units are awaiting everyone in a couple of days. More after the jump.

As I've noted before, most Imperial vehicles from pre-existing codices have been completely removed, never to be seen again. So what's incoming to replace the numerous voids this will leave?

Let's start with one of my favorites and a creation from the mind of team member Derek Reihe:

The Forsaken
The Forsaken are a haphazard group of "techno-zombies" created by the AdMech from spare and defective parts. They can come in hoards (groups of 10-30,) but require a "sergeant" character for them to function. I'll leave out some of the details on the "sergeant" character as it's a major change from the previous setup. The Forsaken's stats aren't the greatest on earth, but they have a couple of stats that can fluctuate based on a Ld test from the "sergeant" in their group. They're a dynamic group to say the least, and must be used intelligently in order to have tactical advantage. I foresee this being a favorite unit to a lot of you out there as well.

Next up I'll discuss a creation I came up with while mulling over long range ability for the army:

Divexo Beacon
This neato little device has some similarities to the Astartes Drop Pod in that it's Immobile at all times, but that's about where the similarities fall. This bugger can fire a powerful shot in a dispersed or concentrated form (think Eldar Fire Prism,) but is also used as a Locater Beacon allowing no mishaps if Deep Striking within a certain range of it. Essemtially, this thing has many uses that can be used in unison. Taking advantage of this key.

Every Imperial army needs a solid transport to rely on. And with the removal of the Rhino, Land Raider and Chimera, what's left?

Gant
The Gant is a lightly armoured transport with a twist; it has legs. While the profile is for a tank, the Gant also has Walker-like qualities. This is in respect to moving (no difficult terrain tests, can run in the shooting phase instead of shooting, etc.) and shooting (can shoot all weapons every turn, including the infantry shooting from it's top hatch.) If protected, the Gant has massive advantages over typical transports. Being able to move and shoot Heavy Weapons in the same turn is something few vehicles can take advantage of, and should keep the army feeling like a mobile force rather than the sit-n-shoot IG characteristics it had in v1.x.

Finally, I'll leave you with another one of my favorite creations:

Cult Abomination
A key element to a lot of armies out there is having a Monstrous Creature or something similar in the codex. While the Adamantium Giant existed in the previous version of the dex (and will in v2.0 as well,) he is an HQ choice and a lackluster one as far as army-support. I wanted something to fill this void in a non-HQ slot and a few days later this guy was born. This creature is a cluster of strewn mechanics and power cables brought to life by a beastly Machine Spirit. Similar to Robot Maniples, he must be controlled by another character, but I won't go too far into that as this is a new mechanic I'm using for v2.0. If left unchecked he runs wild to the closest enemy he can get to, but if looked after gains a small benefit as well. He's coupled with a single long-range shot and a few tricks in close combat I think you all will enjoy.

And I think that's all I'm going to delve into until release (I can't blab about all the juicy stuff.) I'll see you all back here in a couple of days for release!

6 comments:

  1. I think after my Sons of Horus, ill have to make some Dark Mechanicus based on this fandex ;) Im really excited!

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  2. That's fantastic! I'm a big fan of the Dark Mechanicus as well. I don't know near as much about them as I do AdMech (since, ya know, I wrote a rulebook on them,) but Chaos and AdMech mixed together makes for some great models.

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  3. The Forsaken and Cult Abomination seem more Dark Mech than AdMech oriented; I don't know if they really fit an Imperial army...

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  4. The fluff will make sense, scout's honor.

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  5. Oh boy! I can't wait to see this in action again.

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