Steamroller 2012: 6 months in

Believe it or not, it's been about 6 months since we've had the Steamroller 2012 rules in-hand.  Okay, it's really been more like 7 months, but there were no major events using SR 2012 until the first week of February as everyone was adjusting to the new set of rules, so I figure I can still say it's been 6 months.  So what have we learned in 2012?  How are things different from SR 2011, if anyone can even remember that far back?  There have been some big changes, some of them controversial, but I think that all of them have been for the betterment of the game.  Today I will discuss some of the major changes and speculate on what kinds of changes we could see in SR 2013 based on what I've heard the community saying (no spoilers, though!).  Let's start looking at the 3 biggest changes and how it looks now.

In Defense of the Mountain King

I meant to originally write this article yesterday but instead decided that since my argument included elements that were common to all Gargantuans, I figured I’d address those issues first.  While the comment was made that all of the elements I listed were common to all warbeasts, I do encourage you to read through each breakdown again because they’re slightly different with Gargantuans since Gargantuans are much more difficult to kill.  They take all of the advantages of having warbeasts over warjacks to a slightly higher level.  I brought up these same issues in my article Gargantuan Possibilities before we even knew what the Gargantuan statlines would look like.  I addressed issues of focus, damage boxes, and animi, and why their careful balance was necessary.  I’m pleased with how they’ve been balanced in general (at least for the two that have been spoiled) and I think the Mountain King is much better than people think.  This is a lengthy argument that requires a holistic approach to looking at the entire Troll faction and playstyle and consequently the article is quite long.  If you're passionate about this subject, I hope you'll be willing to read all the way through to the end because you need the entire picture to see why the Mountain King isn't terrible.

In Defense of the Gargantuans

There's been a lot of hate out there for the Mountain King since people picked it up at Lock n' Load.  Sure, I guess compared to the Stormwall at first it seems pretty lackluster.  If we were just to look at the raw stats, the MK has -1 P+S on its attacks, -1 MAT, -1 RAT, and -1 DEF.  It doesn't have the fancy 2 big guns or little dakka guns like the Stormwall, but it does have a SP10 POW 16 shot, which has to count for something, right?  Right? 

Well there's a lot to consider when you're deciding whether or not a Gargantuan is "worth it" compared to a Colossal.  Just like Colossals they can take lots of damage, have high P+S attacks, and can use some fancy new power attacks.  However, unlike Colossals, Gargantuans have much more utility and complexity just due to their nature as warbeasts.  Today I'll defend these massive beasts and perhaps help you consider why I think they're not as bad as others might suggest.  Gargantuans are very different from Colossals in several important ways and you need to understand that warbeasts aren't just heavy-hitters like warjacks - they fuel the warlock's powers entirely.  Here are some rules that are relevant: