Saturday, November 06, 2004
This week in D&D Miniatures II
As the effects of the Aberrations figures became more widely known, people continued discussing the strategical and tactical considerations of the new figures. The Bariaur Ranger was mooted as CG's best figure for 100 point games, although the acclamation was not unanimous. Meanwhile, the drawbacks of the Frenzied Berserker were discussed, especially how to ameliorate them. Perhaps healing, or the Crow Shaman with its cat's grace spells, or the Cleric of Garl Glittergold with the sanctuary spell, or perhaps a blur? The cost of the support figures loomed as a major distraction for such warbands.
The ongoing problems of the costing system came in for additional debate, although not with much resolution. An accurate formula system, desirable as it may be, is still far, far away, especially with new abilities and interactions always being introduced. On a similar topic, the Drider was up for a heated debate on whether it was broken or not. Very competitive, certainly! Of interest was the fact that it was the first support unit rather than an offensive unit to make its way into the possibly broken figures list.
Alusair was discarded by many as being a "bait" figure - a figure whose abilities look good but is too much trouble to use properly. High ACs were discussed, and their ineffectiveness against high damage creatures such as the Orc Champion - more than a High AC is needed for an effective figure.
The first big surprise of the week came when Assembly Tile 5 appeared, and then, shortly thereafter, disappeared again. It was slightly too good for the game, and only a miscommunication allowed some of us to see it at all. With a sacred circle on the tile and no walls, one could see the advantages (and thus problems) of the tile.
The Half-Elf Hexblade led into a discussion of the various Synergies for LE - various figures that work well together in LE warbands. Mind flayers and constructs seemed good, along with figures with the Executioner's Blade ability. A good figure to use with the Aspect of Bane is still lacking, but perhaps in the future?
Sulaco posted his Bow'n Away warband, consisting of a Valenar Commander, Arcane Archer, two Half-Elf Bow Initiates and 7 Elf Warriors. With an excess of firepower and the ability to split the warband, it demonstrated that Aberrations was bringing ranged combat back into the equation, although it might be somewhat dependent on the proper use of sacred circles.
Finally, the discussion on how LG was getting better continued, although not so hopefully. Some solid units were put forward, but it still seems that LG need more love from the designers.