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Affiliate Board: Deep Woods (Warhammer Fantasy Battle) Affiliate Board: Off Topic (General Discussion Board) Affiliate Board: Centretown Warhammer Club (Gaming Club) Affiliate Board: GW Ottawa Local | ||
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Orbital101 19:40:56 Sun May 28 2006 Offline 8698 posts
Autarch
 Reply |
The Rumors
Note that there are three kinds of "rumors": - "Officially confirmed": This is a rumor which is confirmed by Games Workshop in the form of a Sneak Peek or a statement made on the record in public at events like Games Day. Private conversations with designers or sculptors don't constitute "official confirmation", nor does typing your favorite rumor in all caps or holding your breath till you turn blue. - "Actual rumors": Persistent chatter about something which is at least tied to a possibly credible source. Private conversations with designers or sculptors fall into this category, as do leaks from playtesters. - "Wish Lists": Something which has no credible basis as a rumor, but is a very popular concept among the community (or some of its louder members). Due to the fact that "Wish Lists" are often discussed over and over, people sometimes make the mistake of thinking that they must be actual rumors or officially confirmed. Make sure you take a moment to remind yourself of what those differences before you read, and note that everything described here falls into the "Actual Rumor" category. The codex (which is due in October). Developer Phil Kelly is going to be introducing a greater level of flexibility and customization into the vanilla list that will supposedly lend similar variety to the Eldar army without having to resort to Craftworld specific Force Org Charts and special rules. Phil was adamant that Craftworlds will be in the new codex for sure; they'll just be integrated into a larger, more expansive list. He said that Craftworld lists right now have a way of constraining the players a bit too much (I believe he used the word "boxed in", but my memory could be playing tricks on me). He said that certain Craftworld options will be universally available to all lists, but "you won't see a Biel Tan list with a Seer Council or anything". He also told me that the new codex will not make Ulthwe Strike Force obsolete, and you will be able to use it. How that's going to work, I have no idea, but Phil did write both the USF and the Eldar Codex, so he would know. Phil's major focus for the Eldar codex was "balance". Certain units which are overused will be toned down to encourage players to have the courage to try new things. Other units (Shining Spears and Jetbikes were mentioned specifically) are considered too weak and will be boosted in a way which makes them desirable for players to take. Every unit should be worth using. Eldar psychic powers will get a major re-working. I've been hearing that Mind War and Eldritch Storm will disappear, but Doom (a 2nd ed power) may make a return; when cast upon an enemy unit, attacks directed at them can re-roll their "to wound" rolls for the duration of one turn. Other rumors suggest that Mind War will persist as before, but will incur a wound on the Farseer if it fails. The emphasis will be on modifiers and buffs rather than offensive psychic attacks (especially for the Farseer). The Farseer is also getting a new metal model that's supposed to be absolutely brilliant. Some rumors claim that he'll be reduced to T3. This appears to be in keeping with their desire to delineate between the psychic power of the Farseer and the combat power of the Autarch. Seer Councils will appear in the new codex, but will not be abusable in the way they currently are. Phil Kelly specifically mentions the "boxing Warlocks" (with no weapons or powers) that are used to create ablative wounds for this unit, and said that people who invest a lot of money in loopholes of the current codex will be very disappointed indeed with the new rules. Some rumors claim a limitation in Seer Council numbers (no more than 10). The Avatar will get a new model and be made into a Special Character, complete with new rules. The model is supposedly twice the height of the current one with The Wailing Doom in one hand and the other outstretched and pointing, but sources say that it's being redone because studios aren't happy with the sculpt. Word has it that, rules-wise, he'll be brought into line with stats similar to a Greater Demon. Forgeworld has also reportedly claimed in private emails to individuals that they will be doing an Avatar, but it will get done after the four major Chaos Daemons are complete. His save is rumored to be 3+ with a 4+ ward (invulnerable) save. Some rumors claim that the Avatar will need to be "summoned" to the battlefield. Autarch. It will definitely be a metal model by Jes Goodwin. Phil Kelly explains him by saying "He's not Superman. He's Batman". He's not such a staggeringly badass character in his own right (Phil says that calling him a "Super Exarch", even though White Dwarf used that term, is a misnomer). He's more of a jack of all trades, but can take gear from any Aspect. Phil's examples were that he could take Swooping Hawk wings, a Banshee Mask and an Executioner... or Mandiblasters and a Fusion Gun. He also says that even though the Autarch is metal, you will not have to convert him to get all those different combinations. Reportedly he will also have an influence on certain strategy-related factors of the game, such as reserve rolls. For good fluff on the Autarch which explains his role in relationship to the Aspects and their Exarchs, check out Games Workshop's downloadable rules for Epic: Armageddon. Phoenix Lords will be in the new codex. Phil Kelly confirms this, and adds that they were not nearly strong enough in the old codex. Each will get a boost and, in his words, they will become "extremely good at what they do". No whisper has been uttered as to their resculpting, however. Iyanna Arienal and Nuadhu "Fireheart" are going to disappear from the Eldar pantheon, but three Special Characters appear to be very likely. The first of these is the Avatar, who will no longer be a basic HQ choice. The second is the Pirate Prince Yriel of Craftworld Iyanden (no word on whether he'll get his own sculpt). The third, oddly enough, is Eldrad Ulthran. Though he "died" (in a manner of speaking) at the end of the Eye of Terror campaign after making Abaddon run like a scared kitten, there's some pretty solid word out there that he will re-appear in the new codex. There will also be new Warlocks, I'm hearing, but no info on that, either.
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Orbital101 19:41:20 Sun May 28 2006 Offline 8698 posts
Autarch
Reply |
There WILL be a Bonesinger model made... just no rules. It'll be a Special Edition model, and will reportedly be holding some sort of instrument while standing among tendrils of Wraithbone (think "Wood Elves"). Not sure what the deal there is, but it may be released with the army box.
Harlequins will be returning in the new codex as an Elite choice, complete with new models by Jes Goodwin (though the models will not be released with the codex). Harlequin troupes are taken in the same way that Kroot are taken with Tau, and individual models are upgraded to Shadowseer, Great Harlequin, etc. Mimes will be able to infiltrate. All Harlequins will be given the Harlequin's Kiss weapon (which rends). The thrust of the Harlequin presence in the new codex is that, for now, they will exist solely as an Elite choice for the Eldar. If they are popular enough, GW may consider giving them their own codex at some later date. There will be no new sculpts for Wraithguard, but Phil Kelly confirmed changes to the rules. Some rumors suggest that they will be toughness 6 with 2 wounds and their Wraithcannons will enjoy 18" range (or some other combination of those stats). Wraithguard-related rumors are on shaky ground at the moment, as several conflicting rumors exist. Phil Kelly confirmed that, no matter what, they'll still keep plodding along... Fire Dragons have been redone with models which more closely resemble their 2nd ed counterparts (same with the Howling Banshees). It's hard to tell from the pics, but the Dragons have tanks on their back as well as attached to their Fusion Guns. Striking Scorpions and Dark Reapers (with targeting vanes returning) are reportedly going to be redone as well and, like the Dragons and Banshees, all in metal. No word on dramatic rules changes for them, however, but rumors persist that the Striking Scorpions are going to become Troop choices in the new codex (though this is mostly "wish list"), will receive the "Move Through Cover" universal rule and may possibly be reduced to S3. The Scorpion models have been redone by Juan Diaz, and are definitely metal. Word also has it that the Howling Banshee Exarch will be able to take the Silent Death (S5 Web Of Skulls), a weapon previously available only to Jain Zar. There are on-again, off-again rumors about Shining Spears being redone, but no final word and no sculpts to show yet. No-one can seem to get any traction on whether Warp Spiders or Swooping Hawk models will be redone or not. Right now the consensus seems to be "no" due to time constraints... though some rumors have started to surface that so much community-level stink is being made about the Warp Spiders not being redone that they may fast-track some new models through. Take that with a grain of salt, as GW hasn't officially confirmed that there will be no Warp Spider resculpt, so it's unclear how the community is supposed to object to something they don't know about yet. Warp Spiders may receive some rules changes in the form of their Death Spinners becoming Assault 2/Rending. Rules-wise, Swooping Hawks are going to enjoy some serious boosts. Changes include the universal Hit-and-Run rule, the ability to re-Deep Strike (though what that means is unclear, it suggests that they can arrive on the table, do something, then deep strike again somewhere else). They also carry Haywire Grenades and will always hit Vehicles on 4+, even skimmers. Dire Avengers are in for lots of changes. They're being completely remade in plastic and the rules are getting a huge rewrite. For one, they will be able to shoot their Shuriken Catapults (which may or may not be of the same class that Guardians get) a full 18" and, if they employ a power called "Shuriken Storm", they can fire 3 times in a turn (rather than 2) and give up the chance to fire in the following turn (though they can still assault). The Dire Avenger Exarch will be able to equip with two Shuriken Catapults (not pistols; Catapults) and will be able to fire Assault 4 (though whether that can become Assault 6 during Shuriken Storm was not addressed). Jes Goodwin's sketches also show a "Deflector Sleeve", which appears on the new sprue. The models come with two sprues (5 Avengers each) to a box. It seems that GW would like to see more people using Dire Avengers, as they are identified in the fluff as the most common Aspect of all. They will be extremely customizable and can be either "shooty/offensive" or "defensive/tough". The next part is a bit complicated, but stay with me: What we currently know as the "distract" ability (which removes an attack from every opponent in base contact with the exarch down to a minimum of one) is now called "Defend" and will apply to the entire squad. What we currently know as the "Distract" power (which forces enemies in base contact with the Exarch to only hit him on a 6, though he always strikes last) is going to be called something like "Shimmer Shield" and will be free to all Dire Avengers, and will change the "to hit" roll to 5+ instead of 6+. Speaking of Aspects and rumors: When an Exarch takes a power, it now affects the entire squad. Exarch powers will be retooled somewhat to make this more practical (specifically, the Dire Avenger power "Defend" will allow enemies to hit on a 5+ in CC instead of a 6+), but it seems like this is a done deal. As an aside; Jes Goodwin's sketches were annotated to state that some Exarchs are so powerful that they do not need to don their helmet to achieve the state of mind required to enter combat. Instead, they apply a form of War Paint. Future Exarch models may be more consistently helmet-less (like the Dire Avenger Exarch we see in the new sculpts). Guardians will get some changes, but probably just in the form of new gubbinz and so on. Jes Goodwin (who is doing most of the Eldar stuff) says the current gubbinz aren't "Eldary enough". Not-quite-as-for-sure rumors say that the basic Guardian box will be reduced to 12 Guardians, but could include the Heavy Weapons Platform (redone in plastic, which most of you have already seen). No change is apparently going to be made to their 12" Shuriken Catapult range, and rumors persist that no changes will be made to the rest of their rules except to say that they're more likely to be relegated to support roles (i.e. manning artillery or piloting vehicles) than kept as the front-line troop choice. That seems to be the Dire Avengers' role now. The Heavy Weapon Platform which has been redone in plastic could either be considered a Cities of Death release or an Eldar Codex release. Which of these two releases the Platform is connected to could have some effect on how many total releases we end up with (i.e. if it's considered a release for Cities of Death then it leaves room for more releases to go with the new Eldar Codex). Rangers are already redone in metal. Most of you have seen that. No firm word on changes in rules for them, but the new models no longer carry Lasweapons, so I imagine that (aside from Swooping Hawks), that'll be the last we see of the 2nd ed Eldar Lasweapon trend. Rangers will be upgradeable to Pathfinders. Jetbikes models will not be redone, but there are rumors stating that Jetbikes will become troop choices, will have a reduced armor save but will also be dramatically reduced in points cost. War Walkers are already redone and, in general, the public seems to really like them. They will receive the Universal Scout Rule which allows them to make a free move before the game begins but after deployment. Rumors suggest that War Walkers will be able to take two different weapons or, instead, twin-link two of the same weapons for a reduced cost. A limited "splash release" of three-in-a-box has been confirmed by Phil Kelly, and he also states that their points cost will be changed (he did not say if it would be reduced or raised). We don't know much about the new Wraithlord rules, but much chatter about the sculpt exists. Not only will he be in plastic and made by Jes Goodwin, but he'll look like a miniature Revenant Titan (with the blank face and "collar" in the style of the Wraithguard, but reportedly with a smaller "face"). He'll also have an optional sword and shield. Some weaponry will be mounted on the shoulders instead of the wrists, but a recent "silhouette" shows what could either be Shuriken Catapults or Cannons mounted on his forearms. Pictures from the City of Death codex show him with a Vibrocannon for an arm (while new weapon load-outs for the Wraithlord are possible, it's generally agreed that the photo in that codex is a conversion, not an indication of how the Wraithlord will, in fact, look). The joints will all be ball-joint sockets, so that's good for posability. The sword and shield suggest better CC rules for the Wraithlord, but no confirmations of that yet. This has been corroborated from at least three independent sources... so I'm confident that it's true. Lonnnng ago (like over a year) I heard that the Wraithlord would stay the same, stat-wise, but be increased in points cost. I haven't heard anything since then, though. Phil Kelly confirmed that the new Wraithlord will be toughness 8. I've now heard a few times that playtesting saw Dark Reaper Exarchs with an ability to upgrade the squad so they can use indirect fire (one shot per squad). As this was part of the playtesting, there's no guarantee it'll end up in the rules.
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Orbital101 19:41:30 Sun May 28 2006 Offline 8698 posts
Autarch
Reply |
Phil Kelly confirmed the "bank shot" power that they once had in Epic where one Fire Prism fires into another in order to launch a single super-powered shot at the enemy. Other rumors include the Prism receiving BS4 and a new "Crystal Targeting Matrix" rule which turns a single weapon into a twin-linked one. Phil Kelly also said that the original idea was that the Fire Prism would be the Eldar tank hunter, the Wave Serpent would be the transport, and the Falcon would be half-way between the two (half shooty, half transport). That's not the way it turned out; most people take Falcons as their main shooty tanks. He's been working on making the Fire Prism into that Hammerhead-comparable option for the Eldar army (his words, not mine) and buffed it quite a bit.
The cost of all heavy weapons is rumored to be greatly reduced in order to bring them in line with typical heavy weapon costs of other armies. This is also intended to encourage more Guardian squads with Heavy Weapon Platforms. The Shuriken Cannon (reportedly reduced to 5 points) will become Assault 3 but won't get the Rending ability, though "mesh" weapons (such as Death Spinners or Shadow Weavers) will. Starcannons are expected to stay exaclty the same, stat-wise, except for the loss of one shot per turn, reducing it to Heavy 2. Scatter Lasers are expected to become Heavy 4. Forgeworld will be releasing the Falcon Upgrade Kit (pictured above, as well as here) by the end of the summer. No word on Star Eagles or Slicing Orbs has been uttered where models an rules are concerned. At present, there is zip, zero, nada indication that we'll see them in the new codex. Also, there is no word on Exodites whatsoever. There's an unconfirmed sighting in this thread that stores are now getting codes for the Eldar army set, with price not yet determined.
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Orbital101 23:25:54 Sun May 28 2006 Offline 8698 posts
Autarch
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BTW, I blew 4 AA batteries on all the pics I took at that show. Man, that was expensive!
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CRC 00:54:18 Mon May 29 2006 Offline 1092 posts
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rechargeable?
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Orbital101 01:47:17 Mon May 29 2006 Offline 8698 posts
Autarch
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Alas, no.
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Tallarn42nd  01:57:00 Mon May 29 2006 Offline 5451 posts
 LOCARA  Reply |
With that big ol' friendly smile, Phil Kelly looks like he might have been a used car salesman in a former incarnation.
 Great picx! T42 / John  |
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