I wonder how people would feel about Fire ammo if it wasnt additional normal rolls but one roll that melts (permanently removes some value). Not neccesarily on the current existinf loadouts, but for some units specialized in taking down tags.
I feel it would have to be not very effective at that, or it would be considered too powerful. Also, it would mean another level of bookkeeping - isn't it something Infinity is trying to get rid of as much as possible?
Arm 2 really isnt an incentive and the LRL doesnt help the flamer profiles. On top of that (if nothing changes), Ghillim become now even better compared to Naffatun, because they can force opponents in the 0-8 range, to make some hard decsions....shoot back and eat two templates or dodge and make a FTF against BS 11. A Naffatun cannot compete with that. How to make Naffatuns equally desireable? Hard to answer. They need a new role now. Becoming a cheap link filler or emphasizing even more on the area denial and give them Fire Mines and Grenades...
@emperorsaistone Fair enough, I was just grasping at options. I really don't know either. Getting mines is a good answer. I don't know how much more they can drop in cost. Part of it is there are too many Ghulam options so as a link filler is extremely niche.
My ideal solution would be to leave shotguns alone. The change seems stupid. But if I can’t have that my second solution would be to give Naffatun forward deployment. I used to like it when Haqq’s solution to camo was a flamethrower. Meta changes have reduced that. Bring it back.
How so? I think it has the intended effect of being far less confusing for people. I can't count the amount of times I've had to explain that the template get's dropped on the target, from the target, and how it interacts with FtF rolls and crits...
I think shotguns make sense as a high accuracy close range gun, as opposed to a flamethrower that isn’t on fire. I think the change potentially creates balance issues where shotguns perform better at being flamethrowers than actual flamethrowers and flak cannons. And I think that enough of the game was designed around a distinction between shotguns as face to face weapons and flamethrowers and chain rifles as templates that it will be very, very difficult to change things now without creating a lot of issues.
Well, they do still have the "hit mode" for getting those high accuracy close ranged attacks but I am indeed curious to see what will be done for these other weapons that only have the template option available to them. The best tool I think they have for balance would be points cost. On the other hand, CB may view this change as something of a Nerf to shotguns as they now are not be able to force multiple targets into a face to face roll. Chain rifles and it's ilk, as you know, are famously considered under-costed in many profiles so I feel CB might not put much stock into the use of these kinds of template weapons. We might see them edged out in favor of shotguns this edition. Hell, we might even see the boarding shotgun Ghazi Muttawia profile show up in lists if the Ghazi aren't nerfed too far.
IMHO easy solution to this would be via Intuitive attack. CB can give access to Intuitive attack to DTWs like a flamethrowers chain rifle and so and at the same time shotguns would not have access to this mechanic.
The shotgun change will make Fiday use more challenging, but hopefully more rewarding. Also since shotguns can be used without relying on the BS score, infiltrating Daylami will be able to do some serious work. For Naffatun, I hope they lean into the fire aspect and give them some fire goodies. Maybe something like Thermite (a D-charge that is AP+Fire) to give them an anti-armor role. The only thing I worry about is that they will take the old fluff into heart and give them Explode. Please no. Just revise the fluff. Edit: Also based on the Stacking Dodge Penalties Rule thread, it looks like a template attack from out of LOF but within ZOC provides a massive -6 to dodge. If Fiday's keep surprise shot in N4 (which is very likely IMO), they will be even better at crippling enemies against the search for knowledge.
My main problem with Infiltrating Daylami is they rarely hit their intended deployment area. Still, that's the problem in N3. How they are handled in N4, remains to be seen. I don't think they'd do that. Too close to the cliche "kaboom suicide bomber Arab" they were so keen to avoid (inc. changing E/marat from Ghazi-centered round template to Large Teardrop E/marat Mk.2)
Mechanically the Naffs never had explode. In their fluff it was talked about that do to their exposed fuel tanks taking a round to them would result in a fiery death for them and anyone close by. Some get hung up on that conflating it with suicide bombers but really it calls back to old flamethrower users which had that exact thing happen to them.
I have yet to hear from anyone who does. As for what they should get, what if they get consolidated down to one profile with a heavy flamethrower and grenades? Would that make them sufficiently different from a ghulam?
