Resurrecting this thread, I have actually played several games now with 5 model combat groups and I found it very interesting. A few major observations: Implementing the 5 model limit should probably require tweaking the command token rule, removing 2 orders from a 5 order pool is rough 5 orders is just enough for a unit or fireteam to advance from their own DZ to the midfield, but no enough to permit a full withdrawal. This increases the value of midfield skirmisher specialists and makes it harder for DZ deployed units to grab an objective and retreat to safety. 5 orders feels like a reasonable balance for rambo units and reduces the ability to brute force AROs with highly durable models. You can't afford to spend 3-4 orders repeating a shooting attack, so you need to be more deliberate with regards to the fights you choose to take. We chose to allow up to 4 combat groups at 5 models per combat group, but I found myself converging on 14-15 models over 3 combat groups. It feels much more organic that the current 15 model cap rule, as the order efficiency of each subsequent cheap trooper is much lower.
Alpha strike is a major drawback and problem for the game. This suggestion is interesting. Another way would be to remove all extra order rules (Tac awareness, +1order, counterintelligence etc). They were invented to improve balance away from order spam lists. With the 15 order cap they are not needed anymore, and only contribute to alpha striking.
Honestly, all this does is shift the balance to more order efficient rambos. You'll see more uxia, kitsune etc.
Yes, the more we are playing N4, the more apparent it has become that 15 order limit is a band-aid fix that doesn't solve anything. From the start, my wish was not to make a cap but to redesing all the armies and the point cost to organically make a "limit" around 14-16 orders.
IMO any rule that favors midfield skirmishers even more is one that needs to be very carefully considered. They've been amongst the top dogs in unit archetypes for a long time and don't need any help.
What I'd actually like to try is 2 Combat Groups of 8 slots max. This would increase total trooper count to 16 but reduce the orders available to each model in a similar way to 5 trooper groups. I suspect you'd end up seeing the game optimised around 2 active pieces with support (but you can already do that well in N4). Overall I think it'd improve the current feel of the game from favouring the active, and would make the Troop cap feel less arbitrary (2 Max CGs feels less weird than 15 Troopers to me). But this sort of change would require recosting a lot of 'order efficiency' skills: Infiltration and Impersonation being the big two. As has been pointed out above, as orders become more scarce in a group the greater the value of skills that let you spend Orders more efficiently.
Honestly I think it showed that without a cap we'd push for as many orders as possible. I do agree that the arbitrary cap didn't really solve all the problems, but I think building for an organic limit is an intractable problem: we will try to push that as high as possible anyway.
