Don't forget Code One has a number of boxes in the line that will need contents. Be they repackaged or original.
Considering that the code one box is Hassassns vs Steel Phalanx it would make since to retire the few years old Hassassin starter set.
Also, the old Hassassin starter (being currently retired) never actually worked like most of the starters did (having 3 Irregular Daylmai as basic troops...).
Yeah, it makes sense to retire the old set. But its weird to update the old set since... its not old. Just 4 years. And its a really good looking set. CB has a worrying habit of redoing perfectly good (and recent) models when LOTS of other things need attention. Thats true, but over the years a whole bunch of starters have actually had a less than ideal selection of troops for a starter player. i don't feel like thats every been an issue they've tried to address or particularly cared about. Also, things may have changed since I played Hassassins (4 years ago), but at that time pretty much everyone was running 2-3 Daylami. Daylami were seen as a big perk.
I believe the initial idea behind a starter box - back in the day - was to be a starter, a boxed table-ready force of about 120pts. Remeber, there was a 120pts format in Escalation League for a while... Of course, it was difficult to meet this idea with various new sectorials, and I guess it went totally sideways in some cases. I have a feeling CB got ready to abandon it entirely, and switch to Action Pack format, with a 300pts army-in-a-box. Which is certainly easier to design, given oyu typically have 10 models and 300pts to work with. The exact composition, and models being not available outside of the box (the old starters tended to have 1 such model in my memory, the others were available in blisters) may be irking me as a veteran player, having a rather extensive collection for the factions I play (as mentioned, out of the whole Crimson Stone, I needed just 2 models), but likely doesn't make a difference for someone just starting with the faction...
Yeah, that was clearly the idea originally. But it went out the window as early as original Human Sphere. Well, even as early as the original Combined Army starter, which was significantly more expensive than the other 5 starters (like 40-50 points more, I believe). Some of the starters, like Shavastii, didn't even include a Lieutenant. Since Paradiso at least the starters have been much less a "buy this and start playing" box and more of a "these are 6 models you'll probably want if you play this army" box.
I don't know if they'll be resculpted, repacked, or just discontinued. Hopefully some of them will be repacked since, as you say, the sculpts are recent and nice. It's still a way to play HB, but it's the 15-order cap has made it a lot less automatic. And when you do, they're all LSG+Panzerfaust Daylamis. The current starter has two never-used Daylami profiles and one never-used Ayar. I'd definitely like to see it broken up if the important sculpts could be kept.
Well, Ayyar himself isn't bad, he's just a bit out of his depth against the other Hassassin HI - Asawira. Who are linkable, and have Regeneration. And are, actually, cheaper than Ayyar. Ayyar is a solo gunfighter. He could use some TLC.
The Ayyar Debate is a quarterly event over on the Haqq subforum, but each time we hold it, fewer people show up to defend the Ayyar. If you still think he isn't bad, you may be the last holdout! Either way, he's a bad choice for the HB starter, unless the goal is to sell models that nobody uses by bundling them with models that everybody needs...
Honestly, if they gave Ayyar breaker weapons (with exception of the viral pistols) and forward deployment, he would be fine. It would give him a defined role and also work nice with Yasbir: A role of clearing deployables and other midfield threats. And CB has shown a willingness to tweak profiles, especially with a new release.
If they continue to follow the Code One process. Next year there will be a new box and this box will become the basis for the Haqqislam Action pack. Thus it would be at least majority Hassassin Bahram in contents. So not by name but by function.
I'm gonna have to agree with the state of the current HB starter box. The contents look great but when 3/6 of your models are categorically unfieldable in your sectorial it's no longer an ideal actual entry point into the army. This isn't a huge problem as Daylami make suitable Ghulam proxies (I've done so for years) but as an intro product there's room for improvement.
Hope the water they used to make sure CB didn’t catch fire didn’t damage the building. Shame to read their neighbors are having to start from scratch.
We are OK, some minor physical damage in the closest part of our building next to the damaged one, but nothing too dramatic. Unfortunately, our neighbours will need to start from scratch or close forever, as their building is totally ruined :( We also thank to the fire brigade, because their awesome and fast response helped to save our building from suffering worse damage.
