I dug out my model case and compared with a few existing models: Chestplate bears great similarity with female Tiger Soldier, and the lower abdominal plates are common across Tigers and many LI and SK types. Lower leg armour is common across nearly all HI+Tigers. Thigh armour covers more than Tigers, similar to Zuyong plating. Gauntlets match most HI, but most YJ gauntlets/gloves have a very similar design. Pauldrons and upper arm resemble Shang Ji (I think, don't own the model but have seen it) with grey sleeve. Helmet is unique, but forward slope calls to mind Shang Ji. These design choices make me think it will either be HI or a grounded Tiger-style MI. Both have their merits for a backline commander or sniper, so I don't really have a preference and am leaning towards HI simply because everything else in this Sectorial already is. The chance of MI is why I am really hoping the Anti-Materiel winds up on the Hulang- marching a Daoying upfield 6 inches at a time to smash an antenna is a depressing thought, and the only thing really agreed upon about the Hulang so far is that it will be fast somehow.
Daoying does have the servo-muscles on her thighs, elbows, and upper arms that has always been a hallmark of HI, so I think that's what she'll be. Whether that means 2W or 1W+NWI I'm not sure anymore, though. The two things her dossier has me wondering though: that stuff hanging around her waist seems kinda new for YJ, and it has the same hatched pattern as the Dao Fei, Zhencha, and Mowang dossiers. Makes me wondering about either Camo or Mimetism, or some kind of visual modifier. Either pairs nicely with that MSR. The other is her footgear. That is seriously different than any other boots in the faction. Either they gave her Tactical Heels Lvl2 (meaning nothing but aesthetics), or there's some kind of skill/equipment attached there.
Personally hoping Daoying will have remote presence and some kind of marker state. Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk
The heels remind me of Chell's footwear from Portal, which suggests Super Jump to me. Maybe the crazy hatched pattern is ODD! Not sure if the relaxed pose is common among REMs, but that makes me think she's a power-armored human. I'll bet she's 1W + NWI though. I think someone posted that there was a very recent buff to Marksmanship LX which the sniper profile might have. Speculation, whee!
We are not, there is some speculation based on similarities in the visual design of the Hai Dao and Liu Xing.
The footwear makes it look taller, and the coat/skirt thing seems to serve little purpose save for fashion. Spot on for an officer; if 40K has taught me anything, it's extravagance=rank. That, or someone at CB got sick of all Yu Jing CCWs being the same sword design regardless of purpose and decided to get inventive with the AP CCW.
I half expect Daoying to be a remote presence HI with 1 STR to grant them a shock immunity equivalent. On the mowang, i can't wait for this big guy to show up on army. We don't have a lot of high burst weaponry on mimetimic/camo/TO units in the Yu-jing roster, and all of them costs at least 1.5swc which has been a personal pain in the ass lately when it comes to list building. I'm currently working around a yan-huo/rui-shi/pheasant red fury core that costs 4 SWC, but i want 2 hackers (standard/EVO for supportware, and AHD for reasons) which leaves me with only 1 SWC to work with, not enough to get a tiger/doafei spitfire, zuyong/TR drone are kinda redundant with the yan-huo and sadly we don't have dakinis in vanilla. But a 1SWC red fury mowang would perfectly fill the spot! Even better if he can be lieutenant, or nco! On a side note, i kinda wish we'll have access to some nimbus grenade in IA. Those have become a stapple of my gameplay in ISS because of how safer it is to deal with fireteams through a nimbus zone, and with something as insane as a the kamau sniper right around the corner i fell like we need them more than ever.
I'm still hazy on what the role of the Mowang is going to be .While I suppose I could see a place for a "cheap" gunfighter, I'm not sure we'll see it in the low 40s. An Azrail is low 40s, has a similar stat line, but no special rules at all. On the cheaper end of the spectrum we're probably looking at high 40s to 50s. You could compare it to something like a Gecko (a resilient medium range, non swc gunfighter that can operate as a duo) or perhaps more aptly with a Daiyokai, but those profiles fill gaps in their factions that I don't think IA has. Geckos are a solid midfield roadblock. Daiyokai also want to be hanging out in the midfield where they can put their guns and CC to use. Stealth helps them get there and most importantly they can link with Domaru so they serve as an escort to drag samurai missiles up the table. Mowang don't appear to be capable of doing anything besides a duo, so yeah, you can move a pair up the table and plop them into suppressive fire, but is that something we want to pay 50ish points for? I think (and hope) they're going to have to do something interesting with the load outs to give these guys a role beyond their tough stat line. I'd be over the moon, for example, if they gave them a treatment like the Al'Fasid's received. Two or three profiles that all serve different roles with the platform (which considering YJ's emerging identity as the toolbox faction, would be appropriate). Mines, minelayer, some CQB weaponry? Sure. Utility grenades and a grenade launcher, absolutely? Give him some E/M and/or nimbus and/or smoke and/or regular grenades and a launcher. That's a very good reason to run him up to the midfield to cause mischief and would give him a distinct use for HI in that mid 50 low 60 price bracket. It'd make him tactically competitive with a Hac Tao or Dao Fei or Su Jian in a way that being a tough red fury does not.
At least since N3, we have been a toolbox faction. But I am pretty sure Nomads or perhaps Haq are the top dog in that regard. What out our shtick is, besides calling things HI, I don't know. I kind of hope the Daoying learns a few tricks from the Taquel. Perimeter weapons + command skills seems like a good idea if you've got the durability to cover your cost, unlike the pheasant.
Yeah, that's what I'm hoping for. Nothing super-fancy, just a solid-enough upgrade over a Zuyong or Wu Ming to be worth taking. Hollowmen have Super-jump (and are G:Remote Presence HI with 2STR). Again, it seems to be fitting in at the same level as Kriza Boracs or Taskmaster, tough gunfighters that aren't as big as a Gecko. Assuming the Mowang is the YJ version of the Daiyokai, some CC capability is possible, but CC doesn't seem to really be YJ's thing anymore with the loss of the JSA. Pheasant, Crane, Ninjas, and Shaolin are the only models with CC over 20 (not counting mercs like Krakot). Well, YJ was always more flexible than PanO was, but Nomads usually had a bigger toolbox.
Yu Jing doesn't really feel like it even has an identity at the moment, just a bunch of weirdly solid ways to accomplish nearly everything, without having any features that feel truly unique. If that's what "toolbox" means, I'm disappointed. The one thing it does do very well is having several capabilities on the same model, especially HI- I find it much easier to build decent single-group lists that aren't missing key functionality in YJ then any other faction, even the likes of CA or ALEPH. Invincible Army seems to be steering the faction in the direction of becoming actually invincible; killing nearly everything in IA takes longer and is more dangerous then the equivalent in other factions, but there is less on the field so every downed model hurts more. The Mowang is AVA 3 and can be in a Duo, but looks to be between a Shang Ji and Hac Tao in price. My guess is that it is designed to be a self-reliant midfield hammer with very little bloat that can drag along a Wildcard specialist for objective duty. I haven't given up on Hulang bikers given the similar availability of the CRUSADES ON MOTORCYCLES in PanO, but regardless expect them to be fast active-turn killers with a means of rapidly moving up the table to exploit holes in the enemy defense and attack the rear, given their Shocktrooper designation.
If the Hulang are HI on bikes, I can hear the JSA players screaming already. Domaru on a bike would be evil in all sorts of ways.
There's a difference between having all the tools of the toolbox (Nomads and Haqq) and each unit being all the tools in the toolbox (Crane, KTS) It would be interesting to see what a faction designed to have no weaknesses and no strengths looked like. Yu Jing already has mediocre BS, mediocre WIP, and post-Uprising fairly mediocre CC as well. What's missing is for each unit to have complementing gear. Each HMG to have a LSG, each BSG to have a Contender or Forward Observer, each Hacker to have Stealth or Sixth Sense, each Sniper to have a fighting chance in melee, or any other mix of these - just none of it great. This is all very expensive and might not actually be fantastic, but it's a thought experiment how it'd work.
No, thanks. Make YJ the CQC faction as they should always have been as we are not even the HI faction now. I don't mind having a poor ARO game if I can curbstomp in close quarters like the midfield. But no, telling us we are now the ultravanilla faction because they don't know what to do with YJ (even with ALL THAT DESIGN SPACE) would be the death knell.
How's that "ultravanilla"? Literally no other faction has this. The closest you get is Tanko and you can't make a list out of only Tanko. Ultra vanilla would be a faction where everyone has CC13 to 15, each model had a single specific weapon, each model has a BS of 11 for LI, 12 for MI and 13 for HI, and nearly all models have a WIP of 13 and a PH 12 or below. Specialists would be FO, paramedic and a hacker whose hacking device depended on whether they are LI (normal) or MI/HI (AHD) or SK (AHD and KHD) with the doctors and engineers sectioned off into separate AVAs. Oh. Wait. That's exactly what Yu Jing is right now.
With respect, PanO is basically that +1 BS, -1 WIP at the moment until Varuna arrives. Neither of the superpowers are permitted nice things until late November! Back on topic, I'm wondering about potential Specialist status on the Mowang. A unit with that size and approximate loadout has never had a specialist profile before, does anyone see that changing for the big demon man and his easy-carry costume? I'm thinking we might see AHD if we're lucky, but don't have high hopes.
