This might possibly be a daft idea, but what if the Multi-terrain Tigers were also Camo? Kinda Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (referencing the words, not the movie) sort of deal. Not that I think CB would arrange it like that, but toying with the thought.
When this comes up re: Hellcats. Swap AD for Zero G, Mech Dep or Fwd Dep 1/2, Core Linkable. Don't see why a similar solution for Tigers wouldn't be possible. Personally I'd prefer to make it AD / (Multiterrain, Fwd Dep 1, Core Link). So you can decide during deployment whether you AD your 3 Tigers or deploy them as a link. But a Tiger who ADs can't link. Far more fun than deciding during list building. Edit: for explanation, Mech Dep is designed to simulate 'boarding torpedoes' or 'drop pod' like squad deployment systems. The cool thing about this sort of thing is that you you could introduce it like TAGline/SoF. Most factions have way too high an AVA on MI drop troops. And if it doesn't work then nobody plays with that option and you don't implement it into the core game.
I was thinking something along the lines of simply Special Skills: CH: Mimetism * Multiterrain * AD: Combat Jump/CH: Camouflage. At +1 points across the board this should be consistent with pricing. This should also sufficiently set them apart from other AD troops that might favour other versions, though it might unduly increase the number of Camo snipers in Yu Jing. I would not wish for or suggest them having Fwd/Mech Dep as alternative, however, as this isn't much of an alteration from AD2.
I don't want to be contrarian, but these kinds of units are one of the things that annoy me the most in the game. There is no good reason not to separate them out into different unit entries, and it would make things MUCH simpler if they were. So, while I'd love to see those two different versions of Tigers, I'd rather not see any more Scots Guards / Order Sergeant combined entries.
There's one very good reason, shared AVA. I wouldn't be happy if they split Tigers into two separate profiles and I couldn't take three AD tigers anymore.
Probably for balance reasons? Maybe CB doesn't want AVA 6 tiger soldiers, even if three of them can't AD?
*shrugs* maybe. But I doubt it would have the negative impact that those confusing mixed entries do. It's only Mimetism on a MI, it's nothing special (if it's not AD that is). Why would it be game breaking enough for tight restriction?
Because there's only one other bs13 mimitism/camo troop in the faction, and it's 50+ points? Ava6 sub 30pt bs13 mimitism troops with solid weapon options and great specialists would be a bit much. And I don't think it's anywhere near as confusing as you're making it out to be.
Yeah, give me AVA5 or 6 Tigers and you're in for a bit of fun. 'Fun' defined as 'Like Nomads but Better'
For AD troops there is good reason; increasing number of missions are very hostile to AD troops ability to deploy. We're talking clutter, area terrain, and exclusion zones. Unlike infiltrating troops, there is much greater risk of completely negating AD troops ability to land - as such an alternative skill to use when not deploying in AD as compensation is warranted I should say. I do however agree with you on where there is a vast difference between abilities, as is the case with for example Order Sergeants. Especially Order Sergeants as there is very little game play reason to limit access to non-Specialist Sergeants.
I’d say they should leave most of Tigers for White Banner, but get us a Lt and killer hacker versions in IA, no other changes. Camo is too much for them. Forward deployment as an alternative to AD also seems good, and I guess there won’t be a Kanren there anyway, so they’d fit the role. I can’t and wouldn’t argue about that. Having read most of it, it’s mind boggling. For me it’s much as if I’m reading Bulgarian verses but in English. Even Google would manage it better nowadays. Then it’s also the content, which is obviously lacking is many regards. And this makes the otherwise at least somehow logical uprising a disaster. Or begging for huge number of clarifications in other books...
I'd rather they remove LT from Tigers completely. Or make it functional. Could you elaborate on camo? Is it too much for their statline, too much of a dual role for the troop, or some other reason?
I should point out that I don't see anything wrong with Daofei being part of the White Banner. I mean, if you're in a sealed power armor, that makes it much safer to be outside in -40deg weather (sarcastically described as "so cold that Fahrenheit and Celsius are huddled together for warmth" ). In fact, I kinda expect AVA 2 or 3 Daofei and AVA3 or 4 Guilang for the White Banner. But the Daofei fluff makes them the recon troops of the Invincible Army, so they should be AVA1 or 2 in the IA, in addition to whatever their AVA is in the White Banner. As far as camo on Tigers, I think that it's a bit too much (not to mention driving their price up by 2 points versus just Mimetism). Tigers are an assault force, not a sneaky force. And as far as the Scots Guard example goes, it would really help if all the 1st battalion profiles were together, and all the 2nd battalion profiles were together, instead of being mixed. As far as formating a hypothetical Tiger unit entry, I would have two separate groups (almost like Symbiont Armor). One with AD4, the other with Multiterrain and Linkable (and with anything else that gets tacked on). That would make it much more obvious which profiles are linkable.
@Section9 I agree 100% on the formatting of the Scots Guard in Army. @HellLois Think you could give this some love?
Not to mention part of their graduation training is to be dropped off on a tundra naked, at least a week long march from home, told to scavenge their way back to base. Or something to that effect. Daofei makes perfect sense being the White Banner HI. It just also makes perfect sense to at least have ISS-Ninja level presence in IA as you say. The camo would replace AD: Combat Jump, a skill worth at least 2 points, it wouldn't be in addition to Combat Jump. Basically, they either drop behind enemy lines or they prowl among their own troops. Plus, just slapping fireteam on a troop is getting a bit of a tired solution, kind of like mimetism, and having effective units that function as single individuals perform a role in sectorials is also a worthy cause.
Marksman rifle is a weapon used by troops Deployed in open areas like svalarheima (said in the description of the weapon). So why not Guliangs with marksman rifles?
The Daofei test/training definitely happens in Dailing, the Uyghur province on Shentang, It is described as inhospitable for sure, but its heavily forested rather than tundra. Its on the island in the northwest, the southern section, with the Mongolian Karkorin province to its north. Makes the Daofei's guarantee of inclusion in White Banner seem a little disconnected, since they are definitely Invincibles but don't have any particularly evident fluff association with Svalarheima or its icy climate. But we could probably assume frigid conditions play a role, if the populations were placed there with original climate as consideration, winters can get pretty cold in Mongolia and Xinjiang, and we know Shentang is prone to intense blizzards, perhaps the test is carried out in winter during the height of the storm season. There's even a little bit of throwaway fluff to tie the region to Huangdi in the RPG description, as the Blue Wolves TAG regiment, of Jotum-fighting fame, have their main facility near Karkorin's capital.
