Thoughts on N3 so far

[drobuff]

So anyone have any first impressions on N3?
The advanced rules section is a somewhat confusing inclusion, does that mean ITS 2015 will have advanced and non advanced tourney systems?
I see the people complaining on the forum about silhouettes, then I read the section on it in the book and it's to be used during doubts of LOF when trying to determine volume. So I don't see this being used every single combat resolution, if you clearly state your intentions when moving and placing.
Coordinated orders being changed to use of command token is a bummer. Also suppression fire changes left me crying... one of my favorite things to do. Zach is happy about that I'm sure .

[jmeis982]

The changes to impetuous are pretty awesome too.

Regular impetuous you can cancel the impetuous.

Extreme you can cancel but it costs you an order.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using proboards

[lsl]

I do like the 2 levels of impetuous.

[scadugenga]

It's interesting that Impetuous (both levels) cannot claim partial cover. Ever. Poor impetuous models that do not have Mimetism. ARO's will be a stone cold bitch before you can get into melee/chain rifle range.

Also-if I read the illustration correctly--you can't take a longer route to avoid threats (like mines, etc) anymore. Ouch.

I wasn't a fan of silhouettes before and I'm not really a fan now. But it's workable.

Also interesting that additional models in melee increase the active models B value by +1 per non-active allied model in btb.

Turning around is now a PH -3 roll. hehehe. REM's now dodge at PH-3 now, so they have more than a chance in hell of dodging.

I haven't gotten much further than that so far.

[lsl]

Make me glad my impetuous can chuck zero-v smoke.

[Kailaria]

Sepsitor got nerfed-ish. Now it's a Direct Template Weapon instead of a pseudo-hack that didn't require LoF, and the base weapon has limited ammunition (Sepsitor+ is unlimited). So, it can hit more models in a single order now (Large Teardrop), but you need to be in LoF, and regardless of if they see you or not, they can always do a Dodge at PH-3 (PH if they also have LoF to you).

Hacking is amazeballs!!! I'm actually considering fielding multiple hackers to get access to more programs.

Shasvastii got kinda nerfed (or at least Spawn-embryo did). Spawn-embryo is now an Unconscious state equivalent, not an additional state between Unconscious and Dead. The usual benefits of not counting as a casualty even if you can't heal it remain, along with a few other retained benefits from N2, but you no longer have an extra safety wound to keep you on the field and (unless I'm mistaken and this is only a Seed-Embryo thing) you don't get to just sit around and come back to fight another day. I haven't checked to see if the prices have been adjusted to reflect these changes, though, so your models might've gotten cheaper.

Sensor is pretty cool now.

Baggage has an extra use beyond an extra 20 Victory Points for purposes of endgame and Retreat: you can refill the ammo of consumable weapons/equipment, kind of like an APC in the Advance Wars series. This means your Mines, Deployable Repeaters, Panzerfausts, etc. can effectively have an unlimited supply of those things as long as you can get your Baggage model to your troop with an Unloaded marker on him or vice versa.

TONNNNS OF RULES FOR TERRAIN!!!! I kinda want to always play with destructible terrain on just for the added level of strategy. Is it practical? Probably not, especially since destroying a building doesn't cause it to do anything to units inside when it's destroyed. Also? Even though I don't play a faction that has bikers, I kinda want to see a table set up so that the bikers can ride across the roofs kind of like in action films (Runway trait on terrain = bike can make a diagonally upward jump instead of only horizontal or lower angles).

Required to field a High Value Target in scenarios for Classified Objectives, and the ability to always (and on the fly) substitute at most one of your Classified Objectives for a default one that requires being in the ZoC of the enemy's HVT while allowing none to be in such a situation with your own HVT (though the wording on this bit could use a little clarification, probably). HVT counts as Civvie and can't be Attacked. If someone happens to ever hurt a HVT, though, they auto lose the game and give the opponent an additional 2 Obj. Pt.s over what they had already accumulated from the game to a maximum of 10 OPs.

Targeted state: I expect to see far more speculative firing, or just FO in general. With Spec. Fire, the firer effectively gains +9 against a Targeted model compared to a non-Targeted model (negates the -6 of Spec. Fire annnnd gains the +3 bonus of Targeted itself).

Speaking of Spec. Fire: parabolas are just measured by distance traveled by the projectile using flexible rulers (not explicit, but measuring of parabolas are covered in the Jumping rules, and Spec. Fire uses a parabola in its diagram. Of course, it could just be usual measurement and you get to negate a ton of potential negatives for just a single -6 barring range). No more Shadow Zones! For those dreading people picking up Heavy Grenade Launchers and playing with themselves, though, HGLs no longer have any positive range bands: -3 at 0-8, 0 at 8-32, -3 at 32-48, and -6 at 48-96.

And one last thing (though there are plenty more things to be excited by or scared of): Falling has teeth. Every [unit's first MOV value] distance fallen (rounded up to the nearest multiple of the first MOV value), increase the strength of the hit from the fall by +10 (so a 4-4 trooper who falls 1" would take a strength 10 hit and probably survive, while if they fell 10" instead, they would take a strength 30 hit [(0,4] = 10, (4,8] = 20, (8,12] = 30, etc.] and effectively be a pancake after the conclusion of the order).

[scadugenga]

I hope they update HS/Paradiso soon. Because right now, the CC stats are far eclipsing those two books.

Ninjas!

Ninjas will be fun, but right now, they're almost nastier than oniwabans...

[Lionheart]

So for the Nomads, are the Securitate just gone? Have then been replaced by the Grenzers totally? They only appear in the 2nd ed rule book, and now are not in N3, (nor is the Salamandra).

[scadugenga]

Szally is a Human Sphere TAG, IIRC. Same with Securitate? I could be off. Working from memory and not enough sleep.

[Angron]

They're both from the original book, they're both slated to be upgraded for Tunguska They're probably just on hold.

[turlisk]

After last nights games, I felt melee seemed worth it now. And Combined with plasma is OP imo.

[kelreth]

Plasma is scary

[turlisk]

And i can get schlubs with plasma carbines for 14 points ava 4... I am foreseeing 5-6 plasma fielded at any given time lol.

[Angron]

I don't think its that bad. So far it's only on remotes (hackable) and the chronotid.

[kelreth]

Still unpleasant with how cheap they are, though a hacker would ruin their day.