Discussion about High Elf Rumor Roundup

[Carynthir]

Well I said I'd start up a second thread once the old one hit 1000 posts. Considering the ratio of pages-to-rumors I think it would be best to continue discussion here. Many thanks to all you who contributed to the previous incantation of this thread. The rumors from the 'pointy-eared horde of doom' are summarized bellow:

C - Confirmned rumor
H - Generally accepted, high probabilty it's accurate
U - Unconfirmed
D - Disputed and unconfirmed

The Round Up, as of Dec 19th, 2006

C - High Elves are being released after empire

H - Released late spring / early summer

H - Book by Adam Troke

H - I@C will be removed

H - All High Elf Units strike in initiative order (thanks to therisnosaurus)

H - New sketchs of the LSG have been spotted, 'Gnarly High Elf Pirates'. (thanks again to therisnosaurus)

H - Some old unit(s) are being brought back

H - There will be a new unit that causes fear

H - Swordmasters are getting a powerful upgrade

H - There will be a chariot model with White Lions pulling it, HOWEVER there is no confirmation if it's a unit, special character or what. There is a model. It is for High Elves.

Note: This appears to be a reflection of the approach GW is taking towards Fantasy in general to clearly distinguish the races from 'human history'. "Expect more of these units" (thanks to shoggoth)

H - Tyron, Teclis, Imrik are back; however, there will be 5 special characters total

U - Points cost for spearelves and Lothern Sea Gaurd has been decreased. (thanks to Rekmar)

U - Points cost for some special and rare units has been reduced (thanks to Rekmar again)

U - Cavalry points cost has been increased (thank you Rekmar)

U - There will be new magic items (thanks to Rekmar)

D - Drake riders may make an appearance as unit options

D - May see the HE magical items cost brought in line with other races

D - There may be a new griffon model (I pulled this one from another fantasy thread found off Google the other day)


Discuss!

What I'm most hopefull for and think can be a C is a new platic reg of cav due to the fact that the silvies are a complete disaster. The short legs that bristle right out, knocking the feet into eachother so you can't actually get the unit together. They'll probably make the legs already on the new steed like the new boar boy.

[Gabacho Mk.II]

The main thing that sticks out for me is: High Elves strike in Initiative order!!

Does this mean that even when charged, HE strike by Initiative??



If it does, then the HE just became a tad more respectable... along with skirmishing White Lions, Unbreakable Phoenix Guard, chariots drawn by Lions of Chrace, etc...


just a thought...

[Just Tony]

The silver Helms were a disaster? Stagger them when you glue them to their horses. The LAST thing we need is a perfectly fine plastic set redone, to drive the cost of the boxed sets up even more. New models, but only if they NEED the resculpt. The rules changes were what we needed most. I'm just waiting to see how the whole list plays out before passing judgement. But it looks to me as GW has it in for High Elves. As they stand, every army is better. THe said points adjustments are a pretty good start, except that the cavalry are where they need to be.

Tony

[kheirakh]

The main thing that sticks out for me is: High Elves strike in Initiative order!!

Does this mean that even when charged, HE strike by Initiative??



If it does, then the HE just became a tad more respectable... along with skirmishing White Lions, Unbreakable Phoenix Guard, chariots drawn by Lions of Chrace, etc...


just a thought...

I don't believe this happens. That would make every army going against HE going super-shoota or super-magic. No-one wants those white lions or swordmasters to kill you when you charge them. Maybe only for units that fight with spears and are on foot. Not otherwise. First strike costs. That would make your swormasters cost 20 pts. Not true! I know for sure! Don't expect that much my children..

[Jhayden]

I just hope they make Pheonix Guard unbreakable. Think about it, they know exactly when they're going to die. If they have this knowledge then why would they start to run away? They know they're either going to die right then and there or they know they're going to survive the battle to live another day. It just makes sense.

[WokeUpDead]

"..but the He Prince on Dragon...well....let's say that it could get a very very nasty big magic lance to strike down enemy units...hint hint..."

ah.. the rightly feared Elven-Flyswatter/Lance..


what's kinda annoying IMO is: they see that new über-units aren't the way to go.. but they think that characters-on-monsters-with-überweapons are, because it was so much fun in past editions when those rolled up a whole battlefield on their own..

[Eldroth]

i could confirm that Drake riders will be out from the book

Cavatore said:"We already know the mistake done with Pegasus riders for Brets,we will not continue in this way..no drakes riders for HE"

And also:

"..but the He Prince on Dragon...well....let's say that it could get a very very nasty big magic lance to strike down enemy units...hint hint..."

*quirks an eyebrow* Well at least one potential band-aid solution has been averted in the form of Drake Riders. Perhaps the designers aren't going to be so quick to put the sheen on the bells and whistles before they've picked apart the meat and bones of the High Elf list. The allusion to the halcyon days of 5th Edition "Hero-Hammer" is a tad worrying however. The real pity lies in the fact that sculptors didn't get a crack at the Drake Riders...

[Odin]

The main thing that sticks out for me is: High Elves strike in Initiative order!!

Does this mean that even when charged, HE strike by Initiative??



If it does, then the HE just became a tad more respectable... along with skirmishing White Lions, Unbreakable Phoenix Guard, chariots drawn by Lions of Chrace, etc...


just a thought...

It sounds like an interesting idea, but if it's to be implemented I think it really needs to be a universal rule for Elves, not just HE (after all, HEs have so many different schools of combat it would seem odd if they somehow had a particular skill common to all HEs but unknown to other elves).

[Finnigan2004]

I don't really think that they'd give high elf infantry initiaitve order striking when charged, but if it were possible to give it in subsequent rounds, it might make white lions useful and spearmen might be worth it, if they did get it on the charge like pikemen. The real problem is that most elite infantry are hard to use against faster units (especially t 3 infantry. Something has to be done, so that we see those elf infantry on competitive tabletops again because the all high elf build is not that fluffy and sort of boring (yes, I have high elves, lots of them-- including thirty silver helms, a bunch of dragon princes, and reaver knights).

[Noldo]

I would suppose that if the rumour of "striking at initiative order, even when charged" it would have one or several of the following restrictions:

1.) Only when fighting against enemies on their front

2.) Only units fighting with spears

3.) Only first rank of units fighting with spears

However, the ideas presented above are my personal opinion and it is not based on any information obtained from GW employee or other more or less reliable source.

[EvC]

Hmm, I wonder, did there used to be another tyoe of High Elf Cavalry? All the recent army books - WE, Orcs, Empire - have all received a new (And often returning) unit of Light Cavalry, even though each of these armies already has a decent Fast Cavalry unit. Perhaps they will continue this trend, and split the Silver Helms into a Heavy Cavalry unit and a Light Cavalry unit (And then there could in fact be two new plastic cavalry boxed sets on the cards)...

[Baindread]

I would suppose that if the rumour of "striking at initiative order, even when charged" it would have one or several of the following restrictions:

1.) Only when fighting against enemies on their front

2.) Only units fighting with spears

3.) Only first rank of units fighting with spears

However, the ideas presented above are my personal opinion and it is not based on any information obtained from GW employee or other more or less reliable source.

It is a possibility that this rule is in conjunction with the "Citizen Levy" rule when you think about it.

[Move Fast Hit Low]

It would be a travesty if they raised all the cavalry models pt cost up,it doesn't make sense to me with all the players who use pure cavalry lists? It would certainly ruin the army i just built

[Noldo]

It would be a travesty if they raised all the cavalry models pt cost up,it doesn't make sense to me with all the players who use pure cavalry lists? It would certainly ruin the army i just built

Well, the very point of rising the cost of cavalry is to ruin the elven all cavalry lists, as they are very much against the background information given to high elves.

[Eldanar]

I am a High Elf player and I tend to follow these threads to see what is potentially in the works. I am also a moderator.

I am going to be ruthless in culling off topic posts, flaming, trolling and spam. I already have had to cut 4 posts from the first *******' page.

So be warned.

Warseer Inquisition

[gorenut]

Is there a reason why all high elves will strike in initiative order? Are they going to do something to all their equip and wargear or is this going to be just something added to the stats of the high elves? IF so.. I don't see what would justify them being able to do it above all other elves (ok, DE havn't gotten updated yet), especially since WE just saw a recent release.

[Intrepid Adventurer]

H - All High Elf Units strike in initiative order (thanks to therisnosaurus)

H - New sketchs of the LSG have been spotted, 'Gnarly High Elf Pirates'. (thanks again to therisnosaurus)

Whoa... show me the sketches, baby! Puh-lease?

[Tili]

Well I said I'd start up a second thread
C - High Elves are being released after empire

Hmm this is bad and good.

bad: VC has to wait a year (? 6 months ?)...
good: more time to get money for the VC...

Sorry, high elfs are cool, but they just arent that coo... (fluffwise yes, gamewise, nooo)

[Yanos]

Is there a reason why all high elves will strike in initiative order? Are they going to do something to all their equip and wargear or is this going to be just something added to the stats of the high elves? IF so.. I don't see what would justify them being able to do it above all other elves (ok, DE havn't gotten updated yet), especially since WE just saw a recent release.

I second that incredulity. Quite apart from the need for all elven troops to be updated along these lines, it turns the entire game on its head if you don't have to worry about getting a charge off.

[Dosadi]

Perhaps certain units will get this rule. Governed by some "elite" rule status that non-citizen troops will have. I can see this rule applying to Swordmasters and possibly White Lions. I picture the scene in the begining of FoTR where the elven battleline cuts down the charging orcs before getting overwhelmed. Maybe this is what they are going for?
Can you imagine a unit of spearmen taking the charge and striking first in three ranks? This rule would make High Elves one of the most static armies in the game (even more than dwarfs used to be?).
Skirmishing White Lions? Arn't these guys meant to be the King's Bodyguard? I guess their role on the battlefield could be different in this respect. Skirmish certainly makes more sense for the "woodsmen".
I can't see Drake riders as they would suddenly create a new kind of RAF that would be even more gross. I guess as long as they keep them rare and 0-1 or a single unit upgrade to Dragon Princes.
Something that I can see is giving heroes the ability to take dragon mounts.
I'm looking for the swordmasters to have a "deflect arrow" rule back in.
I'm also hoping that High Elves become the "armoured" elves (Dark elves being semi-armoured and Woodys being no armour). Give Spearmen the ability to take heavy armour again. Create a full plate equivelent for the "elite" units, etc.

Dosadi