Did we all miss the point of ‘D’ Weapons? Is there a better cheaper alternative? Come see.
Conrad Dakarn made some interesting points on our ‘Defeating the new Eldar Article‘ yesterday, about NOT taking ‘D’ weapons and why they are still effective.
Via Conrad_Dakarn
I keep seeing big fuss being made about D weapons but I’m not sure people are really looking at them in the right way.
Hear me out here….
A Str 10 AP 2 weapon is pretty much the same effectiveness as a D weapon. It wounds on 2+, has Str 10 for insta death purposes and has AP2. This is a Demolisher Cannon…which also rolls an extra D6 for armour pen. Ok…so the D weapon does D3 wounds or Hull points, etc, on tanks….but here’s the kicker for me, you still get your saves unless the roll is a 6.
For the points, however, the D weapon takes up 3 to 4 times as many points as the Demolisher in most cases and again the “average” model they do exactly the same job.
So...as the author says…the D weapon just means people have to start thinking more tactical ly about their “big stuff”. They can’t just throw a Bloodthirster at the enemy line and expect it to do the job. However, this was always the case when anyone thought about how to deal with these things.
Mass fire power can deal with a ‘Thirster just as much as a D weapon and the odds increase in favour of mass fire power in comparison to the points for the D shots.
For me….the current “big bad” of the Super Heavy world is the Hellhammer. It’s Str 10, AP1, 3D6 pick the highest for armour pen AND ignores cover with a 7″ template! Why we’re not seeing more of these on the field boggles me at times.
Add in a Demolisher cannon on the basic tank and you’ve got a great deal for it’s points and a number of players who are suddenly sweating at your deadly pie plate. ” But a Str D weapon can kill it”…yeah….but if you’re going to do a direct comparison you’re missing the point of 40k. You never have a straight up 1v1 fight in these games. You don’t throw your Baneblade at a Lord of Skulls, etc….you use them in your army as part of a more balanced force and take advantage of their specialities.
After-all, a squad of Grav Centurions in a Wolf drop pod can, pretty much, obliterate any unit it chooses to on the turn it hits the board….as long as it’s got a good armour save or is a vehicle….or you could take a squad of Sternguard with combi-melta’s….
There is always something nasty in the game and always people going to say “this beats this” but the game isn’t about direct unit comparison. It’s about building your -entire- army and using it effectively.
D weapons have their place and it’s a good one, in my view, but they’re not going to be the be all and end all of the game.
I think he made some interesting points there for sure, about what weapons are ‘all around’ better. Centurions having the ability to pile in ‘fast attack’ drop pods now can also be a force to be reckoned with, along with Sternguard and even double combi-ed Wolf squads as well.
They may just end up being the ‘Xenos’ Police that eldar player have to plan around when making army lists from now on.
It’s possible too that if ‘D’ Weapons were going to ‘ruin’ the game it’s very probably it would have already happened leading up to Eldar, and not vice versa.
-Either way the webway is opening, what will step though this weekend?
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
