I REALLY like the idea of the entropy making you go slower. Your life force is being drained, it's understandable that you'll be tired, thus striking last.

My opinion on the 'bendie' is this: We already have a lot hard-hitting big units and a strategic one is a nice change of scenery. Besides, you would guess that since they use hit-and-run, it's not HtH units aren't THAT useful, only in extreme cases!

Now, back to painting...

Hey folks sorry I haven't been around all week, had some visitors for the holidays.

I really like where this squad is going! My thoughts:

"bendie" as a big guy is a great idea - although one other possible variant occurred to me. He could easily be a "big guy" by Hrud standards, but be an in-betweener in gaming standards. I'm thinking something roughly like a possessed - big and beefy stats, maybe 2 wounds instead of 3 though, and on a large round base (Terminator-sized).

Snipers - seems like a great idea, and I'm with Styro on the general feel of the weaponry; technologically an inferior race, but also with some very high-powered stuff like the plasma sniper. Personally I'd say limit it to one officer type in the band, and make it quite expensive.

Stats - actually I think those "rogue trader" era stats look pretty darn good. Yes, you will have a very, very shooty squad. Because we're all used to Mordheim, where overly-shooty warbands can quickly rule the table, at face value that sounds bad. However these guys aren't just "leaning towards ranged combat," they're melee-crippled. WS and S are abysmal, and their max stats shouldn't even allow them to be too good in melee. I mean let's be honest, we're talking about a diminutive subterranean scavenger race. They just don't have the physique for hand to hand combat. So an officer type or two that can hold his own, and the bendie, sure, but for the most part as everyone has said these guys follow a "hit and run" strategy. They take a couple of shots, move on, and generally keep pestering the enemy, but if the enemy gets too close then they're in real trouble.

The entropy field - sounds very cool but I have a hard time thinking of a non-game breaking way to do this. Any automatic penalty is, in my opinion, way too good for an entire squad to be carrying (unless Harlequin end up in here somehow, but they are the elite of elite squads, and would be in such small numbers to counter that). However, the idea of them is great, and adds to the alien nature of the Hrud. My thoughts? Either make it a piece of equipment available to officers only, or (if it is going to apply to everyone), make it so that models in base-to-base must take a Toughness test (always failing on a 6), and if they fail suffer -1 S, WS, T, I or something like that (one of those, not all of them).

Hmm, well, there's a lot to chew over but hope it helps.

StyrofoamKing is starting to toy with the Rogue Trader Squad... well I suggested 'testing' the Hrud out by making one unit for the Rogue Traders. That way he can implement the idea and tweak it there, in a 'controlled environment' and depending how it works then he could create a new Squad/Race. Designing the sneaky way. I'm patenting the concept... Ninja Design!

So keep pouring ideas of what you think the Hrud should be... maybe he takes couple things in considerations for the initial test runs (if he takes the Ninja Designer advice!)

Interesting....there could be a place in DS for them but much later, especially after we finish the other squads we need to get finished.

Well, as I mentioned to Mordheimer in the last email, the way I see Xenos in the Rogues squad is through Hired Guns.

However, with that in mind, should we set our sites on a a simple Hrud Nocturnal Warrior Hired Gun? If he tests out, it'll give us more footing for a Squad.

(I were my sunglasses at nocturne)


NOCTURNAL WARRIOR HRUD
COST: ?

Who May Hire: Kroot, Imperial Renegades?, Chaos Cultists?, Rogue Traders, & Genestealer Cult. May not be hired by any Imperial Squads.

M WS BS S T W I A LD
5 3 4 2 3 1 4 1 7

Gear: combat knife, autopistol? Plasma Sniper Rifle, rope & hook, filter plugs,
(Same as a sniper, S5, gets hots / gets really hot?) Can receive additional equipment from...?

Special Rules:
Entropy: The Hrud have a natural entropy field, warping the space around them, making them difficult to see. The Hrud always counts as having a 6+ Cover Save or, if already behind cover, has his cover save increased by +1.

Skills: May learn Shooting, Speed, & Stealth Skills

Special Skills:
Er, No clue.

*Sigh* I was originally thinking of the Xenos being a separate part of the Rogue Traders warband (like the Hired Guns), but you've convinced me to make them a special unit type for the Rogues. I'll reprint the above 'Hrud' in the Rogue post, brainstorming for aliens.

Good idea... Its time we continue the detailed discussions on design to the proper place.