Best Way to Introduce a New Unit

[Rarity Declis]

Okay. We've all had this discussion, and been on one side or another.

GW has created this new unit. It's a swanky new unit, with a new look and new rules. Problem is... It isn't mentioned anywhere in the fluff beforehand. Just some design studio chap has created this cool model, and some other chap wrote some cool rules, and now they're releasing it.

However, rather than everyone celebrating that GW has bothered to give support to an army which rarely gets support outside of an update every 7 years, everyone is angry.

One common complaint I hear is that "It isn't in the fluff!" or "It isn't needed!" or "Another STC? How many are there?" or "Did we just lose the keys after 10,000 years and find them now? ARGH!"

So, I ask; How exactly would you prefer for new units to be introduced?

Here are some of the current ways: (And their complaints in brackets)

STC Discovered! ("Argh, just how many are there in the universe?" "Why are they needed for everything?")
Reverse Engineered! ("No, no, NO! The Mechanicum doesn't allow people to tinker with tech, no progress at all is allowed!")
Always had it, in small quantities ("How come it is never mentioned?" "Why is it NOW allowed into Imperial Tech?")
Invention ("It didn't need to be built at all! There's no need for it in the fluff!")
Gifted by another race ("No, no one trusts it, and using it is heresy/betrayal/un-orky or something")

[The Man They Call Jayne]

What the fluff says and what actually happens are quite different. OFFICIALLY people arent allowed to tinker with tech, but we know the Black Templars jury rigged a Landraider into the first Crusader, and after everyone was using it the Mechanicus just went along with it because there was bugger all they could do by that that point.

We know that new STC are rare, but they must crop up from time to time, or even one that is just a slight twist on an existing design.

It seems that unofficially, the Imperium is quie an innovative place.

Now on a personal level, I really dont like it.

The necrons and DE got swathes of new stuff, with is fine because the 'Crons were totally reinvented, so no worries, and when the old DE dex came out it was read by candlelight. But the amount of stuff they are just shovelling into the Imperium is mad.

[Alpha_Wolf]

Being a 'nid player, new evolution gained from lots of cool alien DNA is cool by me.

I don't care about new units and stuff when GW re-invents an army, that only makes sense, but what I do have a problem with is something overpowered suddenly coming into existence with only a little poorly thought out explanation. with this in mind, STC is fine, but used too often for my tastes. I personally have no problem with the sudden mass production of something cool either, but again it's a little overplayed. What I find to be best is when it's something that was used by a more elite force (like inquisitors, GK, other important people) and becomes more commonplace. that makes it an exotic weapon that never necessarily saw widespread use, due to the horrible filing system of the imperium (Where'd that scroll go? is it in this massive pile of paper, or this one?) only recently became known to most people, and has become a cool new toy for all the rich kids on the block. that excuse also takes a long time to wear out if enough backstory is given each time.

[salamut2202]

STC's scarce but even scarce for a galactic empire may be a lot.

Actually I could see many tech marines and priests tinkering and inventing, and this also goes for the gifted from xenos thing too. It's just not allowed is all, but I bet the Inquisition has it's hand full with, once again, a galactic empire: An entire planet is has a new religion, not allowed but still done; trade with the Tau'va, not allowed but still done; hiring Eldar corsairs as mercinaries, not allowed but still done; negotiate with the local Phareon because planet wide genocide isn't your thing, not allowed but probably still done.

The 'it's rare and loosing one is tragic' card is alright if the unit is really expensive or unique or if forgeworld do it so they're actually are rare and it's actually tragic to loose it. Alternatively there's the way the Storm eagle was introduced, 'it's a back line/second wave unit, space marine's are usually shock troops/first into the battle so not many get to see it.'
There's also a similar thing that goes on with the craftworld eldar I've noticed in IA 11, "We found an aspect shrine and old vehicles on a once lost craftworld", "his Phoenix Armour was on a was just found", "It's Eldar tech that craftworlds don't use anymore but Corsiars do" and lastly, my favourite, "Wraith seers aren't seen in battle because they don't go to battle because they're too infinity precious but this one is because of global, flobal wobbly bits".

[Wargamer]

One of the reasons the Storm Raven and Storm Talon should be, aside from the fact that they are stupidly ugly and clearly just a way to get more money out of us, is that they are not based on existing STC designs.

Everything in the Space Marine range is built on three vehicles; the Rhino, the Land Raider and the Land Speeder. As stupid as the Land Speeder Storm is, it is at least a Land Speeder.

If GW wants to give everyone fliers (they shouldn't - flyers belong in Epic) then why make the Storm Talon at all? Why not put the Tempest into the codex with some modern tweaks? It's got a comparable armament to the Storm Talon (tl missile launcher and a nose-mounted assault cannon) and the thing already looks like a fighter craft...

So yeah, I don't object much to 'new' units that are just variations on existing themes. I don't like them picking new stuff out of thin air. You may recall that of all my complaints about the Redeemer, none of them were about how we'd never seen it before - it was all (and still is) focused on its armament.

[El ShasOcho]

I think the hull of the storm raven is based off of the land raider, right? It also is similar to the thunderhawk scaled down. I agree though that the storm talon looks unlike other marine fliers in terms of hull.

It really depends on the situation in terms of introducing a new unit. Infantry and the like are normally a bit easier I think, as you can simply say they are specially trained/equipped to meet new threats. Vehicles it really depends on the army, orks are rather easy because Meks are always making new things, same with tau I feel but the older races it gets tough.

[Tactical Genius]

I acctualy really like the storm tallon. its a great little model and i like tbe design. Yes we all know that GW have made it so that marines can have a flier as that is clearly going to be the next dimension of the game and yes we could say its GWs way of making more money but if we never got new stuff we would all get bored with it. Wargamer is ridiculus in his atritude to anything remotley new and so i say if you have nothing productive to add then just dont. GW have pinned themself down with the fluff somwhat and this needs to addapt and grow for our belovid game to do the same. yes the storm tallon is new, but i think its cool and it fits the space marines well so its ok by me.

[JimmyWolf]

The biggest problem for me in this regard isn't "Is it in previous fluff?" it's "Is it needed on a tactical level?" Fundamentally it's a battlefield we're talking about here and despite all the technological regression going on in the Imperium, it's noted several times throughout the fluff (such as the aforementioned Land Raider Crusader and the MK IV Razorback) that provided it works, you can continue to use it in battle. This rule applies to new tech such as the Storm Raven (smaller more nimble flying transport than the Thunderhawk) and the Dreadknight (though the Dreadknight went against the previously awesome fluff of GK being able to fight Greater Daemons in units DoW style, which I really liked) because you need a big mech to fight Greater Daemons 1v1.

For the Storm Talon however.... No, I can't see a tactical reason for the marines to suddenly start using a vertibird that lacks the firepower of a Storm Raven. The Escort stuff seems silly to me, as Storm Ravens/Eagles and Thunderhawks are powerful and heavily armoured flyers and the need for large numbers of smaller, lightly armoured ships to fly along side them isn't there. They go as fast as the Storm Talon in the game, and don't have the same versatility as a Land Speeder STC.

On a side note, I think all the Space Marine Chapters should have access to the Storm Raven now, especially with the introduction of allies. They are no longer secret or sacred tech, they are being used alongside Ultramarines, Space Wolves and Dark Angels and I doubt that the smurfs, pups or angels would scoff at that level of firepower.

Forgeworld does a very good job of introducing new units in the Imperial Armour books, but then it has the opportunity to really hammer the fluff home there. GW doesn't seem to take the time to do so in White Dwarf or even some codexes sometimes...

I don't think people argue much about the Xenos getting access to new tech, but this almost always with good reason. The Cron's direly needed an update and didn't have enough stuff anyway. Dark Eldar are much the same. Orks can make virtually anything out of anything. Tyranids evolve and create new units to fight new threats. The Tau are still expanding and developing new weapons. Perhaps the only race where it wouldn't make sense for them to get new tech is the Eldar, but they will likely get a flyer soon and we'll see what GW says then.

If things are invented in the Imperium, there needs to be a reason. The Storm Talon does not have a good reason for being there at the moment, just seems like a good way to lose a few gene-seeds in air combat. The Storm Raven on the other hand is a potential battle changer and a good addition in my view, however OP some may have seen it in 5th Ed.

[Cammerz]

I think Forge World have done it best with the Storm Bird (at least I think that's the model with this fluff).
The vehicle isn't usually used in the first assault, its a second-stage weapon which is brought in after planetstrike has been achieved (and Space Marines aren't known for extrended engagements preferring a fast strike which critically damages their foe early on) which explains why its not seen very often but still exists.

[Lord Sotek]

I think Forge World have done it best with the Storm Bird (at least I think that's the model with this fluff).
The vehicle isn't usually used in the first assault, its a second-stage weapon which is brought in after planetstrike has been achieved (and Space Marines aren't known for extrended engagements preferring a fast strike which critically damages their foe early on) which explains why its not seen very often but still exists.

The Storm Eagle is the name of the craft you have in mind, and I agree, that was well tied in- it was a second-string transport gunship that Marine forces have just started using a little more often as a first-wave strike craft.