Comrades are much better than Minions for what the system tries to achieve. They help the team in a noticeable way, they put minimum strain on the players and GM, and they fill the role of randomly dying redshirts.

Minions are cool, but not quite for the kind of play that OW proposes.

Darklordofbunnies said:

If they just take everything wholesale from BC, then what's the point of making a new system? As Morangias pointed out, Comrades are suppose to be very different from Minions-- it's even in the name. If nothing else, even if Minions are more interesting on a certain level (they're certainly more customizable) if every player had a minion, that essentially doubles time in combat, since each player is controlling the equivalent of two PCs, with two different stat lines, abilities, etc.

OW explicitly mentions Comrades were designed to be lower maintenance in comparison, which helps keep combat moving smoothly. In addition, it helps satisfy both spectrums of the Guard people want to see: some people want to play the epic, unstoppable heroes that you see in novels like Gaunt's Ghosts, while others want an experience more akin to how IG are portrayed in, say, Space Marine novels, where they die in droves. Comrades provide a solid boost to PCs while still being there to die dramatically, helping limit PC deaths to a degree.

Also, @Millardson, I'm guessing they're monitoring these forums just as much as the email (at least that's what the announcement said), so while I'm sure emailing them may also help, I'm also sure the forums are just as much a productive outlet :-P.

HTMC said:

Never hurts to spread the will of the people, though

I've been suggesting a cost drop for a while, glad to see someone get support for it now.

Overall, there's very few specialties that can actually do their job without blowing off their own legs in 1/0 xp costs. Sergeants can't build up ballistic skill, commissars can only command half-assedly, and lores [including common ones that by all means they should start with] are way out there in cost.

Yes!!!!

Week Two update is up and experience costs are changed! I am a happy GM.

Great success!

I think I actually prefer these to the Black Crusade ones - fewer *50xp expenditures, and more round 100s - I approve!

Ooooh. Great that FFG actually changed that.
I'm okay with this.

Job's a good'un, boss!

MILLANDSON said:

You mean I'm not the only GM who has a perverse lust for round numbers? I thought I was the only one.

I still think the cost for skills and talents with no aptitudes are slightly too high; for talents, I'd go 600, 800, 1000. For skills, they are a little too high, but the BC model is awkward, and makes it very close to the 1 aptitude; might have to settle for good enough here, or a variable scaling. Also, the Expert characteristic for no aptitudes is just ridiculous (although it probably won't come into play too much); I'd drop it to 1500 max.

I'm fine with the new skill costs. The main thing is getting the base training, thats at least now attainable. Getting above and beyond that may be questionable, but thats OK.

As far as talents go, I think the T1 0 apt talents are probably a bit expensive (Sound Constitution for non toughness/defence classes is just way too expensive still).

I'm fine with the higher tier talents using that xp cost as a barrier to entry though.

KommissarK said:

That's true. Sound constitution should probably be toughness/general, so it's a 1 aptitude advance for everyone.

DJSunhammer said:

Sounds like a reasonable change.

Sounds good to me too. 300xp isn't an small amount, and with the TBx2 limit in place for how many times you can take Sound Constitution you won't get weedy specialities bulking out unless they sink even more XP into boosting their Toughness.

More than that, the cost of a Sound Con advance multiplies by the amount of Sound Con advances you have already taken. If you have 3 already, the fourth will cost 3 times the base amount.

Where does it say that? That's insane.

Snidesworth said:

Aye, I've not seen that said anywhere, and it's never been that way in any of the other 40k RPG books.

I'm not sure. I swore I saw it when I was browsing the book. It may relate to something else though or simply be something my brain put together on its own.

I must have mixed it up with Munitorum Influence, which does get more expensive as you take more advances or otherwise increase your Logistics rating.

Maybe you confused it with MUNITORUM INFLUENCE which adds five times the actual logistic rating of the squad as additional xp price. It is the only talent that I can remember, which has an additional cost. Well and the psy rating of the psyker, which cost raises with every time you buy it.