Thoughts on the new Formation's.

December will be a great month. A release everyday from Black Library and Digital Editions will keep most of us on our toes. The latest release has been the Tau formation: Firebase Support Cadre.

This news is great to some, and appalling to others. Personally, I like the idea of formations. It means that we can truly have some variety in our games.  There is a conversation going on over at DFG about how formations will impact upon the game. Here is my few ideas.

Okay, they are very expensive. Both in real money and in points. Realistically, the formation costs around  670-700 depending on load-outs. That is a lot, but, on the other hand, you get a hell of a lot of fire power. Free tank hunters is brutal on Broadsides. Personally, I have used Tank Hunting Broadsides many times (with a commander) and had a lot of success. Players can add another unit of three into their army without losing much. Tau players are laughing. They basically have just gained two free USR without them costing anything else. 

However, the real stopper about this release is that they can be taken as an additional attachment by most other armies......without a HQ and Troop requirement. It follows the standard allies table rules but it means you can now have so truly crazy combos.

I threw together this new chart of what I mean, and of what 40k 2014 will look like:

Obviously, for those that do not have access to Inquisitors, this won't apply. Tyranids, again, are left in the Dark on this one. Poor bugs. 

Here is an example:

Farseer.

3 x Dire Avenger Serpents.

Haemonculus.

2 x Wrack Venoms.

1 x Splinterborn Venom.

Ravager.

Inquisitor, 3 x skulls.

Riptide

3 Broadsides.

3 Broadsides.

Skyshield Landing Pad.

Okay, so it's not overly competitive, but it is an example of how things could look like next year. Obviously, it's apparent that GW is releasing these rules alongside it's formation bundles for Christmas. That means we will be seeing a Eldar Ghost Warriors in a few weeks, and the Stormtalon formation in a few days. The Ghost Warriors will be cool. Particularly for Iyanden players. Feel No Pain would be a nice addition to the army. Wraith Lord need some help, badly. So I have hope.

There is one question that has crossed my mind, and that is about what directly refers to as a "supplement." We know that we can only use one supplement codex when building an army, but, looking at Inquisition and the Formation downloads, I can't see the same restricition present. However, I have heard some players question whether or not you will be able to take a formation AND another codex, such as Iyanden. Personally, I can't see why not. If it isn't written in such releases, then it is not meant to be restricted.

What are your thoughts on the new formation's? What do you think about the question of whether or not it is a "supplement"?