If I wrote BOLS Articles on DE:

[w7west]

This is significantly better than current webway portals which required the model carrying it to neither move nor shoot in the turn it is deployed.

It would be great to get some kind of in depth look at how the portals work in the current codex.. seems surprising nobody has laid down the ground rules on this thing yet since it is such a rules beast.

Things I am interested in knowing:

Can it be deployed from a transport?
Can it be taken by anything other than HQ?
Exactly what can come out of it?
Points range for new webway? (in firewarrior equiv)
and most importantly, confirmation that yes, that squad that moved 12 inches and disembarked CAN place the webway portal on the same turn.

[Cruor Vault]

Can it be deployed from a transport?

No.

Can it be taken by anything other than HQ?

No

Exactly what can come out of it?

Anything that is held in reserve for any reason barring vehicles.

Points range for new webway? (in firewarrior equiv)

More than three Fire Warriors, but less than 3 Pathfinders.

and most importantly, confirmation that yes, that squad that moved 12 inches and disembarked CAN place the webway portal on the same turn.

Yes


The problem with the new portal is that no matter how you place it, your forces are still coming on piecemeal. There are no bonuses to reserves in the ENTIRE book, and no way to delay reserves like there used to be. Meaning that you have got to rely on a pretty ****ty chance to get what you want when you want it.

[Mal]

While im never fond of relying on reserve rolls (had them fail too many times in the past), having a flank deployment bubble in the middle of your opponents deployment zone means any units comming on from there can assault pretty much anything they choose in your opponents lines and get locked in combat so they don't get shot to death, also the 4+ for turn 2 and 3+ for turn 3 to come on from reserve isn't all that bad (not ideal, but not bad).

[DarkLink]

Anything that is held in reserve for any reason barring vehicles.

Do you have to specify beforehand that X unit will be using the portal, or can you just pick and choose between the board edge and the portal on the fly?

While im never fond of relying on reserve rolls

I've found I have pretty good luck, having started playing Eldar. While I don't always get exactly what I want when I want, even without an Autarch I've never been desparate for something to come in/stay out only to roll the wrong thing. It might come in a turn early or late, but dealing with that isn't usually too big a deal.

[Mal]

You do not have to declare how units are comming in from reserve until you make a successful reserve roll.

So its your choice.

The problem arrises when you have units in reserve that cannot enter the field through any other method than the portal and the portal carrier gets wasted before you get a chance to drop it.... that would suck... its also why im going to spend the extra 85 points to ensure i've got a spare carrier... (basic haemoculus with WWP = 85pts).

[Ghoulio]

You do not have to declare how units are comming in from reserve until you make a successful reserve roll.

So its your choice.

The problem arrises when you have units in reserve that cannot enter the field through any other method than the portal and the portal carrier gets wasted before you get a chance to drop it.... that would suck... its also why im going to spend the extra 85 points to ensure i've got a spare carrier... (basic haemoculus with WWP = 85pts).

I dont see when this is actually going to happen since everything that comes through the portal just enters in how it normally would (so if you deep strike your scourges and have a WWP you can choose which one you want to use). So, if the carrier dies you just do what you were going to do anyways.

The way I am going to deploy the web way portal is using a haemonclus or an Archon in a Harlequin squad (probably with a death jester for a bit of anti Rhino/land speeder fire). That way people have to be within 24" just to shoot at the squad (but probably closer to 14" to reliably shoot it). I am also thinking that everything that comes out of it will be fast in some way. So Hellions, Jet bikes and Warp Beasts. I think it could be a really fun way to play the army and help break up the monotony of Raider spam

[Mal]

How about your wyches? or Grotesks? or any other unit you want t3o arrive through the portal that doesn't have another means of entering from reserve?

[Ghoulio]

Every unit in the codex has other means of entering the board. If the person holding the portal dies, or the portal is surrounded so you can't exit it, the unit in question (ie the 3 you listed) just walks on from your own board edge. All the 5th ed portal does is give you another board edge that you can use to bring your models on the board (at least that's how you treat it). It basically just gives every non vehicle unit 2 options for entering the game. The original option they have (basic troops coming in on your board edge, outflankers can outflank and things with jump packs can deep strike). That is the nice thing about this editions portal, the units coming out can never be "lost"

[Mal]

Ahh yes, my bad, i've found the section int eh rules you are refering to...

Still its not a good thing because you've then lost at least 1 turn of movement for the troops arriving.

[Ghoulio]

Yeah, for sure, it would very much blow having to run your wyches/grotesques on from your own table edge (I bet in a lot of instances that might just take them out of the game). That is one of the main reasons why I am only putting fast moving units in my portal. That way if something screws up, or heck, even just goes right I will have tactical flexibility. I like the idea of placing the portal 6" out of my own table edge (so most games will be 18" in. That basically gives my hellions and beast packs an entire extra move and since both of them have a min charge range of 19" it means they should be in hand to hand the turn they come in.