Why Do People Have A Problem With Special Characters

[addamsfamily36]

Melissia, thanks for sharing, i like the sisters HQ options a lot.

I don't usually mind them, however the more recent ones to tend to irk me because they end up all too often simply being just plain *better* than equivalent HQ's on a point for point basis, making them no brainers and they end up getting spammed, they no longer become *special*, but rather *default* HQ's.

Vulkan versus a Captain is a good example, even if you kit out a captain to be as close as possible, it's only like 5pts less without the army-wide rerolls, heavy flamer, etc.

Now, not all SC's have this issue, but many do, which is my primary problem with them.

Yup, i mean technically they are now just named characters, not a lot special about them except their rules/bonuses.

[Vaktathi]

Exactly, and in doing so, it makes them less "special/epic" and they too often simply end up being slightly more expensive but more efficient and capable units, making the basic HQ's relatively extraneous.

I don't mind them too much, there's nothing wrong with them in principle, but when one goes for nearly a year without seeing an SM army without Vulkan and Eldrad in 2/3rd's of of Eldar lists, something is off

[scadugenga]

Ha, I love it when people who defend their use (spam) of special characters call "nerdrage" on people who dislike them.

Particularly because the people most likely to be asshats on the internet don't have the (metaphorical) balls to be a jackass face-to-face. Oh, well, I guess they have to compensate for something, right?

/rant

Now, as for the OP--why the SC dislike?

Imagine this:

Scene: Onboard the Ultramarine Battle Barge Vae Victus

Calgar: Okay, gentlemen, I appreciate your participation. We have a serious situation here, and it's going to take some good inter-chapter cooperation to see this through.

Sicarius: What's the situation, Lord?

Calgar: We need to retake a chapel currently being overun by the Tau.

Lysander: What chapel? On what planet?

Calgar: It's a small shrine dedicated to Rendrick the Misunderstood. Apparently, on some small forgotten mudball, the holy blood of St. Hortencia the Confused was spilled, and ratherthan it taint the earth, this Rendrick fellow threw himself in the path of those holy droplets. The..hrm...Ecclesiarchy felt that a shrine was needed to commemorate the event.

Vulkan: Yes, but precisely where?

Calgar: A planet called CF182466

Cassius: What, it doesn't even have a real name?

Calgar: Not yet. But it's our job to defend it people. Okay. Here's the plan. Lysander, you and your terminators are going to be the lynchpin.

Lysander: Aye, Lord Calgar, my squad "Every problem *is* a nail" will be ready.

Calgar: Good. Shrike?

Shrike (emerging from the shadows): I"m Batma...uh. Yes, here.

Calgar: Good, you'll be the outflanking force. Telion?

Telion: Aye, lord. Point me to the target.

Calgar: Good, I know I don't need to instruct you...Chronus!

Chronus: Time waits for no...uh, yes lord?

Calgar: You have the predator support section. Now, gentlemen, I know that we're all busy, and have pressing concerns like Tyranid invasions, Chaos incursions, and EVERYONE knows about Armageddon the umpteenth. But this little dirtball demands your utmost and immediate attention! Go out and teach those xenos what it means when you defile a shrine to....uh, what's the name again?

Khan: Does it even matter? just go kill them all.

Calgar: Right. Chop to it! Don't worry, Pedro will be monitoring your respective chapters to make sure you aren't missed or anything... Dismissed!

Why is there hate for SC's? Because that scenario right there, allows you to field 4 special characters from 3 different chapters for one stupid CF skirmish mission.

And also because, to quote The Incredibles: "When everyone is special...then *no* one will be..."

What's funny is that people who desperately want any edge they can, will find all sorts of reasons to explain *why* they have to use their SC, rather than copping to wanting "the edge." Because, you know, that awesome Lysander mini couldn't just be used to represent your own basic SM Captain w/Term Armor or anything...

[eldargal]

I dislike special characters because I prefer to make my own characters. I love the fluff SCs bring but I don't want to use them myself. I don't have a problem with other people using them, in fact I particularly love to see Abbadon as my farseer never fails to kill him.

[scadugenga]

I dislike special characters because I prefer to make my own characters.

QFT

My regular group actually came up with rules to create your own special characters for this very reason. (And for me, because having so few options re: Eldar HQ's gets monotonous at times.)

Tired of playing the same farseer over and over?

Much more fun to have a force run by a Aspect Warrior shrine Temple Master. More interesting, variable, and thankfully, not OP'd to death like most newer 'dex SC's.

[Mike X]

My opponents usually field special characters, but I refuse to include them in my lists for fluff reasons.

My Space Marines are my own chapter, it wouldn't make sense to have Vulkan, Marneus, or Shrike lead my soldiers.

[addamsfamily36]

My opponents usually field special characters, but I refuse to include them in my lists for fluff reasons.

My Space Marines are my own chapter, it wouldn't make sense to have Vulkan, Marneus, or Shrike lead my soldiers.

Surely for fluff reasons you might want to include a SC? but if its your own chapter than yeh fair enough. But could you not jsut use the rules for a SC and give them a diffrent name?

It would be almost identical to taking a similar HQ

for example--space marines, you could take a normal captain, or tkae a SC captain like tycho for the blood angels, and just change his name to be brother captain brian lol. In the current codex's SC dont really exist anymore, more named characters that have a set of rules which you could techniqually use for anything.

Just a thought

[addamsfamily36]

Ha, I love it when people who defend their use (spam) of special characters call "nerdrage" on people who dislike them.

Particularly because the people most likely to be asshats on the internet don't have the (metaphorical) balls to be a jackass face-to-face. Oh, well, I guess they have to compensate for something, right?

Tad unnecessary don't you think?

[addamsfamily36]

I dislike special characters because I prefer to make my own characters. I love the fluff SCs bring but I don't want to use them myself. I don't have a problem with other people using them, in fact I particularly love to see Abbadon as my farseer never fails to kill him.

Hey eldargal, out of curiosity what do you take as your eldar HQ's?

[eagleboy7259]

First off, not all special characters are nearly the same. An SC like Belial isn't necessarily powerful, he's required to build a deathwing. Same with Sammael. A model like the Khan is the only way to have outflanking tactical squads.

Only a handful are among the strongest units in the game. Eldrad, Vulkan, and Possibly Fateweaver are great choices, guys like Sicarius or Yarrick are at best decent models.

All SCs in the current environment do is replicate the popular builds of the past. Yes, you see a lot of Vulkan today, but you saw how many terminator librarians with Fear/Fury in 4th, or Force Commanders with lightning claws and jump pack in 3rd?

My point is that there have always been common archtypes, and Special Characters simply kill two birds with one stone by representing them

Sammy in an AV 14 landspeeder = awesomeness. Belial isn't OP but if you gave a DA captain only his weapons options he would be running close to the same cost as Belial and he's without terminator armor. Sure some are decent models, and some are downright terrible like that special GUO in the demons codex but you don't see them on the board 99% of the time. However most of the characters are still a bargain although not all of them are OP

I will completely agree that there has always been archetypes for HQ's, but there has always been a measure of freedom. Lightning claw captain could be a biker, jump packer, terminator or joe blow. You could squeeze the points or spend large. In addition, the way the armory worked characters were priced out more fairly depending on their abilities, points costs weren't questioned as much. Everytime I play him, I can't help but walking away from the table after the game thinking that Vulkan should cost out like a Land Raider and not 10pts cheaper than Sicarus.