February Flyer Wave

[Mr Mystery]

I don't expect they'll cover fighters and bombers from BFG.

They're described as being near the size of a jumbo jet. Which is a tad big for regular 40k.

[eldargal]

Yep, I remember reading something from Jervis Johnson I believe either in an interview or on the old Specialist Games forums where he described the smallest BFG craft as being around 3ft long in 40k scale. Or something around that size.

[DrLove42]

Isn't the Manta in BFG? That should give a idea of the scale, tiny few mm manta = 3 feet wide aircraft in 40K

[ElectricPaladin]

Wow? Even the fighters? I knew the bombers and assault boats would be big, but I figured the BFG fighters would be, well, flyer-sized.

The more you know...

[Kawauso]

Wow? Even the fighters? I knew the bombers and assault boats would be big, but I figured the BFG fighters would be, well, flyer-sized.

The more you know...

Thing is that it makes more sense when designing a fighter craft for space combat that it should be larger. Larger means more engine/firepower, and you don't have to worry about the size impacting performance all that much. The larger profile also doesn't matter as much because ship-to-ship engagements or dogfights in space would take place at pretty absurd distances (there were one or two memorable space battles in Battle for the Abyss which I think were the only good parts of that book).

I recall a conversation along these lines between my father (who's been in military and now civil aviation all his life) and an engineering friend of his. Though, granted, they were speaking in terms of a craft about the size of the Millennium Falcon, not quite as big as a Manta.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

If they were to port fighters from BFG, we would of probably had the Jackal and Dirges for the necrons but instead they came up with the Night and Doom Scythes (which kept the same crescent shape). It's far more likely they'll invent new things instead.

[rpricew]

One thing to consider with Flyers shooting flyers that hasn't been mentioned here, forcing your opponent's flyer to Jink, thereby limiting its effective shooting the next round is almost as good as wrecking it. I play Tyranids, and the Mindstrike Missiles on the Stormraven is my worst nightmare when it comes to buffed up TMCs.

Send the Flyrant after it, and roll 9 hits on it and it's probably going to Jink. Next turn...nothing but Snapshots. I think this is a mechanic that GW is trying to incorporate into these new Flyers.

[CosmicSchwung]

I don't expect they'll cover fighters and bombers from BFG.

They're described as being near the size of a jumbo jet. Which is a tad big for regular 40k.

That used to be the case, but they cocked it up when they brought space marines into the mix by making thunderhawks their fighters/assault boats.

[Krayd]

I don't think it is new rules, but it a battle report or series of them using those dogfighting rules and the new fliers.

heh. Maybe they'll cram the missing dark eldar ace table in there somewhere. :P

[Cap'nSmurfs]

I've always taken that as a tacit admission that Thunderhawks are So Dang Awesome that they can do things other vehicles twice or three times their size can do, all at once. This is Space Marine technology. It's better than the Navy.