The ETC Comp System

It would help, so I hear, to actually put the ETC Comp system up when I say I will.  Anyway, I think this may be a bit overkill, and I don't particularly like some of the sweeping game changes they've made.  Enjoy the read, and let me know what you think.

From the European Team Championship Website, at http://www.rankingshq.com/etc/article.aspx?ArticleTypeId=2&ArticleId=218

At ETC we will be using a LOS system. AR.com will present two alterative systems with this rules pack and asks the captains to playtest both before making a recommendation. This can be found in the following thread on The Warhammer Forum.

Rules changes:
- Steadfast is removed if a unit is disrupted.
- Units with at least one full rank cause Disruption.
- Characters will get "look out sir" versus the following spells that automatically kill models or automatically remove an entire regiment: Dwellers Below, Final Transmutation, Dreaded 13th, Infernal Gateway 11-12 effect. Normal requirements for lookout sir apply.

General Restrictions:
2400 Points.
No Special or Named Characters.
Armys can be selected from any of the currently published GW Army books.
A maximum of 4 identical core choices may be taken (regardless of equipment and other upgrades).
A maximum of 5 warmachines may be taken per army
Unit sizes of are limited as follows:
- Non-infantry units (including monstrous infantry): Maximum 12 models/unit
- Infantry costing 5 points or less: Maximum 40 models/unit
- Infantry costing 6-9 points: Maximum 30 models/unit
- Infantry costing 10 points or more: Maximum 24 models/unit

Magic Restrictions:
- Apart from Winds of magic and Channeling, an army may only generate 2 PD/DD per magic phase.
- You may have units/abilities that actually would generate more than 2 extra dice, but any excess dice are lost
- Some magic items/abilities count as generating dice toward this limit.
- “Count as” items/abilities may never exceed a cumulative 2PD/DD per phase. This means that if you take the power scroll, you may not take any other items that “count as adding PD/DD”

Item restrictions:
- Power Scroll counts as generating 2 PD and 2 DD each magic phase
- Each Loremaster ability counts as generating 1 PD each magic phase
- Items that auto-dispel a spell counts as generating 1 DD each magic phase
- Folding Fortress is not allowed

Army Specific Restrictions:

Beastmen: No Restrictions

Brettonians: Trebuchet is a 0-1 choice

Dark Elves: Hydra is a 0-1 choice

Dwarfs: Anvil of doom counts as warmachine; Grudge Throwers are a 0-2 choice; Max +4 dispel dice instead of +2

Daemons of Chaos: Flamers are a 0-1 choice. Siren Song may only be taken once

Empire: Steam Tank counts as warmachine; Tank, Rocket battery and Engineers are a 0-1 choice

High Elves: Book of Hoeth counts as generating +2PD and +2 DD; Shard and Crystal as +1DD/phase

Lizardmen: Salamanders are a 0-1 Choice; Terradons, Chameleon Skinks and Stegadons (any kind) are 0-2 choices; Beclaming cogitations counts as generating +2DD, Cupped hands as +2PD/phase.

Ogre Kingdoms: No Restrictions

Orcs & Goblins: No Restrictions

Skaven: Hell Pit Abomination is a 0-1 choice; Gutter runners are a 0-2 choice; Engineers are a 0-3 choice

Vampire Counts: Wraiths and Varghulf are 0-1 choices

Tomg Kings: No restrictions

Wood Elves: Wand of Wych Elm counts as generating +1 DD/phase

Warriors of Chaos: Hellcannon is a 0-1 choice. Infernal Puppet counts as generating +2DD /phase; Tendrils of Tzeench and Conjoined Homonucleus all count as generating +1 PD/Phase.

The following explanatory notes also accompany the restrictions:

Explanatory notes:

1) The "removal of steadfast if disrupted" and the unit size limits are there because we see "bunker armies" as an emerging problem. This is particularily problematic in an ETC context, where playing for draws is a legit (indeed advisable) strategy. To this extent we have also decided that the Folding fortress allows too many "abusive" things for defensive armies. Hopefully, these changes will lead to a more dynamic game. The "one rank to disrupt" is a rule that is intended to make cavalry a viable troop choice for ETC armies.

2) Magic:
The principle of capping dice generation has been chosen for two reasons: It works regardless of rolls on winds of magic/channeling (a generic dice cap makes some armies extremely powerful when WOM rolls are low) and because it gives us a tool to restrict powerful items.

This works as follows.

a) An army that takes items/abilities that allow them to generate more dice, may never generate more than two dice, regardless of source. For example: An Empire army with an Archlector and a Warrior Priest would only generate +2DD, even though it would normally generate 3. The excess dice is lost and may not be used or stored.

b) If an army takes an item/ability with a "count as" clause, the limit for extra dice is affected. If, for instance the same Empire army brought a dispel scroll (counts as +1 DD because it auto dispels a spell). That same army would only ever generate +1 DD in each of the opponent's magic phases. The 2 excess dice would be lost. If both a dispell scroll and the seal of destruction were to be taken by that empire army, no additional DD would be generated (and all 3 DD from the Archlector/Warrior Priest would be lost).

c) Under no circumstances may an army have "count as" items that exceed +2PD/2DD. No negative modifiers may occur, you are simply not allowed to take any more items/abilities with a "count as" clause. For example: A VC army has Forbidden Lore on one vampire. This means that the VC army could not take a Power Scroll as this would generate +3PD in "count as" abilities. (+1 for Forbidden lore, which gives loremaster, and +2 for the power scroll). The army would be illegal.

d) Some very powerful items give penalties to both PD and Dispel dice, even though they do not directly affect Dispeling. The reason for this is that these items are so powerful that we feel that the drawbacks for taking them should be considerable. Taking a power scroll for instance, means: No Loremaster, no scroll, no additional dice generating in the army whatsoever.

3. The Army-specific restrictions are fairly light. The reason for this is that we want to see how things work out with minimal restrictions, and then tighten the screw if ever (whenever) the needs arise.

4. We want to reiterate that this is a first draft, and is intended to be a changing document. It is therefore acceptable -indeed encouragable- that people play around with these rules and restrictions. If event organizers feel that something needs changing (that one army is comped too harshly for instance), then change it for your tournament and -pretty please- report your findings back to us.

We are by no means perfect, therefore this draft isn't either. It never will be. But with your help, we believe that this can be turned into a solid, enjoyable ruleset.

With regards to our timetable for this project, we aim to release an updated draft on the first Monday in November, January and a final one March.