If you have any questions for Andy Chambers, you can e-mail them to me or join the BFG List and ask him directly on the list.
For Eldar holofields and their 2+ save like abillity, does this effect boarding torpedoes (as they do not roll to hit as such?
A: Errr yes boarding torpedoes do roll to hit (assault boats don't though), anyway in both cases yes the Eldar do get to save against them.
When a ship explodes into plasma drive or warp overload, does the eldar get a holofield save? I would think not, there is no mind guiding the shooting to be decieved by the holofield, but is says treat the lance shots like normal shots. Would appreciate answer either way, as much arguing resulted from this issue.
A: No holofield saves vs big boom!
Eldar Holofields (That might be a silly question however I'll appreciate if I can get it fully answered).The rules about the holofield saves are rather clear about the lances, torps and/or bombers hits, however it's not so obvious (for me at least) when it comes to the "gunnery table" weapons. What protection do exactly the holofields offer against them: a/One column shift to the left on the gunnery table and a 2+ save against scored hits or, b/One column shift only.
A: B} I'm afraid, weapon batteries are the Doom of the Eldar.
I'm still in a kind of shock after your answer about the Eldar holofields vs. weapon batteries. Perhaps I've overlooked something but it seems useless to buy any Eldar ships except cruisers and the cheapest destroyers. What I mean is that when you fire a 10FP salvo (an average value for most chaos ships) at an escort ship (even in the worst conditions i.e. the furthermost right column on the gunnery table) you have to roll at least 2 dice "to hit". That means a 25% chance of destroying an imperial Cobra destroyer (25% chance of rolling a 4+ on both dice) and a 75% chance of destroying any Eldar vessel smaller than a cruiser (!). And some of Eldar frigates are worth some 70 points or more. Err 40 actually OK I agree that the massed firepower must be dangerous to the Eldar ships, but isn't that going a bit too far?
A: I can only say trust me on this again really, remember Eldar ships move twice and there's very little reason for them to take fire if they're wary enough. They can also brace for impact if things get hot. Our experience of Eldar is that they are very dangerous, but live a knife-edge existence if they get too closely embroiled -hit and run, hit and run! Its also worth noting that in our Studio campaign the Eldar player is beating just about everyone.
There is also another question concerning Eldar. Wouldn't it be fair to change the rules for solar flares in order to prevent situations where a single flare could easily wipe out entire Eldar fleet from the table. Perhaps a rule that prevent battles involving Eldar in the close proximity to the sun will be OK ? (or am I simply wrong about that matter).
A: No you're right, if I were you I'd simply decline to fight anywhere near solar flares
The rules say they protect against any other kind of damage, as opposed to lances. And Andy Chambers does too, in his Q&A. Though he also says that holofields won't work against ships exploding due to catastrophical damage (since there is no living mind trying to target the ship, but rather a big huge explosion).
(I'd also insist on taking the holosave agains novacannons, by the way. Else they would greatly unbalance the game)
A: I'd just like to jump in here and say dead right! The catastrophic explosion is not something you could fool, but someone trying to use a nova cannon could be fooled just like anything else
Do holofields offer a save against boarding torpedoes and assault boats? If so, where do they end up if they miss?
A: Yes the holofield save applies to everything except weapon battery fire and catastrophic damage explosions - the assault boats or torpedoes are still expended whether the save is made or not (run out of fuel etc). Note that I'm sure we can find other exceptions to holofield saves but assume its against everything bar the above unless you can think of a really good reason the save shouldn't apply.
Are Eldar ships using the special order Lock-On forbidden from turning in the movement phase, ordnance phase or both?
A: May not turn in both
If an Eldar ship with a Pulsar Lance is Locked On, does it get to re-roll misses on the 2nd or 3rd roll, or does it only get a re-roll on the first salvo?
A: 2nd and potentially 3rd too
Can eldar ships ram? (since they can`t use full speed ahead orders.)
A: No, they're too fragile and rare to treat in such a cavalier fashion (plus they can't go All Ahead Full)
Does an Eldar ship get its holofield save against Warp Cannons?
A: Yes
Can an eldar ship have the refit which allows them to have +1 shield ? and if no, what would they benefit from, or would they just re-roll ?
A: No, reroll
Also, can an eldar ship have the refit that allows them +1 turret ?
A: Yes
If an Eldar ship was surrounded by blast markers, would it be correct to have it turn and then see which BMs are in the front arc to test for damage? Or does it test for ones behind and abeam to it?
A: Yes, any blast amrkers in contact could cause damage but remember only one roll is made to check for damage.
Also, one Eldar ship (Hemlock I think) has only a 1 strength lance. Our Eldar player abuses this by constantly using Brace for Impact. I don't think this is really fair.
A: Legal tho'
And last, do Eldar pulse lances reroll shots in the 2nd round of firing if they are Locked On?
A: Yes
Sure, I'm getting really tired from this discussion since it seems that we just could not get into the same point of view. So that I think we have to ask Andy what was their intention, how these b#$ß*¨% Holofields have to work.
If the developpers plan was to let Eldar live with no BBs/BCs, faster speed, bigger manoeuvrability, better weapons (but with shorter range), less hits, no turrets, no standard shields, bigger probability of crits (did I forget anything?) and with Holoshield saving every targeted attack except batteries on 2+, then it should be written somewhere in the Roolbook. It's just one sentence, saving us more than 100 mails.
I would like to ask Andy, if it is possible to get something like this type of race definition (somewhere, sometime)?
Pavel
A: After all the flak that I've been getting for 'clarifying' the rules in earlier posts I'm rather hesistant about getting any further embroiled. But... this discussion is getting a bit dull, especially when a black and white, its-written-in-the-rulebook-so-everyone-can-abide-by-this-ruling answer is there for all to see.
P 129 Holofields.
Ehem "Against attacks that use the Gunnery table the holofields cause one column
shift to the right, in addition to any other column shifts for range or blast markers.
Against any other form of attack (lances, torpedoes etc), roll to hit the Eldar ship as
normal, but the Eldar player may then make a saving roll for his holofields:"
(emphasis added)
So......
'Any other form of attack' ie like Nova cannon, boarding, hit and run attacks, rams,
transmogrifier rays, flying space piranhas or anything else that isn't a weapon battery
shot.
Lets try that again
'ANY other form of attack'
OK? topic closed? (I wish!)
My own thoughts on holofields are that they are a whole range of 'stealth' and misdirection systems ranging form the non-metallic wraithbone the ships are made of, to the almost non-existent energy trail left by their unique drive systems. The actual holo element would operate by bending light and radiation around the the ship's position, reducing it to a slight distortion against the backdrop of stars. Weapon battery fire doesn't need a very precise fix to be effective because the whole principle of it is plastering a BIG area (a bit like AA fire at aircraft). Lances, well as someone pointed out, they are supposed to be like B5 Shadow and Minbari armaments, so they're great when you have a positive fix but pretty useless when you're having to guess. Attack craft and torps have basic augur systems which are easily fooled and led aside by false energy trails. Ships trying to ram or board - well you don't think an Eldar ship would just sit there while some lumbering mon -kie tin can charged at them do you? I'd guess the same applies to Nova cannon shots - the 'shell' is moving fast, but not neccessarily so fast the the Eldar ship can't manoeuvre some distance out of the way, plus pre-setting the distance to explosion would be very tricky if you only have a hazy lock on the target - remember its only one shot as opposed to a continuous bombardment like that from a weapon battery.
As to the race definition, the Eldar in Gothic are supposed to be (and I quote) 'absolute gits', Pavel points out the pro's and cons below pretty succinctly - yes this was what was intended for them.
From: Pavel Stafa
Subject: Re: Holofields
> Original Article: http://www.egroups.com/list/bfg-list/?start=2257
> > It just occurred to me that we have to let the Eldar players use the
> > Holofields for everything, or we'll have to listen to them whine. I can't
> > stand that!
> >
> > Clay
When do you roll for the holo field save against bommer attacks a/ before they roll the bommer attack dice or b/ after (if it is after bommers ARE the bane of eldar)
A: b/ With holofields the opponent rolls to hit as normal, then saves are made
Your entry for the `Void Stalker` battleship (at the realm of inisfail, good site loads of BFG stuff) can this be considered a `proper` ship ie. do u have to ask your opponent before u use it?
A: It's not in print so its not really 'proper'
P.S. Used my eldar for the first time, won..ha ha stupid imperial fleet, praise shadow crusiers..heh, oh yeh how do u work out a fire power of 24 (ie 2 shadow cruisers in a squadron) is it like epic; firepower 20 + firepower 4, or 2 12`s?
A: 20+4
If an Eldar player chooses a defence satelite (torps) are they based on normal torp's or there keel type
A: Normal torps
Can Eldar brace for impact if they have used holoshields and failed their save?? I would say not my self as this makes them Massively hard.
A: No, the decision to brace should be made before your opponent even rolls to hit.
In our group, we have agreed that an Eldar can save against one "area" of damage. If they are hit dead-on, their save will only put them in the periphery of the blast zone--therefore, they take a hit. If they are in the periphery, they can save out of the periphery and avoid all hits.
I realize the logic in saying that a targeted weapon can be saved against versus holofields--but how can holofields protect against a massive explosion which is similar in nature to a Plasma Drive overload?
A: The nova cannon projectile still has to be preset to explode at a particular distance, the holofields can make this just as hard as they can for firing lances etc. Remember that the Eldar ship could be several hundred kilometers away up or down from its supposed position on the tabletop.
I know you've addressed it--but I still take issue with the concept. Frankly, it makes the Eldar too powerful. All my players want to play Eldar now. In their words, "You can't hurt me!" Did you intend for them to be the "super race"?
A: Please feel free to play your own house rules in this respect if you find the Eldar too much to handle. Personally I would suggest investing in some sword class frigates, Tyrant class cruisers etc. and shooting straight through their holofields. Eldar are a very difficult race to play against but they are very difficult to play with too, my experience is that they are not a 'super race' but require a radicaly different set of tactics to defeat. Good luck!