Valerian and Aleya - thoughts?

[ThePenitentOne]

The folks who want them to be troops probably want to use them in other armies rather than Talons. In a Talons army, I agree totally- it doesn't really matter whether they're troops or not, or even really if they have an HQ.

 

However, I want to play SoS with Inquisition and SoB- every bit as fluffy and appropriate according to source material, but just more my bag. In that kind of setup, you Ideally want them as troops with Aleya and a Generic HQ- the dead-hard anti-psychic loyal 17.

 

As the rules stand, I can play them as a Null Maiden Vanguard and attach an Inquisitor as a slotless choice, but it would be sooo much cooler to bring a battalion.

[Shield-Captain]

It would be cool if they did something more like the Drukhari raiding party where an army consisting of a battalion of Custodes and a vanguard of Sisters of Silence (with an hq) generated bonus CP. Of course a SoS only army is the dream. Hopefully Aleya is at least cheap enough to be useful towards that end.

[dice4thedicegod]

Something got posted on reddit:

 

 

Got to say... it’s a little underwhelming. 188 seems a bit much for the pair. And , rules as written, not sure how they can be fielded in a battleforged detachment if their only faction keyword is imperium:

 

[TheFinisher4Ever]

Oh man, thats GW rules writing at it's finest. RAW, the unit isn't playable in matched play and costs 376 points. Well done GW. Well done.

[FelipeFlops]

[Noserenda]

Urgh, there go my high hopes, hopefully they bother with a fix sometime!

[killersquid]

Couldn't you just take them in an auxiliary detachment?

 

I'm still getting them, as any new sister of silence model is going in my army, one way or another.

Edited February 26, 2020 by killersquid

[.Torch.]

Wow....

 

I don't think anyone saw that coming. I think we all assumed they would be separate units.

 

Honestly, this is so disappointing. Hopefully Psychic Awakening will be good to us, but then again, this doesn't create confidence.

[BaconCouch]

Yike GW....Yikes...
 

Edited February 26, 2020 by BaconCouch

[rcoon]

So we still can't field sisters with Custodes properly, and sisters still suck. Aleya doesn't even give a single benefit to other sisters models!

[Noserenda]

Aleya is a bit of a loner so I wasn't expecting an aura, but... Something would be nice for such and awesome character.

[.Torch.]

Aleya is a bit of a loner so I wasn't expecting an aura, but... Something would be nice for such and awesome character.

Agreed. Its a super disappointing rule set.

 

Even Valerian isn't great, although the reroll damage is nice, it's a shame it's only once per game when even Ork units can have it once a turn!

The +1 strength is okay, but probably a tad situational, as in most scenarios I can't imagine Str7 being super beneficial over Str6. Could be good for T6 and T7 character duels though, although he's not a quick model.

[librisrouge]

Wow, and I was seriously considering investing in some SoS if she was an even halfway decent HQ. Heck, I'd have settled for usable. As it is now, this in purely for narrative play. What is even the point of these rules?

[Shield-Captain]

Ugh. Wasn't expecting much but this just seems plain bad. Wish Aleya got something more

[librisrouge]

I just realized that Valerian is apparently the worst shield captain ever. Since he can't be part of a custodes detachment, he's permanently stuck with a 5++ save when every other custodes is walking around with a, at worst, 4++.

[TheFinisher4Ever]

I just realized that Valerian is apparently the worst shield captain ever. Since he can't be part of a custodes detachment, he's permanently stuck with a 5++ save when every other custodes is walking around with a, at worst, 4++.

Oof. I didn't even think about that one. Thats really bad.

[sairence]

Well...that sucks a bit. Did not expect to have to take them as a pair. So it doesn't actually help my sisters at all. :(

 

They don't even have a rule that gives a benefit to have them working together...

Edited February 26, 2020 by sairence

[rcoon]

Aside from the clear errors with keywords and them being unplayable RAW, the poses and modelling is trash (just reused models from basic box set models), and their special abilities and unique weapons are garbage. Aleyas weapon isn't even different from a normal great blade. She also has a dagger which isn't in the rules. Bad models, bad rule writing and bad stats overall. What hurts me the most is I preordwred and bought two more boxes of SoS in anticipation of being able to field both Armies.

[Noserenda]

Yeah I mean I can see why they aren't talking about the rules, if I hadn't preordered too I'd be considering not bothering.

[TheFinisher4Ever]

I wasn't thrilled with the models so I didn't preorder them, but now I'll definitely be skipping them. As uninspired and bland as the models are, the rules are actively bad and I will never use them as they are.

[ThePenitentOne]

I cut GW a lot of slack, but this is bad. I hope they fix it. Could be via WD, FAQ, PA, Talons reboot, Custodes 2.0, or my personal fave, Imperial Agents dex.

 

I don't really have any interest in Custodes, personally, so this was all about Aleya. Part of me still wants the model just to have it, but I'm also think that IF they fix it, the fix will likely be accompanied with a full release of the model, possibly as a separate. If they don't fix it, it is literally not usable in a battle forged army. A lot of haters throw that term around too casually, but in this case, I think it's actually true.

 

Writing this made me sad. Bad GW!

[CaptainMarsh]

This is just a train crash on every level. Because they are forced to be taken as a pair he can't get a 4+ like other SC, and he otherwise is a very meh Shield-Captain. The bigger letdown is Aleya. A nothingburger in every sense of the word. At least Valerian *has* a unique rule, as shoulder shrugging as it is. She doesn't. Because they are taken as a pair they shatter almost every detachment and benefit they might have otherwise. 

The points are clearly *intended* to be 188 for the pair, but written extremely poorly. This is extremely low effort and rushed. I was excited to see Valerian and Aleya but they managed to make every mistake they possibly could in how to implement them.

When I heard Black Library characters were getting models, I got excited. But I have been let down by each one in a very big way, with a small exception for Eisenhorn.

[sairence]

Aleya is slightly better than a normal Sister Superior, with a 2+ WS and 4 attacks instead of 3...but her equipment, despite the blade having a different name, are exactly the same as a regular Sister with sword. Edited February 27, 2020 by sairence

[KJB]

I'm still going to pick them up on Saturday

 

Valerian will be used as the base for a normal shield captain (though his head will go straight in the bin...)

 

Aleya will be left in the box with the unmade sisters from the Burning of Prospero set I still have

[Diocletian Coros]

Aleya was supposed to give me a good reason to build and paint five more sisters so I could field a small detachment of them (1 HQ, 3 Elite). But since it isn't supposed to work like this at the moment, I'll focus on my Ultramarines again. The model will probably be left unused in the sprue. I have a Jenetia Krole model which is superior to Aleya in about every aspect. And the model has the right weapons so it works fine as a "proxy" for Aleya.

 

Valerian will get another head/helmet and maybe a different spear. I still have one lying around from the Forge World Shield-Captain dude which also emphasizes the difference to a normal Guardian Spear. But I'm not sure if I'll field him a lot. The bonus strength is not really that needed.