Inconsistencies with GW unit roles and decals?

[thewarriorhunter]

I'm working on putting together some decals and noticed that in the codex Suppressors are listed as fast attack but their picture from the studio has Heavy Support Transfers on them. I find it interesting that there is a disconnect there between role and decal. Flipping through the units I don't see any other occurrences of that happening. I wonder if Suppressors were initially slated to be Heavy Support but moved to Fast Attack to fill out that slot more since it's one of the lightest in the codex?

[Panzer]

The Battlefield role and the FOC slot are separate things.

You can find a units battlefield role in the fluff section of the Codex, while the FOC slots are pure crunch.

 

Suppressors are FIRE Support. Same as Aggressors which are in the Elites section. Also Incursors and Reivers are Close Support while being in the Troops and Elites section respectively. 

[Lord_Caerolion]

Apothecaries are Elites but not Veterans. Reivers are Elites but not Veterans. Incursors are Troops but not Battleline. Centurion Assault Squads are Elites but not Veterans. Aggressors are Elites but not Veterans.

 

Unit slot =/= Battlefield Role. Suppressors are Fast Attack because they're a quick, fast unit, regardless of the fact that their organizational role within the Chapter is Fire Support.

[thewarriorhunter]

Well now I feel silly. I haven't read through the lore section in a while and I forgot it lists all of that there. Thanks for pointing that out!

[Lord_Caerolion]

To be fair, in the past it did tend to be that the slot was the same as the Battlefield Role. Centurions stood out as exceptions, but it's only with the Primaris that we've really had heaps of exceptions start popping up.

[Panzer]

Exactly. GW used to have those two things roughly the same but it never quite worked out considering that all the vehicles aren't supposed to be part of these four battlefield roles either but there's no other place for them in the FOC system. So the confusion is understandable.