Nabterayl
10-29-2009, 05:22 PM
Okay, math folks, help me out here.
We all know what striping for wound allocation is*. I first discovered this when I finally figured out for myself how the units-of-multi-wound-models rules worked. Then I come online and see people talking about wound striping units of single-wound models as if that gives them an advantage, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what they are talking about.
Am I just crazy? Do I just fail at math? Or are people screwing around with their single-wound units and fooling themselves into thinking they have an advantage?
Quick example of what I'm talking about:
Let's say you have two nobz, each of which is identical. You take two wounds, so you allocate one wound to each nob, and make your saves. You fail two saves. One nob dies.
Now you have two nobz, who are not identical. You take two wounds, so you allocate one wound to each nob, and make your saves. You fail two saves. Neither nob dies. Your wound striping has concretely increased your ability to preserve your combat power compared to the no wound-striping scenario.
In a multi-wound scenario this works. In a single-wound scenario it doesn't. Example:
Let's say you have two assault terminators, each of which is identical. You take two wounds, so you allocate one wound to each terminator, and make your saves. You fail two saves. Both terminators die.
Now you have two terminators, who are not identical. You take two wounds, so you allocate one wound to each nob, and make your saves. You fail two saves. Both terminators die. Your wound striping has resulted in no increased ability to preserve your combat power compared to the no wound-striping scenario.
Now of course, there may be lots of other reasons to make your terminators (or other unit of single-wound models) non-identical. Maybe you want mostly lightning claws but a couple of thunder hammers, for dreadnought/MC/IC deterrence. Maybe you want a couple of storm shields to soak the odd low AP shot or two, but don't want to pay for a whole unit's worth of them. But the point is, you aren't actually increasing your survivability any simply by making your single-wound models non-identical.
Adding storm shields, of course, does increase your survivability. But that's an effect of the storm shields, not the wound striping. To prove it:
Let's say you have two command squad veterans, each of which has a storm shield and lightning claw. You take two wounds AP2 wounds, so you allocate one wound to each veteran, and you make your saves. You fail two saves. Both veterans die.
Now you have two command squad veterans, one with a storm shield and thunder hammer, one with a storm shield and lightning claw. You take two wounds AP2 wounds, so you allocate one wound to each veteran, and you make your saves. You fail two saves. Both veterans die. The presence of storm shields has made it less likely that any given veteran would die from the AP2 wound. The wound striping has not made it less likely.
In fact, when dealing with single-wound models, wound striping is sometimes a bad idea. Let's say you have a five-man terminator squad, which you want to include a chainfist and a cyclone. If you give one man the chainfist and another man the cyclone, the enemy has to wound you four times before one of your special weapons is under threat. If you give one man both the chainfist and the cyclone, the enemy has to wound you five times before one of your special weapons is under threat.
Now, maybe you prefer to spread your gear out anyway, because you'd rather make it easier for the enemy to threaten one of your special weapons than run the risk that a single bad roll will deprive you of both. But that strikes me as a matter of personal risk tolerance, rather than a clear mathematical advantage.
As I say, there are lots of good reasons to take a unit of single-wound models and give them non-identical wargear, if you want that wargear anyway. Doing it for the sake of "wound striping" to increase the unit's survivability, though, is just fooling yourself.
Or am I missing something?
* If you don't, the short version is this: striping for wound allocation is deliberately giving your models non-identical wargear, so that they roll saves separately (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=2649) from their squad mates, rather than all together.
We all know what striping for wound allocation is*. I first discovered this when I finally figured out for myself how the units-of-multi-wound-models rules worked. Then I come online and see people talking about wound striping units of single-wound models as if that gives them an advantage, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what they are talking about.
Am I just crazy? Do I just fail at math? Or are people screwing around with their single-wound units and fooling themselves into thinking they have an advantage?
Quick example of what I'm talking about:
Let's say you have two nobz, each of which is identical. You take two wounds, so you allocate one wound to each nob, and make your saves. You fail two saves. One nob dies.
Now you have two nobz, who are not identical. You take two wounds, so you allocate one wound to each nob, and make your saves. You fail two saves. Neither nob dies. Your wound striping has concretely increased your ability to preserve your combat power compared to the no wound-striping scenario.
In a multi-wound scenario this works. In a single-wound scenario it doesn't. Example:
Let's say you have two assault terminators, each of which is identical. You take two wounds, so you allocate one wound to each terminator, and make your saves. You fail two saves. Both terminators die.
Now you have two terminators, who are not identical. You take two wounds, so you allocate one wound to each nob, and make your saves. You fail two saves. Both terminators die. Your wound striping has resulted in no increased ability to preserve your combat power compared to the no wound-striping scenario.
Now of course, there may be lots of other reasons to make your terminators (or other unit of single-wound models) non-identical. Maybe you want mostly lightning claws but a couple of thunder hammers, for dreadnought/MC/IC deterrence. Maybe you want a couple of storm shields to soak the odd low AP shot or two, but don't want to pay for a whole unit's worth of them. But the point is, you aren't actually increasing your survivability any simply by making your single-wound models non-identical.
Adding storm shields, of course, does increase your survivability. But that's an effect of the storm shields, not the wound striping. To prove it:
Let's say you have two command squad veterans, each of which has a storm shield and lightning claw. You take two wounds AP2 wounds, so you allocate one wound to each veteran, and you make your saves. You fail two saves. Both veterans die.
Now you have two command squad veterans, one with a storm shield and thunder hammer, one with a storm shield and lightning claw. You take two wounds AP2 wounds, so you allocate one wound to each veteran, and you make your saves. You fail two saves. Both veterans die. The presence of storm shields has made it less likely that any given veteran would die from the AP2 wound. The wound striping has not made it less likely.
In fact, when dealing with single-wound models, wound striping is sometimes a bad idea. Let's say you have a five-man terminator squad, which you want to include a chainfist and a cyclone. If you give one man the chainfist and another man the cyclone, the enemy has to wound you four times before one of your special weapons is under threat. If you give one man both the chainfist and the cyclone, the enemy has to wound you five times before one of your special weapons is under threat.
Now, maybe you prefer to spread your gear out anyway, because you'd rather make it easier for the enemy to threaten one of your special weapons than run the risk that a single bad roll will deprive you of both. But that strikes me as a matter of personal risk tolerance, rather than a clear mathematical advantage.
As I say, there are lots of good reasons to take a unit of single-wound models and give them non-identical wargear, if you want that wargear anyway. Doing it for the sake of "wound striping" to increase the unit's survivability, though, is just fooling yourself.
Or am I missing something?
* If you don't, the short version is this: striping for wound allocation is deliberately giving your models non-identical wargear, so that they roll saves separately (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=2649) from their squad mates, rather than all together.