The tactical possibilities of objectives changing every turn is awesome in my opinion.
Tactical Objectives and the Maelstrom of War missions promises a fluid exciting game with objectives changing every turn and the each type of mission changes how the objectives change each turn.
There unfortunately are some issues with Tactical Objectives and the missions themselves.
I have some ideas for fixes and they are presented below.
1 - Use the cards that GW sells or create your own.
2 - After Deployment make sure you have also seen your opponents list. Then remove 6 cards from the 36 Tactical Objective cards to build your deck. Then shuffle them.
3 - (optional) Remove Mysterious Objectives from the missions.
4 - Play only the following three missions with the changes listed above: Cleanse and Control, Spoils of War, Cloak and Shadows.
Explanation:
By doing step one above you are making the generation step of the Tactical Objectives smoother. It makes sense why they made cards. It is not just a money grab as some have suggested. By making cards they offer you an easier and quicker way to play with Tactical Objectives. You obviously don't need them to play the game because the rules for them are all included in the main rulebook. By using the cards it is just easier.
By picking only 30 of the 36 Tactical Objectives it allows each player to build their own deck of objectives. This is important because the Tactical Objectives GW has come up with are not always applicable to your opponent's army. Some of them gain you points for shooting down a flyer but if your opponent doesn't have a flyer in his/her army, then you are just screwed out of points.
By giving the players the power to choose what their objectives will be during the game, it adds a new element to the game which GW either didn't anticipate (which I find odd) or they intend to include this in a future supplement along with new Tactical Objectives or they wanted us the player base to do this sort of thing ourselves.
I included removing mysterious objectives from the missions because a lot of times in 6th Ed people would forget to do them or forget what they were and it also slow down the game. Also the mysterious objectives in 7th are basically the same so we aren't really missing out on anything new here.
Of the 6 Maelstrom of War Missions, I feel the three I listed above are the most balanced. The first one, Cleanse and Control is the basic mission. The Second one is cool because each player can use either player's Tactical Objectives. In the Third mission each player keeps his/her objectives secret.
All three of these missions also use a standard card drawing/discarding mechanic which I like. All three start each player with 3 cards. Each turn you must have 3 cards in hand and once an objective is accomplished you discard the card. Each turn you may also discard one card you didn't use. The next turn you draw up to three cards.
If you follow the above steps, you should have fun, challenging, engaging games.
These missions and the changes to them are something I think could be used in a tournament format or even just as a framework to allow pick up games at a game store or with friends. It is a solid new way of playing 40k and I hope other people agree.
Until Next Time......
