In alot of popular games, there exist restrictions on the players as to what units they can play that favors players using a limited number of different factions. Magic has 5 different types of lands, and two or one color decks often beat 5 color decks which have a missmash of the best cards in the game. Warhammer simply doesn't allow mixed armies.

To encourage people to play a limited number of different factions in MW a simple point bonus could be added.
If you had 2 factions, instead of 450 points you would have 465. And for faction pure, you'd have 480 points. This serves to help balance the dissadvantages that pure armies face.

The formation of units was of course added to give factions an advantage, but with todays artillery and Anp, using formations is far less important. This point bonus would serve to help correct that oversight.

Thoughts, comments?

faction pure armies are balanced. You already get a bonus for playing faction pure. you can make a formation out of ANYTHING in your army. Why should there be another benefit? people who want to play faction pure will play faction pure anyway, and those that don't will do what they want.

There is no good point to giving yet another bonus to faction pure armies, nor is there a good prescedent for enforcing it (I know, you didn't say it). However, I feel that by giving a faction pure force an advantage over the others (all ideas you can see on this forum) is wrong, and will be an unwritten enforcement of faction purity.

Though I agree that there should be an additional incentive to play faction pure (or at least a greater penalty for not doing so), I think giving extra build points would be a bad idea. First off, it messes with VC1 and VC2. Second, what about the people who don't have large collections to work with? There are other reasons as well, but we've all heard them before.

Perhaps something like a loyalty check would be in order. Something like the following...

Loyalty Check (Optional) - At the beginning of the game, you must declare which faction your army represents. Every time you attempt to give an order to a unit that does not belong to the chosen army, you must make a loyalty check. Roll 2d6. If the number rolled is less than the total number of factions represented in your army, that intended unit refuses your order. The unit will only agree to move for that turn. It cannot perform any attacks or any kind, load, unload, launch artillery, or make any special attacks. Give that unit an action token. Once a loyalty check has been made, the action is committed and cannot be taken back. Mercs are immune to loyalty checks.

Example: Army A is a Spirit Cats army that has 3 factions represented (Merc, Spirit Cats, Republic). On Army A's turn, the first two orders are given to a Merc Sniper and a Spirit Cats Pegasus. Since Mercs are immune to loyalty checks, no roll is made and the action is performed. Since the Pegasus is a Spirit Cats unit, no loyalty check is made. Next, an order is given to a Republic unit. Since that unit is not of the chosen faction, a loyalty check roll is made. The roll ends up a 2. The Republic unit refuses to do anything but move. End of Army A's turn.

A pretty cheesy army with 6 factions represented would have 10/36 chance of their unit refusing an order on any given turn. Less than 50%, but still a risk.

I'm a faction purist and I have to agree. Instilling extra faction bonuses really isn't the way to go. It's needlessly complex in most ways and generally doesn't accomplish the goal it sets out to do.

The only rule that would create a faction pure playing environment is ruling that battleforces have to be faction pure. That's it.

MWDA is the only game I have ever played where "faction purity" wasn't enforced if not by the rules then playability. MTG is limited by casting cost, WH40K has it in the rules, Napoleonics can only be played with the right units, same with WWII and sundry naval battles.

The only reason I see non faction pure here is that it's collectable. You sell product by having certain pieces that everyone must have.

or simple solutions

Factions ability :)

Even better; excellent call. Give all the factions 1 faction ability and only allow it to be used if the entire force is of that faction or Merc.

Restrict Liao from using their abilities unless the entire force is Liao or merc.

You won't see Wizkids implement any kind of Faction Purity as they have already stated they want people to be able to play with a minimum of boosterage. Less pieces = less chance of having 450pts of 'pure' force.

However, I don't see why they won't implement a partial purity ruling. Now that 450/3 is in effect, simply have a requirement that 300pts of your force must be from a single faction, the other 1/3 can be your current mishmash. Even the minimal players should be able to cough up/trade for 300pts of a single faction.

-Stealth

I agree, Faction Pure is the best way to avoid the broken army thing. With FP you limit the number of abusive units a single player can field.
I provide encouragement for faction purity by weighting fellowship guidelines on army composition. Faction pure provides big points, next is balanced combined arms and then attitude while playing. I’m luck I don’t have any bad players, they are all good sports.

lol cuz right now
the only incentive of going factions pure is the braging right :P
or something to blame if you lose

LOL

Yes we're all good sports.
I play faction pure for a number of reasons.
1. financial-there's no way I'm shelling out 30 bones for an artillery piece or any of the other so called uber-pieces. If I can't win it, trade for it or buy it in a booster, then I probably don't need it.
2. challenge- there's more of a challenge to playing faction pure than not. each factions has its strenths and weaknesses, I build to my strengths and minimize my weaknesses.

I do quite well with my Bannson Raiders, with only the occasional merc. I win way more than I lose.

I wouldn't mind seeing a faction ability, but it should be in scale with the factions. Liao is a "real" force and has three faction abilities. Everyone else is a splinter. Give the splinters an ability only if they are 100% pure (not counting mercs) and keep it in theme with the faction.

I am all for faction purity. I never understood why MWDA doesn't have it. I've been a long-time BTech fan and if you read the books and are a fan of it, you will understand how rare it is for different factions to fight together on the same side, and especially in the new books where tensions are so high, the only ones who fight together are repuclic forces-normally knights-and the factions they want to help, sorry also mercs. Mercs to me are not considered a faction-any army can consist of mercs. It just seems to me that to be consistent with the spirit of the game and the storylines there should definately be a faction purity rule. I don't know exactly how to fix that, but it needs to be. The only time you can mix factions is during storylines and sealed boosters. I hate to say it, but if you are going to play this game you are going to spend some money-probably quite a bit.

They won't and can't restrict Liao abilities because they are factored into the point cost of the units.

Have you seen how expensive the Elites are because of Awe.

I usually play Faction pure myself, except in campaigns.

i like the idea for giving each faction an ability as an incentive to playre faction pure... maybe the DF would finaly be able to fight a ranged war!

Faction ability: -IF- your army is composed of only DF and merc units, your units may fire an aditional 4 inches in adition to their normal ranges.

YES! i can see it now... DF would finaly nolonger fear the tyranny of the Spirit Cats and the Steel Wolves with their monster 16inch ranges.. that pesky balac would be something to laugh at rather than cower behind ineffective AA units.. 14 inch ranges would be something we could finaly combat against instead of resorting to chargemonkeytude and vehicle drop...

yeah, i know. it's pipe dream worth of stuffing in my pipe and smoking most rightously... but a Dragon can dream can't it. *grumble*

Just off the top ofmy head...

Faction Purity Bonus Abilities:
- Spirit Cats: All artillery gains the AP SE.
- Highlanders: +1 Attack value on all units.
- Republic: Command works on a 3, 4, 5 or 6.
- Bannson's: All units with infiltrate infiltrate x2 their speed.
- Swordsworn: +1 Vent on all mechs.
- Steel Wolves: +1 Speed on all units
- Dragon's Fury: +1" range on all ballistic attacks
- Stormhammers: Minor heat effects only trigger on a roll of 1.
- House Liao: Awe works on a 5 or 6. Fanaticism range is 10".

That's funny. I have a HUGE winning streak going playing only faction pure in cutthroat tournaments. So I do not think it applies.

Faction pure forces can have some things that non faction pure forces do not have... Synergy. Examples include BR, Repairability and speed, no units have to be left behind