So here's something that's completely pissed me off with 40k lately: The complete and total obsoleting of Wolf Scouts.
Wolf Scouts are one of my favorite Space Wolf units. Veteran Grey Hunters that find themselves ill-suited for the usual roles Grey Hunters play, instead being used for recon, sniping and other more subtle roles. Here's the rules for them:
Elites, 70 points.
5x Scouts with Bolt Pistol and Bolter. Up to 5 additional scouts for 14 points each and up to one Wolf Guard Pack Leader for 24 points.
Scouts: Infantry WS4 BS4 S4 T4 W1 I4 A1 Ld8 Save 4+
Pack Leader: Infantry (Character) WS4 BS4 S4 T4 W1 I4 A2 Ld9 Save 3+
Special Rules: Acute Senses, And They Shall Know No Fear, Counter-Attack, Infiltrate, Move Through Cover, Scout
Some of the options are a Missile Launcher for 15 points, sniper rifles for 1 point each, Camo Cloaks and almost all of the other usual Marine Scout options.
Up until now, Wolf Scouts were awesome. They cost the same as Grey Hunters, but the roles they play differ. They're not as great as they were in the 5th Edition codex as they lost their "Behind Enemy Lines" special rule that gave them a 2/3rd chance of the controlling player choosing the table edge they enter battle on, including the enemy's deployment edge. In 5th, it was legal to assault on the same turn a unit entered the game through outflank, so bringing Wolf Scouts meant that the opposing player had to deal with most likely having to deal with some Wolves trying to take down, or at least tie up, their ranged support.
Upon the release of 6th Edition, Games Workshop seems to have made it their mission to nerf Wolf Scouts into the ground. First, assaulting on the turn a unit entered from Reserves was no longer allowed. This meant that the above strategy was rendered completely useless. Then, out of fucking no where, rubbing some salt into the wound here, they ruled that a Wolf Scout Pack loses Behind Enemy Lines if they're accompanied by a Wolf Guard (who, in fairness, is wearing Power Armor or Terminator Armor), but by then, most people had already switched to using Wolf Scouts as snipers, so it was just an annoyance.
The 7th Edition Space Wolves codex is released and... it was not a great codex. If the climate of the game wasn't so poorly balanced right now, it would only be slightly underpowered. As is? Probably one of the worst books and filled with changes that took Wolves from possibly THE fluffiest codex to only slightly different than standard Marines besides their unique units.
Wolf Scout snipers were still a fantastic choice, despite the less than impressive codex. Getting a pack of snipers with a missile launcher for 89 points was actually pretty nice, purely because of their increased BS compared to standard Scouts. They've been a standard in my lists since 6th Edition kept me from taking advantage of Behind Enemy Lines.
But then the 7th Edition Space Marines and Dark Angels codexes were released. Here are the rules for 7th Edition Space Marine Scouts
Troops, 55 points.
4x Scouts with Bolters and Bolt Pistols, 1x Scout Sergeant with Bolter and Bolt Pistol. Up to five additional Scouts for 11 points each.
Scout: Infantry WS4 BS4 S4 T4 W1 I4 A1 Ld8 Save 4+
Scout Sergeant: Infantry (Character) WS4 BS4 S4 T4 W1 I4 A1 Ld8 Save 4+
Special Rules: And They Shall Know No Fear, Chapter Tactics, Combat Squads, Infiltrate, Move Through Cover, Scout
Options are extremely similar to Wolf Scouts.
So, let me get this straight, I am now paying 3 extra points per Marine for Acute Senses and Counter-Attack instead of Chapter Tactics and Combat Squads? And I still have to use up one of my Elites slots, while standard Marines and Dark Angels only have to use Troops slots?
This is fucking bullshit. You can cite fluff all you want to justify this, but it doesn't change that, despite being for the same edition of the game, Space Marines and Dark Angels get OBJECTIVELY better Scouts. I have to pay 3 extra points per model for inferior scouts. I am literally paying 3 extra points and an Elites slot to give up Chapter Tactics and Combat Squads in favor of Counter-Attack, which is only useful on melee-focused units and not even CLOSE to be as versatile as Chapter Tactics and Combat Squads. The ONLY advantage I have is being able to bring a Squad Leader wearing Power Armor for more points than it's worth.