Hello everyone
We all agree that halberdiers cannot compete effectively against their state troop homologues. In the rule book, it's said that halberds can be used both as spears or as axes, so I think the most sensible change to it would to make it an "attack in two ranks" weapon, the +1 strength modifier applying only for the first rank. It would of course remain a two-handed weapon, and lose the extra rank when charging.
The guys in front use its axe side and the ones in the back jab, using it as a spear. This rule would correspond to the description in the rulebook, to all the illustrations and to the models. (It's even more flagrant with the phoenix guards, with their halberds twice as tall as they are). This new rule could represent the double-use of the halberd, the reason why they were so popular among infantry, both historically and fluff-wise.
While I'm at it, concerning the new army book, I think our army is good as it is, concerning fluff and competitivity ( with the exception maybe of the engineer creations, the creator was probably high when he designed, I can see no other reasonable explanation for bomb dropping pidgeons or a robotic horse that would unrealistic even for modern-day technology). We should perhaps have the engineer as an upgrade for warmachines, since the only two 7th edition engineers ever seen on a warhammer battlefield was in the white dwarf battle-report and a dead one used as decoration on a dragon's base.
I have been reading crazy suggestions making us humans inhumanly skilled warriors, remember that we rely on tactics to win.
Sorry about that, that was kind of off-subject, please let me know what your thoughts are on this new halberd.