8th Edition; 6 Months (Before Adepticon)

[Schlitzaf]

So I made a similar posts just under a year ago (Well 6 months ago give or take), a month after 8th dropped. And we have had most codexes, or atleast enough we got a better idea of what 8th will start to look like. We have had one balance pass and more then few sets of ‘chapter tactics’, relics, and strategems.

 

The two big things that I want to ask, pre-Codexes (Index) Era, compared to today. And how we feel about Command Points, and their implementation (this is not a question of Strategems persay through those are instrintically related to one another).

 

Through the third topic I want to discuss, in the 6th Month in, is what I call “Army Tactics” and “Squad Tactics”. It’s obvious that when the equivalent of codex tactics are drawn up, their are two ‘styles’. The first style is the kind we see Space Marines and their flavors have.

 

It’s not something that drastically affects how an army will play, it’s just a nudge. It minor buff, meant to encourage certain styless of play, does not enforce s style. These are reroll charges, 6+ FNP, even the -1 to hit. They matters very much on a squad level, and squad level engagements. Rarely do they change or affect an the army composition (drastically).

 

In comparison, Imperial Gaurd, and Nids represents Army Tactics. Some like rerolling charges are shared between army and squad tactics. But the army tactics drastically affect the armies strategic gameplay. Cadians and Vostroyans tactics heavily lend them to gunlines and weapon choices. Catachan and Mordian in contrast favor close in fire fighting. And tactics encourage very specific weapons, and methods of engagement.

 

While some armies Tau for example do both, mix squad and army level style tactics. Most part the armies get one or another for their codex tactics. That is what I think is biggest change between Index 8th and mostly Codex 8th.

[Arganias]

I found that a couple of my armies function very different from 7th to 8th and from Index to Codex. The army composition of my Eldar did not survive the transition, and their general play style changed so much I didn't really like it, but I am not too upset. My Guard, pre-Elysian, was fun to start with and then really fun and flavorful once the codex dropped. The group I play with love how much diversity can be fit into a codex which drastically changes the number of play styles. Even with Thousand Sons and Deathguard, the number of units can still expand beyond what was previously possible.

 

It tool a little getting used to when it came to how squads that used to be limited by the pre-8th rule set now are distinct from one another, like they should be. My group plays matched play with heavy narrative elements, so we have not had a lot of problems with power gaming that other groups have. I think 8th has managed to create a true sand box in a way that other editions haven't.