New Warhammer 40,000 Edition announced!

[Mogger351]

5 minutes ago, Marshal Rohr said:

This is just how GW writes all their rules now. Convoluted and unclear. 

I think it's just how some people read/think, because those are incredibly clear for me.

[Karhedron]

I agree, the new rules are perfectly clear. 99% of the time, they will be the same as the "plain English" version but writing them the way they have should eliminate the 1% of the time where someone tries to find a way to break things. Hopefully this will seriously cut down on erratas and FAQs going forward.

[phandaal]

4 hours ago, Domhnall said:

Wording for rules (in any games) has become almost it's own kind of legalese speak, because if any ambiguity is left, it WILL be exploited. So you have clunky (often confusing wording) because somebody somewhere somewhen got advantage from what should have been a simply rule.

 

The alternative for this is explaining to people at the start of the rulebook that if they disagree, they should work things out between themselves. It is the high trust vs low trust thing, and plenty of games opt out of the legalese even in this day and age.

 

Mainly it comes down to whether the game is intended for a competitive audience or if the players are expected to manage their own behavior.

 

Edit: just a quick glance over the shelf, there is Gaslands, Oathmark, Stargrave/Frostgrave, Lion/Xenos/Dragon Rampant, Five Parsecs from Home, The Doomed, all of which are less heavy on the legalese. The difference is obviously because of the difference in their intended audiences compared to 40k.

 

Edited Tuesday at 02:23 PM by phandaal

[Captain Idaho]

3 hours ago, Domhnall said:

I think because [RAPID FIRE X] is a standard rule, and 'X' may not necessarily be 'A'. So to keep it in line with the rest of the rule system you keep the same wording. In this case, 'X' = 'A'.
As is also specifies "excluding attackes made by weapons selected with Firing Deck", then specifying 'X' = 'A' clarifies that you ONLY double up that amount. As you can guarantee if it said "a single battlewagon gets to double it's shooting phase ranged attacks within half range." there would be players arguing this includes firing deck shots, because those were shot in the shooting phase and it doesn't specifically say that it doesn't. 

 

I'd say firstly, you could easily adjust that sentence to say "a single Battlewagon gets to double its shooting phase ranged attacks within half range. Note this doesn't include any embarked units."

 

Done.

 

Secondly... if it is because of Rapid Fire being such an issue potentially, then unfortunately you have to adjust the rules to be more elegant and fit rather than a marathon reading session to work out an equation of "Rapid Fire X where X = A but not adjusting Rapid Fire weapons that pre exist"

 

***

 

Considering that actually, this isn't reducing the need for questions with its legal technical speech. So if adding Rapid Fire X equals A, what if the weapon is already Rapid Fire, does it just not change or does it get Rapid Fire on its Rapid Fire?

 

It's not clear at all. Of you're casual or drifted out of the game or are just starting... what on earth am I supposed to be doing with all these complicated rules depictions?

 

And yes it does mirror HH 3.0 in the same format. The Strategums are the same complex format as the Reactions. Which similarly are complicated.

[Focslain]

38 minutes ago, Captain Idaho said:

what if the weapon is already Rapid Fire, does it just not change or does it get Rapid Fire on its Rapid Fire?

If they kept the rule on duplicate abilities from the current edition, the ability that gives the greater benefit takes precedence, so like with the big shoota which has A3 and Rapid Fire 2, it would be increased to rapid fire 3.

 

This might also be the reason why it doesn't just double the attacks, because that would give the big shoota 8 attacks (6 from doubling, plus rapid fire 2)

Edited Tuesday at 01:46 PM by Focslain

[Evil Eye]

Yikes, and there was me thinking we couldn't get worse than having to clarify an imaginary line is 1mm thick.

[Marshal Rohr]

nevermind

Edited Tuesday at 02:08 PM by Marshal Rohr

[ThePenitentOne]

Personally, I think the "Firing deck" rules themselves weren't well written. 

 

What firing deck is supposed to mean is that folks shoot their personal weapons from firing points.

 

The way the rule is written? A number of personal weapons belonging to embarked units = to the firingdeck number BECOME VEHICLE weapons. It's ridiculous, but they did it that way in order to be consistent with "Units embarked in a vehicle don't count as being on the table and can't do ANYTHING"... Which was a poorly written rule itself. It would have been preferable to define what units can and can't do from vehicles rather cop out with "They can't do anything"

 

Also, open-topped was more elegant than firing deck because it INLUDED firing deck (without somehow making person guns into vehicle guns), but it included other actions for embarked troops that were also permitted by the rule.

 

One of my big bugbears for rules writing has been "... the unit may use this rule. If it does...." 

 

This is just stupid. OF COURSE the unit can use the rule! If it couldn't, the rule wouldn't be on the datacard! Just tell me what it does! It's a little thing, but it appers in SO many of their rules, and it's completely unneccessary.

[Antarius]

13 minutes ago, ThePenitentOne said:

This is just stupid. OF COURSE the unit can use the rule! If it couldn't, the rule wouldn't be on the datacard! Just tell me what it does! It's a little thing, but it appers in SO many of their rules, and it's completely unneccessary.

I think the real issue is that they don't tell us what "use" means.

Seriously though, this is one of the things I mean, when I say that things that add clarity in theory can add up and make the entirety of the text less clear. If everything has to be explained, it's easier to miss small but important things in the big mess of text explaining self-explanatory stuff.
OTOH I (as well as everybody else) have met those people who pretend not to know what something means, so it's not an issue that appears out of nowhere.

[Lord Marshal]

Spess Muhreen Faction Focus. Also covers the Supplement Chapters.

 

 

Quote

Fulguris Task Force

If you like anti-grav speeder units – like the new Land Speeder from the Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon boxed set – this detachment is for you. Load up on Land Speeders and Storm Speeders, and you’ll be able to make an ingress move on turn one.* 

 

 

This is a great way to drop a number of devastating heavy weapons exactly where your opponent doesn’t want to see them, right at the start of the battle. Blast apart enemy fortifications with a Hammerstrike, destroy vehicles with a Hailstrike, or gun down infantry with a Thunderstrike.

The Bellicose Weapon Spirits enhancement makes it more likely that one of your speeders will do some serious damage after its unexpected arrival. As an upgrade, it can be given to one of your non-character units to make it even more dangerous.

 

 

It’s unlikely your enemy will take all that firepower to the face without wanting some level of vengeance. Thankfully, you can use the Reactive Evasion stratagem to help keep your speeders out of reach.

Librarius Conclave

If you prefer to use mind bullets rather than actual ones, or like to gang up to claim fines for the late return of books, the Librarius Conclave is for you. The Librarians in your detachment get to choose a Psychic Discipline to specialise in. Then they, and any unit they join, will benefit from the bonuses relating to that discipline. 

 

 

Each discipline also opens up access to an additional psychic power. If your Librarians are experts in telekinesis, not only will their units be harder to wound, but they can also use Temporal Corridor to disappear at the drop of a hat, only to reappear via Deep Strike.

 

 

With this, you can open up new tactical options, such as zipping across the battlefield to claim any unprotected objectives.

Subversion Assets

Finally, there’s the Subversion Assets detachment, which focuses on Scout Squads and Phobos-armoured Space Marines.** There’s no place to hide*** from these elite infiltrators thanks to their detachment rule – once they’ve detected an enemy unit, then the rest of your army also know where it is. 

 

 

Usually, a unit is no longer Hidden after it has shot, but your Phobos and Scout squads are so skilled and sneaky that your enemy still won’t know where they are, even after the bullets start flying. Simply Strike from the Shadows. Shoot down enemy troops and ensure that your foe can’t retaliate.

 

 

You can also make one of your Characters more covert and clandestine with the Shroud Field enhancement. 

 

 

Combined, these two abilities make your Space Marine even more survivable.

 

 

This doesn’t quite make them into a one-man army, but it does mean they can scamper around your enemy’s backfield, claiming objectives and generally making a nuisance of themselves. 

Black Templars: Living Miracle

The Black Templars also get three new detachments, including one that enables you to field an even more powerful Emperor’s Champion.

 

 

An Emperor’s Champion is already pretty handy in a fight, but this can make them a true close combat beatstick. Why not try two extra attacks, Devastating Wounds, and causing mortal wounds when your enemy falls back? It’s what the Black Sword was made for.

 

 

Blood Angels: Wrath of the Doomed

The Blood Angels are still pretty angry about the death of their Primarch, and one of their three new detachments focuses on the Death Company.

 

 

D3+1 mortal wounds are going to kill one or two Death Company Space Marines, so it’s better to use this on a larger squad, but being able to crash home with the rest of your squad can tilt a battle in your favour.

 

You can even get angry on your opponent’s turn with Instinctive Interception.

 

 

The Heroic Intervention stratagem has been updated for the new edition, with a second level added at the cost of an additional CP.

 

 

So, with Instinctive Interception, you can Leap to Defend for free or charge Into the Fray for just a single CP.

 

You can even get closer to your enemies in their Shooting phase. After your unit has been shot at, it can make a surge move towards whoever it was that was foolish enough to shoot at you.

 

 

A surge move is a normal move where you must try to finish engaged with the closest enemy unit. That means you can get your vengeance in early.

Dark Angels: Dark Age Arsenal

The Dark Angels love their plasma weaponry, and Dark Age Arsenal lets you unleash it to its maximum destructive effect.

 

 

This is great for making your Hellblasters even more powerful. But what happens if your enemies try to stay out of range, thinking themselves safe from your wrath? The Petition of Stability upgrade adds 6” to the range of your plasma incinerators. That’s a whopping 25% increase.

 

 

And when you simply have to obliterate every enemy in the way, it’s time to use the No Sacrifice Too Great stratagem.

 

 

This makes your plasma incinerator S10 (8 from the supercharge profile, +1 from the detachment rule, +1 from the stratagem). That’s some devastating firepower.

Space Wolves: Champions of Fenris

Like their friendly rivals, the Dark Angels, the Space Wolves are also getting three detachments. The Champions of Fenris is based around mighty heroes and their saga-worthy deeds. 

 

 

Space Wolves aren’t mindless berserkers, but prefer to set cunning traps for their enemies. Being able to countercharge with multiple characters (and their attached units) in a single enemy charge phase is a terrifying prospect for your opponent, especially with the changes to the Heroic Intervention stratagem we saw above.

 

You can name one of your characters as A Giant Amongst Giants to make them even mightier.

 

 

This means that your Wolf Guard Battle Leader with storm shield and thunder hammer now has 8 Wounds and hits at S9 in combat. The skjalds will surely be singing of his deeds.

 

Finally, the Stalk Between Worlds stratagem helps keep your champion and their squad alive, thanks to the Stealth ability.

 

This can be useful if your unit has found itself out in the open, having slain their foes, and now needs to rely on their guile to survive.

 

Space Marines are already elite and adaptable, and their new detachments open up even more tactical options for budding Chapter Masters. Over the coming days and weeks, we’ll continue our look at the new detachments for the other factions in Warhammer 40,000 – make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter so you don’t miss your favourites.

 

* An ingress move is the new name for arriving from strategic reserves, regardless of whether you’re deep striking, teleporting, or using more arcane methods to arrive.

 

** We’re sure that Raven Guard fans will love this one.

 

*** Remind yourselves of the new Hidden rules in our article about terrain.

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 03:12 PM by Lord Marshal

[redmapa]

That Emperors Champion detachment is just RIGHTEOUS!!! Im already salivating at the idea of mixing it with Orbital Assault Force, put the absolute weapon in a pod with Sword Bros or a Crusader squad and enjoy a 6" charge after deep strike and just go to town.

 

THE SKIES OPEN AND A RAY OF SUNLIGHT SHINES UPON ALL, WITNESS THE GRACE OF TERRA FOR A MIRACLE HAS ARRIVED! A MIRACLE OF RELENTLESS CARNAGE!!

[RadioActiveJellyFish]

I'm really hopeful that the divergents all getting three detachments, along with Orks getting three, means that everyone is getting three. Nearly doubling my available Sisters detachments would be nice.

[SvenIronhand]

There's some stuff in the video covered that isn't covered in the article. For example, the SW get a Terminator-themed detachment with a +1 toughness enhancement and an uppy-downy stratagem. 

EDIT: Battleshock is now persistent!

Edited Tuesday at 03:23 PM by SvenIronhand

[redmapa]

2 minutes ago, SvenIronhand said:

There's some stuff in the video covered that isn't covered in the article. For example, the SW get a Terminator-themed detachment with a +1 toughness enhancement and an uppy-downy stratagem. 

 

Yeah I just saw it and Black Templars also get a detachment for Sword Brethren and Wrathful Procession now grants a 5++ to units being led by Chaplains, 20 man Crusader squads with an Execrator in that detachment sounds nasty! Just advance and charge and just flood the board!

 

The Eternal Crusade is eating good this edition!

[Indy Techwisp]

Important to note that this was supposedly for "All" the Space Marine factions and yet Deathwatch wasn't mentioned.

 

Should we start gathering up the torches and pitchforks now or wait until we see what the hell they're doing with Imperial Agents first?

[Focslain]

2 minutes ago, Indy Techwisp said:

Important to note that this was supposedly for "All" the Space Marine factions and yet Deathwatch wasn't mentioned.

 

Should we start gathering up the torches and pitchforks now or wait until we see what the hell they're doing with Imperial Agents first?

Considering they are lumped in with IA, I'd wait. But nothing wrong with gathering supplies to prep.

[Scribe]

Khorne above...just nope.

 

Other long running systems eventually get to a point where a retro clone is produced and embraced. 40K desperately needs that at this point.

[DemonGSides]

17 minutes ago, Scribe said:

Khorne above...just nope.

 

Other long running systems eventually get to a point where a retro clone is produced and embraced. 40K desperately needs that at this point.

 

No ones stopping you from playing with your ancient texts. GW isn't quite yet in the business of policing your decisions at home. 

[HeadlessCross]

59 minutes ago, SvenIronhand said:

EDIT: Battleshock is now persistent!

Which is how it should've been to begin with. This makes mechanics forcing tests significantly better. 

24 minutes ago, Scribe said:

Khorne above...just nope.

 

Other long running systems eventually get to a point where a retro clone is produced and embraced. 40K desperately needs that at this point.

I like that you're complaining about today's preview but don't actually state the reason why. 

[Lexington]

1 hour ago, ThePenitentOne said:

The way the rule is written? A number of personal weapons belonging to embarked units = to the firingdeck number BECOME VEHICLE weapons. It's ridiculous, but they did it that way in order to be consistent with "Units embarked in a vehicle don't count as being on the table and can't do ANYTHING"... Which was a poorly written rule itself.

It’s been, like, fifteen years or more, but I think GW still suffers from some serious Doom of Malan'tai trauma.

[Karhedron]

I am guessing that this Black Templar Detachment is likely to be an example of a 1-point detachment since it only affects the Emperor's Champions.

 

[Karhedron]

1 hour ago, SvenIronhand said:

EDIT: Battleshock is now persistent!

 

OK, that is significant. Is there a mechanism that gives a unit the opportunity to recover or is that it? I can see Chaplains becoming a bit more desirable for clearing Battleshock from a unit that succumbs early.

[Focslain]

17 minutes ago, Karhedron said:

 

OK, that is significant. Is there a mechanism that gives a unit the opportunity to recover or is that it? I can see Chaplains becoming a bit more desirable for clearing Battleshock from a unit that succumbs early.

Would also make Commissars auto-includes in guard forces.

[SvenIronhand]

20 minutes ago, Karhedron said:

Is there a mechanism that gives a unit the opportunity to recover or is that it?

I'm pretty sure they mentioned something like that. 

[Joe]

Wake me when we get to Guard.