Courtesy of BoLS, we have some new rumors and even this close to release, they’re still confusing and conflicting.
Here are the rumors, commentary to follow in red.
Whitehat:
-Random Charges are 2D6 pick the highest (unless going through Difficult Terrain where its 3D6 and you drop the highest.) Move through cover I believe adds an extra D6
-Vehicles are WS0 if stationary, and WS1 if they move, no matter how far they go.
-Vehicles go the same distance in the movement phase (I believe 6″ and fire everything regardless if fast or not) but in the shooting phase can make an extra move (apparently some kept forgetting what vehicles moved to fast to fire…
-Vehicles cannot contest (unsure if scoring units in transports can
-6 Missions and 3 deployment types (2 of the deployments are the same as current, Spearhead & Pitched Battle.)
-Troops are the only ones that can score (including of course ‘scoring units’)
-5+ Cover save for most things (ruins are 4+).
-Allies rules are in, but its meant to be for team games (ie separate force org chart, distrusted ally rules similar to Fantasy)
-Percentages are *not* in
-Wound Allocation is closest to furthest.
-Dueling is similar to challenges in fantasy but contrary to earlier rumors, they don’t replace Combat res, just add to sides. A IC can challenge another IC in the same combat even if not in base to base. If the defending IC refuses, he simply cannot attack that turn, if he does he counts as being in b2b and no one else can hurt him apart from the attacking IC. I’m guessing this is to offset the Wound Allocation rules
-Preferred Enemy is including shooting and you may reroll wound rolls of a 1 (either shooting or combat)
-Rapid Fire weapons may now can shoot at long range while moving. restriction on assaulting after rapid firing remains.
-Jump Infantry get a free strike at I10 when they charge into combat
-Psychic Power Decks using a dice system similar to Fantasy.
-Flyers are in.
-FNP drops to 5+ Save.
Darnok:
-AP are on ccw but he says power weapons are ap 2, not 3.
-When you charge it’s double your move, infantry move 6, bikes 8 cav 7 etc.
-It’s move assault then shooting now!
-Fnp is 5+. Master crafted ccw give you a 5+ invuln save
-When you shoot you roll to hit depending on the speed of your target. Fast vehicles you always need a 6.
-A unit can’t claim a object while inside a vehicle.
-There’s new kinds of instance death. If your say strengh 8 vs a space marine captain toughness 4
you only do 2 wounds! Strengh (9?) or more would do 3 wounds & kill him.
-In kill point missions you get kill points based on what the units points cost, so for example a
landraider would be worth 5 kill points & a unit of marines 3pts.
So, which to believe?
The first set of rumors is more in line with what we’ve been hearing from Beasts of War, the 40K Fantasy edition.
The second set is closer the the leaked PDF we got that I have had confirmation did in fact come from GW but that may have been nothing more than an experiment or early play test rule set.
Both sources above have proven to be reliable. So what to make of it?
Not much, honestly. Even if these are right they are taken out of context, may refer to rules that have their definitions changed, etc. It is hard to know what to make of these without the overall rule set to place them in.
We just have to be patient and wait. I will throw in my two cents here though as to what these rumors mean to me.
-Random Charges are 2D6 pick the highest (unless going through Difficult Terrain where its 3D6 and you drop the highest.) Move through cover I believe adds an extra D6
Noooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! Why, GW, why?!?!?! This would suck so hard, IMO. I don’t want to fail a charge in the open, I loathe random effects for the most part and this just rubs me wrong in places that require therapy to fix!
-Vehicles are WS0 if stationary, and WS1 if they move, no matter how far they go.
I can get into this for some vehicles, but not all. Big giant vehicles should be easy to hit, but not so much with a fast vehicle hauling but over the field. I think this is an incomplete rule at best.
-Vehicles go the same distance in the movement phase (I believe 6″ and fire everything regardless if fast or not) but in the shooting phase can make an extra move (apparently some kept forgetting what vehicles moved to fast to fire…
I like this. Vehicles SHOULD be maneuverable, and not the static pill boxes they are in 5th. The second move is really interesting as it means vehicles can “strafe” to speak (think Tau suits and Eldar Jet Bikes JSJ moves), and really increases mobility which for me, makes games a lot more fun.
-Vehicles cannot contest (unsure if scoring units in transports can
This would be interesting, but I can get into it. A larger emphasis on infantry is a good thing IMO, but we’ll see what the entire rule states and what contesting means in 6th ed before passing judgement.
-6 Missions and 3 deployment types (2 of the deployments are the same as current, Spearhead & Pitched Battle.)
Great, more missions (so long as they are simple and balanced) is only a good thing. No more Dawn of War is a bummer but I know a lot of folks won’t miss it.
-Troops are the only ones that can score (including of course ‘scoring units’)
No change from present.
-5+ Cover save for most things (ruins are 4+).
Good! I think this is a change almost everyone wants to see. Too much 4+ everywhere makes heavy weapons a liability and slows the game down.
-Allies rules are in, but its meant to be for team games (ie separate force org chart, distrusted ally rules similar to Fantasy)
Cool, that alleviates a lot of the fear I had about returning to 2nd ed ridiculousness with Orks riding in Rhinos, and I don’t mean the looted kind!
-Percentages are *not* in
Good. The FOC is just fine, IMO.
-Wound Allocation is closest to furthest.
AWFUL!!!!!!!!!! TERRIBLE!!!!!!!! This is the worst of the bunch by a long shot. This opens the game to gamesmanship in a HUGE way. Sniping of important characters, heroic leaders leading form the back, etc. will all become a reality as well as pointless bookkeeping and making movement take way longer than it needs to due to having to worry about model placement. This is a terribad rule and I sincerely hope it doesn’t make it into the game.
-Dueling is similar to challenges in fantasy but contrary to earlier rumors, they don’t replace Combat res, just add to sides. A IC can challenge another IC in the same combat even if not in base to base. If the defending IC refuses, he simply cannot attack that turn, if he does he counts as being in b2b and no one else can hurt him apart from the attacking IC. I’m guessing this is to offset the Wound Allocation rules
I will reserve judgement on this. Some armies simply don’t have characters oriented toward combat, while some dominate. There may be some tricks to it that I am not seeing now, so I will wait and see how it plays out before forming an opinion.
-Preferred Enemy is including shooting and you may reroll wound rolls of a 1 (either shooting or combat)
Holy Black Templars, Batman! Wow. Destroyers and Heavy Destroyers just became amazing. This is a game changer of a rule, assuming of course Preferred Enemy means in 6th ed what it means now (in 4th, it means you always hit on a 3+, so we’ll see).
-Rapid Fire weapons may now can shoot at long range while moving. restriction on assaulting after rapid firing remains.
About time. About flipping time. This makes infantry so much better, and I love this rule.
-Jump Infantry get a free strike at I10 when they charge into combat
Awesome and characterful! I like this a great deal and it gives a benefit to the player that takes the initiative and plays aggressively which is a good thing, IMO.
-Psychic Power Decks using a dice system similar to Fantasy.
Sounds like shite, but we’ll see. If this means random powers, FU GW. No one likes that. At least no one I know.
-Flyers are in.
Cool! No surprise though.
-FNP drops to 5+ Save.
I like it! FNP is so ubiquitous right now that it slows game play down and makes some troops way too resilient. I am glad to see this as it will speed things up a ton.
-AP are on ccw but he says power weapons are ap 2, not 3.
I like this a LOT. It reminds me of some of the cooler aspects of 2nd ed that I miss. Plus, it means a Chainsword will actually be better than a knife, as it should be. Big fan of this rule.
-When you charge it’s double your move, infantry move 6, bikes 8 cav 7 etc.
PLEASE let this be true! This was one of the best aspects of the leaked PDF as it differentiates different movement types and it makes assaults so much more predictable (in a good way) and precise. This type of movement means the game will be more enjoyable (IMO) as you don’t have unfun situations where you are 2″ from a target, roll snake eyes to charge and lose the game. I am a BIG fan of this rule and hope to see it.
-It’s move assault then shooting now!
Straight form the leaked PDF, Frankie and I played it a few times and it was a marked improvement, IMO. Now, instead of moving models int he movement phase, possibly shooting phase, again in the assault and consolidation, you only move once, then in consolidation. That TREMENDOUSLY speeds up the game. I liked it a lot.
-Fnp is 5+. Master crafted ccw give you a 5+ invuln save
As above, but the MC giving a 5++ is a nice touch and think what that does for some units like Sanguinary Guard!
-When you shoot you roll to hit depending on the speed of your target. Fast vehicles you always need a 6.
I like this a lot, and it makes sense. Speeders, Bikes and Ork Trukks hauling ass up the field should be harder to hit, and this helps to compensate for their paper thin armor.
-A unit can’t claim a object while inside a vehicle.
I am neutral on this. I know a lot of players want to see it, but I don’t care either way. I feel a smart player will be able to open cans to get at the boys inside, but either way I can adjust with no qualms.
-There’s new kinds of instance death. If your say strengh 8 vs a space marine captain toughness 4
Sweet! I hate the huge discrepancies between characters with EW and those without. This helps to make the difference less pronounced.
you only do 2 wounds! Strengh (9?) or more would do 3 wounds & kill him.
-In kill point missions you get kill points based on what the units points cost, so for example a
landraider would be worth 5 kill points & a unit of marines 3pts.
Great rule. It makes sense and bridges the gap between KP and VP. I like this rule.