Hello, competitive 40k players. SaltyJohn here from TFG Radio to talk about how 40k could be improved with a single errata.
8th edition and 9th edition 40k were supposed to be simpler, more approachable games. The core rules are certainly more streamlined and user-friendly, and on the surface, the game is definitely more approachable for the new player and seemingly well balanced for Matched Play. However, the game becomes extraordinarily complex and bloated with rules very quickly. There are a lot of culprits when it comes to what makes 9th edition 40k too complex and effectively not very competitive. Two of the largest issues with 9th ed Matched Play are rules bloat and OP (overpowered) combos, and they both stem from the same source, Stratagems.
Stratagems were introduced in 8th edition alongside Command Points as a way to give players more choices and reactions to things in the game. Need a re-roll? Strat (stratagem). Do you really need to interrupt your opponent’s fight phase? There’s a strat for that! The issue with stratagems begins when each codex has 20+ Stratagems and they can create some hyper-powerful combos. These combinations are not always obvious as they can require using stratagems over several phases in conjunction with Unit special rules found on one or more data slates, warlord traits found on the warlord trait pages, and a psychic power or two found on psychic power pages. All of which combine to create a built-in “gotcha” system for all but the most well-versed players. A “gotcha” moment in gaming is one where a player surprises another with an unknown, or obscure, rule. It usually results in a game altering action that had the victim of the gotcha known about ahead of time, they could have planned for and avoided. These combos are often not only unintended but usually found by the Competitive “professional” players. These combinations often require a large number of CP (command points) to be spent in turns 1 and 2 to pull off. If you need evidence that this is an actual issue look no further than the latest Grand Tournament Rules released by Games Workshop that effectively neutered the Command Point system in order to stop some of these abuses.
Stratagems added an even more complex, and difficult-to-balance, system of rules that adds to bloat exponentially with every new release than the old Universal Special Rules system and pre-8th ed codices and formations ever did. In an attempt to create a more streamlined edition with the core rules, which they achieved, GW concurrently created a new design for codices that made rules bloat and game complexity a much larger issue with every new release.
So if rules bloat and overpowered, and often unintended, combos are largely the result of Stratagems what is the best way to handle the issue. Matched Play 40k can immediately be made simpler and more competitive with a single sentence Errata. “For Matched Play purposes ignore all references to Command Points, in addition, Stratagems may not be used in Matched Play when playing or mustering armies. All players get one Warlord Trait and one Relic when mustering their army.”
Removing Stratagems from Matched Play will fix several major problems with competitive 40k overnight. It will make the game exponentially easier to play while simultaneously making the game more skill and decision-based. It moves the game toward a more level playing field among players of all skill levels while not targeting the players with the highest skill levels unfairly. The first point is easily the most important.
A major barrier to entry into playing the game competitively is the complexity of the game once you start encountering lists from the pantheon of codices. It’s impossible to have a full breadth of knowledge of the rules of 40k, and even more so for someone new or the player who goes to a handful of events a year. Even for the 40k “pros” it isn’t possible to have a full knowledge of the rules. By removing one of the most confusing aspects of the codices, as well as one of the sections with the most rules and rule interactions, the game becomes much simpler to play. Those gotcha moments that were baked into the game via Stratagems disappear, and a factions competitive viability depends less upon the potency of it’s strats.
Removal of the CP and Strat system also creates a game that will be more balanced and diverse in terms of lists. Right now lists are designed around both the CP and Strat system. Codices that have access to: Command Point generation, regeneration, or refunds are stronger than those without. Lists are also built around units that benefit most from Stratagem combos and synergy with their dataslate rules. This can leave large numbers of units in a codex on the sidelines because they lack strat synergy or use. Removing the CP and Strat system from Matched Play will open up the possibilities in list building to include a plethora of overlooked and underutilized units as well as breathe new life into the meta through new unit combos.
The current iteration of competitive 40k using 9th edition Matched Play rules and the Grand Tournament Nephlilim book are unfortunately rife with issues at the moment. Some of the issues are new and unique to the current GT book, but some have been issues from the start. Many of those issues can be mitigated or even begin to be solved with a few simple measures, the first of which should be the removal of the Stratagem and Command Point systems from Matched Play.
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Couldn’t agree more! Even if they reduced them to a short list of reactions (like in 30K) that would speed up and streamline the game immensely!
YES YES YES
John,
Do you have a caveat for big demon and IK lists that need CPs to include them in the initial build?
If you try to run such a format in a tournament, I will absolutely support your efforts and participate.
I would love this.
-Casey
When I introduce new players to the game, I don’t include Secondaries or Stratagems or Relics. The only thing I DO think they like is having their “leaders” have to issue commands in the Command Phase. “This guy shouts at that guy to do better” sort of thing is very intuitive.
The games without stratagems or secondaries are very exciting, and very beginner friendly!
So many abilities are now strategems that this errata would make game blend and boring. I would love to see it with indexes and total wipe for 10th edition (similar to 8th).
I’m new to 40k, only getting in at the very start of 8th Edition. My friends and I never bother with strats, detachments, or CP because it’s just too complicated.
What I would like to know is why Universal Spec Rules were replaced? Was GW just trying something new or was there a problem with them?
There are a lot of interesting tools in the USRs and Strats, but I think the USRs were a simpler system. It’s easy to memorize the most common ones like FNP.
Why not make everything a 4+ for your shitty tournaments? Space Marine BS 4+. Ork BS 4+. Aspect Warrior armor save 4+. Terminator Armor save 4+. All these articles are garbage aimed at tournament players. When 8th launched it was “too simple” now 9th is “too complex”, why? Because you can’t memorize all the Strats for all the armies, and you don’t want a well rounded army because it’s all about “alpha strike.” Gimme a break, you dweebs are killing this game. You want your shitty ITC tournaments from 7th Ed. Go play chess and fuck off from 40K.
Sound and fury signifying nothing.
Casual player mainly but play in my head/on table tops at least as competitively as possible….training my head to score points vs Blood for the Blood God mentality. Anyways I play chaos of all sorts (Sm, daemons, DG…no Knights as of yet) and the recent codex proves your point…not sure how many times I’ve flipped back and forth from relevant faction to secondaries to powers to strats..only to do it all over again to hopefully make it stick/make sense. Eliminating CP/strat would make this frustration go away while looking at roughly 5-6 pages of the 100+ in the codex. Also IMO they messed up the game with specific secondaries for factions…competetive players want potential max points…some armies won’t see the field in competition due to faction secondaries sucking so bad compared to others (scoring tons of points for what.. moving appropriately…ok) and on that note go back to all the secondaries are in 3-4 pages/3 sections and everyone picks from the same junk (familiarization up, game knowledge up, less junk to worry about/fair across all factions/armies…done). Just some opinions and reinforcement thoughts. Ty good article
While I dislike stratagems, one must recognize that GW has moved rules that used to exist on unite to stratagems in some cases while in others has left rules that were historically on the unite rules still on the unite rules. Whether or not these changes were also reflected in the points cost of said units is a point of contention.
This has resulted in stratagems and unit rules for their cost being part of the balance GW has created between factions. Simply removing stratagems will effect this for some units.
Honestly though, we should wait to see how the current matched play season plays out. With warlord traits and relics no longer being free, and detachment costs eating into the starting 6cp most 2k armies will have we will see lots of players starting with 0-2 CP(effective 1-3 CP round 1). This will curb most of the strat hammer nonsense, and at the same time make many strats pointless because no one is saving points for them.
How bout you get to put 5 strats on your list and you get to use them all once during the game.
The game was just as broken before strats were a thing, my dude. I remember when in 5th we got one book after another that just pushed the levels into even dumber places too. Shit like the 5e Greyknight book insta deathing carnifex broods because if the way wound allocation worked and seeing a game where a whole army got feared off the board turn 1 by a droppoding librarian using Fear the Darkness. Sure there may have been fewer rules to keep track of, but the game was not well balanced at all.
I have a counter proposal. Each phase, a unit may be subject to one stratagem and one aura only. Player chooses. In addition, exploding dice are limited to the amount needed to bring it up to the maximum the unit could have shot. (ie, a 20 shot firewarrior team maxes the exploding dice when 20 shots is reached). these 2 changes make the game a LOT more manageable.
Age of Sigmar has this for Command Abilities (which are basically auras that cost CP). Another option is to design codexes with no stacking buffs, only additive buffs. For example, all melee buffs in codex Necrons could be Strength-based, while all ranged buffs could be AP based. If you increase both Strength and AP you get a multiplicative bonus, if you increase Strength twice or AP twice you just get an additive effect.
Stratagems (Strategy Cards) have been around since second edition, when you could also pay points to load up models with wargear like nearly instant death Vortex Grenades. People should always choose to play in the way which they are most comfortable; removing options en masse only deprives people who do like these things.
Easy there, let’s not knock down a building cos you dont like the decor. Yes, stratagems are awful, but not completely awful. It does add some narrative to the game and reward balanced armies. How about having strategy cards like in 2nd ed, randomly drawn before the game? No gotcha moments and every card can be used by anyone.
This idea’s foolish and built entirely around a subjective idea of balance, considering many core abilities of units people use in their armies are now strategem locked. Units and entire subsets of armies requiring CP to bring, and the Relic sub-rules being entirely balanced around a 1 per model basis already, with many faction identities nestled away within those relics.
Can Timmy powergame a bunch of daemon princes, etc? Obliterate a squad of deep strikers before they can draw breath? Sure, but I can also field a CM AND a Chief Librarian. Or I can roll out my Relic Dread Salamanders. You handle bad apples at the store level, and if they persist in unfortunate behavior, you just don’t play them? (Aka you address sportsmanship around gotcha combos and announcing or advising as it occurs and if someone is a powerturd you tell them to go play at the tourney?)
Or you could just go see who wants to play Grimdark Future one page rules with you with this, lol.
Strats need to be fixed but this is some of dumbest logic I have ever read. Thinking it will open up the meta is so insanely delusional. Not it won’t make ppl stop spamming it will just change what ppl are spamming. Units with the special rules on the datasheet or units with great stats lines will be spammed. 3rd a lot of units old special rules were turn into strats like eldar bladestorm and sister tank firing indirectly. 3 I can think of a number of armies that you are essentially just removing from the game cus their units are over priced for their stats but have special rules and strats to make up for it aka pretty much every version of eldar. 4th is less choice equal moren strategy makes no sense it is less strategic if I just take my unit and run it into urs and we state check. This is the meme of burning down the city claiming u saved it personified.
That just sounds like a kneejerk half measure. There are Stratagems that are inherent to a Factions playstyle. I’m not talking inherent to being OP. I’m talking inherent to functioning the way the Faction is ‘sposed too.