The Emperor’s faithful have been patient, and with the recent announcement that a new Astra Militarum codex would be released in Winter, our patience will soon be paying off. Here are 5 things that I hope to see in the upcoming Astra Militarum codex release.
New Models
We’ve actually seen that there are new models on the way due to the every trusty potato cam. These appear to be an updated Kasrkin plastic kit (elite Cadians), a new Sentinel model (necessary?) as well as a new Cadian special character, Ursula Creed. Though not mentioned in the article, there does appear to be a new Commissar lurking in the background of the group picture. While I am incredibly happy to see new sculpts and new characters being released, I really hope to see Games Workshop going the distance and updating the Catachan line. We’ve seen a couple characters released over the past couple years and the sculpts, specifically Sly Marbo, Sergeant Ripper, and an un-named officer with power fist, and they all look amazing. The thing about the Astra Militarum is that you don’t need much in the way of model kits to flesh out an entire army. Look at the recent Death Korps of Krieg Kill Team release. All that would be needed to complete the line is a Heavy Weapons team box and a Command Squad. We’ve also now had a Tanath First and Only release, why not give us another box for making more infantry? I know it’s too much to ask for a revamp of other classic regiments like Tallarn or Mordian Iron Guard, but it would be foolish not to at least update the current plastic line of models.
Commissars
It’s been a while since Commissars were the steely eyed terrors they were in earlier editions of the game. I’d love to see a return to the fear inducing Imperial fanatics of the Ordo Prefectus that are so iconic with the Warhammer 40,000 universe. I’m hoping that we get new rules to reflect their role on the battlefield, which is to keep a close eye on the officers and the men of their regiment, doling out the Emperors Judgment on any found wanting. Now that there have been several named Commissars with models released (Gaunt, Severina Raine, etc). Also, what ever happened to the Lord Commissar? Or the Tank Commander Commissar? Let’s get creative!
Horde Rules
Look, I get that Games Workshop has taken the stance that horde armies slow down the game. There are penalties now both active and passive for players that want to take horde armies. Blast weapons do mega damage to them, they have to stay within an inch of at least two other models in their unit, Stratagems cost more on larger units, etc. However, the Astra Militarum is MEANT to be a horde army. Wave after wave of screaming infantry with nothing but a bayonet and faith in the Emperor (not to mention a Commissars bullet) are as iconic to the 40k universe as the Ultramarines. I’d love to see a return to this concept by increasing unit size caps and not relying on stratagems to do so. Conscripts are a great idea but that should not be the only option to get larger unit sizes.
Detailed Regimental Doctrines
Now that Cadia has been destroyed and the remnants of their forces are spread throughout the galaxy, I hope to see a departure from the Cadian dominant codex. As it currently stands, the individual regiments get a single special rule, maybe two if it includes vehicle special rules also. I’d love to see fully fleshed out, detailed rules for each of the major Astra Militarum regiments and not rely on a couple stratagems to make them flavorful. Give us increased strength stats for Catachans or increased ballistic skill for Cadians. Things like that go a long way to make a diverse landscape of themes to choose from, which will lead to greater variety in armies played.
Artillery to be Feared
Other than the hordes of infantry, the Astra Militarum are best known for their punishing artillery. Games Workshop already threw the army a bone by negating the -1 to hit for being out of line of sight, but we need better stat lines for their artillery units. As of the while the damage output from Manticores, Deathstrikes, Basilisks and Wyverns CAN be quite good, the variable nature of the damage stats really make or break the models. I’d love to see straight damage, maybe additional mortal wounds done by Manticores or Basilisks on a hit role of a 6 or something (like direct hit etc). Maybe the options to combine shots if you have multiples of a specific type of artillery piece would be flavorful. I’d also love to see something like a spotter stratagem, maybe having a unit in line of sight from a vox-caster and add 1 to hit, etc. Definitely wish listing at this point, but anything that Games Workshop can do to make the artillery of the Astra Militarum a force to be feared once again would go a long way to improve the army.
I’d say its safe to say that I have not been more excited for a new codex release since the new and upgraded Sisters of Battle. I started playing Warhammer 40,000 as a teenager with the plastic Catachan set and continued into 5th edition with a full army of old metal Cadians. I played the Astra Militarum all throughout 7th edition as well, and have been waiting for not only new models but a return to the true ‘feel’ of the army that I feel has been lost with the most recent codex release. The wait to find out wont be long now, as the codex release date has been revealed as ‘Winter’ and is the second to last one to be released. I would say its safe to say that the release will be in November or December of this year.
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