Hi All,
Well the moment is finally upon us. 10th edition has been reveal and it is another reset of the 40k landscape. All old codexes are out, New profiles, rules and the like are in!
To bring you up to speed here is a quick summary from Reddit:
- Overview:
- Coming this summer.
- All datasheets, core rules, and points free Day 1.
- Rules are evergreen free, Codex will be mainly fluff.
- FW getting new rules, also free on Day 1.
- New rules are streamlined.
- Simplified, not simple.
- Designed to only need 1 page of rules for your army and everything else will be on the datasheets
- Datasheets:
- New datasheets. All rules on 1 card for a unit, all army on 1 page.
- Attack, BS/WS, Strength, AP, Damage for weapons
- Move, Toughness, Save, Wounds, Leadership, Objective Control
- OC means how much a model counts for when in range of an objective.
- Attacks are per weapon, so can balance a chainsword vs a powerfist on a per unit basis.
- Reactive abilities/stratagems. Things you can do during your opponents turn.
- Stats are re-balanced. Lethality is down (toughness up, AP down)
- Stratification in the Strength and Toughness characteristics. Higher than 11. So no longer 10 capped.
- Could see overcharged plasma wounding on 5+ vs some units.
- Phase Changes:
- Phases have been changed. Moral is in Command as Battle Shock.
- Psychic phase is gone, it’s on the units now as various abilities.
- ie. Smite as a psychic shooting attack.
- Battle Shock: Changes what the unit can do, don’t lose models.
- Stratagems and Relics:
- Stratagems and such are staying. 6ish per army.
- Relics and Warlord upgrades still in, but smaller.
- Stratagems are faction specific: Marines vs Iron Hands vs Ultra, do not get them all.
- Significantly fewer command points.
- Codexes:
- Apparently mostly fluff and faction specific rules, coming down the road. May still be free, stream disagrees with the wording in the article.
- Will sell sheets like battle tomes to have the unit cards available.
- New App. Apparently actually works this time.
- Will have digital offerings for Codex/etc again.
- Rules Changes:
- Moving to models being 1 use ability per unit type ie. Captain buffs.
- Cover changes.
- Boarding actions/patrols are compatible with 10th.
- Combat Patrols should be balanced against other combat patrols, but uses a slightly different ruleset as a new game mode.
- Crusade (narrative play)is still continuing and is a significant part of the new rules.
- Current crusade armies can be ported to the new system.
- New supplements coming for Crusade, starting with Tyranids vs Marines.
My Thoughts:
There is a lot to unpack here so let’s go section by section!
- Overview:
- There are a lot of big changes here. We all knew it was coming in the summer but it is good to get confirmation
- The sun-setting of all codexes is really annoying but the fact that the indexes will be free does help that a lot. I harbor deep doubts that the rules will always be free. AoS sorta promised that but has since reneged recently. I am also curious if GW has figured out how to make a workable app but I am open to them learning from past experiments.
- Datasheets:
- I am so relieved they kept the Toughness stat I can barely care about any other changes lol. Removing the initiative stat was a bad idea and has led to a lot of confusion about fights first and last abilities.
- I like the idea of splitting out attacks based on weapons. It brings it into line with ranged weapons and simplifies so many questions about bonus attacks and multiplying attacks.
- Chunking up the stat profiles is also helpful and makes the profile less overwhelming while not cutting any key elements.
- This new profile will make it easier to see unit’s abilities and interactions as well.
- Phase Changes:
- A lot I like to see here, the psychic phase was unnecessary and the system that is used in the Horus Heresy game works fine.
- Will morale finally matter? They have been saying that for a while, maybe they will finally get it to work
- Praise the Emperor! Fewer strats, fewer relics etc! Hopefully this will make it easier to manage a game and learn an army. Simplifying this section also reduces the ability for people to cheat, accidentally or purposefully.
- Codexes:
- They really want Boarding Action to be a thing huh? Maybe the new Zone Mortalis/ Kill Team? I am still a little skeptical about its long-term viability.
- Fluff based codexes while the rules being on an app is something people have been asking for for a while. I hope GW can pull it off, but we shall see. It wouldn’t surprise me if we still see a code system unlocking digital rules in each codex. I doubt the rules will remain free for long.
- Thrilled to hear of new crusade supplements and I am eager to crack into a new system. The old one was a tad bloated and clunky.
Closing thoughts:
Despite having to do another hard reset after only a few years I am optimistic that these changes will speed up and simplify the annoying parts of the game. There are a lot of things to like in these points and it shows how GW has learned and changes. My biggest fear is that GW will ruin a good system in a few years with codex creep and other shenanigans. Does this represent a fundamental switch to a more player-friendly game system? Time will tell.
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
