This is one of those Warhammer weeks that feels busy in every corner. New 40k gets rules access, design insight, and more Armageddon energy.
Meanwhile, Age of Sigmar is shifting its matched play focus toward Aqshy. Even the store extras tie into the launch mood. For players, collectors, and painters, there is plenty to chew over.
Free Core Rules Make the New Edition Feel Real
The big 40k news is simple, but it matters a lot. The new core rules are now available as a free download, which means players can stop guessing and start actually learning. That is always the moment a new edition becomes real for gaming groups. Instead of relying on preview snippets, everyone can sit down, read the wording, and start testing ideas. T
he rules have been written with a focus on cleaner language and easier referencing, which is exactly what 40k needs after years of edge cases and table debates. We have already seen previews for terrain, combat changes, objectives, and mission selection, but the full document finally ties those pieces together. Meanwhile, the physical rulebook comes in the Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon box, with a standalone version following afterward.
The Armageddon box goes up for preorder this Saturday, so the timing is clearly meant to get players ready before launch weekend. Better still, the Ork and Space Marine datacards from the box are also coming as downloads later this week. That is a smart move, because starter boxes work best when both sides can hit the table quickly. For more details, read Warhammer Community’s original free core rules update.
Space Marines Get Personality, Not Just New Poses
The Space Marine round table is the kind of design peek hobbyists love. It is the first episode in a five-part Armageddon series, and it focuses on how the studio built the Marine side of the box. The best detail is that the Intercessors were treated almost like individual characters.
The team had internal names like “knife guy,” “grenade guy,” and “sharpshooter,” which says a lot about the sculpting approach. These are not just ten blue-armoured statues with slightly different arms. Instead, each model has its own armour details, battlefield role, and little Easter eggs for painters to find. The Vanguard Veterans continue that idea, mixing airborne movement with grounded impact so the squad has rhythm and height. That matters visually, because jump infantry can look silly when every model is floating the same way.
The Eradicators show another design angle, representing the heavy firepower pillar of Space Marines through chunky Gravis silhouettes. Their sergeant even has an empty magazine on the base while firing a pistol, which is pure last-stand Marine drama. The Captain with Relic Shield pushes heroic posture and includes head options, while the Librarian mirrors the Ork Weirdboy as part of the box’s larger visual dialogue.
Meanwhile, the Chaplain brings proper skull-helmet grimness, the Ancient gets veteran status, and the Land Speeder banks hard on its base.
Overall, this makes the Armageddon Marines feel staged for a battle scene, not just arranged for a sprue. For more details, read Warhammer Community’s original Space Marine round table.
Aqshy Brings Rage Dice to Age of Sigmar Matched Play
Age of Sigmar is moving from Ghyran’s green battlefields into Aqshy, and that change sounds appropriately violent. The General’s Handbook 2026-2027 is the matched play battlepack for the new season, including the rules and battle tactics event organizers will build around.
The theme is fury, which fits Aqshy perfectly. At the start of battle, the attacker sets fury to one, while the defender starts at two. Then, at the start of each battle round, players gain rage dice equal to their fury level. That creates a neat pressure system, because anger becomes an actual resource.
You can spend rage dice offensively through Eruption of Fury, making extra melee attacks that can spike mortal damage on sixes. However, those same attacks can hurt your own unit on ones, so the Realm of Fire is not exactly giving gifts.
Alternatively, players can spend rage dice defensively through Fight Through the Pain, reducing incoming damage on a 3+.
That gives the season a nice push-pull between aggression and survival. The book also includes the Core Rules, 12 new battleplans, battle tactics cards, six objective markers, and Aqshian Crusade rules for linked narrative play.
A Warlord Edition adds a tracker board, tokens, and a red token bag. For more details, read Warhammer Community’s original General’s Handbook preview.
June Store Extras Add Saurus Muscle and Armageddon Collecting Hooks
June’s store extras are a tidy mix of Age of Sigmar painting fun and new 40k celebration. The Miniature of the Month is a Saurus Warrior, which is a great pick because Seraphon models reward bold colour choices. You can go earthy, bright, tropical, or full Saturday-morning lizard monster. Since Saurus Warriors are tough frontline bruisers with heavy clubs and spiked shields, they also give new painters something immediately readable.
The model is available while stocks last, and it may differ from the pictured version. The same store visit can also connect to the Pick ‘n’ Mix paint offer, where customers pick 10 paints and get the most expensive one free. Meanwhile, the collectible coin is Armageddon-themed and features the campaign badge seen on several new Space Marine miniatures.
Unlike the usual monthly coin, this one requires getting the Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon box set from a local store. Customers can preorder through the in-store terminal from June 6, or buy from shelves on June 20, while coins last. There is also a nice recruitment angle, since new visitors can choose an Infernus Space Marine or Stormcast Eternals Liberator, then get a painting tutorial and learn-to-play session. Overall, this month feels built around making store visits useful, social, and tied to the new edition launch.
