On Monday, we released a series of FAQs and errata for Warhammer 40,000. However, there was one particular change that didn’t quite feel right in hindsight – specifically, the Look Out, Sir rule – and the brains behind the game have since decided that it needed further amending to ensure that your valuable Characters are as protected from enemy fire as intended. Here are the thoughts on the subject from the Warhammer 40,000 rules team to explain.
Designer’s Commentary
Since Warhammer 40,000 was released a couple of weeks ago, we have been feverishly burning the servo-skull-mounted candles long into the night to make sure as many of your questions as possible have been addressed and, on the 10th August, we published an errata for the Warhammer 40,000 Core Book. One of the things included was an errata for the Look Out, Sir rule. This was added in order to address a loophole – specifically, that of two Monster or Vehicle Characters, both with a Wounds characteristic of 9 or less, standing next to each other and, in doing so, making each other untargetable.
The goal of the errata was to make it so that the Characters that are being shielded by Look Out, Sir, and the units that are shielding them, are mutually exclusive and, in doing so, end any possibility of creating these untargetable loopholes. However, in ensuring that pairs of Ravenwing Talonmasters, Daemon Princes and other such Character units did not start to dominate tabletops to the detriment of people’s enjoyment of the game, we did not fully anticipate the impact of this change on some other units and armies.
You, the community, have been quick to point these out to us, for which we are eternally grateful. Reviewing this errata again, it is clear that there is another way to achieve our goal of stopping Character Monsters and Vehicles from shielding each other without inadvertently stripping Look Out, Sir from working with dozens or other units. As such, rather than simply waiting for the next major online update, we wanted to correct our oversight as quickly as possible and amend the previous errata. We also wanted to take this opportunity to publish four additional errata that were omitted from the last update.
- Robin Cruddace and the Warhammer 40,000 rules team
Thanks, rules team! We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank you, the players, for all your feedback too. With your help, we can continue to keep the game you all know and love in the best shape it’s ever been. Please do keep sending us your feedback, and we’ll do our part to improve the quality of the game and the fluidity of its rules interactions.
We imagine you’re now chomping at the bit to see how the Look Out, Sir rule has been tweaked, so here you go!
Pg 219 Look Out, Sir
Change this rule to read:
‘Models cannot target a unit that contains any Character models with a Wounds characteristic of 9 or less with a ranged weapon while that Character unit is within 3” of any of the following:
A friendly unit that contains 1 or more Vehicle or Monster models with a Wounds characteristic of 10 or more
A friendly non-Character unit that contains 1 or more Vehicle or Monster models
A friendly non-Character unit that contains 3 or more models
In all cases, if that Character unit is both visible to the firing model and it is the closest enemy unit to the firing model, it can be targeted normally. When determining if that Character unit is the closest enemy unit to the firing model, ignore other enemy units that contain any Character models with a Wounds characteristics of 9 or less.’
Change the summary bullet point to read:
Cool huh? The change may only seem a subtle one at first glance, but it promises to have a significant effect on the game. Harlequins players, for example, can now hide their Characters using their vehicles and transports.
Smaller war machines, such as Venerable Dreadnoughts and Helbrutes, will be able to act as bodyguards to their Captains and Chaos Lords – or even Character Dreadnoughts such as Bjorn the Fell-handed!
Similarly, for all you Speed Freeks out there, Deffkilla Wartrikes can use the rest of their accompanying Speed Waaagh! for cover as they close into krumpin’ range.
The Look Out, Sir rule has already been amended on the Warhammer Community FAQs site, so head over there now and download the free pdf. You’ll find that the free Core Rules on the Warhammer 40,000 app have also been updated, so if you haven’t already done so, now’s the time to download it!