It’s all change in the upcoming new edition of Warhammer 40,000. Even the very basics of the game have been simplified to make the game smoother and faster – without losing depth.
The turn structure is still the same: one player still takes the first turn, to manoeuvre and fight with all the forces at their disposal, and then the second player does the same. This is still called the Battle Round, but seven phases have now become five – and both players will now contest each one to the fullest.
Here’s the headline: the phase structure is broadly the same. You perform admin for the turn ahead in the Command phase. Then you manoeuvre in the Movement phase, take aim in the Shooting phase, charge into melee in the Charge phase, and get biffing in the Fight phase.
So what’s changed? The Psychic phase and the Morale Phase are now no more – but this doesn’t mean that psychic powers and morale are gone. The effects are still very much present, but they’ve been smartly compressed into the other phases. Let’s break it down.
The Psychic Phase
For some players – the likes of the Thousand Sons, Grey Knights, and Aeldari – the old-style Psychic phase was a technicolour carnival of empyrean delights. For others – especially the T’au Empire and Necrons – it was often 10 minutes spent watching your opponent make a bunch of mysterious 2D6 rolls and remove models accordingly.
This was often un-fun and awkward to play around, so now psychic powers are used throughout the other phases, instead. Peering into the future for tactical insights? That’s an ability for the Command phase. Paralysing foes with hypnosis? You’ll do that in the Fight phase. Tossing around eldritch lightning? That’s a ranged attack, used in the Shooting phase alongside any regular guns you may be carrying.
The new Terminator Librarian, for instance, unleashes his Smite in the Shooting phase. Each time he does so, you can choose to manifest either a controlled mental burst, or a recklessly powerful psychic onslaught that may backfire thanks to the Hazardous weapon ability.*
Psykers are more than just brain-based artillery, however – he also boosts any Terminator Squad he’s leading, twisting the Veil of Time to grant their attacks the Sustained Hits ability. Each Space Marine Librarian brings their own flavour of psychic chicanery to battle.
The Ork Weirdboy, on the other hand, can’t be bothered with anything so quotidian as a gun, but his ‘Eadbanger shooting attack grows in power and volatility according to how many Boyz he has in his entourage.
His Da Jump power fires at the end of the Movement Phase, allowing you to teleport his ladz somewhere more deadly – assuming his brain doesn’t explode from the stress…
The Morale Phase
Morale is even simpler – that all gets sorted in your Command Phase, when you take Battle-shock tests for any units that have taken enough losses.
Battle-shock tests are super simple. Roll a 2D6 for every unit that’s Below Half-strength – that means they’re a squad with less than half of their starting models, or a single model with less than half of their starting Wounds. You’ll need to roll equal to or above your new Leadership characteristic – if you fail, that unit suffers some nasty penalties until your next turn.
With this change, morale is no longer just a casualty multiplier. Like psychic powers, Battle-shock now impacts every other phase of the game, shaping how you use your units and rewarding players who can keep their army in fighting order.
From transports to terrain rules, there’s loads more to see in the new edition – so stay tuned to Warhammer Community across the coming weeks, and head over to our hub page to find all of the information revealed so far.
* Plasma-lovers will be familiar with this effect, which kills the shooter – or inflicts mortal wounds, for CHARACTERS and big models – on an unlucky roll.