Now that you know how much tougher our vehicles will be in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000, you can start planning which units you’re going to stuff into them.
In the past, only certain units were allowed to bundle out of a transport on the same turn it had moved, presumably due to the strict health and safety regulation at this point in history. But with the galaxy tumbling into turmoil, these concerns have fallen by the wayside.
Now any embarked unit is free to hop out once a transport has moved – provided the vehicle didn’t Advance or Fall Back. They can also shoot, but can’t make a charge, unless they disembark before the vehicle moves.
This is a major improvement for mechanised armies that love to leap from their vehicles and blaze away at close range, like the T’au, Astra Militarum, Aeldari, and power armour-clad warriors of all varieties. You still can’t embark and disembark on the same turn, but you don’t need to keep your engine running for a turn before the doors open – which, coupled with their newfound durability, makes fielding transports more appealing than ever.
In the past, certain open-topped vehicles allowed the troops inside to fire out, and this has now been consolidated into a universal Firing Deck X rule. Just choose one weapon each from a given number of embarked models – such as a plasma gun and meltagun from some Cadian Shock Troops riding in a Chimera with Firing Deck 2 – and the transport will count as if it’s equipped with them for their own shooting attacks.
Previously, embarked troops couldn’t benefit from buffs, but now because the transport itself is making the attack, their weapons gain any boosts the vehicle does. For instance, an Ork Mek can use his Mekaniak ability to act as a powerful force multiplier for the Battlewagon’s monstrous Firing Deck 22.
Some vehicles, however, circumvent the rules entirely with special abilities, such as fast movers like the Impulsor and the Astra Militarum Taurox who can disembark troops even after advancing.
The Land Raider reclaims its Assault Ramp – meaning passengers can declare a charge on the same turn they disembark. If this sounds like a return to the glory days of delivering Terminators hot and fresh into headlong assaults, you’d be right, but it’s not the only Space Marine transport with newfound flexibility.
Minus a couple of exceptions,* Space Marine transports no longer care whether a Primaris unit is riding in the back or not.
Many other transports get a new lease on life with characterful rules of their own. The Chimera is often used as a command post by Astra Militarum officers, so now they can bark orders from (relative) safety with the Mobile Command Vehicle rule.
The Falcon grav tank, meanwhile, lends supporting fire to its disembarked passengers by picking out priority targets with its own guns. The freshly deployed Aeldari then get to reroll wound rolls against that same unit, giving the Craftworlds a fast one-two punch of overwhelming firepower or lethal bladework that really fits purpose as the premier aspect -warrior delivery system.
Every transport now has its own place within its roster, be it as fire support, fast redeployment, or even a speedy getaway vehicle.** These are only a small part of the enormous changes coming in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000 – check out the hub to see what else is new.
* The Rhino, Razorback, and Impulsor are still specialised for certain squad types, and many larger models like Terminators and Gravis-armoured Space Marines still have their own restrictions.
** The Repulsor lets endangered Space Marines dive inside when an enemy charge draws near!