Like an orbital Drop Pod searing its way through the flak-filled lower atmosphere, the next edition of Warhammer 40,000 is coming in hot. It’s still the same great game of epic battles in the grim darkness of the far future, but we’re shaking things up a little. No, scratch that, a LOT.
Warhammer 40,000 has more than a dozen factions and many more subfactions – all of which makes a rich and deep strategic game. It’s fair to say, however, the most recent edition had become unwieldy – the learning curve is steep, and you are often forced to spend too much time flicking through several books looking for the right special rule or Stratagem.
The new edition is designed to address all these points and more – to remove every rule or interaction in which the complexity had become unhelpful.
The Design Studio has taken a long, hard look at the state of the game. The core rules that underpin Warhammer 40,000 are strong, but in their review, they found many opportunities for streamlining the system, fixing rules that didn’t quite sit right, and numerous other ‘quality-of-life’ changes.
Those sticky complexities have now been smoothed out, and without losing any of the game’s depth. These much-needed simplifications are substantial enough that, from a rules perspective at least, every ninth edition codex has been rendered obsolete. That’s not to say they’re useless – they’re still bursting with the lore, history, and short stories that define each faction, and until new codexes emerge over the course of the new edition, these books will still be the main repository of the knowledge you need.
The associated packs of datacards are also obsolete. One of the main vectors for streamlining armies has been to heavily reduce the numbers of Stratagems available to each faction. Gone are the days of shuffling through 50 cards to find the right ability – each army now has a lean list of them included on the double-page spread that defines them.
You will nevertheless be able to play your chosen army as soon as the new edition lands. We are releasing revamped, restatted, and reconsidered datasheets for every single unit in the game – all free to download at launch and ready to go. You’ll also be able to buy inexpensive packs of these cards at launch.
Boarding Actions
Boarding Actions, on the other hand, are still going strong. The core rules in Arks of Omen: Abaddon were specifically written to work with the new edition, and the book will remain available for the foreseeable future. All you need to play this tight and tense format of Warhammer 40,000, is this book, the book that contains your own faction rules, and a set of terrain.
Don’t forget to check back on Warhammer Community every day for yet more coverage of the latest edition of Warhammer 40,000. If you already have an idea of your loyalties in the coming galactic war, you can sign up for the Space Marines or Tyranids newsletter and get all the news straight to your inbox.