The Astra Militarum have always been the Emperor’s mighty fist, yet somehow they’ve found a way to get even more powerful in the Cadia Stands Astra Militarum Army Set, coming to a two-week pre-order on the 12th of November. Did you know that every single model in it is brand new?
All of them – from the heaviest guns to the humblest infantry – have had upgrades in the new codex, which will only be available in this army set until next year. We’ve assembled the troops for an inspection, to see how they stack up against the Imperial Guard of yore.
The backbone of this force are two 10-man squads of Cadian Shock Troops. Cadians are drilled from birth with an aggressive fighting doctrine that has them storming breaches like the Death Korps of Krieg dig trenches.* These sterling soldiers do away with cumbersome Heavy Weapons Teams in favour of a second special weapon – but even Shock Troops armed with the faithful lasgun can take a heavy toll from their foes.
This mobile firepower makes the Cadian Shock Troops excellent for claiming distant objectives, with a fusillade of lasfire that scores an extra hit for each hit roll of 6. Of course, they’re even better with the right leadership.
Cadian Command Squads have such a proud history of command that almost all Astra Militarum field officers follow their example. Regimental standard held high, these veterans remind their soldiers of Cadia’s tragic sacrifice – ensuring that even those troops not recruited from the bastion world can take Vengeance for Cadia.
Adding 1 to wound rolls is a welcome addition to the fight against CHAOS – whether your soldiers are gunning down warp-shielded daemons or blood-crazed Space Marines.
When small arms aren’t enough, Field Ordnance Batteries batter enemy lines from afar with rockets, shells, and las blasts. Though calling them ‘man-portable’ might be a bit of a stretch – at least without the combined efforts of all three crew members – these massive field guns are some of the most powerful weapons not bolted to a tank chassis.
The malleus rocket launcher is perfect for shredding alien hordes, while the heavy lascannon punches holes in big armour, and the bombast field gun lobs shells at foes from behind cover. There are no wrong choices here – when you have a hammer this big, every heretic is a nail.
If you’re after something more mobile, look no further than Sentinels. Everyone loves these bipedal bad boys – fast firepower on a budget with some serious style. The new-look model is faster, tougher, and fightier than ever before – check out the substantially improved statline on the Scout Sentinel.**
We’ve only just caressed the surface of the new Codex: Astra Militarum, so join us again tomorrow for an investigation into how Regiments function. Remember, the new box will be available to pre-order on the 12th of November.
* Want to learn more about the Death Korps in the new codex? Watch this space…
** The Armoured Sentinel gets all the same upgrades, but trades in that extra Movement for more armour plating.