We’ve seen the rules, we’ve seen the datasheets, so all we need now to get stuck into the new edition of Warhammer 40,000 is the points values for your miniatures – and the time has come to unseal that vault and download them for free.
Within the new Munitorum Field Manual, you’ll find the complete list of points values for each faction as well as the Enhancements offered by each faction’s first Detachment. Download it below, and start mustering your army for a new phase of galactic war.
It’s safe to say a fair few things have changed in the new edition, even where the simple matter of points costs are concerned. The minds behind the new edition can explain the changes far better than we ever could, so we’ve snuck into their heavily guarded workshop to tease a few words from the Warhammer Design Studio.
Unit Sizes
Rich from the Studio says: “Unit sizes are now much easier to manage. Rather than adding individual models to a squad, you buy them in increments – sets of five models, 10 models, and so on. These generally correlate to the quantity you’ll get in that unit’s box, so you won't need to agonise over how to include all of the models you've bought. It also helps to quickly understand the strength of a full squad at a glance, and makes list-building far quicker and simpler.
“However, for those who love to tinker and play with lists there is still tons of fun to be had by adding Leaders to units and applying Enhancements across your army. For example, armies like Death Guard have a range of options for attaching multiple characters to the same unit, resulting in dozens of potential ability combinations for their battleline of Plague Marines. As a result, list-building is as fun and varied as ever.”
Wargear
Robin from the Studio says: “The points cost of a unit’s weapons and wargear are now incorporated into the cost of that unit – there’s no longer any need to count up all the individual weapon loadouts and do a bunch of arithmetic just to determine the total points cost of one individual unit. This makes mustering an army much simpler, and much quicker. It also frees people to make the units they’ve always wanted to, using all the coolest bits found on the kits without having to worry about spiralling points costs.
“The new edition makes sure that every unit has a role on the battlefield, and likewise every weapon option has a role to distinguish it from competing choices. By comparing the profiles and abilities, you can see for yourself that certain weapons are clearly better against different targets – determining the ‘best’ loadout for any unit depends on what you want it to do and what you think you’ll be facing, rather than just paying more for a ‘better’ gun. There will be situations when a flamer is much more valuable to you than a meltagun, and vice versa. In practice, we found that specific costs for different weapons typically added to the complexity of working out your army, for little gain regarding the actual output of the unit on the battlefield.”
The ‘simplified, not simple’ philosophy of the new edition streamlines many of the rules, but with so many moving parts in an average battle, there are bound to be some interactions that require a little more nuance. To keep these clarifications from overburdening the Core Rules, the Warhammer Design Studio have put together a commentary document going over many of the less common situations you might encounter.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a weapon’s Damage is reduced below 1 (it isn’t), whether abilities stack when duplicated (nope, pick one), or exactly which units can see into and out of ruins (with pictures!), we recommend giving this document a solid read.
Stay with us next week as the Legends of the Horus Heresy datasheets arrive for download, alongside full rules for Combat Patrol.