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[GarthVaderUK]

No more Initiative in combat?

Banshee's and Striking Scorpions got no more advantage.

So how does the game play out "fast hitting" characters?

I guess we'll have to wait and see what their rules are to find out what advantages they have, and luckily every model in the game is getting new rules for free for launch day to work with the new core rules

 

[GarthVaderUK]

I had a thought yesterday. Since Shadow War: Armageddon seems to have been a success do you think we'll see more of the old games like Necromunda get new reworks? I could totally see them doing a new version of Gorka Morka which would be super cool.

I could see Forge World taking on Necromunda, maybe not with a new box set but by revisiting some familiar gangs in resin and releasing some lists alongside them to work within the SWA rules.

They could probably add some vehicle rules to SWA with a few vehicle-specific scenarios for pseudo-Gorkamorka too

 

[Leunam]

A look at new weapon profiles.

I'm really liking how this is shaping up.

 

[GarthVaderUK]

Damage is a big change. This stats effectively lets a single hit deliver multiple wounds to one model. So, as we can see, the bolter does a single would per hit, and so is optimised for shooting models that have a single wound themselves, whereas the lascannon, one of the most powerful man-portable weapons in the game, kicks out D6 damage, allowing it to blast chunks off large vehicles and monsters and kill light vehicles and characters in a single hit. Against something like Guardsmen or Orks though, this formidable damage output will be wasted.

The AP system is changing too. Rather than a binary yes/no on saves, the new Warhammer 40,000 uses modifiers – the lascannon will punch easily through power armour, while the bolter and flamer are, again, best deployed against less durable, more numerous targets.

Lastly, you can see that the flamer no longer uses a template. However, when in range, it causes D6 hits that do not have to roll to hit, and this applies even against units of a single model &#8211; this can be devastating, especially when used in large numbers <cough-Burna-Boyz-cough>, trust us when we say we may be entering the age of the flamer as the go-to special weapon of infantry squads the galaxy over &#8211; let the galaxy burn!

The rules team behind the new game have taken the opportunity to rebalance a lot of the weapons in the game, and with the new armour modifier system and removal of the cap of 10 on Strength values, we've made sure that every weapon has its use on the battlefields of the 41st Millennium. D weapons, for example, are gone, and instead there is a scalable Strength and damage that matches the effectiveness you'd expect from every weapon.

Edit: just beat me there Leunam lol

 

[Leunam]

Yeah but you've got way more detail.

This gives me an idea about how weapon damage and wound values for vehicles might work. If it's like AoS, the vehicle profile is going to change over time depending on how many wounds you've taken off over the course of the game. If it were me, explosions would be handled based on how much damage you deal past the last wound. So if you take off the last 1 wound with one damage, the vehicle is destroyed but doesn't explode. If you take off that last wound with five damage instead then maybe the vehicle explodes, like an overkill mechanic or something.

Gives me an idea for a game I've been throwing around in my head too.

 

[Tacitus_]

Yeah but you've got way more detail.

This gives me an idea about how weapon damage and wound values for vehicles might work. If it's like AoS, the vehicle profile is going to change over time depending on how many wounds you've taken off over the course of the game. If it were me, explosions would be handled based on how much damage you deal past the last wound. So if you take off the last 1 wound with one damage, the vehicle is destroyed but doesn't explode. If you take off that last wound with five damage instead then maybe the vehicle explodes, like an overkill mechanic or something.

Gives me an idea for a game I've been throwing around in my head too.

You take critical damage once you run out of Wounds in Dark Heresy. They have some... colourful results.

 

[It's Reyn Time!]

My squad of 15 burna boyz is happy with the way weapon profiles work. With 15D6 hits they may find themselves getting their trukk upgraded to a battlewagon.

 

[manfestival]

Flamer culture is not cool. Make it more for tau gunfire!

 

[TheVoidDragon]

My initial plan for painting my Tau was Abbadon black armour and Caledor Sky (or whichever the replacement for Enchanted blue was) for the cloth, but i've found out that Black is supposedly pretty difficult to get right. Does anyone have any recommendations for what i could use instead of black?

 

[Nazo]

I got a lore question. An excessively stupid one probably, but can an abhuman become a commissar? I assume not but I wanted to ask because I'm going to do an Squat Imperial Guard army and I wondered if I could get away with a Squat commissar lore wise.

 

[Cosmic Schwung]

Not officially, no, as they're basically mutants. It's possible that a regiment could designate someone to take on the role of a commissar, but since most people hate them that would be surprising.

More importantly, Squats? What are Squats?

 

[Leunam]

My initial plan for painting my Tau was Abbadon black armour and Caledor Sky (or whichever the replacement for Enchanted blue was) for the cloth, but i've found out that Black is supposedly pretty difficult to get right. Does anyone have any recommendations for what i could use instead of black?

The hard part about doing black right is getting the highlights to look good. Eshin Grey is a good highlight color for black and you can add another color for sharper highlights. I'd practice with it first.

 

[Nazo]

Not officially, no, as they're basically mutants. It's possible that a regiment could designate someone to take on the role of a commissar, but since most people hate them that would be surprising.

More importantly, Squats? What are Squats?

Ok cool, I'll roll with human commissar's then. I did find an old piece of art of a human commissar leading Squat guardsmen so I guess I might as well go with that.

 

[TheVoidDragon]

The hard part about doing black right is getting the highlights to look good. Eshin Grey is a good highlight color for black and you can add another color for sharper highlights. I'd practice with it first.

I'm pretty sure i wouldn't be able to do highlighting properly, unfortunately. Is there a colour close to Abaddon back but that wouldn't require lots of highlights?

The hard part about doing black right is getting the highlights to look good. Eshin Grey is a good highlight color for black and you can add another color for sharper highlights. I'd practice with it first.

You could always go for it anyway and just say they have the same role as a Commissar, but aren't actually Imperium-provided one. A normal Imperial human one does make sense with having a whole regiment of Abhumans though, considering how abhumans aren't really trusted that much by the Imperium in the first place.

 

[Leunam]

I'm pretty sure i wouldn't be able to do highlighting properly, unfortunately. Is there a colour close to Abaddon back but that wouldn't require lots of highlights?

Yeah there's a very dark blue but I struggle to remember the name. Used to go by Necron Abyss I think. It could compliment your blue cloth well.

 

[RaginRoss]

You take critical damage once you run out of Wounds in Dark Heresy. They have some... colourful results.

Can I ask what where that table comes from? That was fun to read.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

Can I ask what where that table comes from? That was fun to read.

Willpower and Fellowship? Lord of the Rings, prolly.

 

[cntr]

As the post says, it's from Dark Heresy.

 

[Tacitus_]

Can I ask what where that table comes from? That was fun to read.

Like I said in the post, Dark Heresy.

 

[TheVoidDragon]

Yeah there's a very dark blue but I struggle to remember the name. Used to go by Necron Abyss I think. It could compliment your blue cloth well.

Seems that's Kantor blue, i had considered about maybe using a dark blue as well but i thought two shades of blue might be a bit much! I'll give it a try though, thanks.

Strangely the replacement for Regal blue is also Kantor blue...

 

[GarthVaderUK]

8th edition movement: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/27/new-warhammer-40000-movement/

Movement has always been key to Warhammer 40,000 &#8211; positioning your units for optimum arcs of fire, advancing to claim objectives or just plain-old charging across the battlefield into combat!

Movement in the new edition will be very familiar to players of the game today, but the rules team have taken the opportunity to improve a few elements.

In the new edition, every model has its own Movement characteristic. This means that, rather than every model moving 6&#8243; unless specified otherwise &#8211; things like Terminators will advance slowly and inexorably, while Harlequins leap and bound, and bikes and speeders zip across the battlefield.

Some units will have a minimum move too &#8211; this mostly applies to flyers, who can't stop. Again, this is much like the rules today, but every flyer will have their own minimum and maximum move value, to represent the fact that swift fighters will naturally be quicker than a lumbering bomber.

Running has been rolled into the Movement phase now, too. You can ”Advance" when you move by rolling a dice and adding the result to your Movement to go a bit faster at the expense of shooting.

This applies to all models &#8211; infantry, vehicles, bikes &#8211; everyone. By including this roll as part of your move, the game speeds up, as you no longer have to move modes in both the Movement and Shooting phases.

Other than that, the movement rules are pretty much what you'd expect today &#8211; no moving though enemy models, unless you can fly over them, and no walking through solid walls &#8211; logical stuff.

Oh, there was one last thing.

If you're in combat at the start of your turn, you can Fall Back by moving away from the enemy. You'll lose the ability to advance, shoot or charge that turn, and crucially, enemies will be able to shoot at you! This does, however, open up a vast range of tactical options for armies like the Astra Militarum, who will now be able to effectively deploy in firing lines, with each row falling back from any assaults in good order (if they survived) while the unit behind them fires at the attackers. It goes both ways though &#8211; if you have a dedicated assault unit that specializes in killing infantry (like Warp Talons) your opponent will find it much harder to pin them down in combat with heavily armoured units for the entire game.

That's a big change!

We'll let that rattle around your brain for a day, and we'll be back tomorrow with news about the Psychic phase.

 

[TheVoidDragon]

So in the new edition i won't need a codex at all, or is this new set of books just for the initial release? How does AoS do new unit additions and lore updates?

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

So in the new edition i won't need a codex at all, or is this new set of books just for the initial release? How does AoS do new unit additions and lore updates?

AoS has the battletomes, campaign books, Grand Alliances books and the general's handbook to add new units and lore updates into the main game. There always the AoS board games too where they have new units that can be added into a army.

 

[cntr]

the new rules are shaping up really well, dang

 

[Ohnonono]

So in the new edition i won't need a codex at all, or is this new set of books just for the initial release? How does AoS do new unit additions and lore updates?

Lore and new units are in Battletomes, but the rules for every unit is also free with an app or PDF downloads. So you buy the Generals Handbook, then Battletomes for lore and special faction type rules. Units themselves are totally free though. Huge reason for me getting into AoS.

 

[GarthVaderUK]

If the upcoming 40K app is as good as the AoS app, it'll be a godsend.

The app allows you to read the rules for every unit in the game for free, and it's really handy to have during games. You can add the units you and your opponent are using to the 'My Battle' section of the app, basically giving you quick access to all the rules for the units involved in your game, unlike before when you'd have to borrow/buy/memorise multiple army books to know what was what. It's like creating a mini codex tailored specifically to your game, on the fly.

 

[ChemicalCutthroat]

Seems that's Kantor blue, i had considered about maybe using a dark blue as well but i thought two shades of blue might be a bit much! I'll give it a try though, thanks.

Strangely the replacement for Regal blue is also Kantor blue...

Are you aiming to do edge highlighting or are you just doing a drybrush of the highlight? For more pop doing the edge highlights looks good, but takes a good deal more time. The drybrush method is a bit messy, but combining it with washes can allow you to crank out good looking models rather quickly.

But I agree with the above, both dark greys and dark blues would work well as highlights for black. I tend to lean towards grey, but I usually end up having to mix mine to make them darker, as I only like a very fine edge on the final brighter highlight. The blue can look REALLY good, but I find it works best when it is layered on cloth and the like. I painted up a Death Jester for a friend of mine and kept it very simple, but his trenchcoat is one of my favorite things to paint, and I did that with rich deep blues over black, with a couple washes to smooth everything down and make it flow better.

If you're finding the models becoming too dark, pick a couple armor panels and give them a brighter color, like what people do with unit designations. It can give the model some more color, and also gives you the chance to organize them into little squads based on your color placement.

 

[GarthVaderUK]

Cranes coming:

 

[SillyEskimo]

Interesting.

Slap some special rules on those and they would be sweet for SW:A games. I was already trying to hash out a house rule for a train that was slowly going through the middle of the board.

 

[TheVoidDragon]

Anyone know any sites that sell both W40K stuff and the usual Revell/Airfix/Tamiya model kits in the UK? I'm after a few things but ordering from two sites would mean twice the postage.

 

[Ohnonono]

SW:A rulebook pre-ordered. For once I am actually going to WAIT until I read the rules before I buy some models. Leaning something mechanicum because I can make a really grimy kill team that way. Want to see the rules for the new factions in the book though.

 

[SillyEskimo]

SW:A rulebook pre-ordered. For once I am actually going to WAIT until I read the rules before I buy some models. Leaning something mechanicum because I can make a really grimy kill team that way. Want to see the rules for the new factions in the book though.

All factions except 3 are currently available via a pdf on the GW site.

 

[Ohnonono]

All factions except 3 are currently available via a pdf on the GW site.

Which 3 are not in the rulebook? I will have to Download them.

- the Warriors of Armageddon: an overview of the main forces fighting over the hive world &#8211; Space Marines Scouts, Astra Militarum Veteran Squads and Ork Boyz Mobs &#8211; how they fight, why they fight and the wargear they employ;
- rules and background for 12 further factions not previously found in the boxed game's rulebook: Skitarii, Craftworld Eldar, Dark Eldar Wych Cults, Genestealer Cults Hybrids, Grey Knights, Harlequin Troupes, Necrons, Tau Pathfinders, Tyranids, Chaos Space Marines, Adeptas Sororitas Battle Sisters and Inquisitors of the Ordos Xenos &#8211; the last two factions' rules have been previously unavailable anywhere else;

That is the description. So that is the 3 from the core set, then it looks like everything else + sisters and Ordos Xenos. Unless I am missing another 3.

Edit: Ohhhh I see what your saying! I don't have the core rules, so I don't know the system well enough to actually plan anything.

 

[SillyEskimo]

Totally possible to look the factions over though. Just use 1000pts as your base and go from there.

I love the fact they added so many factions and I really hope they add even more. If not, its pretty to house rule your own factions.

 

[Ohnonono]

Totally possible to look the factions over though. Just use 1000pts as your base and go from there.

I love the fact they added so many factions and I really hope they add even more. If not, its pretty to house rule your own factions.

I am very stuck between, Skitarii, Astra Militarum, Genestealer Cult, and Ordo Xenos.

May pick one of the first 3 and get it done, then do a Ordo Xenos group and really convert them and stuff.

 

[shas'la]

I'm kinda bummed that with the new rules, 2 lascannon shits can knock out a primarch

I was literally just reading a short story where Corax took a Lascannon to the chest and just carried on about his business of pulping Iron Warriors.

 

[It's Reyn Time!]

I'm liking those movement rules, should make tarpitting expensive units a lot harder. Unless I'm missing something it's going to make shooty armies like Tau a bit of a bitch to charge into though.

 

[Fou-Lu]

I'm kinda bummed that with the new rules, 2 lascannon shits can knock out a primarch

I was literally just reading a short story where Corax took a Lascannon to the chest and just carried on about his business of pulping Iron Warriors.

We know nothing about his special rules. Could be that he really does just get taken out by a few lascannon shots. Could be he has a special rule that reduces all damage to 1. We'll have to wait and see.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

I wonder if the hun damage will be the difference between strength and toughness.

Ie a lascannon(S9) versus a dude with T7 will, if the armor save is failed, inflict 2 wounds?
In cases where the strength is greater or toughness, the rolls for to wound are modified.

 

[GarthVaderUK]

I quite like that they're giving the player the ability to withdraw their units from combat, it'll definitely add to the tactics of the game. Same goes for alternating combat activations, really makes you think about how best to proceed with your combats, and gives you something to do in your opponent's turn too.

 

[SillyEskimo]

I am very stuck between, Skitarii, Astra Militarum, Genestealer Cult, and Ordo Xenos.

May pick one of the first 3 and get it done, then do a Ordo Xenos group and really convert them and stuff.

From what I can tell, aside from Ordo Xenos, those all play pretty similarly so it should all come down to what you have or want to collect and paint.

I am totally going to get some Genesetealer Cultists up and going soon. I kind of prefer lots of models on the board, so Tyranids and Grey Knights will be some of the last I paint up.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

Im surprised at so many people who want the Sisters of Battle to get plastic and new models. They never struck me as a popular faction.

 

[ChemicalCutthroat]

Im surprised at so many people who want the Sisters of Battle to get plastic and new models. They never struck me as a popular faction.

There's been a quiet appreciation for Nuns With Guns. They big thing I find, is the faction that has been neglected for updates the longest slowly becomes more and more vocal in the community.

Dark Eldar players were insufferable when I was working for the company.

 

[Fou-Lu]

I was one of those DE players whining for the new codex. The 5E update was glorious.

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

It will be interesting to see if they decided to expand the Ecclesiarchy as faction than just Sisters of Battle or some support units in the Inquisition. Although, I can say the same thing about the Sisters of Silence.

 

[ChemicalCutthroat]

I was one of those DE players whining for the new codex. The 5E update was glorious.

*shakes fist angrily*

I mostly jest, as most of the players were cool people. Just the people working for GW in the grunt department have almost zero idea what is on the horizon. So the badgering wears you out.

 

[AbsolutBro]

There's been a quiet appreciation for Nuns With Guns. They big thing I find, is the faction that has been neglected for updates the longest slowly becomes more and more vocal in the community.

SoB players, myself included, have also been teased with new plastic models since the like the Witch hunters codex? "But plastic sleeves!" and all that. The new Celestine was pretty sweet though.

 

[GarthVaderUK]

Psychic Phase: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/04/28/new-warhammer-40000-psychic-phase/

The Psychic phase for the new Warhammer 40,000 has changed a fair bit.

Previously, each of your psykers would generate warp charge for your pool. This worked pretty well in most games, but in very psyker-heavy armies, it often meant that some psykers sat around not doing a whole bunch, while one or two mega-psykers (we're looking at you, Magnus &#8211; you big warp charge hog) had all the fun.

In the new system, the Psychic phase has been re-worked from the ground up.

Each time you pick a psyker, you can cast as many spells as their datasheet states (which would previously be the same as their Mastery Level) and there's a simpler, two-dice mechanic for casting, you just need to beat the warp charge value. The more potent the power, the harder it will be to cast.

Enemy psykers will then have a chance to block these powers if they are within 24&#8243;, and again, the mastery of the psyker will dictate how often they can block a power each turn.

The new system is much more scalable &#8211; meaning that the phase works well at any size of game, with any number of psykers running around.

Perils of the Warp is still there of course. It wouldn't be Warhammer 40,000 without the chance of accidentally having your mind eaten by a Daemon and your soul sucked into the psychic oblivion of the Warp while your body exploded in a multifaceted explosion of etheric ichor...

Every faction will have its own psychic lore with a range of thematic powers. In addition, every psyker knows the Smite power:

Mortal Wounds are a new mechanic too &#8211; these cannot be saved by any means and punch straight through thick armour and even invulnerable saves! Ouch.

That's the basics on the Psychic phase.

We'll be back tomorrow with news on one of the updated war zones from the new Warhammer 40,000, and on Sunday, we'll be looking at the Shooting phase.

 

[Fou-Lu]

I am okay with the psychic phase being almost exactly the same as magic from AoS. I think it works pretty well. It is a bit more random than I would like, but I am sure good psykers will be able to boost their 2d6 rolls.

I am not a big fan of mortal wounds though.

 

[TheVoidDragon]

"Every faction will have its own psychic lore with a range of thematic powers" can someone explain how this could apply to Tau? They don't have any Psykers but it says "Every faction", not sure if i'm just reading that wrong.