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The Bolter & Chainswords guide to playing Space Marines in 5th Edition - Version 1.13
INTRODUCTION SHALL THEY KNOW FEAR? RULE CHANGES SPACE MARINES BLACK TEMPLARS CHAOS MARINES DAEMON ARMIES DARK ANGELS INQUISITION ARMIES SPACE WOLVES BLOOD ANGELS
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Written By: OwlandMoonGuy, Bannus, Morticon, Iago, Brother Nihm, Isiah, Chaplain Lucifer, Lord Ragnarok, Littlbitz, Number 6, SCC, Gillyfish, Sigismund Himself, Battle Captain Corpus & Brother Argos. Cover Art: Mad Scuzzy. Conceptual Design: Brother Argos. Illustration: Mad Scuzzy, Nalro, Bloodsaint, Brother Argos. Production: Brother Argos, SCC, OwlandMoonGuy. Special Thanks: Mrs. Argos
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Produced by The Bolter & Chainsword Copyright The Bolter & Chainsword 2008. All Rights Reserved.
The Bolter & Chainsword litany and The Bolter & Chainsword Skull emblem are The Bolter & Chainsword 2008.
INTRODUCTION
W
elcome to Shall They Know Fear?, an electronic magazine produced by the Bolter and Chainsword, the Ultimate Space Marine Resource Site, as a guide for Power Armoured armies at the dawn of Warhammer 40,000s recently released 5th Edition. Created in secret by the Moderating Team of the B&C as a surprise for our members and the general 40K community, we hope that you enjoy our guide and find it useful as we all begin to deal with the changes brought on by the revamped rules. Shall They Know Fear? is laid out simply, the first section deals with the changes and additions to the core rules of 40K, the second section deals with the effect thes new rules have on the specific armies that the B&C caters for. Last but not least youll find some articles that dont fit neatly into either of those categories throughout the e-zine, these pieces give the opinion of members of the B&C Moderating Team on 5th Edition, both on specific issues and on the general state of the new rules too. Please bear in mind that these are our first impressions and theyre most definitely subject to change, were not making any claims of 5th Edition omniscience here but we believe our analysis to be sound, though we are a little worried about our MathsHammer! As one of the editors Id like to take the time here to say a very special thank you to all of our contributors and especially to our leader, the man who kick-started this whole project - Brother Argos. Without his drive and enthusiasm, not to mention his layout skills, Shall They Know Fear? would just be a good idea sitting on a shelf somewhere gathering dust. SCC - Editor
A Living Document?
We like to think that Shall They Know Fear? is a little different from the average, run-of-the-mill web based 5th Edition guide, its been designed to be a living, evolving document. What does this mean? we hear you ask? Well, it means simply that this guide will be updated over the coming months to catalogue the experiences, good, bad and in between, of Space Marine armies across the world as they adjust to the new rules. If you feel you have something to contribute that others would benefit from, you can simply click on the B&C emblem at the end of each article to take to you the discussion forum for that article, where you can post your ideas and discuss these articles with other players. In addition we invite you to join us at www.bolterandchainsword.com where you can join a variety of activities such as rules debate, painting and modelling, writing battle reports or simply taking part in the Ultimate Space Marine website.
4th Edition was something of a mixed bag for many 40K gamers, whilst GW began to tighten up the rules and tried to present a generally more coherent game many players actually found the game less fun than previous versions. Evidence of this can be found on 40K forums across the web and in GW stores, basements and spare rooms around the world, even within the confines of the Bolter & Chainsword we saw many veteran gamers give away the game during 4th Edition. Some argued that the background had gone stale, others that real life - a partner, a career, a mortgage and even darker and more dreaded things such as children! - had finally caught up with a generation of gamers, but most simply drifted away from a game that no longer intrigued and excited them. Even younger gamers werent immune to this perceived 4th Edition malaise, many were caught by the models that seemed to get better with every release or the novels or computer games but few ever seemed to really get caught up in actually playing the game on the tabletop. Warhammer 40,000 is hardly threatened with oblivion as a result of 4th Edition, but it may be in danger of losing some of the passion that makes the 40K community once of the most vibrant on the net and that makes playing a game of 40K against a fellow enthusiast one of the best ways to spend an afternoon, evening or even a whole summer vacation. Can 5th Edition bring back the golden days of yore? Can it entice a new generation of gamers to the tabletop or, indeed, an older generation back? The team behind Shall They Know Fear? have immersed themselves in the rules and regulations of 5th Edition for the past few weeks in preparation for the release of the B&Cs first e-zine and weve reached some broad conclusions about 5th Edition. Theyre not definitive, theyre not even unanimous
awn broke over the horizon and the roar of bolters and the harsh buzz of chainswords faltered, then fell away entirely as the enemy hordes retreated. The long night was over and the Brothers of the Legio Bolter & Chainsword had once more vanquished their enemies. For four days now they had battled their foe. On the first there had been a welter of confusion as Astartes and their foes had slowly come to grips with the battlefield and their place on it. On the second day the heroes of the Legio had stood tall, their equipment and power had swept the enemy from the field and even the enemy's champions had struggled against these mightiest of Marines. n the third day the efforts of the Battle Brothers of the Legio had been the key, the weakness of one shored up by another, though slowly the enemy had gained the upper hand in the ever changing conditions. On the fourth day once again it was the Brothers of the Legio who held the key as their Power Armour and boltguns had seen them through once more, the battle had been more ordered but the Angels of Death had been dulleyed throughout the day, the joy of battle in the Emperor's name dulled by some unnamed sorrow. The fifth day though was upon them now and each weary Astartes warrior wondered what changes and challenges it would bring...
but theyre representative of our thoughts, and we think, the thoughts of much of the community out there. GW have actually been listening I know, I know, its a surprise but it does seem GW have paid some attention to the problems of 4th Edition and gone some way to try to address them. We dont agree with all the answers by any means, but by and large we like the direction and shape of 5th Edition. One of the key changes here is the emphasis through the book on having fun whilst playing, in the past GW books have paid lip service to this ideal but one gets the idea that in 5th Edition its at the forefront of their vision. Scattered throughout the book are helpful hints on simple yet
Beyond the Rules Despite early rumours that GW might decide to move the storyline of the 40K universe on such isnt the case, at least not yet. What GW have done instead is give us more detailed fluff than weve seen in many years, the newly expanded Imperial History timeline is one of the highlights. Much of the focus of the additional background is on The Time of Ending, where a detailed timeline covers the last 250 or so years of Imperial History and catalogues the increasing catastrophes and setbacks that the Imperium has suffered. For Marine players especially theres some interesting stuff there and some interesting debates sure to be had as a result, for example why do the Imperial Fists, and their Successors, seem to be the most interventionally inclined of the Astartes and what do the increased responsibilities and freedoms granted to many Chapters in Mankinds darkest hour as a whole mean for the Legiones Astartes?
RULE CHANGES
UNIT TYPES
From an introductory perspective, 5th Edition bears a strong similarity to its predecessor. Those familiar with 4th Edition will find that the basic structure of game has remained the same. As before, there are seven Unit Types that define models on the 40K table top: The rules for Transports are where the Vehicle rules and the Infantry rules meet. Previously it was somewhat ambiguous as to what transported models could do on the tabletop. 5th Edition has clarified that, given certain limitations, transported infantry are still considered, on the table. This means that transported Troops/Infantry can claims tabletop objectives from within their transports. Also the concept of, Dedicated Transports has changed. Now, any appropriately sized infantry squad can board a friendly transport, not just the dedicated squad. Those two rules combine to allow a lot more options and flexibility to the concept of transporting models on the battlefield. In the sections that follow, further treatment will be given to the specific changes surrounding each of these Unit Types in turn and how that will affect the outlook of 40K gaming of the near future.
Infantry Beasts Monstrous Creatures Jump Infantry Artillery Bikes & Jet Bikes Vehicles
There are a few points of note that will be elaborated on further in this series of articles. Though there are some exceptions, for most armies only infantry units that fall into the Troops slot on the Force Organization Chart (FOC) count as Scoring Units in two of the three standard missions. Infantry will gain a whole new level of importance in the 40K gaming experience.. Vehicle rules underwent a large number of changes so their basic role remains the same but their specific use changes somewhat tactically. The concept of, Vehicles shooting while moving remains the same in principle but certain parameters have changed; Defensive Weapons were reduced to Strength four (S4) or below. This will further constrain the amount of damage a vehicle can dole out while moving. Tank commanders will need to plan their shooting attacks much more carefully on 5th Edition battlefields .
CHARACTERISTICS
Those gamers familiar with 40K will note that the statistical attributes assigned to each model match those found in 4th Edition. There are a few new rules to mix in with the established concepts behind certain attributes that are worth noting: Ballistic Skill: In previous versions of the rules, there was no reason for a model to have a BS skill above five (5). This represented a shooter that would hit on a 2+. The To Hit table for shooting has now been extended so that models with a BS skill between 6-10 will enjoy increased chances to hit in the Shooting phase.
This is of special importance when determining the frequency and duration of the affects of special abilities and psychic powers. When a rule states that it can be used once per turn[ its important to note if thats a Game Turn or a Player Turn. Determining Who goes first? is still determined by a die roll but a new twist has been added to the First turn advantage. In 40K games past, there was a real value to going first; i.e. Player #1s position above. The first player will get their first chance to shoot at enemy units before they are able to take any action. Therefore, that first turn of shooting could remove valuable military assets before the other player could make a move. Now the standard missions dictate that whoever deploys first, must deploy all their models at once and then also take the first Player Turn. The rule where units were deployed, one at a time, going back and forth between players is gone. The player that gets the second turn gets to deploy their forces with the full knowledge of the enemys exact placement. This might be seen as an overwhelming advantage for Player #2 but also note that new rules have also been added to the Movement, Shooting & Assault phases. The 5th Edition 40K game is much more dynamic; many models can move farther, shoot straight through area terrain, etc. Expect this to add a new dimension to army deployments and the downstream effects to game thereafter. To mix this up even further there are times when players may take action in their opponents Player Turn. The Go to Ground rule is one example.
THE TURN
The familiar three-phase turn of 40K remains the same but 5th Edition has done well to differentiate the Game Turn and the Player Turn. This is actually the same concept described in 4th Edition but the authors have put in the necessary clarifying language to make the term turn clear as it applies to different events on the gaming table. A Player Turn is one where one side conducts all their Movement, Shooting and Assault phase activities, one after the other until finished. A Game Turn is where both players complete their respective Movement, Shooting & Assault phases. So in Game Turn 1: Player 1 Moves, Shoots & Assaults; (Player 1s Turn 1) Player 2 Moves, Shoots & Assaults; (Player 2s Turn 1) In Game Turn 2: Player 1 Moves, Shoots & Assaults; (Player 1s Turn 2) Player 2 Moves, Shoots & Assaults; (Player 2s Turn 2)
MOVEMENT
One of the most exciting changes about the Movement Phase is the addition of the Run! universal rule. Now all infantry units & Walkers in every army have the ability to move up to six additional inches during the shooting phase instead of firing a weapon. The most significant impact of this rule is that it reduces the advantage of the Fleet Universal Special Rule for those elements that could employ it. The only advantage units with Fleet have will be the ability to assault after the special move which is still significant. But when your opponents can match you move for move before the assault begins, its effects will be reduced.
"The roar of your bolter is not your own but a gift from the holy Emperor of Mankind"
- Sgt. Moon
than on the current To Hit dice. This is a big, big change as overall the chance of an assault cannon in the hands of a Space Marine rending has gone down from 1/6 to a measly 1/9 per shot. The other difference is that Rending now confers an automatic AP2 wound, this is quite good as its enough to get by the most toughest of armour, with invulnerable and cover saves allowed for those that have them of course. But, the target has the option to Go To Ground (covered elsewhere in this guide) and ignore the rends anyway! Hmm.. maybe well be seeing a little less AC spam in Deathwing and Ravenwing armies.
Against vehicles
Against vehicles is operates pretty much the same way as currently but with a twist. So, it rends on a 6 of the penetration dice, but is now just has a +D3 bonus, not a +D6. This makes little difference to the best result possible as it adds to 15 anyway which is enough to pen AV14, but it does effect the chance of getting to penetrate AV14 when using this bonus dice. The chance of getting the required 15 on any rending shot has decreased from 2/3 (a 3, 4, 5 or 6 on the D6 bonus dice) to 1/3 (a 3 on the D3 bonus dice). Quite a change. So providing you rend, the minimum result per shot against armour will be to penetrate anything up to AV12 or glance AV13 which is as now. But the average
Against infantry
Against infantry etc, the assault cannon now rends when a 6 is thrown on the To Wound dice rather
Dont expect the assault cannon to reap all before it as it once did, as even if they are still being used to the same extent, it will no longer be the weapon to fear.
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PLASMATASTIC
For those who love plasma weapons within Space Marine armies (and being a Dark Angels player I certainly do), it might be worth a quick run through on the subtle changes that have occurred to them in 5th Edition.
Gets Hot!
Plasma weapons on non-vehicle models are still subject to overheating. There is nothing wrong with overheating providing that you a] never throw 1s, or b] always make your armour saving throws; and after all its only a 1/6 chance right? Plus, it also helps to have an Apothecary nearby too to negate any overheats. Overheating impacts on individual plasma weapon types in different ways and as shown below the picture is quite complex.
These have changed too and for the better. When rapid firing you now benefit from needing to throw just a 1 on either of the two To Hit rolls rather than a 1 or 2 as currently this is effectively cutting your overheat chance in half on any one shot. How good is that!? But to counter that, the rapid-firing model might actually end up with two wounds not so good. Even so plasma guns are now a great choice as the specialist weapon in a fire support combat squad, even if you cant shoot and assault with it. Or indeed in any bike squad that can take them where on bikers not only are you safer from overheat, but due to the Relentless universal special rule you can fire them to full effect and still charge. Also expect to see more Plague Marine squads with two plasma gun specialists.
Combi-plasma weapons
Despite being rapid fire the plasma element is still a one-turn wonder and Ive never been a fan of their use anyway (preferring the combi-melta). Granted the reduction of risk of the overheat has conferred a slight boost and makes them worth looking at for ICs (who also might have extra wounds to help with overheating), Veteran Sergeants/Veterans and anyone else who might have access to them. But even for someone addicted to plasma like me, to be honest its not one I would want to bother with.
Conclusion
As we have seen a few changes here and there have been incorporated to freshen up the family of plasma weapons, mainly based around the new individual Gets Hot roll and new blast rules that might make plasma cannons more popular; and the plasma gun with only a 1 resulting in overheat on each shot; while the change in type of the pistol
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weapon will undoubtedly make the plasma pistol less popular I think. But that wont matter to some so for plasma lovers everywhere, screw in those plasma containment flasks and bless the weapons Machine Spirit. Go light something up!
POWERFISTS
The powerfist has always been the staple choice for the humble Veteran Sergeant and an ignored weapon for any HQ character. A number of reasons were present for this under 4th Edition Rules. But now we are into a new Edition and the winds of change have not left the power fist untouched. But are they enough to hurt the popularity of this choice? The old Lightning Claws rule of only being able to get the bonus attack for a second close combat weapon if it was paired with another Lightning Claw now also applies to powerfists and thunderhammers. So taking that ridiculously cheap bolt pistol will no longer give you another attack. Only by taking
two powerfists or two thunderhammers will you be able to get that bonus for having two close combat weapons, at a ridiculous cost. This is only an option in the current Space Marine Codex, Black Templars Codex and Space Wolves Codex. Dont go out converting models with twin powerfists as this option will probably vanish in a few months time in the new 5th Edition Space Marine Codex. It looks like Calgar is really quite unique and will only get more unique under the next Space Marine Codex. So will this weapon see a decrease in use by the Veteran Sergeant? One of its primary reasons for inclusion was so that a Tactical Squad could not get locked in combat with a walker or other enemies it couldnt wound with their normal strength. With the new Run rules applying to walkers, this reason will only be magnified. The powerfists potency has been increased against all the other vehicles as it can now knock with S8 on the back door of a vehicle while assaulting any part of it. Less attacks but more potency against vehicles. However, the potency against Infantry remains the same but the amount of attacks decreases. A number of players now may
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SNIPER WEAPONS
Sniper weapons have changed quite a bit from 4th to 5th Edition. On the one hand theyve gained the Rending USR, on the other hand theyve lost the ability to always hit on 2+.Theyll hit less now but in return theyll be more lethal with those hits, especially against the foes that they were most often used against - high Toughness creatures. Also note that the changes mean they can start to put some dents in foes that previously simply shrugged off their shots, for example units with the Feel No Pain USR. The new True Line of Sight rules also mean some changes for sniper weapon equipped squads, where previously a Scout Squad could only dominate a fire lane or two, nowadays they can see through some terrain/cover and thus are often able to engage more targets at longer ranges, keeping them safer from the enemys return fire. Additionally, snipers rifles are now likely to force an enemy unit to Go To Ground effectively depriving them of further activity for the rest of the turn in return for a cover save against your fire.
Ork Kannon is just as likely to hit the target before scattering as is a Space Marine frag missile!
On the face of it all very straightforward, but it does mean an Ork Kannon is just as likely to hit the target before scattering as is a Space Marine frag missile (33%) and to me this seems odd. The only thing that renders the Ork less accurate is when scatter is considered. If it scatters, average distance scattered by a Space Marine trooper firing will be 3 (coincidentally the diameter of the template), the Ork 4 (based on Gretchin BS). Also just to point out that if your shot scatters onto another unit/vehicle then those models under the template become casualties as well as or rather than the aimed-at target this aspect is great and is one way of making up for the loss of outright accuracy.
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Now the example above was with a single weapon firing, so what happens with multiple blast weapons, for instance multiple frags or plasma cannon shots from a Devastator Squad? Well exactly the same thing with every model testing range and scatter etc individually. But the casualties are not removed until all templates have been placed.
infantry and I can see this causing some confusion to be honest. Nevertheless, with a Space Marine averaging a 3 scatter, over a big vehicle you could get lucky and still score a hit. Heres hoping.
Conclusion
So is it a better system? Well of course assuming the weapon is in range, in 4th Edition a Marine would hit with his frag missile on average 66% of the time, in 5th Edition it will be 33% of the time as a direct HIT, or 66% of the time with some scatter. Without Mathhammering it I think its pretty much even with one weapon but the amount of damage you can cause rises more in your favour with multiple blast weapons firing from a single unit as you have more opportunity of getting HITs using multiple scatter dice. Not only that, but multiple blast templates can cover a lot of ground, and even with a degree of scatter, as all hits count as full there is a lot of potential for good results. So I can see plenty of missile launcher and plasma cannons in Devastator squads, and two Cyclone Missile Launchers form a cheap and effective weapon for Terminator squads while they can still get them. On the face of it only hitting what you aimed at 33% of the time might not sound too brilliant. But the thing you cant quantify is what happens when it scatters. Yes it could just hit fresh air, but, it could
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Characters
joining
and
ICs now automatically join a unit if they are within two inches of it. If within 2 inches of multiple units you now have to declare to which unit your IC is attached. If you do not intend to attach your IC to any unit you must not move them within 2 inches of an eligible unit. Once the IC is attached, the unit may not move further in the movement phase. Further, unlike the 4th Edition rules, the 5th Edition rule set clearly explains that ICs that join and leave a non-moving unit do not change the status of that unit from non-moving to moving. Now it should be clearer, through measuring, whether the IC is attached or not. In 4th Edition players could run ICs right next to a squad and it was unclear whether they were indeed part of the unit or not causing confusion for example, when shooting at an IC adjacent to, but not joined to a unit. Also note an IC may now join other ICs and form a single unit! They follow the same rules as joining a traditional unit. I cant think of a very good reason to do this as in most cases it is much more cost effective to have your IC join a squad of troops. Typically most armies may only field two ICs and having two expensive models attached at the hip would make a delicious target for any enemy general worth his salt. Still, it does offer the chance to mix and match the skills and equipment of various HQ units, for example you could have your Commander or Librarian re-rolling wounds thanks to a Chaplains abilities, whether this is worth the risk is debatable however. Further, if your IC joins a unit that has Gone to Ground they immediately Go to Ground with that unit. He may not leave as long as the unit has joined is still under the Go to Ground strictures. This also applies in reverse if a unit joins an IC which has gone to ground. One hugging the deck, all hugging the deck is the order of the day.
CHARACTERS
There are some major revisions on how characters operate in 5th Edition. It appears that Games Workshop is trying to ensure that characters, and more notably, Independent Characters (IC) are affected by each phase in the game. For example you can no longer can rely on the old Target Priority rules to prevent the enemy targeting an IC when another squad is closer. Lets look at the major changes in detail.
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your opponent and this includes letting him or her know which IC is joining which unit and in which transport. The advantage for Marines is that you are not forced to take proper Command/retinue squads with your ICs giving you a lot more flexibility in squad size/ choice and weapon options. I suspect that in the forthcoming Codex Space Marines (5th Edition), retinues as we know them will be no more anyway as they will go the way they have in the DA and BA books. So for now for many Marine armies this isnt currently an issue as you have proper retinues that are fairly flexible. But for DA for example it is a great boost as it allows an IC to tag along with a Veteran squad and in their transport too, dropping in via Drop Pod if desired. Currently there is no way we can do this. So will we see many more jump pack Chaplains and Assault squads coming in from reserve, or Company Commanders and another IC attached to Company Veteran squad tooled for close combat packed into a Rhino? Maybe. Whether we do or not isnt the issue but to have that kind of option is a great improvement.
Retinues
For those few armies which still have a Retinues rule your IC now counts as an upgraded character for that unit until all its members are killed. Only once the Retinue is destroyed does the character become an Independent Character as per the rules. This now means your IC cannot be targeted singly in close combat until his entire bodyguard is dead. If you have some type of uber IC this will provide extra time to hack your foes to pieces. This is muted somewhat by the new wound rules where each model takes a wound, but still a boon.
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Special Characters
The 5th Edition book mentions that Special Characters and special upgraded characters are Unique and may only be selected once when fielding an army. You cannot have multiples of Ragnar Blackmane for example. The updated rules also remove the old 4th Edition language which suggested that you needed the consent of your opponent to field Special Characters, this should make life easier for those who enjoy the unique abilities of these characters.
VEHICLES
Battlefield Taxis
The new 5th Edition rules give one very important boost to dedicated transport vehicles; whereas in 4th Edition every dedicated transport seemed to contain a jobs-worth driver who refused to transport anyone not in the unit he was deployed with, this has now been jettisoned and any transport can transport any unit once the battle has started (provided they can fit into it of course you still cant transport Terminators in Rhinos). This, combined with the increased durability of vehicles, means that you will be able to zoom about the battlefield, transporting your marines to where they are most needed. This will be particularly important for the objective based missions where youll want to get your units onto an objective to claim it or, at least, contest it. So with only a few Rhinos and/or Razorbacks you can radically increase the manoeuvrability of your army.
Passenger Survivability
Another boost that has been given to transport vehicles is the fact that their occupants are far safer than they were in the past. In 4th Edition, all occupants of a vehicle would magically pop out of every available exit as soon as a shot went through their vehicles hull. The cowards! Now this no longer happens; units can happily hunker down inside their vehicle until its turned into a smoking wreck. Even then, theyre only likely to be injured if the vehicle actually explodes. Interestingly, each model now takes an automatic hit at a defined Strength, rather than rolling to see if they were hurt, so high Toughness, good Save models are going to be safer than say, guardsmen. This makes transports a far safer place to travel in
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Due to the nature of the determining factors used, we can see that tanks with heavy armour, moving fast, hitting side or rear armour will get greater strength hits in most collision/ramming scenarios which means something for Space Marines Land Raiders. Thats not to say a Rhino wont be just as effective against lighter vehicles, it will just be more a matter of the careful positioning of it first and some mental distance and attack angle reckoning to work out if the ploy is to have the desired effect. At first glance fast vehicles will benefit from the additional movement bonuses to offset their lighter armour, however confusingly these movement bonuses also help the target vehicle! Seat restraints on... So when to use it? Well the obvious use is against enemy vehicles when your own vehicle has had all its weapons destroyed give it something useful to do, why not? Using it at any other time means you cant shoot. Shooting is usually preferable in most situations when the vehicle can bring to bear weapons of similar strength to ramming. For those vehicles it might not get used that frequently.
Skimmers can also be rammed, but due of their additional mobility they get a special dodge roll which means that they could move out of the way at the last moment to save themselves from any damage. Given their largely lighter armour, etc. they are hardly ever likely to win out in any aggressive ramming move anyway. Note that when a Tank skimmer attempts to ram another skimmer there is no dodge throw.
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SETTING UP A BATTLE
Like many aspects of the 5th Edition rules, Organizing a Battle shares much in common with its predecessor. Agreeing to a points limit and force organization charts remain largely unchanged but suggestions are included concerning the sizes of battles relative to experience or time allowed. A few clarifications are also included to round out this section and leave little guesswork. The Preparing a Battlefield section offers a plethora of recommendations (but no hard and fast rules) on how to set up the tabletop for a fair and exciting game. A particularly helpful addition is a checklist of sorts for defining each piece of terrain before a game begins to reduce (if not eliminate) potential confusion later on during the game. There are even a couple of example battlefields provided to give new players some ideas on the way the tabletop may be set up and demonstrating the pros and cons of each of the suggested setup methods.
Victory and defeat are no longer measured in degrees, but are now all or nothing!
The missions themselves have been overhauled and streamlined. Victory and defeat are no longer measured in degrees, but are now all or nothing. There are three mission types: Seize Ground, Capture and Control and Annihilation. The first two are variations of the age-old capture the flag where scoring units will play a major part. The final mission type, Annihilation - as its name implies is all about wiping your opponents army from the tabletop. Gone are adding up the points costs of the units and credit for dropping a unit below half-strength. Only completely destroying a unit will earn you any points one for each unit and one each for a character and his retinue. As mentioned before, deployment is now completely autonomous and any deployment method may be
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I LIED!
There is one more time when a player can roll to see who goes first. In an interesting twist, GW has provided a new rule called Seize the Initiative! Where the player going second can attempt to change the order by rolling a D6 - if he rolls a 6, he may seize the initiative and go first instead.
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SPACE MARINES
5th EDITION SPACE MARINES A PROLEGOMENON
With a new Codex looming on the horizon, the changes this year for Space Marines will be many indeed. But what does 5th edition bring to Codex Chapters in the meantime? What effect will 5th edition have on our current Space Marine armies? For a time, we will be employing a 4th edition Codex with the 5th edition rules. While we have heard a number of rumors concerning the future of our beloved Chapters, this article focuses on the present. Seize the day, as it were. The Space Marine Codex represents the vast majority of the about one thousand Chapters serving the Emperor of Mankind and there is a tremendous amount of diversity between them. Combine the flexibility of the Codex list and the Trait system and you have a bewildering variety of possible armies. To attempt to explain how the 5th edition rules would affect each and every one would be a daunting task and a difficult one to do justice. So for the sake of efficiency and clarity, this article will cover these concepts only with broad strokes of the brush and leave the subtle nuances to each Space Marine Commander. In my opinion, the three most significant changes for Space Marines will be intervening models, cover saves and the new vehicle rules.
Intervening Models
Intervening models will play a big part in how a Space Marine army will deploy and operate throughout the game. In a nutshell, the new rules concerning intervening models allows a unit to fire through another unit (be it friend or foe) to hit another target (be it a unit, vehicle or monstrous creature) without taking any kind of priority check but the target receives a 4+ cover save instead. As a general rule, Space Marine armies have fewer models that can take a lot of punishment. This will be both a strength and weakness under this new rule. The boon is that the vast majority of our armies will be able to maintain clear lanes of fire with few friendly units actually blocking the shot. Consequently, the bane will be those units will be fired upon in return and cannot be effectively screened. This rule will also have a significant impact on our opponents as well especially horde armies. Horde armies will find themselves with serious logistical problems in dealing with this rule. Place their assault units forward and their support elements will not be able to fire effectively. Place the support elements in front, then they will have to advance to allow the assault elements to close and reduce their effective firepower. On the flip side, by careful placement and maneuvering of units, a Space Marine player will be able to shield particularly vulnerable units until they are ready to make a contribution on the tabletop. A few examples include a unit of Tactical Marines screening an Assault Squad until it gets in range to assault the enemy; a Land Raider can maneuver to shield a Tactical Squad from some small arms fire that is less likely to damage the tank; a Tactical Squad could shield a Dreadnought from a specialized anti-tank unit and ensure it advances across the battlefield uncontested. If such tactics become prevalent, the ramifications may be that we may see the death of the specialized shooting units in favor or more flexible compositions, Rhinos may screen their charges instead of
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Vehicles
The vehicle rules have changed how all vehicles will operate in 5th edition and Space marines will be no exception. Overall, vehicles will gain some in survivability but lose some in offensive capabilities as a trade-off. Vehicles can gain some hansom protective qualities by using the terrain around them. Vehicles with sponson-mounted weaponry could fire against the enemy with near impunity if placed properly. Dreadnoughts can benefit from this clever tactic as well. Defensive weapons are now Str4 and under instead of Str5 and under. The Crusader will not be affected by this change at all, so expect it to continue to as the most popular Land Raider variant. Because barrage weapons are treated just like blast weapons when they have line-of-sight, it will be interesting to see if the Helios variant gains any popularity as a Space Marine Leman Russ. I wouldnt try this tactic with the Whirlwind. Its weak frontal armor wont tolerate the attention that would be lavished upon it when it moves into the open. When it comes to being assaulted, a vehicle is only as good as its weakest armor. Consequently, the Land Raider will excel at surviving such an attack, while all of our other vehicles with their very thin rear armor will be quite vulnerable. As history continues to prove, tanks are vulnerable without proper infantry support. Hardest hit by the new rule changes will be the dreaded Land Speeder Tornado armed with the assault cannon. Under the new rules, it will have to poke along at a sluggish 6 to use its weapons to full effect. I suspect this variant will be dropped in favor of the basic Land Speeder equipped with a heavy bolter or multi-melta. The points saved will be better spent elsewhere. It isnt all bad for the Land Speeder though. They receive a generous cover save if they move fast (but cannot shoot when they do) and effectively have the benefit of extra armor when formed into squadrons. Rhinos and Razorbacks will not be negatively
Cover Saves
Cover saves have become very, very generous in 5th edition. While our power and Terminator armor provide impressive protection for our own units, cover saves will make our opponents far more resilient. A clever opponent will be able to protect his cheaper and numerically superior units to a similar degree as our own simply by placing them in the appropriate terrain. This will have a significant impact on traditional shooty Space Marine armies. Armies of this type may struggle more with these changes to the rules since their opponents will be able to absorb a lot more firepower than in 4th edition. It could lead to players adjusting their army lists in favor of more balanced capabilities. Because they provide no cover save, the humble flamer and heavy flamer may appear in greater numbers to
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The ability for units to run will make the battlefield more fluid than ever before.
Running
The ability for units to run will make the battlefield more fluid than ever before. The new run rule is similar to the current fleet ability. Those units with fleet will be able to assault after running in 5th edition, while those without the ability cannot. You may think that this change will reduce the dependence on transports and make the Rhino all but useless. I dont think we will see this happen because the game will now be variable in length. Getting troops to objectives quickly will be crucial and should not be left up to the variables of fickle dice. In either instance, expect to see armies getting to grips with each other more quickly than ever before. It will even be possible to see units in close combat that are not normally expected to. The new run rule (which allows units to move an additional D6 instead of shooting) will have an impact on all armies and bring them closer together in fewer turns. Combine this with the brutal new assault rules and we should see more close combat upgrades throughout most Space Marine armies than before.
Rending
Rending gets a few tweaks. This will have a positive and negative impact on Space marine armies. As a whole, rending will be less effective against units and has a marginal reduction in its anti-armor capability. This will reduce the appeal of the assault cannon somewhat. On the upside, rending now applies to our sniper weapons (but BS now determines the chances to hit instead of the previous 2+ roll). This will improve the effectiveness of our sniper units especially against monstrous creatures. With a unit of up to ten Marines firing 36 range weapons that can rend, nidzilla armies may prove to be more vulnerable.
Conclusion
These examples concerning the rules and their effects are by no means exhaustive but serve only to inspire Space Marine Commanders to think outside the box and develop new tactics for a new game. There is no doubt that the game is changing and we must change with it. Some of the changes favor our armies and others do not. Regardless of the circumstances, the ability to prevail against our opponents is there, all we must do is exploit it. May the Emperor guide you and victory be yours. If you wish to comment on, discuss or submit an article for review concerning this section please click on the B&C Emblem
Close combat
Speaking of brutal close combat, the changes to close combat and weapons may affect the traditional mix of weapons we see as being the norm for Space Marine armies. Power fists and thunder hammers now join the lightning claw as an awkward close combat weapon that gets no bonus for a second
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BLACK TEMPLARS
o this author 5th Edition actually feels like a different game. The addition of running makes infantry almost as fast as vehicles (albeit with a good roll), this adds a lot to the game as many armies are now a lot more mobile. Each game now also has a random game length, this can be from 5 to 7 turns, this change alone comes with great tactical implications, will you dive for the objectives early in the game and commit or will you gamble for a longer game and wait till the last moment? I have played, collected and modelled Black Templars for nine years and have seen the advent of 3rd and 4th Editions on the Black Templars and now I shall impart my thoughts on 5th to you, the avid Black Templar general.
Changes to the way consolidation moves work will also come into play when you eliminate an enemy after a close combat as you can no longer sweep into another enemy unit, this could leave you stranded in front of a firing line if left unsupported. Mixed Armour: This often confusing rule is now gone! No need to worry about it ever again. Kill Them All: Becomes a redundant rule, as target priority is a thing of the past. Abhor the Witch: As with ATSKNF the switch to 5th Edition has no major impact on this rule.
VOWS
Accept Any Challenge No Matter The Odds: This Vow gives everyone, except neophytes, the Preferred Enemy Universal Special Rule (USR). This Vow is now worth its hefty price tag. Give it is useful against everyone it seems like this will become the default vow for many Templar commanders. Templars essentially become a Master Crafted army, so sit back and watch your opponent cringe! Suffer Not The Unclean To Live: Grants everyone, except Neophytes, +1 strength in close combat, but at a cost of -1 Initiative. Less useful now that the revamped grenade rules allow you strike at initiative when you charge. Given the small number of circumstances where this rule provides a major advantage it is unlikely to be a common choice for Templars except against opponents themselves burdened with a poor initiative. Uphold The Honour Of The Emperor: Cheapest of the Vows, it provides a 6+ invulnerable save all around. However given that it stops us benefiting from cover saves and, since 5th is the edition of cover saves, thamakes this vow in my opinion, fairly useless. With the amount of 4+ saves you can get from intervening units, I would rarely trade that for a 6+ invulnerability save. Abhor the Witch, Destroy The Witch: No major changes for most games of 5th Edition. The extra move granted if there is a witch amongst the enemy can almost guarantee a first turn charge, especially in Dawn of War style missions were you to deploy
"Let Him be the judge of our deeds. Our Crusades are his benediction, His strength our resolve" - Marshal Augustine
SPECIAL RULES
Below is an examination of the effect 5th Edition has had on the Special Rules of the Black Templars. These rules are key to defining a Templars army and a solid understanding of the implications of 5th Edition on them is crucial. And They Shall Know No Fear: ATSKNF itself remains unchanged from how it worked in 4th Edition. Righteous Zeal: The rulebook now clearly states that the move granted by the Righteous Zeal rule is up to D6 inches. The greatest change here is that consolidation moves can no longer be used to engage an enemy in close combat. This means that enemies will no longer have to fear firing at us when they are up close for fear that they will lose the charge. This has happened to me a few times, charging a large unit into a smaller one , eliminating it and then getting fired on and losing a substantial number of models
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HQ UNITS
Marshal: In this edition the commander will be the backbone of any force. His high Initiative and Leadership will come in handy with the new assault rules as frag grenades make you strike at initiative. A power weapon will be a popular choice as it will allow for a cheap extra attack together with a bolt pistol. The ever handy Holy Orb of Antioch will also become even deadlier with the new blast rules as there will be no partial hits, more hits means more dead enemies of the Emperor, a situation any Templar worth the name would approve of.
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Ploughing across the derelict square the Black Templar Razorback slewed to a halt. Thudding shots barked from the heavy bolter turret as the squad advanced out of the rear ramp, bolters blazing in short bursts. Chainswords rose and fell for what felt like a lifetime to initiate Falko as he snapped a pistol shot at another target in the whilring melee. Parrying quickly, he slid his sword under the Necrons guard and plunged it fully to the hilt in its baleful glowing chest. Drilling a round through its eye, Falko tore his sword free and turned to find the rest of his squad finishing what remained. "Good work brother Frako!" Sgt Decius' shadow fell over him, his gauntlet resting on the smaller mans shoulder, "Well executed! Templars redeploy for the second phase!"
with a retinue become what are called upgrade characters, this means that they become like Veteran Sergeants in regular squads and cannot be targeted independently in CC. It also means that the whole unit, command squad and attached character(s) will only count as 1 kill point to the enemy. Taken to extremes the Black Templar commander could potentially take a Marshal with Command Squad and attached Chaplain and it would all count as 1 kill point and would provide the characters with much needed support against power fists and the like. The same applies to Terminator Command Squads and characters although their greater survivability naturally comes at an increased points cost.
TRANSPORTS
Rhino: The workhorse transport unit of the Astartes benefits from several key changes to the rules under 5th Edition. The new damage to passengers table makes transporting units less hazardous and the ability to act as a battle taxi for any friendly (non-Terminator) infantry unit make the Rhino a much more viable purchase than in 4th Edition. With a guaranteed 12 move and the infantry being able to disembark and Run, getting units into place has never been easier. And with only a guaranteed 5 turns and variable game length in every game speed now counts more than ever on the 40K battlefield. Drop Pod: Cheaper than in any other Codex Drop Pods give the BT commander the ability to drop a unit on top of an objective and either take it or contest it. Its value has increased now that the Emperors Champion can be attached to a squad inside a drop pod before the battle begins, this means that the full drop pod army is now viable for the Black Templars! Combine this with counter charging Sword Brethren and you have a very nasty army, especially with the revised rules for drop pods landing in deadly terrain or on top of enemy units. These changes now allow a chance for the unit in such circumstances to survive rather than automatically leading to the destruction of the Drop Pod and unit, in turn this encourages a more aggressive use of Drop Pods as befits the most zealous of the Astartes. Razorback: Do not underestimate the razorback, for cheaper than a 5 man squad with a heavy bolter you get one that is twin linked and can move and fire. Usually take 2 in competitive lists, this adds
ELITES
Sword Brethren: Probably the unit that is most improved by the new rules. With so many, now, effective, wargear and skills options this unit is now worth taking a serious look at. Infiltrate will allow you to place the Sword Brethren up close as normal, but you could also outflank the enemy with them to compromise a static opponent. Alternatively you could use them as your elite shock troops and give them the Counter Attack USR. Pair this up with Terminator Honours and close combat weapons, you will then get a unit that should get 4 attacks both on the charge and when being charged.
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TROOPS
Crusader Squad: The only Troop choice available to BT commanders is also one of the most flexible of any army. The ability to take up to 20 men in one Troop choice makes this a very attractive option as Troops now count as scoring to the last man, so the enemy will have to kill a lot of Marines to prevent you taking or contesting an objective. The ability to Run combined with Righteous Zeal also means that the enemy will have to take into account the possibility of such a large squad moving rapidly even without transport. Adding a Chaplain and Cenobytes can further increase this movement taking away much of the safety cushion enemies previously enjoyed against large Crusader Squads.
HEAVY SUPPORT
Land Raider/Crusader: The new vehicle rules has made these vehicles the monsters they are supposed to be on the battlefield. Expect them to survive the entire game, and soak up a lot of damage! Not much more can be said on these other than fill them up with troops and grind the enemies bones beneath your tracks. Predator: As always very flexible, a workhorse gunship if you will. If you give is sponsons do not expect it to go very far as it will have to remain stationary to fire at full effect. But I can see predators with a stormbolter and just the main gun moving and firing. Vindicator: This beast has become so accurate on the move that the enemy will tremble at the sight of them. The removal of partial hits makes this behemoths gun one o the most feared weapons in the space marine articles. As black templars we can still purchase power of the machine spirit for these nasties!... so go forth and pound the enemy into submission!
FAST ATTACK
Assault Squads: Yet another unit benefited greatly by the new rules. Not only can they run, almost guaranteeing a second turn charge, but they benefit from vows. This makes them as good as a squad with a chaplain, if you by accept any challenge, but without spending the points on the chaplain. Assault squads should be used as close support for your larger crusader squads. Take them in smaller units so that they do not eliminate units in one go. They will tie up more shooty units so that the large crusaders are safer from ranged damage after eliminating units and not being able to consolidate into a fresh enemy. Bikes: Mobile anti tank support. They zoom in get a few shots off and continue, or zoom out. With their boost movement of 24 they move faster than almost anything in the game. A mobile multi-melta attack bike is a good addition. You could also take 3 power weapons and launch them into combat, but I would only do this with accept as the re rolls would help against the low number of attacks. Land Speeder Squadron: Now, take them in squadrons. They will benefit from the new vehicle squadron rules, they are more fragile now but if you play with them correctly they will be able to turn the tide of battle in your favour, land speeder tornadoes
CONCLUSION
The changes that us Black Templars have to endure make us, now, one of the hardest armies out there in both friendly and competitive play. The positive greatly outdoes the negative and I predict Templars moving up the charts pretty quick. Our hard hitting troops, game breaking vows and plethora of options in the form of wargear will see us through a Golden Age, and dont expect a new Templar Codex in the near future, so sit back and just enjoy the ride. If you wish to comment on, discuss or submit an article for review concerning this section please click on the B&C Emblem
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CHAOS MARINES
T
he following sections are a brief analysis of some of the changes that Warhammer 40,000 5th Edition will have on your Chaos army's composition, play style and tactics. transport any friendly infantry unit, subject to the normal restrictions on capacity etc and unit type. Is that a rebalanced Rhino rush I hear in the distance? True Line of Sight: Line of sight must now be traced from the eyes of the firing model to any part of the body of at least one of the models in the target unit. The torso, legs and arms fall under this but, wings, tails, banners, weapons etc. is a no-go. This should encourage and validate existing and impressive converted models! Intervening models: Or Target priority tests are gone! The Target Priority checks have been removed and replaced with an interesting rule called Intervening models. Now, if a target is partially hidden from the firer's view by other models (including your own), it receives a 4+ cover save. I wonder if this will make spawn useful as screening units now, or does their low unit sizes restrict them? Interesting change to say the least.
MAJOR CHANGES
Scoring units: Or why we may need to load up on basic CSM. All units taken from the Troop section are now the only scoring units in the game. This includes Troops that are inside a transport (and where applicable - within range of the objective). Also, a unit reduced to below 50% etc. still counts as a scoring unit. Other units (Elites, Heavy Support choices etc.) can contest objectives but they cannot claim them. Note that Swarm and vehicle Troop choices do not count as scoring units. This new rule favours Horde type armies but it will also be useful to us if we can keep our (normally) smallmedium sized CSM squads relatively safe. Kill Points: Victory Points are gone. They have been replaced by 'Kill Points'. Some missions have specific criteria that must be met to claim a Victory and in those Kill Points do not apply then but there are however, some missions where at the end of the game, each player receives one Kill Point for each enemy unit destroyed (completely). The one with the highest number of KP wins the game. Defenders React: Or Counter attack for everyone! That's right, all units being assaulted must move all models not in base-to-base contact up to 6" so that they end up in base contact with the enemy. This is a huge buff for Chaos Lords with Daemon Weapons as it lets them use their superior initiative against basic troops to put a ton of wounds (or stand around and do nothing, depending on the will of the Dark Gods) on the enemy unit. Note that the counter attack Universal Special Rule (USR) has been changed so that it now gives bonus attacks (for charging) to the 'reacting' defenders. Transports: Entanglement is gone, it has been replaced with the need for embarked infantry to disembark and take a pinning test should the transport vehicle be Wrecked or Destroyed. Dedicated transports may (after the game begins)
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MINOR CHANGES
Psychic Shooting attacks (and Daemon Princes) : Daemon Princes can use two different psychic powers that counts as a shooting attack in the same turn. This may make a walking, and thereby a nonwinged, Daemon Prince a valid choice for a gunline CSM army. Vehicle Defensive Weapons : If a vehicle moves at Combat Speed (up to 6"), it may only fire a single weapon and all defensive weapons (S4 or less). This means that Lascannon + Heavy Bolter sponson Predators may only fire a single weapon when on the move. If not for Tank Shock and the following rule I might be tempted to leave my Predators on the shelf, in favour of Obliterators. Ramming: It's back, and better than ever : Should your tank find itself shaken and/or without any weapons left, ramming enemy vehicles is an interesting (and fun!) option. The strength of the ramming attack is based on several factors.
If the ramming vehicle is a tank the strength is increased. If the ramming vehicle has an AV higher than 10 the strength is increased. For each full 3" moved, the strength of the ramming vehicle is increased, if all these factors are considered ramming attacks can cause some serious damage to even the hardest targets. Template weapons: No more partial hits ! Any models under the template, regardless of whether they are fully or partially covered by the template, are hit. Also, wounds from template weapons can be put on any model in the unit and doesn't have to be put on the models actually covered by the template. I predict a resurgence of flamers in CSM lists, especially in small Raptor squads where their higher mobility helps you chose when and where to 'light a fire'. Blast weapons: 2D6-BS scatter unless you roll a Hit. Models no longer roll to hit when firing blast weapons, you roll the scatter dice and unless a 'Hit' is rolled, the blast marker scatters 2D6" in the direction show.
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"Fear? Fear?! I have spoken to daemons and whispered to gods. Know fear through me!" Unknown Marine of the Wordbearers
Assault grenades & the Mark of Slaanesh: The effect of assaulting into cover and frag grenades have been changed. More on this: here (link to article). I find this particularly beneficial to Slaaneshi champions who are wielding power weapons. Combined with their superior initiative a Slaaneshi champion can reap a bloody harvest on the defenders before they get to act.
CONCLUSION
Having played Warhammer 40k since Rogue Trader, I welcome the changes in 5th Edition. After having played 6 test games, both against friends and strangers, I find the new rule set to be more streamlined, better balanced (though there will always be issues) and more fun in general. And having fun is what it is all about. If you wish to comment on, discuss or submit an article for review concerning this section please click on the B&C Emblem
SPECIFIC UNITS
Below are some comments specific to units or characters only available in certain units, by no means are these the only changes to look for, just some of the more obvious or important. Chaos Undivided: Of the fearless units that we have access to, Plaguemarines will probably be the ones least affected by the No Retreat! rule. For Undivided/unmarked armies, the Icon of Chaos Glory looks a lot better now and is worthy of serious consideration. Armies of the Fell Four: Typhus and the Manreaper: Under the 'Poisoned Weapon' rules if Typhus's Strength is the same, or higher than the Toughness of his victim, then Typhus must re-roll failed to wound rolls in close combat. Very nasty! Force Weapons, The Mark of Tzeentch, and Daemon Princes: The wording on the rules for psykers has been changed and it now allows for a Tzeentch marked model to use a psychic power and the powers of a Force Weapon in the same turn. Thousand Sons and Rubric users rejoice! Also, Force Weapons are now considered to inflict 'Instant Death', as a result our Daemon Princes are immune to its psychic effect making Space Marine Librarians and similar units less of a threat to these expensive characters.
Bolter casings cascaded briefly, flashes of muzzle fire strobing the darkness. Blood, thick and sticky, washed over the helm of Grake as he flung casings the chainaxe in abriefly, wide arc. Its edge Bolter cascaded flashes of bit chunks from the chest of the Blood Angel, muzzle fire strobing the darkness. Blood, before the World Eater fell on him. Hammering thick and Angels sticky, helm washed over the helm of the Blood with his fists Grake Grakein astriumph. he flung the chainaxe in a wide arc. roared Blood for the Dark Gods!
Its edge bit chunks from the chest of the Blood Angel, before the World Eater fell on him. Hammering the Blood Angels helm with his fists Grake roared in triumph.
"Blood for the Dark Gods!"
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DAEMON ARMIES
ith its recent inception, its somewhat difficult to discuss the impact of 5th Edition 40K as it relates to Codex: Chaos Daemons. 40K gamers have hardly found time to play the army within a 4th Edition context. Suffice to say, the codex was written in the full light of the new core rules and was certainly play-tested accordingly. With the number of rule changes, its still important to draw out some integral points that are sure to have an impact on Daemon armies on the 5th Edition tabletop.
In the case of Daemons the Deep Striking limitations are the same but there are some additional and distinct disadvantages. They dont have Drop Pods to ensure that they will be delivered unfailingly to the table. Likewise, theres no mobile cover to hide behind. Most daemons dont have any shooting attacks at all to leverage when they arrive.Most must rely on a 5+ INV save to protect them if exposed in the open. At times like these, a 3+ regular armour save would be much more welcome. That being said, there are still many new rules in 5th Edition that can be leveraged to turn the tide in favour of the marauding Daemons.
DAEMONIC DEPLOYMENT
Among the special rules for Daemons are the Daemonic Incursion rules governing how they deploy. This rule, above all others, differentiates the Daemons among the armies of 40K. This rule alone makes it difficult to draw examples from the playing styles of other armies. The closest parallel is the all-Drop Pod deployed, Loyalist Space Marine army. This is the only other case where an entire force is deployed from Reserves, via Deep Strike. The Drop Pod assault army has one very distinct tactic to leverage. When arriving on table, transported models must disembark and then all the typical Deep Strike limitations apply; they can shoot as if moving and cant assault.
"I feel your doubt, your moment of anxiety Space Marine. Your determination shall only prove to unbind you" - Quilaxos the Keeper of Secrets
The tactic is straight forward and initially very deadly. Drop close in to your enemy, unload all Rapid Fire and Assault weapons into your foe, hope for withering losses and failed break tests to ruin your enemys line. Since the troops involved are Space Marines, their power armour and Dreadnought support helps keep them around for subsequent turns.
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by the same difficult terrain that made deployment more challenging in the first place. A Run move can be performed after arriving via Deep Strike. This is important for several reasons. Via the run move, the daemon unit can spread out their formation making them less vulnerable to template and blast weapons. Also it presents the opportunity to get into cover without incurring the dangerous terrain test. In the past, Deep Striking onto other models, on top of impassable terrain or even off the table edge resulted in the worst possible outcome; the unit was simply lost as casualties. In 5th Edition, this is not always the case. If an arriving unit cannot be placed legally for any of the above reasons they are not immediately lost but a roll is made on the, Deep Strike Mishap Table. One third of the time a Terrible Accident! occurs and the unit is lost, removed from the game as a casualty. Equally likely a Misplaced result could occur which lets the Daemons opponent place the unit anywhere on the table they want (dangerous terrain checks still apply). The final result is Delayed in which cases the unit to be placed back in reserves and will show up again later on in the game. So 2/3s the time, the unit is still able to contribute to the game. This may embolden players to attempt more risky placement of arriving troops.
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Chaplain Xerxes slid noisily down the glacis, his armour smoking. Painfully he raised his head, warning runes flashing before him. Ignoring the pain Xerxes rolled onto his knees and hands, retching blood from his visor's mouth piece. The ground itself shook as the Blood Thirster smashed before him. Pulling himself to his feet, the Chaplain brought his Rosarius up in his left gauntlet, flaming whip chains hammered down at him as the Daemon of Khorne bellowed. Braying at the thunderous sky the Daemon glared down at the chaplain with pure hatred seething from his form!
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"Again and again the dead arose. Lasrifles spent we laid in with our blades, yet they come, like an endless tide of filth ..."
Last Diary Entry : Sgt. Hawkins, 5th Nadir Regulars
DAEMONIC ASSAULTS
What Daemons lack in the Shooting phase they more than make up for in the Assault phase. Bloodletters are Weapon Skill 5, Furious Charging and all come equipped with Hellblades effectively two handed power weapons. Daemonettes boast 3 Rending attacks (still powerful even with changes to the Rending rule) striking at Initiative 6. Plaguebearers are Toughness 5 and have the Feel No Pain Universal Special Rule (USR). Daemons literally span the entire spectrum of highly skilled close combat abilities. As stated above, Daemons become particularly deadly in assaults and 5th Edition has introduced several new rules in the assault phase worth some infernal attention. Area Terrain : more of a curse than a blessing (or do Daemons prefer curses?). Terrain rules underwent significant revisions between the 4th and 5th Editions. As a net result, Daemons have a lot less to hide behind than they did before. In the last edition, all Area Terrain would block Line of Sight (LoS) for those models positioned behind it and 6 within it. This is no longer the case. Not only can you see through it freely, only under certain circumstances will it confer cover saves. Daemons do not weather well vs. shooting attacks and the terrain board of 5th Edition 40K offers less cover for the intrepid Daemon player.
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Bone splintered as the Daemonette drove the smooth claw clean through the shoulder of the Marine, leaving a foul wound behind. Bringing her face close to his, she tilted her head to one side as if in consideration, lifting the Space Marine clear of the ground as if he weighed nothing. Curling like a snake, her tongue darted forth and coiled round his neck guard, grinding the vertebrae tighter. Her taut purple skin shivered in delight. "Blood Raven ..." her voice was as silk and honey, as a razor across palid skin. Streams of her hair fell about her perfect face. "Thank you for this sumptous moment!"
The crux of both the Seize Ground and Capture and Control missions require that Infantry units from an armys Troop choices capture the mission specific objectives. Such units must be within 3 of the set objective without any other enemy unit, of any type, in the same range in order to fulfill the victory condition. Nurgle units represent some of the hardest Infantry/Troops in the 40k game system. They are Toughness 5, have a daemon typical 5+ INV save and a 4+ Feel No Pain (FNP) roll vs. most attacks. (Note that the rules for FNP have changes so they will not get this save in all cases.) Plaguebearers become the ideal, take and hold unit for these mission types. Deep Striking allows the unit to quickly seize the objective. Deploying from reserves keeps them safely off-table until the later turns of the game. Once in place, the unit can freely Go to Ground! the new rule that increases a units cover save by +1 while forfeiting their next turns actions. If an objective is in or within 3 of area terrain, the stalwart daemons could also be protected by a 3+ cover save on top of their other defensive attributes. Note also that in 5th Edition, a unit is still considered scoring until the last model is removed from the table. Given such hearty troops, killing them to the last man is a difficult task. Capture and Control: The primary difference between this mission and Seize Ground is the number and placement of the objectives. In this case there are only two objectives, one in each of the players deployment zones. Again, Deep Strike deployment can be leveraged to make this work out well for the encroaching Daemons.
DAEMONIC END-GAMES
The following are a few special considerations for Chaos Daemon armies as they relate to some of the new Missions and Deployment patterns found in 5th Edition. Seize Ground: For this mission, 3+D3 objectives are set about the game table, each player placing an objective in turn. The Daemon players tactics must be put into play at this point. Objectives that are close to cover, outside of enemy shooting lanes make for the perfect opportunity to exploit the unique way Daemons deploy to the table. Note that there is no longer a sense of the Margin of Victory as with 4th Edition missions. If you hold one more uncontested objective over your opponent you win the mission.
"More! Bring me more skulls! My Lord needs MORE!" - U'Zuhl the Skulltaker
Troops in Transports: 5th Edition has now adopted the rule that units in Transport vehicles are still considered, on the table for scoring purposes (and most others for that matter). This will be a big boon for armies that have excellent transport options like Tau and Eldar. Unfortunately, Daemons dont have any at all. More unfortunate is the general lack of anti-tank the Daemon army can bring to bear. This rule may mandate that Daemon armies leverage what anti-armour units they do have. Screamers and other Tzeentchian units with high Strength attacks could become very popular for this purpose.
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"Child...why waste so much time for a life so short? Let the pain become a tool, let Grand Father take you in his warm embrace? Yes?" - A Preacher of Nurgle
That being said, the 5th Edition game of 40K may lend itself nicely to strong assault armies. The Horde may still rule the day but Daemons have their own antihorde elements to rely on. Overall, compensating for weaknesses is the first order of the Daemonic tactician. Thats the armys acute downside. Nave opponents may see how Daemons struggle in the first few turns and become overconfident. The satisfaction will come when the close combat strength of the army is brought to bear. Lofty overconfidence will fall quickly at the mad slashing attacks of UZuhl the Skulltaker, backed up by his entourage of blood drenched Crusher and Letter units. But dont let Khorne have all the fun. Proper placement and leveraging opportunity will let all the four faces of Chaos combine into one horrific visage for those who dare oppose the marauding denizens of Chaos, spurred to war. If you wish to comment on, discuss or submit an article for review concerning this section please click on the B&C Emblem
"Magick, spells, call it what you will human, it is all the Lord of Change. And you will feel him upon you this day."
- Psaros the Seeker
This is one instance where the daemon player may want to Seize the Initiative! and try to take the first turn advantage. Fewer enemy guns will be on the table to hassle the arriving daemons. Take full advantage of having more of your army on the table sooner. Concentrate on eliminating enemies piecemeal, always attacking with overwhelming odds.
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DARK ANGELS
th edition should benefit the Dark Angels; after all, the Codex was designed with the new edition of the game in mind. Indeed, when you read the rulebook theres a new sense of understanding towards over some of the rules queries you might have had. For example, its now explicit that characters can be deployed attached to units from reserve without making a separate roll for them; a great boon for Deathwing Assault!
The new rules will change the way that the army plays as a whole, with some units getting a nice polish and others losing a little power. Ill go through each section of the army list and highlight the areas that I think will change before discussing how this might affect Deathwing, Ravenwing and mixed wing forces.
man youll want to ensure that they dont run away. The possibility for heavier modifiers as a result of combat is also going to make this a key ability, ensuring that your units keep fighting until the bitter end. The ability to take standards that allow re-rolls for morale and pinning may also be very helpful and the new emphasis on simply causing more casualties in close combat means that the benefits offered by the Deathwing, Ravenwing and Chapter Standards are going to be more attractive than ever before.
"The Fallen I will not speak of" - Imrael I would expect to see a lot more of both Belial and
HQ UNITS
The big change here is that its clear in the rulebook that you no longer need your opponents permission to field named or special characters. So theyre all up for grabs. In addition, HQs can be used to deny your opponent an objective in the endgame, so holding one with the ability to move rapidly may well be of use. Company masters, Azrael, Belial and Sammael: Generally speaking, Rites of Battle will become even more important than in the past; with the ability of troops to count as scoring until the last
Sammael, even in mixed armies, simply because they give you the added leadership bonus of a company master and they allow you to take Deathwing or Ravenwing units as troops, giving you the option of making even more of your force count as scoring. Theres been some debate about which version of Sammael should now be taken, with some people viewing the Landspeeder as redundant as it can neither stand its ground in close combat nor fire as effectively as before. I suspect that the jetbike may now be the preferred option, but I wouldnt completely discount the speeder; its still hard to shoot down and is now more durable than ever with the new vehicle damage table. In addition, it gains a nifty saving throw if moving quickly, making this an HQ to use at a distance.
Cream robes spattered with gore, Ishmael reversed his broadswords grip as he drove it down through the abdomen of the Striking Scorpion. His green armour glinting in the dawn, he leaned on the pommel for a moment then slid it free of his enemy. The stark white symbol of the Dark Angels shone at his chest as the sun rose on the 12th day of fighting. "Brother Ishamel to Azrael, northern quarter still holds."
Librarians & Ezekiel: Librarians have proved to be extremely unpopular since the Codex came out. However, with the advent of 5th they now get a slight polish. First of all, their shooting power has one ability that will be important in 5th it ignores cover saves. So units youve pinned in place or which are lurking in cover will be vulnerable to this attack, making a bike mounted librarian rather attractive (and dont forget characters still get skilled rider and move through cover). The other reason is the new wound allocation rules; now if youve taken a lot of wounds and it looks like you may lose a specialist or two, allocate one of those wounds to the libbie to save with his psychic power, allowing your special weapons to survive that little bit longer.
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ELITE UNITS
Deathwing: With the new deep strike rules, Deathwing Assault is far more viable without the Ravenwing, meaning that the Deathwing could cause some real havoc on turn one, teleporting onto objectives and putting pressure on your opponent right from the start. Even if the teleport scatters, the run rule means that the Deathwing can try to dash behind cover or wherever else you wanted them. However, terminators may now be more vulnerable to close combat specialists because of the very same run rule, meaning that it will be harder than before to stay at range. As before, combat should generally be avoided unless the unit is tooled up for it, although those units may be more deadly than before as they can close more quickly with the enemy. Dreadnoughts: Dreadnoughts are now worth their higher cost; unlike most other vehicles they can move and fire at full effect but they still benefit from the new damage chart. The prospect of several venerable dreadnoughts is now more attractive than ever. However, the new assault rules may make dreadnoughts more vulnerable in close combat than before as hidden powerfists are almost guaranteed to get a chance to attack.
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"Descend 3rd Squadron, for the Lion!" Screaming like an avenging angel the Ravenwing speeder punched down from the thunderous clouds, rolling on its axis as incoming tracer fire stitched between its wings. Three more swooped after it, their assault cannons roaring shells, heavy bolters pounding with their stocatto barks.
plus side, they can run, allowing them to close more quickly with the enemy and you can screen them with your own units, to protect them from incoming fire (or even use the combat squads ability to do that). Deep strike may now be more viable, especially if done with an attached character, and you can run afterwards to protect you from shooting. Ravenwing Attack Squadron: Just as with Scouts, Ravenwing bikes and attack get the option to make an outflank move which can seriously ruin your opponents day (multi-meltas turning behind an opponents tank and within 12 anyone?), especially since most Ravenwing bike units have relatively short range weaponry. This may be of use if you want to Deep Strike Terminators accurately towards the end of the game. A question remains about whether you can use the outflank move with only one combat squad or if you bought a Landspeeder as part of the squadron (the rulebook would suggest you can, the Codex that you cant). The Ravenwing see a slight downturn in the usefulness of turbo-boosting, but they also gain the option of going to ground to improve their survivability, although that isnt an option that should be taken lightly. Ravenwing Support Squadron: This is now a far more interesting option. Although vehicle shooting on the move is less effective, Landspeeders can still move a little and fire at full effect. They also get a save if they move fast enough. Individual skimmers are no longer destroyed if they are immobilised, making a single speeder slightly more durable. However, squadrons become more interesting as they treat all stunned results as shaken. Given the amount of cover saves available in 5th, expect to see more Speeders with heavy flamers.
"Clad in bone, with weapons of zeal we will hunt the fallen!" - Deathwing catachism TROOPS
Tactical squads now have a bit of a polish. The combat squads rule means you will be able to have multiple scoring units and theres the possibility of using one squad to screen the other to grant the allimportant cover save. Smaller squads will remain vulnerable in cc, but will be less vulnerable to blast markers and will remain scoring to the last man. Every tactical squad is now a threat to the majority of enemy tanks and the polish to frag grenades means that an assault into cover can be more viable than before.
FAST ATTACK
Assault squads: Assault squads have a lost a bit of their bite in that they can no longer sweeping advance into another combat, leaving them far more vulnerable to enemy fire. They are also more likely to suffer from dangerous terrain tests. On the
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HEAVY SUPPORT
Devastators: Devastators are pretty unchanged; combat squads are still a useful viable form of deployment. Expect to see more plasma cannons, especially against hordes. Missile launchers may once again become the predominant weapon, given their dual abilities. Tanks: All tanks have gained a increased measure of survivability in the new addition. That said, expect to see fewer Predators, as they are, once again, reduced to being mobile pillboxes. On the flipside, Land Raiders are now more potent than ever as they dont have the same close combat problems that other tanks have. In addition, power of the machine spirit will ensure that the Land Raider can fire more weapons than other tanks when on the move. Vindicators become more mobile as they can fire their demolisher cannon whilst on the move without ill effect. Whirlwinds also offer an interesting option with their castellan missiles meaning that cover saves are ignored.
that they keep away from close combat. With the new vehicle assault rules they will see an increase in their effectiveness vs. armour.
"You will break! You will bleed! You will tell me all! Before this day is done Traitor!" - Interrogator Chaplain Vareus
Mixed forces: Using all elements of a Dark Angel army should now be an attractive option. With the ability to make certain unit types count as troops a DA army can be varied whilst still having a high number of scoring units. The new deployment rules for Scouts and Ravenwing bikes combined with a less risky deep strike option and cheap transport vehicles means that the DA can be extremely mobile and apply pressure anywhere on the board. The combat squad rule will mean that tactical squads could be extremely useful, giving the DA player an even greater advantage in the number of scoring units they can have over other MEQ armies. If you wish to comment on, discuss or submit an article for review concerning this section please click on the B&C Emblem
DEDICATED TRANSPORTS
Gone are the days when a ten-man squad was stuck with a Razorback because the unit was in reserve. The rules would suggest that combat squads can always be deployed separately. In addition, dedicated transports can ferry any unit round the battlefield, allowing a Rhino or Razorback to take your units to where they are most needed. Drop pods no longer give away victory points so they are, if anything, more attractive than before.
ARMY SELECTION
Pure Deathwing/Ravenwing: The pure armies still seem to be viable, although both types may need to include additional troop units in order to ensure that they score. Mechanised Deathwing are still likely to a force to be reckoned with, although they may need to tool up a unit for cc to counteract the danger posed by units such as large ork mobs or cc specialists that use run to close with them. Ravenwing may have problems holding objectives, although they also have an advantage in going for objective grabbing towards the end of a game. In addition, the new benefits of the scout rule will mean that the Ravenwing will be a hard army to predict. However, it will be more essential than ever
"Stand firm brothers! Hold the line!" Tactical Squad Memnes fanned out, whining lethal discs zipped around them, some ringing out as they hit power armour. Bolters at their shoulders, the squad pounded forward, snatching shots off in brief bursts. Dark green armour glinted in the pale sun above as the Dark Angels swept into the ruins, a scream of energy as the plasma gun blew another wall down. "Hold the line!" 41
INQUISITION ARMIES
he 5th edition rules introduce a vast amount of changes to the 40K rules set, both large and small. Games Workshop claims that these changes were necessary to make the play less gamey, abstract, and technical and more cinematic, dynamic, and fun. Only time will tell whether they succeeded, though, personally, I tend to believe that 5th edition is indeed a significant improvement to the system.
as successive 5th Edition designed Codexes arrive, they will only become more so as heavy weaponry becomes both more scarce and more expensive. Shooty forces, on balance, dont appear to be helped or hurt by the new rules. Static gun lines will no longer be rolled by a single squad of assault specialists, and the new WYSIWYG terrain and LoS rules mean theyll be able to draw beads on more targets than ever before. As mentioned above, vehicles will be tougher to damage as well. On the flip side, vehicles with multiple weapons systems must remain still to be fully offensively capable, and almost everything that the army shoots at will likely have a significant cover save. Two steps forward, two steps back. Assaulty forces got a slight boost in potency. Even without transports or Fleet, such armies can get to grips with their foes in a hurry, and bounce from cover to cover while getting there. And once in close combat, theyll be able to inflict the maximum amount of damage, more than was possible under 4th edition. The danger is that they may be so effective that they end up stranding themselves in the open once too often (it is no longer allowed to consolidate into the enemy) and get shot up or counter-assaulted as a result.
OVERVIEW
In general, the new rules seem to favor hordes. They reap all the benefits of the new system without suffering any noticable downsides. Such armies have increased maneuverability and protective options well beyond what they had under 4th edition. This is especially true if its an assault-oriented force, but will also be applicable to shooty, infantry-centric armies as well. Horde armies are much harder to kill, and they will hit harder both at range and in close combat. Mechanized forces also got a slight boost, as vehicles overall have greater survivability, if having their shooting potency weakened by the redefinition of defensive weapons. Even so, vehicles have been made more attractive by the new rules, and
Screaming lances of raw energy speared the dusk. Pounding legs, flailing arms and horned features streamed towards the outpost. Justicar Pablo adjusted his incinerator before unsheathing his force sword from his back sling.
Units that have either the Scout or Infiltrate USRs may be put in Reserves and enter play via a special Outflank maneuver. When their Reserves roll is made, such units will entire along either of the short table edges. (1/3 chance its the left edge, 1/3 chance its the right edge, and 1/3 chance the owning player gets to choose.) Finally, dedicated transports may now transport any friendly unit. Only the unit the transport was bought with may begin the game embarked, but other than that restriction, the transport is free to be used by any eligible unit.
OPPONENTS
Running makes assault-oriented forces significantly more dangerous. Such armies can more easily cross the battlefield hugging the safety of cover and more quickly position themselves for their assault. Because of the adjusted Deep Strike mishaps table and Run, Deep Striking will likely be seen more often and more decisively as the consequences arent quite as dire as they once were, and landing units will have an opportunity to adjust their position favorably upon arrival.
Daemonhunters: Kiting, where you maneuver your units in a shooting, fighting retreat, hugging cover as much as is possible, is still probably the best defense. You should already have learned that Grey Knights are no match for assault specialists, and nothing about 5th edition changes that. Sadly, Run means that we are likely to have even less time to effectively whittle down opponents with stormbolters before they reach our lines. The upside is that we cant be rolled by these guys any longer; no more consolidation into enemy units! Thus it can be practical to feed a few smallish, sacrificial units to the assaulters and set them up for a shooting or counter-assault trap. Using small IST squads, or those inducted Guardsmen, would do the trick nicely. Never forget that Grey Knights work best when supported. Keep them together to maximize their potency on the battlefield.
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Rolling the venomous pocked blade to one side, Brother-Knight Zandat blew the plague bearer apart with a flurry of bolter shells. Greasy, foul vapour washed over him as paced over the remains, his stern face grim with determination he swung the halberd in a double handed arc, carving two more down. Crackling energy ran its course down the weapons haft, illuminating the dank tunnel with its raw glow. Zandat tore through the remaining abominations like a whirlwind of vengeance..
Area terrain does not block any lines of sight beyond what the modeled terrain really, truly blocks. To offset this somewhat, most terrain provides a cover save, and more often than not, this will be a 4+ save. Even intervening models, be they friend or foe (but not including those models that are part of the firing unit itself), count as terrain for this purpose, providing a 4+ cover save to units behind them. So while you dont need a LD check to hit such units, they are well and truly screened by those units that are closer, shrugging off wounds they might not normally be able to under the 4th edition rules. Also, wounds inflicted may be put on any models in the target squad, even on models that are neither in range of the firing weapons nor in line of sight of any of the firing models! That is, it is no longer possible to snipe enemy models with clever positioning. So long as at least one model in the target unit is in range and line of sight, the entire unit is eligible to receive wounds, at the target unit owners discretion. Speaking of which, wound allocation has changed. The owning player decides which models receives wounds. The only restriction is that wounds must be distributed as equally and evenly as possible throughout a squad. No doubling up on wounds until every model has at least one. No trebling up on wounds until every model has at least two. And so on. Once wounds are distributed -- and the owning player may distribute the wounds from sources with differing AP values in any way s/he sees fit -- you pick up the dice for all the models with exactly the
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"By order of the Ordo Malleus I sentence you to battlefield excommunication ... Sinner!" - High Inquisitor Balorphin
Opponents: Screening will actually mean something in 5th edition. Expect cheap troops to be used as fodder and protection for more valuable units behind, especially for hordes and assaulty armies. This tactic will be far more effective in 5th edition than in 4th edition. Gun lines wont be quite as offensively effective as before because of the common availability of 4+ cover on the average game board. Even the armys own units will provide cover, so deployment strategies will have to adjust accordingly. On the other hand, you can probably expect to
Sprinting from cover, Sister Grace snapped up her bolt pistols. Chattering death they pummelled apart the Dark Eldars Incubis armour. Throwing herself forward, she slid on one side through the next doorway, spewing rounds at the gaurds above her, watching them tumble bloodily to the floor. Rolling to one side she hammered the pistols on full auto at the floorboards above, splintering the wood into shards. Screams sounded, then heavy thuds as blood soaked and dripped down.
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"Sisters of the Rose vanquish all who sally forth!" - Cannoness Angelique
And because most Sisters shooting is handled at short range, it should be easy to provide cover saves for your own troops while minimizing the amount that is available to the enemy. It is highly unlikely that vehicles will benefit from a cover save when you are in melta gun or inferno pistol range. Really, only the Exorcist is significantly effected by the new cover rules when considered from the offensive angle. As with the Daemonhunters, you should expect your Sisters to have to absorb more firepower than before, relying on their power armour more than was usually necessary in 4th edition. Fortunately, unless you feel you really need those 3+ invulnerable saves, there should be enough 4+ cover available to save you the need of burning Faith points to keep your girls alive as you make your approach.
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Grey Knight Makro pitched sideways, his chest plate spraying blood and gore. Bounding over his glinting armour the Blood Letter howled, lapping at the spray of crimson liquid briefly. Flaming bolter rounds punched its arms wide, cutting it to ribbons. Striding forward, Justicar Agamennon laid done a sheet of fire as he grabbed Makro's backpack, hauling him away from the daemons reach. "Throne! Begone filth!" Light flared for a blinding second as Agamennons screaming halberd beheaded the Blood Letter to his right, another fallling to his left from the chattering storm bolter at his wrist.
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"Hatred and fear are merely vessels of Chaos that we shall crush" - Heard at the Siege of Athros VI
However, being on the losing end of an assault is much more dangerous than before. 5th edition will be the game of large units, especially large Troops units. Buying 8 to 10 models for virtually every power-armoured Grey Knights squad will be a practical necessity, else the consequences for our Fearless troops, should they lose an assault, will be dire. In fact, we should be even more careful about initiating assaults ourselves. Not only must we be relatively certain that we can win them, but we must be prepared for the consequences of beating the enemy off. Be certain that you are ready to have your Knights exposed after every assault. Dont leave them isolated and easy pickings. Also, it is no longer enough, when facing a foe with superior assault capabilities, to simplay kite/ backpedal your way into cover so that we can at least fight simultaneously. Many such foes will have superior Initiative stats and also frag grenades or equivalent, meaning their assaults will be just as deadly whether or not our Knights are in cover. This simple rules change, when combined with the inability to consolidate into fresh enemy units, has such a huge impact on how we deal with foes like Tyranids, Eldar, Death Company, etc., that I feel the very nature of the Daemonhunters army has changed. In 4th edition, it was almost perfectly balanced between shooting and assaulting, but in 5th edition it is a majority shooting army. Our default tactical approach will, more often than not, consist of scooting-n-shooting, trying to remain at some distance to take maximum advantage of the shrouding and our stormbolters. Assaults will only be used as a last resort, when forced upon us by circumstances, or when facing an enemy with clearly inferior fighting abilities (e.g., Imperial Guard). While ISTs are no better, perhaps even worse, in 5th edition assaults than they were under 4th edition assaults, now they can at least serve a true purpose.
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daughters
of
the
Commanded Sister Chel, her auspex chiming a warning. With a grace not easily achieved in ceramite the four battle sisters swung their heavy bolters up and over the parapet once more, tracking the lead vehicle. Runes blinked red then green one by one in Chels helm, indicating the squad had range and target priority. "For Celestine!" Booming rounds spat from their position, the vibrations shaking debris and rubble. Chel aimed her own storm bolter, sending two howling shots into the furious explosions and dust.
combats will result in more casualties than before is easily outweighed by Faith, the relative inexpense of Sisters, and most importantly of all: the Book of St Lucius. That little item alone makes Sisters effectively Stubborn (a new USR in 5th edition), and means that you can depend upon your troops to hold the line no matter how grisly things get, thus giving you ample time to appropriately respond with the rest of your army. On top of that, even if the girls finally get beaten down, that leaves the victors open to a brutal Divinely Guided fusillade of retribution because of their inability to consolidate into another unit. On the other hand, if you want to go looking for a fight, the Sisters are amply prepared for it. Frag grenades are available virtually everywhere (and with Faith, means that you can always fight ahead of MEQs whenever you want, even if theyre being cowardly and hiding in cover), along with plenty of flame templates for denying those precious cover saves. And the new rules for template weapons means youll be inflicting more wounds than ever before. The number of wounds are calculated all at once instead of one template at a time, which could add up to double or more the number of wounds possible under 4th edition. As with the Daemonhunters, you will want to maximize the sizes of your squads whenever possible. So long as a Book of St Lucius is near, you
"For Celestine!"
Was the last thing she could have heard as Sister Feria pitched suddenly back, a mist of ruby where her helm had been. Snatching the heavy wepaon up in a second, Sister Chel cycled the feed belt into action once more. Swinging to face the rapidly approaching vehicles quickly, Sister Chel pulled hard on the trigger of her heavy bolter. The thumping vibrations shook her diaphragm as she avenged the young sisters death.
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"So it is, heretics and daemons all, my Knights will win this day!" - Inquisitor Hannos
Finally, all games will have a random length. 1/3 of them will go just 5 turns, 1/3 will end after 6 turns, and 1/3 will end after 7 turns. This is likely to create quite a bit of excitement as both players scramble to consolidate their positions while simultaneously preparing for an uncertain future. You will never know whether a next turn will actually be played until it is time for it to (possibly) arrive. Opponents: The pressure to include more than the required minimum of two Troops choices is, obviously, great. And unless one likes playing for draws, a practical necessity. At least three Troops will be necessary in games up to 1500 pts, and 4 or more Troops will probably be required for games of 1500 pts or more. Armies with great Troops choices (e.g., Chaos Space Marines, Orks, Necrons) have every incentive to load up on them. Daemonhunters: The necessity to maximize scoring Troops effectively sounds the death knell of the Fast Attack teleporting Grey Knight squad. There will never be a strong enough incentive to sacrifice a scoring unit just so you can Deep Strike. Deep Striking will now be under the exclusive purview of our Terminators. Besides, having Fearless Troops that are as potent and capable as Grey Knights must be considered a huge advantage for the army, one that we should push for all it is worth. The Annihilation mission may actually be an advantageous mission for us to play. The DH is commonly outnumbered, both in model count and in unit count, and victories have almost always required us to kill much more than we lost. That is, the DH wont have a vast amount of KPs available
Fire swam across the surface of the planet, levelling all to ash. As a ball of flaming death the planet was cleansed in seconds. Inquisitor Hannos watched from the thick amroured glass of his battle frigate. Lance cannons withdrew behind shuttered port holes, their use now done.
"And with that, I declare this world fit for Imperial rule once more."
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Morale tests are a subset of LD tests, a unit containing an Inquisitor Lord can, so long as he is alive, hold up an assault indefinitely. Not being Fearless, the unit wont suffer automatic wounds for losing an assault, yet it will never have to make a break test, either! It will either stick around or flee, at your pleasure. While a very expensive option, building a close combat Inquisitor Lord squad can prove valuable just because of Iron Will, making it the one of the ultimate tar pit units in all of 40K. (Can anyone say Inquisitor Lord Coteaz?)
Daemonhunters - Elites "Warp spawn filth! Let my force weapon be as the Emperors vengeance on you!" - Brother Captain Jurgens
Deep striking our GKT HQs is also more attractive than before. Not only has Deep Striking become less risky, but now our power-armoured Knights cannot afford that luxury. (They will be required to fulfill Troops obligations of claiming objectives.) I have always been a fan of foot-slogging GKT squads with a pair of psycannons (so much so that I rarely deployed them via Deep Strike), and that will still be viable under 5th edition. But there can be no denying that the fluffier Deep Strike delivery method for our Terminators should be seriously considered. Constructing shooty Inquisitorial firebases is still going to be the most effective build for them, but Iron Will has grown in power under 5th edition. Since Sadly, painfully, the new assault rules have significantly nerfed the combat effectiveness of assassins. Unless you send them up against relatively small or weak units, they are very likely to lose after the initial round of combat and either die outright or by taking additional wounds as a result of being Fearless. Death Cult Assassins must be bought en masse and used together to have any effect whatsoever. However, not being a unit, they cant actually be used to provide cover saves to units behind them! The Eversor is no longer able to smash through unit after unit; hes hardly going to be capable of taking down even one unit anymore! The Callidus will largely be useful just for A Word In Your Ear, as shes hardly likely to do much beyond kill a couple of models in assault before biting it.
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Snow gusted round the kneeling silver armoured warriors, their heads low in prayer. Ancient words echoed in the circle, swords held upright, their surfaces burnished gold. Helms lay at their feet, angular plates with ornate scripture adorning them. Glowing runes hazed their suits power units, the exhausts gently idle. With a final word the Grey Knights stood as one, sheathing their swords into place. The Justicar placed his hand upon the sacred text, the mem-pages barely flicking in the strong winter gale. Each man placed his gauntlet in turn upon the book, saying a concluding private benediction before battle.
The Vindicare -- already a subpar choice because of his inability to predictably inflict wounds (he averaged less than 3 wounds per game under 4th edition) -- has been rendered virtually useless by the wide availability of cover saves. Even with his special rules, most units will be granted at least 5+ cover saves to his shots. Perhaps the only assassin that comes out looking better is the Culexus. He was never that effective in combat anyway (except in very limited circumstances), but his ability to force basic LD down to 7 could potentially prove invaluable in quickly running enemy units off the board. Keep him nearby in an assault, and even a slight victory could force the enemy to flee. About the only thing that brightens up the picture for assassins is their ability to Outflank. Even with a much less effective assault impact, getting several DCAs and/or an Eversor to suddenly appear on the flank could potentially cause enough mayhem to be useful. Of course, Reserves and Outflanking make the timely appearance of the assassin(s) unpredictable, so its nothing you can count on. With a little luck, however, they still have the ability to swing a game in your favor. Regarding Elite Inquisitors, without Independent Character status protecting him any longer, the psycannon-sniper-supreme is a thing of the past.
Daemonhunters - Troops
Grey Knights, Grey Knights, Grey Knights ... and more Grey Knights. Always highly regarded (if expensieve), 5th edition makes our GKs one of the best Troops choices in the game (even with the expense). Load up on as many as you can afford. But be certain to get large squads, 8 to 10 models, every time. Small squads are just not going to have that great of an impact when push comes to shove. 5th edition is a game that encourages and practically requires large Troops units to carry the day. There is still a use for mini-purgation squads (5-6 GKs, 2x psycannons), but they should be set up as firebases to hold an objective near or in your deployment zone. (Or just to rain dakka down upon the enemy in Annihilation missions.) If you really want to deep strike psycannons behind enemy lines for shots at rear armour, use Terminators instead.
"Run! They come! The Grey Knights come! We will all be dead by noon!" - Heretics at the Wailing wall on Askeron V
Inquisitorial Storm Troopers are very attractive choices, too. Their transports are more survivable, and even when damaged, wont necessarilyy cause any harm to the guys riding inside. (The new damage results rules are quite forgiving.) And, of course, those Rhinos and Chimeras can conceivably be used to shuttle some Grey Knights around the field, too! Mounted or unmounted, ISTs can take objectives, screen other units, and serve as speed bumps to slow the advance of fast assault forces. There are very few downsides to these guys, almost no matter what configuration you take. (But always remember
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Shards of light imploded around Trooper Jense as he was blown clear of the column. His back slammed against what he thought were a statues legs and he scrambled for his las-rifle but it was nowhere to be found. Gaping in awe at the lurching Death Guard mounting the steps he made to get up. Firm, strong silver gauntlets gripped him even as the traitors swung their bolters up at him. "Stay down for a moment brother!" Dragging him behind his armoured protection, Grey Knight Orpheo put himself between the Trooper and the plague Marines, ricochets whining from him as the dark enemies weapons coughed shots at him.
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"Flame and faith Sisters! Let the Letters of Blood know banishment of this realm!" - Sister Jannice Witch Hunters - HQ
As with Grey Knight Heroes, the Sororitas Heroines benefit from the new retinue rules, which are really a throwback to the 3rd edition (see that section, above). While the flying Canoness is still a superior
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CONCLUSION
While I believe that Daemonhunter army list building changed radically -- and might even have become, necessarily, somewhat more restrictive -- the army has become somewhat more competitive under the new rules set. Grey Knights are among the games most potent, flexible, and valuable Troops, and that is worth a lot in 5th edition. Land Raiders, despite their expense, give the army significant advantages in surviability and mobility over and beyond what the average 40K army has. And our Terminators have been freed of the need to conserve Victory Points or take objectives themselves, and thus can be let loose to do what they do best: rip apart enemy foes with slashing Nemesis Force Weaponry. For the Witch Hunters, the 5th edition rules set has expanded the tactical toolset immeasurably. Built upon a solid core of dependable and capable Sisters, Witch Hunters generals no longer need believe that mechanized Sisters be the only practical army build of any significant strength. If you wish to comment on, discuss or submit an article for review concerning this section please click on the B&C Emblem
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SPACE WOLVES
hen discussing Space Wolves and 5th Edition things can get a bit tricky. In this article I will discuss the changes and how they affect SW armies. Where things are not clear, I will give the consensus opinion of myself and my fellow B&C Mod, Lord Ragnarok. Note that my gaming group and I have been using these decisions in our 5th Edition play testing and have found them to be the most reasonable on the table interpretation of the SW Codex and 5th Edition rules. Having played a couple of games now using the 5th Edition rules I must say that over all the system strikes me as superior to 4th Edition and the changes made in regards to my beloved Space Pups are generally for the better.
potential upgrades available to a Wolf Guard unit. In particular Power Fist (PF) wielding models may now be better off with a combi-weapon of some sort now, as a pistol or CCW wont grant an extra attack to a PF user (only another Power Fist will) and True Grit isnt going to help with a PF either. Our Wolf Scouts now gain the advantage of having the Out Flank USR, at least for the time being, making them perhaps the most flexible Scouting unit in the game. The Out Flank USR allows scout units to come into play from reserve along the sides of the battlefield, potentially giving the controlling player the chance to, well, out flank their opponent. This also makes it viable for more than one Scout pack in an army now. One can be use the Operate Behind Enemy Lines rule from the Codex whilst the other uses Out Flank giving you two elite units attacking from the weakest points of the enemys line.
What follows are some comments on specific changes and perhaps more tellingly some comments on how my army changed from 4th to 5th Edition to make the most of the new rules.
HQ UNITS
The Retinue rule is a great boon here. As my group understood it and as weve been playing it, an Independent Character (IC) with a Wolf Guard bodyguard effectively becomes simply an upgraded character for the squad (much like a Codex: Space Marine Veteran Sergeant). This means that in close combat he cannot be singled out and also means that he only has to be within 2 of a friendly model to strike into close combat. ICs without a Retinue also benefit, as they can now be attached to a designated Pack prior to the game and come in a Drop Pod at the same time as the squad they have joined with a single Reserves roll. The rules for ICs joining squads have also been clarified, please see the article Characters elsewhere in this edition for further information.
TROOPS
Grey Hunters dont really change much with the new rules, they remain perhaps the most flexible tactical squad in the game but still lack the skills offered by more specialised units. Note that the benefit of a Wolf Guard Pack Leader with Terminator Armour is much more noticeable now with the new allocating of wounds rules. The changes to the Counter Charge USR rule dont really benefit us right now as we have True Grit, so the number
ELITES
Wolf Guard Bodyguard units are now affected by the altered Retinue rules and if attached to an IC now benefit from the changes outlined above. Changes in the way in which extra close combat attacks are granted by specific gear have affected many of the
Wolf Guard Raffon let the wolf in him have its head as he barrelled into the Thousand Son, smashing the hated enemies form across the plaza with his power fist. Swinging his ancient storm bolter up he blazed rounds into the recumbant traitor, shredding power armour. Fangs bared he grinned in triumph, before continuing the hunt.
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Plasma cannon toting Pack or a Pack armed with Missile Launchers very interesting. You can find the new rules for Blast Weapons elsewhere in Shall They Know Fear? As for Vehicles, these act in much the same manner as their Space Marine Counter parts, you can find more information on issues such as the new and improved Rhino Battle Taxi Service and the changes to survivability of embarked troops in transports elsewhere in our e-zine.
"Russ was my lord, miss him? No! He returns to us at the Wolftime!" - Bjorn the Fell Handed.
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"Ale, bring ale for this foe is almost done with!" - Althred the Thirsty
10 Grey Hunters: 2 with Power Weapon and bolter, 2 with Plasma Pistols, 1 with a Plasma Gun, 5 with bolters. They are joined by a Wolf Guard Pack Leader with Terminator Armour,Runic Charm, Power Fist and a Combi-Plasma. This has proved to be a good solid core for my Army. With the Run USR they can get where they need to be and are good in both short ranged fire fights and close combat. The second must have on my list is my primary HQ - a Rune Priest in Terminator Armour with a pair of Lightning Claws and a Wolf Pelt. He is followed by a retinue of 4 Wolf Guards in Terminator Armour,
"Young Ragnar? Aye, he is still a pup! But with a fierce bite!" - Njal Stormcaller
CONCLUSION
Over all the Space Wolves have seen some much needed improvements with the 5th Edition. We are still in need of an update, and some of what has been discussed may become null in a few weeks when the FAQ is released but for now Wolf Lords have much to be thankful for. If you wish to comment on, discuss or submit an article for review concerning this section please click on the B&C Emblem
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BLOOD ANGELS
N
ine years after the release of a very powerful and forever despised/fondly remembered Blood Angels Codex (depending on your side of the table), June 2007 saw the long awaited, highly anticipated renewal of the Blood Angels. However, for many players our swift following of suit after the Dark Angels Codex left many players with either a bitter taste in their mouths or a complete loss of passion for the army and optional rending DC just wasnt enough to re-ignite that doused fire. unit. I will do my best to avoid prescriptive advice and try stick to the facts and let your play style dictate your unit selection based on the information available. Also, please note, that this Tactica is written with a very broad reader base in mind. It tries to accommodate the readers that have not been scouring the internet for months on end for 5th Edition rumours and as a result the very basic changes that many (especially the online savvy) may already be aware of have been included.
Special Characters a quick note "The Inquisition and the Administratum say we are weak, because some of us have given in to the Black Rage- they are fools! The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!" - Chaplain Argustes"
Unbeknown to all but GWs inner circle, the BA dex, much like the DA dex was done not only with the new codex style in mind but, more accurately, with the new game system fully taken into consideration. Many of the missing puzzle pieces players had just assumed were non-sensical and simply the result of poor game design, suddenly fall into place when you look at the 40k 5th Edition rulebook. Going ahead to state the blindingly obvious, 4th Edition BA play decidedly differently from 5th Edition BA much like every other Codex out there. However, we have the added benefit which we share with only 4 other Codices. We were designed for 5th. It is really important to note that while the majority of the puzzle pieces are in place, there are still one or two mysteries remaining. These unknown factors will only come to the fore 2-3 months down the line with the release of the new Codex: Space Marines and its subsequent interaction (if any) with our favorite .PDF. The concept of Opponents Permission Special Characters was a decision that GW must have been regretting from very shortly after it went to print until now (Much like their fumbled: A Word about Secrecy rule - which they have since changed too.). What inadvertently happened was players were no longer able to use cool special characters in their pick-up games because opponents would simply not grant permission for them to do so. GW caught on to this fact very quickly and started excluding the opponents permission Special Character provisory as early on as the last Necron codex. However, it wasnt until the most recent Eldar codex where the concept of the Special Character was totally abolished and replaced by Named HQs. While this difference may be a mere matter of naming convention for some, it is in fact a decidedly different style of thinking that needs to be acknowledged by all. Too many players still post online saying they are unable to field a Special Character in the tournaments or the gaming groups that they are playing with. Now, if a player is wanting to handicap or limit themselves for fluff reasons or personal justification that they dont feel they should include a named HQ of legend on account of his rarity great. They are more than within their right to do so. No-one can tell them otherwise. However, telling others to do so is exactly the same as telling your friend/ opponent that Dreadnoughts/Terminators are rare and you should not play with more than one, if any at all, or tantamount to prescribing what army their opponents/friends play. Furthermore, having an event (tournament) that specifically excludes certain aspects of your army which has been balanced for
ARMY OVERVIEW
As a general overview and introduction into this BA 5th Edition Tactica, Ill review our army unit by
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5th Edition on account of a 3rd Edition throwback is certainly beyond unfair its blatantly stubborn. My advice to new and old players who experience unwarranted and unjustified pressure to not play named HQs is to simply ignore it as much as you can. Dont use the named HQ as a crutch. Dont model your army around one power piece and continue using it as a beat down stick to torture poor 12 year olds who cant get around it, but dont feel bad about including it to give your army a bit more punch. Thats why theyre there.
DC rending ability and a Chaplains Litanies rule and you pretty much have your first no brainer. Unlike other Space Marine chapters, the use of our Chaplains ties in directly to the use of the DC. We dont have the luxury of using the Chaplain as a regular or veteran assault squad booster. 5th Edition will see no difference in this for people wanting to play a Chaplain with a jump pack. However, 5th Edition has allowed us to open up some previously un-thought of possibilities which may see us experimenting without the standard jump pack Chaplain.
HEAD QUARTERS
Lemartes & the Death Company
Blood Angel lists for the last year have been dominated by one universal point of obviousness. What person would not take +1W and a special ability to reduce the Leadership of the enemy for an extra 5 points? Couple this with the requirement for us to be able to control our optional Death Company, the new
Points Of Change
Gentle Jogging: The ability for all units to now Run (a D6 move) allows for the previously slow Corbulo to get a little more speed and possibly a little more action regarding DC control allowing our Chaplain to support elsewhere if needed. Mounted Support: It may be ambiguous but mounted troops may score from within a transport.
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Dante
As useful as Mephiston was in 4th, Dante will be in 5th. Preferred enemy to all BA in 12. Coupled with his Death Mask, Rites of Battle, his mobility and Melta gun you have yourself an incredible unit that simply boosts the potential of your army many times over. Dante & Corbulo are already working their neo tagteam way into BA players lists online, trying to usurp the power from the previous Lemartes/Mephiston tag-team of devastation.
Other Options
The other non-named HQs will more than likely take a back seat to named characters for most tournament players.
Librarians Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, I see the lowly BA librarian falling to the bottom of the list of potential HQs. Why? Ill give you a few reasons. The forceweapons poor ability to kill big critters as mentioned. Poor synchronicity of powers (ie: you need to use wings to get to combat then cant use your combat power/ weapon) Leadership 9 psychic hood breakdown: Chance to beat opponents power on your roll 1. Impossible 2. Impossible 3. 16.7% 4. 33.3% 5. 50% 6. 66.6%
Corbulo
Combined with the above mentioned factors, and the fact that only Troops are scoring, Corbulos ability to boost BA units may see him getting much more use than ever before with or without a power weapon.which is sadly not the case with
Chaplains
Chaplains retain their usefulness, Lemartes will remain No.1 for players wanting a JP chaplain. Other configurations could see more use though, but possibly only as a secondary choice. Sadly, Special Weapon limitations - Models with two different special CCWs (eg; powerfist/Power weapon) will lose their +1 attack bonus for hand to hand weapons.
Tycho
Tycho now gets a minor buff against Orks in that Preferred enemy now grants re-rolls to hit as opposed to hits on 3s. Sadly this is the limit to his usefulness as he is still merely a Captain with a special ability for himself vs. Orks.
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Captains
A lot of the Captains use will now rely on what GW decides to do with Rites of Battle. (This is relating 5th Edition Codex rumors rather than rulebook issues as the Captains of the new C:SM do not have rites of battle). Should GW decide to keep Rites of Battle as a BA/DA ability, then we may see some more play considering how important leadership is now. Foot slogging captains may become a little more popular with mechanized options becoming more prevalent, but those wishing to play a jump pack captain will always be conflicted with the fundamental question on BA players minds; why not pay an extra 65 points and get Dante?
The Narthecium of the Sanguinary Priest preventing leadership checks from shooting or wounds within 6 (if we are to follow the DA description). The re-roll of leadership given by the banner bearer within 12. Add this to the fact they can get a similar selection of weapons as the VAS then you have a great support unit! Also remember that just because they have a base of two attacks does not mean they need to be armed for close combat. Bolters will be a great weapon load out for a support unit. Also, to minimize the new wound allocation issues, dont forget to arm your upgraded characters with your special weapons. This may seem like putting your eggs in one basket, but it can be wonderfully minimized by the priest.
Honour Guard
Its my belief that the honour guard will start seeing more play than before. Two of its most important abilities will now be even more invaluable to army commanders.
ELITES
Since Ive already discussed the DC in depth we can move on to discuss the other elite choices available to us. In the last year, almost every BA list included at least one unit of VAS. For near identical points cost as a RAS we could get an 8 man VAS squad with more attacks and more weapon options. Likewise, very few lists had terminators, fewer still had scouts, regular dreadnoughts barely made it onto the field except in the cases of tread-head lists and techmarines were something that some players had heard of somewhere. 5th Edition will see the opening up of the gaming playing field so much more. More succinctly, players will find their own balance of what works in relation to killing ability vs. claiming ability. It will be entirely list and player dependent and finding that balance will be so much more difficult because of the way it will interact with the enemy lists. The rock-paper-scissors aspect will become much more widely defined in that general, uber powerful all-comer lists seem like they will be much more difficult to produce leaving us with big choices to make. The choice of a troop heavy army may see us being torn apart by elite heavy armies, while elite heavy armies may see themselves being unable to claim objectives. The majority of this list play will revolve around the selection (if any) of our Elites.
Outnumbering no longer exists like before, so dreads can rarely get dragged down. Death company and/or Venerable upgrades seem like they will be well worth their points and Extra armour- even at its exorbitant pricing will be(/should be) stock standard.
Furioso Dreadnought
Mobility has always been the Furiosos #1 issue the result of which being that most players would only ever field one mounted in a Drop Pod. With the new Run rule, coupled with the above-mentioned factors we may see more use out of these guys.
Scout Squad
Outflank The new ability which allows us a chance to come on from reserve onto the left or right board edge will be the driving force behind taking the scouts. Sniper Rifles Although losing their hits on 2+ gain rending and retain pinning. Another very good reason to use them. Seeing a 5/10 man squad come in from a side board allows us a lot of tactical play in objective interference. Not to mention, a side placed heavy weapon could come in handy. Scouts are nowhere near a must have but will fall into play more often than before especially in certain assault heavy BA lists.
"Our father helped fell Horus...who are you to question our honour or loyalties?" - Captain Corpus
Dreadnought
While there is not likely to be a dreadnought revitalization revolution, they are much more likely than before to see the field. Power fist attack reduction Due to the loss of attacks on hidden fists, we can maybe get a bit more life in combat. New vehicle rules As mentioned above, vehicles are much more resilient Infantry provide vehicle cover saves- If 50% or more of the walker is blocked by intervening infantry, you get a 4+ save. This adds a LOT to the walkers survivability.
Terminators
With regards to normal terminators, there is nothing that has changed from 4th to 5th rules wise that will make a monumental difference to the incentive behind taking these boys. The only two things I can think of are: Initiative rules change in combat ie: Models that were able to attack at the start of their initiative turn will still be able to strike if models in the attack zone are killed when it rolls around to their initiative. What this means is, the power weapon Sarge wont mess things up for the Powerfists. A tiny change: Wound Allocation Small squads both benefit and are disadvantaged by the wound allocation system which may allow us to wrap around low AP shots. However, beyond rules changes per se are the metagame changes that may make these guys worthwhile.
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Horde Orks is becoming/has become the primary concern for many players out there. Horde Nids are also looking feasible. Furthermore infantry will be seeing the field more and more. Combine this with increased pricing of low AP weapons and you will start to see more high rate of fire weapons over low AP weapons. This makes for an excellent counter balance to use terminators. Hard as nails unit with a likely 2+/4+ (from cover) and some great shooting. Assault terminators benefit a lot from the new Run rule and that along with the new vehicle rules will make the Land Raider a VERY attractive option in higher point games in the new rules.
any generals army design. VAS will form a very big part of this thought process. The usefulness as far as pure power and in-unit versatility cannot be argued. However, putting in the 270 points for everyones favorite Melta, Flamer, Thunderhammer jumping squad will be taking 270 points away from scoring units. For some the pros still outweigh the cons, for others its the opposite. For some still, its tougher now more than ever to make a decision. Add to that the fact that the enemy will now be focusing on taking out your scoring units, you may even get the chance to keep them alive longer than before. There are some observations which will weigh heavily on peoples minds. Initiative rule change: As with the terminators, the ability to take mixed initiative based weapons (i.e.: Fists/Hammers and PWs) are now a blessing. Abundant Cover: The prevalence of cover in 5th Edition is what has made the Flamer a VERY powerful weapon. In fact, I will go as far as saying that IF
Techmarine
*sigh*
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TROOPS
Tactical Squads (TACs)
Undeniably and unequivocally, the unit that is going to find its way into our lists once again. And find its way with due force, I feel. Now true LOS (TLOS) is used, the need for screening Rhinos (that can ram at S8) will be plentiful. Objective Claiming by Troops only Availability of weapons to Tacs flamers/ plasma/heavies etc. No consolidation into new combat Makes bolters (and even the flamer) very attractive. Dawn Of War The new escalation can see us putting down 7 units. (4 combat squads, 2 razorbacks and HQ) as opposed to most peoples 3. With arguably more tactical flexibility in that (for example) we can get 10 Tacs, a HB Razor, a Lascannon, a Meltagun and a power weapon for 5 points more than 10 RAS with 1 Power Weapon and 1 Plasma Pistol, you can place money on seeing more of these guys in our lists.
HEAVY
Predator
New Vehicle Movement - Up to 6 and fire one weapon, 12 fire nothing New Defensive weapons Strength ie: 4 means that HB preds can no longer move 6 and fire everything Vehicles are hit side armour by barrage weapons Vehicles are hit rear armour in close combat.
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Baal Predator
Over-charged Engines. The ability to move 6 and still lay down a hail of fire. The ability to ram at Strength 10. The Baal becomes a HIGHLY attractive option. Sadly, heavy flamers are still not the best idea, but depending on how you play the Baal, this could change too.
Devastator
All blast markers scatter 2D6- BS. Additionally, you tally up ALL the wounds before you roll saves. Devs with the standard 4ML seem even more attractive than before in their multi-role purpose. Plasma barrages seem terrifying, but as always, the lascannons still seem overpriced unless your army is really lacking tank hunting. Dedicated Transports can transport any unit in your army eligible for a ride Need a ride for your HQ or the second half of a combat squaded VAS? No sweat. Makes for great support, albeit pricey.
"Stand with us or against us. A simple choice really don't you agree?" - Sgt Bartica
Land Raider & Crusader
New vehicle damage system Means that AV14 all around will only get destroyed by Missile Launchers by 5 hits thereafter all rolling 6s, and finally thereafter all rolling consecutive 5, or 6s. Anyone want to do the math on how many times you have to fire a ML to kill a LR? If we get the new Power of the Machine Spirit rule, (again C:SM) where we can move and fire everything, then this will be a very attractive choice. Not even as far as transport capability is concerned, but the ability to block LOS to other units, vehicles or the ability to be an actual support tank firing everything on the move makes taking a LR seem like a wise choice. Of course, Melta and Lance weaponry are still abound to ruin its day. The Crusader has the added advantage of being able to fire all those bolters with no penalty either! Bonus!
Vindicator
Other than the template weapon changes and universal vehicle changes mentioned already, not much has changed for the trusty vindicator. The template may scatter an average of 3 but Partial blast marker hits count as full The temptation to field one grows! Hull mounted weapons have a 45degree arc of fire- This means more exposed side shots If you were a fan before, you will be a fan now. If you were not a fan before, you may find yourself wanting to try fielding one.
FAST ATTACK
Attack Bike Squad
Kill Point Missions - There is a standard mission type where every unit killed grants the opponent 1 Kill Point (KP). This means that single sniper style attack bikes will be useful for claim distraction, but vulnerable in KP missions. AP1 & Melta Rule - AP1 gives you +1 to your vehicle damage result and Melta gives you a better chance of the Pen. All in all- VERY good against the added durability of vehicles.
Whirlwind
New ordnance rules Give us the ability to move 6 and fire the weapon, if we are firing it directly however, firing out of line of site scatters 2D6 (totaled and no subtraction of BS).
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"This is fair resistance at best. I weep for their lack of determination." - Tycho
Land Speeder Squad
Skimmers like all models use TLOS this makes the previous practice of dictating the skimmers height as your felt a thing of the past. Skimmers moving more than 12 get a 4+ cover save - There is no longer the skimmer moving fast rule where you only get glances. Skimmers only crash on an immobilized result if they move over 12 Skimmers lose the ability to be hit on 6s only in combat. Vehicles in vehicle squadrons treat stunned results as shaken but treat immobilized results as destroyed These changes do not bode too well for the cardboard armour skimmers who relied on the glances to save them. Additionally, moving 12 will allow them to fire 1 gun. This means two variants may see more play1. The Typhoon. On account of the range 2. The Multi-Melta /Heavy Flamer, since they can only fire one weapon anyway, neither weapon is wasted.
IN CLOSING
Change is something that old and new gamers alike struggle with. Its something we dont like to welcome with open arms as it wanders over to our house, wakes us up, and drags us kicking and screaming out of our comfort zone and forces us to think in different ways about things we were more than content having thought about previously. Admittedly, we can all acknowledge that this fact is not necessarily a bad thing. We may or may not like it. We may or may not welcome it but its certainly not a bad thing. Opening our minds to new changes will only make our lists and our gaming stronger. Trying things that have never been tried before will expand our gaming borders and develop our gaming experience which will, in turn, evolve into a much richer and rewarding experience. Fear not fellow BA Brethren. The BA are here to stay. And the BA are strong. The Blood Angels are as strong as ever before, if not imbued with a little more potential for victory in 5th Edition. If you wish to comment on, discuss or submit an article for review concerning this section please click on the B&C Emblem
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WHY 5
TH
EDITION?
a bad thing as it kept the game easy to interpret. You didnt have to worry about crazy large model bases or extremely dynamic poses. Likewise, Area Terrain seemed to make sense. A piece of cut felt could easily represent a clump of trees. Individual tree placement didnt matter; a given model was in or out and cover was clearly evident at a glance for both players. Not so any more. The two basic abstractions common to the 40K system, height and area, were replaced with the new WYSIWYG system. Formally, a shooting model needed to be able to draw LoS to the torso of the target model. This was a good rule. The model could be dancing on their tip-toes with arms outstretched dressed in pantaloons but still be hiding behind some area terrain. Now, if a fine tuned laser pointer can tag the outstretched arm, that twirling dervish of a warrior can be shot at, along with his entire troop of buddies hiding behind him, even those outside of the range of the weapon firing. Huh?
The following is an editorial counterpoint to the release of 5th edition and as such offers a different viewpoint to previous articles. The latest edition of Warhammer 40K is upon us and maybe a bit earlier than expected. Before making judgement calls on whether or not 5th Edition is an improvement or a step backwards its only fair to lay out the criteria by which we are making that judgement. Here is a quick summary of considerations without spending time defining them. That will become much clearer in the context of the material following. For now, consider the following for evaluating the merits of 5th Edition 40K on a change-by-change basis: Does the change make the game more streamlined; therefore faster and easier to play? Does the change make 40K more of a real-life simulation; i.e. does the rule just make sense? Does the change simply make the game more fun to play? (this is a game after all) Does the change make good business sense?; i.e. it serves as a catalyst to sell models You just cant disregard that last one. Note also that each of these qualities come as an asset and a liability. A game thats too streamlined can also be seen as overly simplistic; forfeiting simulation, fun game play, etc., etc. So change is change but change coupled with improvement equals progress. That being said, here is one gamers gut reaction to the latest incarnation of the Warhammer 40,000 rule system. Why did they change the Terrain & Line of Sight system? Is it all about the business? The new terrain and Line of Sight (LoS) system begs some questions concerning the designers motivation. What was wrong with the 4th Edition system? I cant think of a single time I ever heard a 40K player complain about how terrain worked in a 40K context. It was abstract but that wasnt necessarily
Whatever happened to the principle of, "if it ain't broke don't fix it?"
Whatever happened to the principle of, if it aint broke dont fix it? Admittedly, the three height levels were a bit odd but it kept 40K easy to follow on a two dimensional plane. Exact height and scale didnt matter so much which only encouraged more elaborate and dynamic model conversions. So net/ net, seems like this change didnt help much in the area of streamlining or taking a make sense approach but what did it do for game play? Q: How much terrain does it take to lend a 4+ save to a Land Raider? A: A whole lot. For those of us who now have a copy of Julys White Dwarf (US 324), check out that set-up in the Capture & Control battle report starting on pg. 48. I believe that gaming table tells it all when it comes to the most ideal way these terrain rules are meant to be used. Too bad we all dont have studio artists at
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home to help build such elaborate set-ups. In the mean time, I suppose we can always draw trees on our pieces of cut felt and just claim that they happen to stand a foot tall. At least until we buy ourselves more of those GW forest terrain models. How much do those cost again? Ah yes, that will make for some good business for GW. Streamline the gaming experience With good cause, some cumbersome rules in 4th Edition were thankfully dropped. Chief among them was the Mixed Armour rules. For the unfortunate few units that were forced to make them, a ton of potentially argumentative issues could arise. Now, just like the mixed Toughness rules, the save of the majority of models in the unit defines the roll required. Nice, very straight forward, easy to remember and leaves no room for dispute. If only all rules were like that. So far, those who have played a few 5th Edition games report that a typical game doesnt take quite as long as it use to and its easy to see why. Mission objectives have been simplified making it very straight forward to determine who won or lost (or more often tied). Kill Points now replace Victory Points when it comes to determining the outcome of the Annihilate style missions. It doesnt take much to count up the number of units killed to the very last man. When you compare rule changes like this to Warhammer Fantasy Battles one might
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Ultimately, our criticisms as 40K players inevitably went back to the game designers. If only they would play test these rules thoroughly enough, they would find the abuses and remove them from the game. If there are no beardy rules to exploit then there are no beardy power gamers either. Making things more fair and balanced So did this rule make 40K more fair and balanced? As Infantry/Troops now step into the limelight, their role on the table cannot be disputed. Its not just because the FOC requires that you take two of them. There is now a very real game mechanic that forces more Troops to the table. Show up with only two units at your own peril. Your enemy may show up with 6+ and walk away with an easy win. The question here then rests on the qualities of the Troop choices themselves. Among the armies that clash in the 40K universe, not all troops are created equal. Though this is a bit debatable, most of the 40K Codices were not written with this rule in mind. When army rules were written, Troops were just Troops, one of several kinds of scoring units that could make up a given army. They werent necessarily seen as the core driver that made that army balanced in comparison to all others. In fact, it can be argued that some armies had their Troops toned down to offset very high quality Elites, Heavies or Fast units found in the rest of the codex.
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The Bolter & Chainsword would like to state that this Electronic Magazine is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited. Adeptus Astartes, Blood Angels, Bloodquest, Cadian, Catachan, the Chaos devices, Cityfight, the Chaos logo, Citadel, Citadel Device, Codex, Daemonhunters, Dark Angels, Dark Eldar, Eavy Metal, Eldar, Eldar symbol devices, Eye of Terror, Fire Warrior, Forge World, Games Workshop, Games Workshop logo, Genestealer, Golden Demon, Gorkamorka, Great Unclean One, Inquisitor, the Inquisitor logo, the Inquisitor device, Inquisitor:Conspiracies, Keeper of Secrets, Khorne, Kroot, Lord of Change, Necron, Nurgle, Ork, Ork skull devices, Sisters of Battle, Slaanesh, Space Hulk, Space Marine, Space Marine chapters, Space Marine chapter logos, Tau, the Tau caste designations, Tyranid, Tyrannid, Tzeentch, Ultramarines, Warhammer, Warhammer 40k Device, White Dwarf, the White Dwarf logo, and all associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer 40,000 universe are either , TM and/or Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2008, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. Used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights Reserved to their respective owners. Warhammer 40,000 Finally - A quick Hello and we did follow all the rules! to James and Talima @ GW Legal if they ever read this.