40K: New Transport Rules Teased?
If Warhammer 40K is getting the AoS treatment then we may have just gotten a clue at the new Transport rules…
Rumors have been swirling about the upcoming changes of Warhammer 40K from 7th to 8th editions. We also heard some interesting tidbits direct from Games Workshop at Adepticon as well. The biggest concern we’ve noted is the fear that the rules are getting “Sigmarized” or “streamlined” too much. At the same time folks are feeling the weight of the rules and are ready for some of that bloat to get cut.
Well, if Games Workshop is planning borrowing AoS Rules then I think we just got a huge preview of what we can expect (or maybe hope for) in the next edition. All courtesy of our new Kharadron Overlords.
Hiding In Plain Sight
Have you seen the new Arkanaut Frigate? Seriously cool and there are two more airships on the way! As we were going through the new battletome while filming we noticed something very interesting – the Warscrolls for the Frigate had some new rules: Embark, Disembark, Vessel, and Overburdened:
If you want to see the unit rules in their entirety you can do that HERE. For now, let’s take a look at each rule and see how they work and why they work so well.
Embarking
Embarking is pretty simple.
- If a unit of Skyfarer models are able to move within 3″ then they can get on the transport.
- They are removed from the table and are effectively out of play for other abilities or actions on the table.
- If the Transport is destroyed roll a die for each model embarked. For each 1, a model is removed (owning player’s choice) – that model is counted as slain. They must then disembark, then remove the destroyed Transport.
I like these rules. Embarking is pretty clean and clear. I appreciate that GW also made note that the unit is effectively outside the battle – they have no impact via their abilities and other abilities do not interact with them. If you were around for the era of the “Doom of Malan’tai” and had to deal with the Spirit Leech then you know how that played out. Or if you were around for “Can I cast Fortune from my transport to another unit on the table?” …those issues were (eventually) resolved* but these rules are very simple and clean.
Games Workshop managed to boil down how to get onto transports and the “State” of the unit that boarded them in seven sentences. The amount of arguments those seven sentences just proactively stopped is staggering.
Disembarking
Disembarking is equally as simple and elegant.
- At the start of the Hero Phase, a unit can disembark within 3″ of the transport and none are within 3″ of an enemy model.
- Any model that cannot be set up in this way is slain.
- Disembarked units can act normally for the remainder of the turn – that includes abilities used in the hero phase.
- A unit cannot disembark and embark in the same turn.
Again, these rules make a ton of sense. Now, this DOES create the issue of your opponents “bubble wrapping” you transports and then blowing you out of the sky – but that’s the risk you take. I’ve done it to others and I’ve had it done to me. If nothing else it makes the game quicker.
I actually like the fact that transports can be deadly in this way. It’s a wargame, things need to get destroyed. It’s boring to blow-up a Rhino and the unit just pops out like nothing happened. Especially after rolling all those dice…
Overburdened
Okay, this one is probably one of the more interesting rules. I LOVE the fact that Games Workshop has included this as a “thing” for the transports. Has anyone else ever wondered, “well why can’t they just have more models just jump on top and be carried?” Well now they can! There is a cost as you do lose 1″ of movement for each model over the “capacity” but it’s a good trade-off. It’s these types of rules that are worth adding – and it’s only another two sentences. Clean, short, flavorful, and easy – that’s how you write a good rule.
I don’t know how you personally feel about the ruleset of AoS. Love it or Hate it, these transport rules take a couple of pages of rules from the BRB and boil them down to a couple paragraphs. Simple rules doesn’t mean they are bad. Complexity doesn’t mean they are good. If you can get the point across in a sentence then why spend a page explaining it? If GW wants to translate these transport rules from AoS over to 40k, I’m good with that – are you?
What do you think of the first “Transport Rules” for AoS – would you be for or against implementing them in 40k?
*If you weren’t around for this era just be glad. It was a dark time of waiting for FAQs and relying on common sense.
