40K: The Big Take Aways From 8th Announcement
8th Edition is on the way! But did you catch the Big News from the announcement?
In all the excitement of the 8th Edition Announcement people everywhere are still trying to digest the news. The great thing is that GW put out an FAQ about the announcement to help end speculation and restore some common sense to the situation. So let’s take a quick look at what they were really saying between the lines (and also in direct quotes):
The Current Codexes Are Getting Invalidated
What happens to my codexes?The rules in our current range of Warhammer 40,000 codexes aren’t compatible with the new edition of Warhammer 40,000. These books will be going off sale very soon. If you do want to pick any up, now’s the time – as all of the great hobby content and background information will be as valid as ever.
This one is going to sting. Sorry, but all your codexes are not going to be used for 8th. Ouch. But, we all knew this was coming right? With the addition of the Movement stat and the changes to Armor Saves announced at Adepticon, the writing was on the wall. But don’t go burning all your books just yet – if you hang on to them in 20 years you can do Retro Videos!
Factions Are Consolidated…Sort of.
If you’ve been over to the new Warhammer 40000 website you may have noticed the factions are listed as: Chaos, Imperium, and Xenos. Within each parent faction there are of course sub-factions. The Imperium still has a list of all the different Marines, Astra Militarum, Ad Mech, etc. Chaos still has CSM, Chaos Daemons, (and curiously) both Thousand Sons & Death Guard… And the Xenos, which still has each of the different Alien races – Tau, Necrons, Eldar, Orks & Tyranids (and GSC) – along with their associated sub-sub-factions (Dark Eldar, Harlies, Ynnari).
What does this mean for the future? We don’t know for sure. BUT if we assume they are modeling this release off of AoS (which, c’mon it’s pretty obvious) then we can extrapolate a few things:
This is all conjecture – put on your tinfoil hats!
Expect some type of “Grand Alliance” books early on. These will probably be blanket books to cover the transition period until new “Codexes” drop. It happened with AoS (and is still an on going process). I would put money on a “General’s Handbook” to come early with all the core rules and points for units. And hot on it’s heels, these “Grand Alliance” type books. Now, that doesn’t mean that Tyranids are suddenly buddy-buddy with Eldar or that Orks are bro-fisting Necrons. That just means there will be a Generic “Xenos” book.
I would also wager that day 1 we will see GW dump a quick start PDF for all the current factions with bare-bones unit info and points just so we can all play. That should hopefully tide the community over until they can roll-out all the new books that they undoubtedly have planned. If it was me I’d do it in this order:
- PDFs for all armies Day 1 (think more Ravening Hordes and less goofy Warhammer: AoS PDFs from Day 1)
- General’s Handbook with Points and Core Rules
- “Grand Alliance Books”
- Individual “codexes” as they come
Will it happen like that? I have no idea! But that’s what I would do and I’m pretty sure GW has thought of that. Heck, they pretty much did that for AoS (except they were a little late on that General’s Handbook – but they learned their lesson).
General’s Handbook – Annual Release
Will the rules be updated annually (ala, the General’s Handbook)?
What a great idea! We’ve had such a fantastic response to our community-led approach with the Warhammer Age of Sigmar rules updates that we’re committed to doing the same for Warhammer 40,000. You’ll be able to submit your questions and queries on the Warhammer 40,000 Facebook page and we’ll make sure we continue to evolve the game as feedback rolls in.
This. Is. Huge. Why? Because for the first time in a LONG time Games Workshop has basically said “We’re going to support Match Play for Warhammer 40,000.” No longer will we have to wait for YEARS for armies to get FAQ’d or tweaked. With the points in the General’s Handbook they can tweak and update those annually. That means the books will also be tweaked when the new points come out. We’ve already seen them do that for the AoS side of things – and it’s a GOOD change. Games Workshop is taking feedback and will apply that to an ever evolving game. That’s great news!
All Your Miniatures Are Fine – No “Squat” Alerts
Wait, did you guys blow up the universe?Nope. This is very much still the Warhammer 40,000 setting you know and love. Now, that’s not to say we won’t see the story advance – there’s some pretty epic stuff ahead! You can certainly expect to see the story arcs that began in the recent Gathering Storm campaign books continue to unfold with plenty of exciting developments to look forward to…
Is my army still valid?Yes, it certainly is! You’ll still be able to use your army in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000. All current armies will be supported with new rules.Can I still use all my models?Yes. Every Warhammer 40,000 miniature we sell today will be usable in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000. What’s more, they’ll be supported with new rules, which will be available from the get go in handy, low-cost books.Even Forge World models?Yes, even all of your Warhammer 40,000 Forge World models.
Don’t go burning your army! Unless you just want to have a viral video or something. Or at least wait until the new edition actually drops. Just a suggestion.
Core Rules Are FREE
How can I get the rules?We’re going to make it easier than ever to get your hands on the rules and start playing. The core rules for the game will be free, and you’ll have several options on how you get your hands on the full rulebook.
“The core rules for the game will be free”
Are you looking forward to the next edition of Warhammer 40,000? What were the BIG THINGS you noticed about the announcement?
