40K: New Codexes: Our Hopes & Dreams
Warhammer 40,000 8th is here and it’s great – but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some room for improvement!
I have been super thrilled with this release and new edition of Warhammer 40k. I have been trying to get as many games as I can in while devouring all the rules and unit abilities I can handle. It’s been a trip so far but things are starting to stick. I’m really enjoying this journey of discovery and I hope you are too – we’re all learning cool new things and it’s a wonderful time to be in the hobby.
We’re having fun! See the muzzle flash – that’s fun coming your way!
The Indexes have been really helpful thus far as well. I like that each index has multiple factions and sub-factions in them. I’ve been learning about T’au, Orks and Genestealer Cults as I’ve been playing my Tyranids, too! That said, these books are definitely a stop-gap for this new edition. I mean, we all knew that right? These books are not the “final-form” of how the 8th Edition books will end up. How do I know? Well, look at the evidence:
- Light on background – there was virtually no lore/background for the factions. You got a page or two and that was pretty much it.
- All the factions crammed in to “logical” groups – Yes, the groups made sense but the Indexes are certainly jam-packed with datasheets…but it still felt like a lot of the flavor from the codexes were missing.
- no real art or models, it’s all rules – Where are all the unit entries? Where are the disgusting tid-bits about how Tyranids weapons are maggots that bore into your brain and eat you from the inside? And were are the pictures of the models, painted to perfection and showcased all over the place?
And the Painting Guides!? I WANT THEM!!!
But the biggest piece of evidence isn’t from these observations, it’s direct from Games Workshop with the Live Q&A:
New Codexes?
Yes! Codexes are not going away, but they will come at a later date.
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and let’s not forget this tid-bit from the follow-up Q&A:
Specific Army Rules (examples) – this one was unscripted so it’s very general concepts
Imperial Fist – Better vs. Defending/fortifications
White Scars – Hit and Run
Battle Forge Army Each Unit/Detachment must share one keyword, Examples:
AdvertisementImperium – limited stratagems to just generic “Imperium”
Space Marine – Gain access to Space Marine Stratagems on top of Imperium Stratagems
<Chapter> – Specific Chapter Strategems on top of the others
The more specific the key word the “deeper” you can go with the Stratagems
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Pete, we want another Live Q&A!
So we know new codexes are on the way, it’s just a matter of time. We’ve also got some hints that they will get some Specific Army Rules and that they will get some special benefit with list construction and Stratagem access.
But now that we know those things…What do we want out of codexes? Well here’s a small list of things we’d like to see:
New Lore
So the Galaxy kind of exploded in a psychic shockwave and a tear through reality formed. That’s a BIG deal and every single faction was impacted by this. There was even an entire Tyranid Hive Fleet that went MIA due to the warp – that’s unheard of! I want to know what happens to each faction and how they are reacting to this massive warp tear! I want to know what’s next for them and how they are reacting and adapting to the new “state of things” in the galaxy. So yes, I would like to know more!
New Models
Okay – the Primaris Space Marines are new and cool. But they are still Space Marines! They can’t be the only ones that got some sweet new upgrades – even if they were 10,000 years in the making… The new Death Guard models are also fantastic. But I want to know about the other cool new kits for the rest of the factions. New Models for EVERYONE! Especially Plastic Sisters of Battle for all you die hard fans. I don’t play them, but I’m still rooting for you.
GW has quite a few kits that are a tad dated at this point. I won’t bother naming them all but there are a few models that need some updates. Here’s a list of the Top 5 Chaos models that need some love to give you an idea. You could make one for each faction – and I think we will at some point!
Sub-Factions
Do you remember when the Genestealer Cults came out? Do you remember all the different Sub-Factions they had? I want those to come back – and I want Lore Based Detachments (see below) for those. Is this a pipe dream? I don’t think so! I think this is the direction that GW is moving with their new codexes and as evidence I present you with this picture from the Kharadron Overlords book:
I want this in 40k. These Sub-Factions are fun, fluffy and they are slightly more powerful than a “generic” faction. Which ties in nicely with my next subject…
Lore Based Detachments
Last edition suffered from the over abundance of detachments and formations. I do NOT want to see that return. What would like is for each sub-faction to get a cool detachment and be based on the Lore. For example, if you were playing Dark Angels Ravenwing and you take a Fast Attack heavy detachment, then you should get a small bonus for the Ravenwing units in that detachment. Something like a -1 to enemy rolls to hit them vs shooting attacks for Ravenwing units that move over 10″ in a turn. This represents their skillful rider-ness in a flavorful way that doesn’t seem too Over Powering.
Now a special detachment for EVERY sub-faction would get overwhelming pretty quick. The good news is that thanks to the Keyword system, you won’t have to worry about units getting the benefit when they shouldn’t.
More Psychic Powers
This one is for my Chaos players out there. You guys got a fantastic pair of releases with the Tzeentch book and the Traitor Legions books. I’m sorry for your loss because it’s got to be hard to go back to a “generic” index after those two amazing books came out. I’m hoping that when the codexes do come out you’ll get the same treatment you got – only better! I’m also hoping that GW includes a couple more Psychic Powers for your daemons to toss out because right now Smite and a few other just aren’t enough.
I have a feeling each army will get at least 6 powers each. The 3 basic ones you get in the Indexes are all really low-level powers that are fairly reliable. I want to see some powers with more risk and more reward. Maybe a few powers that go off on an 8+ but can really buff or cripple a unit. Heck, I’d setting for the basic powers that are in the indexes, but just amped up! For example Smite does more damage if you cast it on a 10+ right? Well what if appropriate powers did the same thing? So maybe on a 10+ the range of an aura increases or maybe you can target a second unit with a buff power. Things like that!
Warlord Traits
We need more Warlord Traits, ASAP. The 3 basic ones in the core book range from mildly useful to completely useless depending on the army. I get it – folks don’t want to see Warlord Traits become game breakingly powerful. I don’t want that either. But I would like for the them to be useful for their specific army. For example – What if the Tyranids got their old Warlord trait that added 6″ to their synapse again? That’s much more useful than +1 leadership to creatures within 6″ of the Warlord – especially considering Synapse lets you ignore morale tests. Just sayin!
Artifacts/Relics
These are from the Blades of Khorne book for AoS – but I want this concept for the new Codexes. The art is cool but also they have them listed later in the book as wargear options you can take. This was a concept from 7th that I do hope they add back in 8th!
Keyword Based Stratagem
Now this one is kind of a gimme because we know this is already been confirmed. But I want to go on record saying that I’m a firm believer that if you are taking a list that is entirely made of one sub-faction you should be rewarded for that. If you’re playing all Ultramarines, you should get access to a super cool Ultramarine only strategem. If you’re playing a straight Snake Bite Clan list for Orks, you deserve a cool strategem! Now, what those could be – I’ll leave that up to your imagination. But they should be represented from the Lore and they should be worth spending command points on.
I could go on. I didn’t even talk about custom missions or new Special Characters – but you get the idea. What would you like to see in the next batch of Codexes!?
