How Good is Codex Astra Militarum – Maybe the Best

With the Astra Militarum Codex now out lets take a brief look at some of the big picture effects the codex has on the army.

BoLS resident AM General StableAbe here to walk you thought just how good the new codex is.

BOOM BOOM!

Strong Shooting Got Stronger

Astra Militarum have always been good at shooting. That they would still be good at is not real surprise. However the codex took what was already arguable the best shooting army in the game and made it better. While many units underwent little to no changes, a few got some big upgrades. In particular the ability for Leman Russes to fire main guns twice a turn (and not take penelites for moving less that half)  is a huge boost to an AM army’s firepower. Since Leman Russes actually ended up a bit cheaper from the indexes this is huge. Add to that new doctrines, orders, and stratagems that increase offensive power.  From re-rolling 1s to hit, to re-rolling number of shots to more, the firepower the AM can deploy is not only greater than before but also more effective.

You won’t kill us all.

A More Survivable Force

While the Guard have always been a force to reckon with in their shooting phase, they’ve tended not to do so well in the other player’s. Outside of tanks, which have varied in surviablity,  the Guard traditionally die easy, with numbers not toughness being the thing to overcome. While this remains true on the whole, the Codex does significantly add to the staying power of the AM. From stratagems like “Take Cover” which adds +1 to armor saves, to commands that allow units to move or embark after shooting, the AM has a lot of ways to last longer.

While Commissars can keep them from running there are a number of other tricks int he Codex that do similar things, so leadership won’t be a big issue. The right combination of things can even net you a unit for conscripts with a 2+ save from shooting, and a -1 to hit them. On top of that if you want numbers you can take more Guardspeople then ever before.

Faster than ever.

Something to Do In Every Phase

Older versions of IG/AM Codices have shone in the shooting phase and not much else. In times past it has not been rare to see Guard lists that only every really did things in the shooting phase. Maybe a big of movement here and there, and not much else. The new Codex gives you an army that wants to take part in every phase. Gone are the big movement restrictions. Some armies, like Tallarn or Steel Legion are down right fast. Lemon Russes can outpace most other tanks with the right commands, and still pour out fire. Access to cheap Pyskers brings that phase to life as well. Lastly you know have access to a couple of good close combat units, and the ability to build some pretty effective close combat lists. The new codex allows you to make good use of the combat phase. This a new well rounded and active Astra Militarum.

There’s a million more behind me – good luck!

No Obvious Weakness

One thing you notice pretty quickly looking at the new Codex, is that there isn’t a very obvious weakness to the book. As I mentioned above it can now act well in every phase of the game. While close combat has traditionally been a guard weakness, they now have a lot of different ways to mitigate that, in addition to simply falling back.  Firepower, survibablity and, mobility are all now core areas the guard can excel out. With a thousand different tools, and numerous ways to build lists the Astra Miliatruma are now versatile and without a glaring weakness.

~ The biggest question is does the new codex make the AM one of the top 2 armies in the game, or the very top themselves.

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.