40K: It Is Time for Codex Imperial Agents
With most of the 8th Edition codexes behind us – it’s time to deal with the stragglers – and put some dead-enders in the ground.
WHEW – what a whirlwind 8th Edition has been. It came out in July of 2017, and only 18 months later we have over 20 hardback codexes out. With Genestealer Cult arriving this weekend and Sororitas in Chapter Approved 2018 – a quick look across the 5 Index books that kicked off 8th shows us only these sub-factions have not been redone:
Index Imperium 1: Obsolete
Index Imperium 2:
- Aeronautica Imperialis (2 units)
- Adeptus Astra Telepathica (3 units)
- Sisters of Silence (4 units)
- Officio Assassinorum (4 units)
- Inquisition (8 units)
- Fortifications (11 units)
Index Chaos: Obsolete
Index Xenos 1:
- Ynarri (3 units)
Index Xenos 2: Obsolete
Yes, there are certainly single units here and there with no models available within various sub-factions, but I only want to deal with entire sub-factions that have not been redone. Setting aside Ynarri who I believe deserve a standalone codex with an entire redo and some new minis – we see that the remaining units are all Imperial. Not only that, they match closely to the contents of 7th edition’s very last codex:
Remember that one from December 2016? Here is its table of contents:
I’m pretty sure GW could swap out a couple of those sections with the ones we still await like Sisters of Silence and put that book out in short order.
But Why?
Putting out a new 8th edition Imperial Agents codex does two things. Firstly, it lets GW give the last missing Imperial sub-factions more attention and detail, such as Warlord traits, Relics, and stratagems. They can go to town on things that honestly need more love like the Inquisition, Sisters of Silence, and the Assassins. 8th Edition has grown a lot since it’s launch and many of these factions now have new minis, especially the Inquisition thanks to Blackstone Fortress. Let’s not forget the game’s other new sub-faction Rogue Traders, thanks to Rogue Trader. These guys would be right at home in this book with expanded and updated rules.
Secondly, and yes I’m beating a dead horse – aside from Ynarri (noted above), a new Imperial Agents would be the death knell of the 5 Index books. At this point, even some TOs of major events admit that the cherry-picking of exotic units from the indexes introduces a lot of problems into what the game is in 2019. Finally sunsetting the Indexes for Matched Play (remember you can always use pretty much any unit’s Power Level for Open and Narrative play) would normalize the game and make future game balance easier. We are all grownups (right?), and I think it’s time to admit that for the game to continue to grow, we have let some of our early training wheels go.
~A new Codex Imperial Agents would get us at long last across the finish line to a better, brighter future.
Hey, I still exist – can someone please use me?
