40K: 9th Edition Starter Unboxing – What to Expect
GW is unboxing the 9th Edition Boxed Set this week. Let’s put everything we know together to get an idea of what to expect.
Get ready becasue next Saturday, June 13th, GW is going to unbox the new 9th Edition Starter set. We have a pretty good idea what’s in it, based on the teasers we’ve already gotten, but let’s take a look back at 8th Edition’s Dark Imperium to compare.
What We Know About 9th
We know GW has shown off new minis for:
- Primaris
- Necrons
The new Warhammer40000.com website is already showing some of them. They made a fancy new 40K animation highlighting:
- Primaris
- Necrons
- Sisters of Battle
- Astra Militarum (who die real fast at the very start)
The boxed set is said to be weeks away (not months).
What they Did Last time
One of the best ways to figure out what is coming is to look at the corresponding product that GW put out at the last new edition launch. So let’s go back and examine what was in Dark Imperium:
Here’s our unboxing from 3 years back:
Games Workshop labeled Dark Imperium “Ultimate Warhammer 40,000 Boxed Set” .
Aside from the 53 miniatures, it came with some fancy extras. The Rulebook was a 280 page Hard Cover book. That’s the first time GW had put a Hard Cover book in the starter box for 40k. You also got the now familiar 8-page core rules fold-out.
You got a new “range-finder” is included (how I miss you “whippy-stick” rules). You also get a set of dice which were slightly larger than previous editions. Two additional 24-page “mini-codexes” were included for the Death Guard and Primaris Space Marines in the box.
You also get a water-slide transfer sheet. You can use those to make your Primaris Marines one of the “Big 4” chapters. You also get an assembly guide for the miniatures.
Primaris Space Marine Sprues
Death Guard Sprues
As for the miniatures – well, it’s Games Workshop and these sprues were industry leading, expecially the Death Guard side. Their sprues were jam-packed with goodies and the details are crisp. This was the grand debut of the Primaris range and they were groundbreaking 3-years back.
Dark Imperium $160
What I Expect
I expect something along the same lines, that incorporates all the minis we’ve already seen. I expect GW to stick to the Space Marines versus a single enemy faction model they have used 8 times in a row. So I think the inclusion of a little bit of Sisters is unlikely. I would expect the modelcount to be roughly on par with Dark Imperium, right around 50. The sprues will be the intermixed starter set style frames designed for ease of assembly. Like 8th Edition, I also expect to see 2 smaller cheaper “just the facts ma’am” sets aimed at brand new players. Remember that we say some of these accompany Dark Imperium with 8th Launched.
So something along these lines:
Primaris Marines
- Captain
- Ancient
- Judiciar
- LT ~There can never be enough
- Assault Intercessors x10
- Bladeguard (x3-5)
- Outriders x3
- Heavy Weapons dudes (x3-5) ~Maybe, maybe not.
Necrons
- Skorpech Lord
- Skorpekh Destroyer (x3-5)
- New Warriors Weapon A (x10-12)
- New Warriors Weapon B (x10-12)
- Possible single all new dreadnought-equivalent sized model
Accessories
- Rulebook ~We’ll see if it’s hardcover, fingers crossed!
- Core Rules Pamphlet
- Primaris Mini-codex (for included models)
- Necron Mini-codex (for included models)
- Ruler
- Dice
- Decals
Price: ???
What do you think is in the Starter Set and what will it cost?
