Warhammer 40K: About Those New Changes for the New Year
Adam here to talk about the recent FAQ changes to everyone’s favorite grimdark universe.
With the release of the new edition of 40K, we didn’t get a December Chapter Approved. This seems to be okay as we just had one recently in July and we needed to see how the new game would play out, at least as much as we can. As a new year gift, Games Workshop has gifted us with a new set of FAQs, rules addendums, and points adjustments. There is a lot of information to go through but there are also a few things that have stood out. So this article will take a look at some of the changes and how they may affect the meta.
Going First
One of the big changes we have seen is that they require the winner of the turn roll to go first. Games Workshop mentions that this was done so that there was no time wasted on deciding to go first or second. To be honest I am not sure how useful this change is. Sure it may save some time but I’m not sure if it actually does. Currently, it seems a lot of lists are built to go first so there really is no choice in the matter for most players. There are probably times that you would want to go second but I rarely see it. This also takes that choice away if you do happen to build a list that is better when going second. If people haven’t been doing it already I think that many players may build lists that don’t really rely on going first or second. Another occurrence may also be that you have to spend command points in order to put those valuable units in reserve in order to protect them. This may be something you might already do but we may see more of this since you now won’t have a choice in the matter.
Scoring the Last Turn
Ninth edition changed a number of things. One of them was that the game only lasts five turns. Another was that you score your objectives in the command phase of each turn, which occurs at the start of the turn. This caused a problem if someone were going second and many times would make the last turn in the game practically worthless for the player going second. So much so that it was rarely played out as they couldn’t score because the player going first would block any chance of scoring points. The new rule basically allows for scoring, by the player going second, at the end of the turn. This is a huge change because it doesn’t guarantee a win for the first turn player if they are ahead. It gives the player going second some hope in closing the gap, if they are behind in points. I really like this change and look forward to seeing how this plays out at future tournaments.
Invader ATVs Stay Dead
I remember the days when the only thing that came back from the dead was Necrons. Nowadays, apparently, Space Marines have learned this magic and can also bring models back from the dead. It usually wasn’t an issue as it was just a space marine or primaris marine coming back. It really wasn’t that big of a game-changer when compared to the other rules that space marines had gotten in the last year and a half. Well, a funny thing happened with the launch of the new edition. The introduction of the Invader ATV turned a few heads as it was a potent little vehicle, except it didn’t have the vehicle keyword but the biker keyword.
8 Wounds! Eat your heart out Techmarine!
The result was that you had Apothecaries that would revive a dead Invader model, using the Combat Revival stratagem, with its full complement of 8 wounds. That’s like reviving a dreadnought a turn. I know it can be frustrating when you destroy a model that has a lot of wounds but then it comes back at full strength the following turn – oh boy! I’m sure Grey Knight players feel that pain when they play against daemons. The adjustment to the stratagem still allows you to revive bikes but excludes the Invader ATV. That means that the Invader will now stay dead when someone actually manages to kill one.
~Well. that’s all for this week. I know that there are plenty more examples from the release, so just let me know what you think, and what some of the changes you are excited or dismayed about, in the comments section below.
