Warhammer 40K: Is Codex: Chaos Daemons Too Complicated For The Game?
Codex Chaos Daemons is coming soon, but it might be too complicated for 9th Edition.
Chaos Daemons are about to get a new codex. It is a bit overdue, and I can hear Be’Lakor bellowing in excitement from here. Daemons are one of the last books to get a 9th Edition update and are coming into a game with a lot of baggage. While we are super-excited for the new book, we do have to ask a question. Will they be good for the game overall? Let’s take a quick look at what we mean.
9th Edition Is Complicated Y’all
9th Edition is no longer new. It’s been out for quite some time now. Alongside a host of Codexes we’ve also gotten a ton of other rule changes. Chapter Approved volumes and FAQs have shifted the game over the past few years. At this point it’s a complex and not at all easy game to get into. The other week I talked about some things from 9th that we won’t miss whenever 10th comes around. In response to this most people commented that the biggest issue tye had was the complexity of the game.
It’s not just that you have a ton of layered rules. Many armies have one or more army wide rule(s) that change turn-to-turn. It is a lot to keep track of. You can’t simply look at a unit and remember that it’s affected by X rules. You have to do it turn by turn to remember how those rules might have changed. It’s all super complex.
Chaos Daemons Are Bringing More Complications
So given how complex the game is and how much it bothers people you might thank that Daemons would be a chance to maybe tone some things down. Haha, of course not! Foolish mortal! Did you think DAEMONS of all things would be a tame, or normal, book? Nope! Old Chaos Daemons are upping the ante with even more complex rules. Just take the newly shown off saves for example. In the past units only had one save. But not anymore! Now Daemons get TWO saves. One for use against shooting and one for use against combat.
The worst thing is, I actually like this rule. It’s a really interesting idea, I could see it working across the board. But…, and this is a big but for me, it is also complicated. Having to remember two save for every unit and when they can be used adds another layer of complexity to a game. You can’t just ask “what’s that unit save” and get a simple answer anymore. There are now qualifiers. To add to the complexity it’s also a totally new type of save. It’s different from invulnerable saves and normal armor saves. So now you have a whole third type of save, one that changes, and you’ve got to recall how it interacts with all the other rules. Yay!
Daemons Were Always Going To Be A Little Messy
The truth is Chaos Daemons were always going to be a bit of a complicated book. This is an army that’s entire concept is fundamentally different than others. It’s also basically 4 armies in one. Nor do Daemons have many established rules to draw on. They’ve gone through massive changes over the years. It’s a faction that GW is always experimenting with from edition to edition. Each new Codex tends to make them work a totally different way than the last one. This might end up being a really good book… for Daemons. But I can’t help but feel that the game as a whole right now doesn’t need a super complex and complicated Codex.
Best of luck and bring notecards- you may need em.
Let us know if you thinks Daemons are going to be overly complicated, down in the comments!
