Warhammer 40K: Squats Just Got The Funniest Rule In The Game

Leagues of Votann got some new hot gun rules, and one of them is hilarious.

GW is showing off more of the new Votann rules. Today they showed off a bunch of new weapons. Some of these are pretty similar to some weapons we already know. A few are interesting takes. But one of the rules has also got to be the funniest rule I’ve seen. Let’s take a look.

The Funniest Rule In 40k

So the big rule that GW showed off today for Votann, is HunTR weapons. And man do I find this rule super funny. HunTR is a rule that effectively means you have no rules. It’s just a gun that… shoots the number of shots as shown, with no other effects. And like, that’s funny. The game has gotten so complicated that they don’t have a “basic” weapon. One that doesn’t really do anything. Now to be fair, most weapon types have had specific rules for a long time. HunTR is kind of like Assault was before Assault got a ton of extra rules and effects.

I don’t think HunTR is a bad rule at all. In fact, I think it’s kind of nice to have a “basic” weapon type with no rules. I don’t know if we will see it used in other armies, but I get it. It still makes me chuckle that we need it.

Frickin Laser Beams!

Another new weapon they showed off is Beam weapons. This isn’t a weapon type, but a rule. We’ve seen some rules like this, such as Lantern, but it’s never been a rule before. And it does pretty much what it says, hitting all units in a line when they fire. At first read I thought this might be able to hit friendly units. However reading it again since you can’t pick a friendly unit as a target it looks like they are safe from beams. This is however an interesting rule that makes for a cool different type of weapon. I do hope it’s more that just one weapon in the book.

Is This Book Going… Off The Rails?

Finally, they showed off the Magna-rail rule! This is similar to some of the T’au railgun rules in that it ignores invulnerable saves. On top of that it has a chance that it’s damage will spill over. There are a couple of rare weapons in 40K that spill damage over, but this is powerful combination. However this rule isn’t all that interesting I’d say. It’s more just a straight-up powerful rule.

Some Cool Ideas

These kind of rules are what make me excited about new Codexes and armies. Adding in new and interesting types of weapons, is a great idea. Weapons that work differently or do different things can really add a lot to the game. Rather than just more shots or higher stats, giving things a unique or cool rule is what good design is about. I really hope we see these rules in other armies. While Magna-Rail is pretty specific, I can see HunTR and Beam showing up in other books and really adding to the game overall. All hail the Leagues of Votann!

Let us know what you think about these rules, down in the comments! 

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.