Warhammer 40K: Is GW Secretly Releasing A Dark Mechanicum Army?
Have we all missed the brand new army? Here’s why I think a Dark Mechanicum codex may be in the works for Warhammer 40K.
Every now and then, GW adds new armies to Warhammer 40,000. In recent years this has become more and more common, with the last 3 editions seeing a large bump in the number of armies and armies books. GW tends to do this in one of two ways. The most obvious is with the “Big New Army Release”™ . Think Leagues of Votann. An army comes out in one big wave with a new book and all new models. It’s splashy and big.
However, GW also, more often, one could say, makes use of a sort of stealth release. They will release a few units that can often be used in other armies. Then GW will release a new Codex. It will come with some new models but will also make use of some existing ones. This is how the newer Chaos Legion books have worked, as well as Custodian Guard. So, is GW doing this again? We’ve already looked at how they might be doing this with a Rogue Trader army. Today let’s take a look at another army that might be getting this treatment.
People Want A Dark Mechanicum Army
Generally speaking, if the loyalists have something, Chaos players want a version of it, also. This makes sense. Chaos, or at least the mortal servants of it, are supposed to be the dark mirror of the Imperium. And the idea of a Dark Mechanicum Army is pretty cool. It exists in the lore and seems to have a lot of just… fun and wacky things in it. It’s a cool new way to add an army in, and frankly, Chaos needs help. However, the army doesn’t need to be built from scratch. It’s been coming together over the years… slowly but surely.
The Rise Of Daemon Engines
Daemon Engines used to be a comparatively rare sight on the tabletop of 40K. During the first few editions, there just weren’t that many, if any, of them around. However, over the years, GW has kept adding them to the game. Slowly but surely building up the list of warp-infused machines. Every edition seems to see a couple of new ones added in. Now there is actually quite a large number in the game. Moreover, you’ve got a greater variety of them than ever before. While in the past they tended to be large heavy units, you’ve now got smaller ones like the Venomcrawler and characters like the Lord Discordant.
A Suggested Dark Mechanicum Army List
The CSM Codex has a fair number of units for this army already. They include:
- Lord Discordant
- Venomcralwer
- Defliler
- Forgefeind
- Mualerfeind
- Heldrake
- Khorne Lord of Skulls
All of these could be considered straight-up Daemon Engines. In addition, Helbrutes, Obliterators and Warpsmiths could be seen in a Dark Mechanicum, though they are a little more specifically tied to CSM. You’ve also got an easy half dozen other units you could pull for the Legion books and Deamons, such as the Plagueburst Crawler, Myphitic Blight-hauler, and the Bloat Drone. That’s not to mention Chaos Knights and 30K. There is already a lot to pick from here. Don’t even get me started about Forge World.
A Leader
Armies need leaders. Until now there really hasn’t been something for a Dark Mechanicum Army to form around. However, we now have the introduction of Vashtorr. As the master of the Forge of Souls he is a major part of making new demonic engines. He’s not the leader of the Dark Mechanicum, he may not even be “part” of it, but it’s clear he at times works with them. It seems more like he is a patron of them, and feeds off of their work. His model is quite large and would be a pretty good centerpiece to build a Dark Mechanicum, or daemon engine army around. Include Vashtorr and a selection of daemon engines and you really only need a couple new units, like some CORE infantry, to get a good and interesting Dark Mechanicum Army. Basically the Dark Mechanicum version of Skitarii and Kataphrons. Lets hope GW does this, and sooner than later.
Let us know if you think they will make this army, down in the comments!
