Warhammer 40K: 10th Edition Is The End Of Classic Weapons
Warhammer 40K 10th edition weapons are changing big time, and it’s the end of many, many things.
Warhammer 40K 10th Edition is approaching. The new edition promises to bring a lot of changes to the game. Even though the launch is likely still a few months off, GW has taken to showing off a lot of the major changes and new rules. This week they showed of new major changes to how weapons are presented on datasheets. While it may seem like a somewhat subtle change it has some big implications. So today lets take a look at them and why it likely means the end of classic weapons.
The Change
The biggest and most obvious change is that BS/WS and S will not longer be a core part of a units stat line. Instead they are a part of the weapon profile. This is the most obvious change and is very similar to how things are down in Age of Sigmar. Other than that, it seems the weapon profile is mostly staying the same. Damage as a stat for instance it sticking around. In addition, the number of attacks you get with a specific weapon are on the weapon’s stat line. While this was true for guns, its now also true for close combat weapons. On top of this the stats of a weapon are no longer as generic and are instead tied to the specific unit and datasheet they are own. This is at least in part due to the fact that the BS/WS and S will change based on the unit taking it. However it may go deeper than that.
The Good
On the surface this change has some real benefits and I’m tentatively in favor of it. The main benefit is that it allows certain units to be better with some weapons than others. I think this is a very cool idea. Like maybe for instance a Guardsman is pretty good with a lasgun. However when using a bolt gun they are just not as good due to its size. This could not be represented. In addition weapons like power fists no longer need clunky “unit takes a -1 to hit with” text, the WS is just going to be worse.
It also allows you more control of units by dictating how many attacks they get with each weapon. This lets you balance things out better and prevents people from just dumping all their attacks into the best weapon they have. From a design standpoint its a good move for control.
The Worries
The system doesn’t come without some worries for me however. For one it seems like this is the end of the old classic page of weapons’ at the back of a book. This can actually lead to a bit of confusion, or at least more things to memorize. In the past a weapon was the same no matter who or what faction used it. You only had to memorize one set of stats. Now this won’t be the case. I don’t know how much things will change between units, maybe a Lascannon will always have the same stats besides BS, but maybe it won’t. There may no longer be any classic weapons that you can memorize and use for a lot of the game. You may have to know each unit’s individualized rules.
I also feel like this leads to a bit of dissociation. It stops feeling like my troops are living people in a world using a certain gun with predictable effects. The attacks are not longer a certain gun but just some generic function of the troop. It’s a hard to describe the feeling, but I don’t love it.
I also worry that this is going to hurt customization. AoS, which this system draws a lot from, doesn’t have a ton of customization for its units or characters. This system doesn’t allow you just to equip a unit or character with a generic weapon. They have to have a specific stat line made up just for them. If that stat special stat line isn’t around, then you don’t get the option. 40K has already been moving towards allowing a lot less flexibility and customization. I worry this will be another major blow against it. But in the end we will have to wait and see. That said, 40K could learn a lot about slimming down armylist construction from AoS – particularly for new players just getting into the hobby.
Let us know what you think about the new change, down in the comments!
