Warhammer 40K: 10th Edition – Ride Or Die With These New Transport Rules
Games Workshop is showing off some of the new Transport Rules for Warhammer 40,000 10th Edition. Time to mount-up!
Ohhh Transports…the current edition was kind of rough on you. But will the vehicle changes coupled with the weapon changes make you worth taking once again? Well, …maybe! The rules teasers from Games Workshop are making a strong case for the affirmative. But will it be enough to get you redeployed?
10th Edition Transport Rules Preview
“In the past, only certain units were allowed to bundle out of a transport on the same turn it had moved, presumably due to the strict health and safety regulation at this point in history. But with the galaxy tumbling into turmoil, these concerns have fallen by the wayside.
Now any embarked unit is free to hop out once a transport has moved – provided the vehicle didn’t Advance or Fall Back. They can also shoot, but can’t make a charge, unless they disembark before the vehicle moves. “
Zoom-Zoom! Looks like getting out of a moving target is a little bit more manageable in 10th edition. Just right off the bat that’s going to net a BUNCH of infantry units a whole lot of extra movement in turn 1. Just look at the Rhino above as an example. A unit inside gets to move a full 12″ up and then deploy — probably another 1-2″ of movement — and they can then shoot.
This is already a major improvement for pretty much any army that has Transports as an option for their Infantry (which is almost every army). You still won’t be able to embark and disembark in the same turn. However, putting a unit inside of a vehicle seem like a great way to avoid getting that unit destroyed on turn one. Then again, some units won’t even need to get out to cause some trouble…
In the Rhino preview we spotted the Firing Deck X ability. Now we know for sure what it does. It’s not quite the Open Topped from editions of yore — it’s arguably better. The Rhino above will allow 2 models to fire. What those models are equipped with can vary depending on the unit inside. I’m betting we might see some Lascannons pop-out the top from Space Marines. But Space Marines aren’t the only ones with transports.
Also note the wording on the rule. The TRANSPORT is the unit making the attack. I think Plasma just got a little more interesting. But also that means you can buff those shots with other units…
“Previously, embarked troops couldn’t benefit from buffs, but now because the transport itself is making the attack, their weapons gain any boosts the vehicle does. For instance, an Ork Mek can use his Mekaniak ability to act as a powerful force multiplier for the Battlewagon’s monstrous Firing Deck 22.”
So yeah…those 22 shots are going to get +1 to-hit from the Mekaniak. Yikes.
But maybe you would rather your transports get to advance and units still get out to shoot. Or maybe you want your Assault Ramps back (they are). Or maybe you want your vehicles to act like fire support. Well, there’s a bunch of special rules that make transports even better in the new edition.
Issue orders from the safety of Chimera!
“The Land Raider reclaims its Assault Ramp – meaning passengers can declare a charge on the same turn they disembark. If this sounds like a return to the glory days of delivering Terminators hot and fresh into headlong assaults, you’d be right…”
A bunch of Space Marine transports no longer care about Primaris units or not. (sidenote from GW: “The Rhino, Razorback, and Impulsor are still specialised for certain squad types, and many larger models like Terminators and Gravis-armoured Space Marines still have their own restrictions.”)
Another fun tidbit from GW: “The Repulsor lets endangered Space Marines dive inside when an enemy charge draws near!”
Aeldari Falcons lend a bonus re-roll to wound rolls for a unit that disembarked from the vehicle that turn! And these are just a handful of the transports from the grimdark. There’s going to be lots of new tactical options with the 10th edition vehicle rules coming. Buckle-up because it’s going to be a crazy ride!
Beep-Beep. It’s a Jeep!
