Warhammer 40K: More Space Marine Rules Previews – Land Raiders Ahoy!
Games Workshop just unloaded a Land Raider full of rules info about Space Marines. Let’s take a closer look at the Adeptus Astartes in 10th!
Space Marines are the literal poster boys for Warhammer 40,000. They are also the spearhead of the Imperium so it’s fitting that Games Workshop is showcasing a swathe of their rules today in a new Faction Focus series. We’re going to take a look at the rules so far but if you want more be sure to check out their article linked below.
Space Marines 10th Edition Rules Previews
Oath of Moment
One of the first things you’ll want to know about the Space Marine is that pretty much every unit has the Oath of Moment faction ability. This can make them incredibly effective at taking out a very specific target every round. Just remember that factoid while looking at some of the new rule previews from GW.
Land Raider
Just like the changes we saw with the other vehicle previews and transport updates, the Land Raider is back and making a BIG splash. We knew the Assault Ramp was back and now we have even more details about who can actually ride in these massive warmachines. Turns out that, yes, Primaris CAN fit in the Land Raider now. We also see the transport capacity is 12 which means you can drop off 5 Terminator (or Gravis) models plus a character who might have joined that squad.
Roboute Guilliman
He might not be a tank but if you looked at his statline and thought a Rhino was coming your direction you wouldn’t be far off. Guilliman is back in 10th and he’s packing plenty of heat in just about every department you can think of. I’m assuming he’s got the statline of a Primarch (which, yeah, he does) and his weapons are also pretty darn scary. The Hand of Dominion might be the first AP -4 weapon we’ve been shown that doesn’t have “melta” in the name.
Guilliman has a bucket-load of rules on his datacard but the fact that they all fit is a nice sign! I am curious about his points because if his points are costed appropriately he’s a fantastic addition to any Ultramarine force (or any Adeptus Astartes force based on the keywords).
Combat Doctrines
“The standard doctrine of the Codex Astartes emphasises flexibility – as exemplified by the Gladius Task Force Detachment. This battle-tested formation is available to every Space Marine Chapter, whether they’re slavish adherents of the Codex Astartes or slightly more eccentric.”
Couple of things about the Combat Doctrines. These are sort of the “default” options for the Space Marines as the Gladius Task Force is the first Detachment we’re going to get when the new edition launches. Curious about Detachments? Here’s a short explainer on those for the new edition.
These should seem pretty familiar to anyone who’s played Space Marines before. There is a pair of rather big changes in that 1) you can only uses each one once per battle and 2) you can choose when you what which Doctrine active. There were ways last edition to make certain doctrine stick around longer than a turn and I’m betting we might see something like that in the future with more Detachments but, for now, it’s just pick one and use it for that round.
Stratagem – Only In Death Does Duty End
“There’s now a smaller, more focused slate of unique Stratagems for each faction. The Gladius Task Force provides six crucial options which distil the essence of the Adeptus Astartes, like the old favourite Only In Death Does Duty End.”
While I do like having lots of options I would much rather the options all be meaningful instead of very specific and very corner case options. I really like that GW focused the amount of Stratagems to a manageable six that will be useful versus 20 where you don’t really use 15 of them. It’s also good to see some old favorites make a return.
More Weapon Rules Revealed
There’s not much to say about the weapons that GW revealed today. They do pretty much what you’d expect! The Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon pumps out shots with a bunch of Devastating Wounds. The Heavy Laser Destroyer is more accurate if you don’t move and fire plus it’s got the strength to pop vehicle armor. And here’s the Assault Cannon rules to compare and provide the text for Devastating Wounds:
Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon
Heavy Laser Destroyer
You can check out even more weapons from 10th edition here.
We’re expecting to see even more of these Faction Focuses in the future from GW. If we had to guess, Tyranids will probably be next…call that a hunch though. Again, if you want to read even more about the Space Marines you can check out GW’s full article here.
What do you think of the new Space Marines rules for 10th?
