Warhammer 40K: 10th Ed Space Marine Chapters Rules Preview
Hey, didn’t we get a look at the Space Marines already? Yes. But these are the Space Marine Chapters with unique rules and their own take on the codex.
With 10th Edition looming you know that Games Workshop wasn’t going to leave out the big Space Marine Chapters without getting their unique rules. You know the ones we’re talking about: Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Black Templar, and Deathwatch. All of these chapters get access to their own batch of additional rules (and any successor chapters you want to play). These are the different flavors of Space Marines and we’re getting a closer look at their rules today.
Though their methods of warfare may differ, the Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Black Templars, and the Deathwatch all draw from the same millennia-old training regimens. As such, they retain the Oath of Moment army rule – each Chapter is instead represented as a Detachment with its own rule, Enhancements, and Stratagems.
So yes, every Space Marine army regardless of Chapter will start with Oath of Moment as their Army Rule. The big difference is in how their Detachment rules will work. Oh, and of course their access to any special characters/units the Chapter is known for. We’re going to do the rules review a little different and just focus on what each Chapter is getting based on what GW is showcasing. So let’s dive in!
Space Marine Chapter Rules
Dark Angels – Unforgiven Task Force – Grim Resolve
Hey, I thought Lion El’Jonson forgave all his children? Eh, moving on…the Unforgiven Task Force is the first Dark Angel Detachment and their special rule is Grim Resolve. This makes is so their never completely lose their Objective Control characteristic when Battle-shocked. Based on how much more of an impact Battle-shock will be in the new edition this sounds like it could come into play a lot more.
Unit – Deathwing Command Squad
The Deathwing are back and are getting a beefy Command Squad option. And yep, they are packing all the tools you’d expect from the Deathwing! What makes this unit really tough to take out is the Narthecium which returns 1 destroyed model in your Command phase. Considering how tough these guys are that’s going to be pretty darn useful!
Unit – Lion El’Jonson
The Lion is back as well! Packing the Stats of a Primarch it doesn’t look like he’s lost a step after his brief introduction in 9th. He’s going to tear through infantry units and will still pose a problem for the likes of …well, anyone in close combat. Also he’s rocking a 3+ Invulnerable save! We haven’t see too many of those so far. He might not have the Leader keyword but he can still provide aura buffs and can get a Dark Angels Bodyguard, too.
Space Wolves – Champions of Russ – Deeds Worthy of Saga
The Space Wolves are getting a lot more text than the Dark Angels when it come to Detachment rules. The basics are simple though. At the end of each battle round you can check the Saga list and see if you completed any of them and if you did you can activate the benefit for the rest of the game. You can only activate a saga once and you can only activate one per battle round — so no sandbaggin! You can’t activate all four at once. They do have some nice boosts if you can pull them off.
Unit – Hounds of Morkai
The Space Wolves have their anti-psykers, too and the Hounds of Morkai are on the trail. This unit gets some sweet options for shutting down Psykers so if you’re looking to shut down those types of shenanigans then these specialist Reivers are for you!
Blood Angels – Sons of Sanguinius – The Red Thirst
This one is short and sweet and hasn’t really changed too much since the previous incarnation. It’s +1 to Strength and Attacks for melee weapons when you charge. The Black Rage is also still a thing for certain units…
Unit – Death Company Intercessors
The Black Rage gives this unit free re-rolls to hit. However, you need to keep a Chaplain near them or they go to OC 0 and cannot Fall Back. Although maybe you want them to go a little nutty during the fight…just tossing that out there.
Unit – Gabriel Seth
The Chapter Master of the Flesh Tearers is back is still rocking his special Eviscerator. While other Blood Angel Epic Hero models can’t be included in the same army hopefully Seth can carry the burden. Lord of Slaughter does allow him and the unit he’s leading to Advance and Charge in the same turn so that could be a fun shock for the enemy.
Black Templar – Righteous Crusaders – Templar Vows
The Black Templar Vows are back and they should seem pretty familiar. Pick the one you want to use at the start of the battle and you’ve got the buff until the end of the game.
Unit -Primars Sword Brethren
Vow-Sworn Bladesmen is a nice rule boost for this unit. Considering all the units above have Oath of Moment for the re-rolls these guys get to choose which option would be the most effective for what they are fighting. Need more swings because it’s a big unit? Add the extra attack. Need more damage to tear something down? Go with the extra damage per attack. Look out for this unit if you’re playing against the Black Templar.
Deathwatch – Black Spear Task Force – Missions Tactics
The Deathwatch get another layer of army-wide rules that they get to pick at the start of the Command phase. You can only use each of them once per battle and it looks like you can choose not to activate them. Still, on the turn they are active the entire army is getting a nice bump in effectiveness.
Unit – Deathwatch Veterans
The bread-and-butter of the army is the Deathwatch Veterans. This unit is going to do the work of whatever mission they need to complete. They are versatile and can really be kitted out for whatever you need them to do. They are extra effective as they also have a built in re-roll to hit which gets even better vs non-Imperium and non-Chaos units. They are coming for you Xenos!
That’s a lot to digest — but what do you think of the Space Marine Chapters and their new uh…format?
