Warhammer 40K: Codex Emperor’s Children Has Been Underestimated
Goatboy here and I think all the 40K reviewers got Emperor’s Children wrong. Here’s why the underestimated Third Legion is growing on me.
Today’s hot mess is about how as reviewers we can be deceived by perceived opinions that might not pan out to well when playing something on the tabletop. Today I want to talk about how in some ways we might have been wrong (including me) about the Emperor’s Children codex and what it might actually do in actual play Let’s take a seat, grab a drink, and discuss how our rose-colored review glasses could be wrong.
An Easy To Collect New Army
The new Emperor’s Children codex is an interesting army to say the least. It is the return of a fan favorite style army with a cool emo Primarch, a ton of neat flavor, and a whole slew of models. It was also a very polarizing release as it was the first that showcased a combination of Daemons, a lot of missing “chaos” units, and a very streamlined style approach to its army build.
Which of course means it is super easy to collect as most of the releases coming in bulk box form will be usable. One of the only things you will probably need a decent amount of is Rhinos as this army just screams that it needs to ride in style. Heck it feels like it continues to be the year of the Rhino so just grab a few while you are looking at deals.
Emperor’s Children Underestimated
So why do I think the EC book is secretly good? Well it is pretty simple in that the book emphasizes movement and we know in the game of 40K – movement will win you the game. This movement is normally not wrangled in by bad dice and the one thing movement does over most other things in the game is it applies pressure.
The game is limited to 5 turns which means any given game you only have a set amount of time to score things. This can be cards, objectives, and whatever other mission nonsense a TO might throw at you. Having an army that basically says I can move more than anyone else and still do all the things I need to do to hurt you is a powerful thing. Heck look at how much mileage the Aeldari got over the years by just being fast as heck and able to put a hurt on you when you least expect it.
A Chaos Marine Glass Hammer?
The other interesting thing with this book is that it rewards smarter play as while you are fast as heck you are still pretty fragile. This will emphasize you need to plan your turns, plan your strategy, and make sure you can do it. It is not a point at a spot and move your stuff forward type of army. These thinking player armies rewards smart play and those players that can easily plan their turns ahead.
40K has become a lot more interesting game in the hands of the more seasoned player lately. Those players are going to sit, wait, and prepare their turns as they can easily figure out when to go and when to hold. The Emperor’s Children can play that style of army with just having the ability to “go” big and punch so hard. It is really very interesting and probably one of the reasons some of the stronger online players are working on Emperor’s Children armies for their team events and single tournaments.
I am hoping the next three Cult Legion Codexes create rewarding play like the Emperor’s Children do. It will be a great time to just slot in one of your favorite armies and know you could win the game. It is nice to just not have to worry about riding that Meta Wave and engage with models, rules, and fluff you enjoy.
So beware the Emperor’s Childnen – REALLY!
