40K Op-ed: GW Looks Like Traitor Guard May Be Coming
We’ve talked about some easy armies that GW could add to the game – but Traitor Guard is looking more likely each day.
First of all – yes I know we are in the middle of freaking out about the new Daemon engine heavy CSM minis. I agree they are fantastic.
Eat your heart out Thunder Wolf Riders!
But let’s take a step back and look at two sets of minis that have landed in the last few months. The two sets of Traitor Guard minis in Blackstone Fortress and it’s latest expansion: Traitor Command
The key with these is that the minis have 40K rule promised, but very limited ones that hamper any real use outside of friendly themed play.
But here’s the thing – GW almost NEVER just drops these types of minis without an eventual end-goal for where they are headed. The logical conclusion is Traitor Guard codex in the months ahead. Here’s a few reasons I think it’s highly likely:
The Minis – The obvious one. We have not one but two sets of these guys, representing basic stuff like lowly rank and file up through rare stuff like the Ogryn and floaty Psyker and the Fallen Commissar for an HQ.
Chaos Needs More Diversity – The last thing the game needs is more Imperial books, but Chaos is ripe for some diversification. We already have the various flavors of CSM codexes (Black, Dusty, Sour) and Daemons. A traitor version of the Astra Militarum would be a solid branching out for the bad guys.
It’s Easy – With a giant existing Astra Militarum and CSM range of models – GW can carefully craft a fully fleshed out army with a ton of units overnight. With only a handful of new kits say 4-5, and Traitor Guard Infantry and Vehicle sprues to dress up your AM kits – the army could look great and fast to put out.
It Reinvigorates An Old Range – If you are GW and have tons of AM kits just sitting there – why not crank out a new faction that gets those things flying off the shelves.
GW Gets to Redraw the Chaos Lines – A Traitor Guard codex would give GW a great chance to shift some units around to make armies more distinct. For example – If Traitor Guard happen, Chos would have the following range of baseline units: Cultists, Traitor Guard, CSMs. It’s easy to see where the CSMs and Guardsmen go – but what about Cultists? Would you give them to both factions, or only one? What about who gets which Daemon Engines? You can see that the addition of a new Chaos faction lets GW reimagine what each force should represent and make them more unique. And hey, what’s more unique than Traitor Beastmen?
~ I think with the multiple models out, it’s only a matter of time. How about you, and how would you define the lines between CSMs and Traitor Guard?
