Warhammer 40K: Four Things I’d Change In 9th Edition

Let’s take a look at some things I’d wish Games Workshop could change in 9th.

9th Edition is overall a pretty solid edition of the game. It’s a more refined version of 8th Edition, that is a lot of fun to play. That doesn’t mean I think it’s perfect. There are indeed some things I would change if I could. Now, this is just my own opinion, and I can’t say it would make the game “better” – just more to my liking. So let’s dig in.

Bring Back Tank Facings/Armor

One of the things I feel the game has lost since the end of 7th edition is that vehicles no longer feel special at all. They tend to just feel like larger beasts or models. I’d love to bring back some level of old tank rules. Maybe the full facing rules, or at least some bonus for being in the rear of a tank. If we could get a full armor system back that would also be great. But who knows. I’d def like to change this.

Fully Divorce The Points/Power Level Rules

Pictured: An average player talking about their backlog. 

This one is a bit of a pet peeve for me, and I know that ultimately it’s pretty minor. See there is nothing inherently wrong with power level. If that’s how you want to play that’s cool. But it annoys me that when you are playing with points, not power level, you still have to worry about power level. There are some stratagems and rules that need you to tally up power level, even when you’re not using it for anything else. I just find this annoying

Restore Some Sort Of Initiative Stat

Initiative was a great way of telling races about and making some faster than others.  It was a good way of separating things. However, we got rid of all that in the past, now all units strike at the same speed, with only charging units striking first. After that, you alternate. It is not the worst idea on paper. However, it’s clear that the game wants units to be faster or slower. Now we have a whole slew of rules that let units strike first, or make other units strike last. It has gotten so prevalent that we’ve had to have whole FAQ’s detailing how these rules interact. It’s kind of gotten really messy and doesn’t do a good job say, making humans slower than Aeldari. I think we could do better here.

 A Little Less Bloat Please

9th Edition is a pretty new edition. It’s just under a year old and it’s already starting to feel just a little bloated. Its predecessor, 8th, was one of the worst cases for this in all of 40K’s history, with armies potentially needing dozens of documents to be played. You had books, supplements, Forgeworld additions, and then sometimes multiple campaign books. Then a host of FAQs and sometimes FAQs of those FAQs. 9th isn’t as bad, not at all. But it’s already starting to feel a little bloated. It’s starting to look like even mono-faction armies need more than one book to be played. We are also just getting a ton of random supplemental books, and rules spread everywhere. It’s a worrying trend that I hope gets nipped in the bud.

After a year under its belt, what would you change about 9th?

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.