Warhammer 40,000 7th edition

The fact that it's the Dark Angels in the cover again is just awesome.

That's what Warhammer 40K's all about...

Warhammer 40,000 7th Edition is the newest edition of everybody's favorite wargame. It's basically an extension of the 3rd edition ruleset, as with every edition of the game since 3rd, and, more specifically, it's an extension of the 6th edition ruleset (which it replaced after only two years). Some rumors have suggested that the community should consider it "6th Revised" or "6.5," but Games Workshop stopped using edition numbers with 6th, so we'll probably never know (the errata and FAQ docs specifically refer to the new version as 7th edition). It definitely has big game changers and multiple smaller changes that warrant calling it a new edition. Its fluff also apparently mentions squats as an existing race of abhumans. Wat.

It launched May 24th, 2014.

It's very Warhammer Fantasy, just like Warhammer 40,000 used to be. It's also absolutely busted wide open (just like Warhammer 40,000 used to be); Daemons rule the new Psychic phase, and with the invention of Conjuration it's clear GeeDubs just wants you to buy more daemons.

New Allies Chart, no division within the Imperium any more (except Krieg)

Major Updates

• Limited Edition Specials - the release of 7th edition began with 2000 copies of a limited edition box set. The release for Orks had similar limited edition box complete with a Codex Supplement, Objective Markers, and Art Prints. It might be safe to say this is a new standard as opposed to the limited edition cover they were selling for 6th edition codex.
• Psychic Power Overhaul - Instead of using Psychic powers in the movement and shooting phases they are now called upon during the new Psychic phase. Psychic powers are now rolled using a dice pool instead of just a successful leadership test. There are new psychic power schools. Also new perils of the warp table. Not as good as last edition where you just had to roll under a leadership of 10(mostly), though comparing each army to each other an army with 30 warp charges versus one psyker is better at denying, but even then it doesn't guarantee anything. It also has the misfortune of adding another 90 minutes to what GW insists on thinking is a casual game. A gallery of the Psychic Powers available are here.
• Super Heavies - Not new to 40k per se, but this is the first time that Super Heavies are included in the main rules instead of being relegated to the Apocalypse and Escalation supplements.
• Formations - like Super Heavies formations were part of the game before, but generally stayed in data slate/supplement territory. Now 7th edition codex include Formations.
• New Force Orgs - including the standard Combined arms detachments the new codices will contain new FOC charts to allow for different rules and army types, each of which is (supposedly) geared to best emphasize that army's strengths.
• Battle-forged and Unbound armies - Replacing double force org from 6th edition, now players can bring armies that do not follow the restrictions set by the force org now known as Unbound. In keeping to the force org your army is known as Battleforged. The classic force org chart we all know and love is called "combined arms detachment" and gives the bonuses of being able to reroll warlord traits, and troops being "super-scoring" (Objective Secured) units- that is, they can't be denied from scoring unless it's by another unit with the same rule.
• Tactical Objectives - A deck of 36 cards that act as secondary objectives. Used with the Maelstrom missions. Each full codex also gives new Tactical Objectives to give an army some unique ways to score.
• Errata - GW has already released Errata and FAQ's for every Codex here. These include re-classifying units from old codices, telling which army psykers can roll Daemonology and some rules clarifications.
  • Larger Bases With Blood Angels the normal bases are now larger,and now other lines are getting these new 32 mm bases.
• Big Rule Book FAQ - It's still in draft stage so take all this with a grain of salt until GW posts it officially on the website, but GW has compiled an FAQ on its Facebook page for Warhammer 40,000, and it is massive. Its main issue is reining in exploits from battle brothers utilizing transports, Psychic phase abuse, and other loopholes, like passengers in transports that jink snap-fire no matter what, friendly units can no longer deploy in allied transports, and grenades are limited to one per squad in assault. Cue rage from Dark Eldar players especially at the former 2 changes, since their paper boats now hamstring your troops from firing out of it due to jinking by necessity, and being unable to deploy inside BB transports puts an end to 5 Wraithguard with D-Scythes in Raiders. Necrons and their Doomsday Arks also suffer, and now Skitarii and Cult Mechanicus have no effective way of capitalizing on transports. The latter means Imperial Knights now laugh at the lone Haywire Grenade Swooping Hawks and Tau Firewarriors try and put at it. Meltabombs are still scary as fuck.
  • Interesting tidbit is that Psychic Witchfires that don't use profiles (Psychic Scream, Psychic Shriek, Spirit Leech) don't roll to hit...could go a ways to combating Invisibility spammers, and Witchfire Novas with 2D6 like Sunburst and Cleansing Flame are 2D6/squad in range, so if 2 fire warrior squads are near it both get 2D6 rolled separately each, which is an awesome buff.
  • IMPORTANT NOTE: Take time to leave a constructive criticism you may have with the rough draft FAQ in concise and coherent ways, since they have advocated that in a week from posting it they will remove it, and turn it back to the writers to finalize it, so there may be hope yet.

Armies of the Dark Millenium

New Codices and Codex Supplements

• Orks - And about damn time too. They got two new walkers (the Gorkanaut and Morkanaut), new big guns (renamed Mek guns), new Flash Git models, and new models for Big Mek and Painboy; however revisions to Mob Rule have made them far more vulnerable to morale than before (ie. going from some of the best LD in the game to some of the worst). They got almost no buffs and a half dozen other nerfs, which just made this codex suck a thousand pairs of balls. The limited edition of the Codex comes with a supplement for Waaagh! Ghazghkull.
  • Waaagh! Ghazghkull - Released with the Warboss limited edition. A new supplement based upon the forces of Yarrick's archenemy and the Beast of Armageddon. Contains a new Detachment type, 7 new formations, warlord traits, and Orkimedes themed artifacts.
• Space Wolves- Released a new named Venerable Dreadnought called MURDERFANG is part of the new Codex, a new little sleigh for Logan Grimnar, as well as a pair of new flyers called the Stormfang and the Stormwolf, both of which have access to the new Helfrost weapons (unsaved wounds force a Strength test per wound- failing a test removes the targeted model from play). The new Tempestas discipline also gives back some of the old tools they Rune Priests used to have. Probably one of the better codices this edition with some generous price cuts and a shield for Dreadnoughts, as well as the aforementioned Helfrost (which dreads can get).
  • Champions of Fenris - Focusing on Logan Grimnar's Great Company, will be part of the Wolf Guard limited release of the Space Wolves codex. It adds some new relics, formations, another Warlord trait table, some special rules, and an alternate FOC.
• Grey Knights- They haven't gotten any new units, but some of their existing toys have been tweaked to make them more effective against Daemons (for example, all their Force weapons now gain re-rolls to wound or pen against Daemons if the Force power was activated, Incinerators get Soulblaze, Psilencers are now Force weapons, etc.) but overall massively scales back the army's potency from 5th/6th edition. They lost a ton of gear from their Wardex (including rad/psychotroke grenades, psybolt/psyflame ammo), the Psychic Phase did a number on their ability to spit out mindbullets, and the fact that the majority of their units are limited to only a few powers doesn't help. And that's not taking into account that Force weapon activation can be denied now, which could theoretically cripple them in assault if the opponent gets lucky. Finally, most of their anti-vehicle units were shuffled into the Inquisition codex, making them even more vulnerable to tank and flyer-heavy armies than ever. In short, a book that takes away more things than it gives - the only thing saving it from Tyranid level nerfing is the fact that they're Imperial, and thus have all the special tools and allies available to the poster-boy force known as the Imperium of Man - case in point, almost everything they lost was already preserved in Codex: Inquisition.
• Dark Eldar: The next army to be slated with a release, White Dwarf has shown a new Haemonculus model as well as a new kit for the Wracks that included a new gun called the Ossefactor. Unfortunately, the Dark Eldar lost most of their special characters, including their big boss Asdrubael Vect, since only three of them have models. Power from Pain became something that activates each turn, meaning you don't have to kill a lot to get it, but survive, which can be difficult for this glass cannon. On the whole, the basic playstyle of Raider spam and Blasterborn are still playable, while Grotesques and Mandrakes finally become usable while Wyches suddenly lose the ability to take all haywire grenades and Incubi take a massive nerf by losing Klaivex powers and grenades.
  • Haemonculus Covens: Released with the Archon limited release. Since they lack a Lord of War to make a plot with, they chose the one playstyle that made most people's days: Haemonculi. This locks you to only Coven units (Haems/Urien, Wracks/Grots, Pain Engines), but gives them an all-new Power from Pain table that better synergizes with their powers and the same stuff as the other supplements.
• Blood Angels: To partner with the surprise of new Tyranid models came the Shield of Baal campaign, and with the Shield of Baal Campaign came an inevitable Blood Angels Codex. Alongside the codex are new sprues for the Sanguinary Priest and a special Tac Squad sprue that gives the sarge the venerated Nipple Armor. One new character (the Captain of the Blood Angels' 1st Company) was introduced in a boxed set, as well as the exclusive Sanguinary psychic discipline. Overall though, this edition's codex is fairly broken: on top of a huge dialing back of their former power, nearly all the units from the 5th ed book got shuffled into a now very crowded elites section. Sadly, one codex away from the great "formation" shift of codex writing, ensuring any competitive player will be using their Blood Angels as "Red Space Marines" for years to come.
• Necrons: The other army that got new stuff from the Shield of Baal campaign, now we can say without fear that every codex is pretty much up to date; not good, but at least there's no embarrassing oversights like how the old 'dexes had. All the characters are still alive, MSS are shit now, C'Tan and Crypteks got all their creativity gutted from them, and Resurrection Protocols got a makeover. On the plus side, Wraiths and Destroyers got some nice reclassifications, the Triarch Praetorians and Lychguard got cheaper, and you now have an FOC made of Formations.
• Harlequins: Like the Inquisition and Militarum Tempestus, the Harlequins are now getting a Codex and breaking off from the other Elf codices. New models are coming for everyone, Solitaires are becoming Elites, new wargear, and at least one new vehicle (the Skyweaver) for their exclusive use. It's... a bit fucky. Their standard force org chart requires you to take pretty much every model so you're more or less restricted to using formations if you want a decent allied detachment.
• Khorne Daemonkin: Allows you to take Khornate Daemons and Khorne-themed Chaos Space Marines in the same army without having to include the allies taxes on each army. Now they're 1/4 of the way to going back in time to pre-5th Edition when Chaos Daemons and Chaos Space Marines were in the same codex. Has a new Blood For the Blood God mechanic which stores Blood Tokens when any unit, enemy or friendly, is completely wiped or when anyone dies in a challenge which can grant you stuff from FNP to replacing a character with a Bloodthirster. Sadly, no Kharn - nor does it fix any of the massive problems with Chaos Space Marines and their units.
• Adeptus Mechanicus: Skitarii: Finally grants the AdMech a proper 40K army after years of either secondment units or the HH Ruleset, you now have an ally-tier codex full of new models. Currently known are two variants of an open-topped chicken walker and what looks like an Imperial Defiler alongside plenty of Skitarii. Plenty of new weapons are in store, including Plasma Fusils, special guns that let them overwatch at BS2, and many special varieties of stat-fuckery. As a gutted, stand-alone release otherwise intended for allied detachments, this one's actually really good. Same goes for its counterpart below.
• Eldar: Craftworlds- New plastic models for Jetbikes (including Warlock Jetbikes) and Autarchs. Additionally, GW in its infinite wisdom has decided the already OP Wraithknights needed a bigger buff- so now they're Jump Gargantuan Creatures armed with Strength D weapons (thus being able to out-Nidzilla the Tyranids thanks to their new mega-Formation a la the Necron Decurion). All other Distort weapons are Strength D as well- which means that the space elves now have a shitload of anti-everything weapons available at less than one-tenth the price they would be at in any other Codex. This news has been taken as proof that everyone involved in game balance at GW should be fired at once. It also says a lot that Matt Ward's infamous Daemons of Chaos army book is now viewed as being reasonable and balanced by comparison to this codex, not to mention this book was made in his absence!
• Imperial Knights: Knights got a nice addition of carapace weapons for all Knight variants, as well as the addition of the Knight Crusader, the Knight Gallant, and the Knight Warden. Also got some nifty rules, wargear for character knights, etc. All-in-all, a formidable ally-tier codex for the Imperium.
• Adeptus Mechanicus: Cult Mechanicus: In retrospect, the Skitarii release should have been a clue that this one was coming. Models include the Electro-Priests, a servitor that's part-tank, Castellans from the RT era, and a new Techpriest. And the tanks count as troops. Like its forbear, the crunch is mechanically strong and the fluff is pretty neat.
• Adeptus Astartes: Space Marines: It wouldn't be a new edition without the Spehss Marines getting yet another codex now, would it? The main perks of this codex are the extension of Combat Doctrines (the old Ultramarines Chapter Tactics) to all Chapters, and the ability to take any non-LR vehicle in squadrons of 3 for extra bonuses (for example, 3 Vindicators can pass up their individual pieplates for a single Apocalyptic Blast with Ignores Cover). They've also gotten a Decurion-style FOC made of Formations, which seems to be the trend for all post-Necron 7E codices.
  • Angels of Death: As if fucking vanilla Space Marines needed more shit. Even more formations and decurions, and gives Librarians access to 4 new disciplines, Fulmination, Technomancy, Librarius, and Geokinesis. Obviously their powers are OP as fuck, like having all models in a unit gain IWND while a model regains D3 wounds, a 3++ for a turn, and re-rolling all failed saves for a unit. Yeah, the Farseers are calling. They want Fortune back. Oh, and it gets better (read: bullshit). Dark Angels, Blood Angels, Grey Knights, and Space Wolves get these powers too. Ready to see Thunderwolves/Wulfen with 3++ rerollable and 4+ FNP?
• Adeptus Astartes: Dark Angels: Obvious attempt that GW is actually trying to update as many armies as it can in one edition; like the 6e codex before it, progress has been made to make them stand out from vanilla codex marines, rather than just being "stubborn marines with good bikes and terminators". The robed paranoid Marines now have improved overwatch, a new psychic discipline called Interromancy based on telepathy but more about mind fucking, improved aircraft, a Decurion-equivalent named the Lion's Blade Strike Force as well as new FOCs for the Deathwing and Ravenwing, widespread access to grav-guns as well as an overall points balancing in line with Codex Marines.
• Tau: New models for Fire Warriors and Crisis Battlesuits are confirmed, and they're getting at least two new units- a Riptide-sized stealth suit called the XV-95 Ghostkeel and a massive Battlesuit with a giant railgun and a fuckton of missiles called the XV-128 Stormsurge. But battlesuits aren't the only thing that got an update: there's also a new Fire Warrior sprue that can be configured into a new Breacher Squad, which gets shorter guns, but an additional drone and a Field Amplifyer Relay. It turns out the "new" codex is actually just literally the old Codex with the cover revamped, the new models for existing units thrown in and the Crisis Team maximum size tripled, along with squadrons for tanks, Riptides, etc. The actual formations and detachments are present in the Warzone Damocles: Kauyon Supplement.
• Codex Supplements: Black Legion and Crimson Slaughter: YES!!! More Chaos shit finally! Then, we realize it's just a repackaging of the 2 supplements we received 3 years ago. All they have is a few new formations tacked on. Everything else is exactly the same as the older books. Same Warlord Tables, same stupid taxes and rules, same relics which about 2 (Skull of Ker'nagar and Crozius of the Dark Covenant FYI) are remotely useful from both supplement's lists combined. It's sad, really. If you're not Loyalist Marines, you're ignored.
• Death from the Skies: The sequel to a little book about flyers from last Edition, this one makes some bigger changes. Now all Flyers have pre-assigned roles affecting their accuracy against different targets and the ability to fly in different formations with different benefits. There's even a minigame that sucks up even MORE time in there involving the planes fighting above the battlefield which can screw with reserves in the bigger game.
• Adeptus Astartes: Deathwatch: The final Militant chamber of the Inquisition, long awaited. Also, you can almost hear the sounds of Chaos Space Marine and Sisters of Battle players migrating to Warmachine and X-wing since we're still getting yet another Space Marine Codex instead of an update to an army that, you know, actually needed it. In any event, it brings in the Corvus Blackstar, a transport flyer/dogfighter that looks like the bastard-child of a Valkyrie and Stormraven, a kit for a Deatwatch Killteam, and an upgrade sprue to create kitbashes.
• Genestealer Cults: To be honest, after Overkill and the Deathwatch, this should come as no surprise. New formations, models, and rules for everyone's favorite non-Chaos cultists.
• Codex Supplement: Traitor Legions: New Thousand Sons models confirmed. Rubric Marines get plastic models, new models for Tzeentch sorcerers, plus new Scarab Occult Terminators, Ahriman gets a new model, and of course Magnus the Red himself! Also included are the Tzaangors from Silver Tower, now with 40k rules. Plus a fuckton of rules for all the other Traitor Legions as well.
• Imperial Agents: Hardback paper form of the Inquisition, Assassins, Adepta Sororitas, Adeptus Custodes, Enginseers, Valkyries (representing the Aeronautica Imperialis), Deathwatch Squads, Grey Knight Terminators and Dreadknights, Legion of the Damned, Ministorum Priests, and Battle Psyker squads (representing the Adeptus Astra Telepathica). The way the book works is it allows you to field formations of the above instead of taking an entire army, to represent an Inquisitor requisitioning the aid of Deathwatch Veterans/Grey Knight Terminators/Sisters of Battle. Gets rid of unnecessary taxes!

New Dataslates

• Strike Force Ultra - Of course, the first Dataslate to be released for 7E is a Spehss Mehren one. All it does is give two different options to deliver Terminators to the field. It was more of a sales item though, as the limited set was the only place where you could get a new Terminator Captain model.
• Officio Assassinorum - Announced alongside the Grey Knights codex. Essentially allows any Imperial Force to field Assassins now that the Grey Knights are finally excising the Inquisition from their codex and having an explicitly Grey Knights Codex instead of Matt Ward's "let's throw everything into one book and crank that shit up to eleven!"
• Maleceptor/Toxicrene: A new multi-unit kit for the Tyranids, this gives rules for a massive waste of psychic powers/a modest monster Venomthrope-wannabe. The former is overcosted for what it's meant for, the other's probably best for stalling big knights.
• Tyrannocyte/Sporocyst/Mucolid Spore: Suddenly a cry of joy from Tyranid players across the globe, the Tyranids' drop pod is back, and better than ever before. For 75 points it can hold 20 models or 1 monstrous creature, therefore making many Tyranid units very usable e.g. Haurspex, Toxicrene, Zoanthropes or even make pyrovore semi-useful- and on top of that, it can move and comes with FIVE Deathspitters (that can be swapped with Barbed Stranglers or Venom Cannons). Its alternate models are no less useful- the Mucolid Spore is a Spore Mine with Shrouded, doubled strength, and AP3 (as well as the ability to assault Flyers), and the Sporocyst is essentially a living fortification that infiltrates and can boost synapse range, while producing Spore Mines and Mucolid Spores as it shoots shit with the same five gun options the Tyrannocyte has (and with SIX wounds, it's going to be a very useful meatshield). All in all, a much-needed boost for the Tyranids.
• Neurothrope: Week 3 of Tyranid saga brings back another classic (and new Zoanthrope/Venomthrope sprues): The Doom of Malan'tai (Now known as the Neurothrope). It's not quite as awesome as it once was, but it's not quite as cheese either.
  • These three Nid releases are compiled into Shield of Baal: Leviathan, but are also available for free in BL's webpage. Wow, that's actually nice.
• The Unrelenting Hunt: A Dark Angels formation, intended for use with the announced Dark Angels expansion to the Dark Vengeance starter set.
• Kranon's Helguard: As above, but geared towards the Crimson Slaughter instead.
• Kharn's Butcherhorde: As part of the 2014 Advent calendar, CSM got a whole formation for a fun guy and his posse. Khorne's still not useful.

New Campaign Supplements

• Sanctus Reach - Follows Orks attacking Imperium sector, mostly fluff and a bit thin on rules, but contains Ork/Imperial Knight/Astra Militarum formations. Also re-introduced Planetstrike missions (in case people assumed this vanished) as well as generic campaign missions.
  • The Red Waaagh - Waaagh! Grukk attacks a Knight World
    • Evil Sun Rising - Ork novella following Waaagh! Grukk. One of the only stories written in an Ork Perspective.
  • Stormclaw - Waaagh! Grukk vs Space Wolves, is actually a prequel/side-episode to The Red Waaagh, surrounding Krom Dragongaze's crashed Thunderhawk and what he does after his arrival on planet.
  • Hour of the Wolf - the Space Wolves join the war in full and daemons show up because a Vortex Missile misfires and opens the warp, the Wolves win and stand ready to defend the planet against the Inquisition. Ork/Wolf formations,, as well as more Planetstrike missions
    • Hour of the Wolf: Blood on Sacred Mountain - Space Wolf novella
    • Maledictus - A Grey Knights Novella about Orks accidentally opening a Warp Rift.

• Shield of Baal - Tyranid attack on the Cryptus System near, you guessed it, Baal.
  • Leviathan - The Tyranids make their first steps into the Cryptus System, and are being blocked by the Sisters of Battle, Guard, and Tempestus forces. Re-introduces Cities of Death (which is now reduced to more Tactical Objectives for Maelstrom) and Death from the Skies (which allow you to buy a new rule for your fliers). Also packages in all the new Nids (and the redone Zoanthropes) as well as bring in some new formations, a FOC and Warlord traits for the gribblies.
    • Tempestus - Novella regarding an Inquisitor grabbing some Storm Troop-er, Tempestus Scions and making them steal some nids for research.
    • Dread Night - Short Story about DREADKNIGHT OUTTA FUCKIN' NOWHERE!.
    • Shadow of the Leviathan - Short story about how Varro Tigurius tries to reach the Hive Mind again. Involves Maleceptors jobbing.
  • Deathstorm - Captain Karlaen is sent to Asphodex to rescue the planetary governor before he gets eaten.
    • Wraithflight - Short Story about Craftworld Iyanden fighting a hive splinter before it again goes after them. Ties in with the Warzone Valedor novel.
    • A Son's Burden - Short Story about Gabriel Seth heeding Dante's call for aid in the Cryptus System and finishing off some cult before going off to an even deadlier war.
  • Exterminatus - The next step of the War for Cryptus, as the Blood Angels arrive in full force. Some unexpected allies (read: Necrons again) arrive to aid them. New FOCs, Formations, Relics and Warlord Traits are being made for the Blood Angels, Flesh Tearers and Necrons. Nothing for Sisters of Battle or the Astra Militarum at all, despite them featuring prominently in the early campaign.
    • Devourer - Short story recounting Anrakyr the Traveller's arrival in the Cryptus systems.
    • The Word of the Silent King- Short story about the infamous alliance between the Silent King and Dante and how it came to be. As it turns out, the Necrons were just using the Blood Angels as meatshields and only revealed it to the Blood Angels after the fact. Dante ordered the incident covered up and later swore to kill the Silent King.

• Operation Shadowtalon - A new supplement for the Damocles Crusade, involving the Raven Guard's operations against the Tau and their alarmingly-upgraded tools.
• Warzone Damocles: Kauyon: The big damn supplement featuring all the rules for the new Tau releases since GW are cheap Indians with their releases. There's also a rules for slightly-different Decurions of the Raven Guard and White Scars varieties.
• Warzone Damocles: Mont'ka: Features new detachments, Tactical Objectives, and formations for the Farsight Enclaves and Cadians (Essentially the Imperial Guard, but whatever).

• Warzone Fenris: Curse of the Wulfen: A new campaign involving Daemons breaking into Fenris. Alongside an update to bring the Wolves more into line with the other marine codices, they also bring back the Wulfen from the Eye of Terror Codex. Apparently, wherever these wannabe-Wolverines appear, Daemons never seem far behind. While Logan Grimnar is excited to meet the Lost Company, the Dark Angels and Grey Knights have begun hunting them down on grounds of suspicion for taint. (and who would argue with that?) Adds Decurion equivalents to the Space Wolves and Chaos Daemons, and gives the latter new psychic powers, WTs, and relics.
  • Legacy of Russ: A series of novellas chronicling scenes that were mentioned in the above book as the Wolves try to drag themselves out of the mess they made and Chaos worsened.
• Black Crusade: Traitor's Hate: The Dark Gods finally answered the prayers of many Chaos Space Marine players. New book which contains brand new formations, and 4 new Psychic disciplines for Chaos Space Marines: Sinistrum, Heretech, Echtomancy, and Geomortis disciplines. Also updates the rules for Chaos Predators and Vindicators (Basically guaranteed to put them in line with their Loyalist counterparts like squadrons and benefits of a squad of 3), a fun guy called Kharn the Betrayer gets a sexy new plastic model, full rules for Renegade Imperial Knights, and Chaos Space Marine Tactical Objectives. Fluff is about Abaddon siccing Kharn the Betrayer, shit tons of Berzerkers, and 3 Lords of Skulls on the Imperium as his 13th Black Crusade kicks into high gear.
• Black Crusade: Angel's Blade: The next Campaign book. This time a force of Blood Angels and Death Company moving in to combat the Khorne Chaos forces. Looks like GW had a surplus of Mephiston Red and Khorne Red. Contains two new detachments, finally giving the seriously lagging Blood Angels a "Gladius Strike Force" equivalent, Death Company themed relics, Death Company tactical objectives, and updating the datasheets of Blood Angel Assault Squads and Devastators.
• Warzone Fenris: Wrath of Magnus: Continuation of Curse of the Wulfen. The Imperial forces band together to find Fenris under invasion by the Thousand Sons, led by Magnus himself. As it turns out, the cyclops had no intention of destroying Fenris- his real goal was to make them suffer the same persecution that the Thousand Sons did in a way that mirrored the Burning of Prospero. Logan is able to use Morkai (which retained enough of its former Khornate nature to weaken Magnus) to force Magnus back to the Warp, though the planet of Midgardia is Exterminatus'd due to the massive demonic taint left behind and much of Fenris' population has to be killed by the Inquisition- and this time Logan doesn't have any problems with it. Even worse, the whole thing was a giant sorcerous ritual- one that brings the Planet of the Sorcerers into realspace just in time for the other Daemon Primarchs to join the Thirteenth Black Crusade. As the surviving Space Wolves leave for Cadia, the High Lords receive word of Magnus' return and send orders to the Sisters of Silence to assemble.
• The Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia: Little is known about the specifics of this campaign, but the AdMech, the Black Templars, the Sisters of Battle, and the Inquisition are all confirmed to play a major role in it. Confirmed in January White Dwarf: despite Trazyn and this dick helping the Imperium, the Imperium just barely drives off Abbadon's forces, and even then their plan ends up destroying Cadia completely in the process. Keep in mind this is only supposed to be the first book of the campaign; given how fast shit has hit the fan, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume The End Times: 40K Edition is on its way.

Features

General stuff

• The rulebook is being written by Jervis Johnson , Robin Cruddace , and Simon Grant.
• The Core Rulebook's gonna be split into three parts: One for the collectible (modeling and painting) part of the hobby, one for the fluff, and one that's just the rules. All together, they cost $85. ($140 in Australia)
  • Some time after 7E and The End Times went into full swing, GW snapped back into their logic and re-released the rulebook as a hardcover for double the price of one of those three books.
• Rules from Escalation and Stronghold Assault are included in the new rulebook. Obviously they've left out the data sheets so that you still kinda sorta need to buy those books if you wanna use their content properly.
• Introduction of Maelstrom of War, an alternative to the standard set of Eternal War missions. A set of missions (6, to be specific) which revolve around special "Tactical Objectives". Those objectives are drawn from one of 36 cards and award Victory Points for completing them. Example Tactical Objectives that have been mentioned include "manifest a psychic power", "destroy a flyer", and "kill a Character". Tactical Objectives can be exchanged for another one in the deck at will, and if one is completed it will be replaced with a new one. The new 7th edition codices all seem to be adding additional Tactical Objectives which can only be used by that codex's faction.
• Considering that the Tau, Space Marines, and Eldar have gotten rewrites, it's likely that GW is planning to update every faction to work within 7E parameters, a ballsy choice considering they also annihilated Fantasy and forcibly launched Age of Sigmar.
• You can ignore the Force Org chart if you wish, resulting in an "Unbound" army list. However, using the FOC to make a "Battle-Forged" army list which grant you a variety of benefits. The traditional FOC is now referred to as a "Combined Arms Detachment" which allows you to reroll Warlord Traits and lets your Troops control objectives even if an enemy scoring unit is within range of them (unless they also happen to have Objective Secured). Other FOCs are starting to come as new codices are released.
  • The potential for abuse with Unbound lists is obvious- as long as the units themselves are legal, the allies chart is followed, and the point limit is adhered to, literally anything goes. Like an army made up of nothing but HUNDREDS of cheap troops models (like Grots/Cultists etc) for the tarpit to end all tarpits, or an army consisting entirely of superheavy vehicles. But on the bright side, it also allows you to field fluffy armies legally (e.g. the First Company of a Space Marine Chapter, the Phoenix Lords, or a regiment of the Death Korps of Krieg).
  • Even worse is a trend that began with the Necron Codex: Decurions, or Detachments made entirely of formations, some with absurdly unbalancing rules. Considering that they're not going to be updating any of the forces before into getting some, this leads some armies (Tyranids, Sisters of Battle, and Orks in particular) with a very big shafting.
• Kill-Team remains out of the book, though the rules Games Workshop has are still valid.
• They're redoing the Allies matrix. See pic related. And now you can have Grey Knights ally with Daemons, allied with Tyranids, allied with Tau. Granted, this army's going to be pretty much a bunch of paperweights most of the time with Come The Apocalypse rules.
  • Battle Brothers: Benefit from warlord traits and reserve rolls, ICs can join friendly units, can repair each other's vehicles, and can embark on each other's transports. Allied troops with a battleforged list get objective secured as well.
  • Allies of Convenience: Act as enemy units that can't be charged, shot, attacked or targeted, can't move within 1" of each other, and are impacted by stuff that affects enemy models.
  • Desperate Allies: As AoC, but with One Eye Open.
  • Come the Apocalypse: Ally like Desperate Allies, but must deploy at least 12" apart.

Psychic Phase

It's pretty much the Magic Phase from Fantasy, back to use after 2E. First you add up all the Mastery Levels of all your psykers, then add d6 to that; the total is how many Warp Charge dice you get this turn. When you want to manifest a power you roll any number Warp Charge dice, and for each 4+ you get one point. If you have enough points equal to or greater than the warp charge cost next to the psychic power's name, you manifest it. You may be freely decide how many Warp Charge dice you want to roll, but rolling more dice runs a higher risk of Perils of the Warp. Speaking of, Perils occurs if you roll multiple sixes. Deny The Witch now takes place here and requires Warp Charges to work, so having at least one psyker in your army seems like it'll be necessary. (It can now also be used to nullify enemy blessings as well as offensive powers.) Expect Tau, Dark Eldar and Necrons getting a rule either in errata or core rules to deny.

• Force Weapon activation now counts as a psychic power, and is now activated in the psychic phase. This does not count against your free Primaris.
• Your opponent gets d6 warp charge dice during your psychic phase as well for their deny the witch rolls(roll once for the both of you).
• Witchfire/psychic shooting attacks are done in the psychic phase too, and no longer make the psyker count as having fired a weapon.
• If a psyker generates all his powers from the same discipline, he also gets the primaris power for free in addition to any other powers known (such as Force or unique powers), this is called Psychic Focus. This has the deliberate side effect of making sure all psykers (except those that have entirely fixed power sets - such as Broodlords) can use at least two powers.
  • Heralds, Daemon Princes and Marked Sorcerers all get their respective Deity's Primaris power for free after generating all of their other powers just for being aligned, since many of them could not be able to benefit from Psychic Focus due to the way they have to distribute their selection of powers.

New psychic discipline: Daemonology

It is split into Sanctic and Malefic.

Sanctic powers are usable by Grey Knights like normal (but barred from Malefic). Likewise, Daemons (and Sorcerers with the Daemon USR) can use Malefic powers like any other, but can never take Sanctic powers. All other psykers who can use Daemonology get perils when they roll any doubles, not just double sixes; Eldar and Inquisition are Sanctic only, Tyranids get neither because FUCK YOU, and everyone else with psykers gets both. This means that you can have Chaos Space Marines who hunt down and kill them.

Sanctic

Primaris

Banishment

Warp Charge 1. A Malediction with a 24" range that can only be used on units with the Daemon USR. Will reduce the Daemon's Invul save by 1 (So the basic 5+ Daemon Invul becomes a 6+)

1

Gate of Infinity

Warp Charge 1. A benediction that allows a single unit that isn't swooping or zooming to Deep Strike anywhere.

2

Hammerhand

Warp Charge 1. A blessing that grants the caster and unit +2S.

3

Sanctuary

Warp Charge 1. Caster and his unit gain +1 to their Invul save. Additionally, all Daemons (allies and ememies) within 12" of the caster treat all terrain as Dangerous Terrain.

4

Purge Soul

Warp Charge 1. Focused Witchfire power with a range of 24". Both you and your enemy must now roll d6 and add Ld to the roll. If the enemy loses, he must take an unsavable wound.

5

Cleansing Flame

Warp Charge 2. Range 9" S5 AP4 Assault 2d6 Nova power with Soulblaze and Ignores Cover.

6

Vortex of Doom

Warp Charge 3. Range 12" Strength D AP1 Assault 1 Blast Vortex power. Failing the test to manifest this power automatically causes perils.

Malefic

Primaris

Summoning

Warp Charge 3. A conjuration that summons one of the following within 12 inches of the user.

10 Bloodletters, 10 Pink Horrors, 10 Plaguebearers, 10 Daemonettes, 5 Flesh Hounds, 3 Flamers, 3 Nurgling Swarms, 5 Seekers.

1

Cursed Earth

Warp Charge 1. All models with the Daemon USR (allied and enemy) within 12 inches of the user gain +1 to their invulnerable save and do not scatter when Deep Striking within range of the user.

2

Dark Flame

Warp Charge 1. A Witchfire template power with S4 AP5, Assault 1, and the Soul Blaze and Torrent rules.

3

Infernal Gaze

Warp Charge 1. A 18 inch range Beam power with S3 AP 4, Assault 1, and the Armourbane and Fleshbane rules.

4

Sacrifice

Warp Charge 1. A conjuration that summons a Herald of your choice (with up to 30 points' worth of wargear options) within 6 inches of the user. However, the user or another friendly unit in range suffers a single wound with no saves allowed.

5

Incursion

Warp Charge 3. A conjuration that summons one of the following within 12 inches of the user.

3 Bloodcrushers, 3 Screamers, 3 Plague Drones, 3 Fiends.

6

Possession

Warp Charge 3. Summons a Greater Daemon of your choice within 6 inches, and removes the user as a casualty, just like in Dawn of War. (If the user was part of a unit with Brotherhood of Psykers/Sorcerers, the whole unit is removed.) If the Psychic test to manifest this power fails, the user automatically suffers Perils of the Warp. (Just imagine the look on your opponent's face when your otherwise useless Wyrdvane Psykers explode into a Bloodthirster. Or your Lord of Change, on his last wound, explodes into a new and fully healed Lord of Change.)

Perils of the Warp

Perils of the Warp is now a table to be rolled on to determine what hijinks ensue.

• 1: Dragged into the Warp Psyker takes a leadership test. If passed, he suffers 1 wound or glancing hit with no saves allowed. If failed, he is removed as a casualty and his unit takes D6 S6 AP1 hits, starting from where he was removed.
• 2: Mental Purge Psyker suffers 1 wound/glancing hit with no saves allowed. Randomly select one power from the psyker. It is lost for the rest of the game.
• 3: Power Drain Psyker suffers 1 wound/glancing hit with no saves allowed. If it's the psychic phase, both players lose D3 Warp Charge points. Cronz don't give a shit about this.
• 4: Psychic Backlash Psyker suffers 1 wound/glancing hit with no saves allowed
• 5: Empyric Feedback Psyker takes a leadership test. If failed Psyker suffers 1 wound/glancing hit with no saves allowed. If passed no effect.
• 6: Warp Surge Psyker takes a leadership test. If failed Psyker suffers 1 wound/glancing hit with no saves allowed. If passed psyker gains 3++, Fleshbane, Armourbane, and Smash until the next friendly psychic phase. Double with Warpflame for extra lulz.

New rulebook warlord traits

They're pretty sweet overall.

• Tactical

1. TACTICAL GENIUS While your Warlord is alive, you can discard up to 2 active Tactical Objectives (TacO) at the turn's end instead of 1.
2. Master of Interference Once per game, at the end of your turn, your opponent must randomly select a TacO and discard it.
3. Well-Prepared Generate one additional TacO on your first turn.
4. Forward Planning You can redraw all TacOs on your first turn.
5. Master of Fate While your Warlord is alive, re-roll the VP awarded for a TacO.
6. Lead By Example +1 VP for successful Objective Secured TacO by Warlord.

• Command

1. Inspiring Presence Friendly units within 12" of your Warlord can use his Ld.
2. Intimidating Presence Enemies within 12" of your Warlord use the lowest Ld in the unit.
3. The Dust of a Thousand Worlds Friendly units within 12" of your Warlord have Move Through Cover.
4. Master of the Vanguard Friendly Units get +1" for run and charge within 12".
5. Target Priority Units within 12" of your Warlord re-roll 1s to hit during shooting (suck it Tau - this is permanent) (The Tau can also take this as well. so suck it everyone~)
6. Coordinated Assault same as above but for assault.

• Personal

1. Master of Defence Warlord has Counter-Attack.
2. Master of Offence Warlord has Furious charge.
3. Master of Manoeuvre Warlord has Outflank.
4. Legendary Fighter 1VP for each character your Warlord slays in a challenge.
5. Tenacity Warlord has FNP.
6. Immovable Object Warlord has Fearless and IWND.

• Strategic

1. Conqueror of Cities Stealth in ruins + Move Through Cover (Ruins).
2. Night Attacker Choose for night fighting and all models in your army have Night Vision. (Night Fighting is piss weak in 7th though ["Damnit, that was one of our few advantages" - Every Dark Eldar player].)
3. Master of Ambush Warlord + 3 units (non-vehicle) have Infiltrate.
4. Strategic Genius +1 to Seize and re-roll reserves while Warlord is alive.
5. Divide to Conquer -1 to opponent's reserves.
6. Princeps of Deceit During the first enemy turn, 3 enemy units take a pinning check (kind of poor).

Other rule changes

• Vector strikes are 1 hit, S user, Ap2; the enemy takes D3 if they are a zooming flyer or FMC in swoop mode.
• All units are scoring, except for Swooping FMCs, Zooming Flyers (and units embarked on them), units whose rules specifically state that they are not scoring, units that are falling back, and unclaimed buildings/fortifications.
• However units from Troops choices on armies that follow the Combined Arms FoC in Battle-Forged armies have additional scoring ability referred to as Objective Secured, meaning if they get on an objective, non-Troops units cannot Contest it from them, they can only be contested by other Objective Secured troops.
• Vehicles must declare Jink when they are targeted with shooting now (before To Hit rolls are made), gives a Cover save (4+ now), but forces the vehicle to make snap shots. Interestingly, a vehicle does not need to have moved in the previous movement phase to Jink (presumably to fairly allow the player who goes second to Jink in the first turn). This is actually retarded bullshit because even if a vehicle is immobilized it can still jink when exploiting RAW This has been fixed in the Rules Errata Warhammer 40k: the Rules" of "January 2015.
• Flying Monstrous Creatures now only take one grounding check, at the end of the shooting phase, rather than one check per shooting attack. And only if they take an unsaved wound
• Flying Monstrous Creatures now must spend at least one turn gliding after using a swoop move before they can charge.
• Additional "overkill" wounds taken in challenges now spread to the squad after the challenging Character is dead. This means that you can't take a challenge just to soak up all the damage from the rest of your unit (poor ork nobz).
• Conversely, characters locked in a challenge can be hit by units outside of the challenge if they have nothing else to hit. This includes after the one side's non-character models wiping out all of the other side's non-character models. This means no more having 20 dudes tied up standing around doing nothing because the challenge isn't over.
• Shooting attacks from a squad are resolved one weapon type at a time. For example, in a squad of tactical marines you may choose to resolve the flamer first, then the bolters, then the sergeant's plasma pistol, then the missile launcher. Very useful if your opponent brought a fortification bullshit that a void shield generator is (chance to pop the shield with the squad's heavy anti-tank weapon before you pelt it with your other guns).
• Rending now officially no longer counts as ap2 against vehicles on its own (so basically things like daemonettes are a lot less threatening to vehicles).
• Vehicle damage chart is changing again; you need a roll of 7 to make tanks Explode. Thus they can only be insta-sploded if there is a +modifier applicable to the roll, either from AP2 (+1), AP1 (+2) or Open-Topped (+1). This makes them more resilient - not to the ridiculous level of 5E, but to the level they can actually compete with infantry and MC, finally bringing the balance between mech and bio.
• Flyers that suffer an immobilized result now have to take a test- 3+, the flyer counts as being crew stunned (one turn of locked velocity). However, on a 1 or 2, the flyer crashes and burns.
• Vehicle Explosions are now S4 all the time.
• Units in a vehicle that was destroyed cannot charge on the following turn unless the vehicle in question was an assault vehicle.
• The Split Fire rule no longer requires a leadership test.
• The Counter Attack rule no longer requires a Leadership test.(Go MoK cultists and Space Wolves!)
• Vehicles can now use Snap Shots with Ordnance weapons, as long as the weapon itself allows Snap Shots to be fired (still no Snap Shots from Blast weapons). Similarly, vehicles can now fire Ordnance weapons normally at Combat Speed, although all other weapons that turn will be fired as Snap Shots.
• Flamer templates now hit open-topped vehicle passengers D6 times. Bad news for DE and Orks.
• ICs can't join units with MCs, (bye, invisible Riptide).
• ICs can't join units that are infiltrating unless they also have infiltrate.
• Precision Shot is a USR, so IG needs 6s to do precision after the order granting it. Interestingly it does not say on the character page that they have this USR. The same goes with Precision Strike. They probably don't, seeing as the Astra Militarum codex (Being written with 7th in mind) has a wargear reserved for characters that gives the Precision Shot USR.
• Smash can now either confer all melee attacks outside of HoW AP2 or make one single attack at Sx2 with a re-rollable Pen roll. ("Fucking Bullshit!" -Every Tyranid player)
• Invulnerable and cover saves can now be taken against strength D weapons, unless the strength D weapon in question rolled a 6 to wound. Strength D weapons that did not roll a 6 are treated as having S10 and the weapon's AP, so T6+ units won't suffer Instant Death from them (on a Destroyer To Wound roll of 2-5 the victim loses D3 Wounds, good for the Tyranid MCs at least, though on a Destroyer To Wound roll of 6 it inflicts D6+6 wounds which would probably kill anything anyway). In addition, Strength D allocates wounds like barrage does.
• Barrage weapons must now direct fire in order to hit something in their minimum range, so no more hiding basilisks out of LOS, unless maybe on a huuuge table.
• Sniper weapons lost Pinning and Rending, but rolls of 6 against infantry still give AP2 hits. When they shoot at vehicles, they now have S4.
• Skyfire/Interceptor combo no longer allows to hit non Flyer/Skimmer/FMC targets at BS.
• You can't disembark from Chariots. Also, if a Necron Chariot rider passes his Ever-Living roll, his whole damn chariot comes back (with one Hull Point).
• Chariots no longer give you Sv bonus. This only means that Necrons gotta spend few extra points.
• Walkers now have Hammer of Wrath.
• Grenades can only be used once per unit per phase while shooting. In assault, each model can use a grenade as a single attack (This has been corrected in FAQ to one model per squad).
• Units can now charge Walkers they can't hurt. For Tyranid players, this is invaluable indeed.
• They updated with FAQs that remove a lot of what was said in 6th. All psyker abilities that are not 6th Edition or higher are now removed. Example: Ork Weirdboys no longer have their random table and could only use Daemonology until they got their new Codex, where they got a whole new discipline.
• Chariots have the Relentless special rule. The Burning Chariot is now useful!
• Chariots in close combat always uses their front armour value.
• Any model with (Character) next to unit type can be the Warlord of your army. While this sounds really silly, this means characters like the Broodlord and that lone fire warrior who took on the Lord of Change alone can make fluffy list even more possible.
• Flying Monstrous Creatures can Jink while gliding! Not just swooping. Find a way to give them Shrouded and you have 2+ cover save on your melee beast the turn he wants to assault.
• Dedicated Transports are now a special rule as opposed to a force org slot type, or "battlefield role" as they are called now. A transport starts with its own battlefield role (most of them are just Fast Attack, like Rhinos and Razorbacks are), but its role is overridden by whatever takes them as a Dedicated Transport -- i.e. a Rhino is Troops if holding a Tactical Squad, or Elites if holding Veterans.
• Rules concerning multiple levels no longer seem to exist. Splash damage and flamers now have unlimited vertical range and deal damage through floors (though only where ruins are concerned; fortifications work the same as before).

Boxed Sets

• Dark Vengeance is still the starter boxed set, it just got a facelift, a new mini-rulebook and the Chaos Aspiring Champion sprue that had been available on its own for ages has been added. It eventually got supplementary sets that added a few bonus models to one side. Not much to give you the full set, but it's a start.
• Stormclaw, A new campaign box set featuring Space Wolves vs Orks, came and went in July 2014, meaning that we might be expecting a new Wolfdex for August 2014 if the current pattern of WFB/40K releases is correct, and this kit not too soon after. They freakin' teased us with this one, adding the mini-rulebook inside it to make us think it was the starter set, only to re-release Dark Vengeance the week after.
  • Grukk FaceRippa is the Warboss for the Ork set, equipped with a kombi-rokkit, a power klaw, and an attack squig. Guy's being cast as a kill-krazy Goff, also brimming with some new dakka and teef. His Waaagh is covered in the Red Waaagh supplement (spoiler: he dies early on in the fluff and his Waaagh continues without him) (spoiler: he got better though) they are not a secondary army themselves but his formation can be used on its own.
  • Krom Dragongaze is the package's Wolf Lord, a character at least mentioned before, now brought to a model form. He's being cast as a very pissed-off yiff with a Frost Axe and a totem on him.
  • Unlike previous boxed sets such as Assault on Black Reach and Dark Vengeance there are no limited edition sculpts aside from the Wolflord and the Warboss, every other model are the standard non-snap fit sprues. To rub further salt in the wound for Ork players, Grukk is a modified sculpt of the plastic warboss from AoBR. However, it's still more badass than the AoBR.
• Space Hulk: And the fandom rejoiced for GW's act of kindness, even if it's just to keep a grubby hold on the copyrights to the name. It's essentially a re-release of 3rd Edition with limited availability and some new missions. There's also a novella out called Sin of Damnation that chronicles what goes down. Also available are a couple small supplement missions allowing you to play with your regular Deathwing/Wolf Guard/Smurf Terminators, granting some new weapons and Cyclone Missiles.
• Deathstorm: There in indeed another limited-edition campaign set that reconfirms the Blood Angels starter rumors back from the release of 7E, and they're packed with the Nids as it's part of the Shield of Baal campaign. Like Stormclaw, the only real unique models here being the two heroes.
  • Karlaen is obviously the captain of the First Company, what with his huge armor, Iron Halo, and Thunder Hammer he uses in place of a sword. Kinda disappointed he has to go save some hapless planetary governor rather than massacre the fuck out of the Nids, but considering how the last guys who fought the Nids full-scale ended up, it's maybe for the better.
  • The Spawn of Cryptus is only a Broodlord with Stealth instead of a legit solo character. His upper claws have massive fucking talons, his headspike is huge, and even his tongue has a spike.
• Assassinorum Execution Force: A new Space Hulk-style Limited edition board game which is a chronicle of an Execution Force hunting down Chrimson Slaughter Sorcerer Drask. The 4 Assassins got bitchin' new models, comes with 15 Chaos Cultists, a Terminator Lord kit (to be built as a Terminator Sorcerer) and 3 snap-fit Chaos Space Marines. Also comes with the White Dwarf that holds all the Assassin's main game rules.
• Deathwatch: Overkill: Oh fuck yes. We finally get access to the Alienhunters forces, and brand new models for a Genestealer cult with Magus and modified Chaos Cultists with Genestealer features. And both sides will come with rules to be used in 40k.
• Lost Patrol: A reborn classic board game. A Pack of Scouts are lost on a hostile planet infested with hostile aliens - wait, why are they Genestealers? Well, anywaay, Scouts need to fumble about and hope the 'stealers don't kill them before they reach an extraction point.
• Imperial Knights: Renegade: A cheap-ish game with two Knights and some terrain, playing based of a game made in WD. As a fun aside, it now gives Renegade Knights so you can play Knights in the big game without being fucked for not being Imperial.
• Stormcloud Attack: Following the new Death From the Skies book is a game that packages two fliers (Heldrake/Stormtalon, Crimson Hunter/Dakkajet, or Night Scythe and Razorshark) and a little board game using them. At least it gives a bonus flyer for you and a mate.
• Death Masque: Following Deathwatch: Overkill, this boxed set contains Harlequins with a new plastic Eldrad miniature squaring off against a Deathwatch Killteam, Deathwatch Vanguard veterans, Watch Captain Artemis, and a Deathwatch Venerable Dreadnought. Contains the sprue for the Deathwatch Killteam, and a Deathwatch Upgrade sprue containing 10 Power armor pads, 2 Terminator pads, 2 helmets, and 3 big "I"s.
• Warhammer 40'000: Kill Team: Updated official Kill Team rules for 7th Edition, and an $65 box set featuring a Space Marine Tactical Squad plus Tau Fire Warriors/Breachers. This is how you introduce young players to 40k and play cheaphammer.

Fluff Updates

Orks

• After leaving Armageddon, Ghazghkull engaged in a space battle with Helbrecht and Yarrick and was saved by the direct intervention of Gork and Mork, who commanded him to make a Waaagh! so massive that they could lead the Orks personally. And then they threw him through the warp, 300 years into the past, from M41.990 to 694. He's currently on his way to Octarius to krump the Tyranids and show the Overfiend who's the real boss of the Orks. Since the first recorded mentions of Thraka are from about 7 years before the first Ork invasion of Armageddon, in M41.934, this means that he traveled into a past in which his giant WAAAGH and his huge reputation amassed from it didn't even exist yet. So he's literally building an army in the past, possibly to jump into the future with again and back up his M41.990-era horde once it's big enough. Emperor preserve you if Ghazghkull ever meets with himself due to time shenanigans. Source: [1]
• There is a huge emphasis on the End Times theme, with the Orks suddenly being seized with a religious fervor to gather for the Last WAAAAAAGH!!! - that often mentioned hypothetical galaxy-conquering unification of the Orks seems to be less and less hypothetical as time goes on, especially given Ghazghkull's new blessings from the Ork gods.
• The idea that Orks' psychic fields help their otherwise impossible technology work has been really downplayed, possibly removed. The Meks are really competent in this edition. The book Evil Sun Rising places a lot of emphasis on Meks going off of luck and inspiration with little memory about how they did it.
• More theories as to how the Orks reproduce are thrown around with the spores thing being offered as just one possibility and it is unconfirmed as to how they do it. This is dumbfounding, as even normal guardsmen in novels know how Orks reproduce.

Space Wolves

• A few retcons about Leman Russ- some time after he was adopted by wolves, a hunting party stumbled across his cave and killed his wolf-mother. After killing twelve men in an attempt to protect his "brothers", the hunters realized Russ was special and convinced him to go with them to King Thengir. When the Emperor revealed himself, Leman Russ challenged him to a duel on the spot (no mention of any eating or drinking contests), which lasted for hours before the Emperor finally knocked him out. Apparently Emps KOing Russ in one punch wasn't flattering enough to justify being included.
• The long-lost 13th Great Company has reappeared in the Imperium. Unfortunately for the Space Wolves and everyone else, they've all turned into Wulfen and daemons seem to be following their every move. Needless to say, now that the Curse of the Wulfen is no longer the Space Wolves' little secret quite a few factions in the Imperium are convinced that the Wolves have some kind of Chaotic taint. And after being egged on by the Changeling, the Dark Angels have begun an all-out invasion of Fenris just as a massive Chaos attack is occurring.
  • The situation goes from bad to horrible as the Thousand Sons invade Fenris yet again as a unified legion, with Magnus the Red himself leading their forces. By the end of the whole mess, one of the Wolves' planets is destroyed, the rest of them including Fenris are in shambles, Egil Iron-Wolf is dead, and the Planet of the Sorcerers emerges into the Materium over Prospero as the Thousand Sons begin their attacks on the Imperium in earnest. The remaining Space Wolves head off to the Cadian Gate to battle in the 13th Black Crusade.

Grey Knights

• Vorth Mordrak has been mentioned to be Admiral of the Fleet. Any mention of the whole "Ghost Knights" deal is practically nonexistent, as is any mention of Anval Thawn. However, it's never explicitly said if these events are noncanon, and considering GW's stance at continuity, this likely will remain so.
• That one incident with those Sisters of Battle has now mostly been retconned to not involve the sacrifice. Sisters still jobbed in the 'dex, mind, but it was because Draigo wanted them to hold the line.

Dark Eldar

• Commorragh is not as secure as once thought - there is a sealed hole in the bottom (how can there be a 'bottom of Commorragh when it's made of numerous inter-dimensional realms where 'up' is a subjective concept?) of the Dark City called Khaine's Gate, and something is whispering through it out of the Warp, trying to get into Commorragh. Vect's putting up some failsafes in the vain hope of containing whatever is on the other side, but they aren't working. Rumors abound that he's making a sanctuary so if things turn to shit in Commorragh he can get away and start a new Dark Eldar empire somewhere else. Between the name of the Gate and the Warp connection, this suspiciously has Eldar cheese Renaissance written all over it, which they've been prophesying about since 1st Edition. Most hopeful news for the setting since Farsight rebelled against the fascist confucian weeaboo empire with a Pope and speculated operatives stopped the Horus Heresy from leading to prophecies of doom by possibly killing each other.
• Vect and Lady Malys are at all-out war with one another, and each is convinced the other wants to flood Commorragh with daemons. Ironically, that's exactly the opposite of what either of them wants and their fighting is weakening the failsafes further.
• Having noticed unnerving parallels between the greatly increased raiding and the frenzy of depravity that occurred shortly before the Fall, Urien Rakarth and several of his fellow Haemonculi have taken to placing numerous slaves in stasis pods so they can continue feeding off their suffering even if the Dark City is wiped out.

Blood Angels

• There are some rumors that the only reason the Red Thirst exists is because of some genetic decay during the process in which the gene-seed is activated by injecting aspirants with Sanguinius' blood. Of course, this is assuming that this all wasn't Khorne's fault in the first place.
• The Carmine Blades (Originally called the Swords of Hadroth) are a new chapter. Originally they were feral worlders who were listed as Ultrasmurf successors for some reason and considered the Red Thirst some sort of tribal curse. However, Astorath made one trip to their homeworld and explained who their true spiritual liege is (Hint: It's the one with wings). They're all well and cool with this revelation, though it is gonna take a deal of effort and time to curb their more crazy habits.
• The Blood Angels-Necron alliance wasn't nearly as friendly as it seemed- the Silent King was only using the Blood Angels as meat-shields to cover the Necrons' escape from the Tyranids of Cryptus and told the Blood Angels as much after the battle's end when they were too far away to be threatened by any sort of retaliation. Dante ordered the records falsified into the "noble alliance" story (as presented in the Wardex) to cover up how the Chapter was tricked and swore to kill the Silent King for his deception. To be fair, Dante was planning to kill the Silent King anyway when the war ended. (Incidentally, the Silent King claimed to know Sanguinius and have allied with him in the past, which is rather peculiar given that he wasn't even in the Milky Way at the time of the Great Crusade. Unless...)

Necrons

• One funny tale involves some Kroot eating Necrons. This ends up badly when nanoscarabs start flooding the place. Other tales involve Szeras kidnapping a Culexus to figure out the Pariah gene, Orikan locking a company of marines into a Time-Loop, and two empires hiring Deathmarks and ending up leaderless at the same time.
• C'Tan are now counted as lower than even the mindless warriors. Every Overlord from here to the Dyson Sphere gets their jollies off on this.
• Dynasties got fluffed out: Mephrit is like the Space Wolves in that they were the Silent King's executioners and they blew up stars, Nihilakh are greedy mofos with a head that could see the future. A few other have some stories, but less detail is on them. Also, no mention of the Maynarkh.
• Apparently Tomb Worlds can be corrupted by Chaos now as the Daemon Prince Shukketh Voidmaw infected a tomb world with taint of Chaos, but not the Necrons within. The invaders pulled the old chaos trick of "transform the landscape to my wishes" nonsense while they were still asleep and altered their crypts and landscape. When the Necrons awoke and saw what he was doing they engaged the daemon hordes to retake the planet. Necrons are immune to direct corruption as they have no souls to taint, but apparently a planet is fair game somehow.
• The Silent King has returned from his exile after encountering the Tyranids and is now desperately attempting to reunite the Necrons to fend off the Hive Fleets. So far, he hasn't been very successful.

Harlequins

• At the heart of the Black Library, there is a book penned by the Laughing God himself which tells of the ultimate jest: a way by which Slaanesh can be tricked into expending all of her/his/it's power to save the Eldar species instead of destroying them.
• Harlequin Masques are divided into three different Troupes: Light (Which represents day, swiftness, and heroic combat), Dark (Representing, darkness, villains, and violent endings), and Twilight (Which doesn't involve sparkling faggots and instead represents change, like the webway, or a fateful journey). It's mainly to weave together their entertainment and their jobs as murderous space elf clown ninjas.
  • Some of the Masques are fleshed out. The Midnight Sorrow are the local obsessed Chaos-killers. The Veiled Path is composed of trolls and tricksters so good at their job that even Eldar don't know whether or not to trust them (and they're also responsible for driving Lady Malys crazy and convincing Prince Yriel into taking the Spear of Twilight). The Frozen Stars is essentially the Harlequin equivalent of Biel-Tan and there are also smaller entries on other troupes, though only like a couple of these minor ones get color schemes.

Khorne Daemonkin

• The Khorne Daemonkin are a sect of Chaos Marines that are apparently subservient to the wishes of daemons as opposed to any mortal champions. In this respect, they're not exactly related to the World Eaters (thus giving a probably flimsy excuse as to why Kharn doesn't show up in the codex). However, they aren't exactly mutually exclusive either, as it's noted that several of them joined Angron in fucking up Armageddon the first time around.
  • Due to their worship of the daemons of Khorne, they tend to form a hierarchy not unlike the one governing the daemonic hosts they serve. Each of these Daemonkin warbands is commanded by a Bloodthirster of Unfettered Fury (The bottom rung of Bloodthirsters, for the given term of bottom). The chain goes up by eights until you reach the top
  • Since Khorne has a thing against psykers, these bands don't use them. Instead, whenever they decide to summon daemons, they use insane fanaticism and a metric fuckton of murder (Represented in crunch as the Blood Tithe). If they're lucky, they'll have a Bloodthirster possess someone and break out the old-fashioned way.

Eldar Craftworlds

• Fuegan's role at the Rhana Dandra is expanded upon, he is said to be forging a cosmic chain based upon every kill he's ever made across the galaxy, and that when the final battle comes to pass, this chain will be strong enough to "bind the Dragon to his will" and unleash it upon the Dark Gods. It is said that the soul of the Dragon lives in him though what this actually means can only be conjecture at this point, so it could be a portion of the C'Tan, some alpha-plus level psychic potential or merely a metaphor for something else. So he's like a badass Jacob Marley.
• Baharroth is prophesied to make some kind of significant final sacrifice at Rhana Dandra that will change the fate of the galaxy. (ie: more significant than merely dying just like the other Phoenix Lords)
• "Lesser" craftworlds have had their fluff expanded, though not gaining any more screen time. Yme-Loc apparently has a doomsday device that is powered by the souls of the dead which can strip a continent of life in minutes, but they recently were raided by the Adeptus Mechanicus who left with plenty Eldar Technology to play with. While Lugganath are looking for a webway portal big enough to take their entire craftworld into the webway.
• Eldrad lead a force of Harlequins to raid Port Demesnus and activate a ritual to awaken Ynnead without requiring all Eldar to die. Captain Artemis and the Deathwatch proceed to fuck up the ritual, and temporarily stop the inevitable squatting of Slaanesh like his Age of Sigmar counterpart. The same cannot be said for the Eldar, as every Infinity Circuit is devoured by Slaanesh at once.

Imperial Knights

• The Damocles Crusade was broken up majorly by the Freeblade known as the Obsidian Knight. He was tough enough to break Stormsurges and Riptides, but was (supposedly) laid low by some Hammerheads.

Skitarii

• Apparently the Mechanicus found an STC containing every psyker related STC. Every cogboy in the sector loses his collective shit and billions of Skitarii are immediately sent with all haste. Given that it's on a Daemon World, and considering what happened when a STC was found on a world that had simply been corrupted, this will likely backfire spectacularly should it somehow get recovered.

Cult Mechanicus

• Some Techpriests were desperate enough to fix the Golden Throne that they decided to hire some Dark Eldar for tech support. To their disappointment they were transferred to some dude in India.

Space Marines

• Raven Guard Chapter Master Corvin Severax got owned by Shadowsun. Now Kayvaan Shrike is the new Chapter Master.
• Similarly, Kor'Sarro Khan tried to kill Shadowsun, but just got a building on his legs for his troubles.

Dark Angels

• The Deathwing is said to consist of 20 regular squads and 3 Deathwing Knight squads as well as a command squad, clocking in at a bare minimum of 235 Marines; the actual number is a carefully kept secret of the Dark Angels and is likely to be much higher than that. Same goes for the Ravenwing. Furthermore; company veterans are also now formalised as an additional part of the 3rd-9th companies (rather than being #1 of the "regular" squads) meaning the companies are each about 10% bigger than Codex guidelines.
• There are even more "Circles" of secrets being revealed, all the way down through the companies, even at squad level. For example, the 3rd squad of the 5th company knows less than the 2nd squad, but both know less than any member of the 4th company who themselves know less than the 3rd. How this doesn't make the marines intensely suspicious of their chapter as a whole despite it becoming painfully obvious that every tiny promotion gives them more knowledge hinting at some terrible secret in the chapter's past is unknown.(Probably because all space marines are brainwashed as part of their training)
• In Curse of the Wulfen, after being tricked by the Changeling Sammael orders the Implacable Justice to nuke a chunk of Fenris. The Space Wolves were literally asking for it for when they abandoned other chapters to save some mutants instead of helping their brothers in arms fight daemons (Obviously, yes, the Dark Angels do this regularly, even fighting other marines in order to capture members of the Fallen; the only real difference is, the Dark Angels have never been caught). Funny, last time I checked the Space Wolves were still loyal to the emprah and the Dark Angels were "being loyal" (not their fault their fluff is poorly thought out and full of contradictions - see the above dot point. Just like the Wolf Wolves, they might as well be called the Secrets Secrets.)
  • During the aforementioned clusterfuck, the Changeling masquerades around the Rock and leads them into conflict with the Wolves, then attempts to breach the lower dungeons where the Fallen Angels are kept with the intention of releasing the old nemesis: Luther, even managing to open some cells of unnamed Fallen on the way, leaving only empty cells and no doubt setting "The Hunt" back centuries. The Changeling gets turned around before finding Luther in an encounter with a Watcher and is set upon by Azrael, along with Arvann Stern and Ragnar Blackmane who manage to beat it back and close the Warp rift it opened on the Rock, though this foreshadows the arrival of the Thousand Sons. The Dark Angels then swear to hunt down the Changeling to the edge of real space and beyond as revenge, even though the Grey Knights tell them that it would be a wild goose chase. After agreeing with the Inquisition that a conclave will be summoned to deal with the Wulfen matter at a more convenient time, the Dark Angels then tell the rest of the crusade fleet to withdraw and aid the Wolves in holding off the Thousand Sons.
  • The book ends statement that agents of the Inquisition are now embedded in the Dark Angels fleet as they report from the Rock that Magnus has returned, so the High Lords summon the Sisters of Silence.

Tau Empire

• During the Damocles Crusade, an Execution Force was deployed against three major Tau leaders: Farsight, Shadowsun, and Aun'Va.
  • The poor Vindicare ends up intercepted by Sub-Commander Darkstrider, who manages to blind him with Photon Grenade and fill with holes from Pulse Rifle, despite being wounded himself because the Vindicare somehow missed his head.
  • The Callidus ambushes Shadowsun by disguising as a member of her team. The assassin still dies, but not without scaring Shadowsun by using some really deadly poisons on one of the bodyguards.
  • Of the three Tau, only Aun'Va gets killed because he had the horrible luck of getting the Culexus. His death was painful. Desperate to keep morale, the Tau managed to put up holograms to give orders, making them think he was alive. This is one of the few deaths of a major character with a model in 40k since 40k was a thing (Tycho, Naaman & Eldrad have also been killed off in the fluff, but Eldrad's death was retconned).
  • Commander Torchstar gets killed, and Commander Bravestorm sacrifices himself to save Farsight from an assassin, now leaving two vacancies in Farsight's Eight. In addition to all this Ob'Lotai 9-0 is badly mauled trying to stop an Eversor that was cleaving its way through Farsight's battlesuit teams to get to him. Until replacements can be found, "The Eight" at the moment is merely a ceremonial name.
• Longstrike and Pask fought to see who was the better tank commander. Pask beat Longstrike badly in their first battle but Longstrike survived and later returned to destroy Pask's Lemun Russ without him even seeing. Pask's probably still alive, salty as all hell.
• The Tau expansion into the Damocles Sector is halted by the Imperium, and the AdMech have formed a blockade cutting their remaining colonies in the sector off from the Empire proper.
• The overall theme with the Tau currently is that after all their success the Tau have finally been handed their first real string of defeats after provoking a serious response from the Imperium. They are currently cut off from all their new colonies, which will likely be attacked soon and many of their leaders and commanders are dead or wounded leaving the Empires political future in question. The golden age of expansion the Tau had hoped for seems to be over and the Tau appear to be on the defensive for a change. On another note Shadowsun and Farsight seem to have buried the hatchet, though she is still under orders to arrest Farsight at the first opportunity.

Genestealer Cults

• Lots of fluff regarding the Genestealer cults and how they operate, with several notable ones being fleshed out in great detail.
• Reintroduction of the Genestealer Patriarch and Magus, as well as info on the hybrids. No word on where Broodlords fit in.
• A few extra stages are added to the Genestealer lifecycle. The Genestealer Primus is a specialized hybrid born when the cult is ready to operate openly, and serves as a frontline commander for the cult. The Hybrid Metamorphs are a response to a Hive Fleet nearing a planet where a cult is in place and sport a variety of biomorphs normally found on other Tyranid organisms (e.g. a Carnifex's crushing claws, a Lictor's scything talons, or a Warrior's lashwhip and bonesword), while the Genestealer Aberrants are apparently failed hybrids used as muscle by the cult.

tl;dr

New rules. Just not very many of them. Expect Unbound armies to be viewed the same way as Double Force Org last edition. Most of the book has remained the same with minor changes that range from good fixes to increased ambiguity to needless to wtf. Introduction of the new Psychic phase is causing the most rage as people learn how to use and abuse it. Fluff is becoming alarmingly similar to The End Times. Here is a general breakdown of what is going down:

• Powergamers are actively trying to break the system succeeding as always. In the next year who knows what new game breaking combos will be found.
• The Neckbeards are raging as per the boring usual.
• The Tournament Players are trying to shoehorn their previous lists from last edition to the current.
• The Garagehammer guys are still in the garage doing their thing.
• The Narrative guys are making their own rules and "forging a narrative".
• The General Player base is stuck in the crossfire being flung from the ani of the Neckbeards and Tournament players.
• G-Dubz are still trying to take your money.