New Sisters of Battle and Grey Knights? Checkout the first rules breakdown and how the new Imperial Agents codex from Games Workshop will work!
Here’s a summary of the contents from new book from what was spotted in the new White Dwarf and GW themselves today:
It’s worth saying that this will not replace existing printed codexes for the Deathwatch or Grey Knights
This is a book that compiles together loads of specialist forces that commonly operate alongside other armies within the Imperium – including agents from the Inquisition, Officio Assassinorum, Deathwatch, Grey Knights, Adepta Sororitas, Cult Mechanicus, Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Aeronautica Imperialis, and even the Legion of the Damned.
Much of this content is only available digitally at the moment, some of it is new, and much of it is updated.
It’s worth saying that this will not replace existing printed codexes for the Deathwatch or Grey Knights – this just means that, if you want to add a small strike force of Elite Space Marines to your Imperial army (perhaps requisitioned by an Inquisitor, or high ranking officer), this book makes it easy for you to do so.
Speaking of which, one of the coolest things in the codex is a change to the way that the Inquisitorial Henchman Warband works. To further represent the unique nature of the Ordos (and a lot of the fiction featuring these mysterious individuals) Inquisitors can now go to battle with a squad of elite power-armoured warriors appropriate to their specialisation: Grey Knights for the Ordo Malleus, Deathwatch for the Ordo Xenos or Battle Sisters for the Ordo Hereticus, they still keep their acolytes, general hangers-on and space-oranguatan-mechanics.
We’ll have more details for you soon.
Suffice to say for now – if you have an Imperial force of any sort, this is a useful book for you.
The Combat Phase Podcast got their hands the new Codex Imperial Agents and are spilling the beans! Checkout their rules breakdown:
Codex: Imperial Agents
Hardback, $40 US; Pre-order Dec. 10th, 2016; 136 color pages
This is the initial text review for Combat Phase weekly wargaming podcast. Ep 175 next week will have more discussion. Also, fans of the Horus Heresy, tune in to our show right before Christmas to join an all-star cast of BL authors, artists, podcasters, painters, and fans from around the world as they reflect on A Decade of Horus Heresy. Wow! www.combatphase.com or on iTunes or however you like to get your podcasts.
First off, this is another beautiful book. While I admit I don’t know if all of the internal artwork is reused or newly commissioned, the initial piece is quite breathtaking. The intro section walks through each of the nine factions included with one-two pages of fluff accompanying art (many reused but gorgeous pieces). Next the book includes the standard gallery of models in action sequences (not solo models) in the Warriors of the Imperium section. It was wonderful to see some oldies but goodies pictured, which at the time of initial review I looked up and noticed were no longer for sale or needed to be found on the web store under the search function. Since then, GW has not only announced a new Blanche-inspired Sisters of Battle Canoness, but also brought back the remaining models here for order on demand. This is good because at this point—as we said weeks ago, Warhammer Community has confirmed, and many guessed—there are no new models accompanying thisrelease, though 2017 is only a few weeks away…so, who knows…
So yes, the Sisters of Battle (SoB) army features all existing models. That doesn’t mean the promised plastic SoB models mentioned from inside a trash bin on Warhammer TV a few months back aren’t coming soon, but unlike a supplement, this is (at the very least) a placeholder for these nine factions, introducing new detachments which have their own force organization charts (FoC) and command abilities so the odd existing model can legally fit into an army as standard, ally, or whatever you prefer. Finally we have two pages of weapons, vehicle equipment and special issue warmer before the factions begin. It’s not a lot: 2 ranged, 1 melee, 2 vehicle and 5 special issue including psyk-out grenades and a teleport homer.
Now, onto the 9 factions: each faction has its own name as its faction unless otherwise noted
1. Cult Mechanicus
We have the FoC Engineer Congregation to accompany the Tech-Priest Enginseer model that came out a while back (that cool-looking tech-priest with the axe but kinda on his own). This one is simple: Pair him with the Servitors on the next page and both units must have the Cult Mech faction. But units from this detachment gain the Canticles of the Omnissiah rule like Cult Mech usually have and the table is included. So this is good for folks like me with a cult mech or admech army or who want to incorporate these few models in. Not sure why the book started here, as it’s the slimmest of entries and they’re not alphabetical. But this certainly doesn’t replace either of the admech codexes.
2. Aeronautica Imperialis
This is the one no one could guess would be in the book weeks back when the list of 9 was being theorized from the initial teaser giving 6/9 factions. Hey, I wouldn’t have guessed it either. These boys are part of Armies of the Imperium and ally as such. An Imperial Navy Section FoC has at least one Valkyrie and 1 optional Officer of the Fleet. They gain air superiority allowing them to re-roll failed reserve rolls for this detachment. Another slim one, but it gets better. The officer is a cool model I don’t recognize. He allows you to allow a navy order (these are cumulative for each officer). So you can get either a bonus to reserves or penalize your opponents rolls on reserve rolls though a 6 will always bring in enemy reserves. It’s fluffy for units of 1-4 Valkyries (125 base each) and the designer’s note tells us the combat role and pursuit and agility values of the Valkyrie have been included for players using Death from the Skies.
3. Adeptus Astra Telepathica
I swear, they’re not all this short.
Here’s a unique detachment for the psykers: Psykana Division w/1 compulsory HQ (either Primaris Psyker or Astropath) …[God, I miss playing Rogue Trader] and an optional units of elites Wyrdvane Psykers . The bonus here allows for your HQ psykers near 5 or more Wyrdvane Psykers from this detachment a better chance to harness. The Primaris ne upgraded and take from the 4 usual expected lores. Astropaths give your army the ability to re-roll reserves in your next turn if he/she successfully manifests a psychic power this turn! Wyrdvanes come in units of 5 with brotherhood of psykers level 1 from the same 4 lores as the primaris. Wyrdvanes are already on sale for $15 for 3 so way cheaper than expected, If you have or like these models you can put them to good use but especially synergies with psykers or reserves. You can see how these are starting to stack…so maybe the order of publication does make sense after all…
4. Adepta Sororitas (SoB)
The best way I decided to do this is just list the entries for you to do your own comparison for whatever you may be wondering. We get two new detachments depending on if you want small bodyguard or an entire force. Ministorum Delegation lets you pair a leader with a bodyguard. FLUFFY! As expected, they must be from the Adepta Sororitas faction. This grants Shield of Faith to the detachment making them tougher mentally and physically. The larger army detachment can buff your Army of Faith to prayer for dodging bad save rolls. The army still has the Act of Faith rule, Martyrdom, and 6 unique warlord traits. No new models today (beyond Canoness) but….I wanna see some Sisters on the battlefield! Includes also 7 relics and 6 tactical objectives. My fav is the Mantle of Ophelia granting Eternal Warrior. If you go to the webstore you’ll see these models.
- Canoness
- Ministorum Priest – cool older models looking like zealots, each fight sub phase can get a war hymn
- Uriah Jacobus
- Battle Sister Squad
- Repentia Squad
- Sororitas Command Squad
- Arco-flagellents
- Crusaders – power swords & storm shields can take rhino or immolator as dedicated transport
- Death Cult Assassins
- Celestian Squad
- Dominion Squad
- Seraphim Squad
- Sororitas Rhino
- Immolator
- Retributor Squad
- Exorcist
- Penitent Engines
- Ecclesiarchy Battle Conclave formation – gains shield of faith
5. The Deathwatch
A Deathwatch Kill Team allows you better shots at wounding or armor penetration. There’s a big list of wargear and your troops of Veterans can take a Corvus Blackstar flyer. Deathwatch (I don’t have their new codex) have special rules and Mission tactics. So as before you can get a bit of variety in the unit with lots of re-rolls. Nice! I played vs. an entire DW army and they can be nuts so it’s nice that someone with only a small force can use them. All their wargear and rules are included so you can run this detachment from this book.
6. Grey Knights
We get full background and rules for demon-hunting Grey Knights (GK) to form a Daemonhunter Strike Force. Much like GK in the codex, you can come in from the beginning and wreck face fast. This is not the full GK codex, of course.
7. Legion of the Damned
This book gives the new Spectral Host detachment. We see Damned Legionanaires but this detachment starts in reserves and you can choose to come in when you feel is best. Again, a nice way to allow someone to ally or use a single LotD unit to get some variety to the army.
8. Officio Assassinorum
This is fleshed out with the 4 assassins from the board game or also available individually where you can bring 1 or a formation, though each assassin is its own Assassinorum Operative detachment allowing a single elite assassin from Vindicare, Callidus, Eversor or Culexus temples. It gains bonuses for doing what Assassins do best.
But this is just more about using your assassins with all the info, data sheets, special rules and wargear from each Temple together in one spot. Worth a look even if you’re only kinda thinking about assassins. They also have a formation Execution Force where 1 from each of the 4 temples come with better shots at smoking their targets. Each assassin has a full datasheet with special rules.
9. (No one suspects…) The Inquisition
Our final entry includes the full background and rules for agents of the Inquisition including data sheets, war gear, and a unique detachment. Again, if you don’t have the Inquisition codex, here ya go. Detachment gains authority of the inquisition. Once again, everything rules and wargear is in here for what’s in this book. We have the usual line-up from the The Inquisitor and a cool formation at the end to bring most of these previous factions togethers.
Looks like Sisters WILL be in this book, just in a henchman form and not a full on codex book. Which leaves the door open to them appearing in the future as their own printed codex, OR perhaps this book will be a preview of new rules that may be on the way for them in 2017! Plus looks like the space monkeys are sticking around as well!
What say ye?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
