This is kinda crazy, but it looks like GW code-named 9th Edition Warhammer 40k like a secret movie project straight outta Hollywood.
A few months back, we saw a mysterious product description hit the US ports, en route to GW’s warehouse and we had no idea what it was, until now.
Here’s what it all could mean, as it appears 9th Edition was hidden in plain sight under our noses for months…
GW Code-Named 9th Edition 40k Like a Secret Movie
If you go on Warhammer 40,000’s newly reworked website, in light of all the new Necron and Space Marine previews, they’ve added some sweet new pics as well as some you have to find lurking in the code.
We actually found those full-color faction pics hidden in plain sight here in the code, that seem to indicate the two halves of a potential 9th Edition Starter Box.
All that aside the real nugget of info was the prefix on all the pictures here: Project Scarlet.
Reset the Clock!
Rewinding the clock back to a simpler time in the world, we a product hit the ports called the Scarlet Rulebook by Gav Thorpe We were thrown off by the title because we hadn’t seen any other kind of pre-release pointing to anything remotely close to anything being “Scarlet”. Plus, there’s no way a single author would be responsible for writing an entire rulebook. Things just didn’t add up.
Another oddity was that this product has an ISBN number. If you don’t know, an ISBN number is tagged to books that are in the mainstream market. Meaning that they’ll be for sale on places like Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc…
Two More Products Named “Scarlet Rulebook” Spotted
Later on this month, we saw two more products hit the ports titled Scarlet Rulebook. They’re two separate products because they’ve got two different codes. One ends in 741 while the other ends in 740. Plus, they don’t have an ISBN code meaning that they shouldn’t be releasing into the mainstream market and no single author are credited.
That makes us think that this could be an actual “rulebook”. If we had to take a guess at what those two different product codes could be, (741 and 740). One may be a regular rulebook while the other could be a limited edition OR may be packaged in the rumored 9th edition Box Set with Necrons vs. Primaris.
Now look at the weight of the entire shipment. It’s under 12,000 lbs which, relatively speaking, is pretty light considering a new edition dropping where everyone will need a book. We calculated how much GW’s past hardcover rulebooks weigh with the 8th Edition rulebook clocking in at just under 3 lbs. That would mean there could only be between 4 to 5,000 copies of this “Scarlet Rulebook” releasing individually.
Perhaps that is due to the fact GW is banking on everyone buying a starter box set, and not as many folks getting the rulebook by itself?
So What’s That Mystery Book By Gav Thorpe Then?
Well, we have to look back at what GW did when they brought about 8th Edition. There was a Dark Imperium Box Set that released alongside a Dark Imperium Black Library book (which also has an ISBN).
Dark Imperium Black Library Book
Dark Imperium Box Set that ushered in 8th Edition
We could be looking at the pieces falling together for a 9th edition release dropping a Box Set (containing a new rulebook) along with a Black library book to help hype the release.
Now, whatever this Box Set is going to be called for 9th Edition, we will also probably see Gav Thorpe’s book titled the same thing.
Final Thoughts on 9th Edition 40k Release
Why did GW go with “Scarlet” as the working title to keep everything under the radar? Well, the new Warhammer logo has two underscored lines of red (or could you say scarlet?) which might have been the inspiration.
It’s safe to say that all of these moves by GW are linked together. Plus, it would make sense that they would do everything they can to keep an announcement as big as a new edition/faction overhaul under wraps. There are still plenty of mysteries out there like what all the new Necron units will be called, what the stats on everything will be, as well as what Gav Thorpe’s book’s title is going to be.
Or perhaps the THREE scarlet rulebooks are something else entirely…
So do you think these Project Scarlet products are all linked? How cool is the idea that GW code-named the 9th edition releases like a secret Hollywood project?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
