Spicy new rules are on the way from GW for how Command Points and Detachments will work for 9th Edition Warhammer 40k. This looks fun!
Warhammer Community revealed the different interactions Command Points and Detachments would have in-game. On top of an official preview post, we also took some notes down from their Warhammer TV live stream on Twitch.
Here is everything you need to know for what’s been talked about on both platforms. In case you missed the first time we talked about CPs, game sizes, and deployments take a look at this.
New 9th Edition 40k Command Points & Detachments Rules
We’ve seen this chart before, but GW also added in the Power Level rating-equivalent for points cost. We know that a 2k game sits somewhere around 200PL and will always net both players 12CP for example.
Detachments Now Cost CPs But There’s More Depth Than You Think
So, if you don’t earn Command points by taking additional Detachments, do they still interact with each other in any way? The answer is yes, but how they do so has been turned on its head. Instead of earning you Command points, each Detachment you take will instead COST you Command points. However, it’s worth noting that the Command points spent on a ‘core’ Detachment (Patrol, Battalion or Brigade) are refunded if it also includes your Warlord, so your first Detachment is usually free. An army drawn exclusively from the same Faction and comprising a single Detachment is the most strategically flexible on account of their experience fighting alongside one another, and therefore offers the most Command points.
There are a few things to note about all of this… First, all Detachments are going to cost CP. However, if your Warlord is in one of the core Detachments:
- Patrol
- Battalion- (3cp)
- Brigade
Then your CPs are refunded. That means that 99.99% of the time, your first Detachment is always free. On top of that Dedicated Transports are back. Now, Transports will be unlocked for Infantry units in the Battalion. That means that if you want to spam those Repulsors you’ll have to take an Infantry unit for each.
You can still play your Soup lists if you want as well. However, each Detachment is going to cost CPs.
Another note to make from the Warhammer Twitch stream was that Stu said doubling up on Detachments was also going to cost double the CP. “If you want to take two Patrol Detachments, then there’s a cost associated with bringing that second one.”
It’ll be interesting to see why someone would want to bring two Battalions seeing that the bonus being Dedicated Transport isn’t exactly something you need a duplicate of.
Command Phase Details Spotted & CP Regeneration
Looking at the new Command Phase (which takes place before the Movement Phase), you’ll be netting 1Cp before anything begins. This is exactly the way the Hero Phase works in Age of Sigmar. Also, in case you were wondering, the GW team on the Twitch stream also mentioned that units and relics that give you CP for taking them (i.e Guilliman/ BA’s Veritas Vitae) are unchanged and will work exactly how it’s described.
More “Core” Stratagems Added
Cut Them Down is a deterrent to keep shooty lists from always falling back. You roll a D6 for each one of YOUR models and for each 6, you get to deal a mortal wound.
Stu on the Twitch Stream said, “don’t run away from big blobs like Boyz”.
That’s all we know on how Detachments and CPs will interact with one another. It’s interesting to see how Detachments no longer net CP but actually take away from your pool.
After seeing all of these previews, what do you think the bonus for bringing a Patrol and Brigade will be? Do you think bringing a single Knight in a 2k List is still going to see play? What other Core Stratagems would you like to see everybody get?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
