This is kinda crazy, but it looks like the new 9th Edition 40k Indomitus Starter Box Set may be a pretty limited release, and here’s why…
Like a thief in the night Games Workshop snuck in 9th Edition 40k to their warehouses and no one was any wiser. 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 recently as they codenamed the 9th edition release like a secret movie project!
New 9th Edition 40k Indomitus Box Set Super Limited?
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 indicated the two halves of the newl 9th Edition Indomitus 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…
Of course, we know now that was also a codename for his new Indomitus novel that’s going on pre-order soon as well:
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 is credited.
Now that we have had the big reveal, it looks like these “early” books were the exclusive core rulebooks for the Indominus box set.
If we had to take a guess at what those two different product codes could be, (741 and 740). One may the exclusive core rulebook while the other could be the instructions pack for the box that we just saw. 
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 these for promo use and packaging into the new box set.
Plus as Adam said in the Twitch stream, this box is not for beginning hobbyists, it’s for current collectors for Warhammer 40k, and when it is gone, it’s gone! That could also mean there will be a second box set release aimed at new hobbyists later on, just like we saw with 8th Edition as well:
Remember Know No Fear, and then First Strike that were half the cost of Dark Imperium? Pepperidge Farm remembers…
The moral of the story here is probably that if you can’t get the new Indomitus box in a few weeks, then chances are you’ll still be able to get some of the minis in another offering shortly as well.
So how many box sets do you think ? How cool is the idea that GW code-named the 9th edition releases like a secret Hollywood project?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today!
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
