At least 191 new 40k rules datasheets are on the way for all those amazing Forge World model kits, but how much will it cost us?
During their Codex Preview GW announced that the Forge World Imperial Armor Compendium book is on the way and will come loaded with all of the units usable in 9th Edition that are made by Forge World.
Historically speaking, we know that points and functionality of Forge World units in 40k have been super swingy, They’re either really good or really bad. But this book should be putting those things to bed. On that note, now that we know it’s coming, let’s talk about what we could see in the book as well as the potential value.
New Forge World 40k Rules: How Much Will They Cost?
This compendium is jam-packed full of updated datasheets and new rules designed to bring all of the amazing kits designed by Forge World right up to speed with the new edition.
So this is the cover of the new book on the way. As you can see, it’s a hardback which means that it’s already looking more expensive than any previous faction Forge World indexes that were $25 each back in 2017.
Of their publications, Horus Heresy Book Nine: Crusade is the most recent (also hardback book) that’s been released from Forge World and it’s going for a whopping $131. Now, while the overall quality of the Horus Heresy book does look to be a bit better (as it also has the metal corner protectors) we could still easily make the case for the Forge World 40k Compendium selling for around $100.
Some Forge World Units Were Heavily Hinted At & Renamed
We just saw a few Ork characters on Bikes thrown into Warhammer Legends. This ranged from a Big Mek on Bike, to a Painboy on Bike. The Warboss on Bike was also replaced by GW with the Speed Freeks Deffkilla Wartrike, even though the Warboss on Warbike’s stats seemed better (though there was not an official model for this). Although, on Stream, the GW team also made multiple mentions of the Forge World Warboss on Warbike coming back.
You might remember that this guy’s name back in the day was Zagsnark Da Rippa. Although he’s been updated (along with a bunch of other Forge World characters) on thier site to have a generic name.
This guy’s old name was An’ggrath but he’s been renamed as just a generic Bloodthirster, Greater Daemon.
There’s also the Keeper of Secrets who used to be named Zarakynel.
To take this a step further, we know how GW likes to use Age of Sigmar as a guinea pig for future 40k releases and back in the day, we saw a bunch of named characters from Warhammer Fantasy become alternate unnamed character models in Age of Sigmar.
For example, this guy used to be the Clan Skryre leader, Ikit Claw. But now he’s just an Arch-Warlock in AoS.
It seems like the pattern that appeared in AoS has finally been carried over into 40k with the replacement of named characters to simply be an alternate model of GW’s generic units.
Rounding everything up, it’s probably safe to say that this compendium (and any purchases you make from it) is going to be an investment (just based off of recent Forge World book releases) as well as the fact that old units are coming back as unnamed models.
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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.
