RUMORS: Big 40k Matched Play Rules Changes Coming Soon!

By Travis Pasch | June 14th, 2022 | Categories: Games Workshop, Tabletop Gaming News, Warhammer 40k, Warhammer Community

Big rules changes may be coming to Victory and Command points for Matched Play in the new Warhammer 40k Chapter Approved Nephilim book.

We heard rumors for a while now about big changes to 40k matched play, and for better or not, the majority of them are true. So, if you’ve been paying attention to the rumors, brace yourself, if you haven’t we’ll cover them all here for you.

Warhammer Community just unveiled the preview of the new 40k rules changes coming in Chapter Approved Nephilim. Let’s check them out from the top.

Free 40k Points & Big Changes In The Next New Chapter Approved

At Warhammer Fest, we saw a preview of the new season which will focus on the Nephilim sector.

The biggest change for the coming season is the way that Command points work. Armies will start each game with around half as many points as before, so you’ll have to be more cunning with how you use them – it’s far riskier to spend all your CP on a devastating turn one combo.

However, you’ll also gain extra CP with each battle round, so it’ll be easier to react to your opponent’s dastardly schemes in later turns as the game progresses.

GW Confirms 40k Chapter Approved Matched Play Changes

First up, secondary objectives have received an overhaul. No more flipping between books – all the secondary objectives you can pick from are revised and collated here. That includes faction-specific objectives – there are even secondary objectives for factions that haven’t yet received their newest codex, such as the bold Astra Millitarum or frenzied World Eaters. Each player starts with three generic secondary objectives – Assassination, Grind Them Down, and Behind Enemy Lines – which they can swap out ahead of deployment. Another change – there are no limits when it comes to faction secondary objectives. If you want to pick two objectives specific to your faction, or even all three, go right ahead – so long as they’re all from a different category.

This is quite the change and it might actually make the game easier for newer players as they could always just keep the three. However, it could obviously come with its fair share of issues.

Still, we’ll have to play some games with it and see what it actually changes in terms of gameplay and if it makes things feel more balanced.

Command Points Changes

Perhaps the biggest shift comes with Command points. Players now start each battle with half as many as before – three for Incursions and six for Strike Force battles. What’s more, there are no freebies in Nephilim – players must now also pay a Command point for their first Warlord Trait and Relic, using two new Core Requisition Stratagems.

If you build your list as before and get one Warlord Trait and one Relic (not including extra traits or relics), you’ll be starting the game with 4 CP which is a huge rules change for matched play warhammer 40k. Compared to the current system is just insane as you’ll have a 3rd of what you could have now. This also forces players to build their lists around more troops.

Click Here To Get The New Sci-Fi Ruler Miniature!

Either way, it’s happening and might really reduce alpha strikes and make the games longer as you’ll get more points throughout the game. It might be better for new players as instead of constantly having to search through their book for stratagems, they just won’t have the CP to do it.

New Missions Changes in 40k Chapter Approved Nephilim

On top of all this, the book features nine missions each for Incursion and Strike Force games, tweaked and revised where necessary from last season’s Grand Tournament mission pack. It also includes the Warhammer 40,000 core rules – paired with your faction’s codex, you’ll have everything you’ll need to play your way through a tournament.

Having new missions is always nice but maybe even better the points updates will all be free this time around.

List of New 40k Chapter Approved Secondary Objectives Spotted

There looks to be a huge list of new secondary objectives for just about every faction coming in the new 40k Chapter Approved Nephilim book.

We cleaned up the new product preview image from GW and you can clearly see who is getting what, along with the overall table of contents as well.

So it looks like there will be about 40 pages of new Secondary Objectives, followed by another 40 or so pages of missions, etc.

But the meat and potatoes of the book will most likely be from pages 4-7 where all the new Warlord Traits, relics, and Command Point 40k rules changes are.

Any way you look at it, big changes are coming for Matched Play in the new Warhammer 40k Chapter Approved Nephilim book.

Here’s all the latest on the upcoming rules updates and points changes for Warhammer 40k.

Click Gallery below for full-size images.

View Gallery: 51 Images

Here’s the most up-to-date list of new Games Workshop bits from all preview models that we should watch out for. Click on the gallery above to see dozens of Rumor Engines with new models still left to be revealed!

All the Newest GW Model & Rules Previews For 2022

Are you excited about the changes? Do you think it will change the game up for the better?

Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today!

Get ad-free access to our hobby videos, a monthly crate of miniatures, and support some of the best creators out there for as little as $6 a month on Patreon!