Don’t miss the wild new stratagems and reserves rules for Warhammer 40k 10th Edition that have been spotted in the core rulebook!
With the new edition dropping in June, it was only a matter of time before we saw some leaks hit the internet. It’s always nice to get a sneak peek into the rules, and these look like they are taken from the book, but with any leaks, nothing is 100% until GW actually drops it.
Click the links below for the latest on 10th Edition Warhammer 40k and the full articles!
- Warhammer 40k New 10th Edition Release Guide: LATEST
- New 10th Edition Warhammer 40k Starter Set
- What Will Happen To Codex Books in 10th Edition
- All the Latest 10th Edition Rules & Codex Changes
- How to Build Army Lists in 10th Edition Warhammer 40k
- New Leviathan 10th Edition 40k Starter Box Set Value Is Hot Fire!
Now, let’s jump into the new rules!
10th Edition 40k Core Rules: Stratagems & Reserves Rules
The new Warhammer 40k 10th Edition rules were spotted on Imgur, but we have them all here.
Strategic reserves are limited again, just like they were in previous editions. This is mostly language to make it as clear as possible, like including the points of models in transports that are in reserves. As the game size increases, so do the reserve limits in increments of 250.
The rule of thumb is that no more than 25% of the list can be in reserves!
Reserves can arrive during the reinforcements step of YOUR movement phase, starting from the second round onwards. Anything that doesn’t make it to the battlefield by the end of the game, is counted as destroyed. You can still deploy reserves, shoot with them, and charge.
If they come in on the second round, it has to be within 6″ of the edge of the board and not in the enemy deployment zone, on and after the third round, it can be in the enemy deployment, and of course, they can never be within 9″ of enemy models.
The details for stratagems are mostly the same, but the layout for rules in the book is entirely new, making it more straightforward than ever! Of the first three, Command Re-roll makes an iconic return, as the #1 stratagem that we all probably use every game.
Grenades return in tenth as a stratagem, now costing 1 CP to perform. This will be an exciting change, and hopefully, factions that loved particular grenades will see some healthy changes to keep them afloat.
And the last two feature the return of the all-powerful, all-present Heroic Intervention (costing two cp… OOF)!
We also included the other upcoming previewed stratagems for factions and one for using tactical missions that GW previously showed off below!
Also worth noting Games Workshop said there are 12 core stratagems in their previews, but the book seems only to have 11 by our count, omitting the tactical missions strat that should, in theory, be in the blank space shown on the first page.
Even Stratagems are brought into consideration – each Combat Patrol has just three bespoke Stratagems, with one that’s designed to be reactive. These are also part of the balancing in Combat Patrol – the Vardenghast Swarm gets to top up its squishy Termagant swarms with Teeming Broods, bringing back destroyed models or even recycling a whole unit as Strategic Reserves. Maybe shooting them off the board isn’t such a good idea…
With only three stratagems per faction, you should be able to learn the rules quickly and not get too bogged down.
It won’t have escaped your attention that certain Combat Patrols contain big, tough MONSTERS and formidable VEHICLES, while others are somewhat lacking in the heavy weapons you’d normally use to take such targets down. Stratagems like Veteran Instincts will even the score, by granting your Terminators the ability to re-roll Wound rolls when swinging their power fists against giant-sized targets.
Considering some of the boxes have no big guns or units, something like this is nice to help take out those giant vehicles and monsters.
Meanwhile, players using Tactical Missions will discard each card the moment they achieve that Secondary Mission, and only replace discarded cards in their next Command phase – meaning you can’t cycle through your whole deck and hit 40VP in one extremely lucky turn. There are other ways to discard unfavourable Secondary Missions, but they’re limited and have their own cost – if you can, it’s better to play the hand you’re dealt…
This is good because you can’t score everything in a single turn. So if you do want to discard a card, make sure it’s one you can basically never achieve, as you can only pitch one the entire game (well, with this Stratagem at least)!
No Detachment will contain more than six Stratagems. Add that to a robust universal menu of 12 Core Stratagems, and there’s now simply less to keep track of. Armour of Contempt returns as a Stratagem for the Gladius Task Force, the first Space Marine Detachment.
Well, at most, you can have 18 Stratagems, which is still a decent amount, but considering most are generic, it should be pretty straightforward. This is like a NERFed form of AoC as it only affects one unit but could still be super useful for only 1 CP.
As you can see, the Stratagems look a lot different than before. They seem pretty easy to read, with everything in a few sentences. They mention Deep Strike is back, which is a little different, as you can place the token on the battlefield and teleport the Terminators there.
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About the Author: Andrew Schrank
Andrew Schrank
Job Title: Miniatures & Warhammer Hobby Staff Writer
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About Andrew Schrank: Over the past 15 years, Andrew has played all the games, including tabletop and video games, and immersed himself in the associated lore. Andrew joined the Spikey Bits team in 2018 and covers the Warhammer hobby and tournament scene, along with the latest in tabletop miniatures, each week.
Aspiring diplomat, Lord of Fluff, and Master of Ice Hammer, He loves Star Wars, Chaos Undivided, and Gundam. During his free time, he hunts Platinum trophies on PS5 and reads international news. On weekends, Andrew plays commander and cEDH games, often with unique strategies that push the limits.
He believes each day presents a new opportunity to grow and be challenged.
