New 10th Edition 40k Astra Militarum are here from Stratagems, Datasheets, and army rules; here is our review guide on how to play them.
In 10th Edition Warhammer 40k, each army has a new style of play, rules, and plenty of changes. If you’re wondering how to play Astra Militarum, their new rules, or if you should start collecting them, this review guide will give you plenty of info to mull over. With their myriad of strong tanks, endless infantry, and awesome characters, they are a serious force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Plus, they are the true defenders of the Imperium, so what’s not to love? The new Astra Militarum seems to be worth considering if you’re looking for a new army in Warhammer 40k.
How to Play Astra Militarum in 10th Edition 40k: Rules Guide
These new Astra Militarum Warahmmer 40k 10th Edition Imperial Guard rules come from Warhammer Community.
The Voice of Command army rule gives these battle-tested tacticians access to six specialised Orders, allowing you to micromanage each of your units for the situation at hand.
With Command Squads and Castellans urging on your infantry assets, Tank Commanders directing your armoured squadrons, and the Lord Solar bellowing inspiration at just about everybody, there’s an Order for every occasion – and an ear for every Order. Just be careful not to target squads on the brink of collapse – if they fall into Battle-shock, your Order will have been wasted.
We are guessing the characters will also buff the unit they are with, and then you’ll also be able to issue orders, so make sure to take those characters. There are some old classics here, and they can really buff up your units.
Dataslate changes to the army rule.
This is a big change for them, as it lets you issue orders after disembarking, which means you don’t have to do everything in the command phase.
Astra Militarum Combat Patrol
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Astra Militarum Combined Regiment Detachment Rules
This isn’t the most impactful rule, but if you stand still, there is a chance you can wound anything in the enemy army with the weight of fire alone!
New 10th Edition Warhammer 40k Imperial Guard Datasheets For Astra Militarum
Keen-eyed commanders will notice that the Cadian Shock Troops can now form squads of 10 or 20 models – and they’re not alone. Catachan Jungle Fighters, Death Korps of Krieg, and classic Infantry Squads can all double-up their numbers, meaning each of your Orders can affect up to twice as many troopers as before.
You can take 20-person squads now to make those huge units! Next, Vox-Caster can get you back CP pretty quickly if you have a character in range (4+), and they can keep objectives even after moving off of them. Nothing too crazy about the weapons, but Grenade Launchers go up in strength for the Krak rounds.
Remember, for every ten models, you get two special weapons, so if you do go with an entire block of 20, you can get four special weapons!
On the opposite end of the scale is the legendary Baneblade, a titanic war machine that revels in its upgraded durability. This massive tank can share some of its improved resilience with its smaller comrades courtesy of the Rolling Fortress ability, which turns it into a mobile piece of cover.
The Baneblade has 24 wounds, gives your units cover, and doesn’t degrade until eight wounds, which means before taking 16 wounds, there are no minuses. It does have 4+ BS for every weapon, but with tank commanders, you hope you can give it some orders (and improve BS).
The Baneblade Cannon gets 3D6 attacks at decent Damage, Strength, and AP, so in theory, it should be able to blast things off the table. This might also be the first time we’ve seen the “regular” Lascannon, and it only gets one shot, but it does deal a ton of damage.
New Weapon Rules
The rhythm of an Imperial assault is the constant dull thud of battle cannons firing up and down the line, as Leman Russ Battle Tanks lob shells into enemy positions. These hefty guns have always been a great all-round weapon for tackling light and heavy targets alike, and they earn a welcome boost to their Strength.
This obviously isn’t as strong as the Baneblade, but it still gets a lot of attacks, has high strength, and deals 3 Damage. However, it only has -1 AP, so not too great for taking out tanks and seems better suited for tough infantry.
Yet even this battle cannon looks like little more than a peashooter next to the true king of battlefield firepower – the volcano cannon. The Shadowsword super-heavy tank is essentially a delivery system for this behemoth, and its raw power is exactly what you’d need in a dedicated Titan-killer.
If you need to kill tanks or Knights, this may become the go-to weapon! With an insane Strength of 24, -5AP, and 12 Damage! On average, you should get three shots, hit with two, and wound with probably two; if something doesn’t have an invulnerable save, you can plan on doing about 24 Damage, which is pretty insane.
New Imperial Guard Stratagems
As numerous as your massed conscripts are, there often comes a time when the noble sacrifices pile a little too high, and more able bodies are needed for the Emperor’s service. Fortunately, commanders of a Combined Regiment Detachment can call upon fresh Reinforcements! when things get a bit dicey. What sorts of units have the REGIMENT keyword, you ask? Your core infantry squads, of course, but also the big guns of Heavy Weapons Squads and Field Ordnance Batteries, elites like Tempestus Scions, and even fast-moving Rough Riders and Sentinel teams! Your reserves are truly as limitless as your devotion.
While this isn’t too crazy for infantry (unless they are 20-strong), you can get back Rough Riders, Sentinels, and Field Ordnance Batteries, which seems pretty insane.
For two CPs, you can bring back a ton of points onto the table. Also, it says you use this on the unit, so we assume the Vox-Caster works, meaning you could also get back a CP, which could make it only cost 1 CP to bring a unit back!
Latest 40k Rules Updates For the Astra Militarum:
The latest updates for the Astra Militarum10th Edition rules will be released in what Games Workshop calls a Balance Dataslate, sometimes along with accompanying points changes as well.
You can see all the latest Balance Dataslate updates here in our post, which breaks down the most recent changes.
How To Play Warhammer 40k Astra Militarum: Points
You can find the latest points for playing this faction in 10th Edition Warhammer 40k here on our Munitorum Field Manual Points Updates Page.
Astra Militarum YouTube Review:
Watch the video below for some more insights into the faction until they get their codex book!
Is It Still Worth Playing Astra Militarum?
Honestly, yes! Their win rate isn’t the highest, but they are one of the most classic armies out there and have tons of amazing miniatures! If you want to represent the human side of the Imperium, the Guard is for you, and you can take tons of tanks, tons of infantry, and just all sorts of models.
They actually have a lot of variety, some really fun rules, and are just so classic. They are strong enough to have really good games, whether you want to play tournaments or friendly games.
Updates, in general, for any game are just good business. That being said, it also seems like in 2023-2024, GW will have its hands full trying actually to get out all these codexes.
However, Imperial Guard received a codex late in 9th edition, so you might have a while to wait until they get a new codex, so get used to the index.
The new Astra Militarum army rules in 10th Edition Warhammer 40k provide exciting changes to the gameplay, rules, and style of the army. The Guard can dominate the battlefield with their big tanks and endless infantry! The army’s squads, vehicles, and Stratagems provide players with a lot of options to defeat their enemies and have some really fun games. Overall, the new Astra Militarum army is a force to be reckoned with in Warhammer 40k.
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
