Here are the top 10 rules changes for Warhammer 40k 10th Edition according to the team over at SN Battle Reports- check it out!
SN is known for having some amazing battle reports, but today we are doing something different! They’re taking a look at some of the most significant rules changes for Warhammer 40k 10th Edition.
Obviously, this is their opinion on the new edition, but they play a ton of battles, so they know a lot about the game.
Let’s get into the changes.
Top 10 Changes for 10th Edition 40k: Leaders & Lone Operatives
Lone Operative is a big change as it replaces the Look Out, Sir! rule. First up, it’s cool to put characters in units, as they not only buff up the unit, it allows characters to be well protected.
Even in combat, you can just put the wounds on the unit (unless you have precision). This makes characters more worthwhile and can let them have a more substantial, more targeted buff.
Then, with the Lone Operative rule, they can’t be targeted outside of 12″, meaning you can sort of put them wherever, and not be as worried about them being shot while giving buffs where needed.
Terrain
First up, all types of terrain can now give you cover, and gone are the days of dense and heavy terrain. On top of that, they don’t give you minuses to move, which makes it so much easier to play.
Everything is standard, and you either have cover or you don’t. Terrain has been a thorn in the side of 9th edition, so this should make it much better.
New Stratagem Layout
First, the huge reduction in Stratagems is a great thing. In 9th, each army had such a massive well of them, and most never got used anyways. Each army will have six now, and that’s all you have to remember for your army or the one you’re facing!
Plus, they made the Stratagems much easier to read, so there should be less confusion.
Battle-Shock Tests
This is a giant change to the game, as they took out the morale phase, and instead of running away, now you get Battle-Shocked. If you fail the test, your unit has to take a desperate escape test and it loses objective secured! This also helps armies with large units, as instead of them running away, they are just worse on the battlefield.
Top 10 Changes for 10th Edition 40k: Objective Control
This is another giant change, as the Objective Secure rule is gone. Instead, you add up the OC score, and the player with the most OC gets that objective. It’s really cool, as something giant like a Knight has more control over the objective than a single unit of troops.
This also forces list-building to factor in having enough OC overall.
Abilities & Psychic Weapons
Well… The Psychic Phase is just gone now. Instead, they just have psychic attacks and abilities. This makes things more straightforward because you can just sort of get your abilities, and if you pass a test, they can buff up units or throw out powerful psychic attacks.
Top 10 Changes for 10th Edition 40k: Consolidation Moves
If a model is able to consolidate, it must get to base-to-base contact with another enemy model (or move to control an objective).
This takes out a lot of the movement shenanigans of 9th but opens up some fantastic opportunities and strategies for charging where you must position to get into contact for your consolidation move.
Hover Rules
Fliers are very different in 1oth Edition, as they must either start in reserve or hover. If you start them on the board, they can move 20″ and really dish out the damage.
However, they are much easier to hit if they hover. Then, if you have a flier that’s also a transport, you can fly up the board, turn one, drop out a unit (which can’t charge), and they can unload their firepower basically anywhere on the board.
Universal Special Rules
Last but not least is the re-introduction of Universal Special Rules! This means the keywords are consistent throughout 40k, so you don’t have to look up randomly named special rules. You can just see them immediately and know what they do.
This should cut down on rule bloat and make the special rules so much easier to understand.
Be sure to watch the video below for all the details!
If you want to see more great battle reports, check out SN Youtube for more!
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What did you think of their list? Do you agree with the top 10 changes?
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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!
