Looks like Chapter Approved is headed our way before Christmas this year, and we have some great VDR previews from Games Workshop as well.
GW revealed a few teasers about the upcoming Chapter Approved 40k supplement, and if you remember the older ones from the 2000’s this book is definitely starting to have that old school feel.
Converting is a great part of the Warhammer 40,000 hobby. While our miniatures cover a vast swathe of the 41st Millennium, there’s huge scope for more, and converting models – or even writing their own datasheets – allows hobbyists to recreate some of the lesser-known aspects of the background and express their creativity. This is celebrated in Chapter Approved, which features rules for designing your own Land Raiders.
The Land Raider is one of the most customisable Warhammer 40,000 kits, thanks to five “hard points” that fit a range of Space Marine vehicle weaponry. As such, we decided that the Land Raider would be the perfect candidate for our first set of vehicle design rules.
Designing a Land Raider is simple. Each Land Raider has a main armament that determines its total transport capacity; hurricane bolters, for instance, give you 16 transport slots, while lascannons give you 10. From there, you’re able to choose a range of secondary armaments, from even more sponson weapons, to secondary abilities such as frag assault launchers. From a Chaos Titan-killer bristling with lascannons, to a Space Wolves assault vehicle armed with both helfrost and inferno cannons, there’s a huge range of possibilities available.
If that isn’t enough to get your hobby juices going, they also revealed the pre-order date of, November 25th as well!
You’ll be able to pre-order Chapter Approved (and start designing your own Land Raiders) on Saturday the 25th
RETRO to 8th: 40k’s Vehicle Design Rules VDR
This definitely hearkens back to the old days of VDR in the early 2000’s when you could make custom vehicle rules for all manner of vehicles from Games Workshop. This preview also seems to line up with a Faeit rumor on the Vehicle Design Rules (VDR) rules from earlier in the week saying it would be for Land Raiders:
via Sources on Faeit
The section is for Land Raiders only and creates a Transport Capacity or TC. For your Land Raiders this is determined by the primary weapon choice. For example 2 twin lascannons grant a TC of 10, 2 Hurricane Bolters grants a 16 and two Flamestorm cannons a 12.
From there you can take secondary weapons including hull mounted weapons. These subtract from your TC, and have options that include Imperium only, Space Wolves only -helfrost cannon- and Chaos only choices. Most of these options reduce the TC by 5 or 0. Most secondary sponson weapons have a -5.
Wargear is available as well, but does not affect your TC, and whatever is left over is gives you the Transport Capacity for your Land Raider.
There are also special abilities that are determined whether your Land Raider is imperium or chaos, like daemonic machine spirit or machine spirit.
There are no point cost values for making your Land Raider, as its for Open Play. A blank datasheet comes with the book.
Once we find out more on the Chapter Approved VDR we’ll be sure to let you know, but for now here is a look at the classic tank cut-away posters from back in the day!
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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.
