Is Chapter Approved GW’s way of making a living rules set that sees players buying a new “rulebook” each year a’la DLC? Come see our review!
Chapter Approved 2017 s a step in the right direction for Games Workshop to create a living rule set for Warhammer 40k. There will no longer be the need to come with an all new core set of rules or a new edition. Our very own Rob Baer sat down with his copy of Chapter Approved 2017 to give his thoughts on this new supplement and to discuss changes, strategies, and what else you will find inside.
For our complete review, be sure to scroll down and press play on the full video below.
So, can Chapter Approved 2017 be considered as a Warhammer 40k DLC?
We will have a living rule set and we will have to pay for it. However, the pros far outweigh the cons. We do know that Games Workshop will be putting out two new FAQs a year for Warhammer 40k. This means we will have seasons and there will be time to prepare in between season to gear and prep. Having a living rule set that is updated on a consistently basis takes a lot of uncertainty out of players’ minds so they can focus more on having fun. It will keep Warhammer 40k healthy and growing.
An obvious con to all of this is how clunky it already feels to have to carry yet another rules resource with you. Another drawback to the Chapter Approved 2017 is that some things, such as points cost changes, do not translate well to other resources. There is nothing out there, aside from copying, pasting, or writing in your books, to aid players in updating the physical copies.
Even a consistent, up to date army builder program from Games Workshop would help remedy issues that will arise from having so many rule sources.
Chapter Approved 2017 is a 128-page softcover book that is chock full of content. Some of the information is a must have for the Competitive scene. There is also information inside that will be a must have for players who enjoy Narrative gameplay.
For Matched Play four new mission rules have been added: Under-strength Support, Targeting Characters, Limits of Command, and Boots on the Ground. We have seen Under-strength Support, Limits of Command, and Boots on the Ground. Targeting Characters is a big change by making an enemy character with less than 10 wounds targetable if visible to the firer and and is the closest model to the firer.
Rob dives further into the rules for the 11 factions included in Chapter Approved 2017 and goes further in-depth in regards to the point cost changes in the review video below!
Chapter Approved 2017: $35
An enormous toolkit of rules, updates and ways to play, Chapter Approved is an essential purchase for any Warhammer 40,000 player. Expanding upon the rules found in the Warhammer 40,000 book, this 128-page softback book contains narrative-driven battles and scenarios depicting brutal sieges, exciting new ways to play, mechanics for designing your own vehicles and a host of new rules to take to the battlefield.
The Rules
Split into 3 sections – Open Play, Narrative Play and Matched Play – with explanations and expansions of the rules for each.
Open Play
Games of Warhammer 40,000 with few restrictions, where players are free to invent their own stories and frameworks with unlimited force sizes – this is Open Play. Chapter Approved provides the following guides to making your Open Play games as open and fun as possible:
– Apocalypse: huge, dramatic tabletop conflicts in which hundreds of infantry and squadrons of vehicles are locked in desperate conflict, games of Apocalypse are Warhammer 40,000 turned up to 11. Combine armies into immense forces, unleash terrifying super-heavy war engines – Apocalypse is your gateway to truly epic battles.Chapter Approved features a comprehensive guide to running games of Apocalypse, from 3 missions, ideas for multi-table battles and recommendations for an officiated game featuring an Umpire with special influence over the battle.
– Land Raider variants: this is a set of guidelines on designing your own datasheets for Land Raider conversions, meaning totally new variants for your games made completely by you! There are 5 example datasheets covering Ultramarines, Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Dark Angels, and Chaos Space Marines tanks, and a blank datasheet for you to create your own, whatever Chapter you choose.Narrative Play
Narrative Play games are characterised by pre-generated storylines that often take in entire worlds embroiled in war, from the initial invasions to the bloody battles that follow. Chapter Approved provides rules and missions that the players can chain together, following a conflict from the initial spark to its brutal denouement:
– Planetstrike: rules for playing games of devastating planetary assaults, with one player taking the role of attacker and the other defending, each using the new Warlord Traits, Stratagems and detachments designed for this play style. Included are 6 Planetstrike missions, along with 6 examples of common battlefield deployments;
– Stronghold Assault: rules for games in which players fight over fortified war zones, again deciding between them the roles of attacker and defender. This includes unique Abilities, Warlord Traits, Detachments and Stratagems, as well as 6 Stronghold Assault missions;
– Rules are included for linking games together in linear, narrative-led campaigns, with losses and victories deciding advantages in subsequent games;
– Datasheets for the following 11 fortifications: Aegis Defence Line, Imperial Bastion, Imperial Defence Line, Imperial Bunker, Vengeance Weapon Battery, Plasma Obliterator, Firestorm Redoubt, Macro-cannon Aquila Strongpoint, Vortex Missile Aquila Strongpoint, Void Shield Generator, Skyshield Landing Pad.Matched Play
For many players, the thrill of Warhammer 40,000 is in testing their mettle against equally-powerful opponents in games where the fight is not decided by who has the biggest gun. When battle-forged armies go to war, victory will go to the commander who has fortune, strategy and cunning on their side. Included in this book:
– 6 Eternal War missions, providing challenges such as hidden mission goals and reserve forces storming in, turn after turn, creating havoc on a catastrophic scale;
– 6 Maelstrom of War missions, offering new permutations of the game and introducing fresh challenges – secret orders, strategic gambles and split-second opportunity feature here;
– 4 new Matched Play mission rules, including rules for targeting characters, using understrength units, clarification on the use of the Command Re-roll Stratagem who which unit types can claim objectives;
– Faction rules: additional rules including Stratagems, abilities, Warlord Traits and psychic powers for Adepta Sororitas, Deathwatch, Drukhari, Genestealer Cults, Harlequins, Imperial Knights, Necrons, Orks, Space Wolves, T’au Empire, and Thousand Sons;
– A guide to creating your own objective markers, themed to your own army, with examples for Imperial, Chaos, Necrons, Tyranids, Drukhari, T’au Empire, and Orks.Appendix
The Appendix features a collection of supplementary content which can be used in any games of Warhammer 40,000. Included:
– Rules for a range of terrain, including Deathworld Forests (Eldritch Ruins, Grapple Weed, Shardwrack Spine, and Barbed Venomgorse) and Sector Mechanicus (Haemotrope Reactor, Thermic Plasma Regulators, and Thermic Plasma Conduits);
– Battlezone: Industrial Worlds – use Sector Mechanicus scenery to add height advantages and tap into plasma feeds to increase your weapons’ potential;
– Battlezone: Empyric Storms – rules for fighting amidst a violent warp tide, with 36 events that can affect your armies, surroundings and psychic powers;
– A guide to setting up and running Ladder campaigns;
– An explanation of Battle-forged armies, creating Detachments and Army Rosters;
– Updated points values for a variety of units and wargear for both Citadel and Forge World miniatures, based on feedback from the gaming community.
Chapter Approved 2017 is available now online and in local Games Workshop stores. Be sure to press play on our quick and dirty review video below for the full product breakdown.
For more on Chapter Approved and all things Warhammer 40k, visit Games Workshop!
