While the Deathwatch waits for their FAQ, GW lifted Harlequins up with actual 40k rules that were way more deserving of their update they needed.
The Deathwatch have already had a decent bit of rules tweaking since all the Space Marine support came down the pike. Now after seeing what’s dropped for the faction in the White Dwarf magazine, we feel like it’s probably a good idea to break down all the pertinent rules and support.
Now GW has said in their 9th Edition Q&A that Deathwatch would be getting another update soon, which is great. However as they stand right now, they could be a little overpowered with the old wording of Space Marine Strats on them.
GW Lifts Harlequins 40k Rules Up Over Shameful Deathwatch Update
So it looks like GW used this opportunity to print their rules as part of a new release to give the players a physical copy of rules from their last FAQ. They’ve actually had the rules like Bolter Discipline, Shock Assault, etc. for months now as part of a past FAQ that was available for download.
GW Also printed a Combat Doctrine sheet. However, the way it’s worded this was all printed before the big Marine FAQ. It says you “CAN” change your Doctrine if you want to. But this will also probably get FAQ’d and updated with the correct wording “MUST”.
Finally, the Deathwatch got the generic Chaplain litany table. While it would’ve been cool to see a Xenos-hating litany appear here, from what we can tell, the Deathwatch are just going to act more like generic Marines with some saucy ammo choices.
Looking at their Stratagems, some of the most-used tricks out of the Marine codex came to the Deathwatch. The 1CP Hero of the Chapter will probably be seeing a ton of play. However, there’s been something really interesting to note here…
The Deathwatch have access to Stratagems like Duty Eternal (which uses the old wording) as well as Adaptive Strategy, which was outright deleted from the Stratagem list altogether in the huge Space Marine FAQ that knocked the Astartes down a peg.
Snapshot of changes from Marine FAQ
With this highlighted, it looks like we’ll be getting an FAQ very soon after the magazine’s release.
So what’s an honest look at all the support? Well…
Support Let Them Down: Deathwatch Are in an Awkward Spot
Some things to remember is that the Deathwatch get access to Bolter Discipline. This opens up ways for Marines to proc Rapid-Fire with boltguns easier. But the bonus shots won’t stack with the special ammo type. This rules “buff” was more like a nonbo in our opinion.
On that note, it’s just easier to treat Bolter Discipline as an ammo type because you have to pick one or the other when you shoot. You can’t get both.
Now with the combination of generic Space Marine Stratagems and litanies, the Deathwatch look to be in a pretty weird spot. If they’re specialized enough to get a hardback codex, we figured we’d see the same normal rules wave for all the other factions so far in Psychic Awakening. It’s also been odd to watch GW preview Deathwatch with some wording that made it seem like they didn’t already have access to all the Angels of Death bonuses (even though that’s been a thing since August of 2019).
What do you think about GW’s support of the Deathwatch? Would you like to see more unique rules added to the army or would that make them too untouchable for other armies?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
