There has been a lot of rules put out for 8th edition so far. Today’ we’re going to be going through and giving you a run down on the 30 biggest one.
It has been a busy week for Games Workshop and the hobby. The announcement of 8th edition was unexpected and there’s been content every day since. Let’s take a look at the different rules and teasers they’ve put out since the announcement.
Space Marine Unit Profiles
Table of Contents & Article Summary
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- Vehicles now use the same profile system as everyone else.
- Stat lines are not capped at 10, so don’t be surprised if you see larger vehicles like Land Raiders and Imperial Knights with dozens of wounds.
- We’ve gained a Movement stat in exchange for a Initiative stat.
- You can also see that WS and BS are now standard rolls (Ballistic Skill sort of always was), though you can expect modifiers to both of these stats from in-game effects.
- Strength and Toughness are still with us, and still use an opposing value principle (so much higher Strength will still wound on 2+, low Strength will wound on a 6+), and these aren’t capped at 10 any more either.
Weapon Profiles & Trailer
- The stats effectively lets a single hit deliver multiple wounds to one model.
- Rather than a binary yes/no on saves, the new Warhammer 40,000 uses modifiers,
- The flamer no longer uses a template. However, when in range, it causes D6 hits that do not have to roll to hit, and this applies even against units of a single model,
Movement Rules
- Every model has its own Movement characteristic.
- Some units will have a minimum move too.
- Every flyer will have their own minimum and maximum move value.
- Running has been rolled into the Movement phase now, too. You can “Advance” when you move by rolling a dice and adding the result to your Movement to go a bit faster at the expense of shooting.
- If you’re in combat at the start of your turn, you can Fall Back by moving away from the enemy. You’ll lose the ability to advance, shoot or charge that turn, and crucially, enemies will be able to shoot at you!
Psychic Phase
- Each time you pick a psyker, you can cast as many spells as their datasheet states.
- There’s a simpler, two-dice mechanic for casting, you just need to beat the warp charge value.
- Enemy psykers will then have a chance to block these powers if they are within 24″.
- Mortal Wounds are a new mechanic too – these cannot be saved by any means and punch straight through thick armour and even invulnerable saves!
- Every faction will have its own psychic lore with a range of thematic powers. In addition, every psyker knows the Smite power:
Charge Phase
- You can select any unit with 12″ as the target of your charge, and your units will move towards them 2D6″
- Enemy units still have a chance to hit the charging unit with overwatch.
- In the current Warhammer 40,000, you need to reach base contact. In the new edition, though, you only need to come within 1″ of an enemy.
- You also can’t move within 1″ of an enemy you didn’t declare as the target of your charge, so if you want to engage multiple units, you’ll need to brave the overwatch fire of all of them.
- Overwatch can also be fired multiple times per phase, but as soon as the unit is engaged, they will no longer be able to fire back.
Assault Phase
- The priority for striking is based on the previous phase, with those units that completed a charge swinging first.
- Units that activate gain a free 3″ move towards the closest enemy.
- Following chargers, players take it in turns to activate units across the board to fight.
- There are a few units that can interrupt this sequence to attack out of turn.
- Close combat weapons also gain new rules – some will slice through armour easily, while others will hit with enough force to cause deal multiple wounds that can cripple or kill even powerful enemy models.
Morale Phase
- The new Morale phase is simple, and only happens once per player turn, at the end of all your other phases.
- Any units that suffered casualties in a turn must take a Morale test at the end of it.
- Roll a dice, add the number of models from the unit that have been slain, and if the number is bigger than the unit’s Leadership, that many models are lost.
- No units falling back, no regroup tests – all that is gone.
- There are a few things that can help you out in this phase. A Chaos Dark Apostle, for example, allows all nearby units from the same Legion to use his Leadership. Or, you can use some units to make your opponent’s tests more difficult
There has already been a lot put out so far and we’re just getting started. Games Workshop said they will be putting out updates every single day leading up to the release of 8th edition. Without a date announced for the release we’re not sure how long they’re going to have to keep up that promise though.
What do you think about the rules that have been put out so far? What are you most looking forward to about 8th edition? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you for continuing to make us your source for the latest updates.
