Did ruin walls just become the most powerful thing in 40k? Depending on whom you ask they just did. Come see the issue now!
The new 40k FAQ first draft is here, (checkout this easy PDF download of it) and there is one little line of text that seems to universally have folks in a tizzy.
Q: A ruin (e.g. a Shrine of the Aquila) is treated as difficult terrain, but does this mean that models can move through the walls?
A: No.
Most folks out there tend to agree you can’t assault though a building’s wall (Buildings as defined on page 107/108 of the BRB), however when it comes to ruins everyone just seemed to ignore them altogether.
Until the FAQ dropped that is….
So if this line in the new FAQ become the new law of the land, let’s take a look at how it can affect our normal table top play.
Who’s got two pointy ears and and has to go around this wall now?
First off it should go without saying that maneuvering around ruins and funneling though doors for infantry will definitely affect play right?
Durrrr how do I assault ‘dem now boss?
But what about assaulting? From a Rules as Written (RAW) standpoint, it appears that you can no longer even get into assault with a unit if they are just that 1/8 of an inch (12mm) behind a ruined wall or window?
“..Move the initial charger into contact with the nearest enemy model…”
Per the BRB you have to base your initial charger with the enemy to make assault, so it appears that the days of going though walls and windows to assault is over now too?
In fact some people argue that it has always been this way because if you thoroughly read the rule for Walls and Barricadesm it seems to indicate that THIS was the only was to assault “across” terrain in the first place?
However when you read the rules for moving though terrain, this FAQ may seems to contradict itself:
The implications of this for the game as a whole can be pretty far reaching, from folks that already have existing terrain built to just the fact that so much area must not be covered by models “going around” walls to do anything effective.
However the counterpoint to this is, in a game of now numerous alpha strikes and first turn assaults- perhaps this is why Games Workshop has been writing more and more of those rules into the game as of late?
What about psychic powers? Teleporting terrain around the battlefield suddenly became a much bigger deal if the rules correspond with this new FAQ right? You can’t just run out of the walls and such to assault, or even be assaulted back now depending on the particular piece of terrain and how it is positioned!
So in conclusion, this new FAQ may shake up the way everyone plays the game, not just a specific faction!
Walls??? Where we’re going we don’t need any walls!
Did GW Fix 40k? New FAQ – Long War Podcast Episode 50
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.
