Today the first reports from people who claim to have the rule book started to surface. It does appear that the rumours for consolidation into close combat were totally false. I saw this single issue has the one place where 40K could have become a more balanced game system.

Some people don’t understand why certain players claim 40k is a shooting based game. But as any veteran Tyranid player it will tell you what’s better against two combat squads of space marine than 20 geanstealers, is 15 Geanstealers. You may ask how less can be better, well this hasn’t been the same in all editions. If you send a large squad of Tyranids into close combat the result will be the space Marines will get totally wiped out leaving the Tyranids exposed, unless they can use their consolidate move to find cover. If you send fewer in to combat, the result may be a a few space Marines survive, leaving the tyranids locked in the combat and therefore shielded from any nearby shooting attacks. In the following turn they will wipe out the space marines and have have their own movement and assault phase to get back into combat with another enemy units. I know of no other game system where having less troops results in a greater chance of success. And that is why 40K is broke, and that is what I had hoped seventh edition would fix.

Not wanting to leave on a negative note. I do think the changes that have been made are good. Not just to the rules. I think some of the background changes that have been made are also good for the game system. The changes to the Allies system were also desperately needed. I think these are now I’m much more sensible set of allie rules. We don’t yet know quite what all these rules for allies are, but it does appear Tyranid and chaos can Allie with Guard. Even if the guard do have to stay 12″ away.

I think what I’ll remember about seventh edition is it being the dark millennium expansion for six edition not a new edition of 40k.