It appears it will be Space Wolves not Blood Angels that get the 1s Space Marine 7th edition codex, at least if the same sites that predicted we would have Blood Angels on the cover of the 40k rule book are to be believed. Actually this comes from the 40k radio podcast; who have been incredibly reliable with their leaked information. I do recommend listening to their pod cast it’s excellent entertainment or background noise for painting to.
7th edition hits
Yesterday copies of 7th edition were being opened and people were realising the internet had again disappointed gamers, by putting out false rumours. It appears the words credible are not well understood by certain websites. I’m looking at the big well known sites here.
Is it really a new edition?
In terms of rules changes the 7th edition set is an update to 6th edition, not a new version of 40k. It’s more like a big FAQ has been inserted in the old rule book. If you want a really good overview of the changes Talk Talk have posted a lengthy article. 40k 7th Edition Rules Changes TalkTalk Wargamming
There is still nothing from GW in terms of an PDF update to bring 6th edition books in line. There has also been no news on Golden Demon or Games Day 2014.
What’s Good About The New Book
The value in 7th edition comes from the expansion on the way you can choose an army, the expanded missions, mission cards and expanded psychic system. Did you notice I said expanded? Yep that’s what I see this box as, an expansion like apocalypse. Veterans who remember Dark millennium will see a lot of similarities. They will probably be worrying this will destroy 40k with a cumbersome and over powered psychic system. I don’t believe it will though.
The “other” books
There two other books included in the box are interesting. One really is a big Warhammer 40k visions with big blown up pictures, for those of us who can’t see the amazing detail the heavy metal team have painted into the models. The other book is full of background and art which looks very familiar. After 6 other sets of 40k background, I find it very hard to read the same thing reworded, again and again. Resulting in missing what has actually changed.
Summary
It’s good value, it will add a new dimension to games, it’s not a new version of 40k, it’s not an essential purchase unless the other gamers you play with are going to use it. I know lots of gamers who are waiting for the new box set or rules only version before taking the leap on this one.
AND SHARE PRICES
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.
The big news is
Battle brother are
Eldar + Dark Eldar
Chaos Space Marines + Chaos Demons
All Imperial Forces
Armies Allied with their own Codex
Allies of convenience
Imperial and Eldar
Chaos Space Marines with Necrons or Orks
Tau and Eldar or Necrons
Tau and Space Marines are now desperate allies
distrusted allies has gone.
You can find the full table here. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-71myQ7gRwaM/U3vXkbzQEII/AAAAAAAAASM/WOA_ZRfas5E/s640/blogger-image-2122138276.jpg
7th Edition is going to be a lot more fun.
You may have already seen most of the contents of this week’s White Dwarf. I think just about every page has been plastered over the internet. I’ve included the cover, contents and back page below. I view showing any more as beyond the bounds of fair use.
It’s no secrete the issue is all about the new edition of 40k. There is really good content in this issue about the changes in the rules and background.
Here are the confirmed changes so far.
1) unbound armies: take any units from your codex apart from special characters as many times as you want.
2) All units can now capture objectives, just like Apocalypse.
3) battle forged armies follow. Organisational charts and get extra bonuses.
4) Maelstrom War Missions: Six alternative missions that use 36 tactical objective cards. Each player will have a number of objectives each turn. As each objective is achieved a new one is awarded, along with victory points
5) Psychic phase: all psychic powers are now cast after the movement phase. Each turn you have a warp charge for each psychic in your army plus D6 warp charges.
6) Psychic tests: roll a D6 for any warp charge you want to use , but all doubles 6s or even triples results in perils of the warp event.
7) New Psychic Discipline demonology, enables psychers to summon Demons.
8) Unit coherency is now 6″ vertically.
9) No leadership test is needed for Split Fire.
10) Rules for super heavies, D weapons and all scenery are included in the rule book for use in standard 40k games.
11) wound allocation is now done by weapon type from shooting through to save. So in a tactical squad all flamer shots would need to be resolved before bolters roll to hit.
12) the vehicle damage table has moved by one point, so to destroy a vehicle you now need to roll a seven.
13) Moving through difficult terrain now takes 2 inches off charge distances.
14) Psykers who take all their powers from a single discipline now the Primus power as a bonus.
15) Troops in battle forged armies automatically take any objectives they are contesting unless they are contesting objectives against enemy troops also in battle forged armies.
16) Battle Forged armies can reroll warlord traits
There’s really no reason you can’t start playing with these now. To play with demonology you will need the white dwarf.
Lovely picture in the back page this week. Here is half of it.
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