Is My Old Army Obsolete?
No way! Whether you are a veteran, a new player, or only now thinking about getting into Warhammer 40k, older armies will probably always be usable. The new edition simply means that there are changes coming to the ruleset applied to each existing army, and as we have seen in the reveal stream, new units are coming as well. Changes in army rule sets are quite common and often happen midway through editions to help with balance in the competitive scene, similar to how Magic: The Gathering or Hearthstone will ban cards or provide nerfs and buffs to even out the playing field.
Recent Codex releases will also remain usable, along with campaign expansions. For example, Psychic Awakening will work fine, as the rules in these supplemental materials were written knowing that the new edition was coming, and so nothing is wasted. On the other hand, Forge World Index books will be changing. Keep an eye out for a complete list of what will remain in use later on, but for now most core material looks quite safe.
Unit Point Update
While old armies will still be usable, a new edition brings updates to unit point costs across the board. As always, this is meant to help with balancing armies in the competitive scene, but it is impossible to say right now how this will affect current armies. Players should be aware however that there are certain changes coming, so buying into a brand-new 2000-point army right now might be a poor choice, whereas waiting until more details are released would be better.
This will also coincide with suggestions for balancing at both low and high point values, allowing players more ways to play smaller, medium, and full army games.
Crusades – A New System For Narrative Play
One of the most exciting announcements is the addition of Crusades. This will provide a framework through which players can link games and allow units to upgrade and grow in an ongoing campaign, which is something the community has requested for years, and currently, there are several home-brewed options among friends.
For example, a popular way of playing an “ongoing” campaign with friends is to engage in a match, and then have a subsequent “rematch” or second-part of a battle whereby the loser adjusts their army to counter or better deal with the winner, who is not allowed to make changes. This is often done in place of a straight rematch and allows for some narrative play, at least among one’s own armies. Of course, we cannot wait to see how exactly this is going to be implemented.
Tanks – Now Working As Intended
One of the best changes coming in the new addition, at least for those who love their tanks, is that these units will now be able to fire in close combat, something that they cannot in the current edition. This has led to countless frustrating and ridiculous moments like a single Orkboy locking up a tank from its designed function. As if the tank would not just roll over the silly Ork. Get ready for massive shots as tanks make their way back!
Terrain Reworks
Terrain is seeing a rework from the ground up, but details are scant now. This will be a wait-and-see change because the current system of rules for terrain are generally fine, and while a few tweaks could be made, we are curious as to what this overhaul is going to look like.
Look To The Skies
Details here are again few, but we will be seeing new rules added that will make flyers more like actual airborne units. This is sure to be a nice change since right now it is quite easy to take down flyers with units that thematically have no place doing so.
Is There New Lore Or Retconed Material?
As a side note, this is an interesting point that newer and even older players discuss or argue about. As the “world” of Warhammer 40k is so immense, and the game has been around for over three decades, there has been so much written about armies, races, and major events. However, the official stance of the creators can be summed up by stating that canon and retcon is non-existent in Warhammer 40k. For a detailed explanation on this, check out YouTube creator Luetin09 below, as well as all of his other outstanding videos on the game.
Source: Youtube.com, warhammer40000.com
