With the new edition of Warhammer 40k bearing down upon us and the sneak peeks beginning yesterday (3rd June), I thought it would be a good time to list down the 10 things that stood out to me while perusing the pretty new book:
1. Assault weapons can now be fired after the bearer has "advanced" (new term for running) with a -1 penalty to hit.
2. All models/weapons can now shoot and charge. Even rapid fire and heavy weapons which could not in the past.
3. Pistols are useful! They allow the user to shoot while engaged in close combat (other weapon types cannot be fired out of melee).
4. Wounds can be allocated to any model in the unit. Not just models in line-of-sight or the nearest ones anymore. Nice move back to the older editions.
5. Cover has been simplified to being fully within any terrain feature with a +1 to armour save. Some exceptions for large creatures and/or vehicles apply.
6. Units that charge strike first in close combat/melee (no more Initiative stat).
7. Love the new deployment maps and the return of some old ones! increased variety of game deployment helps keep the same mission fresh.
8. Difficult terrain is now a flat -2 inches to the 2d6 roll when charging.
9. Models no longer get a +1 to their attack stat when charging. That has been made up for by the new "who strikes first" rule and a revision to the stat lines across the board.
10. Doing up your first few army lists is going to be a tad frustrating until the army build apps have their databases updated (hopefully without errors).
That sums up my initial takeaway from 8th ed so far. Quite optimistic about the changes and am looking forward to 17th of June! Stay tuned to this blog and The Crossroads for upcoming beginner gaming and painting articles and reviews of the Indexes in the coming weeks!
Cheers,
the BenCH *Tyranid Zoanthrope in image painted by Nicholas Wong