I'm super excited about Craftworlds! There, I've said it. The great enemy of 7th edition Warhammer 40k has finally gotten its own codex and I can't wait to pry open its eldritch secrets and divine the almost across-the-board points decreases that have been rumoured.
Diving straight into the rules like a swooping hawk borne on the winds of war, I swept toward the Craftworld Attributes to ascertain the dreams of the spirit seers that stem from the infinity circuit called the internet...
ANYWAY...it seems that like all the other Codexes before it so far, all units (yes, even vehicles) in a Battle-forged army from a Craftworlds Detachment benefit from the respective Craftworld Attribute as long as all units in that detachment are from the same Craftworld. Of course there are provisions for self-made Craftworlds just like Space Marine Chapters. The attributes are as follows:
Alaitoc: -1 to hit them for units at a range of more than 12" away
Biel-Tan: +1 Ld to Aspect Warriors and re-roll 1s for shuriken weapons
Iyanden: Never lose more than 1 model as a result of a single failed Morale test (now better than Commissars. =P). Double the count of wounds for units with damage chart for purposes of wounds remaining.
Saim-Hann: Re-roll failed charge rolls. Biker units do not suffer penalty for moving and firing heavy weapons.
Ulthwe: 6+ Feel-no-pain that can't stack with existing sources (like Spirit stones, Fortune, etc)
Alaitoc is arguably the strongest Craftworld trait and makes 2 of the stronger units even better. Namely the newly costs Rangers (now at 60% of the cost of their Index incarnation) and Hemlock Wraithfighters. A hefty -2 makes Guardsmen hit only on 6s and even the vaunted Adeptus Astartes hit like Orks with their shooting. The fact that it applies to vehicles too makes it way stronger than the Ravenguard version and I will not be surprised it this gets FAQed in one way or another within the next few weeks.
I personally find the Biel-Tan attribute the weakest out of the 5 traits as re-rolling 1s can be circumvented mainly by having an Autarch within 6". It does let you roam rather than limit the buff to a 6" radius so there's still SOME use for it for armies that might want to split up.
Ironically, Iyanden got the Commissar-ish trait which feels odd. The part for vehicles makes sense for them though but all in all, Ulthewe might be slightly better as it gives a longer lifespan to your vehicles rather than simply a better profile for 2-3 wounds (which might not even matter depending on how the d6 rolls). And the 6+ FNP works on infantry too.
With a 4 to 7 point decrease depending on how they are outfitted, Windriders might see a slight come back with the Saim-Hann trait allowing them to move and fire scatter lasers (Shuriken Cannons are Assault) with out penalty. Interestingly, Vypers possess the Biker keyword as well and become a mobile heavy weapons platform in a Saim-Hann detachment. I can definitely see a Saim-Hann Outrider Detachment in many an Aeldari army in the future.
Combos
There're a number of combinations I'm looking forward to try in this Codex:
Deep striking Black Guardians (via Webway Strike Stratagem) is actually a thing. 40 S4 shots that can hit on a 2+ (via another stratagem) and are -3AP when you roll 6s to wound.
With the "Guardian" keyword, Support Weapons also benefit from the Ulthwe stratagem, Discipline of the Black Guardians. BS 2+ D-Cannon shots anyone?
Webway Strike on a unit of Wraithblades and Quicken psychic power (Runes of Battle) to get them within a 5" charge range rather than 9.
Protect (Runes of Battle power) with Celestial Shield stratagem gives a unit of Guardians 3++ vs shooting that turn. Protect on Wraithguard also give them a 2+ save.
Fire & Fade (which allows a unit to move 7" after it shoots for 1CP) on an Ynnari Dark Reaper unit from any Craftworld (they just don't benefit from the Craftworld attributes) allows the unit to shoot twice with Word of the Phoenix (Ynnari psychic power) and move back out of LOS.
Embolden (+2 ldr) on a Farseer with a Hemlock nearby an enemy character will let your Farseer Mind War that character at the 4 point differential if they are Ldr 9. (+2 from Embolden & -2 from Hemlock's Mindshock Pod). The preview from Warhammer Community only mentioned using the flipside of that psychic power "Horrify" and if used, will lead to a 5 point differential allowing you to do mortal wounds even if you roll a 1 and the opponent rolls anything but a 6 (assuming equal starting Ld).
Mark of the Incomparable Hunter (the warlord trait that allows you to target enemy characters in the shooting phase) and the index version of the Autarch that carries a reaper launcher. Although the codex has removed many of the old weapon options for the Autarch, GW does have provision for using the index datasheet for options that were available before and have a model but aren't in the new one (see also: twin autocannon dreadnoughts).
Relics & Psychic Powers
Nothing particularly impressive or game-changing here. Stand outs to me are the Phoenix Gem, Faolchu's Wing and the Psytronome of Iyanden. If only the Avatar could take a relic.
There are a ton of new psychic powers for Craftworlds and I can see almost all having one use or another in the appropriate situation. The ones that stand out are Protect (+1 saving throw) on a large unit of Dark Reapers (2+ save is nothing to sneeze at) or Wraithblades/guard. Quicken feels like a must-have support for any hard hitting assault unit as the debuff version (Restrain) is useful for turns when you do not need Quicken. With the right powers and stratagems, I can see a unit of choice hitting extremely hard when needed.
Point costs have gone down on most units and weapons (feels like 75% of the options went down in points) and I look forward to seeing more Craftworld representation in tournaments and the games ahead. The codex has some awesome stratagems and i foresee most Craftworld armies being tight on Command Points without access to cheap troops (lowest ones would be 7 point Storm Guardians).
Might be able to delve deeper if I manage to grab a few playtest games with the new codex. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to the 11th November Codex Tyranids release! Readers can also look forward to some Shadespire articles and analysis popping up once the ball starts rolling and Shadespire gets into full swing. Till next time, keep that painting going!!!