Greetings Readers,

Now that I’ve got my grievances with Great Britain out of the way, it’s time to get back to the business of being an avid wargamer. Back at the end of March, I took a look at Games Workshop’s Gathering Storm and made some very general prognostications about what it might herald for the 8th edition of Warhammer 40,000. Now, rather foolishly, I imagined it would at least be the new year before we saw the results of these shenanigans made truly manifest, but low and behold, 8th Edition arrived earlier this month and Games Workshop’s brave new world is already busy upsetting the collective apple cart.

Or is it?

It’s only fair to say, before we proceed any further, that this post WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. I should probably also point out, that I’m going to try and break this post down into two main components; an examination of the changes to the mechanics of 40k, and an overview and general musings on the changes to the overarching plot of the setting (Yes, I’m going to be using the term ‘Metaplot’ – I’m sorry). I’ll also draw in elements beyond the main rulebook, such as Guy Haley’s new Dark Imperium novel, and the ‘Index’ supplements currently operating as a placeholder before the publication of Codices begins in earnest (but more on that later). I should also warn you, that I will be making comparisons between Warhammer 40,000 and some other systems, most notably Mantic’s Warpath (which should come as no surprise to some).

So let’s get down to business.

MECHANICS

The new hotness?

It’s fair to say that one of the biggest collective fears about the new edition of Games Workshop’s flagship game, was that it would receive a similar treatment to the drastic overhaul Warhammer received under the auspices of Age of Sigmar, and whilst significant changes have been made, the overhaul of Warhammer 40,000 has definitely been more restrained in nature. The new rules are more streamlined, and core mechanics have been reworked to remove additional steps in various processes that previously added unnecessary complexity. The most immediately obvious examples are the changes to the Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill stats (WS and BS) – These are no longer represented by fixed numbers used on a comparative matrix, a mechanic that has been a staple of the game since 2nd Edition. Instead, the target roll has been unpacked from the matrix, and brought directly into the stat, so, for example, an Imperial Guardsman’s WS and BS are both listed as 4+, simply showing the roll required to hit. Modifiers (which have also been streamlined), can then be applied directly to these stats, rather than after referring to a comparative matrix.

Now, whilst this is a definitive improvement on the system, it is by no means an innovative one, as several other wargames already use similar or directly comparable mechanics. Again, the most obvious example here is Mantic’s Warpath, where GW’s ‘new’ (and I’ll be using those quote marks a lot) system directly replicates what Warpath already does with its Mel (Melee) and Acc (Accuracy) stats.  And it has to be said, that Warpath makes a good comparison across the board for passing judgement on many of Warhammer 40,000‘s ‘new’ mechanics. It’s not unfair to say, that many of the mechanics, such as those for shooting and combat (and how their attendant systems of modifiers function), as well as wounds and morale, are essentially the same. This is by no means an unsubtle attempt by myself to accuse either company of copying the other, they just represent the logical modernisation of, what has fast become, industry standard mechanics. However, where this perhaps works against Games Workshop, is that there is nothing truly innovative here, simply common sense (and I know there will be people out there all-too-willing to argue that, for GW at least, common sense is innovative).

‘Ze competition…’

In a similar vein, the unpacking of special rules from the main ruleset to individual unit stats, in combination with the ‘new’ keywords system, promised as a feature of the new statcards that will now come with GW miniatures, certainly makes the core rulebook less unwieldy, but will be all-too-familiar to anybody who has played games such as Wyrd’s Malifaux where statcards and keywords have long been a staple (and yes, Warpath does it too to a certain degree).  

However, whilst GW certainly appear to have done their homework and explored how other systems have innovated on the core principles underpinning most modern war games, in other areas they have been curiously remiss or appear to have chronically misinterpreted. Warhammer 40,000‘s ‘new’ three styles of play are a case-in-point example, which essentially boils down to a free-for-all mode, a dumbed-down points system (‘Power’ values) and the traditional points system (streamlined alongside the new stats layout). Whilst undoubtedly providing a degree of much-needed flexibility, they do feel a little chaotic and amorphous at times. The ‘Power’ values system in particular, to my mind at least, feels like an unnecessary half-way house, but (as with all things) your mileage may vary. Again, doubtless to the collective groans of the audience, I am again going to make the direct comparison to Mantic’s Warpath, which I feel provides a much better and more sophisticated template with its complementary Warpath Battle Game (WBG) and Firefight Skirmish Game (FSG) rulesets, allowing you to either play a granular game featuring individual model stats in much the same vein as Warhammer 40,000 (e.g FSG) or a unit-level game that functions a little like a 28mm version of GW’s old Epic system combined with GW’s new system of detachments (e.g. WBG).

Now admittedly I have, to a certain degree, over-simplified how the three game modes function and they have additional elements which add to their variety, but once again, several of these will be familiar to anyone who has played non-GW games. The inclusion of ‘Command Points’ for example, are perhaps one of the most readily identifiable elements; there are directly comparable mechanics in games as diverse as Hawk’s Dropzone Commander and Dropfleet Commander, and as niche as Spartan’s Dystopian Legions. Even Malifaux‘s ‘soulstone’ system (Wyrd) or Warmachine‘s ‘Focus’ mechanic (Privateer Press) could be argued as being not too dissimilar. Speaking of those other titles, I’m also still left pining for the day when Games Workshop finally joins the rest of the modern war gaming community and switches to alternate activations. If I had to point to one, singular missed opportunity with 8th Edition, this would be it. To me, this simple alteration would have been the crowning achievement of the new edition and meant that Warhammer 40,000 had comprehensively turned the corner. As it is, we remain 1° short of the full ninety…

That being said, there is much to like about the new Warhammer 40,000: The rules are certainly much more accessible, the sequence of play feels much smoother, and the individual processes (combat, shooting, etc.) feel much more logical. I particularly like the changes to Damage and Wounds, which sees models making a single save against an incoming attack before points of damage are applied – In effect, this means fewer, more immediate (and more critical) saving throws and quicker damage calculation as you’re simply comparing damage to the number of wounds and deducting. I’m also a big fan (despite the parallels with Warpath‘s ‘Nerve’ system) of the new Morale mechanics, which have the potential to reduce the usual Hokey Cokey/Break-Rally-Break-Rally shenanigans of previous editions, which could see useless scraps of units hanging around the battlefield, acting as a drag on the overall speed of turn resolution.

And then there are the Index books.

ALL the rules.

I would be remiss in rounding off my discussion of the new mechanics if I didn’t mention how much I like the new Index books. Now I know they’re designed as a necessary stop-gap measure until the new Codices arrive, given that the changes to the core mechanics meant day one obsolescence of previous books, and I appreciate that individual Codices will add a whole slew of bells and whistles to each faction’s options and special rules, BUT I still love the fact that you can, for £15, get a book that instantly allows you to play the entirety of your faction. For £75 you can get all five books, and instantly be able to play the entirety of ANY faction, or for £135 get all five books, plus all four of their Forgeworld equivalents, and instantly be able to play the entirety of ANY faction across EVERY range produced by both Games Workshop and Forgeworld combined. Throw in the rulebook at a very affordable £35, and for £170 (excluding the costs of P&P) you have everything. Everything to play GW and FW entire range at the point of publication. As a casual gamer, who doesn’t necessarily need the bells and whistles, I think this is fantastic. I’m also going to make a cheeky aside, and point out that this bears out a prediction I made back in March about Warhammer 40,000 garnering some (then to be named) initial publications which functioned in much the same way as Age of Sigmar‘s ‘Grand Alliance’ books.

So, long story short on the mechanics front? Some really worthwhile changes and a great degree of streamlining which certainly improve the game, but if you scratch beneath the shiny veneer or look too closely, you’ll find that much of it is simply common sense alterations that should’ve occurred a long time ago, and some of it is done better elsewhere…

Now, before you tackle part two and delve into the changes to the setting, go put the kettle on and have a nice cup of tea – You’ve earned it.

“Quite…”