Behold! The new edition of Warhammer 40,000 is upon us mere mortals! The highly anticipated 6th Edition has been circulating in rumour central for months but this is the real deal.
We’ve spent a few hours looking over the details and highlighted some of the glorious changes to what is arguably the most played table top wargame in the World!
This gigantic tome runs at 432 pages long and it’s a fascinating read. It may seem a little daunting to the beginner but the rules span only to page 131 before the book delves into the world of 40k and the culture surrounding the entire hobby. There’s just over 100 pages of background info and another 90 or so pages about hobby related goodness. All this is in detailed colour with fold out pages and oodles of illustrative work from old favourites like Blanche.
The Rules: What’s Changed?
Pre-measuring is now in! The gripe with me with 5th (and versions before) was that advanced armies like Space Marines are equipped with tons of latest tech but can’t judge an enemy within shooting distance! Movement remains the same with unit coherency exactly 2 inch as before.
Shooting has taken a little of an overhaul meaning that Saving throws are now taken before wound allocation. Wounds are then allocated to the target unit member closest to the unit that it shooting at it rather than the player removing from the back. Makes sense. There is the inclusion of ‘Snap Fire’ allowing units with some heavy weapons to fire even when moving. The new shot, “Salvo”, these can fire at maximum range with a full number of shots if the model carrying it only if that unit doesn’t move, or at half range and with half the number of shots if the model moves.
The Assault rolls remain unchanged but notably models in base-to-base contact with the enemy get removed as casualties as opposed to models which aren’t.
The much taunted change to the Psykers means that they are split in to psychic disciplines with 7 powers to choice from in each discipline. It makes these guys pretty powerful troop choice to consider although there are some restrictions to what discipline you choose depending on your army.
The other big notable change and potentially the most controversial is allied detachments. Some may argue that it’ll add a distinct whiff of cheese to army selecting. However, this adds a tremendous dynamic to the game and one I’ve been personally hoping for. To add Imperial Guard troop choices to my existing Space Marine army sounds really exciting and it’s up to me to devise a whole new strategic approach. It’ll also inevitably force my opponent to think long and hard about upping their game as well. Awesome stuff!
Summary
Games Workshop have really have put thought and much engine tweaking to keep on top of the game. To say that this book is essential to 40k players is an understatement. As well what I’ve mentioned in this review, there’s a ton of other rule tweaks and changes I’ve not even mentioned such as Fortifications, Flyers, Lethal Terrain and Warlords. The book oozes with quality and the full colour layout brings to life this superior table top game. All eyes will eventually turn to the Autumn for the release of the boxed starter set but for now, you can’t really go wrong with this comprehensive rule book.
Order the new Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook at just £36.99: Buy Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition Rulebook
