There is a new edition of Warhammer 40K in the pipe. The start box is currently in preorder, sort of... it sold out within minutes of it going up for pre-order!? If I really wanted a copy, I'm sure I could get one from my FLGS... but I don't. I may not even buy the main book - at least not straight away.
GW has released the core rules as a free PDF along with ALL the new datasheets and point costs. Which is nice. Now that the points are out, as of today, I've been looking over my forces and seeing what I can put together.
WHY!? Am I actually going to PLAY the damned game...? Maybe! There is a tournament coming up in July that I'm seriously considering going to.
The tournament is Battleforce Recon. It's a smaller event with smaller forces (1000 points!). I attended in 2018 and in 2019 - and it was good fun! I signed up for it in 2020... but.. COVID happened... They ran it last year (2022), but I just wasn't ready for hanging out in crowds at that point. I'm not sure I'm all that exited about it still... but...
This year, like in 2018, everyone will be playing with brand new forces for a brand new edition. In 2018, Warhammer 40000 - 8th Edition had just come out and none of the new codexes has been released and everyone was playing with Index armies. The armies will change as new codexes get released... but for now everyone has armies with limited abilities and special rules to keep track of.
So I have been looking at my various forces and pondering how they are to be organized under the new rules. One thing that has really changed with 10th edition is, as far as I can tell, they have completely ditched detachments. The only requirement is that you have at least ONE Character model - to lead your force... and... that's pretty much it...? Beyond that you can take up to three of anything else that isn't a Unique unit or character, and up to six of anything that is labelled "Battleline" - those are generally your bog standard infantry soldiers...
THIS caused be SOME anxiety as I have Many, MANY Imperial Guard Infantry Squads!? But yesterday they released the new data cards for the Astra Militarum and I'm still, theoretically, going to be able to field up to 12 squads... sort of... Astra Militarum "squads" can now be fielded in 10 or 20 model units... (yikes!).
Also, I have enough tanks to, theoretically, (once they are all painted) field and entire tank squadron! The new construction rules have kind of wrecked that plan as none of those tanks are "Battleline"!? Not even the standard Leman Russ Battle Tank... All of the variants have their own Data Card, so I can take up to three of each - three standard Battletanks, three Vanquishers (bigger gun, better at taking out vehicles), three Executioners (giant plasma cannon), three Punishers (giant gattling cannon), three... you get the idea. It will kind of force me to field way more of the special variants - I'd originally intended to have three platoons of three - each platoon having two Battle Tanks and one of the special variants... Ah well... How many times and I actually going to roll out with that full Tank Squadron. Honestly the time I finish it, there will be at least one new edition out - and it may have entirely changed by then!?
This will make things a little EASIER for my Aeldari force, however. If you recall with the previous (9th edition) Codex - Dire Avengers, which had been "Troops" in previous editions and formed the core of my Aeldari fighting force, has become Elites and only Rangers and Guardians were allowed as Troops... which meant the corps of my figthing forces would be Rangers (who, technically, aren't even part of any particular Craftworld, they just show up to fight alongside, from time to time) and/or Guardians (who are just ordinary citizens that are pressed into service in dire circumstances)!?
Now I no longer HAVE to include Rangers OR Guardians - I can have a force made up of entirely Aspect Warriors - the real warfighters of the Aeldari Craft worlds...
So below is what some of the forces I have might look like - what I can field now... in some cases what I could potentially field if I got all the stuff I have painted... and what I might take to Battleforce Recon.
Did I mention they got rid of power ratings...? Oh, they got rid of Power Ratings alright... But points have been super streamlined. Units are just; a unit of X include y troops for Z points... not points per model and points per weapon and every different option... which is kind of what they tried to do with Power Rating... but now they're doing it with points (basically the Power Rating x20 = points...) People like the bigger numbers I guess...? 2000 points sounds like a more supstatian force that one that's got a power rating of 100...?
Harlequins
Now, Harlequins have been lumped back in with the craftworlders and can be included as part of any Aeldari force... but I was looking at things and realized I could almost put together a 1000 point force of JUST HARLEQUINS... It might be tough to get them all painted in time for Battleforce Recon... but sometimes a DEADLINE is just what I NEED to do such a thing.
The Current Troupe - Troupe of the Eternal Lament
What I have done:
- Troupe Master - 55 points
- Shadowseer - 60 points
- Solitaire - 115 Points
- Death Jester - 70 points
- Death Jester - 70 points
- Death Jester - 70 points
- Troupe (6) - 75 points
Total: 515 points
BUT I do also have another 26 Troupe players if various states of paintedness. Originally I was going to organize them into four more units of 6 (with two spares left over) ... but that would be five Troupes... and TROUPES are NOT Battleline... No matter I can just reorganize them into THREE TROUPES. Troupes can be fielded in groups of five, six, eleven, or twelve...? (I THINK this is because the current Harlequin box comes with six miniatures... but one of those miniatures can be used to make your Troupe Master - which would leave you only five for a unit).
So I am ONE miniature shy of being able to field three Troupes of eleven.
OR four miniatures shy of being able to field three troupes of TWELVE!?
(I think Keiran had some spare metal Harlequins that they had picked up insome used lot... I may be able to steal/buy those from them!)
If so, I would be able to field the force as:
- Troupe Master - 55 points
- Shadowseer - 60 points
- Solitaire - 115 Points
- Death Jester - 70 points
- Death Jester - 70 points
- Death Jester - 70 points
- Troupe (11) - 165 points
- Troupe (11) - 165 points
- Troupe (11) - 165 points
Total: 935
Which would leave me 65 points... Perhaps they could be joined by a unit of rangers (55 points)
OR (If I did manage to scrounge up four more Harlequin players...
- Troupe Master - 55 points
- Shadowseer - 60 points
- Solitaire - 115 Points
- Death Jester - 70 points
- Death Jester - 70 points
- Death Jester - 70 points
- Troupe (12) - 180 points
- Troupe (12) - 180 points
- Troupe (12) - 180 points
Total: 980 points - I could make the Shadowseer a Reader of Runes for +20 points and that would be 1000 points even...
OR maybe I could field two Troupes of 12 and one Troupe of six and add in an Aeldari War Walker - that I could paint up in all sorts of fun Harlequinesque colours!?
Aeldari
This is the rest of the Aeldari that I have currently painted. I have loads more in various states of completion - including a few units that are VERY CLOSE to being complete... but this is what is DONE and ready to play right now!
- Farseer Thymiltelyir (1) - 65 points
- Warlock Conclave (2 -Adryllewi and Broelwyn) - 60 points
- Rangers (5) - 55 points
- Rangers (5) - 55 points
- Rangers (5) - 55 points
- Shrine of the Fading Night Dire Avengers (10) - 140 points
- Shrine of the to-be-named-shrine Dire Avengers (10) - 140 points
- Warp Spiders of the Shrine of the Mean Red Spiders (10) - 200 points
- Wraithlord Kloethades (1) - 160 points
- Wraithlord Phinyndros (1) - 160 points
- Wraithlord Melynaearian (1) - 160 points
Total: 1150 points
Boom! That right there is a force big enough for Battleforce Recon, right there! I just have to drop one of the Wraithlords and I've got 990 points!
The Stuff that is closest to being finished include
- Dark Reapers (5) - 75 points
- Howling Banshees (10) - 170 points
- Autarch (1) - 65 points
- Warlocks (4) - 120 points
- Farseer (1) - 65 points
- Guardians (11) - 110
- Platoon Command Squad - 60 points
- Platoon Command Squad - 60 points
- Cadian Shock Troops - 65 points
- Cadian Shock Troops - 65 points
- Cadian Shock Troops - 65 points
- Cadian Shock Troops - 65 points
- Commissar - 35 points
- Commissar - 35 points
- Regimental Preacher - 35 points
- Regimental Preacher - 35 points
- Heavy Weapon Squad - 60 points
- Platoon Command Squad (5) - 60 points
- Platoon Command Squad (5) - 60 points
- Platoon Command Squad (5) - 60 points
- Infantry Squad (9) - 65 points
- Infantry Squad (9) - 65 points
- Infantry Squad (9) - 65 points
- Infantry Squad (18) - 130 points
- Infantry Squad (18) - 130 points
- Infantry Squad (18) - 130 points
- Commissar - 35 points
- Commissar - 35 points
- Primaris Psyker - 60 points
- Regimental Preacher - 35 points
- Heavy Weapon Squad - 60 points
- Heavy Weapon Squad - 60 points
- Heavy Weapon Squad - 60 points
- Rough Riders (5) - 80 points
- Rough Riders (5) - 80 points
- Rough Riders (5) - 80 points
- Leman Russ Battle Tank - 195 points
- Leman Russ Battle Tank - 195 points
- Leman Russ Vanquisher - 190 points
- Leman Russ Punisher - 180 points
- Leman Russ Demolisher - 220 points
- Scout Sentinel - 50 points
- Taurox - 65 points
- Shadowsword - 440 points
- Platoon Command Squad (5) - 60 points
- Platoon Command Squad (5) - 60 points
- Platoon Command Squad (5) - 60 points
- Infantry Squad (18) - 130 points
- Infantry Squad (18) - 130 points
- Infantry Squad (18) - 130 points
- Heavy Weapon Squad - 60 points
- Heavy Weapon Squad - 60 points
- Scout Sentinel (1) - 50 points
- Roughriders (10) - 160
- Leman Russ Punisher - 180 points
Posts
I've always had the feeling that WH worked better with smaller forces, and less cheese. So that tournament could be fun, especially if they're a good crowd. It also looks like you won't have to paint anything else, so go for it!
ReplyDeleteOne of the thins I REALLY LIKED about 9th edition was they planned for smaller games - there were scenarios for 25PL/500 points. Thats where you could start Crusade campaigns. The new edition, as with others, say. you CAN play with smaller forces, but the scenarios (designed for larger forces) don't always scale down.
DeleteThey haven't released a tournament package yet, and.... I don't know... some of the tournaments have required the use of chess clocks... I'm not kidding! Some of the local guys who organize things got super paranoid that some players were using slow play as a "tactic"... somehow...? So they enforced the use of chess clocks and in a two hour game you get one hour and if you go over... you don't get to move any more of your guys, the other player just gets to do stuff and you get to sit and do NOTHING!? rolls saves, I guess...? and pass for all your moves...? I have no desire to play with a chess clock, that seems like it would suck the fun out of EVERYTHING?!
That's a tough one for an organizer. You have to get those games done, and you have to let people have fun too.
DeleteThose are some exciting plans and options. Of them I feel like the Chaos and Tallarn are the most interesting, although then you are not motivated to paint more figures!
ReplyDeleteI am sort of down on 10th right now because of the removal of point costs for upgrades, and the proliferation of special rules by unit. Hopefully some of that is corrected in the future, although the Eldar codex is not going to happen for basically a year at least...
My kid ordered the Leviathan box from our FLGS, so there will be a lot of 10th edition in our future anyway.
Is your kid going to paint both sides? Or are you going to be roped into painting the Tyranids?
DeleteHe has made noises about selling that half, but I sort of expect to be spray-painting and contrasting it sometime in the future.
DeleteTyranids are about the least interesting army to me, particularly the mix in the box.
Sounds like you don't have to paint anything and still get a game, which is a nice place to be, it does remind me of why I stopped collecting 40k, just when I was about to finish an army a new codex/ruleset would come out and half of what I had was redundant! Chess clocks that's mad, it's just meant to be fun? Having said that I was playing to the Strongest ( historical) tournament at a big tournament with other systems and had a friend playing Malifix and he said it was super competitive whereas when he came over to see me it was all a bit more relaxed, really like your Skaven, good luck with that, does kind of sound lightly insane!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks Iain! The tournament package finally came out and there is no requirement to use chess clocks... but it's all full up now. Ah, well... Maybe next year/edition.
DeleteGood luck. I'm not down on the new edition. I have lots of stuff painted and I never got it all optimized or even fielded in 9th so in 10th maybe I'll make a couple crazily armed squads then if I ever play a big big game the less optimized stuff can be fielded.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I played a quite a bit of 8th... but only got in a few games of 9th when if first came out - because I was excited about the Narrative Play campaign system... but haven't played a single game with either of the codexes I bought for 9th... Since they've allowed everyone to download all the PDFs, I'm not going to bother buying anything for a while... Play with the free stuff, if I get around to it, and if I get playing on the regular, maybe I'll buy the core rules and teh Astra Militarum and Aeldari Codexes... maybe... Oh, and I'll for sure grab the Emperor's Children Codex... It's GOT to be a think in 10th!? Right!?
Delete