Warhammer 40k 9th Edition Leaks

Games Workshop and the Warhammer Community team have let leak a few of the changes coming in Warhammer 40k 9th Edition - hashtag NEW40k. (I say let leak, but they really are featuring the new info to whet our appetites.)

    

This is a look at one of the new new mission briefs, and at first glance, I like the approach of focusing everything off the center of the board or battle grid. I think that will go a long way to creating a "level" playing field when combined with the fixed position of the objective markers. Players, especially new players or non tournament players, will have a little more flexibility when they set up their first battlefield whether it's on a kitchen table, Foosball table in the basement, or a folding table at a FLGS.

Also, note that there is an additional secondary objective, in this case, Surgical Assault. I'm speculating that most of the missions will have additional rules like this example and I feel that this will help create that "forging a narrative" element to an otherwise sterile game mechanic in the otherwise very fluff driven game. 

Past editions, and currently 8th edition, don't give you much of a reason for moving your models to a certain point on the table for an objective - other than to score points. This at least gives a hint of a narrative motivation to your models. The "points" scored in a game are completely invisible to models and this gives some of that role-playing game element that was part of the game in the days Rogue Trader.

The minimum sizes of the game tables seem to have turned a few heads in the community as well. With the minimum recommended size dropping about 6 inches. I really don't think this will have much impact on anyone's game, however. The tournaments will still run at their recommended sizes (ITC 6'x4' FLG Mat) or the beer and pretzels players will fight on whatever surface they have ready.

Personally, I still enjoy the 8'x4' plywood sheet size battlefield because it really lets you create a better scene for your fight. But having 2-feet at the end to put your baggage is handy too.

It looks like Power Levels are still a thing. I know it's easier to make an army, but it's also easier to make an unhinged army. The points system is a much better game mechanic to build an army around and balance the game. I'm assuming the "Command Points" column replaces the current system of command points granted in army construction for playing the game - but it may be the total command points given for playing, detachments fielded, and special character abilities.

This doesn't really tell us much other than there will be detachments in the next edition. We don't really know yet if this means there will be detachments like there are now, if they are based on keywords, or if they can be mixed from multiple codexes - like Chaos Daemons and Chaos Space Marines.

The battle duration is a little hard to gauge from the limited info we have at the time, but I believe that this looks to cap the game time at a little bit longer than most ITC tournament play. Right now we have 2.5 hour rounds at Strike Force level games (I'm guessing Strike Force based on the 3 detachment rule.) Of course, tournaments can set what ever time limit they want and beer and pretzel players don't care.

Also, GW has said that game sizes will be smaller now based on points. So, who knows if the current 2,000-point game at 2.5 hours will be scaled down to 1,500 points and 2 hours or the same number of models will become 2,500 points at 3 hours.

This table let's you randomly determine the mission (Incisive Attack is featured above.) GW says there are 18 Eternal War missions and this looks like only three types of battle are available to players at the Combat Patrol level of the game. I find that a little disappointingly small number of scenarios, but without looking at the full rules and the number of missions available to battle sizes, it's difficult to judge. I guess if you want to play something smaller than a Combat Patrol and desire more scenarios, you can always side-step to Kill Team, or Necromunda, Blackstone Fortress, etc. 

My excitement over a new edition has grown a little with these Community information releases. However, I still feel like it's a cash grab. With 25-30 book and new model releases a year, GW may have become addicted to the cash flow that amount of production brings and gamers will be looking at shelling out for 3-4 box sets, a new codex for every army, and two annual rules and points updates as well. Ug.