Warhammer Day 2023

EDIT: This is almost a full week late!  This week has sucked for many reasons, but I still can't believe it took me that long to get one blog post done!

I know I'm late on this one, but I crashed right after watching it.  I noted my reactions down, but I'm going to file this under "Not So Live Blog."  My attempt to revive this blog is off to a fantastic start!

Which makes it only slight worse than this set of Warhammer Day reveals!

I won't bury the lead hear.  GW put a lot of marketing and hype into the 40th Anniversary of Warhammer.  But I feel they definitely overhyped this.  It's not that there weren't any big reveals, but nothing on the scale of Leviathan.  I wonder if they were originally intending to announce Leviathan at Warhammer Day, but then things got changed to keep their summer launch cycle.  I've started having more than a few suspicions and question regarding that release.

One issue is with the need to make sure there are regular news and announcements.  I feel things that maybe should have been a part of something like Warhammer Day ended up preempting it.  Leviathan may be the obvious one, being delivered at Adepticon instead of a GW event, but both new seasons of WarCry and Underworlds were announced less than a month prior.  As a result, there was really only one big reveal for this 40th Anniversary blowout and I feel like it's half missing.

And it sucks, because what was revealed was great!

But enough preamble, let's see what was unveiled!

WARHAMMER 40,000

With all the major news for 40K happening this past summer, we're now into our standard Codex and miniature release cycle.  For Warhammer Day, it was Necrons and AdMech!

Necrons

The greatest military mind the galaxy has ever seen returns!  Imotekh the Stormlord is back and free from Finecast resin!  This new model looks fantastic!  While Immotekh isn't currently a very potent model, there are plenty of ways that could change with Codex Necrons.

Speaking of which, we got some teases as to what the new Detachments will be, including a Stratagem and Enhancement.  In addition to a Canoptek detachment and a Destroyer Detachment, we got a direct reveal for the Hypercrypt Legion.

The Hypercrypt Legion is all about movement shenanigans, using teleportation and gate technology to get your legions into position.  They demonstrated this with Hyperphasic recall, which lets you take a wounded Necron unit and move it to a Monolith.  It's 2CP, but there are lots of evil things you can do with this.  Your opponent always wants to make sure they destroy your units, and with some Necron bricks that can definitely take a few units worth of shooting.  Removing a group of Necron warriors out of the line of fire, only to then Reanimate them could be a frustrating trick.  It'll be even crueler if you have the tools to then send them back into the fight.

Next we have the Destroyer themed Eternal Madness.  As long as this isn't too expensive, this is another winner.  Fight on Death is a powerful ability.  Just the threat that a Destroyer Lord could be taking a unit with him will make opponents think twice.

All and all, some fun previews for the Undying Legions.

Adeptus Mechanicus

I'm just gonna start by putting this right here.

This model is so crazy and I am so here for it!  Eddie with Warhammer Preview described it as being "a little bit Marmite."  I'm sure a lot of people are going to think this goes too far, but I think it's perfect.  The Sydonian Skatros will also be a cheap Lone Operative, so it will definitely be a useful addition to nearly any AdMech army.

AdMech will of course also be getting some new Detachments with their Codex, which are much needed.  In addition to Detachments themed around Tech-Priests and Cybernetica, we have the Skitarii Hunter Cohort.  

Unfortunately, the second part of this Detachment rule will rarely matter in game.  But the first part will increase the durability of your Skitarrii and Ironstriders, the first of whom have already gotten a nice durability buff.  Providing the Stratagems and Enhancements are good, I'd probably always take this over the Rad-Cohort.

And speaking of Stratagems . . .

Binharic Offence is 2CP to give two of your Skitarii units an additional pip of AP against one chosen enemy unit.  This is huge!  AP is at a premium in 10th Edition, and anything that improves it is more than welcome.  All and all a great start to the Hunter Cohort.

With that, we move away from mainline 40K.  Though we're not quite done with important reveals for my favorite game just yet . . .

AGE OF SIGMAR

And again, I'm gonna just put this here.

Do I really need to say anything?

I never dived particularly deep into AoS.  I've read the Daughters of Khaine Battle Tomes for 2nd and 3rd Edition, plus Morathi, and I've read the 3rd Edition book.  I also used to follow Warhammer Weekly pretty faithfully, but haven't caught any episodes since shortly before the reveal of 10th.  I like the game, though there are a few bug bears I have with it (one of which has snuck into 40K.)  But the models are just amazing!  The writers and artists for this game have just done fantastic work creating a familiar fantasy setting that is still very much its own beast.

Just amazing!

These miniatures are part of the ongoing narrative arc, Dawnbringers.  And here is where I have to reveal some of my ignorance.  How long has AoS had Armies of Renown?  I know they have Warscroll Battalions, but are these new to the current campaign?

Regardless, I am here for both of these miniatures!  Alarielle is still my favorite plastic miniature, possibly my favorite GW miniature period, and I'm going to eventually want Belthanos to go with her.

KILL TEAM

After teasing us before the reveal of Belthanos by accidentally starting the wrong video, we got the reveal of the next Kill Team season and our first two Kill Teams.  There's two big pieces of news here, while not a lot of actual detail about the new season.

The big reveal is that the first new Kill Team set will include the new Striking Scorpions.  I was just talking to a friend the other day about the fact that Aeldari still needs to finish their range refresh.  There's no sign of Uncle K yet, but this is still great news.

The second big reveal is this season of Kill Team will not be sold with huge terrain sets.  GW isn't giving up on Killzones, but they'll be available separately now for all of us that already have a huge assortment of Kill Team terrain.  Hopefully, this means the Kill Team box sets will be much more affordable, especially for anyone that wants to get their hands on either the new Scouts or the new Striking Scorpions.

On a side note, I never blogged about how confusing the whole Scouts thing was.  They removed Scouts to Legends, then released new ones.  Why not just update the Datasheet in the Codex?  I thought Scouts going to Legends was weird to begin with . . .

What was surprisingly missing from the reveal is anything regarding what this new Season is about.  The Gallowdark has fallen to this ocean world and now various factions have pursued it there.  That's about it.  We know the first Killzone will be set on a derrick in the middle of a hostile ocean.  They even mentioned that the waters with be deadly, with a joke about SPEHSS PAHRAHNAHS!  But there was no real mention of any overarching story or theme for this season.

THE OLD WORLD

At last we come to it - what could be considered the big reveal of this Warhammer Day.

The Kingdom of Bretonia!

And if you've been following GW reveals, you know why that's a bit underwhelming.  We already know Bretonia is coming for Old World and will be one of the first armies we get.  Still, let's start with the good stuff.

Again, just looks at it!  The new Lord on Pegasus looks amazing, as does the alternate kit for a Baron on Pegasus.  There's a lot of incredible detail, personality, and life in this new miniature.  And we can see that in all the new miniatures.

But that's where the cool stuff stops.  The new Kingdom of Betonia set is bringing some new models, but the bulk of it looks to be returning models from classic Warhammer.  And as you can see . . .

Some of them just don't hold up well next to the new miniatures.  While it's great that you can still use your old miniatures to play, one of the pains of having a game shut down is the loss of new and updated sculpts.  I know there are plenty of classic Warhammer fans that were hoping for more.

The next bugbear to tackle is the Forge World kits.  For various reasons, GW often uses Forge World to support their "Boxed Games."  Despite originally being a mainline game, I think we all suspected that when The Old World released it would be supplemented by Forge World.  But it looks like it's going to be a lot of kits.  Anything new not coming out in the launch box appears to be Forge World, including that Handmaiden above.  My guess is that anything that was a pewter kit will also be Forge World, since that's one of the reason GW still uses resin.  We already know the Field Trebuchet will be returning as a Forge World kit.  All and all, there doesn't appear to be anywhere near the plastic support for The Old World that The Horus Heresy got.

Finally there's the fact we're still getting drip-fed the previews, even though it's Warhammer Day.  I don't understand why they couldn't just give us some more substantial reveals.  We know basically every kit we're getting for Bretonia in the launch box, but we don't have the reveal of the launch box.  While we're pretty sure who their opponent will be, they haven't official revealed them, let alone new miniatures.  Finally we know that The Old World will release in "early" 2024, but nothing more solid than that.

Though, to be fair, that last one is consistent with GW marketing and their seeming refusal to give us launch dates until they're almost on us.  Doesn't anyone in their marketing team understand the concept of saving up for things?

All and all, this reveal is taking away from the impact a final Old World reveal could have.  It's weird because GW can be so good at maintaining hype through previews and teasers.  Maybe they're hoping that when they announce the second faction and drop its new miniatures, it will make up for it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Like I said, I feel for the 40th Anniversary of Warhammer, this Warhammer Day preview is just lacking.  It needed something to help make it a celebration of these great games and this great hobby.  Hell!  As I'm finishing this there have been more products added to the Warhammer Day celebration.  The best one wasn't even revealed during this Preview - a reprint of the original Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.  I don't understand how they could build up so much hype and momentum for the 40th, only to let it hit so lightly.

The new miniatures are still awesome, especially for AOS, and I'm still glad to see The Old World returning.  But as companies before them have learned the hard way, if you're going to build a ton of hype, you need to have a payoff for it.

Warhammer 40,000 - Aeldari Index

As I write this, I've been working on airbrushing my first five Neurogaunts while trying to catch up on a ton of media too.  Oh yeah, and chores.  All of this together probably isn't adding up to much productive, but I'm feeling pulled in multiple directions.  I am still making progress, but would likely be making more if I could focus.

But enough of that, let's talk space elves.

The Aeldari Index is currently considered the strongest of 10th Edition.  Even with the nerf, Fate Dice still allow you to front load a massive amount of damage into an Alpha Strike.  The Wraith Knight may have seen a points bump, but it's still an impressive piece of tech.  And all of the other amazing Aeldari units have mostly gone untouched.  Lets see what else this Index might still have hiding beneath the surface.

ARMY RULES

Where as Miracle Dice allow you to steadily fix the occasional roll throughout the game, becoming more focused and impactful as your units die, Aeldari start with a large number of Fate Dice.  Initially, there was no real limit to how or when they could be used, allowing players to setup attacks and spike them to incredible levels.  Now, you only get to use one per Phase.  But this still allows you to fix your most important rolls to setup a strong early position.  Adding to this consistency, when an Aeldari unit makes an attack they get to re-roll one Hit roll and one Wound roll.  These are two powerful mechanics that can help make sure you get the most out of your units.

We also finally get rules for Harlequins and Ynnari, as well as Corsairs.  You can include Harlequins and Corsairs (Anhrathe) in a Drukhari army using the normal ally rules.  Ynnari though are different.  A Ynnari army is still an Aeldari army, but now you can include up to half of your force as allied Drukhari.  What's important here is that Drukhari are still Aeldari with the Aeldari Keyword.  This means that though these Drukhari will lose Power From Pain, any rules in the Aeldari Index that affect Aeldari should still affect allied Drukhari.  This could be Errata'd later to only affect the Faction Keyword, but for now it allows the Ynnari to function as a unified force.

ENHANCEMENTS

We've already had all of the Aeldari Enhancements and Stratagems previewed, but now we get to see the point cost for the Enhancements.

The Phoenix Gem - 25 pts

25 pts seems pretty good for a resurrect effect.  We know that Farseers are going to be important in many lists.  Keeping them alive sounds like a good idea.

Reader of the Runes - 20 pts

This can potentially give you up to five re-rolls, though there's a good chance you'll only get a couple.  I'm betting this will be one of those things where every time you take it you never really need to use it, but every time you don't you wish you had it.

Fate's Messenger - 15 pts

Two things, here.  First, this is once per turn, yours and your opponents.  Second, this is any model in the unit.  You are taking this.

The Weeping Stones - 15 pts

And this one is only 15 pts too!  It's potentially one or two more fate dice during the game, depending on the combos you set up.  Another really good buy!

These are all really for their points.  As I said in the KC Reveals, many of these would be auto-include in other armies.  Here, you'll be constantly fretting over which one to leave home.

DATASHEETS

Again, we've seen a lot of these already, but now we get them in their full context.

Asurmen - 120 pts

After the KC reveals, I said there was nothing about Asurmen that couldn't be addressed by a fair points cost.  This feels fair to me.

Autarch - 65 pts

That's a ton of flexibility for a 65 pts Leader!  Granted they've only got the nerfed version of the Captain ability, but they're also going to be gaining you a CP every battle round.  The big drawback here is that they can only join Guardians.  I feel like you take one to be your Warlord and that's it.

Autarch Wayleaper - 80 pts

Honestly I think this is better.  For 15 pts you get incredible mobility and Lone Operative.  The Aura is arguably more useful than the Captain style ability.

Autarch Skyrunner - 80 pts

This one is going to depend on how affordable Windriders are.  They looked pretty good in the preview, though mostly as a Bodyguard unit for Farseer and Warlock Skyrunners.

Avatar of Khaine - 295 pts

As soon as I flipped to this datasheet, I was trying to think of what he'd need to cost to make me think twice about him.  And that ain't it!  It's admittedly fairer than some other big and tough models we've seen, but I still think he's really good at that price.

Baharroth - 125 pts

Okay, that's two Phoenix Lords with +1 to Hit.  Now I'm trying to remember the Uncle K reveal.  While he doesn't look as annoying as he was in 9th, he still looks like he's going to be a pain to deal with.  If you're taking Swooping Hawks, you're taking him.

Corsair Voidreavers - 70 pts for 5 models (14 pts per model)

Oh!  We hadn't been strictly following an alphabetical order, so I'm kinda surprised to see these so early.  They've got Scout, access to some big guns, and an Objective taking ability for re-roll Hits.  But 14 pts per model feels overpriced.

Corsair Voidscarred - 90 pts for 5 models (18 pts per model)

That . . . that's a lot.  That's both a lot to try and take in and a lot for this unit.  It looks like they're a pseudo assassin unit.  They've got a ton of options, including the ability to shrug off an attack once per game.  It says once per turn, but remember that once you allocate an attack to a model, you have to keep allocating attacks to it.  So it's going to be a truly rare occurrence to get another use out of Channeller Stones.

Honestly, I keep going through the options, but I'm realizing I'm looking for a reason to not rate these as a complete fail.  They're just too expensive for what they bring.

Crimson Hunter - 160 pts

This feels like a highly mobile bright lance platform.  Honestly, it's not bad, but unless there are lots of flying targets it'll probably feel a little underwhelming.

Dark Reapers - 75 pts for 5 models (15 points per model)

Can we get a range refresh on the range refresh?  Honestly these are one of the few fails of recent GW.  I'd probably fill in the details on the helms and just keep them blank.  I think they'd feel much more menacing that way.  Anyway, value!

Their firepower honestly feels a little underwhelming for what they're supposed to represent.  They look like they can do damage but not really "reap" anything.  I kinda wish they were a little more expensive but did more damage.  As they are, I think they're fine.

Death Jester - 70 pts

Our first Harlequin enters the fray!  The real saving grace here is Lone Operative.  Otherwise, they're interesting but I'm not excited.  On the one had, you have to destroy a model to force the battle shock test.  On the other, using a fate dice to spike 3 free hits with the shrieker cannon sounds hilarious!  Still, this is probably our go-to assassin.

Dire Avengers - 70 pts for 5 models (14 points per model)

These seem okay at that cost.  One the one had, they provide great board control.  On the other, they get shot and die.  At least they have the Invuln to help them last a little longer.

Eldrad Ulthran - 100 pts

Hmm . . .  100 pts for 3 Fate Dice, the ability to potentially get +1 to Wound against a target, and an occasional sniped character.  That's a lot of different tech rolled into one.  I think the flexibility makes him okay.

Falcon - 140 pts

That is not a lot at all for the combined transport and firing platform!  I like it!

Farseer - 65 pts

Yep, you're taking a Farseer.  The only question is which one.

Farseer Skyrunner - 75 pts

For only 10 more points you get significant mobility, a durability buff, and a potential re-roll buff.  If Skyrunners or Windriders are affordable, you're taking this one.

Fire Dragons - 85 pts for 5 models (17 pts per model)

These feel a bit expensive, but if you combine them with a Falcon they're going to bring something down.

Fire Prism - 150 pts

These were auto-include at the old price, and even with a 25 pts bump I still think you take these.

Fuegan - 115 pts

Oh that's a lot of damage!  That is so much damage!  I'm actually really liking Fire Dragons now!

Guardian Defenders - 110 pts for 11 models (10 pts per model)

They'd be a decently costed troop in any army.  With them granting you Fate Dice, you want as many as you can get.

Hemlock Wraithfighter - 155 pts

I feel like this is also okay.  I'm not sure how much use you're going to get out of the ability, but you at least have the movement to get it where you need it.

Howling Banshees - 85 pts for 5 models (17 points per model)

Advance and Fall Back and Charge makes these pretty good at that cost.  They strangely don't have any Battle-shock ability for their banshee masks, though.

Illic Nightspear - 65 pts

He grants his unit Lone Operative.  'Nuff said.  The good sniper rifle, and the re-roll wounds are just gravy.

Jain Zar - 105 pts

Oh . . . oh I'm really liking Banshees and Jain Zar.  The board control and charge threat they have is so tasty.

Karandras - 100 pts

H-how?  How is Karandras the cheapest of the Phoenix Lords so far?  Do you see those abilities?  That close combat profile?  He's a blender!

Maugan Ra - 130 pts

Alright, can you save Dark Reapers?  Right off the bat, why is The Maugetar AP-1?  The 6 attacks are nice, but why isn't this as good as a reaper launcher on the shot?  Additionally, I'm not a fan of units that are built to finish other units off.  And he's the most expensive Phoenix Lord we've seen so far!  Pass.

Night Spinner - 170 pts

This is definitely not he best Indirect platform we've seen.  And with the new tax on it, I'm not sure it's very good.

Prince Yriel - 100 pts

Why is Yriel so expensive?  He's not a bad model by any stretch of the imagination, but he's not worth 100 points.

Rangers - 55 pts for 5 models (11 pts per model)

Oh!  Oh wow!  Rangers are good!  Rangers are really good!

Shadowseer - 60 pts

Giving a Troupe Stealth and Advance and Charge for 60 points with that profile sounds good to me.

Shining Spears - 120 pts for 3 models (40 points per model)

Hmm.  That's a lot of speed, damage, and a surprising amount of survivability.  But these are going to die.  I think you're paying to much of a premium for the speed here.

Shroud Runners - 80 pts for 3 models (~26.67 points per model)

These also feel like you're paying a bit of a premium for the mobility.  The ability to mark a target is nice though.  Oh wait!  They're 3 wounds.  That's actually pretty good.

Skyweavers - 95 pts for 2 models (~47.5 points per model)

The haywire cannons are really nice, but it still feels like too much for these.  At least you've got 3 wounds and a permanent 4+ Invuln here.  Honestly, I think they're probably a better deal than the Shining Spears are.

Solitaire - 115 pts

This . . . this one is ridiculous!  Base 12" move, a once per game 2D6" bonus, and Advance and Charge?  Fights Firsts and Lone Operative?  Oh!  And a 3+ Invuln!  Wow!

Spiritseer - 65 pts

I don't know if Wraithguard are good yet, but if they are you're taking this!

Starweaver - 80 pts

This is pretty good for that kind of mobility.

Storm Guardians - 115 pts for 11 models (~10.45 pts per model)

The Guardian fusion guns are nice, as is sticky objectives.  Also, this is one of the best Invulns I've seen on a unit like this.  But I still feel you want as many Defenders camping objectives as you can.

Striking Scorpions - 75 pts for 5 models (15 pts per model)

Yeah, these definitely shred.

Support Weapons - 105 pts

There's our first appearance of the D-cannon.  There are some nice gun options on this.  But they're not very mobile, and the D-cannon has a pretty short range.  I feel like these are a victim of the blanket nerf on Indirect.  I think they were fine before, they're garbage now.

Swooping Hawks - 75 pts for 5 models (15 pts per model)

And swooping hawks can still bounce.  Which means that a unit lead by Baharroth is still really hard to deal with.

The Visarch - 90 pts

Well that's freaking odd.  He can be attached to Corsairs, even though you can't take them in Ynnari.  Which honestly doesn't make sense either, but there you go.  I guess you can still bring him in a combined Aeldari force.  He grants a unit Fights First, which is always awesome.  I think that justifies his cost even before you get to Asu-var.

The Yncarne - 270 pts

Okay, as appropriate, this is nowhere near the beater the Avatar is.  So at first the cost had me a little taken aback.  But it can still bounce around the board when you kill stuff.  This is going to be one of those models that will take some work to get the most out of it, but when you do . . .

Troupe - 75 pts for 5 models (15 pts per model)

Unfortunately you have to field a unit of 10 to get access to neuro disruptors and fusion pistols.  This is a bit frustrating, since Starweavers can only hold 6.  I think they're fine.

Troupe Master - 55 pts

Okay, but this makes a Troupe so much better!  A Troupe with a Master seems like a legitimate bargain!  It's just the Troupes themselves, and with them Harlequins, I'm not sure of.

Voidweaver - 100 pts

This feeling a bit over-costed to me.  Also, I'm pretty sure you always take the prismatic cannon now.

Vypers - 75 pts

This feels much better to me, even without the Invuln.  I also really like the Harassment Fire ability.

War Walkers - 95 pts

This also feels over-costed, though the extra firepower is nice.

Warlock Skyrunner - 55 pts

And we jump out of order again.  We still need to know how Windriders are.  But if they're good, this isn't bad.  I like the flexibility and wish more Psykers had stuff like this.

Warlock - 45 pts

I actually really like the Warlock on foot.  Quicken helps get your Defenders on objectives as quickly as possible, and Restrain might help keep them there that little bit longer.

Warp Spiders - 100 pts for 5 models (20 pts per model)

Oops!  Now we've completely lost alphabetical order.  These feel really over-costed to me.  The death spinners and the extra mobility are great, but I feel you're paying some premium prices here.

Wave Serpent - 120 pts

That is an odd ability for a Dedicated Transport to have.  It's not like it won't help, it's just odd and unreliable.  I also feel this is a bit pricey for a Dedicated Transport.

Webway Gate - 220 pts

This is an interesting piece of tech, but it's way to expensive.  The ability it gives you to keep control of your deployment zone is fantastic, but you don't win the game by controlling your deployment zone.

Windriders - 80 pts for 3 models (~26.67 pts per model)

And we come to the moment of truth!  I've been waiting to see the cost on these since I feel they're mainly a bodyguard unit.  And they're expensive.  Sad.

Wraithblades - 170 pts for 5 models (34 pts per model)

I think if you go ghost axe and force shield, these aren't bad.  The 4+ Fight on Death is really nice.

Wraithguard - 155 pts for 5 models (31 pts per model)

Hmm.  I really like the ability to shoot back, and those are nice big guns.  But I don't like how swingy their shooting is.

Wraithknight - 475 pts

This received a pretty heft nerf.  It was unreasonably under-costed before, but now I think it's fine.

Wraithlord - 160 pts

I actually really like this.  That's a lot of damage this can dish out, and the profile isn't bad.  And when you finish off a unit with it, you get a Fate Dice.

Yvraine - 100 pts

I feel like you're paying a bit of a tax here to play Ynnari.  That's fine, because I think Ynnari look good.  And her abilities are very nice.

Warlock Skyrunner Conclave - 100 pts for 2 models (50 pts per model)

That's a lot to pay for models that don't do anything beside protect a Farseer.  Pass.

Warlock Conclave - 60 pts for 2 models (30 pts per model)

Again, these are just protecting the Farseer.  Pass.

Wraithseer - 160 pts

For the same price as a Wraithlord, you get fewer weapons and a battle-shock ability.  Pass.

Revenant Titan - 1100 pts

Interesting . . . it's Invuln is only against ranged attacks.  I would think Eldar would get the same kinda Invuln Tau do.  Honestly, I feel like this is way too expensive.

Phantom Titan - 2100 pts

At least this Titan gets Fall Back and Shoot and Charge.  Even though you'll probably never field one, I actually think this is a better deal than the Revenant.

Cobra - 415 pts

There's that really weird splash damage rule again.  Honestly, although this has a lot of wounds, I still think it's over-costed.

Scorpion - 410 pts

And there's that fun explosion ability!  This is a little better, but still very few weapons for that big body.

Nightwing - 150 pts

For 10 pts less, this is a Crimson Hunter without the pulse laser.  In my opinion, that makes it much worse.

Warp Hunter - 130 pts

Honestly, I really like this.  Especially with the Fire Prism taking a nerf, this is actually pretty good now.

Lynx - 155 pts

You're paying a pretty heft mobility tax here.  But it might still be worth it.

Hornet - 80 pts

This honestly isn't bad.  I wish it had more guns but I kinda like it.

Shadow Spectres - 80 pts for 5 models (16 pts per model)

Wow!  You have to pay for the Exarch!  They've got some nice skirmish potential, but they're definitely over-costed, especially with the Exarch no included.

Skathach Wraithknight - 440 pts

This is an interesting piece of tech.  You can start it on the battlefield and use the fact that it's towering to get a few alpha strike shots off.  Then you can put it in reserve and potentially get in close to bring all of its weapons to bear.

Irillyth - 105 pts

Although one of the more affordable Phoenix Lords, he does not synergize well with his unit.  His Battle-shock Aura wants to be in close to the enemy, but his unit wants to use hit and run tactics.  Not very good.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Huh.  I'm not as worried about Eldar now.  Don't get me wrong, they're still good.  But I don't think they're going to be oppressive now.  There are units in this Index that are definitely in the good to fantastic range.  But many units are just fine and were probably very dependent on being able to spam Fate Dice.  Now that they have to be more specific about where they fix their rolls, and I think they'll require much more skill to play.  The same is true with their mobility.  Movement wins games, but you have to know how to use it.  And Aeldari are paying a lot for some of it.  I think they're still going to be a mean top table army, but I expect bottom and mid tables won't perform as strongly.

As for the sub factions, Harlequins are hurting.  If they get a Detachment in the Codex that helps bring back some of the power they used to have, they'll probably be fine.  But right now, they feel like they're paying a tax for special rules they don't have anymore.  They still have some nice models though.  A Solitaire and one or two units of Troupes with either a Troupe Master or Shadowseer look like they can put in some work.

Ynnari are definitely interesting.  You lose access to a lot of powerful tech if you make a Ynnari detachment.  But you might be able to make up for it with the additional Drukhari datasheets.  I think Yvraine should be cheaper, but the Ynncarne and Visarch both look good.  I think Craftworlds are probably still stronger, but Ynnari should be good in a skilled players hands.

Corsairs don't bring much yet, unfortunately.

Aeldari and Guard Reveals from the Kansas City Open

The exhibition match on day two of the Kansas City Open between Nick Nanavati and Andrew Gonyo was a real nail biter.  Both played a tight game with some well thought out strategies and plays.  Both absolutely decimated each others armies in the process.

Unfortunately the scenario I was worried about with Gambits came to pass.  As in most tight games, both players had maintained near perfect control of their short board edges.  And with Search and Destroy as the deployment map, both had solid control of a table corner outside of their deployment zone.  At the end of Turn 3, Andrew drew Orbital Strike Coordinates.  The brilliantly played game was determined by whether he could roll an 11 or 12 on 2D6.  He rolled a 10, and Nick broke his losing streak to his long time friend and rival.

So this game is a prime example of both the good and bad of 10th Edition.  Considering how much I enjoyed watching it, its still a net positive.  And we got what I think is a good preview of how Aeldari and Guard will play.

AELDARI

We got a ton of previews for the new Index, including all of their Enhancements and Stratagems, though still not a single servant of Cegorach or Ynnead in sight.

Bladestorm

The replacement for the Shuriken rule, this potent 1CP Stratagem greatly improves the potential damage of any unit in your army.  When paired with a source of improved Critical Wounds, such as the ANTI rule, it's absolutely devastating.

Feigned Retreat

Fall Back and Shoot and Charge for 1CP.  'Nuff said.

Fire and Fade

The infamous Eldar rule is a 2CP Strat.  You can't target a unit in Engagement range, and that unit can't charge or embark on a transport.  But this is still awesome.

Lightning-fast Reactions

For 1CP, a unit gets -1 to Hit in either the Shooting phase or the Fight phase.  A little boring but potentially effective.

Matchless Agility

An automatic 6 for an Advance roll for 1CP, and there don't appear to be any restrictions on it.  Nice!

Phantasm

Move up to 7" in your opponents Movement phase for 1CP.  Combined with Fire and Fade this will drastically help in making sure its difficult for your opponent to line up attacks against your otherwise frail units.

Fate's Messenger

Once per turn you get to change the result of a Hit, Wound, or Save to a 6.  That is incredible!  Fate Dice are definitely a scarce mechanic, so anything you can do to not use them is a good thing.

The Phoenix Gem

Resurrect the bearer on a 2+!  And at full wounds!  This would be auto-include in any other army.  Here, it's got some stiff competition.

Reader of the Runes

You can only put this on a Psyker, but you'll be bringing your Farseers and Warlocks.  This enhancement lets you re-roll one of your Fate Dice for each of your Command phases.

The Weeping Stones

As I said, Fate Dice definitely appear to be scarce.  Anything that adds more is a good thing.

Asurmen

I've already heard lots of gnashing of teeth over this model.  He's definitely good, hitting like a train in melee while granting +1 to Hit and free Overwatch to his accompanying Dire Avengers.  But honestly, there's nothing here that can't be addressed by a fair point cost.

Avatar of Khaine

The main Aeldari centerpiece model is a beast!  He grants +1 to Advance and Charge rolls for nearby units, and even if you can get past his T12, Sv2+, and 4+ Invuln, he halves all incoming Damage.  I have a feeling we'll be seeing him a lot.

Dire Avengers

This is probably where the gnashing of teeth is coming from.  But it's not Assurmen that's making these vicious, though he does enable a second unit to come out and play.  I still think there's nothing here that matters if they've got good point values.

Eldrad Ulthran

The classic Eldar hero is okay in combat, with some ability to snipe out enemy Characters.  He also bears the classic Doom psychic power.  But you're probably taking him for three more Fate Dice.

Farseer Skyrunner

Like the previously revealed Farseer, he comes packed with some decent weaponry and Branching Fates.  But this one brings Guide with him.  Honestly, you'll likely want to bring one of each Farseer in an army.

Fire Prism

We already saw how awesome the Prism cannon is.  Now we learn that it gets to re-roll another hit and wound when shooting.  Fire Prisms are going to be mean.

Karandras

Oh wow!  Uncle K gets 4+ Critical Hits on the Charge!  And he gets Devastating Wounds!  Yeah, he's still a blender.

Rangers

Coming equipped with Infiltrators, Stealth, and a 5+ Invuln against shooting, Rangers also get that D6" Normal move if an enemy unit gets close to them.

Storm Guardians

Sticky objectives might actually give the more melee focused Guardians some play.  The fact you can give them a 5+ Invuln definitely helps.

Striking Scorpions

Uncle K's opening act also comes with DEVASTATING WOUNDS, though theirs is limited to anything but Monsters and Vehicles.  They can still blend quite things quite well.

Support Weapons

These are a bit odd, and are another unit that has been a point of contention.  The obvious choice here, without knowing points, is the D-cannon.  An absolutely terrifying gun, it's potentially devastating against any target.  But the Artillery Barrage rule doesn't want you using it against Monsters or Vehicles.  How this will affect use of this unit will depend quite a lot on how much that D-cannon costs.

Vypers

Fast moving and able to carry some scary weaponry, the fact that Vypers can mark targets and deny them Cover is gravy.

War Walkers

These fast moving walkers can bring more weapons to bear for you, all while maintaining a 4+ Invuln and -1 to Wound.

Warlock Skyrunner

We don't get Leader rules for this one, but we know the Farseer Skyrunner can Lead a council of Warlock Skyrunners.  Either way, you might want to pair them for their ability to grant your Skyrunners Stealth.

Warp Spiders

In case you couldn't tell, scary weapons on the move are kind of the theme here.  Flicker Jump only risks a single model when you use it, meaning any turn you don't want to Charge you'll be teleporting these around the battlefield.

Wave Serpent

The classic Aeldari transport can still bring plenty of guns, though it doesn't have the Fire Support rule the Falcon does.  Instead this model gets to potentially inflict a few mortals and a Battle-shock test.

Wind Riders

This mobile shuriken cannon platform will often be used to protect your Warlocks and Farseers.  They get to re-roll Hits of 1 against their closest target, or all Hits if that target is on an objective.  Pretty good for getting the most out of SUSTAINED HITS.

Wraithguard

Finally we get to see the scary weapons the Wraithguard get to bring with them.  This will likely make them a primary target for your opponent, potentially making them good distraction units.  But if they do, one of their units is getting shot back, even in combat.

IMPERIAL GUARD

Against the nightmarish weapons of the 41st Millennium, the Guard still feel like they're made of tissue paper.  They get around this by having lots of bodies to throw at a problem, bringing them back seemingly indefinitely, and having absolutely punishing Indirect weaponry.

Armoured Might

While it's 2CP, just as we saw with Death Guard, there doesn't appear to be a limit on this.  If your opponent is peppering you with 1 Damage weapons with DEVASTATING WOUNDS, this reduces all of that incoming damage to 0.

Expert Bombardiers

This 1CP Strat lets you call down accurate fire from your Indirect weapons.  Although you're opponent will still get the Benefit of Cover, I'm sure there are ways to deal with that too.

Fields of Fire

There's a bit of text here, but this 2CP strat basically lets you coordinate the fire of two units.  If you do, you get better AP on the second unit's shots.

Inspired Command

After your turn is over and you've seen how your round has played out, you can issue one more order for 1CP.  Note, you still can't give more than one order to a unit, but this will let you give a potentially exposed target Take Cover.

Reinforcements!

For 2CP you get to bring back a destroyed Regiment unit as Strategic Reserves.  Andrew made a lot of use of this and it really helped him keep the pressure up and control the battlefield in the late game.  Note this is for Regiment units.  You might be surprised to find what units have that Keyword.

Suppression Fire

For 1CP you get to hand out -1 to Hit to the target of one of your units, though you still have to hit the target.

Death Mask of Ollanius

This is a pretty situational Enhancement.  While it can be given to any Officer, it will only matter if that Officer is leading a unit with OC 2 models.  Battle-shock is a thing though, and you don't want to lose control of an objective with twenty models on it because you got hit by a special rule.

Drill Commander

Your unit has to Remain Stationary, but Critical Hits on 5s is awesome!  There are plenty of units that will get a lot of benefit from this.

Grand Strategist

An Enhancement that lets the Officer hand out another order.  Always useful!

Kurov's Aquila

An Enhancement that lets you Vect a Stratagem.  This rule seems to be everywhere in this Edition.  You probably should make sure you can use it.

Basilisk

The premiere artillery piece for the Guard, it of course comes with a pinning effect like what we've seen on other Indirect units.  It normally hits on 4s, though, so you'll want to make sure you have some spotting for it as often as possible.

Catachan Jungle Fighters

Those big knives grant improved Strength and AP on the charge.  I don't think this makes Catchans a good melee unit, but it makes them a potential threat to protect your other units with.  Note, that since Heroic Intervention is a Charge move, this should work there too.

Death Korps of Krieg

I've said it before and I'll say it again, planning for a unit to take damage feels like a bad strategy.  Yes, your units are going to take damage eventually.  Yes, it's nice to have them stay effective when they do.  But more models is still usually a better plan.

Deathstrike

This was a weird model in 9th, and I don't think it ever actually saw play despite worries around it.  It still feel more like an area denial ability than an actual damage dealer.  While it can damage bigger targets, the fact it's Damage 1 makes it more suitable to Infantry.

Heavy Weapons Squad

Another unit with boosted Overwatch, though this time it hits on 4s if it's near a unit with the Platoon keyword.  This can potentially give you some potent area denial.

Leman Russ Battle Tank

The work horse of the Guard comes with T11, W13, and Sv2+.  It can be given a loadout to make it brutal against both Infantry and Vehicles, and it has the ability we saw on the Wind Riders to get re-roll Hits of 1, or full re-roll Hits while attacking a unit on an objective.

Lord Solar Leontus

The new centerpiece model for the Guard is almost auto-include with that 1CP in your Command phase, the ability to redeploy three units, and 3 orders per battle round.

Platoon Command Squad

The flexible Command units of the Guard are still very much a thing.  In addition to its own rulebook worth of options, this unit lets you use Stratagems on a Battle-shocked unit with 6".

Primaris Psyker

Psykers have always been a useful but optional choice for Guard players.  With the potential for not just a 4+ FNP against Psychic, but a 4+ Invuln, this one is definitely tempting.  You know you're going to roll a 1 and hurt your own unit when you need it, though.

Ratling Snipers

The sneaky Ratlings have Fire and Fade, allowing them to try and pick off a target than get back to safety.

Scout Sentinels

Sentinels have always been a fun and flexible choice for Guard players, often with surprising amounts of power.  Scouts now come with the bonus of being able to spot for Indirect weapons.  Also note that these have that Regiment keyword . . .

Taurox

The Taurox may not be a Rhino, but it comes with the ability for the unit its transporting to disembark after an Advance.  This will definitely help get your squads where they need to be.

Wyvern

The new Indirect hotness, the Wyvern will not only shred nearly all Infantry, it gives the survivors -1 to Hit to boot!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Many players are finding Aeldari scary, and they definitely look it.  But I'd like to point out the number of rules we've seen at this point to return slain models or spawn new ones.  Aeldari don't seem to have any of that, echoing the dire straights their species is in.  They survive by being fast and making use of a potent bag of tricks.  In short, they need to be scary to have a chance against their higher endurance opponents.

Guard currently look like a board control army.  This is a faction that feels like it can be down quite a bit in the first two battle rounds and still come back to win games.  They practically scream that you want to setup your firing positions and then blast your opponent off the field.  And opponents facing them will have to be careful that any units they remove in those first few turns don't show up in their backfield.

Faction Focus: Titans

Faction Focus: Titans

So I've already got two predictions, one positive one negative.

The first thing I want to point out is the title of this article is "Faction Focus: Titans," not, "Warhammer 40,000 Faction Focus: Titans."  It's posted under #NEW40K and they promised news about Titans for 40K, but I don't think that's all we're getting.  

So my positive prediction: there will be teasers for Titanicus and possibly even talk about their plans, if any exist, for Apocalypse in 10th Edition.  I'm even pretty sure that is Titanicus artwork.

My negative prediction: Titans will be getting the Forge World and Heresy treatment.

In short, though I'm betting we'll see some rules below, Titans will probably not be allowed at Competitive events.  I'm betting that will include things like certain Xenos models too.  From my faction, I'm guessing they're not planning on balancing Harridans and Hierophants for the game.  We might still get Hierodules, though.  But then, they already took away a bunch of our Forge World units!

Let's see if they prove me wrong.

ADEPTUS TITANICUS

So right off the bat we're getting Imperial Armour Indexes for each faction, with a separate one for Titans themselves.  And so far it sounds like they're treating these Indexes the same way as any other.  So that's good.

The rules for including one are simple.  If you're Imperium or Chaos, you can include 1 Adeptus Titanicus model.  Whether they'll be anywhere near affordable enough to include is another story.

THE WARLORD TITAN

And we're just going straight to the top for this article!  The Warlord comes packing with a new Toughness stat of 16 and 100 Wounds.  This is still 20 Wounds less than its 9th Edition counterpart.  Its Warp Shields have been simplified to a flat 5+ Invuln against all ranged attacks, so you can't break them anymore.  This massive war machine is also OC 30, meaning you'll need practically an army to steal an objective from it.  Strangely, it's got a 6+ Ld.  If anything was going to have a Primarch's 5+, or even Greyfax's 4+, you'd think it'd be a titan.

And it's bristling with guns, including the now Strength 32 Belicosa which will allow it to even wound other Warlords on 2s.  Strangely, it's not -6 AP like the previous big guns we've seen, meaning you can still get a save if you can find cover somehow.  But lets face it, you're shooting this thing at something that can't qualify for cover.  It's also gone up to damage 18!  I'm not going to go through all the other weapon changes individually, though some are nearly untouched.  The highlights are the Ardex-defensors losing their bonus in Overwatch, a pretty big nerf to the Sunfury, the Arioch getting a sweep, and the macro gatling blaster getting shots for days.

Titans in 9th Edition came with a CP tax in edition to their massive points bill.  This has returned in 10th as a tax on all Stratagems used on them.  Any Stratagem you use on a Warlord will cost you a massive four times the CP.  I think this is also a way to balance the Titan's ability to be included in any Imperium or Chaos faction.  Considering they probably haven't even written all the Stratagems that 10th Edition will eventually have, this is potential future proofing against problems.

The Warlord also gets the Screamer-killer ability we've seen a few times now, allowing it to for a Battle-shock test on a unit.  Though if any unit would get to inflict Battle-shock on multiple units, you'd think it would be a Warlord.

THE PHANTOM TITAN

We also get a little Aeldari number in the form of the Phantom Titan.  They went with T14 and 55 wounds with an OC of 20.  However its shielding still keeps its 4+.  I'm again not going to go over all of its weapons, but there are substantial nerfs here, even past what 10th Edition has been doing.  

However, unlike its Imperial counterpart, this one gains all the faction rules, including Strands of Fate.  We get a rule missing from the Warlord Titan here, the ability to move over models and terrain.  I'm guessing that must be part of the Warlord's Super-heavy Walker rule.  This one also gets a CP tax, but at three times the cost instead of four.  One massive thing to note here is that it gets a rule called Flawless Poise that allows it to Fall Back and shoot and charge.  Many of us were expecting some of the keyword rules would already allow models like Knights to do this.  But it looks like you have to be a Titan to see this kind of rule by default.  It does make me wonder if the Warlord will get that with it's Super-heavy Walker, or if it can be pinned in combat.  If it does, than that means the Phantom doesn't get a rule of its own.

THE HIEROPHANT BIO-TITAN

Yes!  We get to see the stats on the Hierophant too!  The bio-titan comes in at T14, 30 wounds, and a 5+ Invuln.  It's also Ld 8+ like most non-synapse units.  The bio-plasma torrent is actually pretty buffed by 10th Edition standards, gaining another D6 shots.  But the dire bio-cannon is honestly straight up nerfed.  This model used to be a descent Titan hunter, but those days appear to be over.  In exchange, they've boosted its melee, making it vicious against against both other Titans and ground troops.

Rules-wise, the Hierophant gets a +1 to hit against Battle-shocked units, emphasizing the Tyranid's new roll as intergalactic horrors, and gets the same rule the Phantom got for moving over models.  It doesn't get the ability to Fall Back and shoot though.  It's also still acts as a Transport, though we don't know which and how many models it can carry.  But the best part is there's no CP tax!

GARGANTUAN SQUIGGOTH

Oi!  Iz time da boyz show dem how itz done!

The Squiggoth gets similar stats to the Hierophant, though it's got slightly lower toughness and better leadership.  It's weapons have standard 10th Edition conversions to them, though the huge tusks have taken a slight nerf in exchange for a new sweep attack.

It comes with Firing Deck 20 to allow embarked Boyz to dakka away.  They also can fire perfectly fine while tied up in melee thanks to Walking Bastion.  This model also manages to escape a CP tax.  A simple unit for a more barbaric age.

T'AU MANTA

The reveals keep coming, making this our most packed Faction Focus yet!  We get the full card for the Manta, including what it can carry.  And that "what" is basically an entire Tau battle force.

The Manta hasn't lost any wounds, but is still nerfed by going down to a 5+ Invuln.  It's guns are mostly untouched, save a buff to the heavy rail cannon and burst cannon.  It gains the Fire Support rule in the form of Aggressive Deployment, allowing disembarking units to get rerolls to Wound against struck targets.  And considering what this thing can carry, that target probably will be a crater.  It also gets the CP tax we saw on the Phantom.

FINAL THOUGHTS

And with that, we've covered most of the factions that can bring these massive models!  Both of my predictions were wrong, though there was a foot note about Titanicus at the bottom.  This article was entirely focused on models you will be able to bring to a 40K game, with no exceptions stated for competitive play.

Obviously we don't know what they'll cost yet.  Save for painting competitions, you weren't taking a Warlord, Phantom, or Manta to a tournament since they're too expensive for a Strike Force game.  But you could bring Squiggoths and Hierophants.  I'm pretty sure under new army construction rules you can take just a single titan as your army if it's 2000 points or less, so if they dip that low it's technically legal.  My guess is they probably won't see the board in most lists, but its nice the option is staying there.