Warhammer 6th Edition - it's here!

It's here!  Finally …

Today saw the launch of the Sixth Edition rulebook of Warhammer 40,000.  We managed to get the last copy at our local Games Workshop in Lower Hutt, and with much trepidation opened it up.

The internet has been rife with rumours about what this version would and wouldn't include.  We ourselves had mixed feelings about a new rulebook, feeling we'd only just got to grips through play at Wellington Warlords on the Fifth Edition rules.

So here is our first pass through the rules, and our initial impressions on what's most obviously changed.  This article is meant to help readers to hunt out the changes rather than as a substitute for players buying the book.

First off the good news – Warhammer 40k is still Warhammer 40k.  After some of the rules rumours, it sounded like the new rules would be substantially compromised with much more look-ups etc which promised to slow down gameplay.  Thankfully not – it's the same old move, shoot, assault we're all used to, and nothing here really wrecks that.

With that little rumour squashed, lets look into the most obvious differences …

Snap shots

In amongst normal shooting is now the concept of snap shots against unit.  This is a reactionary “pot shot” which is taken opportunistically at various points of the game, and is one of the central core to the new rules.

A snap shot is taken at a much lower ballistic skill than normal – it allows you for instance to fire a heavy weapon even though you've moved (useful), and has other uses which I'll come to later.

Overwatch

Now when your unit is assaulted, you get the opportunity to use snap shots against your attackers as they rush you (instead of being dumbfounded and waiting to be attacked).  Really handy for units like Tau who don't fare well in assault to even the odds.

Likewise the move for assault has been changed from 6” confirmed to 2D6” … which means you can declare assault and fail to make up the ground, leaving your unit sitting ducks for the next turn (oops).

Special Rules

There are about double the number of special rules covered now compared to Fifth Edition.  Perhaps our favourite is the Hammer of Wrath, which fixes a discrepency of previous versions.  Certain units like riders, bikers, jet troops get an automatically hitting attack when they charge into assault.  This really beefs up the punch on units like the Imperial Guard rough riders, who too often played out like normal guardsmen who can assault over larger distances.

Vehicles now have hit points!

Well they're called Hull Points in the game.  Generally flyers have 2, tanks have 3, heavy tanks have 4.  You lose a HP after a glancing or penetrating shot.  So gone will be the days when my Ironclad dreadnaught took multiple penetrating shots in one turn, which would all (through lucky dice rolls) turn out to be just stunned.  On the third such shot my dreaddy would have joined the Emperor's Choir Celestial!

This definitely makes vehicles feel much more vulnerable than they once were!

Sadly though there is still a rule for vehicles – you can only move and fire a single weapon (which seems daft for tanks with dedicated weapons crews).  However you get the option to fire additional weapons using the snapshot (reduced BS) rule, which is a step in the right direction.

Psykers

If you own Tau, look away now (Tau get none of this).  Without doubt one of the biggest changes has been to psychers.

This felt slightly inevitable.  With the rise of Warmachine, which focuses on special characters and abilities, it's always felt that Games Workshop would want to do something to reflect this.

There are in total 32 psychic powers split into 5 “magic disciplines”.  Different armies have access to different disciplines (except the formentioned Tau).  I've never been too keen on using Librarians with my Storm Wolves, but now I'm wondering about maybe taking two next game and try these new rules out.

Flyers

Yes, we now have flyers in Warhammer.  We can't help but feel a bit cynical about these.  With the rules changes around flyer, they are now a “must have”.  Handy as Games Workshop has released a whole new line of them (odd that).

Yes, tanks are now a thing of the past.  Flyers can fly great speeds around the table (typically 18”), whilst still being able to fire up to 4 weapons.  Oh, and if you shoot at a flyer, you have to shoot on the snap shot rules (they're much harder to hit).  The rules here do feel a little unbalanced.

Oh, and if you have Tau, you don't have anything in your arsenal which counts as a flyer.  Which is annoying, as this means that the Tau do not benefit from either of the two new additions to the rulebook.  It's no wonder many players at Wellington Warlords are refusing to dust off their Tau army until the new codex comes out and addresses some obvious deficiencies in this army.

Summing up …

Bottom line as said, this still feels like Warhammer.  The new book (we won't mention the NZ pricetag as it's a very expensive purchase here) is really a beautiful piece of work, beyond the rules themselves are page after page of background story, artwork (though many will be familiar), and ideas for building your army, game scenarios etc.

As some have said, there is a feeling throughout of Chaos taking more centrestage over the struggles of those valiant souls who fight for the Emperor.  As a player since first edition, I hope not, as Warhammer 40k has always been the tale of mankind in the far future hanging on by its nails against the worst scum of the Universe.

There is only war …

A snipers life for me ...

Let me start by telling you a few things that I'm not.  I'm not a "camper", a "crazed gunman" or ever worked for the Post Office.

I am a sniper.  A surgeon for the Imperial Army removing it's enemies, one clean shot at a time.  I'm not standing on the front line firing my lasgun wildly hoping it does some actual damage.

I'm patient, I take my time, I only need one bullet for each kill.  Truth is half the time you won't see me.  I'm the angel of death that delivers doom, and you didn't even know was there.

It's a good life.  Oh course I'd lay down my life for the Emperor - but if I can, I'd rather hang onto it, if it's all the same.  We can kill from such a distance, we tend to be able to hang back from the main action.  We're not desperately firing at a charging squad of Ork Boyz hoping to down them before they make mincemeat of us, we don't tend to have Commissars looming over us trying to make an example of us.  Heck we don't even tend to run much - we just get all comfy and wait for the bozos to come to us.

Orks have got to be the funniest to sniper.  Their eyesight isn't much good, and you can finish half the squad before they realise what's going on.  Thick bastards.  Even then their aim is so dreadful you're not really in much danger.  You don't want to let them get too close though, they are something fierce, even their smell would be enough to down most men.

Probably Tau are next.  Being blue in colour, it couldn't be easier to spot them and get a headshot.  They get really upset when you nail one of the losers who carries the ornamental staff as well.  Unfortunately it really pisses them off, and they're somewhat better shots than Orks.  Still, it cracks me and the boys up something rotten ...

Sniping into the Eldar can be pretty funny too.  Those tossers are all aloof and into their art and history.  One minute they're a gang of aliens reading poetry, and then BAM, next minute you've read them their funeral rights.  They might be thousands of years old, but they die just as easy as us when they're in your sights.

One thing that annoys me though - everyone keeps thinking that to make it as a sniper in the Imperial Guard you have to be a munchkin.  Yeah we have a Ratling Squad, and they're good shots, but they're also a major pain in the ass.  They're always breaking into the food stores, and getting drunk (only the Emperor knows where they get it from), it's like taking a pack of locusts on tour with you.  And I swear the Commissars go easy on them as well, probably cos of their size.  And also cos they carry a grudge.

I remember Commissar Durnford had one of them shot for looting a few months ago.  Next battle he ended up having a "little accident" from stray sniper fire.  Yeah and those little bastards are good shots ... they don't tend to miss at all.

Yeah snipers eh - you want us in your army.  But believe me, you do not want to piss us off ...

So you want to be a Chimera driver?

I transport all types of infantry into battle in my Chimera - conscripts, guardsmen, veterans and officers - to fight and defend in the name of the Emperor.  I've once even drove some Ogryns around, though it took weeks to get the smell out ...

Today I had to give some supporting fire in a streetfight using my multi-laser and heavy stubber.  My mate Smith was on the heavy stuber and got shot in the head - within a split second a lascannon fired on the building to our right, as a great piece of rubble fell on us, blocking the back hatch and gunners hatch. We were trapped.

I had to grab the power axe and cut my way out of the Chimera.  The sound of lasgun fire whizzed past the armour of the vehicle.  It took almost 11 minutes to cut through the thick armour.  The smell of the dead and rotting corpses filled the air.

I had no gun, and was behind enemy lines - I had to get back to base ... but how?

The 24th Regiment of Foot

The 24th Regiment of Foot have been pushed away from Holy Terra and it's defences and fleets.  Many of the Imperial Guardsmen that muster it's rank are born and raised on the planet Rorke's Falls.

Creed, an officer who joined the 24th Regiment a few years back, is most famous for his tactics that he's used to outwit all armies.  Mostly being on the frontline, using his hotshot laspistol and barking out orders, Creed is possibly the only officer deserving of good bodyguards and good armour.  Many have commented that he seems in many respect the lost twin of another famous Cadian officer ...

The 24th Regiment of Foot wear different colours to Cadians.  They are inspired by the British army of Victoria, wearing white for their helmets, red for their tunics, tan for their leggings, with black detailing.

Bringing the pain - a squadron of armoured Sentinels lay down some lascannon heavy fire, as some guardsmen protect them.

Creed surveys the battlefield.  A medic and bodyguard stand ready to protect ...

The 24th Regiments famous Household Cavalry, charge the line.

Forward into battle they go ...

The Chimera nick-named Get Some gives more than it gets ...

Starting at the beginning ...

Welcome to our blog.

We're passionate gamers for Warhammer 40,000, who create videos for our channel on YouTube when we can.  But it's all about the gaming.

We love our armies, and they have considerable back-history we've developed over the years.  This blog is about sharing some of the stories and fun we have in the Warhammer Universe.

The main armies we play are;

• Space Marines
• Imperial Guard
• Tau

But they are not just any Space Marine/Imperial Guard army, they are our own concoction.  No off-the-shelf Ultramarine or Cadian squads for us.