Games Workshop’s massively popular Warhammer 40K is getting a 10th edition rules update, with the new transport rules potentially disrupting the meta game.
During the wargaming convention AdeptiCon, Games Workshop unveiled a glimpse of the upcoming tenth edition of the Warhammer 40,000 rules. One of the biggest reveals is that these rules will be free to download, which is a far cry from the previous edition releases. The rules will also be greatly streamlined, with updates to simplify phases, weapon designations, psychic abilities, and much more.
As the release date of the Warhammer 40K 10th edition inches closer, Games Workshop revealed changes to transportation and vehicles that will likely shake up the meta of the game.
Games Workshop revealed the new transport rules via the Warhammer Community website and shared through their social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Intercessors in a Land Raider?! It's possible in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000 – learn more about the transport rules. https://t.co/RNfb2RnZtE #New40k #WarhammerCommunity pic.twitter.com/igKN9HxT5U
— Warhammer Official (@warhammer) April 19, 2023
In previous editions, the rules for transports were clunky and slow. To illustrate, in Warhammer 40,000 9th Edition rules, units inside a transport cannot disembark if the vehicle already moved this turn. But if a unit disembarks from a vehicle, the vehicle can still move on that turn.
However, the new Warhammer 40K 10th Edition transport rules will change these mechanics, as stated:
Now any embarked unit is free to hop out once a transport has moved – provided the vehicle didn’t Advance or Fall Back. They can also shoot, but can’t make a charge, unless they disembark before the vehicle moves.
This is a major improvement for mechanised armies that love to leap from their vehicles and blaze away at close range, like the T’au, Astra Militarum, Aeldari, and power armour-clad warriors of all varieties. You still can’t embark and disembark on the same turn, but you don’t need to keep your engine running for a turn before the doors open – which, coupled with their newfound durability, makes fielding transports more appealing than ever.
But what about units still inside, such as Space Marines with their bolters at the ready or Ork Boyz with itchy trigger fingers? Well, they’re no longer essentially out of play. There is now a universal Firing Deck system, allowing units embarked in vehicles to shoot:
In the past, certain open-topped vehicles allowed the troops inside to fire out, and this has now been consolidated into a universal Firing Deck X rule. Just choose one weapon each from a given number of embarked models – such as a plasma gun and meltagun from some Cadian Shock Troops riding in a Chimera with Firing Deck 2 – and the transport will count as if it’s equipped with them for their own shooting attacks.
Plus, Warhammer 40K troops embarked in vehicles will now also benefit from buffs that the vehicle transport receives. Furthermore, some vehicles will be able to circumvent the limits of certain rules. For instance the passengers of an Imperial Space Marine Land Raider can charge on the same turn they disembark. That’s certainly going to make Imperial Terminators happy!
Other new changes include specific roles for transports, such as fire support, rapid deployment, fast redeployment, or mobile command. There are still limitations in some cases, such as The Rhino, Razorback, and Impulsor are still specialized for certain squad types. Larger models like Terminators and Gravis-armoured Space Marines will also still have restrictions imposed with how they interact with embarking and disembarking from transports.
But the broader rules changes in Warhammer 40000 10th Edition are definitely going to influence the meta, particularly with build compositions that players choose to make. One can imagine how these rules changes may be incorporated in popular video games based on the franchise such as Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War or the Space Marine series of games.
The full launch box for the new Warhammer 40,000 10th Edition rules is expected to be released on Warhammer Fest 2023, which runs from April 29 to May 1 in Manchester Central, UK.
