BREAKING NEWS: 8th Edition Movement Rules Revealed with Analysis!

Games Workshop revealed the Movement phase today, and has highlighted some really game changing rules... including giving everyone Hit and Run!


As we knew already, from the stat block reveal, Movement values are back in. We haven't seen these since 3rd Edition, and I'm glad to see them back.


Before, to represent slower movement units as opposed to normal ones, painful rules such as Slow and Purposeful had to be introduced. Whilst these had some benefits, they really hurt the unit overall, such as denying them Overwatch. For a unit with really good guns (like the Thousand Sons Rubricae), this really killed them competitively, as you were now paying a high points cost for a weapon that wouldn't be used in all situations.


Now we can just give these slow and heavy hitters a lower Movement value. Okay, it's still a negative point for the unit, but it doesn't unfairly hamstring them. We can also see some variation in speediness, without resorting to extra special rules bloat (such as the Dunestrider rule). It's good, and since every unit's Dataslate will be all you need to use them, won't require you to keep referencing multiple different books.


Better yet, some units will have minimum moves. Whilst this mostly has application for flyers, it can be a really interesting way to disrupt the effectiveness of some exceedingly fast units. More significantly, it gives a fun little challenge to players fielding those fast units... imagine a Scatterbike army that needed to move 6-inches a turn. They would start to look like what there fluff suggests... an ever shifting battleline,with commanders taking into account the armies inertia, perhaps getting things wrong, and getting caught in the open!


Running has been made easier, and I think the majority of people played the newly ruled way anyway. Runs are now done in the movement phase, which just saves moving, rolling the Run, and moving again. This time you just roll and measure the move once.


Then the biggy.., everyone now has Hit and Run!


In the Movement phase, units in close combat can opt to Fall Back. The unit Falling Back can't Shoot, Run or Charge that turn, but it does mean the enemy they run from can get shot to pieces by nearby friendlies.


As the article suggests, this supports the idea of firing lines, and really helps shooting armies. It also stops units getting stuck in tar pits. Units escaping can get shot at by the unit they retreat from, which suggests tar pitting with some very tough meat shields is a good idea. Good luck getting anything to charge your walls of muscle though!


This is not going to be so good for close combat armies. As every unit can now effectively escape from them in close combat, they no longer have the front line protection they enjoyed before. A unit could charge into combat, almost kill a unit and be saved from receiving return fire in the next turn. Now they'll be out in the open, free to get shot at.


They give the example of how a Warp Talon squad could benefit from this, but frankly they're the worst affected by it. Whilst only carrying close combat weapons, they wouldn't be able to shoot at the retreating unit.


The argument could be made that the retreating unit is effectively wasted that turn, so it might all balance out. A close combat squad, particularly a really tough bruiser menacing the front lines could be a wonderful distraction for enemy fire. Either the enemy deals with that unit or they can expect to lose a units worth of action per turn until it is gone.


Overall, a lateral move for gameplay rather than a positive or negative one. I think it's a more active way of dealing with Deathstars and tar pits, allowing you to hit back when the Draigostar hits your lines.


Tomorrow is something very important to me, since I started collecting Thousand Sons: the Psychic phase. What comes up here will decide for me how excited I am for 8th Edition.


No pressure Games Workshop.


Until next time!







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