BREAKING NEWS: 8th Edition 40K Deep Strike, Infiltrate and Outflank Explained!
... are essentially gone as Universal Standard Rules.
Instead, what we get are rules specific to each unit. Much like Age of Sigmar, scatter is out, but the distance you can get to your target is much more restricted. here's an example:
This is for the Tyrnanid Trygon, a creature evolved after the Hive Mind ate someone who had read Dune, and thought Sand Worms were just the best thing since sliced bread/anything organic.
With the loss of a catch-all rule for Deep Strike, Infiltrate, Scout etc. Games Workshop can now play with any kind of cinematic deployment method. Not that this didn't happen before, it's just that deployment is now specific to each unit, with less chance of broken synergies occurring.
The interesting thing with the Trygon example (which I'm sure any Skaven player will recognise!), is that it can carry a unit with it. Why is this cool? Tyranid drop pod, that's why. You won't get a huge unit of Gaunts to fit in the bubble around the Trygon, but you might just squeeze in some Genestealers.
Further to this, as this counts as a Movement phase action, it does not prohibit charging afterwards. Turn 1 assaults are definitely a thing now, provided you have some way of crossing that 9". They suggest using a Command Re-roll to get there, but there will certainly be some units that sneer at a mere 9-inches of distance to run!
Effectively everyone has the Skyhammer Annihlaltion formation. This is good, and leads to some nice cinemtatic game play.
This brings us to the deployment rules for Tactical Reserves.
In matched play you'll need to have at least half your army on the board. Seems fair, and avoids the whole Null deployed army problem people exploit to not take any damage.
The last line of that is going to sting for some though, as any unit not on the battlefield by the third round will be destroyed. I don't know what the mechanisms would be for retaining a unit without putting it on the battlefield on the 1st turn, but I imagine there may be some strategic shenanigans that can be done by Characters or Formations to delay reserves... which may prove deadly.
These new rules undo a lot of the frustrations that come with Tactical Deployments. You may have a group of Striking Scorpions Infiltrating up close, but not be able to charge until second turn. Your expensive Deathwing Terminator squad may teleport inside a building and become one with the walls. Your Riptide may refuse to come on to the battlefield until the game is effectively over.
This cuts out all the annoying additional rules which "balanced" the benefit of non-standard deployments, and lets you play the models you bought as advertised in the fluff. In the Tyranids case, this means bursting out of the ground and spewing tiny creatures everywhere.
This also mutes the power of melta suicide squads:
Whilst still a powerful weapon, you're not going to be able to drop within 6-inches to get that increased chance of higher damage. You're also out of grenade range:
Vehicles tomorrow. I can't wait!
Until next time.
Thanks for reading.
If you liked what you saw, and you want to help out, please leave a comment. Sharing this with your friends, and following me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ would also be hugely appreciated.
If you have anything you want me to look at, let me know in the comments below. I'll probably be able to write an article about that topic within a day!
If you really love what I do here, you can make a one off donation at my PayPal, or become a true hero to table top education and make a regular donation to my Patreon. Every Little helps!
Instead, what we get are rules specific to each unit. Much like Age of Sigmar, scatter is out, but the distance you can get to your target is much more restricted. here's an example:
This is for the Tyrnanid Trygon, a creature evolved after the Hive Mind ate someone who had read Dune, and thought Sand Worms were just the best thing since sliced bread/anything organic.
With the loss of a catch-all rule for Deep Strike, Infiltrate, Scout etc. Games Workshop can now play with any kind of cinematic deployment method. Not that this didn't happen before, it's just that deployment is now specific to each unit, with less chance of broken synergies occurring.
The interesting thing with the Trygon example (which I'm sure any Skaven player will recognise!), is that it can carry a unit with it. Why is this cool? Tyranid drop pod, that's why. You won't get a huge unit of Gaunts to fit in the bubble around the Trygon, but you might just squeeze in some Genestealers.
Further to this, as this counts as a Movement phase action, it does not prohibit charging afterwards. Turn 1 assaults are definitely a thing now, provided you have some way of crossing that 9". They suggest using a Command Re-roll to get there, but there will certainly be some units that sneer at a mere 9-inches of distance to run!
Effectively everyone has the Skyhammer Annihlaltion formation. This is good, and leads to some nice cinemtatic game play.
This brings us to the deployment rules for Tactical Reserves.
In matched play you'll need to have at least half your army on the board. Seems fair, and avoids the whole Null deployed army problem people exploit to not take any damage.
The last line of that is going to sting for some though, as any unit not on the battlefield by the third round will be destroyed. I don't know what the mechanisms would be for retaining a unit without putting it on the battlefield on the 1st turn, but I imagine there may be some strategic shenanigans that can be done by Characters or Formations to delay reserves... which may prove deadly.
These new rules undo a lot of the frustrations that come with Tactical Deployments. You may have a group of Striking Scorpions Infiltrating up close, but not be able to charge until second turn. Your expensive Deathwing Terminator squad may teleport inside a building and become one with the walls. Your Riptide may refuse to come on to the battlefield until the game is effectively over.
This cuts out all the annoying additional rules which "balanced" the benefit of non-standard deployments, and lets you play the models you bought as advertised in the fluff. In the Tyranids case, this means bursting out of the ground and spewing tiny creatures everywhere.
This also mutes the power of melta suicide squads:
Vehicles tomorrow. I can't wait!
Until next time.
Thanks for reading.
If you liked what you saw, and you want to help out, please leave a comment. Sharing this with your friends, and following me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ would also be hugely appreciated.
If you have anything you want me to look at, let me know in the comments below. I'll probably be able to write an article about that topic within a day!
If you really love what I do here, you can make a one off donation at my PayPal, or become a true hero to table top education and make a regular donation to my Patreon. Every Little helps!
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