The Beast Has Arrived
I played my first game of Warhammer 40K 6th edition today. It... took... awhile. Many readers might not know that I actually haven't been into 40K that long. I got started almost a year after 5th edition had launched. I had completed my first 1500 point army and played my first game about the time that 5th edition was celebrating it's first birthday. Starting a game as complex as 40K (or really most table top war games) is difficult, but it helps if there are plenty of blogs, Youtube videos, and podcasts that are almost wholly concerned with sussing out some new rules. That's exactly how I managed to figure out 5th edition, at least as much that I felt like I could put some models on a table, shuffle them about, and roll some dice with a modicum of confidence that some of that conformed with the rules.
This is my first rules shift. Many vets out there have been there, done that, purchased the over-priced limited collector's edition T-shirt. I certainly haven't and I'm a bit worried. One of my least favorite experiences in this hobby to date was one of my first ever public pick-up game. One of the regulars at the gaming store I visited agreed to play against me in a low point game. My first few games I had played with a friend, and I had a blast learning the rules with him. This pick-up game was different. This guy didn't care to teach me anything, other than how to try and piece back my ego. Ultimately, the sore spot for me wasn't that I lost (I've had plenty of that since) but the way that I lost.
He used 4th edition and even 3rd edition rules that favored him. True line of sight? PFFT! Not if it meant I had caught him at a disadvantage. There were many more instances of creative rule blending, and it made me furious because I found out AFTER the fact. Not only that but he had played far more points against me. He had just dropped some models on the table and ran rough shod over the "newb" and didn't care what that meant for the community.
It had occurred to me that perhaps he didn't know what he was doing. Perhaps he was just a bit of a bumbling idiot that generally forgot what edition he was playing, or had a difficult time sorting out the rules in his head. Maybe he added up his army wrong when he put together his 1300 pt "1000 pt" Eldar army.
Bollocks! He was a punk. I'm worried that I might fail to pickup 6th edition rules and 5th edition rules will pop out instead, so I'm trying extra hard to dump 5th edition, and learn 6th quickly. I don't someone to think I was trying to be the bastard against them.
So How Was It?
Well, it was "fine." That might seem a bit lack-luster for a review, but I'm not sure one game is enough to tell anything. Just reading the rule book made me feel like my Orks had taken a bit of a pummeling. Some of that beating showed up on the table, but I'm learning to cope. The allies rule allowed me to dust off those Grey Knights I had made for that exact purpose back when the Demon Hunter codex allowed allies. They performed admirably on the table, but 6th has really dull the razor sharp tip of the Grey Knights spear. It was needed, don't get me wrong, but if your Grey Knights come face to face with Thunder Hammer wielding Terminators, get ready to pluck some models off the table.
The wound allocation method is certainly "logical" and a little forethought goes a long way if you position your units properly. I had not spent much time learning the rules for wound allocation in close combat, but as it so happens I did it right. This was mainly because the allocation rules between shooting and close combat are pretty much the same, and seemed second nature to me. I'm sure the beard-ier members of the community might be hating it right now, but for a more "cinematic" game (which we've heard multiple time from GW that this was the intent of this edition) they really have hit the nail firmly on the head.
The mission that we played was number 6 on the list: The Relic. It just so happens that I had made up a very similar mission one day while playing a friendly game. It's an entertaining mission and one that forced me to play counter to the Ork ethos.
Orks in 6th
Much has been made about the effect this edition has on a number of armies. Generally there is conscensus that assaulting has been negatively impacted, while shooting has been positively so. Here is a quick list of things I feel hurt and also help my Orks in 6th:
Bad Stuff
- Furious charge is only +1 strength, and not +1 strength and +1 initiative
- Feel No Pain is only on a 5+
- Cover saves are generally lower
- No assaulting from reserves
- Fleet no longer allows assaulting after running but a re-roll of a run die, and the charge dice so a slight net loss (this is only a benefit to units that innately have Fleet, not gain it for a single turn like the Orks with their WAAAGH! rule)
- Wound allocation by wargear is gone (needed to be fixed anyways)
- Overwatch means I get shot at when I assault (I tend to do a lot of assaulting)
Good Stuff
- No more Fearless wounds
- Look Out Sir allows some wound allocation schenanigans for my Nobz (which brings me to...)
- Nobz are all characters (challenges, precise strikes/shots, and Look out sir)
- Bike +1 toughness is accounted for when determining Instant Death (HUGE!)
- Reserves come in on 3+ on both turn 2 and 3. Automatically arrive on turn 4.
- Snap Fire means I'm only shooting at one less Ballistic Skill than normal! Never a tough choice.
- More Night Fighting missions. People hate it, but for assaulting armies, it's great.
- Feel No Pain only negated by Instant Death wounds not AP1, AP2, and Instant Death
There is more, I'm sure, that I simply can't remember at this time. There is plenty of "neutral" stuff that I haven't figured out if it's a boon or bust for me just yet. The random charge ranges seem like a random element I could have done without, but on the table, it creates some interesting situations and surprises. My Deff Dread stomped up 9 inches on a charge! He was in assault in turn 3, which was previously unheard of.
This has turned into a wall of text. I'm stopping here. I'll be back later with more thoughts about 6th edition. Feel free to ask me any questions concerning 6th, my Orks, or anything else 40K related. I won the game that I played, by the way. 4 victory points to 1. Good start to the new edition.
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