You’re looking forward to Warhammer 40K 10^th edition, we’re looking forward to Warhammer 40K 10^th edition – we’re all looking forward to Warhammer 40K 10^th edition. You know how these articles go, so let’s cut the preamble and get right into it, starting with those gorgeous new Terminators!

New Terminators

We're not sure exactly how Games Workshop managed to get us so excited over what, objectively, is a minor update to an existing kit - but they did it! Space Marine Terminators are a much-loved, iconic design, so all they really needed was a little tweaking to breathe new life into them and really make them pop. And with the rescale, they'll finally take their rightful place alongside Primaris marines without the dishonour of being a head shorter than their upstart brothers. The only question now is what chapter colours to paint them?

New Tyranids

We've only seen a Termagant so far but the omens are good for the Tyranid range refresh. Like the Terminators, these are more evolution (appropriately!) than revolution, but when you look at them side-by-side with the current kit the amount of extra detail GW have managed to pack in is mind-boggling. Warhammer 40K is about to get a lot more gribbly, and we can't wait to see the rest.

An Amazing Box Set

GW keep on outdoing themselves with the launch boxes for new editions of their core games, and there’s every reason to think they’ll pull it off again for Warhammer 40K 10^th edition. The Indomitus launch box for 9^th edition was jam-packed with amazing new miniatures that really brought some exciting new flair to both the Space Marine and Necron ranges. If the new starter box matches Indomitus for quality, quantity and wow-factor then 10^th edition will be off to a thrilling start!

Streamlined Rules

It's fair to say that some people are a little wary of Warhammer 40K 10th edition's 'simplified, not simple' tagline - particularly those that like complexity and have no problem memorising large volumes of rules. That said, from what we've seen the majority of players seem to be breathing a sigh of relief. Even GW have admitted that 9th edition's rules got too bloated for the average player to enjoy, and a lot of us here at Firestorm are looking forward to what looks to be the reduced mental load of 10th, with more emphasis on rolling dice and less on looking up rules.

Datasheet Cards

It’s kind of crazy that we’re only now getting printed datasheet cards for Warhammer 40K, but it’s the kind of crazy that we’re very much on board with! It’s a testament to those streamlined rules we talked about that pretty much everything you need to know about a unit now fits on a single card, and it’s going to be incredibly handy to have these physical resources to hand on the tabletop for quick reference.

Objective Control

In case you haven’t heard, Objective Control is a brand new stat that every unit will have in Warhammer 40K 10^th edition, and is used for determining which player has control of an objective – just add up the OC value of every miniature in range, and the player with the biggest number has control. GW have tried various ways to represent different units having varying levels of control over an objective, but this has to be the simplest, the most intuitive and most flexible. It’s going to give us something new to chew on when building lists and creates a whole new layer of tactical considerations on the tabletop. We love it!

Army Composition

Building an army will be simpler and more flexible than ever in Warhammer 40K 10^th edition, and it boils down to this – you need at least 1 hero and you can have up to 3 copies of any other unit, unless it’s a battleline unit in which case you can have up to 6. That’s it! What we like about this system is that it gives just enough structure to avoid unit spam, but otherwise allows players to build any kind of themed army they can imagine. This is going to make it much easier for newcomers to build their armies the way they want, and is a real gift for narrative players too.

A Level Playing Field

With Warhammer 40K 10^th edition being a major reset, all of the current army codexes are going to be invalidated (if you bought a new codex recently we feel your pain – it’s just the way GW’s new edition cycle works). GW have committed to providing new rules for all armies and faction for free on day one, with everything perfectly balanced and ready to play. Many players still look back fondly on the index books that did the same job at the start of 8^th edition, hailing it as a golden time for simplicity and game balance. It looks like the same thing may be about to happen again and, taking what GW have been saying at face value, it seems like they’re committed to maintaining that simplicity and balance throughout the lifetime of 10^th edition this time around.

Playing More Games

This one might not quite pan out when all’s said and done, but with the whole ‘simplified, not simple’ thing, we’re hoping that our games of Warhammer 40K will be more fast paced and that we’ll be able to fit more of them in! Playing a game of 9^th edition has gradually become a pretty big commitment in terms of time and mental load. Not only does that mean games take longer and we fit less of them in, but it’s put some people off playing altogether. Everything we’re seeing and hearing about 10^th edition so far suggests that we’re going to see a lot more people wanting to play, being excited to do it more often, and fitting more games in when they do. More games – and more fun games – of Warhammer 40K has to be a good thing!

Welcoming New Players

This one is kind of anecdotal, but it seems to us that with this edition being a big reset and with the streamlined rules, more people than ever are taking a fresh look at Warhammer 40K and thinking about jumping into it for the very first time. People who quit during 9th edition seem keen to give it a shot too. We're looking forward to welcoming a horde of players, old and new, to the Battlefields at Firestorm Games when 10th edition launches, and we have lots a great events lined up - more on those soon!

Firestorm Games is the UK’s trusted games and hobby retailer, with fast dispatch, reliable delivery and excellent service. Check out our competitively priced range of Warhammer 40K products here.