Last week, I looked at the past and how I did in 7th. Today I think I will take a look at what we have seen for 8th with three of my favorite factions: Tyranids, Orks, and Genestealer cult.
Now, I know that until I see the complete rules for the game and the factions, this is all guess work. These are just my gut feelings here. All of these thoughts might be just thrown out the window when the books finally hit.
Tyrainds
Starting with my favorite faction the Tyranids, I am hoping these guys got a boost. Reese in his focus gushed over the swarmlord. I have never been a fan of the swarmlord since I liked the huge swarm of bugs with a few mommies following along to help them out. I would be more interested in how the normal tyrants have fared. Will the winged version be the go to version still? Time will tell.
Speaking of the mommies, I am unclear about the where the tervigon stands. I have seen that it can summon more gaunts if you paid the price for the guys when creating the army. I have also seen that they might be able to replenish gaunts that have died. There is no mention if this needs to be from the summoning pool of points. If they can add models without the summoning points I might just keep running them. If not, I might have to switch tactics.
Lastly, we have the genestealer. These poor guys have had it rough the last couple editions. It looks like they might become a feared unit again. They sound nasty in large packs with the ability to charge after advancing. This could make them very dangerous if they make it into combat.
I was kind of sad that there was no mention of the maleceptor, haruspex, or toxicrene. Reese really only mentioned that the pyrovore was useful if used in a drop pod. All four of these units were relegated to the shelf in 7th so I hope there will be some use for them. More than likely they will keep their place on the shelf.
Orks
The Orks have always been a fun army to play. From the faction focus it sound like they helped out with the mob rule returning to its former glory. This will make running big squads of boys possible again.
The gorkanaut preview make me think he might be worth picking up finally. Along side of him they said that killakans and deffdreads will be seeing the bord as well. As a player with 7 kans, one dread, and a mega dread I am looking forward to seeing this come true. I would love to expand my kan army.
I was sad that there were no mention of 'ard boys. From what it looks like the painboy now just passes out 6+ feel no pain. With the bigchoppa only getting -1 rend I will probably still keep the powerklaw for my go to melee weapon though the -1 to hit will really suck. Maybe we won’t have to depend on the klaws for killing tanks anymore but with all the 3+ saves around maybe we will. I know nothing makes my boys cry more than charging in with 40 attacks into some marines and only taking out 2.
I was happy to see the KFF still gives the 5++ on shooting attacks. I am eager to see if the warboss WAAAGH rule is only once a game and restricted from turn 1 use. The change to ‘Ere We Go to reroll failed charges instead of just one die is welcome as well. Lastly, I read that flashgits guns are less random now and are a straight -2 rend with a chance to shoot again. Pretty nice.
Genestealer Cult (GSC)
One of my newest armies and brothers to the tyranids are my GSC. I was eager to see what changes were coming for them. The first thing I saw was that they still have cult ambush and can come out of the shadows and ruin someone’s parade. The non-deepstriking placement is very familiar to GSC players but there are some questions that are left unanswered.
The first question is will the GSC be able to bring in all the ambushers on turn one via cult ambush or will we have to place them all in tactical reserves and hope the come in? The next question is if we have to use tactical reserves then how do we determine when do they come in? After that, I want to know is do we still have return to the shadows? Lastly, do we have the numbers beyond counting rule?
All of the questions deal with my core playstyle. Without the ability to pop in and out and redeploy and replenish it is going to be rough for my GSC. The good news is I am still learning to play them so I can change my tactics easier than my other favorite armies. The bad news is I will have to rethink how they will play on the battlefield.
Another nagging question I have is how they talked about bringing allies. To me it sounds like the Leman Russ and Chimeras have been removed from the list and now I will have to bring a guard detachment if I want to use those options. This leaves the goliaths as our only transport. I will have to get another one if I want some protection for my neophytes. Then again without the neophyte and Leman Russ tax I can fit more acolytes and metamorphs in. Maybe it is not so bad >_<
I was also sad to see that the auto pass lookout sirs has been removed and replaced with a 4+. This is the first I have heard of a lookout sir in this edition, so maybe it is better than everyone else. I agree the old Patriarch with 20 ablative wounds is a bit much.
On the psychic front they have retooled mass hypnosis. This will make it easier for my troops to get into combat safely. I need to see the rules for denying the witch rolls. If the power is easy to cast like a 5 does the denier just need to beat a 5 as well or do they have to beat what I rolled. I have a feeling that it will be hit or miss. I feel bad for the Necrons, Tau, and Orks who have limited or no psychic defense.
Whew! That was a lot. As you can see I am not all rainbows and sunshine but I am not all doom or gloom either. I think this will be a good edition and after some growing pains a fun way to play.
Questions? Comments? Nom nom noms?
