Getting what we want from Games Workshop

With Black Friday just a few days away, it is time to take a look at what gifts Games Workshop is bringing to us over the Holidays. As of 11/23/16, Games Workshop will be releasing these Warhammer 40k products over the next few weeks.

• Four Large Start Collecting Bundles (Tau, Ad-Mech, Space Wolves, Deathwatch
• War Zone Fenris: Wrath of Magnus
• Codex Supplement: Traitor Legions
• Codex: Imperial Agents

We already know a lot about the Wrath of Magnus even the Big Red guy’s rules just got released. We should get the entire rules leak sometime next week. Since those leaks are so close, really no point in guessing what is going to happen with the Thousand Sons new release.

What I am interest in and everyone else, is what we will find in the Traitor Legions Supplement! Well Games Workshop gave us a pretty big hint a few days ago.

As you can see from the video we will be getting ALL the founding Traitor Legions. Of the top 5 things Warhammer 40k players have been wanting since the beginning of time this would be number one.

What can we expect the Traitor Legions rules to look like?

So far the only hint we got has been this vague rumor floating around.

The 9 traitor legions, yeah, mostly Formations, Datascrolls, Relics, way more Psychic Powers and Chapter Tactics

This rumor seems pretty self evident, but the big news is Chapter Tactics for the Traitor Legions?!? BFD to say the least, this doesn’t mean they will get They Shall Know No Fear, but it does mean they will get some built in bonuses. If we have any road map on speculation, I would look at the Angels of Death Supplement as the prototype. In that book we saw new Detachments, Warlord Traits, and Relics for the Founding Loyalist Chapters. Half of which had already been released in previous sources. They also had some minor stuff for Black Templars and Crimson Fists.

The video above shows all nine Traitor Legions; we shouldn’t expect them all to get the same amount of love, especially if the Angels of Death Supplement is any indication. The not so popular Traitor Legions will most likely get the shaft; look for the Alpha Legion and Night Lords to be on that list. Really, anything past the core four Traitor Legions will be a victory. We should see Detachment equivalents mirroring the Loyalist Chapters. Iron Warriors to look like Iron Hands, Alpha Legion or Night Lords to look like the Raven Guard, and so on. If Games Workshop keeps to the fluff and nostalgia, I recommend people use the Chaos Space Marine codex 3.5 from 2002 as a guide.

Regardless on what Games Workshop does here is my bare minimum I hope to see for each Traitor Legion.

Alpha Legion

• Infiltrate, Scout, Outflank options
• Cult Ambush like abilities.
• Cultist Formations.

Iron Warriors

• Detachment with multiple Fortification choices.
• Warpsmiths to Elite choice or Sargent Upgrade
• Access to Imperial Guard Tanks & Artillery

Night Lords

• Stealth or Shrouded not just for the first turn.
• Night Vision, Acute Sense, Ignore Cover options.
• Raptors & Bikers being Troop choices or Objective secured

Word Bearers

• Dark Apostle to Elite choice.
• Daemonic Troop choices.
• Zealot or Hatred bubble buffs

World Eaters

• Assaulting from Reserve, Deep Strike, Transports
• Works with Khorne Daemonkin and Blood Tally
• Bloodletters as Troops
• Khrone Bezerkers Objective Secured

Death Guard

• Opponent Toughness reduction mechanic
• Plague Zombies without Typhus
• Plague Bearers as Troops
• Death Guard Objective Secured

Emperor Children

• Overwatch denial mechanic
• Always Strike First mechanic
• Daemonettes as Troops
• Noise Marines Objective Secured
• Vehicles can get Ignore Cover upgrades

Thousand Sons

• Will be copy & past from War Zone Fenris: Wrath of Magnus

Sons of Horus

• Real mystery here not really a Legion anymore anything to give them substance would be cool!

In addition to the Traitor Legions Supplement we are getting the Agents of the Imperium codex. What is inside? Here is a direct quote from Games Workshop.

“Within this volume you will find background and rules for using 9 smaller factions, alongside
your existing armies of the Imperium, from the Grey Knights terminator squads to the battle sisters of the Adepta Sororitas”

I have to say I saw this one coming, so many little Factions with small or old model lines begged to come together. This will be the first actual psychical book for Sisters and Inquisition in almost 15 years! This looks like a return of the old Witch Hunter book from 2003. It remains to be seen if we get a giant Detachment where you can pull from all factions to make a force. This also throws some water on Sisters of Battle getting their own book, we can hope this is like the Scions codex to Imperial Guard codex situation. One of the best things about the Agents of Imperium is the Grey Knights should get a big boost with a modern Detachment and a couple of Formations. We will also likely see the final death of Psychotropic Grenades and Servo Skulls. Also how will Sisters of Silence and Costodes will be implemented?

After the Agents of Imperium codex this will leave only the Tyranids and Dark Eldar without modern Detachments, I still hold hope Games Workshop will fit in some update for them before the release of 8th edition next year. Either way this should be a Holiday for the record books as Games Workshop is on sure footing going into the New Year.