Just short of two years and Sixth Edition has been replaced. Getting a new versions of rules is always an exciting time. Will the changes be drastic like going from 2nd the 3rd? Or more of a rules set refinement? Will the new rules completely change how I play? In the case of 7th, the answer is yes.
To be fair, the drastic change is not that huge. The resurrection and re-implementation of the Psychic Phase is smooth, but does put a lot of focus on Psykers. We need to get more games in before we can have a definitive opinion, but for now I think it adds to the game and removes a lot of the clumsiness that Psychic powers had in their timing and execution.
The big dissapointment was no love given to the assault phase. We are working on that for our house rules. The new tweaks that have come up in our first few games of 7th so far work out well. Jink gives you a choice between having to take snap fire shots next turn and having a better chance of being around next turn. The -2" to charge distance into/through difficult terrain just makes things faster. Vehicles are now just a little harder to kill, and that is a good thing.
One of the changes we like the best is the Tactical Objectives. This adds so much to the way you handle your turn and makes you deal with changes on the fly . Some have complained that it is too "gamey". Last time I checked, 40K is a game and does benefit from having choices in scoring systems. The cards (or the D66 table) are random, and I can see how that would upset some people. A bad run of cards can cost you the game, but there seems to be a wide enough variety to make that unlikely. It will still happen though, most likely at the worst possible time. Gaining Victory Points every turn really drives focus and can make for a much more dynamic and exciting game.
I'm sure I will have yet more musings as we get some more games in. Go roll some dice.
The Emperor Protects
It's the only thing that doesn't change