40K 6th Edition Hopeful Yet Fearful…

6th edition is right around the corner and if you are German, then by all likelihood you already have the leaked PDF…

Two days till the pre-order madness and then the big day after that when we all get our hands on the “official” rules, dispel the rumors and take a big sit-down with our armies.

Where do we go from there?

I’m both psyched and ready to get my Saim-Hann back on the table in full force, brining the star cannon smack down to the mon-kei, but I wonder how the new edition will treat them independent of a new codex, which by all means is probably still two plus years out. I can’t believe we have gone an ENTIRE edition without an update…

Psychic powers AKA devastation have me the most intrigued since I’m a sucker for anything magic in a game- the more alluring the power the more I can’t resist- so when I heard the rumors of course my first thought was on the huge boost Eldar were going to get.

We are the masters of the psyker arts right?

And then we find out they only get access to two lore’s and as usual Space Marines get everything as if there is no power armored conspiracy in play.

This upset me, but at the same time is a good thing for our army.

Marines are going to be spamming the powers left and right. Allies are in, so you can bet if there are some real power exploits lots of guys will bring another libby in tow. IF psychic devastation becomes the new cornerstone of the game, well, not only can Eldar at least participate, but we can assure that our opponent’s won’t have access to their new toys via runes of warding.

I’ve talked about how bringing two farseers is now mandatory in the game for Eldar to even try and compete, could I be more wrong now?

Of course if GW FAQ’s runes since they work so well, well, then that is another issue…

So I might only have access for two types of powers, plus my codex, but at least I can make sure you don’t have usable access and are at the mercy of my own powers.

I expect good times ahead and much Fritz tricknolgy from the psychic powers alone!

But what about the other elements in my list?

Wave serpents, Vypers, and Fire Prisms?

Rumors of a 5+ jink save for fast skimmers also really intrigue me, as does a new lease on holo-fields and perhaps even star engines.

And what if jetbikes then have a special rule also?

All that included as rumors the biggest reset for me in terms of the game is the missions. In 5th my Saim-Hann were all about mobility, and being in the right moment when the game ends. I would routinely lose 90% of my army and yet somehow win the game- only makes sense in 40K.

HOPEFULLY, and I have high hopes for the missions- adding back some tactics other than just castling up with a parking lot of chimera hull and rolling the dice while fancying yourself the second coming of Alexander the Great.

Imagine if TACTICS didn’t involve just removing models?

If 6th can deliver this then suddenly my Saim-Hann with their speed and trickery open up an entire new dimension of play.

Of course if that fails I can always fall back on just playing Grey Knights, and that begs the question- how can they get anything other than super better (is that even a word?) in 6th?

More psychic powers, cheap henchman so you can then pull in that extra allies libby, along with all the latest and greatest in their book already.

And what about the power weapons rumors- are they AP 2 or 3 guys?

Force weapons are rumored to be at AP 2 and guess what- ‘Knight have them like candy, plus the halberds, plus the crazy grenades, plus the best dreads…

I’m not hating on ‘Knights, I was just hoping for a little balance to the book away from the dirty reputation it currently has in 5th.

Maybe the missions will balance it out?

And finally Necrons, my poor Necrons- NO psychic powers, NO psychic defense, What? If the psychic phase is as crazy as rumored why would anybody play a non-psychic army?

How could GW, even in their own crazy logic, make a game introducing a major and dynamic new game phase and completely LEAVE out half of the armies giving them no powers?

Ok, I don’t get the powers, but at least I have a defense for it like runes or warding or a psychic hood right?

It’s fair I’ll have to rely on gloom prisms?

Trololol

That said, I’m not selling my Necrons yet!

Maybe the magic phase, sorry, psychic devastation phase will be as random as all the other lolz stuff in 6th like terrain, charge distances, etc.

Maybe the rumor of gauss stripping a hull point on a to hit of “6” is true?

Suddenly mass ranks of warriors are really scary, especially if rapid fire gets a boost also. Warriors combined with scarabs will mean the end of any vehicles on the table.

Add in marine killing AP 3 destroyers and maybe Necrons deliver such a kill volley of shots that it isn’t so bad you can’t throw around psyker melta shots or mind tricks?

Change will happen, and as much as I’ll hate some of it, other aspects will be really good for the game, and if anything else IT IS time for a reset of 40K.

Advance the story line, shakeup the WAAC players, and give more random/options out there for us fluff and hobby players.

Who knows, maybe GW is delivering a game that has something that all player aspects of the hobby can enjoy.

Either way it is going to be a busy summer not only re-inventing my armies and how I play them, but also getting back to what keeps me playing the game, rolling those dice, and pushing around my plastic soldiers as I go pew pew- pulling off the last minute win with as much showboating as possible, and making new friends to hang out and roll some dice with in the gaming community.