And we're back with the award-seeking Retro Review series!
In our last exciting chapter we learned about 5 regiments from 5 of the roughest, toughest, most dangerous worlds in the Imperium and how each one had its own special skills and abilities. The Tallarn are expert raiders, no one can match the Iron Discipline of the Iron Guard, and the Catachan... well on Catachan every plant, animal, insect and bit of pollen is COMPLETELY DEADLY and only the strong survive.
So now we're going into the rules and, naturally, we're going to see this reflected?
Right?
Right?
No.
Despite the over the top fluff all guard units have the same S3, T3 stats! A Catachan is no tougher, a Mordian no braver, a Tallarn no faster. Keep in mind this was 2nd edition when Commissars and Inquisitors had T4 S4, so improving the stat line was no unheard of. But the big 5 regiments may as well all be the Nerf Guard of Wimpia for all the rules writers care.
Later in the book there are vet skills to customize squads and that's where these things get filled out. You can treat your Catachans as green recruits with nothing or make them all infiltrators or sharpshooters or whatever. So it wasn't a total loss but I know for me it was a bit of a let down.
We also get a look at the abhumans and other units.
Ratling snipers are little changed up through today.
There was a big debate here leading up to the 5th edition codex whether Ogryn should be T4 or T5, so it's interesting to see there were T5 in 2nd edition.
Rough Riders got a remake from cowboys to Mongols. Which is a bit of a shame in the name is taken from an American Regiment led by Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish American War.
We also get our first new unit, the mighty Storm Troopers.
At the time they still only had the 6+ save as guardsmen, but they did have 'hotshot lasers' that were about the same as bolters. They also have a nice, elegant bit of fluff. The hotshot powerpack is hard to maintain and takes special training. This has no effect on the game but explains why only Storm Troopers can get them.
One oddity about them though. As I mentioned
GW had discontinued the plastic
RT guardsmen and replaced them with metal. There were no plastic guardsmen for all of 2nd edition. But there were plastic Storm Troopers! Sometimes
GW marketing makes no sense at all.
Psykers were much more important in 2nd edition than 3rd-5th. Psychic powers were their own phase when you stopped everything and played a card game to cast or dispel psychic powers. Wiping out enemy psykers while protecting your own could win a game. So
IG psykers could have S4, T4 and I7, while the Catachans were down in S3 land...
A couple of options disappeared in this edition. Penal legions with their suicide bombers went away (probably for the best), beastmen were purged (but Ogryn stayed?), robots were deactivated (if you ever saw their rules you know why), conscripts/whiteshields got promoted, and everyone had to turn in their underbarrel grenade launchers with vortex grenades (darnit!).
So in all the
IG lost a lot in this section but then we get to... TANKS!
The Leman Russ in art...
And disappointing reality.
Of course it would look a lot better if it was weathered a bit but I suspect
GW had a policy of 'dumbing down' their paint jobs for rule books to keep new players from being intimidated. They certainly knew how to do weathering in
RT days.
Anyway, this book saw the 'official' release of the Leman Russ, Chimera and Basilisk rules (along with their cousins the Demolisher, the Hell Hound and the Griffon).
They'd first shown up in Epic Space Marine in the waning days of
40k and (I think) had rules in either the 2nd edition box set or in
WD soon after, but this was the first time they were in a rulebook. Originally the
IG used Rhinos and Land Raiders as their vehicles.
Rules take a siginificant portion of the book. At the time there were no standard rules for indirect fire and so on so they had to be explained.
This is also the time the
GW introduced the idea that
IG need two guys to load and fire a heavy weapon (in
RT they fired from the shoulder just like Marines). So that too some explaining. They did have an interesting special rule though, you could split off your heavy weapon team while the rest of the squad advanced. They could even get cover from the shield on their las cannons (but not other guns).
To simulate the fact that the
IG have a lot more than what is on the board, they got a free preliminary bombardment, 1 ordinance pie plate per tank in the army. It's one of those ideas that's good on paper but can't be fun in a game.
"OK my off-board artillery strikes kill you during deployment. Care to play again?"
Allies were still a big part of
40k so they get a page including some interesting tidbits about unrealized plans for
40k 2nd edition.
So yes there was an Imperial Agent codex planned which probably became codex Sisters of Battle.
Why yes, I will take a Harliquin Solitare to back up my guardsmen, and a Wraithlord, thank you sir.
And most interesting of all...
Yes Virginia, there was a Squat Codex...
I like to imagine it's sealed in a lead vault somewhere until the world is ready for its awesomeness.
Special characters round out the army list. Some old stalwarts like Yarrick (who first popped up in
RT days), Nork Dedddog and Lord Solar Macharus (who originally was known for his recklessness, not his planning) are here.
The Tallarn and Valhallans get their own specials, as do the Attilans and the ratlings???
No, seriously, Stumper Muckstart, ratling sniper. He could shoot a 5 credit coin out of the air blindfolded!
While Mogul Kamir could crush people with his cyber arm.
Surprisingly the Catachans and Cadians (the two star regiments these days) did not get special characters. The majesty of Sly Marbo would have to wait for another day.
And this guy...
Well I'd take back all the mean things I said about Codex Rambo if they made one of this guy!
And now we finish our trip down memory lane with a gallery of skull-encrusted commissars.
Thank you for reading and see you all at the next RETRO REVIEW!
12001st Valusian Airborne
Chrome Warriors
Death Guard
is how I envision Duke Nukem in "Duke Nukem Forever" to look like.
