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Where does it say that codex is used over rulebook? I have always played it that way, but where the heck is the actual instruction? I'm not seeing it in the rulebook FAQ or the rulebook itself.

In practice, it doesn't seem to be a generic rule of "codex over rulebook". Its more of a "codex can override rulebook if specifically stated to". Two very different things, and there are no end to the posts of people with opinions on how things work based on the difference between the two, on every rules forum I have seen.

So where the heck is the printed guidelines on this, what is the exact wording?

I always thought of it as the specific overriding the general.

The codex usually being more specific than the rulebook, but not always.

It is stated in at least two spots in the BRB that I know.
BRB pg. 74".... if the rule is different, the one in the Codex takes precendence......"
Pg. 62. "As normal, the rules in the Codex take precendence."

It's actually pretty funny Tau are the only race that I know of that have Jet Packs not jump packs and give them the relentless rule but the codex says they lose it.


I think that is the clearest example of it. The Tau codex came out before the rulebook ; why then would the person who wrote the rule book specifically single out that and not just leave it out ; it makes no sense at all.

SeattleDV8 wrote:It is stated in at least two spots in the BRB that I know.
BRB pg. 74".... if the rule is different, the one in the Codex takes precendence......"
Pg. 62. "As normal, the rules in the Codex take precendence."

Ah, thanks, I see those references now. That's it though, no overarching statement about it anyplace? Just a couple references about smoke launchers and universal special rules to use the specific rules in the codex over the general rules in the rulebook.

That's not a hard rule of "codex over rulebook", that's mechanics based on deduction of specific over general. It just happens that specifics are almost always going to be in the codex, with general in the rulebook.

Anything more conclusive than those two references that anyone knows of to add?




Automatically Appended Next Post:

Hollismason wrote:It's actually pretty funny Tau are the only race that I know of that have Jet Packs not jump packs and give them the relentless rule but the codex says they lose it.


I think that is the clearest example of it. The Tau codex came out before the rulebook ; why then would the person who wrote the rule book specifically single out that and not just leave it out ; it makes no sense at all.

What page in the Tau codex are you referring to? I've never used them, so I have no idea what you are referring to.

What kind of statement are you really looking for? Because you're not going to find it.

The basics of any game rules are that you have core game mechanics which are then overridden by the more specific special rules found throughout the game.

For example, you have basic movement rules and then you have movement rules provided in the different unit types which explains how those unit types break the basic movement rules. Obviously these more specific unit rules override the general core rules or else the game doesn't make any sense.

The same exact thing applies to codexes. They contain army specific special rules which, by their very nature, must override the core rules of the game or else nothing at all makes any sense.


This is a fundamental principle of any game that has has rules expansions or supplements. The ONLY time this wouldn't be the case is if the rules somewhere specifically say that the core rules take precedence over the expansions/supplements, such as the 4th edition rulebook did with Universal Special Rules (which said to use the rulebook versions of the rules over the codex versions).

The 5th edition rules do not have any exemptions printed like this and in fact have a couple of redundant points (which have already been mentioned) verifying the basic fact that expansions/supplements override the general rules.

Yakface as ever speaks the truth. Hopefully when GW release 6th edition they will hire a couple of Law School interns and stick a big "CODEX > RULEBOOK EXCEPT WHERE THE RULEBOOK SAYS RULEBOOK > CODEX" in red and bold in the front cover.

I was looking for some justification of why people claim codex over rulebook as some hard written rule more than anything. I just always assumed it was written somewhere, and was surprised when I couldn't find it.

I understand specific over general as a mechanic function of the rules. Now try explaining to someone who doesn't know how the function works in detail. It would be much easier to explain it if there was a statement in the book of how the various rule books are meant to work together, that's what I was hoping I was missing somewhere.