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Honestly, I'd roll some of the books together like:

Chaos Space Marines + Chaos Daemons + Lost and the Damned + Renegade Guard + Daemonkin> Hordes of Chaos

Astra Militarium + Militarium Tempestus + Abhumans + Arbites + Officio Assassinitorum> Department Militarium

Craftworld Eldar + Harlequins (+ Dark Eldar?)> Eldar Host

Sisters of Battle + Inquisition + Grey Knights + Deathwatch> Ordo Majoris

Cult Mechanicus + Skitarii + Imperial Knights> Adeptus Mechanicus

Necrons, Orks, Tau and Tyranids would stay their own Codexes, though it would be nice to see Tau incorporate more auxiliaries and Orks bring back a little more Klan diversity, even if it's only in the form of formations.

Space Marines are the big ones. Space Wolves have so much different stuff, but it's not impossible to put it in the same book. Chapter Tactics would cover the SW/ BA/ DA special rules, but getting the Grey Hunters and such equipped as they currently are would be a bit of a tweak or just a separate entry. How big do we want that book to be?

I play Orks, vanilla Marines (Crimson Fists), Space Wolves and Chaos. It would be so simple for me to say "feth Tau, Dark Eldar and Necrons. I don't play 'em, I don't care about 'em!" but I know that a lot of people out there DO love and play those races. How is it fair for me to safeguard my personal favourites and advocate the abandonment of someone else's?

Personally don't like Eldar, given that they're effectively space elves and as good ol' Garithos said in WC3, "NEVER TRUST AN ELF!". But realistically I would scrap all the marine variants as others have said and just compile it into one super-mega codex. GW just copy-pastes the majority of the stats and wargear anyways since assault marines, devastators, tacs, and much of the rhino variants etc. are all effectively the same across the codices so the only space they would be taking up would be the specialist/codex specific units which honestly wouldn't take up that much space overall. It also keeps all of them in the loop rather than having to wait for a similar boost to various units across the editions (i.e. Dark Angel syndrome until recently and that now scouts got BS/WS4 back and dreads got 4 attacks base).

I'd like them to take the extra time on CSM. So far they have one of the most mishmash selection of units where many of the old models stick out like a sore thumb to the DV chosen and helbrute. They still don't even have a plastic havocs kit for goodness' sake and the SM just got a devastator kit update! CSM and all their cult units need updates, pretty much the whole range needs an overhaul nearing the level of Dark Eldar. Similarly, CSM dex is too confused to find out what it really wants to represent. It doesn't have the toys of a renegade chapter, it doesn't have much of the relics or traits of the traitor legions, its a really nasty in between that leaves no one satisfied. Most of all, it doesn't reflect on the independent nature of chaos properly, instead lazily porting over Warriors of Chaos rules in an attempt to transfer the badassness of chaos warriors when in 40K shooting rules supreme and it isn't helped when all of CSM CC lacks an efficient delivery system.

I dont think scrapping knights or SM factions is a good idea.

The whole reason for knights is to level the super heavy playing field. If you dont think SHs should be in 40k, thats another debate entirely.

DA especially would not get any justice being put inbthe SM codex. The chapter tactics rules would be 2 pages long just for them.

 Lord Corellia wrote:
Honestly, I'd roll some of the books together like:

Chaos Space Marines + Chaos Daemons + Lost and the Damned + Renegade Guard + Daemonkin> Hordes of Chaos

Astra Militarium + Militarium Tempestus + Abhumans + Arbites + Officio Assassinitorum> Department Militarium

Craftworld Eldar + Harlequins (+ Dark Eldar?)> Eldar Host

Sisters of Battle + Inquisition + Grey Knights + Deathwatch> Ordo Majoris

Cult Mechanicus + Skitarii + Imperial Knights> Adeptus Mechanicus

Necrons, Orks, Tau and Tyranids would stay their own Codexes, though it would be nice to see Tau incorporate more auxiliaries and Orks bring back a little more Klan diversity, even if it's only in the form of formations.

Space Marines are the big ones. Space Wolves have so much different stuff, but it's not impossible to put it in the same book. Chapter Tactics would cover the SW/ BA/ DA special rules, but getting the Grey Hunters and such equipped as they currently are would be a bit of a tweak or just a separate entry. How big do we want that book to be?

I play Orks, vanilla Marines (Crimson Fists), Space Wolves and Chaos. It would be so simple for me to say "feth Tau, Dark Eldar and Necrons. I don't play 'em, I don't care about 'em!" but I know that a lot of people out there DO love and play those races. How is it fair for me to safeguard my personal favourites and advocate the abandonment of someone else's?

And that's the problem. If we had this discussion 10 years ago (I'm sure we did...) it would be easy to remove all the stand alone chapters and put them into a single book. Especially with the advent of tactics and formations that we have now. The problem is GW has fleshed out the chapters so much it would be hard to do it all in a single book now. Not impossible mind you, but the special rules would get out of hand quick.

For example... a Dark Angels tactic that makes it so if you take a Green/Death/Raven wing formation, 1 unit of bikers and 1 unit of terminators are upgraded to knights. Or take a Blood Angels formation and 1 unit of assault marines become death company and your vanguard vets become priests. I mean it can be done... just very special rules heavy.

But like many, condensing all of the Marines into a single book is much preferred. I don't think we need to condense it quite as heavily as you want it though.

I do think its kind of ridiculous to have the Imperial Knights as their own army, they have what 5 models, I mean really?


Cheers, C66

I would remove CSM. The Chaos legions are all destroyed and splintered and the majority of CSM are recently turned renegades so it makes no sense for them to have Heresy era equipment like reaper autocannons. They should just be rolled into the SM codex and given Chapter Tactics: Chaos that removes ATSKNF and combat squads, allows them to purchase marks and randomly causes their weaponry to hit themselves in the face.

This would free up resources to do 11 separate Ultramarines codices - 1 for each of the 10 companies plus Codex: Marneus Calgar. The latter ties into the release of the board game Marneus Calgar: Fightin' Round the Eye which details Calgar's heroic 1-man crusade into the Eye of Terror aboard his faithful battlebarge Tuggerius. The box includes an exclusive plastic Marneus Calgar as well as the multipart CSM terminator lord and 3 of the snap-fit monopose CSM. Retail 125 USD. Fists of Macragge web bundle includes boardgame plus 4 boxes of tactical terminators and comes with a data slate that let's you yell "courage and honour!" and uppercut your opponent square in the groin otherwise the whole formation gets no-scatter deep strike, same-turn assault and all their attacks are Str D for the rest of the game.

 jokerkd wrote:


The whole reason for knights is to level the super heavy playing field.

How? Everyone except for Imperials (who already had the lion's share of SH options) doesn't get to BB with Knights. How did that `level the playing field`?

Remove Farsight Enclaves.

Replace them with Squats.

Also, instead of consolidating all Astartes books into one (which would be horrible, butcher subfactions, little fluff, and jack up the price), fold them into three books. Codex Adherent, Codex Deviant, and Non-Codex. Chapters such as the Ultramarines, Imperial Fists, Raven Guard, etc would go into Codex Adherent. Dark Angels, White Scars, Salamanders, etc would go into Codex Deviant. Finally Chapters like the Space Wolves and Black Templars would be put into Non-Codex.

Plus even more special rules can be added to give each of the three organizations and chapters within them a very unique feel, possibly even adding in mechanics to scratchbuild your own Custom Chapter instead of just copying the special rules of another chapter if we're wishlisting.

Let's face it though, GW are never going to make less books for us to buy. I know they've said they're done with things like the Champions of Fenris and Black Legion supplements, but I feel like they'll release a whole slew of them again if their profits take a hit. Books are cheap and easy; they have three decades' worth of art and fluff to regurgitate and they can use them to skew the stats and force people to buy whatever is suddenly good.

Tau, just don't get them.

 Manchu wrote:

 OrkaMorka wrote:
Dataslates even?

You mean warscrolls.

In the grim darkness of the near future, there will be four factions: Imperial, Chaos, Bad Xenos, and Less Bad Xenos.

This is heresy. There can be no such thing as a "less bad xenos". Please report to the nearest commissar or inquisitor.

Edit: oh, also I'd remove Tau. Space anime fan communists with a hardon for mechs? Ew. I know that they're a young race and all in the lore so maybe when they grow up they'll realize that the whole communist thing doesn't really work.

Edit 2: This forum has wordfilters?

 ionusx wrote:
Militarum tempestus, unless gdub rolls the sisters into their codex their codex is devoid of value.

+1

Admech. Thier contribution militarily to the IoM is negligible, outside of the Legio Titanicus. There "armys" only ever really defended the handful of Forge worlds.

Sisters need the love. Realistically I'd say the Ecclisiarchy as a whole should be represented. Kind of like they did for the AdMech ironically. The IoMs religion is a greater factor in their society & military.

 Red Marine wrote:
Admech. Thier contribution militarily to the IoM is negligible, outside of the Legio Titanicus. There "armys" only ever really defended the handful of Forge worlds.

Where do you think that most of the weapons and other equipment come from? I'd say completely the opposite, their contriubution is almost as significant as the guard's and the navy's. I'd be completely fine with Admech never having been playable or right now vanishing overnight but in the fluff, those handful of forge worlds are pretty damn important. Sticks and stones just aren't quite enough to defend a galaxy-spanning empire.

 Red Marine wrote:
Admech. Thier contribution militarily to the IoM is negligible, outside of the Legio Titanicus. There "armys" only ever really defended the handful of Forge worlds.

Sisters need the love. Realistically I'd say the Ecclisiarchy as a whole should be represented. Kind of like they did for the AdMech ironically. The IoMs religion is a greater factor in their society & military.

Uh, dude?

If we're going by those standards, then SM and SB should be removed in favor of Admech, because the Admech fights in a whole hell of a lot more battles than Space Marines and Sisters.

If GW join all SM dexes to one book, the price would be € 150 ...

 Naberiel wrote:
If GW join all SM dexes to one book, the price would be € 150 ...

There's absolutely no reason this would need to be true. Other gaming companies put out 300+page hardcover, full color books all the time for $40-60. Battlefront, FFG, Corvus Belli, etc. all manage it.

Get rid of Sisters of Battle. The Inquisition needs someone to go after psykers? Give them a Marine faction, like how Ordo Xenos has the Deathwatch and the Ordo Malleus has the Grey Knights.

Never liked their models, and every SoB player I've played against has been TFG.

A new Marine faction would sell more than SoB plastics because people could use them to convert their other Marines. Double win for GW and win for hobbyists who like to convert.

Plus, who says a combined marine book would need to be 300+ pages?

Flip through any of the latest codices and count up the number of pages wasted on the new army list format at the back (one unit per page with picture compared to old 3-4 units per page), the amount of pages dedicated to pictures of models, and the over done, poorly done colour scheme spreads that look like MS paint drawings.

Cut/reduce all that fat and all the rules fit in fine. The fluff wouldn't be that big of a deal, as much of it is redundant anyways (going over basic astartes stuff, explaining the role of common marine units, so on), plus many units are literally identical.

Stop thinking of just gluing the marine books together, and think about how you could cut down on useless gak in the books and have everything loyalist marine in a single book for the same cost.

Same goes for the two ad mech books. Just make them one. Stupid.

Echoing what others have said, I'd do a merging of several books which don't need to be individual factions. Chaos and the Imperium would both get condensed.

If I had to pick a faction to get squatted, Tau.

...None? Seriously, one of things I like 40k is that's it's such a kitchen sink of sci-fi tropes. It's the plurality of 40k that makes it so appealing to me. I also personally don't feel entitled enough to claim that GW should cater entirely to my tastes and remove something that I personally don't like to the detriment of people who do like it.

 Blacksails wrote:
Plus, who says a combined marine book would need to be 300+ pages?

Flip through any of the latest codices and count up the number of pages wasted on the new army list format at the back (one unit per page with picture compared to old 3-4 units per page), the amount of pages dedicated to pictures of models, and the over done, poorly done colour scheme spreads that look like MS paint drawings.

Cut/reduce all that fat and all the rules fit in fine. The fluff wouldn't be that big of a deal, as much of it is redundant anyways (going over basic astartes stuff, explaining the role of common marine units, so on), plus many units are literally identical.

Stop thinking of just gluing the marine books together, and think about how you could cut down on useless gak in the books and have everything loyalist marine in a single book for the same cost.

Same goes for the two ad mech books. Just make them one. Stupid.

Are you serious? Cut out all the stuff that actually separates them all, that makes them unique? Why would anyone want to play them at that point anymore? Besides what would you put in the book? Ultramarine stuff? Blood Angel? Space Wolf? Dark Angel? Grey Knights? Yeah thats gonna be great when all the rest of the armies look at a book they would be paying $80+ for that has nothing but a few pages of rules for their models, you can guarantee no one will move on from their current codex if something like that was ever introduced. It is an utterly inane idea that you should be ashamed of even thinking of, its absolutely foolish and would be a terrible move for GW in terms of not only the game but their income.

"Makes them unique" is a judgment call. They're still just marines with a different paintjob to many.

GW does have a website that is woefully underutilized. Putting faction stories and background information would certainly ease some of your concerns.

Blood Angels, so their players can stop bitching about how Eldar can take scatterbikes while I don't even have any and they're flying an invisible assault termie deathstar across the board at the speed of a bike.

 Lord Corellia wrote:
Honestly, I'd roll some of the books together like:

Chaos Space Marines + Chaos Daemons + Lost and the Damned + Renegade Guard + Daemonkin> Hordes of Chaos

Astra Militarium + Militarium Tempestus + Abhumans + Arbites + Officio Assassinitorum> Department Militarium

Craftworld Eldar + Harlequins (+ Dark Eldar?)> Eldar Host

Sisters of Battle + Inquisition + Grey Knights + Deathwatch> Ordo Majoris

Cult Mechanicus + Skitarii + Imperial Knights> Adeptus Mechanicus

Necrons, Orks, Tau and Tyranids would stay their own Codexes, though it would be nice to see Tau incorporate more auxiliaries and Orks bring back a little more Klan diversity, even if it's only in the form of formations.

Space Marines are the big ones. Space Wolves have so much different stuff, but it's not impossible to put it in the same book. Chapter Tactics would cover the SW/ BA/ DA special rules, but getting the Grey Hunters and such equipped as they currently are would be a bit of a tweak or just a separate entry. How big do we want that book to be?

More or less my opinion as well. I don't want to see armies ditched, but some of them have no job being stand-alone codexes.

General Hobbs wrote:


Get rid of Sisters of Battle. The Inquisition needs someone to go after psykers? Give them a Marine faction, like how Ordo Xenos has the Deathwatch and the Ordo Malleus has the Grey Knights.

Never liked their models, and every SoB player I've played against has been TFG.

A new Marine faction would sell more than SoB plastics because people could use them to convert their other Marines. Double win for GW and win for hobbyists who like to convert.

Wow, that's the most bitter I've ever heard someone be about the Sisters.

Besides, the Sisters are not lackeys of the Inquisition in the first place.

In any case, more Marines? Really? Marines are so... boring though. They're only worthwhile as a foil to show how badass all the people who live in 40k without being a genetic monster are.

 n0t_u wrote:
Blood Angels, so their players can stop bitching about how Eldar can take scatterbikes while I don't even have any and they're flying an invisible assault termie deathstar across the board at the speed of a bike.

LOL BA can't even get invisibility. And assault terminators are pretty bad.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
In any case, more Marines? Really? Marines are so... boring though. They're only worthwhile as a foil to show how badass all the people who live in 40k without being a genetic monster are.

What the feth did you just fething say about me, you worthless heretic? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Space Marines, and I've led an incomprehensible number of secret raids against the forces of chaos, and I have over 30 million confirmed purgings. I am trained in armored warfare and I'm the top Ultramarine in all the Space Marine Chapters. You are nothing to me but just another heretic. I will wipe you the feth out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before in this universe, mark my fething words.
You think you can get away with saying that gak to me over the Warp? Think again, fether. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of spies across the galaxy and your powers are being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You're fething dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill you in over seven hundred ways, and that's just with my bolter.
Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed combat, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the Adeptus Mechanicus and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable ass off the face of the planet, you little gak. If only you could have known what holy retribution your little "clever" comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your fething tongue. But you couldn't, you didn't, and now you're paying the price, you Emperor-damned idiot.