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Hey Dakka,

I am looking to get into 30K and have already bought the 2 red books pertaining to the space marine legions. I noticed that forge world has some bundles going on for the black books which makes them a little cheaper and was wondering if they are still worth getting.

I know the red books update the rules for units and legions through book 5 but was wondering if there is anything else in the black books besides rules for the legions, admech, and solar auxilia. I am reading through the horus heresy novels (currently on book 11) and wanted to see if the books provided more background on the civil war, legions, etc.

Thanks in advance for the feedback!

campaigns and fluff mostly. they are good reads though, I reccoemnd them if you honeslty have nothing else you'd wanna get

Book 6, however, has stuff that's NOT in the red books. like blood angels, dark angels, white scars, and some newer units.

If you want the books just for the rules, it isn't worth it. But if you have any interest in the background, whether it be campaigns, tons of pictures, or anything else 30k related, I would highly recommend them. They are awesome books. I just wish they weren't $70+...

Thanks for the replies! Yeah, I really want them for the fluff/background on the heresy and the legions and what each legion prefers in terms of fighting style and tactics. But from the sounds of it, it looks like these books are good buys.

I am really stuck between salamanders, death guard, and emperors children at the moment maybe even imperial fists or ultramarines. I also am looking into space wolves/thousand sons but I know those rules won't come out until book 7.

Always worth it for fluff, art and campaign material. For unit rules and basic missions use red books.

 Freytag93 wrote:
If you want the books just for the rules, it isn't worth it. But if you have any interest in the background, whether it be campaigns, tons of pictures, or anything else 30k related, I would highly recommend them. They are awesome books. I just wish they weren't $70+...

Still cheaper than college textbooks.

What are these new units that aren't in the red books?

NivlacSupreme wrote:
What are these new units that aren't in the red books?

The Red Books are updated through HH: Book Six Retribution. Forge World has come out with a couple new models since then with no rules in any books (yet). There is also the forthcoming HH:Book Seven: Inferno, which has three armies in it.

The current list of models with no rules in the Red Books:

Legio Custodes
Legio Custodes Caladius Grav Tank
Sisters of Silence
Acastus Knight Porphyrion

 Tamwulf wrote:

NivlacSupreme wrote:
What are these new units that aren't in the red books?

The Red Books are updated through HH: Book Six Retribution. Forge World has come out with a couple new models since then with no rules in any books (yet). There is also the forthcoming HH:Book Seven: Inferno, which has three armies in it.

The current list of models with no rules in the Red Books:

Legio Custodes
Legio Custodes Caladius Grav Tank
Sisters of Silence
Acastus Knight Porphyrion

You forgot Leman Russ.

He came with rules.

NivlacSupreme wrote:
He came with rules.

Experimental rules, like the Porphyrion did.

Those aren't what his Inferno rules will be, just a stop gap.

Are Dark Angels confirmed for Inferno?

 Retrogamer0001 wrote:
Are Dark Angels confirmed for Inferno?

It's speculated, but not confirmed, much to my distaste.

Inferno will feature the following army lists: Talons of the Emperor (Custodes and Sisters of Silence), the Space Wolves, Thousand Sons and the Prospero Spire Guard.

I heard blood angels and dark angels would see some attention in the book after inferno.

To add to the units not in the redbooks: Anacharis Scoria, Artalax, Vultarax

 BrookM wrote:
Inferno will feature the following army lists: Talons of the Emperor (Custodes and Sisters of Silence), the Space Wolves, Thousand Sons and the Prospero Spire Guard.

Mind giving us a source? Tired of waiting for Dark Angels, and don't want to get my hopes up if they're definitely not in Inferno.

 Retrogamer0001 wrote:

 BrookM wrote:
Inferno will feature the following army lists: Talons of the Emperor (Custodes and Sisters of Silence), the Space Wolves, Thousand Sons and the Prospero Spire Guard.

Mind giving us a source? Tired of waiting for Dark Angels, and don't want to get my hopes up if they're definitely not in Inferno.

When we got the "rumor" I inferred it to be the book after Inferno, though a lot of people latched on to it meaning Inferno. I'd of course be happier if it was Inferno, but I'm not holding my breath.

 Tamwulf wrote:

NivlacSupreme wrote:
What are these new units that aren't in the red books?

The Red Books are updated through HH: Book Six Retribution. Forge World has come out with a couple new models since then with no rules in any books (yet). There is also the forthcoming HH:Book Seven: Inferno, which has three armies in it.

The current list of models with no rules in the Red Books:

Legio Custodes
Legio Custodes Caladius Grav Tank
Sisters of Silence
Acastus Knight Porphyrion

You forgot all the unique characters introduced in Book VI, including Skoria, and the two new automata, Arlatax (in book VI) and Vultarax (experimental rules available).

Do we have any idea when the next, updated, red books hit the shelves ?
Are the ebooks red books updated like the digi codex ?

Hopefully not any time soon, I'm still stinging from the last time they did that one.

The core army book may not be updated for a long while, since it has all the units in there. If the next few black books bring lots of new generic Legion units (not sure how likely that is), we may see it reprinted.

The Legion book will see reprinting once Thousand Sons, Wolves, both Angels, and Scars have complete rulesets. So again not for a good while.