Here’s a codex worth waiting 60 million years in a tomb for! One of the first codexes to hit the shelves is Codex: Necrons, and for the lore alone, it will be an unmissable read for every Warhammer 40,000 fan. With even more brand-new units on their way and an army-wide rules overhaul, this book will also be a (literal) game-changer for the Necrons on the battlefield!

LORE

So what’s new with the Necrons lore? Well, for starters, their ancestral ruler, the Silent King, has returned from self-imposed exile – that’s galaxy-shattering news! However, his reappearance has caused something of a crisis of faith among the dynasties, and not all have welcomed him back…

The new codex also expands the lore of the Szarekhan – the dynasty of the Silent King himself – and reveals the impact that their rise to prominence has had on the other Necron Phaerons and their dynasties. The book also showcases some stunning artwork that really helps to bring the Necrons to life, such as this incredible piece that sees numberless phalanxes assembled before the Silent King to pay homage.

RULES

Speaking of the Szerakhan, they’ll be receiving their own Dynastic Code, Uncanny Artificers, which provides them with a significant edge (or three, to be precise!) in the battle. The codex even includes rules for creating your own Dynastic Code, too!

But what’s all this talk of ‘command protocols’? Well, consider it one of the perks of biotransference which enables Necrons of high status to impose their will upon those who serve them. It may sound harsh, but don’t worry – for you, this is definitely a good thing! Here’s how it works…

If your army of Necrons all hails from the same dynasty and is led by a Character with the Noble keyword, then at the start of the game, you can secretly assign one of six command protocols to utilise during each battle round. After revealing your selected command protocol, you’ll need to choose which directive you will activate. Any of your units within 6″ of your Characters will then benefit from that directive. With careful strategy and forethought, command protocols can really throw off your opponent while giving you a massive advantage.

Spoiler:

The mysterious Crypteks are about to bring another string to your tachyon bow – OK, so a tachyon arrow doesn’t need a bow to fire, but you catch our drift! In fact, they’re about to bring four strings! There are now four, fully fledged varieties of Cryptek, divided according to their hypertechnological specialisation, and each benefits from their own datasheet replete with a plethora of thematic rules. The Plasmancer that made its debut in Indomitus was just the start!

Furthermore, they can be given an item of Cryptek Arkana for a nominal cost in Power or points, representing the wondrously esoteric techno-magic of the ancient Necron empire. Not only can these items be very handy in a tight spot, but they offer a versatile way to top up or round out your army list. As a master of temporal manipulation, a Chronomancer, for example, can be equipped with a means to slow your enemies to a crawl at crucial moments – but more on them later!

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NECRONS ON CRUSADE

One of the most exciting features of Warhammer 40,000’s newest and best-ever edition is the narrative-driven Crusade campaign system. The awesome thing is that every new codex is going to have a section dedicated to providing that faction with loads of new and wonderfully thematic options just for Crusade. We defy anyone to read this section of their codex and not immediately want to start a Crusade campaign – seriously!

You can look forward to faction-specific Agendas, Requisitions, Battle Traits, Crusade Relics and, in the case of the Necrons, even Dynastic Epithets – bespoke titles that offer unique upgrades or abilities. Here’s one such example, The Slow Decay of the Self Requisition, which represents a Character succumbing to the mindless lust for violence embraced by the Destroyer Cult.If like us, you thought the basic Crusade rules in the Warhammer 40,000 Core Book were already pretty rad, you’re gonna love all the extra narrative goodness in the new codexes!

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Simply put, the Space Marines are about to receive the biggest and best codex to date – the nearest thing to an actual Codex Astartes that we’ve ever made! In fact, it’s so all-encompassing that its enormous background section and in-depth rules cater for every loyal First Founding Chapter and their successors – yes, we’re talking Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, and even the Deathwatch!*

In addition to detailed lore on all the First Founding Chapters and some of their most famous successors (such as the Black Templars and Crimson Fists), the new codex is the biggest ever, with a whopping 98 datasheets covering all of the common units available to the armies of the Adeptus Astartes.

It will serve as a core book for future codex supplements that will formally reintroduce each Chapter’s bespoke units and Characters (we’ll have more on these later). Existing codex supplements such as that of the Ultramarines are still perfectly compatible with the new book, and we’ll be providing the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Deathwatch, and Space Wolves with get-you-by rules so you’ll be good to go from the outset.

As with the Codex: Necrons, the new Space Marines book is chock full of awesome supplemental Crusade rules for the Angels of Death. One of our favourite additions is the Requisition Even in Death I Still Serve, which sees a beloved but badly wounded Character from your Order of Battle interred within a Dreadnought’s sarcophagus to continue the fight!

That’s just one of the cool things you can do. There’s even the opportunity for one of your firstborn Characters to brave crossing the Rubicon Primaris, though doing so does not come without risk…

The new codex has also consolidated many of the most popular rules features that first made an appearance in the various Psychic Awakening books. The Chapter Command rules are one such example, meaning you’ll be able to upgrade one of your Chapter’s Chaplains, Librarians, Techmarines, and a variety of other Characters to the head of their order, but at a small cost in Power or points instead of using a Stratagem.

We’ve already shown you some of the brand-new Adeptus Astartes units, but to save you from struggling to identify all 98 units, we’re going to show the rest right now! First up, check out the Captain with Master-crafted Heavy Bolt Rifle – and yes, he’s wearing Mark X Gravis armour!

Wait a minute… a heavy bolt rifle? Yes, indeed! Heavy bolt rifles also happen to be the standard armament of… wait for it… Heavy Intercessors! And they’re called that for a reason – like their Captain, these bad-boys aren’t just heavily armed, they’re heavily armoured too, thanks to their Gravis armour. A Toughness 5 Troops unit with 3 Wounds apiece, anyone?

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While we’re on Gravis-armoured Space Marines, check out the multipart kit for the melta-toting Eradicators that made their debut in Indomitus.

The kit includes loads more options, such as the ability to swap out their melta rifles for an even harder-hitting heavy version. You’ll even be able to give one Eradicator in the set a multi-melta, complete with its devastating new profile…

The Bladeguard Veterans are also set to be treated to a multipart kit, offering dynamic new poses and the ability to equip the squad’s Sergeant with a neo-volkite pistol.
As of the new codex, Bladeguard Veterans will also be officially picking up the Deathwing/Wolf Guard keywords too, so they’ll seamlessly fit in as members of the fighting elite within the structure of the Dark Angels and Space Wolves Chapters.

A multipart Assault Intercessors kit is also on its way. In addition to more flexible posing options throughout, the squad’s Sergeant can be assembled with a hand flamer or plasma pistol, and can even wield a power sword, power fist, or thunder hammer too!

Last, but by no means least, is one of the coolest Primaris releases so far – the Storm Speeder! This awesome assault craft comes in three patterns, each equipped with a blistering array of heavy weaponry designed to eliminate a particular type of enemy. First up is the anti-infantry specialist, the Storm Speeder Hailstrike.

Fans of the Forge World’s devastating tanks, Titans, Dreadnoughts, and more also have much to look forward to in the form of a brand-new Imperial Armour: Compendium book.

Gaze upon its glory and prepare your armies for war!


This compendium is jam-packed full of updated datasheets and new rules designed to bring all of the amazing kits designed by Forge World right up to speed with the new edition. As well as loads of updated units and weapons profiles, you’ll also find a brand-new Regimental Doctrine for the mighty Death Korps of Krieg…
…as well as the return of some old favourites such as the Ork Warboss on Bike – looks like the Meks have finally fixed his ride. Waaagh!

 Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
"New Codex Format"
I wonder what they mean by this, if this means significant differences or just that they will add Crusade stuff?

 lord_blackfang wrote:

 Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
"New Codex Format"
I wonder what they mean by this, if this means significant differences or just that they will add Crusade stuff?

Probably just the graphic design. Can't imagine doing away with datasheets at this point.

Voss wrote:

 lord_blackfang wrote:

 Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
"New Codex Format"
I wonder what they mean by this, if this means significant differences or just that they will add Crusade stuff?

Probably just the graphic design. Can't imagine doing away with datasheets at this point.

Crosses fingers for points moved to the datasheets from the back of the book.
That was such an asinine decision in the first place.

Spoiler:

Part 1 of the classic Bloodquest graphic novel, colourised for the first time!

Exiled for the loss of the fabled Blade Encarmine, Captain Leonatos of the Blood Angels Space Marines and his brave battle brothers set forth upon a quest that would take them halfway across the universe and to the very brink of madness and reason.

 Kanluwen wrote:
Yes, it was talked about in the Black Library thread...

No need to trawl Amazon. They literally tell you via Warhammer Community what's coming up--with the exception of the 'secret' books that tie to a big box release or the like.

Voss wrote:

 lord_blackfang wrote:

 Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
"New Codex Format"
I wonder what they mean by this, if this means significant differences or just that they will add Crusade stuff?

Probably just the graphic design. Can't imagine doing away with datasheets at this point.

Crosses fingers for points moved to the datasheets from the back of the book.
That was such an asinine decision in the first place. Completely pointless cross-referencing is entirely without merit, especially since the point of datasheets is providing information.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
The 40k FB page did also post this less than 24hrs ago:



Significant?

 alextroy wrote:

Voss wrote:

 lord_blackfang wrote:

 Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
"New Codex Format"
I wonder what they mean by this, if this means significant differences or just that they will add Crusade stuff?

Probably just the graphic design. Can't imagine doing away with datasheets at this point.

Crosses fingers for points moved to the datasheets from the back of the book.
That was such an asinine decision in the first place. Completely pointless cross-referencing is entirely without merit, especially since the point of datasheets is providing information.

I expect a 0% chance of them putting points on the datasheets. We know they will be updated at least yearly, so no point in putting them there.

Instead, I expect the new datasheets to look a lot like those we have seen in Edge of Silence from the Indomitus box.

As for the next Codexes, I can't imagine that Codex Supplements for Dark Angels, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, and Deathwatch are too far into the future. If they follow the two a month pattern they did last time, we will have these four by the end of 2020.

 lord_blackfang wrote:
40k Warcry

Voss wrote:
Huh. The 9 of tentacles, the 7 of triangles, 6 of serpents (Yep. Those are snakes, and not symbolic of anything. *whistles*) and the Eight of a World in a targeting reticle as if its going to be Eaten by those skulls.

I'm sure its not indicative of anything.

 BrookM wrote:
Aren't those tarot cards from the core rulebook though? Can't help but feel I've seen them before.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
A new Daemons Codex was my first thought.