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Hello.

I am getting back to playing 40k and I am slightly confused about what books I need to start playing 8th edition.

Do I need just the rulebook https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Warhammer-40000-rulebook-eng-2017 or just the chapter approved book https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Warhammer-40000-Chapter-Approved-2017-ENG or both?

Thanks.

You will need the 8th edition rulebook and the codex for your chosen army. Chapter Approved 2017 is an add on that offers new rules/missions and updates the points for a few units.

The core rules are available free from GW: https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/40k/warhammer_40000_en.pdf

The rulebook adds missions and army construction rules for "battleforged" armies for Matched Play.

Chapter Approved has additional missions and some changes and points changes, that also apply mostly to matched play.

For just playing, the Codex/Index for your army and the Battle Primer are enough to get started. You can find lots of missions online, pick up the pack of Open War cards, or make up your own.

The full rulebook and a copy of Chapter Approved would be needed if you wanted to play in matched play events, like tournaments.

 Asmodai wrote:
The core rules are available free from GW: https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/40k/warhammer_40000_en.pdf

The rulebook adds missions and army construction rules for "battleforged" armies for Matched Play.

Chapter Approved has additional missions and some changes and points changes, that also apply mostly to matched play.

For just playing, the Codex/Index for your army and the Battle Primer are enough to get started. You can find lots of missions online, pick up the pack of Open War cards, or make up your own.

The full rulebook and a copy of Chapter Approved would be needed if you wanted to play in matched play events, like tournaments.

 BlackLobster wrote:
You will need the 8th edition rulebook and the codex for your chosen army. Chapter Approved 2017 is an add on that offers new rules/missions and updates the points for a few units.

I am going to get the rulebook irregardless because I like the lore - I'm just going to play with my mates but we should play the latest rules so how much of Chapter Approved is updates?

If it is just a couple of pages then I might leave it and just borrow my mates, but if it includes major changes then I probably should have my own copy.

Thanks for the link.

No major rules changes, just additional rules for missions and points changes. Asmodai has it right; which books you need to have depends wholly on the environment you're playing in. At a friends house or FLGS? You could probably get away with carefully googling and printing out the information you need. At a GW store or tournament? You'll need the rule book, your codex, and Chapter Approved.

 Luciferian wrote:
No major rules changes, just additional rules for missions and points changes. Asmodai has it right; which books you need to have depends wholly on the environment you're playing in. At a friends house or FLGS? You could probably get away with carefully googling and printing out the information you need. At a GW store or tournament? You'll need the rule book, your codex, and Chapter Approved.

\

And your Index, and the FAQ for your codex and the FAQ for your index and the Designers Commentary to tell you how to use all of those

Technically, no you don't need either one to play.

The core rules are free from the website. Really all you need is the index/codex for the relevant faction you want to play.

Ideally though, yes you will need both. The BRB contains more advanced rules and all the mission variations that people will commonly play. Chapter Approved contains new ways to play in a narrative setting and has official point changes for several units throughout each faction - although if it is just the points you are after, you do not need to buy the book. The point values can easily be found online (personally, I think the book is worth it to buy)

 NurglesR0T wrote:
although if it is just the points you are after, you do not need to buy the book. The point values can easily be found online (personally, I think the book is worth it to buy)

This though risks opponent declining to play if you can't show non-fakable source for changes. Especially ones that benefit you.

 NurglesR0T wrote:
Technically, no you don't need either one to play.

The core rules are free from the website. Really all you need is the index/codex for the relevant faction you want to play.

Ideally though, yes you will need both. The BRB contains more advanced rules and all the mission variations that people will commonly play. Chapter Approved contains new ways to play in a narrative setting and has official point changes for several units throughout each faction - although if it is just the points you are after, you do not need to buy the book. The point values can easily be found online (personally, I think the book is worth it to buy)

The detachment charts for matched play are pretty easy to find too.

If a codex has been released for your army, you will want to have:
1. Free downloadable rulebook (Handy as a reference),
2. Rulebook (for missions, explanations, etc),
3. Codex (for faction rules, better points values and PLs, all the unit stats),
4. Chapter Approved (new missions, fortifications rules),
5. Downloaded FAQs for all 3, and the Designers Commentary FAQ.

If you have no codex:
1. Free downloadable rulebook (Handy as a reference),
2. Rulebook (for missions, explanations, etc),
3. Index (unit stats),
4. Chapter Approved - required for new points values (new missions, fortifications rules),
5. Downloaded FAQs for all 3, and the Designers Commentary FAQ.

If you want a priority order to get them in, 1 and 5 are the 'starters set', and the rulebook next.

Also don't forget index even for codex armies for many options. With imperium/chaos/lesser degree eldars You'll likely also end up more than 1 faction if you want to be competive so index+possibly codex(eventually both). Appropriate index from FW will likely be required in future too.

I'll be totally honest - you're gonna want the core rules packet, the Open War mission deck, and then your codex/index, that's it.

I've stopped bringing the rulebook because it's heavy and it adds so little content from the rules packet that I actually make use of. The Open War cards are flatly superior to the base maelstrom or eternal war missions, especially so because you can easily tailor your randomness (I've removed a couple of deployments that usually result in two-turn games, and I've picked out the five Twist cards which result in longer games by healing or slowing down the killing, I've also removed the Kill Point missions because while they're perfectly balanced, they just feel like playing the game without an objective.)

The missions are just better designed to 8th ed: lots of sudden-death objectives where you can win immediately if you achieve something, and the timed objectives go out to turn 5 max, none of this random game length bs. I've yet to see an Open War deck mission end in a tabling, and I've yet to see an eternal war or maelstrom mission not end in a tabling.

Also, you don't need the index.

The whole point of the FAQ about using options from the index was for people who have existing models, to avoid invalidating them. It is not intended as simply giving you the options they left out of the codex to build entirely new models and armies with.

If you are new, and have a codex, you don't need the index.

If you're a veteran player with models that aren't in the codex, you might need the index if you're against converting the models to match the codex options.

 Skinnereal wrote:
If a codex has been released for your army, you will want to have:
1. Free downloadable rulebook (Handy as a reference),
2. Rulebook (for missions, explanations, etc),
3. Codex (for faction rules, better points values and PLs, all the unit stats),
4. Chapter Approved (new missions, fortifications rules),
5. Downloaded FAQs for all 3, and the Designers Commentary FAQ.

If you have no codex:
1. Free downloadable rulebook (Handy as a reference),
2. Rulebook (for missions, explanations, etc),
3. Index (unit stats),
4. Chapter Approved - required for new points values (new missions, fortifications rules),
5. Downloaded FAQs for all 3, and the Designers Commentary FAQ.

If you want a priority order to get them in, 1 and 5 are the 'starters set', and the rulebook next.

To add to this... if your army has a Codex that removed some options that used to exist:
1. Free downloadable rulebook (Handy as a reference),
2. Rulebook (for missions, explanations, etc),
3. Codex (for faction rules, better points values and PLs, all the unit stats),
4. Index (for units no longer in the Codex, but that are still legal to use. An example is a SM Dreadnought with dual Autocannon arms.),
5. Chapter Approved - required for new points values (new missions, fortifications rules),
6. Downloaded FAQs for all 3, and the Designers Commentary FAQ.

Also, keep in mind that some armies will currently require that you purchase a different army's Codex to get the latest rules for a given unit. As an example, I play Space Wolves. Index Imperium 1 instructs me to use the Space Marines Captain datasheet to represent my Wolf Lord model. The latest datasheet for that, per the Designer's Commentary FAQ, would be in Codex Space Marines. So, I need to buy Codex Space Marines now to use my Space Wolves army, but will probably no longer need it when Codex Space Wolves comes out. Generally, it's only the Imperial players who have to worry about this sort of thing.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
Also, you don't need the index.

The whole point of the FAQ about using options from the index was for people who have existing models, to avoid invalidating them. It is not intended as simply giving you the options they left out of the codex to build entirely new models and armies with.

If you are new, and have a codex, you don't need the index.

If you're a veteran player with models that aren't in the codex, you might need the index if you're against converting the models to match the codex options.

I disagree with this emphatically. You're effectively saying...

1. Army X has 30 units available to it through the various published sources. 5 of them are in an Index. 25 of them are in a Codex.
2. New players have access to the 25 that are in a Codex.
3. Existing players have access to all 30.

That's a terrible way to run a game/community of players. Everyone should have access to the full pool of options. Currently, that includes the Index options.

I disagree right back, Kriswall, though your structure of the argument is different than mine.

1) Army X has 25 units available to it through the Codex, and 5 more available through the Index that has been superseded.

2) GW knows veteran players will be mad as hell (as they were before the FAQs) that said units/options have been removed.

3) GW compromises by saying "if you have a existing model, then you can use the Index rules."

I think essentially GW wants to remove certain things from the game, but their fear of the backlash prevents them from wholesale doing it. That doesn't mean that the game won't be better off without those options.

 Kriswall wrote:

 Skinnereal wrote:
If a codex has been released for your army, you will want to have:
1. Free downloadable rulebook (Handy as a reference),
2. Rulebook (for missions, explanations, etc),
3. Codex (for faction rules, better points values and PLs, all the unit stats),
4. Chapter Approved (new missions, fortifications rules),
5. Downloaded FAQs for all 3, and the Designers Commentary FAQ.

If you have no codex:
1. Free downloadable rulebook (Handy as a reference),
2. Rulebook (for missions, explanations, etc),
3. Index (unit stats),
4. Chapter Approved - required for new points values (new missions, fortifications rules),
5. Downloaded FAQs for all 3, and the Designers Commentary FAQ.

If you want a priority order to get them in, 1 and 5 are the 'starters set', and the rulebook next.

To add to this... if your army has a Codex that removed some options that used to exist:
1. Free downloadable rulebook (Handy as a reference),
2. Rulebook (for missions, explanations, etc),
3. Codex (for faction rules, better points values and PLs, all the unit stats),
4. Index (for units no longer in the Codex, but that are still legal to use. An example is a SM Dreadnought with dual Autocannon arms.),
5. Chapter Approved - required for new points values (new missions, fortifications rules),
6. Downloaded FAQs for all 3, and the Designers Commentary FAQ.

Also, keep in mind that some armies will currently require that you purchase a different army's Codex to get the latest rules for a given unit. As an example, I play Space Wolves. Index Imperium 1 instructs me to use the Space Marines Captain datasheet to represent my Wolf Lord model. The latest datasheet for that, per the Designer's Commentary FAQ, would be in Codex Space Marines. So, I need to buy Codex Space Marines now to use my Space Wolves army, but will probably no longer need it when Codex Space Wolves comes out. Generally, it's only the Imperial players who have to worry about this sort of thing.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
Also, you don't need the index.

The whole point of the FAQ about using options from the index was for people who have existing models, to avoid invalidating them. It is not intended as simply giving you the options they left out of the codex to build entirely new models and armies with.

If you are new, and have a codex, you don't need the index.

If you're a veteran player with models that aren't in the codex, you might need the index if you're against converting the models to match the codex options.

I disagree with this emphatically. You're effectively saying...

1. Army X has 30 units available to it through the various published sources. 5 of them are in an Index. 25 of them are in a Codex.
2. New players have access to the 25 that are in a Codex.
3. Existing players have access to all 30.

That's a terrible way to run a game/community of players. Everyone should have access to the full pool of options. Currently, that includes the Index options.

It's true. You need all the books. This is one of the major issues with 8th and it will not stop. Be prepared to haul around serveral books, pdfs, faqs, cards, and printouts or you wont actually have "all of the rules".

I am going to be playing space marines and tyranids and have bought both their codices and the rulebook.

I have downloaded the FAQ for space marines - tyranids don't have one as of now.

My mate is going to get chapter approved - from what I've seen of it, we don't really need more then one copy.

I forgot to get the datacards for both armies but otherwise I think I am set - just need to build an army and buy any additional models...

And don't forget you need the FAQs of armies you DON'T play because they have extremely relevant questions answered there too (e.g. Death Guard has one, Tyranids another, SM has a third and that's off the top of my head).