Games Workshop has revealed its new edition of Warhammer 40,000. The 11th Edition of the Grimdark Sci-Fi wargame will start off on Armageddon, just as 10th ends on this well-known wartorn planet. We got a peek at a new cinematic (above), plus some of the new miniatures coming in the boxed set.

Armageddon // Warhammer 40,000

Following on from the return of Commissar Yarrick, the Imperial forces are in dire straits as the Orks, led by Wazdakka Gutsmek and Ghazghkull, threaten to overwhelm the defenders and conquer Armageddon once and for all. Thankfully, the Space Marines answer the call and Operation Imperator brings a coalition of Space Marines chapters to the planet to help settle the score and drive back the Ork invaders.

The Blood Angels sit at the heart of this operation but they are backed up by Space Marines of every chapter from the Ultramarines to the Space Wolves, Salamanders and more. Much like the Astra Militarum, they too find themselves a little stretched and that comes across in the new Space Marines present within this boxed set.

New Space Marine // Warhammer 40,000

The Primaris Space Marines wore the now ubiquitous Mk X power armour but over the years, this has started to get battered, broken and now finds itself replaced and reinforced with older marks of armour by beleaguered Space Marines. With that in mind, classic helmets, greaves, shoulder pads and more find their way back into service as you can see in the image above.

It certainly makes sense to make use of the classic look of the Space Marines, especially as the fighting returns to Armageddon. Even though we've just seen one miniature, it's a sign of good things to come. More Space Marines were previewed in the trailer, like a new Chaplain with jump pack!

The Space Marines also get some new foes in the form of updated Orks!

New Ork // Warhammer 40,000

Thankfully, Games Workshop have finally stopped the oddity of the Space Orks and their regular Boyz. No longer do you have to get the awkward "new" Orks or make use of the old Orks to fill in the gaps. You'll soon be able to get a new set of Orks that come with both shoota' and choppa', so you don't have to choose between the two. No self-respecting Ork is going to battle without as MUCH dakka as possible.

This is just a taste of what's coming in the new Armageddon boxed set, leading the start for Warhammer 40,000 and 11th Edition.

Rules Changes

As well as the new boxed set, we also got a bit of a teaser as to what's happening with the new rules for Warhammer 40,000 coming later this year.

Space Marines vs Orks // Warhammer 40,000

To give you an idea of what's coming, we should start with some good news. All of your current Codexes and faction rules are still valid. This covers all of the recent supplements that have been released and everything else from 10th. This is not an Index Edition.

There are going to be some changes to the rules. For example, there will be over seventy new Detachments revealed when 11th Edition launches. These have all been designed to give you more ways to make different units shine. If you want to make the Emperor's Champion the core of your Black Templars army, there will be a Detachment that works for you.

Additionally, your Detachments will now dictate the scenarios you'll be playing and the missions you undertake. If you make an army focused on killing the enemy and your opponent makes an army focused on objective control, you'll get matched in a mission that suits both of you. All of this comes as part of a renewed focus on making a narratively driven game rather than one that feels simply competitive for the sake of being competitive.

Objectives have also been changed. You no longer fight over circles on the tabletop but meaningful locations like key terrain, fortifications and relics. All of this is done with terrain footprints that are no doubt going to come with new plastic kits and opportunities for you to create something that suits your faction.

Terrain has also seen an update. It also now impacts hit rolls, not saves. Meaning there is a real reason for you to hunker down inside it. Additionally, as revealed during the stream, if you're in terrain and you have not taken a shot in battle, your enemy cannot target you if you're more than fifteen inches away. No more killing that key unit of your enemies before they get to do anything with them, because they were poking out from behind L-shaped ruins.

Last but not least, there have been some changes to Combat. The Fight phase has been cleaned up, so it runs smoother and Charges are no different. They now match with Charges in Warhammer Age of Sigmar, where you roll your distance and then choose who you run towards. It means there should be less standing around in the middle of nowhere doing nothing.

There is more to be discovered about 11th Edition in the coming weeks and months. Has this made you more or less excited about playing Warhammer 40,000?

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