Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition Is Up For Pre-Order!
June 3, 2017 by stvitusdancern
Games Workshop just opened up per-orders for the latest edition of Warhammer 40K! If you have been watching our coverage of UK Games Expo you would have seen our demo game that Justin and Simon from GW played, as well as the seminar from GW from yesterday afternoon.
So, far the response has been pretty positive and I even have seen a couple of comments that this edition may bring some back into the fold.
Besides the two-player starter set, they are offering a limited edition collector's set which includes...
- The full, unabridged 280-page Warhammer 40,000 book featuring the core and advanced rules, with exclusive soft touch cover and ribbon marker;
- A 96-page hardback Dark Imperium Art Book, featuring art from the wide and varied history of Warhammer 40,000 by such luminaries as John Blanche, Alex Boyd, Adrian Smith and more;
- A double-sided map of the galaxy – one side featuring the Gathering Storm, with exclusive text depicting key events, and the other featuring the locations of the resulting warp storms that are tearing the galaxy apart;
- Two exclusive Paul Dainton art prints, a Primaris Space Marine and a Death Guard Plague Marine;
- An exclusive, 112-page mini rulebook, featuring all the gaming content from the main book in a convenient small format;
- Six individually numbered tactical objective markers cast in metal;
- A metal combat gauge, with 3”/2”/1.5”/1” edges;
- Fifteen servo skull-shaped Command Point tokens, cast in metal;
- An exclusive deck of thirty-six Tactical Objective cards, with foil block and gilt edges.
A very exciting time for Warhammer 40k players, so you better jump on this right away! It will be available in stores on June 17th.
Are you ordering 8th edition?
"So, far the response has been pretty positive and I even have seen a couple of comments that this edition may bring some back into the fold."
Big Ultramrines vs Death Guard? It’s not for me, thanks.
Its odd how people post “not for me, thanks” (or similar) a lot on posts about GW stuff but not other manufacturers. I’d be typing the same sentence all day if I did that on every post about a product I had no interest in.
Not meaning to single you out @somegeezer. Loads of folk seem to do it and it just baffles me somewhat.
Could be that a lot of them played the game in the past or it was their gateway into the world of wargaming so they still have a passing interest even if it’s not for them now.
Or it’s virtue signalling. “I don’t like GW and I want people to know”. Either way it’s irrelevant, some will be excited and some not so much.
I didn’t say I didn’t like GW. And virtue-signalling is an idiotic concept. It’s an opinion, evidently one that differs to yours. That’s the thing with opinions, they vary.
Yeah, each to their own and all that. Was just curious that’s all.
I get where you’re coming from @lunchbox and it’s something I have wondered too. I don’t know why people feel the need to announce when they’re not interested in a GW product but tend not to on anyone else’s releases. I’m not particularly enamoured with the Ghosts of Gaia Kickstarter but I didn’t feel like I needed to announce that on the news article about it. It seems to be something peculiar to GW news articles.
Pardon me for not stepping in here a bit, but I find this an important issue, well, in life really. No matter the reasons or backstory or (in)significance to, say, the big picture content and so on this ain’t irrelevant. That is just depending on the scale in and the angle from which you choose to look at somemething. It’s far too general a discarding of personal opinions to be fair or even remotely considering what’s truely behind it or the possibility of side effects at that. Just think how easily opinions can be influenced by, say, repetition or form.… Read more »
That said I do understand that it’s a bit weird (and disillusioning maybe) that GW is attracting so much attention and stirring up emotions still. And I mourn this fact. Then again this is coming from a very idealistic point of view. There’s no way around the fact that manufacturers in the buisiness are not equal no matter how much one might wish for it. Neither their impact nor their status, popularity, history, you name it. And everything that’s there in small dimensions is bloated in larger scales (like voicing criticism by customers or former fans). That’s one basic concept… Read more »
When there’s a comment-to-win event going on, I just put it down to “Need to make a comment, but nothing much to say.”
I agree. See above.
GW tend to attract attention and the post raises a question, doesn’t seem that odd to me
It’s also usually the same people
That’s the big problem with any starterset isn’t it ?
It always sucks when there is an army you don’t like in a starter set, but when both are uninteresting it is even worse.
Then again … you could simply buy the core rule book and wait until the inevitable “start collecting” sets for 8th edition arrive.
They are already up for pre-order in their webstore.
What about just the rules and then using whatever army you already have?
The core rules will be available as a free download, so you would only need the Index which contains your faction.
True, but GW books are usually things of beauty, worth investing money in.
After a couple demo games with my son at the local GW shop today, we were happy to pre-order a box.
not available in the U.S. yet 🙁 hopefully soon
Nice. I am tempted. This could be the thing that gets be back into GW after a long time away. But think I’ll leave it a while and see how they cost the subsequent releases over the next few months. If it looks like they’re gonna go back to taking the piss over prices of the follow on stuff then I’ll give it a miss. Come on GW – go back to being the company you used to be before the money men got involved!
Privateer, Corvus Belli Wyrd all offer fewer models for the same prices. Privateer’s won’t be in hard plastic more of ten than not.
Complaining about the prices when there’s more content and posability is a bit silly – more so when you swear. Think about who else reads this site and watch your language.
Agree with @bubbles15 that the price per mini from GW, aside from some of the clampack characters, is already better value than the other big manufacturers.
Our definitions of “swears” are very different though it seems. Calling people out for ultra-mild swearing doesn’t help get the point across at all.
Leftist faux outrage is crippling this site.
I think the Corvus Belli models are amazing, and I’ve been tempted several times, but in the end I just can’t justify paying their prices… which puts GW models outside my comfort zone as well. I’m also not fond of any recent GW models.
Leftist faux outrage??? WTH does this have to do with this? Was it really necessary to politicise this?
I am curious and might be interested in getting back into 40K, but only if GW has returned to its customer service roots and abandoned the legal/profits over ethics crap.
The defence rests.
Mostly because it doesn’t have a case
@bubbles15 Sorry to offend your GW cenetric sensitivities. If you have an issue with my language then report me to the moderator and let them be the ones dictate who can say what. Please refrain from doing so yourself. Yes other companies as well as GW charge high prices for minis and materials. Which is why I don’t buy from them either. With good reason. I can not afford to. Sorry if that makes me “silly” in your eyes. But silly old me will have to wait to see what GW’s subsequent prices will be to gauge if this is… Read more »
I think you’re right there mate. The phrase “takes the piss” is fairly mild and I can see why you would feel like that. They have had some very strange pricing decisions over the years.
Does this mean all the overpriced 40k tomes previously released and cluttering bookshelves are now obsolete?
GW have made it well known that the 7th edition codexes would not be compatible with 8th edition. They have even offered money back to people who had bought them just prior to the announcement (and maybe to those who bought the dark vengeance box set?).
You would have had to gone out of your way to remain ignorant but then I guess it wouldn’t be cpauls1 post if it didn’t have a bash at the price of something GW sold.
I guess I just don’t understand why people keep going back for more… and you’re right. I’m not up to speed on anything GW does these days. Too many other options out there.
Same reason go back to any game I guess. Because they like the models and the setting and enjoy the game and to them that represents a good return on the investment of money they make into their hobby.
Thought you had given up on your anti-GW crusade @cpauls1 but there you are. Got bored of being happy and contented with the “other options” did you?
I guess I just don’t understand why some people keep coming back to posts about games they have no interest in only to post negativity in the comments. You really need to get a more fun hobby.
All previous codexes are obsolete, yes. To be fair however, this is a major edition of rules changes and they needed to start over with a clean slate and rebalancing.
It is however still up for debate if it is reasonable to be charging for interim army lists. When they rolled out 3rd edition 40k there was a booklet in the box that provided temporary army lists for every faction to be used until they got new codexes.
Seems a terrible gouge, given the cost of the books in general.
That has been standard practice for GW since ages.
So it’s only bad when compared to companies like Battlefront who have made their updates consumer friendly.
Then again … the basic rules and stats are ‘free’.
The only thing you really ‘need’ is one of those index books and you’re good to go for this version. Whether you ‘need’ the codexes once released will depend on what they’re going to add to your chosen army. If you’re not into tournament games then you probably can ignore them.
Good to know. That could even be interpreted as good will… gasp 😉
yep, like it or not but GW really is attempting to move forward.
Considering the fact that they don’t really need to as they can rely on fans blindly buying into it.
@limburger stats aren’t actually free, they are in index books, just for accuracy clarified in the Q and A
@dags : The Q&A part was not easy to understand so I guess I missed that bit. They have revealed almost all of the stats for the figures in the starter set though. Which should be enough to at least get a feel for the game without having to spend any money before you decide to invest into the system. It also looks like you don’t need to buy the various codexes as the models will have their own stats in the box. Given that unboxings here at Beasts of War tend to also include the unit cards I think… Read more »
The exact question was would all datasheets be on the website as in AoS, the answer was at the moment no. I would imagine as stuff releases it will be going forward. As to giving it a proper trial, core rules free plus an index book would work, if you already have an army you want to use. If not the starter is fully self contained. Just figured clarity may help anyone interested in looking at this or picking it up. Not taking any issue @limburger it was late and couldn’t sleep as painkillers weren’t kicking in last night. Possibly… Read more »
I think if they’re putting rules in the boxes that’s good, but I did like the free unit stats for Age of Sigmar because they can be updated very easily and are still readily accessible. However anything that makes the game accessible without having to buy tonnes of extra books is a good move
I wonder if the App will fill that function? I know the AoS app allows you to enter codes (or it used to) that you get when you buy books. These codes allow you to digitally download warscrolls that are contained in those books. If the 40k app does the same that would work.
Have to say, what I have seen of 8th really isn’t appealling – although this set looks pretty darn impressive. Given I spent way too much on Kingdom Death in January, I will probably pass right now. Maybe I’ll check it out again in a few months.
looks good but not shouting buy me in my books.
Hmm the assault marines have little skis on their boots. Names please…
Ski Marines
Skid Marines
Snow Marines…
I think they’re more like bouncy moon boots so they don’t get gammy knees in their old age.
Life lesson look after your knees once they go they are gone and it not fun. Actually like the look of the boots kinda reminds me of an 80s cartoon ftom uk kids tv, where the characters had suits that beamed on to them to turn them into vehicles.
Yes! Centurions.
Well remembered ☺
They aren’t assault marines; they’re inceptor marines. Totally different stat line. They move slower than assault marines, but they can bash into a line for damage. Think of them as marine kamikazes that don’t die on impact.
They are the new assault marines for the Primaris Marines, so I’ll be calling them assault marines 😉
They’re not really Assault marines being armed with some kind of twin bolt weapons. They’re not a melee unit
More of a “mobile fire support” squad really. I am sure Primaris will get some super punchy “assault marines” in the not-too-distant future.
Obviously they are a lot better prepared for the volume of pre-orders the only thing that is “temporarily out of stock” this morning in Australia is the objective marker set.
The objectives and the fancy measuring template was out of stock when I put my pre-order in.
Grabbed the command dice, cards and wound trackers. The books I’ll pick up later. I was considering the Limited Edition set but at €320 they can go jump. I paid €260 for the last one and that was bonkers. How they can justify a €60 price hike is beyond me.
I was amazed at the pricing for the codices. $40 for a set of factions versus $80+ for each one in the past. Especially important for chaos players.
I like that we get our own and don’t have to share pages with any other filth.
Except the ‘index books’ aren’t proper codices. These things exist just to get you started, which is a good thing.
The ‘real’ faction specific codex will launch at a later date and you can bet they are about the same price as the previous versions. So expect to see a ‘codex: primaris’ and ‘codex: death guard’.
Whether or not those are worth the money remains to be seen …
Oh no, really? Will they just be extra fluff or actually required to field a force?
The index books are just there to make sure all current armies and units have rules from Day 1. They are almost entirely rules and are very light on lore. The intention is that over time, factions will get their own Indices (or Codices) that give you lore and special rules for that faction.
Myself and a friend split the costs for a Starter Box, extra BRB, Imperial Index 1 and Xenos Index 1 so we can run our armies straight away ( he runs Eldar and i have Marines ). He’s taking the DG to go with his small Nightlords force and i’ll be taking the Primaris, now it’s time to sit back and wait 🙁 .
That’s an amazing way to do it. Me and my brother do this regularly. But there’s nothing in this bo, besides the rules that were of use to either of us (I say use because I am definitely loving the Nurgle Marines!) so just placed separate orders for the books we need.
I was planning only getting what I need meaning rule book and Imperial 1 Index Book that has all Space Marine goodness inside it. While tempting for those Primaris Marines I can easily skip starter set unless I get some Chaos player to buy it in half with me.
Had a demo today and a look at the books, decided to give it a go after all I have armies and it actually appeals, they seem to have taken AoS concept and addressed a lot of my issues with them. Not being one for half measures pre-ordered the box and all indicies.
Minis are really nice and the primaris seem that they will be much nice to paint than the current marines.
What are you saying? Are you (re)converting to GW?
I haven’t had a chance to play yet but I have watched some games on their Twitch channel and it does look like fun.
@onlyonepinman GW isn’t a religion , although some seem to think Mr Roundtree is the god-emperor, so not sure conversion is an appropriate term. My issues with GW have always been what I have seen as bad business practice, rather than any grudge.
GW have actually put time into a ruleset, it initially appeals enough to tweak my interest with the potential for tactical choices and it’s a wide spread system, so I am financially showing my approval (also buying new shiny toys). Plus it let’s me get my armies aback on the table and motivates the painting.
After Tom Kirby though, it’s easy to see why some people might see Kevin Rowntree as the God Emperor…
What … He isn’t??? …. *faints away in shock* ……. Oh that’s okay I’ve just realised that if he isn’t the God-Emperor of Mankind then he must be the God-King Sigmar………. *sighs in relief * I was worried there for a second
I’ll be picking mine up at my local store when it comes in. Going to create a Marine chapter and trade the Chaos to a friend for his Marines
I can add the Death Guard squad to my undivided force, and those Primaris characters will make cool bases for some converted Champions.
The Pox-dudes will need some serious head replacements though…
I recommend Dar Eldar Wrack masks. Got a load of “Plague Zombies made from plaguebearer bodies with wrack mask heads and they look pretty sweet if I do say so myself.
I have nothing of value to add to this comments section.
#BeastsofWar2017
#LeftistFauxOutrageLives
*Note A little bit tempted to pick this set up mainly because a friend keeps pestering me to split the box as he wants to do jumbo space marines.
I wish they’d made the old squads (Tactical, assault, devastators…) have this Mk X armour aesthetics. I don’t like the “no special/heavy” weapons approach, and a full squad of plasma guns sounds ridiculous (and makes you wonder why they just don’t all use plasma if they’re that common and easy to use). I do like the individual sculpts though, even the captain in gravy armour. Sadly the Nurgle chaos don’t do anything for me. Woulda bought in an instant if it was Khorne again, or unaligned chaos marines. So yeah, pass, but I’ll keep an eye on future releases because… Read more »
So what’s everyones opinion about that Limited Edition? … What kind of person buys something like that? … Clearly some kind of marketing gimmick right? … Aha ha ha ha …
It’s for collector’s, same as the collector’s video game releases. If you have the cash spare I kinda understand it.
It does look absolutely gorgeous. Say what you like about GW but they really know how to put together some truly special books with incredible production values. Sadly I can’t afford (or rather justify) the asking price at the moment.
Wonder if 40k will ever leave igougo and try something fresh .. after all, many of the changes in 8th are of 2nd edition origin. Hope it matures away from phases and introduce action points for atleast 15th edition 😉
@hamato, my current favourite systems are Guildball, Bolt action/BtgA/K47, warmachine each has a different activation system. The different activation system to my mind works for those games. So while there are concepts of these that I would like to see in 40k I don’t think alternate activation is necessarily one of them. A more dynamic turn system or interraction system would be a plus, but I think they would need to have a plan for it within the game design. I think the random iniative igougo in AoS is far worse, although that is arguably more dynamic. Personally if they… Read more »
Yeah it doesnt necessarily have to be AA, but perhaps more ways to react to what your opponent is doing. And I agree, there have been positive steps taken .. What id like it to be at some point is my favourite set of rules, but its not brave enough for that yet.
@hatamoto that would be the aspiration I’d imagine, this is the first time in recent history I think GW has been concious to consider the rules as a major factor, so I think as a studio they have some distance to go to get caught up to more recent game design ideas.
It already has, partially at least. The melee phase is no longer I go U go. Every unit in melee gets a go at fighting but you choose the order in which you want to resolve attacks.
Theres nothing else in the shooting phase though, except maybe go to ground but thats just defensive, some type of return fire etc would be cool. Add apropriate penalty or tradeoff.
No, you’re right, but to me the problem with I go U go isn’t the initiative order, it’s the amount of time that you’re “out of the game” waiting for your opponent. But you now have stuff to do throughout your opponents turn beyond saving throws. The new system breaks that up. There’s also command points and I suspect that some of those will provide interrupt actions.
The only real flaw with I go U go is tedium so as long as a rules set manages to break that up, it’s fine.
The thing with the command points they are limited and you can only use the same one once in each phase. But yeah there seems to be some interrupt options. If you want a game that feels like “just a game”, then i guess igougo without a proper reaction system is alright. Im not saying it has to be a fully realistic simulation but if its gonna be just a game i can ignore the fluff and play with paper cut out fogures carrying maccaroni rifles.
Lots of games are still I Go U Go. Infinity is considered to be one of the best games around and it’s I Go U Go. Deadzone and Kings of War, both I Go U Go. Alternative activation systems are cool but they’re not the defining feature of a game.
And i said earlier it didnt have to be AA, i said if it has to be igougo it should have a proper reaction system. Infinity has that in abundance, deadzone if i remember correctly isnt pure igougo either. The phases 40k is using is so old it should have been replaced with something more inovative a long time ago.
It doesn’t necessarily need a proper reaction system. It just needs to break up the monotony of waiting for your next go, which it does in two, maybe three ways.
Overwatch – reactive shooting in your opponents move phase.
Alternating melee phase
Command Points/Army Abilities (possibly)
At its core it’s I go U go but there’s plenty going on to engage you when it’s not your go
Overwatch just happens and is not a tactically setup event, and for balance sake it hits on a 6. Logic completely thrown out there and id love to see what that would look like irl. I could watch any starwars movie i guess. If doing stuff in the opponents turn makes sense only to break up tedium then of course demanding they also makes sense becomes less important. Didnt age of sigmar 1.0 have stuff like dancing and screaming that kept you busy?
Overwatch “just happens”, I don’t know what that means. Reactions in Infinity also “just happen” don’t they? Overwatch is still a reaction, it still serves to break up the time that a player is inactive because it’s not their turn. Yes, you have a lower chance to hit – kind of like Infinity where you can only fire a single shot as a reaction so for most basic weapons you will roll 1 dice vs your opponents 3 dice. Both cases are an abstraction of reduced effectiveness because you’re making a snap shot. There’s still plenty of things to do… Read more »
I dont agree with your igougo take and reacting with a single precision shot makes alot more sense than aiming your gun into the air while being charged. Theres also the option to move as a reaction, so i can make a choice here that fots the situation. In infinity i can place soldiers to guard an area with reaction fire, in 40k theres no way to do that. Overwatch (or storm trooper aim) happens only if being charged and theres only that reaction option. It happens regardless of how i placed my minis and with a constant reduced effectiveness… Read more »
That’s not strictly true. You can’t move as a reaction you can only dodge, which pretty much requires you to do the same thing as shooting – roll a D20 vs a target number. I’m not saying Infinity has more or less options, only that the new 40k rules have enough going on when it isn’t your turn to keep you engaged in the game, it just achieves it in a different way to Infinity
And again its also about how i am kept engaged, not just the fact i am, imo. Comparing infinitys igougo to 40ks is not proving too many points. 40k just moved ahead further than it ever has before with 8th, i just think it could have done it quicker and even better if it had stayed more in spirit of 2nd edition to begin with. 3rd made sure it became a stale and boring game imo.
And with that im not saying 2nd didnt have flaws, i just think it had been a better base to advance from.
2nd edition is pretty much when I last played and I don’t remember it being particularly engaging when it wasn’t your turn. And you’re only partially right in so far as it matters how you are engaged not just that you are. All games should keep you engaged even when it’s not your go – that is the most important part. The “how” really then just drives personal preference. So new 40k keeps you in the game in a number of ways, Infinity does it a different way. Bolt Action does it using an alternative activation system. The new 40k… Read more »
Im talking about how i think it could be better because i would like it to be. This has to do with me liking the 40k universe. Of course its personal preference, you think ugoigo is dynamic and fun as long as you get to do anything in your opponents turn. I would like it to have the added function of also having your soldiers behaving “fairly” realistically. I didnt say 2nd edition had lots of out of sequence actions, but it had lots of stuff that made sense that was taken out in 3rd and just recently came back… Read more »
All of your ideas appear to be to make it more like another game. So why not just play those games?
And I agree that I preferred the original overwatch rules but I like armies with lots of shooting. I can see why they changed it – it was butchering close combat units as they tried to make their way across the board.
No its what id like 40k to be more like, and you can still have overwatch that makes sense, you might have to tweak a few rules to not make it op. Construct a mechanic that makes sense and balance around it, dont remove it or change it to work in strange ways for balance sake. Running out of and between cover as i mentioned earlier gave minuses to hit. And a unit sitting in overwatch all the time is not grabbing any objectives, a factor that is much more important in modern versions of 40k. Didnt intend to write… Read more »
I plan on picking up the book but dare not pick up the box. I’m married and like having my testicles in one piece thank you.
I should say if the game was cheaper it might have passed by the radar, but not at this cost nor the size of the box.
Pound for pound it compares favourably with other two player starter boxes. Infinity Red Veil is £80 for significantly less content. Mantic charge £100 for more models but lower quality. £95 is a lot of money but I think it definitely represents value (if you’re into 40k obviously) and is competitive when compared to the competition.
I think it more the quantity of pounds from the shared account and inconvenient size for smuggling into the house that is the issue. Not wishing to speak for @manpug of course
You read my mind. If you can lend me you shrink ray it be much appreciated.
Oh absolutely. Spaffing the best part of a ton on this from a shared account could be problematic. If it’s comparable in size to Shadow Wars it’s a massive box.
There’s nothing, model wise, in the starter box that I really want. I love the Death Guard models, a lot, but I don’t want to end up with an accidental Chaos Warband like I have for Age of Sigmar. I got a Astra Militarum Kill Team for Shadow Wars and I will slowly build that up to a 40k army over time. So I pre-ordered the Core Rule Book and the Index Imperium II – which gets me rules for my Astra Militarum but also for Imperial Agents which means I might be able to do something with my execution… Read more »
Not going to jump in with the starter box, just going for two indexes and a couple of intro sessions at our local store. Me and the lad did try to immerse ourselves in 7th but the rules were just too convoluted for both of us. Kill Team and the shadow war:Armageddon box he loved. I think the three ways to play and streamlined rules might help us really get going.
Will the boys be doing an intro to 8th and a new charted series?
I really hope they will do an 8th Edition charted series. That’d be great and would be useful for new players and old alike.
Was at Warhammer World yesterday (that place is amazing!!) and had a chance to take a look at the game in action. Really liked what I saw and have pre-ordered a whole bunch o’ stuff! The models look great in person, much better than the photos. For me the hobby is about finding what you enjoy, I love the background and black library novels and am really excited to see what comes next. Some people seem to equate a hobby with buying groceries where the only thing you care about it is monetary value. The value I get out of… Read more »
The Pox Walkers look like they’d be great conversation material for my Enslaver army, they just need different heads and of course more tentacles.