Hordapaloosa

Hi everyone Black Blow Fly here to discuss 8th Edition Warhammer 40k (WH40k). I recently wrote another article comparing Age of Sigmar (AoS) to WH40k. One conclusion drawn is that in many ways the rules for AoS are the foundation for 8th Edition WH40k. If you play both games then you’re probably aware that there are many horde armies in AoS such as Flesh Eaters Courts.

Much like in AoS the WH40k horde units tend to benefit from some amazing buffs, such as advancing and still being able to charge (Orks, Genestealers, etc.), however this is typically not the case for elite units in WH40k. In general horde armies are enjoying a golden age in both systems - for example former detriments like morale can be easily circumvented or simply ignored. Elite armies in AoS such as Stormcast Eternals on the other hand can hold their own and are truly strong but typically this is not the case for WH40k armies like Space Marines... for whatever reason GW missed the boat this time around.

The Vigilus campaign was released a few months ago which could have been an excellent opportunity to help address some of these issues but in reality all it did was just hand out moarwin rules for factions that really don’t need any help - for example when was the last time you saw an Ork army that doesn’t feature the super-duper Shock Attack Gun or a Genestealer Cult army that doesn’t include the Anointed Throng? Devotion Til Death is just ridiculous. Space Marines on the other hand have to invest a metric ton of command points for mediocre at best stratagems... if you’re playing competitively it’s just not worth it. So all Vigilus did was just make a lot of the top tier armies even more top tier - thanks for that GW.

Another issue is that tabling an opponent often no longer results in automatic victory which can be quite the crutch for horde armies. They have a large foot print and quickly rack up lots and lots of victory points and objectives the first half of the game gaining a huge lead that can be insurmountable for elite armies.

I don’t have any solutions to offer, this is the responsibility of GW’s development team. Currently it doesn’t seem like they really care and I think this all goes right back to AoS. Ideally there should be at least one developer who is dedicated to the underdogs and has a strong desire to address these issues.