The 9th Edition of Warhammer 40,000 is mere weeks away*, and everyone is getting excited to put this new iteration of the game through its paces. But a new addition isn’t just a new rulebook and starter set. It a chance to expand the game with new miniatures, new units and of course new codices. Believe me when I say we have only just scratched the surface of what New 40k has to offer us.
Now, everyone and their mothers will have an opinion on what we should see coming down the line from Games Workshop in regards of new releases. But there are a few things that I believe GW need to prioritise during this edition of the game. Things that have been a long time coming and need to be addressed before the years pass us by and we find ourselves getting excited for 10th Edition.
Today we are going to look at some of these and speculate on what this could mean for the future of the game. Obviously, these are only my ideas, and you no doubt have your own views on what you want to see in 9th. So, if you feel I missed anything once you have read todays article, please feel free to talk about it in the comments below.
Codex World Eaters and Emperors Children
8th edition saw the Heretic Chaos Space Marines finally do what their loyalist cousins have been doing since 2nd edition. Split their more notorious legions off into their own standalone Codex’s. Sure, we had Khorne Daemonkin in 7th, but the major legions of infamy were not given the same love that chapters like the Blood Angels and Space Wolves have enjoyed. That was somewhat corrected with the release of Codex Thousand Sons and Death Guard, bringing along a whole bunch of new sculpts to improve the ranges. But as we approach 9th, there are two legions that are missing from this collection of arch traitors.
Khorne Berserkers are really starting to show their age.
The World Eaters and Emperors Children represent the other half of the Chaos pantheon, and are in desperate need of an overhaul. Their models ranges are ancient and are really showing their age compared to the stunning new Thousand Sons and Death Guard models. There is also so much that can be done with these two legions that could really flesh them out as individual factions.
#BringbackNoiseMarines.
The World Eater could really lean into the berserk, skull taking madman aesthetic that they are known for. Maybe some 40k inspired Khorngors with giant chainaxes, or even allowing players to use the Slaughterbrute from Age of Sigmar. And the Emperors Children could finally get a plastic boxset of Noise Marines, with all sorts of crazy blast rules to represent their sound-based weaponry. Maybe we could even see another Daemon Primarch miniature or two before the end of the edition. Wouldn’t that be something.
A New Xenos Race
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. 40k needs more aliens. It has been nineteen years since the last alien race was added to the game in the form of the T’au Empire way back in 3rd edition. And before you say anything, the Ynnari don’t count. If you were to combine Dark Angel and Ultramarines into on playable list, you wouldn’t call them a new race. So it doesn’t count for the Aeldari. I know that most of the factions in 40k don’t play nice, and they are likely to stomp on any up and coming empire before they have a chance to mastered warp travel. But with the sheer scale of the 40k universe, not to mention all the “unexplored” fronts that we keep hearing about, it quite possible for a new alien menace to start showing up and battling for galactic dominance.
2001 was the last time we got a new xenos faction.
This would not only give us a new faction to play with, but would be a great excuse for Games Workshop’s design team to go nuts and really let their imagination run wild. It always bothers me when all the alien races in a sci-fi universe look humanoid, and with the exception of the Tyranids, GW are just as guilty of this. Let’s see a species that have evolved to walk on all fours, or traverse using tentacles, or even lack any limbs to speak of. Let’s see some technology that pushes the boundaries of what is possible, while vehicles that move across the battlefield like nothing we have ever seen. The possibilities much like the worlds of the 40k universe, are endless.
An End to the Finecast Range.
As technology has progressed, the standard of GW’s plastic miniatures has improved dramatically. Its fair to say that Games Workshop produces some of the best plastic kits in the world, with the new Indomitus box been a prime example. This wasn’t always the case however, and for the longest time it was their metal miniatures that were the envy of the hobby world. Gradually though, they have moved over to a mostly plastic line, with ever increasing quality sculpts for us to drool all over.
Still cool, but this model is over two decades old!
The only remanence of the ‘age of metal’ is the occasional made to order mini, and of course, the finecast range. These resin models were made using the old metal moulds and were quite a big thing when they first hit the shelves. However, these models are starting to show their age (not to mention the production issues with the finecast resin) and its far past time that we move on from these sculpts and revamp these older lines.
The Grand Master of the Dark Angels deserves better.
Models like Phoenix Lord Karandras and Azrael, Supreme Grand Master are still using the models that where new back when I started the hobby. And although they are great for nostalgia, I think we can all agree that is long past time for them to be retired. Now too their credit, GW has made some headway in this regard with new and improved miniatures for characters like Ragnar and Ghazghkull. But before the end of 9th edition I think we should put the finecast range out to pasture.
That will about do it for today. I hope you have enjoyed this dive in 9th edition speculation. As I said above, if you feel I missed anything and want to share your thoughts on the possible future release for 40k (or just want to chat or meme about 40K) then you can leave a comment below or contact me via twitter @MTGTengu directly.
There won’t be a 40k article next week, as I will be spending some much need time off with my family. But fear not, I’ll be back the week after with a look at the Indomitus box set. If you have enjoyed todays article, please like and subscribe to keep up to date with all we do here at Master of Magics. You want to support the site directly; you can join our Patreon for as little as a $1 a month. Until next time though remember, “Success is commemorated; Failure merely remembered.”
* I mean, you could tenqully play it right know with the free rules online.
