There are a lot of changes in Warhammer 40k 11th edition, but no major overhaul of the overall experience. This approach has obvious advantages and disadvantages. Pros: We don't have to completely relearn the rules. Cons: Some major balance issues may not be resolved. Pro: There is less chance of making major mistakes when changing the rules. Cons: It doesn't feel great to pay $295 for a book with minor tweaks to the one already sitting on your shelf.
As has been the case in the last few editions of Warhammer 40k, you don't need to buy a new Armageddon box to get the 11th edition rules. They are now available for free on the Warhammer Community website. But the Armageddon box contains a beautiful paperback physical edition of the rules that is much more useful for battles. I've had the box for a few weeks now, so I decided to do just that — take it to battles and stress test the new rules for myself.
What has changed in Warhammer 40k 11th Edition?
We all want to know what changed in 11th edition, but let's go over some of the big things that remain the same. All your codexes (codexes?) are still valid and remain compatible with the new release. Some errata and faction specifics have been revealed since and in between my battles, so I haven't played a “real” 11th edition match yet, but the rules alone are enough to get me excited.
11th edition improved the existing abilities, so while your data cards are still valid, they can now play completely differently. Your Aeldar host who loved nothing more than to pinch a Wave Serpent, blast something, and jump back in? Now he's about as mobile as Festus the Leechlord on a zimmer frame. Is your conga line of guardsmen denying space boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-eh!-ing across the battlefield? They have to do more swag when they plant their lasers on a much smaller footprint.
I'm a few dozen turns in now, most of the toxic battle plans seem to have been disrupted in some way. However, neither my opponents nor I run anything extra meta or cheesy, so there may be some sliver of stilton that slipped through the cracks.
Command Phase has several improvements, but the biggest one is Battleshock. Failing a Battleshock test will now cripple your unit until it passes, rather than until the next round. If you can run a few of these per turn, it could turn into a really effective disruption strategy.
In addition to the aforementioned coherence rules (units must now be fully within 9″ of each other), turning is now free – my Imperial Knights jump for joy. Or, well, squeeze between buildings for joy thanks to the new terrain tracks. Your engagement zone is now 2″, which is a nice bonus for combat armies and my freshly built Rusican S. This also ties in with a nice buff to Deep Striking (now labeled as Ingress Move), which has resulting in only needing a 7” charge to enter the game – much more reliable.
In the firing phase, your ballistic skill can now be modified in multiple ways (including cover), as can your hit roll. I feel like this will have the biggest impact on the new edition, but it didn't affect my matches too much because I was facing hordes of Orcs. I like that height now also affects your shooting roll, as it gives the game a refreshing ludonarrative resonance.
In combat, dealing damage will take some getting used to. It was a bit hard for me to wrap my head around, but when you attack a unit with mixed saves, your opponent chooses the order in which to save damage before rolling the dice. This delayed the game a bit at first, but I think it will make things more efficient in the long run.
There's a lot more to the changes than this brief overview—for example, units can only be affected by Stratagem once per turn—but overall 11th edition feels like a turn towards the 40k story. This comes as a surprise after several editions aimed at harder and more competitive players, but these changes may be just what I needed to re-immerse myself in the game.
Time To Game
I like the 11th edition rules. They feel intuitive and put a story into every battle, which is what I've always loved most about 40k. Except now my opponent won't have to listen to my stupid voices and exaggerated death rebuilds to pick up the flavor.
More exciting changes have followed since the release of the Games Workshop rules. The new squads should be tested, returning the point cost of wargear is long overdue after the boring hangover from the Power Level days. I also like that taking multiples of the same unit can now result in point penalties, punishing those meta followers while allowing me to take a single, lovingly converted unit without it being overkill or unnecessary on the table.
But the real reason 11th edition draws me back is because I was reminded what a social hobby it is. Over the past year, I've made so many friends at various events—from Camping Kitbash to the Fringe—that I'm making a concerted effort to recreate it in my neighborhood.
While I know a few players in my area, most of my board game friends are scattered across Europe and beyond right now. With some narrative juice and community excitement fueling renewed interest in the game, I'm committed to replicating these annual event experiences into weekly narrative events, and 40k is a logical starting point for that.
I'm not going to hop around my local game store demanding that everyone play Turnip28 or Aetherpunk28 because those are my latest fixations. Even Trench Crusade is too narrow for this crowd, so I pledge to join them where they are. After all, I played a lot of 7th and 8th edition 40k in Leeds pubs and had a great time doing it. I'm hoping that with a more narrative-focused edition rearing its head, I'll have as much fun with 40k as I currently have with the indie alternatives. Who knows, I might even end up in a tournament before 2029. But I wouldn't hold my breath.
