Post by The Supreme Emissary on Oct 28, 2015 21:14:23 GMT -5
I'll do my best to sum this up for 40K players looking into 30K.
Sources
30K rules and models are produced from Forgeworld, a company attached to Games-Workshop. By comparison 30K features some of the coolest and most powerful models ever to hit a table! But they are in resin and have issues with pricing by being strictly import only.
BUT that may all be about to change in the next month as GW releases its new Game Box 'Betrayal at Calth' featuring plastic casts of a small selection of 30K models.
Fluff
The Horus Heresy is one of the most pivotal moments in the history of the Imperium and establishes the more or less official split between what will later be called Chaos Marines. Events focus on the creation and evolution of the Adeptas Astartes and how the forces of Chaos systematically split them in twain. There is additional material on the Adeptus Mechanicus and Solar Auxilia (along with other Imp Guard like factions). The narrative hinges a lot on the original Chaos marines, chaos daemons and traitor forces.
Gameplay
For the vast majority of times you're still playing 40K rules and will use that book line.
(Rules, Escalation, Stronghold Assault, Apocalypse, any Xenos faction, etc)
HH brings in an alternate set of rules for building your 'period themed' armies. That includes alternate units, stat profiles, point spreads and special rules.
30k plays with an insistence on infantry and milking the flare and style of each individual legion. It doesn't play any more difficult than regular 40k and since most players will have the same units on the table, the differences may seem relatively minor. Squads tend to be more costly but have a much broader degree of customization.
Campaigns
The HH books made by FW include the 'Istivann Campaign' which features buckets of rules, missions and alternate ways to play your army and you games. If you are attached to the narrative of the HH and like packing your bag a little easier, this is for you.
Compatibility
So what about playing 30k units/rules against 40k armies? FW's official stance is that a Crusade Legion should be fine against the xenos armies, but against a 40k marine army there will be a decided disadvantage. FW has also marked many units with 30k and 40k specific rules and are considered compatible with a 40k game, regardless of origin.
Using the finely detailed models as proxy generally isn't an issue. But some days, some units are too powerful or obscure for your game buddies to handle.
- Blood Angels, Dark Angels, White Scars and Space Wolves have yet to be depicted and fleshed out.
Where do I begin?
Forgeworld's website is conveniently organized for HH shoppers. Thats where you'll find their game book series 1-5. There are red backed condensed volumes for army building, including a book dedicated to the Mechanicum. Please note the condensed volumes do NOT contain all the rules and data from the 5 larger volumes. You can also find the most up to date errata in their Dowloads section.
Depending on how you organize your force you may be starting with as few as 11-21 marine models
Rules in older volumes or gleaned online may not be accurate between the updates from each successive volume and the FAQs. Typos and misinterpretations abound so you'll have to be dutiful.
The scope and investment of playing 30k really requires a greater group commitment than current 40k.
Primarchs
This is why the slot is called Lords of War and not Super Heavies. The Primarchs are the fathers of their legions. The history of the 18 known (2 unknown) primarchs is rich and deep in the HH narrative. In game, most of these super men have been modeled and include rules for playing with them as your supreme commander. These bone crushingly powerful characters are more easily worked into your crusade army than most of the super heavy vehicles and gargantuan creatures that used to be relegated to the massive Apocalypse battlefields.
Each primarch adds specific characteristics and rules to bring out the full power of your Astartes Legion.
Sources
30K rules and models are produced from Forgeworld, a company attached to Games-Workshop. By comparison 30K features some of the coolest and most powerful models ever to hit a table! But they are in resin and have issues with pricing by being strictly import only.
BUT that may all be about to change in the next month as GW releases its new Game Box 'Betrayal at Calth' featuring plastic casts of a small selection of 30K models.
Fluff
The Horus Heresy is one of the most pivotal moments in the history of the Imperium and establishes the more or less official split between what will later be called Chaos Marines. Events focus on the creation and evolution of the Adeptas Astartes and how the forces of Chaos systematically split them in twain. There is additional material on the Adeptus Mechanicus and Solar Auxilia (along with other Imp Guard like factions). The narrative hinges a lot on the original Chaos marines, chaos daemons and traitor forces.
Gameplay
For the vast majority of times you're still playing 40K rules and will use that book line.
(Rules, Escalation, Stronghold Assault, Apocalypse, any Xenos faction, etc)
HH brings in an alternate set of rules for building your 'period themed' armies. That includes alternate units, stat profiles, point spreads and special rules.
30k plays with an insistence on infantry and milking the flare and style of each individual legion. It doesn't play any more difficult than regular 40k and since most players will have the same units on the table, the differences may seem relatively minor. Squads tend to be more costly but have a much broader degree of customization.
Campaigns
The HH books made by FW include the 'Istivann Campaign' which features buckets of rules, missions and alternate ways to play your army and you games. If you are attached to the narrative of the HH and like packing your bag a little easier, this is for you.
Compatibility
So what about playing 30k units/rules against 40k armies? FW's official stance is that a Crusade Legion should be fine against the xenos armies, but against a 40k marine army there will be a decided disadvantage. FW has also marked many units with 30k and 40k specific rules and are considered compatible with a 40k game, regardless of origin.
Using the finely detailed models as proxy generally isn't an issue. But some days, some units are too powerful or obscure for your game buddies to handle.
- Blood Angels, Dark Angels, White Scars and Space Wolves have yet to be depicted and fleshed out.
Where do I begin?
Forgeworld's website is conveniently organized for HH shoppers. Thats where you'll find their game book series 1-5. There are red backed condensed volumes for army building, including a book dedicated to the Mechanicum. Please note the condensed volumes do NOT contain all the rules and data from the 5 larger volumes. You can also find the most up to date errata in their Dowloads section.
Depending on how you organize your force you may be starting with as few as 11-21 marine models
Rules in older volumes or gleaned online may not be accurate between the updates from each successive volume and the FAQs. Typos and misinterpretations abound so you'll have to be dutiful.
The scope and investment of playing 30k really requires a greater group commitment than current 40k.
Primarchs
This is why the slot is called Lords of War and not Super Heavies. The Primarchs are the fathers of their legions. The history of the 18 known (2 unknown) primarchs is rich and deep in the HH narrative. In game, most of these super men have been modeled and include rules for playing with them as your supreme commander. These bone crushingly powerful characters are more easily worked into your crusade army than most of the super heavy vehicles and gargantuan creatures that used to be relegated to the massive Apocalypse battlefields.
Each primarch adds specific characteristics and rules to bring out the full power of your Astartes Legion.
