We’ve had the press preview of Warhammer 40,000’s launch box Indomitus here at the TG bunker for a couple of weeks now and, while we have covered the release, we haven’t gone too deep into actual analysis of the pieces. Until now! Since the box first hit the mat we have been feverishly playing away at the new 9th Edition and now feel ready to give our first impressions.
For those of you who haven’t yet come across Warhammer 40,000, a little back story. Warhammer 40,000 started life in 1987 as a single rulebook for tabletop wargames in the 40th Millenia. It became an instant hit for publisher Games Workshop, as people fell in love with the grimdark future that they painted. Since then the game has continued to grow, both in scope and numbers of players. GW switched from releasing just a single rulebook to a boxed set including miniatures, dice, rulebook, and everything needed to get playing. Models need assembling before play and most (if not all) players will have painted their army as part of the hobby. The Warhammer 40,000 universe has expanded outside from the tabletop and can be found in a wide selection of video games, along with its sister title Warhammer Age Of Sigmar.
GW is doing things a little differently this launch. No announcement has been made on a starter set as of yet, but a new ’launch box’ called Indomitus is inbound. This was originally to be a ’limited run - once it’s gone, it’s gone’ edition but due to the unexpected popularity for the set it has been extended to ‘made to order’ with preorders stopping when the Indomitus set launches on July 25. This includes all the usual goodies but the stand out feature, apart from the models, in the value. It’s still an investment at a US price tag of almost $200, but if the contents of the box were to be purchased separately you would be looking at well over $400, according to GW.
Unboxing Included Warhammer 40k Indomitus
Fans of the franchise will not be disappointed. For the money, we get a special edition of the rulebook featuring a unique cover exclusive to the Indomitus box. The usual accessories and a booklet entitled “Edge of Silence” that contains some lore and datasheets for the game. Let’s not forget the main reason people will be buying this box – the miniatures. If our math is correct, that’s 61 newly sculpted miniatures, no recycled designs. The box art shows Space Marines and Necrons facing off against each other, and that is reflected with the models as well. It’s nice to see the Necrons getting a much-needed refresh. If you are new to the hobby, you will need some glue to assemble everything, don’t forget to pick some up alongside your purchase.
The sculpting on these new models is amazing and continues to push the boundaries of what injection molding is able to do. Those of us of a certain age will remember the plastic miniatures of old with the poor sculpts, and due to the limitations of the times, we had to buy pewter cast models to get any level of detail. Assembly can be a little tricky for the multipart models, but don’t let that put you off. A little bit of patience is all that is needed. Take your time, experiment with the positioning before adding glue, and don’t over-use it. You’ll be surprised how little you needed; usually just a drop!
An important part of the hobby is the modeling with many fans not playing the games preferring just to paint them. Gw recognized this early on and has a full range of hobby supplies including tools and paint. They also run the Golden Demon painting competition. Hobbyists will not be disappointed with Indomitus either. The level of detail is unsurpassed and proves that GW still holds the crown for their sculpts.
Da Rules
Once assembled, and painted preferably, it’s time to look at the rules. The special edition rulebook features a wrap-around art cover that will look amazing under the coffee table. Every page is well presented and is accompanied by depictions of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. There is plenty of fluff, or lore, to get you going and psyched up, with the first 190 or so pages dedicated to the next part of the story. GW has had a running narrative for their Warhammer universes, and that is still true here. At the end of 7th Edition, the Forces of Chaos had made some major inroads and could count a major victory to their tally through the creation of the Great Rift.
8th edition continued this narrative, but as the Indomitus Crusade rallied to control the incursions, reconnect with the lost colonies, and push back against Chaos started, a new enemy was waking up. The Psychic Awakening towards the end of 8th Edition saw the return of the Necrons and this is where 9th Edition continues. This is not to say that the Forces of Chaos are out of the picture, they will be back, but their actions have awoken the ancient Necron threat. The Necrons are no doubt planning to respond to this directly, but for now, there is a more pressing situation. The Imperium of Man must be dealt with.
Whoa! All of this is exciting stuff and sets the story for an exciting couple of years. We’ve not had a chance to touch on the rules yet, we’ll go into this in more detail in our next article but we will say for now: the 9th Edition rules build upon the previous edition nicely. Rather than being a rewrite, as has been witnessed before, it clarifies and streamlines. There is improved narrative play and an app that will help with this. This is a bold move and a wise one and no doubt we will see future editions follow this model. Our prediction for the future is that new editions will come at major story plot points rather than due to rule changes.
So far we are loving Warhammer 40,000 9th edition and the Indomitus launch box. It’s not too late to pick up a copy, you can pre-order your ‘made to order’ copy at the GW web store and through you local Warhammer stockist until July 25th. One word of caution, expect your copy to arrive late November/early December at best. We’ll be going into more detail in future articles including an overview of the rules and how to play, to painting your minis, and more. In the meantime, you can follow our Warhammer 40,000 coverage here.
NEXT: The Developers Of Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Know That Winds Of Magic Was A Bust, And Now They Are Looking To Improve The Game
Source: Warhammer 40K Rulebooks, Warhammer Community, Games Workshop, Black Library
