NOVA Open and the Bay Area Open (BAO) have been in close
communication over the basics of how to build a list in a 7th edition Warhammer
40K tournament setting.
The NOVA Open (NOVA) and the Bay Area Open (BAO) spent the
past several weeks in close communication over the challenges and nuances of
how to structure Organized Play army list constructionin the setting of a
newly-released 7th Edition (7th) of Warhammer 40,000 (40K).
This article was jointly written by Mike Brandt and Reece Robbins – heads of
the NOVA and BAO respectively.
The basis for our shared discussion and conclusions began
with the understanding that Unbound/Battle Forged list construction per the 40K
Rulebook (BRB) is designed in a fashion that works best when players are able
to discuss rough guidelines for what type of game they’d like to play prior to
list construction (i.e., limitless detachments, unbound, lords of war, Forge
World, etc.). In an Organized Play environment, event administrators must
determine this for all players prior to registration.
The NOVA and BAO Grand Tournament (GT) formats are widely
copied or emulated across the local tournament (RTT) and GT scene in the United
States and abroad. By working together toward similar army list construction
rules, we are able to provide a wide array of players who enjoy Organized Play
with the ability to invest in lists with confidence they can be used at more
than one or two events.
Several issues comprised the focus of our discussion.
First Issue –
Detachment Construction Using Multiple Codices
BAO and NOVA both concluded that per the Rules as Written (RAW),
a Detachment in 7th (either Combined Arms Detachment (CAD) or Allied)is built
from a Faction, not a Codex. This is a substantial change from long-standing 40K
tradition (BRB 118).
A CAD is built of units that are the same Faction
(BRB 122)
A Codex and a Codex Supplement are considered
the same Faction (BRB 118)
Therefore, a CAD may be built using units from both a Codex
and a Codex Supplement.
Logical? Yes. RAW? Yes. Convoluted and confusing? Yes. When
you create a “Blended CAD” (BCAD)using units from a Codex and Supplements
(sometimes multiple Supplements) it creates bizarre rules situations, difficult
modeling clarity issues for opponents, and – quite simply – confusion. This can
result in unpleasant games and unwittingly illegal lists at the Organized Play
level.
Second Issue
–Impact of Faction vs Codex Differentiation on Allied Detachments
An Allied Detachment must be comprised of units in the same Faction.
This must be a different Faction than the Primary Detachment (BRB 122).
A Codex and its Supplement are considered the same faction (BRB 118).
Therefore, you cannot ally a parent Codex with its Supplement.
Third Issue –
Single CAD Restrictions and Consequences
Many tournaments (including Games Workshop’s own Throne of
Skulls) are restricting army construction to a maximum of one CAD. Given the rules
clarified above,players would consequently be unable to self-ally.Important
changes were made by Games Workshop to the way Battle Brothers (BB) function
within the new edition, however. By restricting the number of different
Factions that are BB with each other to more fluff-related guidelines and
simultaneously making all Factions BB with themselves, they send a clear
message that they intend for every Faction be able to access additional
BB-level HQ/Elite/Fast/Heavy/Troop choices beyond just a single CAD. By
restricting army construction to a single CAD, however, in conjunction with the
non-same-Faction base rule within Allied Detachments, Organizers create a
potential problem not intended by the designers, and substantially different
from the same restriction in 6th Edition. This merits an additional
rule tweak.
Fourth Issue –
Unclear Factions
Some Codices do not clearly belong to a Faction.
·
Example: Codex:
MilitarumTempestus and Codex: Legion
of the Damned. These are presented
as Imperial Factions, but the BRB Faction Listing (BRB 118) does not include either of them.
Solutions
We contacted the Games Workshop Headquarters Event Organizer
for additional input on how the parent company was dealing with some of these
contradictions, especially how to construct a Detachment (limited to a single
Codex, or Blended via Supplement / Legion / Tempestus inclusion?). The very
nice and helpful gentlemen told us he interpreted this as such: consider Supplements,
MilitarumTempestus, and Legion of the Damned as their own distinct, independent
Factions.
While this directly contradicts the BRB, it makes sense and
it alleviates Detachment confusion.
NOVA and BAO/LVO choose to follow the same conclusion as the
above Organizer (though we do not consider GW Organized Events binding
precedent, it doesn’t hurt to understand their choices). Further, we decided to
correct the unintended consequence of single CAD by allowing all Allied Detachments to be selected
from the same Faction as the Primary
Detachment.
This achieves the Games Workshop intent for all Factions to
be able to access additional detachments with BB-level characteristics while
simultaneously addressing the broadly polled concern of the player community
(at least presently) with allowing more than a single CAD. We therefore come to
a compromise that gives all factions the same options for a CAD and Ally while
avoiding the confusion of blended detachments.
NOVA and BAO/LVO
Formats – Joint Army Construction Guidelines and Individual Event Variances
- Armies will not exceed 1850 Points across all Detachments.
- Armies may be constructed from a maximum of 2 Detachments (as defined in the 40K BRB), no more than one of which may be a CAD.
- Allied Detachments may be selected from the same Faction as the Primary Detachment.
- Formations are permitted as one of the 2 detachments, but not Apocalypse or Fortification Formations.
- 4) Detachments may be produced from a maximum of one Codex / Codex Supplement.
- Example - You may not selectively include units within one CAD from both Codex: Tau and Codex Supplement: Farsight Enclaves, despite them being within the same Faction per the Detachment creation rules in the 40KBRB.
- Exception - Units available to various Factions by means other than the primary or supplemental Codex are permitted (e.g., Dataslate Characters, Forgeworld 40K approved units where allowed).
- 0-1 Fortification chosen from the following list. All of the rules may be found in the Stronghold Assault supplement. Please note - the following is just the shared list; additional Fortifications are allowed within the event-specific variances listed below.
- Aegis Defense Line
- Imperial Bastion
- Skyshield Landing Platform
- Firestorm Redoubt
- Vengeance Weapons Battery
- 6) Conjured Units are considered to be under your control, but not part of any Detachment. As a result, benefits from your Warlord such as Conqueror of Cities and benefits granted by being a part of a given detachment do not apply to Conjured Units. Furthermore, as a RAW clarification,Conjured Models interact with other models as per the Allies Matrix, regardless of the Faction that summoned them.
Event-Specific
Variances:
While the overarching intent of our shared construction
rules is uniformity and investment security for our attendees, each event will
still retain the independent flexibility and flavor that is so appealing in an
Independent Tournament environment. To that end, the following variances apply
between NOVA and BAO/LVO formats:
BAO
- Forgeworld 40K
Approved units are allowed following faction guidelines
- Failed 2+ saves,
when re-rolled, may never succeed on better than a 4+
- The following
additional Fortifications are permitted:
- Promethium Relay
Pipes; Fortress of Redemption; Void Shield Generator
- Lords of War are permitted, but only from the following restricted list (will include link):
- All of the Baneblade chassis vehicles except for the Hellhammer (and Traitor's Bane variant) and Stormsword, which are not allowed for the BAO 2014.
- Crassus Armored Assault Transport
- Gorgon Heavy Transporter
- Minotaur Artillery Tank
- All Macharius chassis vehicles.
- All Malcador chassis vehicles except the Malcador Infernus which is not allowed for the BAO 2014
- Valdor Tank Hunter
- Marauder Bomber (may not take Hellstorm bombs)
- Maurader Destroyer
- Fellblade
- Cereberus Heavy Tank Destroyer
- Thunderhawk Transporter
- Greater Brass Scorpion of Khorne
- Obelisk
- Stompa
- Gargantuan Squiggoth
- Kustom Battle Fortress
- Kill Krusha Tank
- Kill Blasta
- Cobra
- Scorpion
- Lynx with Pulsar (but not with Sonic Lance)
- Tiger Shark (Escalation version)
- Orca Dropship
- Scythed Hierodule
- - The following additional Fortifications are permitted:
- - Promethium Relay Pipes; Fortress of Redemption; Void Shield Generator
NOVA
- - Lords of War are not permitted at this time
