The 10th edition of Warhammer 40,000 arrives on June 24 when the new Warhammer 40,000: Leviathan box set hits the street. To announce the release, publisher Games Workshop gave away a lot of stuff for free, including the core rules like detailed unit rules for every faction in the game. It also launched a revised version of its mobile app on Wednesday, with even more free content available.
This is the second iteration of Warhammer 40,000: The App. The first, which launched along with the 9th Edition, was a bit of a neigh. In particular, it sometimes allowed users to create an army that was not legal to play. Games Workshop promises that the accuracy of the app has improved a lot, but what’s most interesting here is how it will become a showcase for the franchise’s newest format: Combat Patrol.
Combat Patrol is a pre-built format, similar to playing with ready-made Commander decks in it Magic: The Gathering. Players snag one of the many army boxes currently on store shelves, plop down somewhere around $120, give or take depending on the army, and get to gluing and painting. When they’re done, free index cards are available, i.e. the rules of play for each unit that comes with their Combat Patrol box. Warhammer 40,000: The App. So are Combat Patrol’s core rules, which create rules for the entire format, with about two dozen different playable factions, completely free. It’s quite a change in approach for a company that has always walled its gameplay behind countless expensive hardcover books.
For new players, the benefits are obvious, but it’s also a boon for veteran players: Usually, fans will spend months, if not years, building and painting a massive army of hundreds of miniatures for their chosen faction. All the while building a bond between budding generals and their collection of plastic warriors, players are also funneled into a single style of play. With Combat Patrol and Warhammer 40,000: The App, things are opening up dramatically. Players can collect smaller groups of figures, quickly paint them and place them on the battlefield to see how they perform. From there, they could go deep, paint a completely different army, or go wide and gather many different factions. It’s a movement in tandem with consumers’ voracious appetite for new minis and the growing hobby of miniature painting.
“The app is available for download on iOS and Android and you can try it for free right now,” said Games Workshop in a press release. “It will remain free for an initial period, so you can schedule lists and try it out in your first games of the new edition. The Core Rules element and Combat Patrol datasheets in the app will remain free, while other elements will eventually become paid features.”
Check out our full review of the Warhammer 40,000: Leviathan box set, or dive straight into the deeper knowledge of 40K.