Warhammer 40K: How Good is the Book of Fire?
Hey everyone! Adam here to look at the recent Charadon Book of Fire supplement, and what it means for 40K.
There is a lot of buzz in the air but not for what some of us might think. Many people have had a chance to see some of the rules for the new Ork codex and that has many an Ork warboss excited to see what their boyz get. As much as I do want to talk about them, I think I will wait until it has been out and some games played before we see what issues and strategies bubble to the surface. In the meantime, we still have some new army rules that seem to be enhancing a few of the new, and old, codexes.
This week we will have a look at these new rules and whether it would even be worth fielding on the tabletop in a tournament setting.
Skitarii Veteran Cohort
At first glance, this Army of Renown seems like these are good rules for an army that already has plenty of good rules. I am not sure if this is the case, however. It’s nice that the Skitarii units get an additional attack, and more importantly they get a 5+ invulnerable save, but I’m not sure the extra warlord trait and stratagems are worth it. Stratagem cost reduction is nice but I don’t think it’s better than what they already have and the stratagems really want you to get into close combat.
The current winning build for Ad Mech is a shooting build so this goes into a different focus than most players are doing right now. The limits of only Skitarii type units is kind of a harsh restriction and doesn’t let you utilize many of the other strong units in the army. The extra cost per Skitarii model for these benefits really isn’t justified. If I were playing Ad Mech, I would stick with what is already working for me. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Order of Our Martyred Lady
This supplement, I think, really gives the player some more tools to bring the fury of the Emperor to his enemies. The Saintly Example warlord trait alone may be enough to use this supplement as it allows your warlord to take a second warlord trait and, if they happen to die, you can select another character to be the new warlord. The best part is that your opponent doesn’t get any victory points towards their score until this second warlord is killed also. The relics seem nice but having a 2+ invulnerable save for a battle round can really come in handy. The stratagems are good and really play into the character of the order.
Being able to make all flamer weapons “pistols” if in engagement range is really good and can devastate an opponent’s unit. There is the downside of losing those models on a “1” after but that is worth the risk. Another one I like is being able to shoot or fight with a model that was destroyed, on a 4+. This is similar to the chapter banner for Space Marines but in stratagem form. If you already have a painted Martyred Lady army, I think you should give this supplement a try. I think you’ll like it.
Disciples of Be’lakor
I was looking forward to this Army of Renown. Being able to combine Chaos Space Marines and Daemons is something that should be happening. I must admit that I am a little disappointed but still hopeful. There are a lot of restrictions in this army and some of those restrictions do not allow you some of the effective units currently in use in other armies. I feel that in order to have an effective army you will have to lean heavily into the daemon side of it. Be’lakor himself seems to be a beast. Minus to hit and to wound is no joke. Also, making units around him minus one to hit and not allowing rerolls to hit is helpful in keeping them alive.
His psychic tree seems good as he can teleport a unit on turn one. So that bloodletter bomb doesn’t have to wait until turn 2 to be effective and get to grips with the enemy. Making models untargetable and being able to deny auras and the ability to perform actions are also good. The stratagems are ok but I think it is in the psychic phase that will determine how well the army does. I really hope to see this army at tournaments to see how they fare and if I was right or wrong about them.
~That’s all for this week. I hope you enjoyed the article. Let me know what you think, and what you like or dislike about the Book of Fire, in the comments section below.
