Warhammer 40K: First Impressions From The Space Marine 10th Edition Index

Take a look at the brand new 40K 10th Edition Space Marine index cards – from the good to the bad.

10th Edition is finally really, pretty much, mostly, here. We’ve seen the core rules. Now we are getting a first look at the brand new Card Indexes. These books re-write the rules for every single unit, still, in the game. While we don’t yet have the points for units, there is still a lot to unpack here. With a Space Marine Index this massive, at a whopping 252 pages, we can’t go over everything. So here are a few key first impressions we have.

Too Many Characters

One of the first things that really jumps out at you in this Index is just how dang many character datasheets there are. Nearly 20% of the datasheets are generic character options. This doesn’t even count a host of Epic Heroes. It’s just a really amazing amount of bloat with almost every option for some characters getting their own datasheet and rules. It’s also a bit inconsistent. Some sheets cover a ton of options for a type of hero, while others are super specific to one build.

It’s interesting that in 9th GW really tried to limit the number of say, Captains you could take. However in 10th an army could contain well over a dozen with little issue. With each iteration having different rules it’s also pretty hard for new players to remember what does what. A Marine Captain can have one of nine different rules. I wish GW had, or can, found a way to slim this down when the full codex comes out.

Classic Marines Aren’t Dead

GW still can’t quite kill off classic Firstborn Marines. They remain in the book and a big part of the army. Some of the classic units have even gotten a real glow up. The Whirlwind is looking downright solid there days. Land Raiders could be making a comeback. Foot Assault Marines seem decent. A lot of the old arbitrary lines have been removed, and allowing all Marines to ride in Land Raiders and Drop Pods is a big move for those units.

The Writing Is On The Wall

On the other hand GW is still clearly nudging Classic Marines out. We’ve seen a number of units go from Classic Marines to just “mixed Marines” in this book. Terminators, Sternguard and Bike Chaplains are all just “Marines” with brand new models. While some old units stayed relevant, others are clearly getting pushed out. The Rhino is very limited in what it can do and carry now, making it not so great. The Razorback get hit even worse, now unable to carry Tacticals or Sternguard. Vanguard Veterans have been hit with a super weak datasheet and are next to useless now. Likely, we will see a new mixed unit for them coming out soon. Reading between the lines, it’s clear what units are on the way out.

The Index Guides Army Builds

List building in 10th is super easy and free. You can pretty much put any Marines units into an army. The initial Gladius detachment doesn’t restrict what units you can take at all. However the Index does guide you a lot in what to take. The first step is with the leaders/characters. All of them list what units you can join. Pretty naturally this means that, depending on if you pick units or characters first you will be taking units/leaders to match. However beyond that a lot of units have really obvious and powerful synergies. The Invictor Warsuit for instance, wants you to take Phobos units and the other way around. Attack Bikes want you to take other Bike units. You can dig though this book and see how certain types of armies build themselves and its very cool.

LoS? What LoS?

Hey remember these guys? While they are pretty new, they made a big splash in 9th. Being able to lay down just a ton of fire without needing line of sight is a real issue. Well, it doesn’t like that is going to change in 9th. They remain really good in 10th, in fact if the unit doesn’t move they can pretty much ignore the downside of using Indirect Fire. Blast also, certainly for D3 shot weapons, got better. The Whirlwind is also looking very good, as are the other handful of Indirect Fire weapons. Land Speeders also give some nice buffs to these weapons, making them pretty nice. There are a ton of other ways to buff these attacks to make them even better. LoS should matter in the game and when an army starts getting to ignore it really easily that can turn into a real problem.

Let us know what you think of the new Index, down in the comments! 

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.