Warhammer 40K: Chapter Approved 2025 Brings On The Asymmetric Missions
Games Workshop is looking to shake things up on the competitive front with the new Chapter Approved Mission Deck.
Get ready from some new ways to play Warhammer 40,000. While the Core Rules are the same the Chapter Approved Mission Deck is going to change up your games in lots of ways. From new VP schemes to entirely different deployments it’s going to feel like a whole different set of battles — because they will be!
“This expansive deck of missions, maps, and more presents three ways to play matched games of Warhammer 40,000 – Incursion, Strike Force, and Asymmetric War. This time, 1,000-point Incursion matches have their own set of deployment maps to better balance smaller games along with a couple of unit restrictions, while the optional Asymmetric War rules will be a big draw for fans of ever-changing strategic challenges.”
via Warhammer Community
New Asymmetric Missions & Deployments
Things are about to get weird in Warhammer 40,000. At least until everyone gets used to these mission maps and objective placements. But the shake-up is the entire point! So what’s changing? Well for starters, here’s a look at some of the new maps.
The key one here is the Asymmetric War map. It has a pretty funky deployment setup with the Pincer Attack. And there’s more where that came from. While it’s true we’re still going to have a few classics (like Dawn of War) these new deployment maps really will change things up.
“These alternative maps are a great way to shake up your usual games with unfamiliar objective placements, while building characterful battlefields to suit the asymmetric narrative. After all, you could hold your last stand on a bog-standard grassy field covered in ruins, but wouldn’t you rather build a mighty ringed fortress or sacrificial altar to defend?”
via Warhammer Community
And it’s not just the maps that are changing. The normal Primary Missions are being replaced with new objective missions, too. These have been structured to fit the attacker/defender structure as well. For example, Syphoned Power has the defender start with 50 Victory Points. The Attacker has to then “drain their points” to score.
Now, if these missions are sounding a bit too much for you and you’re looking for more of a “classic” game feel, there is are still plenty of those in the pool. Incursion and Strike Force games in particular will fit that bill just fine.
New Challenger System
Another big change is the new Challenger System. This is replacing the Secret Missions from the Pariah Nexus mission deck. This is a shared deck that gives the player that’s falling behind a shot at catching up. Each card is doubled up with either a Stratagem or extra mission.
The kicker here is that you’ll only get to use one of those options on the card. You’ll also need to be trailing by at least 6 VPs before you can draw from the deck so keep that in mind.
Personally, I think this is a good way to keep people engaged and in the game until the bitter end. Even if you have a comfortable lead you can’t really let off the gas or your opponent could close that gap and surprise you. Both players need to stay on their toes!
The new Chapter Approved Missions Deck is coming soon to pre-order. If variety is the spice of life then things are about to get REAL spicy in 40k!
Asymmetric War missions are going to be trip to try out!
