by Ed Fortune
The tenth edition of Warhammer 40,000 is finally here. A big box of Warhammer models to herald the arrival of a new version of the game has been a thing since the classic second edition Orks vs Space Marines box in 1993. The aptly named Leviathan is the largest set of its kind we’ve seen, and demand for this new set has been so great that Games Workshop has apparently paused everything else in order to get copies of Leviathan into the hands of all the Warhammer fans. So we were quite excited when a copy turned up at STARBURST Towers for review.
Is it worth the fuss? The short answer is yes. It’s filled with 72 very cool models that you won’t find in older Games Workshop sets, 66 new mission cards, and a massive book filled with rules and setting material. We also get an invitation to take part in the Battle For Oghram, a sort of online vote that lets players around the world contribute to Warhammer 40k‘s story. (You don’t get scenery, dice, measuring tools or similar gaming aids; it’s assumed most of us already have those or something similar. )
Much like the previous set, Indomitus (which launched the ninth edition), Leviathan refocuses the ongoing Warhammer 40,000 setting. This ‘dark ages in space’ grim-dark setting is one of constant warfare. Mankind, despite being widespread across the galaxy, is on the brink of annihilation through a combination of its own wilful ignorance and hubris, as well as its many, many enemies. This time the monsters at the gate are Tyranids, alien monsters that are a mix of dinosaurs, insects and Lovecraftian nightmares. A massive ‘Hive Fleet’ of these all-consuming beasties are headed, inexorably, toward Terra and the heart of humanity itself. It’s got some way to go, and luckily, the Space Marines are in the way.
We 47 Tyranid models, ranging from the skittering termagant foot-soldiers to much larger horrors such as the ‘screamer-killer’, ‘Pyschophage’ and ‘Winged Tyranid Prime’. These kits are easy to put together (we recommend you use modelling tools and glue) and are very clearly and strikingly thought through. They present some very clear and welcome design choices for the Tyranid range. We especially enjoyed assembling the Screamer-Killer, which has come a long way since the days these things were made in metal. (All the models are hard plastic, and that’s a very good thing.)
Space Marines are the elite super-soldiers of the Imperium of Man. They’re big fleshy lumps of human-shaped violence, clad in armour that is a mix of medieval and futuristic styles. We get 25 Space Marines, with transfers to go on the models, so you can mark out units easily. Most striking is the Ballistus Dreadnought, a giant robot coffin thing equipped with many guns. We also have Terminators, which are Space Marines in big scary armour as well as a collection of command and support troops. This is a good mix of types and designs of Space Marine, and they’ve gone all in with the gothic, heavily ornamental look.
The assembly instructions are clear, and the rules for each unit are well laid out. The models are detailed without being fiddly. You’ll need a bit of skill and a sharp knife if you want to convert them into something different, but the designs are such that hobbyists who like doing that will find it hard to resist the urge not to. For the rest of us, the models look great as they are once assembled.
As we’ve come to expect, the hardback rulebook is a gorgeous thing. 300 odd pages of art, photographs and storytelling detailing a cosmos of horrors as well as how to actually play the game. The book is credited to the Warhammer Design Studio. Though we appreciate that the world of Warhammer 40,000 is a collaborative effort of artists, writers, games designers and many others over the decades, we do hope Games Workshop produce some profiles of these folk in future; it’s nice to put a name to a face.
It’s a weighty and well-bound tome, designed to be lugged around in a gaming bag for a good few years, though all of the rules are online, and your phone is lighter. It’s a solid source of inspiration for anyone wanting to create art set in the Warhammer 40,000 setting, be that campaign narratives, painting models, fan art, fiction, or what have you.
The Mission Deck is a box of tarot-sized cards with gate-fold instructions on how to set up a balanced and fun game. (Despite the Tyranids having more models in the box, the forces are fairly evenly matched, as the Space Marines have bigger guns.)
Rules-wise, it’s very much a refinement of the more recent versions of the game, especially the ninth. It’s easier to create armies, and officer/hero-style units are now free-standing. The game is still broken down into steps called phases, but these are simplified. The magic/psychic phase and morale phases have been absorbed into other elements of the game, meaning that special powers are now easier and more obvious to use. Units can still run away if you hit them hard enough; it’s just now part of the command phase. They are other changes (and this edition is very new, so it’s hard to say how serious they are), but essentially the only thing that has changed is that it’s easier to field the models you want to in any given game.
The Leviathan box is a good deal – two full ‘combat patrols’ of models, a heavy rule book and mission cards. Though the characters in the world of Warhammer 40,000 may be doomed, the future of the game is very bright indeed. The best edition of Warhammer 40,000 we’ve ever seen.
