Games Workshop is unloading the previews for the newest Detachments for the Space Marines. It’s time to crusade on the 500 worlds!
Yesterday we got a teaser for the Necron Detachments coming with the 500 Worlds books. Today we’re getting a similar preview for the Space Marines. Will these be enough for the Wardens of Ultramar to retake and hold/defend the 500 Worlds? Let’s take a closer look to find out!
Space Marines are known for being shockingly adaptable when it comes to battle, as their limited numbers always need to be used as effectively as possible, and the wide variety of Detachments at their disposal is testament to their mastery of organisation and tactics. Accordingly, there are three new Detachments coming in 500 Worlds: Titus.
Space Marine Detachment – Orbital Assault Force
Did you want Drop Pod Space Marines to be a thing? Well, you’re in luck because that’s exactly what this new detachment is all about. No only does this allow you to grant Deepstrike to a bunch of units that probably wouldn’t have it normally, it also makes them even deadlier after their decent. And if they are crashing in from a Drop Pod they are even meaner!
Basically Deepstrikers will get a re-rolls for Wound rolls of 1. Units arriving via Drop Pod will get an additional benefit of re-rolling Hit rolls of 1 as well! Gee, I wonder if there’s a Space Marine Infantry unit that could really benefit re-rolling 1s on the hit and wound rolls that could do a bunch of damage to things. Anyhow, on to the enhancement preview.
The Dedicated Gunship Enhancement basically lets you redeploy an Adeptus Astartes Terminator model after the opponet’s Fight phase. The timing on that is key and it’s also what make it super useful. Getting to yoink a character off the table on your opponent’s turn and them redeploy them on your seems pretty good to me. Will this be better than other enhancements? We’ll have to wait to see the full list later!
For the stratagem previews we’ve once again got two to look at. Blind Screen actually seems pretty sneaky as it allows for your Vehicles or Drop Pods to grant Stealth to a unit within 9″ of it. With all those Drop Pods you’re going to want to use that seems like it could really be useful! Tactical Decapitation is really good for ensuring a bit more accuracy when targeting enemy characters. The extra +1 to Hit is a welcome boon.
Space Marine Detachment – Bastion Task Force
If Drop Pods and Deepstrike aren’t your thing then maybe the Bastion Task Force is more your style. This one really benefits a healthy amount of Adeptus Astartes Battleline units. First up those units shoot or declare a charge after they Advanced or Fell Back in a turn. Second, they are also still eligible to start or perform and Action in a turn when they have Advanced or Fell Back. That means your foot sloggers aren’t really going to lose effectiveness hoofing around.
The final boost from this detachment gives those units a special benefit. After the Battleline units attack a target they give other units a free re-roll of 1s on Hit rolls. Now, this only applies to one target if they have attacked multiple targets. Still, it’s a nice little nod to the auspex scanners Space Marines carry with them.
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We have a look at two enhancements from this detachment. The first is the Bombast Omnivox which can give you a decent chance to recover a CP after targeting the bearer with a stratagem. If they are a Battleline unit it’s a better chance. Imagine combining this with the Rites of Battle with a Captain — there’s a good chance you might even gain a CP and everyone loves free CPs!
Hero of the Chapter is the other enhancement and while it might not seem like much the possibilities are broader than they first appear. Not only does Battleline impact the interaction with the detachment rule but it also has implications for many of the missions in the game. Just let that stew in your brain for a bit…
The last preview for this detachment are two stratagems. You can read them both above however, I’m kind of leaning towards Heresy Undone. This one is kind of funky! It doesn’t work on Battleline units. However, for everything else, it sort of grants them the same benefits from the detachment’s rules. It allows them to shoot/charge in a turn where they Advanced or Fell Back. However, they can only attack or charge units that have been auspex scanned. So your Battleline units still need to light-up a target for them. I like how that sort of thing interlocks units, mechanically speaking.
Finally, there’s a third detachment that GW mentioned but didn’t preview. What we do know is this tidbit from them:
The book also contains a Detachment specifically for the Ultramarines that’s all about brawling over objectives, to represent their ardent reclamation of the 500 Worlds…
I guess we’ll have to wait to see what that one is later. The good news is that these will be arriving soon and you can keep an eye out for an update to the Space Marine Faction Pack for them, too!
Will it be enough to retake the 500 Worlds?
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Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and now Tex-Pat, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table.
A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam’s current obsession are his Death and Chaos Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, an expanding collection of Marvel: Crisis Protocol minis, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.
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