Tempestus Militarum: A review with 7th Edition in mind

Warhammer 40,000: Militarum Tempestus

*This article I've been trying to write since the book came out due to life, so I apologize for what may seem like a late review (and the long gap between posts). But, me being late with it, actually made things I didn't get the first time through make a lot more sense due to the release of 7th Edition.

Codex: Militarum Tempestus

Well, I’ve had some time now to digest the newest codex out from Games Workshop: the Militarum Tempestus. (Reading is one of the easier things to do with an infant.) To sum up the codex, it is Codex: Storm Troopers. In this latest edition, much like what we have seen for Imperial Guard, the Storm Troopers of the Schola Progena are seeing a name change. Where the Imperial Guard are now the Astra Militarum (“Star Military?” Or rather in proper Latin, since 40K generally makes it up, “Stars of (the) Military”), the Storm Troopers are becoming the Militarum Tempestus (“Military Storm/Weather”, though, I think it is spelt “Tempestas” in proper Latin. I could be wrong.). Personally I like the names, they fit well with the setting’s pseudo-Latin/high-Gothic language. I imagine, though, that Imperial Guard will still be used as the unofficial name, probably both in-universe and out of universe. Like many, I suspect the name changes reflect a need to make them unique, and thus copyrightable.

Model Gallery

The book itself is a nice 72-page hardbound book, much like a standard codex for 6^th edition. The lore throughout the book is pretty good. It contains the timeline of events from the Militarum Tempestus’ vantage like most other codices, as well as a section talking about the various regiments of the faction. This section I’m mixed about. I loved the shear amount of lore we got for about 20 different regiments, with a colour scheme for each, though by the end it did seem like variation between them was merely “X is good fight Tyranids, Y is good fighting Dark Eldar.” That’s minor, however. My main issue was it was on 20 pages. Each page, with the exception of the last two, has a few paragraphs and an image of a scion (trooper), with little variation in pose between each page. After 20 pages of this, they then show us 4 more regiments, but in a nicer format of two to a page. I would have much preferred the condensed format, rather than an 8 inch solder every page with text that only fills about a quarter/third of the page. It seemed like needless expansion of the page count. This was especially irritating when the model gallery was so short. I know there aren’t a lot of models for the Militarum Tempestus army, but I really liked more painted models showcasing the individual regiments. 

The new unit entry format.

What stood out for me, when I first got to the army list section, was it's unusual format. Normally, the format is each unit has a page early in the codex which gives all the background surrounding a unit with its special rules and its stat line (and usually a nice piece of art), then at the end of the book a condensed list with points and options. Instead, we get a single page with a large photo of the miniatures themselves with a brief description of the unit above and it's special rules, points and options below. (See left) This I found rather odd when I first saw it.

Then Warhammer 40,000 7th Edition landed.

Warhammer 40k's newest edition changes the way armies can be built. Considerably. While I will cover it more when I get to my 7th Edition review (which I hope doesn't take nearly as long as this one), one of the biggest changes is that there are now two ways to construct an army. The first, Battle-Forged, is pretty much the same as before. You build your army following the Force Organization chart (which is now, getting rather... large), however, you get special bonus rules when you do so and you are allowed to take as many detachments as you wish.

6th Edition's chart by the end...

The second way to build an army is called Unbound. In this method, you simple take what you want, from which ever codices you want (but still abiding by the new ally matrix).

Now, looking back at the Tempestus codex, looking at the layout it makes a lot of sense if anyone can just grab random units for an army. This gives all the information a player would need in one spot, so if they take nothing else from the codex, they don't have to flip pages too much (as they'd still need to read army rules, weapon rules, etc.).

The new Ork codex: That Painboy!

With the Ork codex landing this past week (Saturday), what I was guessing to be true, turns out to be so. The same format is used in the new Ork codex, and with two codices down, one can assume that this is the new format. So far, I like this change. My only issue is the lack of art for each unit. But, that's really a minor issue and only me being nit-picky.

I'm curious to know what everyone else's opinion is of this format? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

The Models

Wow. These are some nice models. The sheer amount of bits and details on the Scion kit is phenomenal. There are over three times the needed heads in this kit, with enough heads to do with helmets or berets on the entire squad. Lots of weapons, with one each of the special weapons. My only complaint is the long coat. As cool as long coats are, they are far more useful when worn and not draped over the armored shoulders of the commander. They way it is modeled, the first time he move with any urgency, the long coat will be in the mud.

My first five Scions built.

The level of detail is very nice, with a decent variability in poses when you mix parts. There is the issue of only one set of arms goes with each hot-shot lasgun, but with planning you can somewhat mitigate that. Overall, I look forward to actually getting around to painting these guys, and even more so, seeing them on the table.

Overall, I really like the codex. It is a nice addition, albeit a small one, to what we can play with on the table. And considering the new rules on allies, this is the perfect addition to anyone Imperial force, especially an Inquisitor or Grey Knight army (or both at the same time!). For me, it adds a nice thematic addition to what I already play.