Goatboy here and the new 11th Edition 40K boxed set is soon to be available for pre-order so today I want to breakdown the box and see how it stacks up.
Armageddon is a pretty massive box, full of fun minis, a bunch of information, and even all the bits you need to play the new game 40K – just minus the terrain. I think overall it is a pretty strong box if you play either of the armies within it is most likely worth it for you.
Inside the box you get two slightly larger Combat Patrol armies for the Space Marines and the Orks, two rules decks for normal play and narrative play, a new small rulebook, a fluff book, and some decals. This is all the normal good stuff we see in any starter box with the big thing being the return of a small rulebook as well as a push for a narrative style deck to create games. Overall I think as a whole, the bits inside are a great addition to those armies as well as giving you all the tools to set up a game.
The Space Marine Minis
On the plastic side of things you have a normal Space Marines set of units. You get a normal Troop squad, a heavier shooting unit, an updated assault unit, a pile of characters, and even an updated vehicle. I don’t know how good this whole lot will end up being for those already invested in the Space Marine army beyond getting a nicely updated Librarian and the new Land Speeder model. The other things in the box are either too new to really see if they work out well (Land Speeder might be good – if they are cheap enough) or things we already had models for. It is an odd group of models as I really feel the Characters are the best things which isn’t matching up to what we had in the past where usually one of the units is just really good. We’ll see whenever the new Space Marine book comes out and we have a good idea where the edition is going to go for future books.
The Ork Minis
The Ork side on the other hand is a pretty spectacular set of models. I get the feeling everything is going to be useful for anyone starting a new Ork army or just wanting a few things to jazz some things up. You will use all the parts they are showing. I think every option is a banger and they all look good. I get the feeling the new Ork codex is going to have a real big shift in its rules just based off of how the new Warboss is set up and some of the characters you get. I am very excited to paint some of these new Orks up and hope I can get a few more of the Ork Mech Character as well as a few Wartrakks.
Rules & Accessories
I mentioned out we finally get a new small rulebook. This edition feels like a cleaned up bit of 10th and while I expect some of the rules within to change a bit – the book feels like it will be valid for a heck of a lot longer. I don’t remember the last time I took my 10th rule book to an event – let along crack it open to review it. We had such massive shifts in how things work from the book that it was just better to pull up the app, look at any relevant faqs, and just use that to play your game. I feel this small one will be placed in players backpacks as a nice backup to the phone app and whatever site people like to use to review rules. It is also set up a lot better with references to help you find things.
The final bit of stuff is of course the new cards to help you play regular games of 40K and create Narrative experiences. I think both are nice little add ons to the boxed set and I hope we don’t have a rush to get the Competitive deck for some players that might not need to buy Armageddon box. I am all for the actual methods of creating a game being included in the box. I was hoping that as they updated it in a year or so they would release another “starter” set that had the cards, models, and other fun things as a nice refresher for players. The presentation is nice, the cards are going to be used, and it is good it is in the box.
A Minor Quibble…
The one major missing piece and something I think we all need in our lives more. GW – we need the red whippy sticks back! Those red little plastic “measuring devices” that could be used as slap-tastic weapons of annoyance are sorely missed – and are a proud and venerable part of Warhammer culture. Oh how about some dice as well – preferably some nice sharp edge ones like some of the Killteam releases we have had in the past.
I rate this box a solid B+. If you play competitive 40K I would think you should grab one of these. I get the feeling you could sell the models and get a decent price for the rules you want to have. If you only want one of these armies you could easily trade someone for their other half and double things up as well. I am sure will see a ton of these boxes sold, a lot of parts broken out, and everyone being swarmed by mobs of Ork Boyz this coming year – which is always a good thing!
Happy Gaming, and get your wallets ready!
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Thomas Reidy, aka Goatboy, the ever-evil member of BoLS. I do arts, play 40k, and even paint a lot of stuff. I have been playing Warhammer 40K since the 1990s, and have won multiple national events including Adepticon and GW GTs. I’ve been writing for BoLS for 15 years. Look at my Instagram to see what I am working on – or working on for someone. I am always doing something hobby related.
Source: Bell of Lost Souls
