How To Use The New Dataslate Formations In Warhammer 40K?

Over the last few days, we saw Games Workshop Digital & Black Library’s new digital Advent Calendar shake up the game of Warhammer 40K. If the trend continues (almost a given with Eldar and Space Marines Formations to match the Tau Firebase Cadre Support Formation), army-list-building in 40K is suddenly very different from what most people are used to.

The change, basically, comes in 3 steps:

1. Dataslates & Datasheets
2. Formations
3. Allied Formations

---

#1 – Dataslates & Datasheets in Warhammer 40k

Dataslates, essentially, are Games Workshops new type of (Christmas-only?) digital product for Warhammer 40K (a similar addition was made for Warhammer Fantasy). The first was the Dataslate for Be’lakor: The Dark Master.

Dataslates contain collections of one or more datasheets. Datasheets in turn can either be Army List Entries (such as Be’lakor) or Formations (such as the Tau Firebase Support Cadre).

Now, Army List Entries change relatively little in the game, they simple expand the choices available from a Codex. Formations, however, change the way armies in (non-Apocalypse) Warhammer 40K are built.

---

#2 – Formations in Warhammer 40K

A Formation is a collection of 2 or more models that must be taken in that particular combination. For example, the recent Tau Firebase Support Cadre Formation is made up of 1 Riptide and 6 Broadsides. Taking these units in this package-deal, they

• get a few unique special rules (such as Tank Hunter for the Tau Firebase Support Cardre)
• count as their own Detachment, over and in addition to the “regular” Detachment and “allied” Detachment of a conventional 6th Edition Warhammer 40K army.

Unlike “regular” and “allied” Detachments, which are limited to a maximum (and, for the main Detachment, minimum) of 1, any number of “Formation Detachments” can be included.

---

#3 – Allied Formations in Warhammer 40K

Last but not least, Formations (as separate Detachments), can be taken as allies, subject to the normal allies chart (e.g. a Space Marines Army could take a Tau Firebase Support Cadre as allied formation), and do not count against the limit of 1 allied detachment.

So far, only the Codex: Inquisition and the Tau Firebase Support Cadre work in this fashion, but Eldar Ghost Warriors and Adeptus Astartes Storm Wing Formations are almost guaranteed.

---

#4 – A New Kind of Warhammer 40K Army

Taken to it’s conclusion, FoC-restraints mean very little anymore in Warhammer 40K. An army of the “new kind” you might meet early next year may well look a bit like this.

---

#5 – Thoughts?

I’ll leave it to others to build more “optimized lists”. What’s more, it seems like the system can also be used to get around the last few restrictions in the allies matrix (except for Tyranids).

If the Eldar Ghost Warriors and Adeptus Astartes Storm Wing appear as Dataslates, an Imperial Guard army main Detachment, say, could join with Chaos Daemons/Chaos Space Marine allies (Allies of Convenience) and add a Craftworld Eldar Ghost Warrior Formation and/or an Adeptus Astartes Storm Wing Formation (who can both ally with the Guard)!

The line between this and “just use whatever models you like” is becoming very thin indeed.

Crazy times ahead!

Z.