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Codex: Deathwatch
Suffer not the alien to live.
The elite amongst the elite, carefully selected and recruited for their exceptional abilities, the Deathwatch are a thin black line, a sentinel that stands between the Imperium and alien threats unimaginable. Always outnumbered – such is the staggering scale of the hordes they face – this noble brotherhood has stood stout against countless invasions, and will face countless more.
Organised into small, elite companies plucked from Space Marine Chapters that have pledged a tithe of their strength in the struggle against the alien, the Deathwatch counts only heroes amongst its ranks. Each member has been hailed as an expert in his field even before his training as a Deathwatch operator has begun. His armour painted the blackest of hues, his Chapter icon intact upon his pauldron as a mark of respect to the Chapter that made him, the Deathwatch Space Marine and his highly-specialised Kill Team descend to the edge of destruction, there to repel whatever dire threat they face.
This 112-page, full-colour hardback Codex features:
comprehensive information on the Deathwatch fortresses that defend the Imperium and the elite Space Marines that man them;
rules for the Deathwatch miniatures, including unique army-building rules for building any of several Kill Teams suited to your play style, your collection and the task at hand – for example, a Furor Kill Team is perfect for brutal close assault with its Terminators, whereas a Venator Kill Team focuses on bikes, perfect for closing down and destroying faster enemies;
3 sets of 6 Tactical Objectives, representing the many different tasks of the Deathwatch;
uniform guides and information on the heraldry of Deathwatch Kill Teams, and a number of their fortresses;
a showcase of stunning Citadel Deathwatch miniatures.
The elite amongst the elite, carefully selected and recruited for their exceptional abilities, the Deathwatch are a thin black line, a sentinel that stands between the Imperium and alien threats unimaginable. Always outnumbered – such is the staggering scale of the hordes they face – this noble brotherhood has stood stout against countless invasions, and will face countless more.
Organised into small, elite companies plucked from Space Marine Chapters that have pledged a tithe of their strength in the struggle against the alien, the Deathwatch counts only heroes amongst its ranks. Each member has been hailed as an expert in his field even before his training as a Deathwatch operator has begun. His armour painted the blackest of hues, his Chapter icon intact upon his pauldron as a mark of respect to the Chapter that made him, the Deathwatch Space Marine and his highly-specialised Kill Team descend to the edge of destruction, there to repel whatever dire threat they face.
This 112-page, full-colour hardback Codex features:
comprehensive information on the Deathwatch fortresses that defend the Imperium and the elite Space Marines that man them;
rules for the Deathwatch miniatures, including unique army-building rules for building any of several Kill Teams suited to your play style, your collection and the task at hand – for example, a Furor Kill Team is perfect for brutal close assault with its Terminators, whereas a Venator Kill Team focuses on bikes, perfect for closing down and destroying faster enemies;
3 sets of 6 Tactical Objectives, representing the many different tasks of the Deathwatch;
uniform guides and information on the heraldry of Deathwatch Kill Teams, and a number of their fortresses;
a showcase of stunning Citadel Deathwatch miniatures.
- GenresScience Fiction
112 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Games Workshop
1,017 books108 followersGames Workshop Group PLC (often abbreviated as GW) is a British miniature wargaming manufacturing company. Games Workshop is best known as developer and publisher of the tabletop wargames Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 and The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 24, 2018
The Deathwatch are, ultimately, an unnecessary army. I understand the appeal of them, much of their lore is well written, and they do have an essential place in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Yet, as an army, they seem at odds with their usual role. The entire point of the chapter cobbled together from various other chapters was to establish small strike teams. Elite units which could best serve to covertly attack, kill or capture xenos targets deemed as essential threats. The sort which needed to be actively opposed, with an even greater emphasis on their annihilation than even those found in other forces. As such, to try and build a full army out of them seems at odds with this starting point.
That little intro was to make it clear where this review is coming from in terms of its lore. If it seems far more critical than the few who bother to examine the stories behind armies in their reviews (actually examine not just an "It's all good, now onto the rules!" handwave), this is why. The review isn't going to bring up Fantasy Flight Games for comparison, save for one moment, nor will it slam it for opposing some more generalized depictions. However, it is fighting an uphill battle to justify itself and some of these do need to be addressed. With that done, let's delve into the positives and negatives here.
The Good
One of the big uphill battles this Edition has faced has come in the form of time. Not only have the writers been forced to repeatedly deal with a tangled web of end-of-the-world situations, but to keep things moving as well. So, just as it sorts out one major faction-destroying problem, it needs to add in a hook to bring you back. This is without even getting into things like more general bits and pieces like establishing how the army itself reacts to a setting which is in flux. However, Codex: Deathwatch might be the book where they have started to truly get a hand on all three at once.
The single greatest problem established at the end of the last codex was a growing shortage of recruits. Even as they attempted to put out calls for more marines to bolster their numbers, many were being recalled to assist with the increasingly overburdened chapters of the Imperium. The book quickly deals with this in the most obvious way possible - the Primaris marines - but it uses the opportunity to do more than simply brush the point under the rug. The book introduces new factors which need to be dealt with thanks to this.
Guilliman is the most obvious one, as he seems to have taken a special interest in them and understands their importance to the Imperium, perhaps offsetting the influence of the Inquisition. The other is the Primaris marines themselves, as a large number have been given specifically to the Deathwatch. This means that the faction needs to contend with not only the issue of Mk. II astartes, but also that they have those of no distinct origin. Those who carry no past with them, no chapter cultures nor millennia-long traditions, and who only belong to the Deathwatch. Even the blackshields never offered this quality, as they had their own hidden agendas and histories. As such, it opens more than a few interesting points for future stories.
The importance of this fact is that it closes one door, and then opens several more. This sort of thing is essential to an ongoing setting with a timeline moving forward. Without it, you end up with a slapdash ongoing structure and stories which come out of nowhere. It's not definitive, not specifically binding it to a single ongoing story, but it pushes to have things evolve over time. It's a metaphorical rock thrown into a pool. It's now up to the fans and writers to see what ripples it creates in the setting.
So, what about the hook then? Well, this is going to be a major spoiler, but it's something many people will want to take notice of: Kryptman's Gamble has failed. Octarius War, that thing which pitted the orks and tyranids into a seemingly unending war against one another? It's started to break out of the cordon and groups have gone on the rampage:
"Time Runs Out...
Vermillion-level alerts reach the Doombreak, Eye of Octos and Furor Shield watch fortresses as the unthinkable happens. Triggered by empyric shock waves from the opening of the Great Rift, swarms of enormous Tyranids and hordes of hulking Skarboyz break away from the Octarin war to attack neighboring systems. The Watch Masters of all three fortresses request urgent reinforcements from the wider Imperium, before surging into battle."
Now that is a way to get the reader invested. It emerges right at the very end of the timeline listed and isn't the whole "THE UNIVERSE WILL DIE IF THIS FAILS!!!!" thing books used to favour. However, it is a harrowing thing to consider and it means that the Imperium is going to face some of the worst xenos threats possible in the next few years.
Speaking of the timeline as well, this is another good example of how to use this section of the codex. Many praises brought up in favour of the past few books resonate here, with larger text to fully explore the events themselves, and two pages for pre and post M42. Yet what proves to be interesting here isn't their quality - which is fantastic - but how they link together with the overall setting. In a previous Age of Sigmar review, we cited how certain books would only tell you so much, specifically contrasting the Daughters of Khaine and Deepkin works. Here, we don't quite have that. Instead, it has the book cite and tie up several concepts brought up elsewhere. They link up quite neatly, without resorting to an immense amount of detail, nor are they completely beholden to continuity.
These are small things like following up on the remnants of the massive Leviathan tendril which threatened Baal in the Blood Angels codex, to narrative threads which have run throughout several books. In one particular case, several brought up the growing interest the Dark Eldar have with the Imperium's genetically enhanced warriors. The Custodes were among these, but it was noted that a number of Primaris marines had gone missing. The book opts to follow up on this, citing one specific haemonculus who has taken a great interest in them, and that a Deathwatch team has been dispatched to stop them. It's a good battle and it creates a greater connection between books without being intrusive.
These moments are a few specific engagements which arise between wholly original ones, or even mini-narratives within the book itself. As such, it's enough to improve on a few ideas previous Editions dabbled with, while ensuring that most things remain coherent as the story keeps moving forward. Better yet though, it's never definitively expressed if what the reader sees is truly the finale. In just that last example, it's never said that these were all of the captive Primaris marines, just those taken in a certain skirmish. As such, it still leaves room for others to build on the subject or return to it if they consider it to be an interesting point.
Outside of a few key battles, the timeline also favours the use of the Deathwatch as a spec ops group over a full army. Their deployments often involve infiltration efforts, rescue missions and specific attacks to turn the tide of battle. For example, during a battle where the T'au attack a fortress world, the Deathwatch deploys two teams to inflict environmental damage on the surroundings. This causes the loss of several Stormsurges, turning the battle in the Imperium's favour, and the Deathwatch withdraw. It shows them being used as a precision instrument and the writing tries to offer them more than just "they show up, then kill everyone" as a story basis.
However, what I have noted is that the use of the timeline itself seems to have changed somewhat. Now, this is more of a personal theory, and there is a chance that I have missed something. With that said, the depiction of events in the timeline now follows a different style to some past outings. Previously, it often seemed to exist to give extra glory moments for the characters, victories for the armies, or to show off just what that army could do. There were exceptions, but this seemed to the core of it. Here, however, there's less of a focus placed on the battle itself and the units involved than the story behind it. How the armies got there, their objectives, the narrative arc they follow etc. Because of this, I am almost tempted to think that they serve as fodder for authors and fans alike. There are a multitude which could easily be adapted into short stories or full novels due to how they are described, with easily defined protagonists and goals.
Equally, the sheer variety of them and the much greater varied number of environments, objectives and solutions seems fit for fan creations. It would be a good step forward, as it encourages fans to develop their own concepts and ideas without forcing it on them. At the same time, if these could be used as fodder for new stories - as a few previous ones were with the Space Marines Battles series - then it would be an easy method of having tales flesh out and keep up with the moving timeline.
The other sections of the book outside of this are, admittedly, somewhat mixed but there are good points among it. While we'll get into the negatives in a minute, the positives here are very notables and easy to pinpoint. The layout and depiction of the Blackstar is a big one here, which offers a semi-blueprint view of the gunship while also offering some more technically focused details in its blurb. Each one largely outlining its exact use in battles and essential contributions in engaging with missions. The same can be said of a few others, like the structure to a watch station's command hierachy and the brief listings of chapters. They help to give an impression of professionalism within the group, and their role less as crusaders than more typical wetworks troops of a sort. While it does mention the multitude of chapters which makes up their number, it only does it enough to make sure it's a key part. Not, as it could have easily been, defining various figures only by what heraldry they bare.
Finally, the codex does its best to address the point that many items are new to them now. The primaris marines and their wonderful toys are the big ones, of course, and the Repulsor tank highlights this. It cites its strengths, but also how Deathwatch captains are having to adapt to its use and innovate on certain older tactics. They're minor touches, but nice ones which helps to reflect on how the book is expanding on its points.
Unfortunately, there are a few very big problems which are still evident within its works.
The Bad
The big negative point which is immediately clear here is how many older flaws have been carried over into this new version. It retains the same basic structure and design of the past codex, listing unit by unit and leader by leader. In of itself, it's not too bad of a design choice, and it can work with such a segmented army as this. However, the actual prose and descriptions doesn't do them much justice. It's not badly written so much as lacking a lot of the bite needed to further cement the army's style, and to better reflect on the Deathwatch's unique status. Too much of it reflects on the crusader/Templar style of the space marines, and more than a few descriptions swing back to that style of writing. It robs the army of an opportunity to stand out on its own among the marines, and it's often frustratingly so.
A major highlight which better confirms the issue of treating them as a large army over a dedicated specialised force is evident on pages 16 and 17. These display the heraldry of the various watch fortresses, and the banners which signify victories, specialisations and accomplishments. The problem is that it's too close to what a chapter would have for companies, and not what you would expect the Imperium's anti-alien Inquisitorial force. If you don't see just why this is oddly out of place, then try to imagine MI5 having this sort of thing.
Worse still is how it handles a multitude of the new ideas. There's few points where the book actually stops and offers a few pages of solid lore as seen with previous positive reviews. The closest it truly get to this is the initial pages, but these are half-text and half images which are padded out. They do less to comment on the Deathwatch's overall situation than they do introduce them to new readers. That's an essential part of this, but without a more solid series of writings to build on what the book introduces, some of the changes feel skin-deep. It works to introduce them, certainly, but it never takes it the few steps further than that needed to really push things forward. This means that things like the Primaris recruits are commented on, and their presence is justified, but you get nothing more than these essential parts.
The style of writing on here is also notably bereft of internal details. With the Custodes we were given countless details on traditions, inner workings, and the structure of their organisation. There's nothing which even approaches that on here, and the overall depiction, as a result, is lacking in more than a few core details to really give the book some meat. The basics are present, but it keeps mentioning a multitude of key bits of information over utilising them to further give the reader something to truly work with when it comes to fleshing out their own versions. It's always a very basic outsider view more than anything else, giving enough to make it clear just why the Deathwatch are needed but perhaps not enough to ensure a potential player will remain invested in them.
In the points where the codex does start to offer a few more detailed elements, they're so bite-sized it's difficult to get invested in them. Mentions of a dreadnought which has lost its identity are conceptually interesting, but it only lists the essential components behind what could be an interesting story. It never combines them into something which could make it truly engaging. Others, meanwhile, tend to be always depicted in the midst of combat and focus on the violence over everything else. As such, it again doesn't offer much character to the book because of this and its short length.
Also, they still have leaders carrying Guardian Spears. That might sound a little petty, but one of the codex's problems stemmed from how it often favoured simpler and more direct variations of Fantasy Flight's lore. The big one it could not escape is the differences in how the Deathwatch was founded. One was a controlled response to the Imperium's xenocidal nature, and the other formed out of desperation during a conflict with the Ork WAAAGHs!. The issue is that the other group of writers seemed to have a better handle on the Deathwatch's role as a larger organisation, and the specifics of how it operated, while this is more of a general take on things. Even if you're not directly comparing the two, there's no denying that the RPG books had a better handle on the fine details of the chapter's operation.
The Artwork
This might well be some of the best stuff we have seen in a long time. The original Codex: Deathwatch featured some fantastic artwork and despite a few odd choices in places, there was no denying the work was spectacular for its larger pieces. This one takes that to the next level, offering a much more consistent aesthetic while also granting far more visuals of the enemies the Deathwatch fight. The massive combat sequence facing off against Craftworld Eldar in the opening pages is proof of this, and the newer Primaris pieces are often depicted in the style of an action film poster. It lacks the sketchier style of John Blanche's works to build on the gothic thematics, but it still works out extraordinarly well on the whole.
The Verdict
Codex: Deathwatch seems like an experiment in terms of its lore. It relies heavily on re-using the older skeleton of the previous armybook for much of its information or sticks closely to what was there before. When it does try to push beyond this or innovate on certain elements, it's highlighted only in areas cited above, and the majority of the works doesn't update itself fully to make use of this new era. As such, I can fully praise and welcome the alterations offered and a few of the very innovative ideas, but I do think more could have been done with the rest of the codex. When it's good its very good, and when it's bad it comes across as irritatingly miswritten for another army.
That little intro was to make it clear where this review is coming from in terms of its lore. If it seems far more critical than the few who bother to examine the stories behind armies in their reviews (actually examine not just an "It's all good, now onto the rules!" handwave), this is why. The review isn't going to bring up Fantasy Flight Games for comparison, save for one moment, nor will it slam it for opposing some more generalized depictions. However, it is fighting an uphill battle to justify itself and some of these do need to be addressed. With that done, let's delve into the positives and negatives here.
The Good
One of the big uphill battles this Edition has faced has come in the form of time. Not only have the writers been forced to repeatedly deal with a tangled web of end-of-the-world situations, but to keep things moving as well. So, just as it sorts out one major faction-destroying problem, it needs to add in a hook to bring you back. This is without even getting into things like more general bits and pieces like establishing how the army itself reacts to a setting which is in flux. However, Codex: Deathwatch might be the book where they have started to truly get a hand on all three at once.
The single greatest problem established at the end of the last codex was a growing shortage of recruits. Even as they attempted to put out calls for more marines to bolster their numbers, many were being recalled to assist with the increasingly overburdened chapters of the Imperium. The book quickly deals with this in the most obvious way possible - the Primaris marines - but it uses the opportunity to do more than simply brush the point under the rug. The book introduces new factors which need to be dealt with thanks to this.
Guilliman is the most obvious one, as he seems to have taken a special interest in them and understands their importance to the Imperium, perhaps offsetting the influence of the Inquisition. The other is the Primaris marines themselves, as a large number have been given specifically to the Deathwatch. This means that the faction needs to contend with not only the issue of Mk. II astartes, but also that they have those of no distinct origin. Those who carry no past with them, no chapter cultures nor millennia-long traditions, and who only belong to the Deathwatch. Even the blackshields never offered this quality, as they had their own hidden agendas and histories. As such, it opens more than a few interesting points for future stories.
The importance of this fact is that it closes one door, and then opens several more. This sort of thing is essential to an ongoing setting with a timeline moving forward. Without it, you end up with a slapdash ongoing structure and stories which come out of nowhere. It's not definitive, not specifically binding it to a single ongoing story, but it pushes to have things evolve over time. It's a metaphorical rock thrown into a pool. It's now up to the fans and writers to see what ripples it creates in the setting.
So, what about the hook then? Well, this is going to be a major spoiler, but it's something many people will want to take notice of: Kryptman's Gamble has failed. Octarius War, that thing which pitted the orks and tyranids into a seemingly unending war against one another? It's started to break out of the cordon and groups have gone on the rampage:
"Time Runs Out...
Vermillion-level alerts reach the Doombreak, Eye of Octos and Furor Shield watch fortresses as the unthinkable happens. Triggered by empyric shock waves from the opening of the Great Rift, swarms of enormous Tyranids and hordes of hulking Skarboyz break away from the Octarin war to attack neighboring systems. The Watch Masters of all three fortresses request urgent reinforcements from the wider Imperium, before surging into battle."
Now that is a way to get the reader invested. It emerges right at the very end of the timeline listed and isn't the whole "THE UNIVERSE WILL DIE IF THIS FAILS!!!!" thing books used to favour. However, it is a harrowing thing to consider and it means that the Imperium is going to face some of the worst xenos threats possible in the next few years.
Speaking of the timeline as well, this is another good example of how to use this section of the codex. Many praises brought up in favour of the past few books resonate here, with larger text to fully explore the events themselves, and two pages for pre and post M42. Yet what proves to be interesting here isn't their quality - which is fantastic - but how they link together with the overall setting. In a previous Age of Sigmar review, we cited how certain books would only tell you so much, specifically contrasting the Daughters of Khaine and Deepkin works. Here, we don't quite have that. Instead, it has the book cite and tie up several concepts brought up elsewhere. They link up quite neatly, without resorting to an immense amount of detail, nor are they completely beholden to continuity.
These are small things like following up on the remnants of the massive Leviathan tendril which threatened Baal in the Blood Angels codex, to narrative threads which have run throughout several books. In one particular case, several brought up the growing interest the Dark Eldar have with the Imperium's genetically enhanced warriors. The Custodes were among these, but it was noted that a number of Primaris marines had gone missing. The book opts to follow up on this, citing one specific haemonculus who has taken a great interest in them, and that a Deathwatch team has been dispatched to stop them. It's a good battle and it creates a greater connection between books without being intrusive.
These moments are a few specific engagements which arise between wholly original ones, or even mini-narratives within the book itself. As such, it's enough to improve on a few ideas previous Editions dabbled with, while ensuring that most things remain coherent as the story keeps moving forward. Better yet though, it's never definitively expressed if what the reader sees is truly the finale. In just that last example, it's never said that these were all of the captive Primaris marines, just those taken in a certain skirmish. As such, it still leaves room for others to build on the subject or return to it if they consider it to be an interesting point.
Outside of a few key battles, the timeline also favours the use of the Deathwatch as a spec ops group over a full army. Their deployments often involve infiltration efforts, rescue missions and specific attacks to turn the tide of battle. For example, during a battle where the T'au attack a fortress world, the Deathwatch deploys two teams to inflict environmental damage on the surroundings. This causes the loss of several Stormsurges, turning the battle in the Imperium's favour, and the Deathwatch withdraw. It shows them being used as a precision instrument and the writing tries to offer them more than just "they show up, then kill everyone" as a story basis.
However, what I have noted is that the use of the timeline itself seems to have changed somewhat. Now, this is more of a personal theory, and there is a chance that I have missed something. With that said, the depiction of events in the timeline now follows a different style to some past outings. Previously, it often seemed to exist to give extra glory moments for the characters, victories for the armies, or to show off just what that army could do. There were exceptions, but this seemed to the core of it. Here, however, there's less of a focus placed on the battle itself and the units involved than the story behind it. How the armies got there, their objectives, the narrative arc they follow etc. Because of this, I am almost tempted to think that they serve as fodder for authors and fans alike. There are a multitude which could easily be adapted into short stories or full novels due to how they are described, with easily defined protagonists and goals.
Equally, the sheer variety of them and the much greater varied number of environments, objectives and solutions seems fit for fan creations. It would be a good step forward, as it encourages fans to develop their own concepts and ideas without forcing it on them. At the same time, if these could be used as fodder for new stories - as a few previous ones were with the Space Marines Battles series - then it would be an easy method of having tales flesh out and keep up with the moving timeline.
The other sections of the book outside of this are, admittedly, somewhat mixed but there are good points among it. While we'll get into the negatives in a minute, the positives here are very notables and easy to pinpoint. The layout and depiction of the Blackstar is a big one here, which offers a semi-blueprint view of the gunship while also offering some more technically focused details in its blurb. Each one largely outlining its exact use in battles and essential contributions in engaging with missions. The same can be said of a few others, like the structure to a watch station's command hierachy and the brief listings of chapters. They help to give an impression of professionalism within the group, and their role less as crusaders than more typical wetworks troops of a sort. While it does mention the multitude of chapters which makes up their number, it only does it enough to make sure it's a key part. Not, as it could have easily been, defining various figures only by what heraldry they bare.
Finally, the codex does its best to address the point that many items are new to them now. The primaris marines and their wonderful toys are the big ones, of course, and the Repulsor tank highlights this. It cites its strengths, but also how Deathwatch captains are having to adapt to its use and innovate on certain older tactics. They're minor touches, but nice ones which helps to reflect on how the book is expanding on its points.
Unfortunately, there are a few very big problems which are still evident within its works.
The Bad
The big negative point which is immediately clear here is how many older flaws have been carried over into this new version. It retains the same basic structure and design of the past codex, listing unit by unit and leader by leader. In of itself, it's not too bad of a design choice, and it can work with such a segmented army as this. However, the actual prose and descriptions doesn't do them much justice. It's not badly written so much as lacking a lot of the bite needed to further cement the army's style, and to better reflect on the Deathwatch's unique status. Too much of it reflects on the crusader/Templar style of the space marines, and more than a few descriptions swing back to that style of writing. It robs the army of an opportunity to stand out on its own among the marines, and it's often frustratingly so.
A major highlight which better confirms the issue of treating them as a large army over a dedicated specialised force is evident on pages 16 and 17. These display the heraldry of the various watch fortresses, and the banners which signify victories, specialisations and accomplishments. The problem is that it's too close to what a chapter would have for companies, and not what you would expect the Imperium's anti-alien Inquisitorial force. If you don't see just why this is oddly out of place, then try to imagine MI5 having this sort of thing.
Worse still is how it handles a multitude of the new ideas. There's few points where the book actually stops and offers a few pages of solid lore as seen with previous positive reviews. The closest it truly get to this is the initial pages, but these are half-text and half images which are padded out. They do less to comment on the Deathwatch's overall situation than they do introduce them to new readers. That's an essential part of this, but without a more solid series of writings to build on what the book introduces, some of the changes feel skin-deep. It works to introduce them, certainly, but it never takes it the few steps further than that needed to really push things forward. This means that things like the Primaris recruits are commented on, and their presence is justified, but you get nothing more than these essential parts.
The style of writing on here is also notably bereft of internal details. With the Custodes we were given countless details on traditions, inner workings, and the structure of their organisation. There's nothing which even approaches that on here, and the overall depiction, as a result, is lacking in more than a few core details to really give the book some meat. The basics are present, but it keeps mentioning a multitude of key bits of information over utilising them to further give the reader something to truly work with when it comes to fleshing out their own versions. It's always a very basic outsider view more than anything else, giving enough to make it clear just why the Deathwatch are needed but perhaps not enough to ensure a potential player will remain invested in them.
In the points where the codex does start to offer a few more detailed elements, they're so bite-sized it's difficult to get invested in them. Mentions of a dreadnought which has lost its identity are conceptually interesting, but it only lists the essential components behind what could be an interesting story. It never combines them into something which could make it truly engaging. Others, meanwhile, tend to be always depicted in the midst of combat and focus on the violence over everything else. As such, it again doesn't offer much character to the book because of this and its short length.
Also, they still have leaders carrying Guardian Spears. That might sound a little petty, but one of the codex's problems stemmed from how it often favoured simpler and more direct variations of Fantasy Flight's lore. The big one it could not escape is the differences in how the Deathwatch was founded. One was a controlled response to the Imperium's xenocidal nature, and the other formed out of desperation during a conflict with the Ork WAAAGHs!. The issue is that the other group of writers seemed to have a better handle on the Deathwatch's role as a larger organisation, and the specifics of how it operated, while this is more of a general take on things. Even if you're not directly comparing the two, there's no denying that the RPG books had a better handle on the fine details of the chapter's operation.
The Artwork
This might well be some of the best stuff we have seen in a long time. The original Codex: Deathwatch featured some fantastic artwork and despite a few odd choices in places, there was no denying the work was spectacular for its larger pieces. This one takes that to the next level, offering a much more consistent aesthetic while also granting far more visuals of the enemies the Deathwatch fight. The massive combat sequence facing off against Craftworld Eldar in the opening pages is proof of this, and the newer Primaris pieces are often depicted in the style of an action film poster. It lacks the sketchier style of John Blanche's works to build on the gothic thematics, but it still works out extraordinarly well on the whole.
The Verdict
Codex: Deathwatch seems like an experiment in terms of its lore. It relies heavily on re-using the older skeleton of the previous armybook for much of its information or sticks closely to what was there before. When it does try to push beyond this or innovate on certain elements, it's highlighted only in areas cited above, and the majority of the works doesn't update itself fully to make use of this new era. As such, I can fully praise and welcome the alterations offered and a few of the very innovative ideas, but I do think more could have been done with the rest of the codex. When it's good its very good, and when it's bad it comes across as irritatingly miswritten for another army.
July 30, 2018
Death to the Alien! Codex: Adeptus Astartes Deathwatch merupakan buku panduan yang diperlukan sekiranya anda ingin bermain army faction pemburu dan pembunuh xenos (makhluk asing) di dalam permainan tabletop Warhammer 40,000.
Sudah tentu,selain itu anda juga memerlukan Big Rulebook (BRB),Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook 8th Edition,untuk membolehkan anda memahami segala peraturan asas dan lanjutan mengenai permainan ini terutamanya di dalam edisinya yang ke-8.
Format penyampaian buku ini tidak berbeza seperti yang didapati di dalam Codex Adeptus Astartes: Space Marines. Saya ingin memetik dari muka surat 3 buku ini yang menyatakan:
"Within this book you will find all the information you need collect a Deathwatch army and field it on the tabletop:
THE DEATHWATCH: In this section of the book you will discover the shrouded history of the Deathwatch,learning of their mighty fortresses and their elite Watch Companies.
THE DEATHWATCH AT WAR: This section presents a breathtaking showcase of beautifully painted Citadel Miniatures,displaying the colour schemes and heraldry of the Deathwatch.
KNIGHTS OF THE LONG VIGIL: Here you will find datasheets,wargear lists and weapon rules for every Deathwatch unit,allowing you to field them in your games of Warhammer 40,000.
HUNTERS OF THE ALIEN: This section provides additional rules,including Warlord Traits,Stratagems,Relics and Tactical Objectives,as well as matched play points to transform your Deathwatch collection into a Battle-forged gaming army."
Selepas peristiwa The Great Rift dan Indomitus Crusade,Deathwatch menerima bantuan yang amat diperlukan dari segi tenaga manusia dengan kemasukan Primaris Space Marines. Dan sememangnya Primaris diberikan perhatian yang sewajarnya di dalam codex kali ini. Ini kerana selain Veterans,pemain boleh membentuk Fortis Kill-Team yang hanya terdiri daripada Primaris Marines sahaja sama ada Intercessor,Hellblaster,Reiver,Agressor dan Inceptor.
Namun demikian,pada masa yang sama,saya merasakan terdapat beberapa kekurangan di dalamnya. Sebagai contoh,ketiadaan datasheet untuk menggunakan Apothecary Space Marine biasa walaupun pilihan untuk menggunakan Apothecary versi Primaris ada. Apapun,inilah faction yang akan saya gunakan untuk bermain permainan Warhammer 40K. Kenapa saya memilihnya? Mungkin kerana saya tertarik dengan lore atau fluffnya. Deathwatch beroperasi umpama pasukan khas atau komando,di mana anggota-anggotanya merupakan yang paling elit antara yang elit,mempertahankan umat manusia daripada ancaman makhluk asing yang berbahaya. Suffer Not the Alien to Live!
Sudah tentu,selain itu anda juga memerlukan Big Rulebook (BRB),Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook 8th Edition,untuk membolehkan anda memahami segala peraturan asas dan lanjutan mengenai permainan ini terutamanya di dalam edisinya yang ke-8.
Format penyampaian buku ini tidak berbeza seperti yang didapati di dalam Codex Adeptus Astartes: Space Marines. Saya ingin memetik dari muka surat 3 buku ini yang menyatakan:
"Within this book you will find all the information you need collect a Deathwatch army and field it on the tabletop:
THE DEATHWATCH: In this section of the book you will discover the shrouded history of the Deathwatch,learning of their mighty fortresses and their elite Watch Companies.
THE DEATHWATCH AT WAR: This section presents a breathtaking showcase of beautifully painted Citadel Miniatures,displaying the colour schemes and heraldry of the Deathwatch.
KNIGHTS OF THE LONG VIGIL: Here you will find datasheets,wargear lists and weapon rules for every Deathwatch unit,allowing you to field them in your games of Warhammer 40,000.
HUNTERS OF THE ALIEN: This section provides additional rules,including Warlord Traits,Stratagems,Relics and Tactical Objectives,as well as matched play points to transform your Deathwatch collection into a Battle-forged gaming army."
Selepas peristiwa The Great Rift dan Indomitus Crusade,Deathwatch menerima bantuan yang amat diperlukan dari segi tenaga manusia dengan kemasukan Primaris Space Marines. Dan sememangnya Primaris diberikan perhatian yang sewajarnya di dalam codex kali ini. Ini kerana selain Veterans,pemain boleh membentuk Fortis Kill-Team yang hanya terdiri daripada Primaris Marines sahaja sama ada Intercessor,Hellblaster,Reiver,Agressor dan Inceptor.
Namun demikian,pada masa yang sama,saya merasakan terdapat beberapa kekurangan di dalamnya. Sebagai contoh,ketiadaan datasheet untuk menggunakan Apothecary Space Marine biasa walaupun pilihan untuk menggunakan Apothecary versi Primaris ada. Apapun,inilah faction yang akan saya gunakan untuk bermain permainan Warhammer 40K. Kenapa saya memilihnya? Mungkin kerana saya tertarik dengan lore atau fluffnya. Deathwatch beroperasi umpama pasukan khas atau komando,di mana anggota-anggotanya merupakan yang paling elit antara yang elit,mempertahankan umat manusia daripada ancaman makhluk asing yang berbahaya. Suffer Not the Alien to Live!
September 1, 2023
Underwhelming rules with alot of repeated information from other codexes. if you're a fan of the Deathwatch you might lap up the lore like i did otherwise it very much read as the same old Space Marine stuff.
March 22, 2020
I read for the lore and my rating is based on that.
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