Been away from 40k since 5th edition. What has changed ?

[Talos]

Hello,
I use to play 40k but stopped playing around the end of 5th edition. This was mainly due to alot of changes in my life and moving abroad. I am now going to be back in the UK in July and looking to get back into the game.
It seems alot of has changed since I have been away.
Could some give me an overview of the changes.
Any massive rule changes ?
Which armies have been updated ?
Any large changes to CSM or Orks as they are my main armies?
What I need to get started again ?

Thanks
Talos

[Rogue Star]

https://www.games-workshop.com/resou...r_40000_en.pdf

We're in the 8th edition now. The above is the core rules to browse to give you a rough idea.
Chaos Space Marines have been updated. Orks are still waiting on their new codex.
If you've got an army of miniatures, chances are you've got a list ready to go.

Essentially, nothing much has changed to the meta. New edition, new codex, buy miniatures.

[taurus-marstein]

I just returned to the game after being gone for 10 years, i think that was 4th or 5th ed.

I have been reading rulebooks and discussions online about 8th. Basically, it sounds like GW actually started listening to the community and playtesting their game before releasing it!

The rules seem way less broken than usual GW cheese and I think the game also got a little simpler to play. They streamlined a few things here and there, you'll see once you start reading (its obvious), but overall I think its a lot better and you don't have to keep in mind quite so many special rules and modifiers as before.

Also some of the rules you can find free online, provided by GW (like that link above)

[AFnord]

I just returned to the game after being gone for 10 years, i think that was 4th or 5th ed.

I have been reading rulebooks and discussions online about 8th. Basically, it sounds like GW actually started listening to the community and playtesting their game before releasing it!

GW has had a bunch of not so very well though out rules in this edition, so I'm not sure if the playtesting is quite what it should be still, but at least they're willing to change things as they go along, releasing new point values for units yearly, and an FAQ that actually changes the rules.

[3 0f 6]

I am also looking to return to the game after a few years away - last played 4th edition, although may have touched 5th edition briefly.

I was flicking through the nid codex in a GW store yesterday and the lack of points listings confused me a little. I get that these power levels might make for a quicker last minute army creation, but it does feel a little broken.

[Bloodknight]

The points are in the back of the book, it makes it a little easier to apply errata to them. Power levels are just for quick games where nobody wants to do math.

[mughi3]

It's a totally different game to me. most editions previous were tweaks to the core rules set out in 2nd/3rd ed. this feels like they were trying to combine elements of WFBS and what they learned from AOS while at the same time streamlining the game for new player introduction. to me it is almost to simple now, and that's saying something considering it was pretty simple for a wargame compared to most of the other popular ones out there before.

GW has had a bunch of not so very well though out rules in this edition,

Typical GW they come up with an idea they don't seem to play test, and the players find a way to break it in no time. like the return, restriction and now removal of turn 1 deepstrike.

[Captain Brown]

I am also looking to return to the game after a few years away - last played 4th edition, although may have touched 5th edition briefly.

I was flicking through the nid codex in a GW store yesterday and the lack of points listings confused me a little. I get that these power levels might make for a quicker last minute army creation, but it does feel a little broken.

My gaming group is in it for fun, so we have been using the Force Point system for building armies and found it surprisingly balanced. We enforce a WYSIWYG and thus we see models that in competitive points based lists never see the light of day.

While 40K has become a simpler game with 8th edition, it has made for a faster game...which in 6th and 7th had become very, very long battles.

My two cents,

CB