Warhammer 40k: New Ally Matrix Fixes Taudar Shenanigans

The 7th edition of Warhammer 40k drops on May 24th, and the wargaming community has been a-tizzy with all the tidbits that have been leaked.  There is a new psychic phase (much like Warhammer Fantasy’s magic phase), a new Daemonology power, and a bunch of other adjustments.

But the best part?  They’ve released a new ally matrix!  It looks like this:

I’m thrilled by the new update (if not the new price tag) – it streamlines the alliance process and makes things so much easier.

All Imperium, All The Time

First of all, individual armies under the Imperium no longer have their own entries on the chart.  This one change makes a world of difference!

It reduces the giant grid from 6th edition to a much more manageable 9×9, makes the chart easier to read, and gives enough space on the page to include the army names next to each icon – instead of putting them in a key at the bottom – so that the chart can be scanned by newer players without overwhelming them.

You also don’t have to sort through a series of  different Imperial-related icons to figure out if Necrons/Tau are allying with Dark Angels, Blood Angels, Grey Knights or Space Wolves as Allies of Convenience – it’s all the same.  Speaking of which…

Imperial Racism Returns

The Imperium returns to its roots and genuinely hates most of the Xenos again.  They are Allies of Convenience with the Eldar and Desperate Allies with Dark Eldar and Tau, but the vast majority are only allies ‘Come The Apocalypse’.

While Come The Apocalypse is now actually a playable alliance, it comes with some hefty penalties that help maintain a bit of balance.

Allying With Yourself

You can now have an allied contingent with your own army, which means Battleforged armies have a bit more flexibility without branching out of their own codex.  Players can potentially have three HQs (or more, depending on which codex they’re playing) without breaking the Force Organization chart and going into Unbound army territory.

Fewer Xenos Shenanigans

And finally, we have fewer issues of alien-on-alien action causing issues on the competitive scene.  This BoLS article explains why the Tau + Eldar combination was so powerful in 6th edition better than I ever could, but here is the basic gist:

• They are both new codices, which tend to be a bit stronger than previous editions;
• They were Battle Brothers in 6th, which let their abilities work very well with each other;
• Their abilities naturally complemented one another, stacking buffs for huge bonuses.

Since it was discovered, the Tau + Eldar combo (known to some as the Taudar threat) has been a huge source of contention/complaints from the 40k community.

Now that the two armies are Allies of Convenience instead of Battle Brothers, it should make things a little more balanced on that front and reduce the amount of craziness that comes from the pairing.