Codex release order

[whitestar333]

Okay, so there seem to be lots of errors in comments left by people on this site and in the blog entries about exactly when a particular codex was released. I really would like to set the record straight on this so that the entire community can stop bickering about whether orks or daemons are a '5th edition codex.'

I only started playing the game towards the beginning of 4th edition, but I have a pretty good idea of when books were released and I want to make this public information in a spot where everyone will see it:

Codex: Necrons - July 2002*
Codex: Witch Hunters - April 2004*
4th Edition released - 2004
Codex: Space Marines - November 2004
Codex: Tyranids - 2005
Codex: Black Templars - November 2005
Codex: Tau Empire - March 2006
Codex: Eldar - November 2006
Codex: Dark Angels - March 2007
Codex: Blood Angels (White Dwarf) June/July 2007
Codex: Chaos Marines - September 2007
Codex: Orks - January 2008
Codex: Chaos Daemons - May 2008
5th Edtion - July 2008
Codex: Space Marines - October 2008
Codex: Imperial Guard - May 2009
Codex: Space Wolves - October 2009
Codex: Tyranids - January 2010
Codex: Blood Angels - April 2010
Codex: Dark Eldar - November 2010
Codex: Grey Knights - April 2011

*I got these dates from friends who have played these armies since they were released

There we have it. So, as you can see, Orks and Daemons were written with 5th edition 'in mind' but were not released before 5th edition rules were available. Now, whether you think their proximity to release is what defines them as a '5th edition codex' is up for debate, but I figured I would at least set the record straight on actual release dates.

As a side note, I also remember that Daemonettes were stupid broken when the codex came out because of how much better rending used to be (6 to hit = auto wound, and bonus D6 to pen vehicles instead of D3).

[Denzark]

Next up:

Oct 2011 Codex Tallarn
Dec 2011 Codex Kroot
Jul 2012 Codex Squats

8th edition in 2012

etc etc

[Lockark]

From what I heard Chaos Deamons were orginaly written with 4th ed in mind, but had to be delayed for one reason or another.

It's the reason Orks play like every other 5th ed army, but Deamons are kinda a hybrid between 4th and 5th.

Take as you wish.

[Deadlift]

Next up:

Oct 2011 Codex Tallarn
Dec 2011 Codex Kroot
Jul 2012 Codex Squats

8th edition in 2012

etc etc


bah whens codex servitors coming out then ?

[Denzark]

yesterday - didn't you get it yet?

[whitestar333]

Oh man, I would kill for a kroot codex... I still have 100+ kroot models sitting in a box since the old kroot codex expired

[Lerra]

I'm hoping for a WD Kroot Mercs codex, or maybe something from Forgeworld. I've got about 70 of the buggers myself. I'm working on converting up a Kroot-only Tau army right now. I've got Kroot-manned broadsides but I still need to figure out how to get something to count-as a battlesuit that looks sufficiently Kroot-ish.

[Mr.Pickelz]

Yea, the Newest Ork codex didn't work well with 4th ed. because of the rules that it presented at the time, but once 5th came out, it seemed to work. The only thing i can think of that was confusing ,off the top of my head, is the Deff-Rolla's rules, which took forever for an Official FAQ...

[Wildeybeast]

No offence, but given that some of the entries on your list include 'dates I got from my friends' I'm not going to take this as a definitive list of release dates. Where have you got this info from? And I wasn't aware there was much debate about when armies were released - surely a quick look at the the publication dates in the book will clear that up? For example my current SM codex lists it's publication date as September 2008

[UltramarineFan]

And I wasn't aware there was much debate about when armies were released - surely a quick look at the the publication dates in the book will clear that up? For example my current SM codex lists it's publication date as September 2008

And yet, it was released in October..

[Archon]

Oh man, I would kill for a kroot codex... I still have 100+ kroot models sitting in a box since the old kroot codex expired

you could play them by the old kroot-dex or - how is imperial guard?!:cool:

[whitestar333]

For example my current SM codex lists it's publication date as September 2008

While this would not be the first time that a codex was re-printed (Witch hunters) I can certainly tell you that the release date is valid and what I (and my best friends) remember as the actual date. Look it up online if you're uncertain.

[chicop76]

One mistake I see with the list is Dark Angels came out before Eldar. Dark Angels would had bee a 4.5 codex if it came out after the Eldar codex.

[whitestar333]

One mistake I see with the list is Dark Angels came out before Eldar. Dark Angels would had bee a 4.5 codex if it came out after the Eldar codex.

False. I was playing the 4th edition eldar while I was in Australia when the Dark Angels came out. And, actually, I would agree that the Dark Angels are pretty much a 4.5 edition codex. They were the first marine codex with combat squads, for example, and they began incorporating the alternative FOC options that had not been seen up until that point (Deathwing, Ravenwing) that eventually found their way into the Codex: Space Marines.

For anyone else doubting the validity of these dates, I found a wikipedia article which confirms my timeline:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_(Warhammer_40,000)