So, just what is Codex Iyanden?

[Mr Mystery]

Well, I'm glad you asked!

Now this thread is part review, part over view.

Picked it up this evening on my way up the pub, so am yet to have a proper read through, but will add as I explore the book.

First up, aptly named first impressions. Are you sitting comfortably? Brace yourself....its a Codex Jim, but not as we know it!... Yes, it does contain bits and bobs in terms of rules, but its not stand alone. You will need Codex Eldar to use it.

But it is also so much more. Massive chunk of background about Iyanden, and some fun markings, colour schemes and explanation of the noble houses. In this respect, think a 40k version of Fantasy's 'Uniforms and Heraldries'. Yet it's also got lots of missions (8 of them!)....and for me, most fun of all?? Stratagems for Cities of Death. Just when you thought they were the red headed stepchild of 40k, these fun variants bag a shot in the arm!

Now....the cost. £30, or regional equivalent. I'm not going to say its good value. I'm not going to say its bad value. That's for you to decide on your own. However, I endorse this product. It's not necessary if you want to play an Iyanden army, and it doesn't present a superior way to play Eldar as a whole. It's entirely optional, and for those interested in a Ghost Warrior army very much worthy of consideration.

So, TL:DR version? It's a worthy, but not compulsory addition to the line! If you need more convincing, I'll go in depth, section by section on Saturday (work, then role play tomorrow!). If you're desperate, see if your mates have a copy and borrow it.

Oh, and super spangly 'oooh' moment? One of the relics is a saucy Powerlance that once belonged to the Shining Spear Phoenix Lord......

[Dalleron]

Shining Spear phoenix lord.......which leads into a Saim Hain/Biel Tan codex supplement. No way GW is that clever :D

I saw the title and had my $$ grab reply ready.

[Mr Mystery]

It's pretty filthy that weapon..... Think Starlance....but Starlance that makes things asplode when you kill them. Large Template, S of enemies S (might be T) and an AP of their AV.......

[Mr Mystery]

And now I have a few minutes, so can go into more depth.

First up, and most important to me, the background. So much of it is new! Goes pre and post Kraken, and really fills out in a way the Eldar have never had. 5 of the missions later on link to this background, but can of course be tweaked to whichever forces you might have available.

And as mentioned, it also goes into the noble houses of Iyanden, adding yet more colour over all to a force which for years was simply 'mostly dead. Damned Nids'. Well worth a read!

Army List? Short, sweet but useful. New warlord traits, option to take a Wraithlord or Wraithknight as Warlord (though they remain HS). New toys are fun as well, including The Albaster Helm, which means the wearer always passes 'Look Out' when with Wraithguard/Wraithblades, and allows all Wraithguard/Wraithblades in their unit to accept challenges as if they were characters. Perks all it's own right there! Overall, the list doesn't really monkey with things too much, but provides rewards for themeing your army, without making it unfamiliar to your opponent. YMMV, but I think this is a clever approach.

Planetstrike and Cities of Death stratagems are really quite cool. Including the option of an entirely illusory Bastion in Planetstrike, chosen when both sides have deployed.... Any units inside it go into reserve....

Missions....5 historical, 3 standard. Historical ones feature Iyanna and Uriel, but prior to current status. Yep. Pre-Kraken historical missions folks!

So overall, it's predominatly a sourcebook, detailing the history and culture of Iyanden, and their place in the grand scheme of things, with some very pleasant tweaks for those who wish to represent the mores of Iyanden in their army.

As per initial opinion....by no means a compulsory or necessary purchase. But, if you're a fluff nutter like myself, definitely worth consideration! And still not touching on the price, as it's way too subjective.

[eldargal]

I think it's pretty compulsory if you're an eldar lore nut, but if just a general lore or rules obsessed person probably not.

[chicop76]

Codex presented to you by Matt Ward. Yes he has a 6th edition codex. Would explain some rules.

[Cap'nSmurfs]

It sounds like the sourcebooks are ideal for narratives, campaigns and all that jazz. Sign me up.

[Mr Mystery]

It sounds like the sourcebooks are ideal for narratives, campaigns and all that jazz. Sign me up.

Yarp. Sourcebook with added perks for collectors of that army. Defo not for everyone, but they have their worth!

[Pssyche]

I've only had a quick look at a copy for five minutes, but that was long enough to be suitably impressed by it.
I own the Doom of Mymeara and several other Forge World Volumes and this Iyanden Supplement struck me as "Imperial Armour-Lite" and that's not a bad thing at all.

I will be getting a copy of the Iyanden book, but only after the Apocalypse release.

[Ravingbantha]

It's a waist of $50 is what it is. Sure it some noce fluff, but so do the $9 novels. the actual rules section is week at best, you get a few missions, a few new toys, but a whole lotta jack squat when it comes to Army layout. It's not a codex it's a suppliment book, with less real game info the the Assassins codex had, and that thing was only about $10 or so. It's good all in all, but not worth more then $15 mabey $20 tops, considering GW used to put out better free to download codicies in the past. If the rest of the supliments are going to be this Lame GW may go bankrupt.

[Pssyche]

It's a waist of $50 is what it is. Sure it some noce fluff, but so do the $9 novels. the actual rules section is week at best, you get a few missions, a few new toys, but a whole lotta jack squat when it comes to Army layout. It's not a codex it's a suppliment book, with less real game info the the Assassins codex had, and that thing was only about $10 or so. It's good all in all, but not worth more then $15 mabey $20 tops, considering GW used to put out better free to download codicies in the past. If the rest of the supliments are going to be this Lame GW may go bankrupt.



With the best will in the world, you're an idiot.

[Ravingbantha]

With the best will in the world, you're an idiot.

So because I dont like the book I am an idiot. Glad to see you have such a handle on yourself. PLease by all means justify your insult, or do you not have to capicty to think beyond such simple rubbish?

[Demonus]

I wish they had a $5 download of the rules PDF. As much as I enjoy fluff, $50 is not something I want to spend for 2 pages of Rules I will use.

[Eberk]

I wish they had a $5 download of the rules PDF. As much as I enjoy fluff, $50 is not something I want to spend for 2 pages of Rules I will use.

Iyanden players will also want the fluff... so they'll pay the price of the book

[Demonus]

Iyanden players will also want the fluff... so they'll pay the price of the book

Meh not really. I am an Iyanden player, and Ive got the internet if I want fluff, as well as any novels that come out. And from the reviews Ive read the fluff has been butchered by Ward (Shocker) $50 for suppliments is a rip

[Rissan4ever]

8 new missions and some CoD strategems? That's great! If the other supplementary codices keep up that standard, I just may pick them up.

[Ravingbantha]

Sure it has fluff, and yes a few missions but for what it delivers it does not deliver $50 worth of information in my opinion. I'm sure people out there are perfectly happy with their product, afterall Hanson had fans.

But a suppliment like this should offer much much more. If they want $50 for their book then ir should include alot more game info. What I would have loved to see is a few new special characters with actual rules, perhaps a few new craftworls specific psychic powers. On top of that a new army list perhaps something like a wraithseer in HQ, move guardians out of troops and wraithguard/blades into troops (given this codex came out basicly with the main, the main should have not had a wraithguard troop option). Perhaps an option to move Wraithlords into elite as well as heavy support or even Wraithlord squads.

Iyiden should feel like a truely unique type of Eldar army the same way Blood Angles, Space Wolves, and Dark Angles currently do. With all the room saved by not reprinting unit info found in the Primary codex (thus forcing people to buy the Eldar Codex as well), you can use that extra room for even more fluff. This would give over half the pages dedicated to nothing more then Fluff, even a few pages dedicated to new missions if you like. In efect these suppliment codicies should either cost less or offer up what we got out of the Dark Angles codex, afterall Iyiden (and any further supliment craftworlds) is to the Eldar what the Dark Angels are to Space Marines.

[magickbk]

In efect these suppliment codicies should either cost less or offer up what we got out of the Dark Angles codex, afterall Iyiden (and any further supliment craftworlds) is to the Eldar what the Dark Angels are to Space Marines.

Except that the Dark Angels have units that are not in Codex: Space Marines, and the units they share frequently have different options available. It is more than simply saying 'make terminators or bikes troops depending on your HQ choice'.

Although making the Iyanden army more unique than a similar one chosen from Codex: Eldar would have been preferable, the supplements are new ground, and will likely change as each is released.

The fluff section offers more than any codex I've read in any edition, whether that is worth the price is up to each individual (and is not grounds for insulting someone).

[Mr Mystery]

Yup.

It's predominantly a background book with perks for those who want to field an Iyanden army.

Closer in feel to the Liber Chaoticas than your common or garden codex.

As for the quality of the background, I suggest actually reading it and making your own mind up, rather than just making snide comments about the author.

[DarkLink]

Ooooohhhhh, you have a unique Land Speeder variant or two and a Flyer. Yeah, you're soooooo different from every other SM book out there. There's no way they could possibly fit that into a supplement book.

[Mr Mystery]

And Deathwing Knights. And Ravenwing Knights. And a raft of special characters..... And unique Terminators in terms of equipment options. And a lack of Stern/Vanguard Veterans.

But by all means, feel free to not include them for the sake of your otherwise fairly shakey point.

[magickbk]

What really seems to differentiate between Codex and Supplement right now is a model release according to the X sprues and plastic character format that has been referred to by Studio staff at the recent Enter the Citadel event and Games Day US. Moving forward, maybe they'll start to release a box and character for certain supplements, but in the short term it seems like any entry in a Codex will have a model released for it, and a supplement won't include anything that they don't have a model for. This also allows GW to do a digital release for a supplement any time it is finished, as it doesn't require a physical production run-up of the models. If they are going to go to the effort to coordinate a digital and print release with a model wave, then that is like a full Codex. Some day this may lead either to books we expect as a supplement becoming a full Codex, and sometimes ones that we think ought to be a Codex become a supplement, or the definition of supplement changes.

It certainly seems like the Studio has certain standards, but comments made by Jeremy Vetock at Games Day US point towards more changes on the way by having one group who approves the rules changes for every book from a certain point forward. When that starts is anyone's guess, but maybe it will start to signal some more consistency on a longer-term basis than what we've seen.

[Eberk]

It's predominantly a background book with perks for those who want to field an Iyanden army.

Closer in feel to the Liber Chaoticas than your common or garden codex.
+1

People must choose to use a supplement because they like the fluff/background and not be granted a whole lot of better and much more powerful rules...

Everyone can create a supplement that is overpowered... Not everyone can create a supplement that is fluff-wise okay and still doesn't change the basics of that army.

[Demonus]

Yup.

It's predominantly a background book with perks for those who want to field an Iyanden army.

Closer in feel to the Liber Chaoticas than your common or garden codex.

As for the quality of the background, I suggest actually reading it and making your own mind up, rather than just making snide comments about the author.

Sure thing chief, can I borrow $50?

I read a pretty detailed review of the book including a good number of the changes he made to the fluff, for no reason. I also own the Necron and GK codex, so I reserve the right to feel anyway I like about Mr. Ward thanks!

[eldargal]

Meh not really. I am an Iyanden player, and Ive got the internet if I want fluff, as well as any novels that come out. And from the reviews Ive read the fluff has been butchered by Ward (Shocker) $50 for suppliments is a rip
Whoever told you that is an idiot. The background is mostly new and thus cannot have been butchered and what isn't new is completely in-line with what has previously been written. The supplement is excellent and well worth the money, unless you are just into rules in which case you should be playing Warmachine.


Sure thing chief, can I borrow $50?

I read a pretty detailed review of the book including a good number of the changes he made to the fluff, for no reason. I also own the Necron and GK codex, so I reserve the right to feel anyway I like about Mr. Ward thanks!

Is this the review (http://thegoodthebadtheinsulting.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/iyanden-part-2-lore-warhammer-40000.html?m=1) to which you refer?
If so, ignore it. It's so wrong it's offensive. I mean, objectively wrong. He gets facts wrong himself while criticising Ward for getting them wrong when he didn't.

[eldargal]

Double post.

[Ravingbantha]

And Deathwing Knights. And Ravenwing Knights. And a raft of special characters..... And unique Terminators in terms of equipment options. And a lack of Stern/Vanguard Veterans.

But by all means, feel free to not include them for the sake of your otherwise fairly shakey point.

This is what the Codex could have (and I hink should have) done.The book introduced houses and such, it could have easily ran with varients on the Wraithguard along these lines. Imagine a 'Houseguard' type troop with slightly higher stats and new wargear. Or how about Swiftwraiths (on bikes, vypers, or jump troops), mabey Darkwraiths (infiltrators). Or even aspect wraithguard, imagine what happens when an exarch is killed and is placed in a Wraithguard, with the losses Iyiden suffered, I am sure there are plenty of these spirit stones laying around. This book had the chance to truely make an army that had the feel that the dead far outnumbered the living.

[Eberk]

This is what the Codex could have (and I hink should have) done.The book introduced houses and such, it could have easily ran with varients on the Wraithguard along these lines. Imagine a 'Houseguard' type troop with slightly higher stats and new wargear. Or how about Swiftwraiths (on bikes, vypers, or jump troops), mabey Darkwraiths (infiltrators). Or even aspect wraithguard, imagine what happens when an exarch is killed and is placed in a Wraithguard, with the losses Iyiden suffered, I am sure there are plenty of these spirit stones laying around. This book had the chance to truely make an army that had the feel that the dead far outnumbered the living.

You are talking about "Codex Iyanden" and not "Iyanden a Codex Eldar Supplement"

You expected the supplement to be an entire new Codex that stands besides Codex Eldar (just like there is a C:SM and one for DA, BA & SW)

While this may be a valid point I'm very glad they didn't. I would rather have 10 Codexes which GW can support with lots of models and 30 Supplements that change little (but are cool) than 40 different armies which each their own specific models/units for which GW can't produce all the models so all armies suffer.

[Mr Mystery]

Whoever told you that is an idiot. The background is mostly new and thus cannot have been butchered and what isn't new is completely in-line with what has previously been written. The supplement is excellent and well worth the money, unless you are just into rules in which case you should be playing Warmachine.




Is this the review (http://thegoodthebadtheinsulting.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/iyanden-part-2-lore-warhammer-40000.html?m=1) to which you refer?
If so, ignore it. It's so wrong it's offensive. I mean, objectively wrong. He gets facts wrong himself while criticising Ward for getting them wrong when he didn't.

Plus, if you're going to slag off an author, you may want to spell and grammar check your diatribe.....

[Autarch]

I actually liked the Iyanden fluff and was surprised to find out Matt Ward wrote it. The story of Y'riel was actually pretty compelling and interwove with Arienal's story in a pretty cool way. I also liked the story of the Farseer whose rivalry with Y'riel blinded him to the truth that his own excessive pride, was leading to the down fall of Iyanden not Prince Y'riel. That part in particular was really well set-up and had a nice payoff with the conclusion of the Tyranid invasion.