Leagues of Votann Unboxing, Lore and Codex Review | Warhammer 40,000 Faction Focus
The Leagues of Votann have arrived!! ย Join the Spider, The Pastry Chef and Beard as they discuss EVERYTHING there is to know about this all-new faction! ย We cover an unboxing of the new starter set, a look into the lore of the Leagues as well as going through all the details of their Codex.
This Faction Focus has been released in conjunction with our Leagues of Votann vs Orks Battle Report on Freeview, and if you sign upย for On Demand!ย you can also enjoy a breakdown of the best units and combos in the codex as well as a painting tutorial for our Studio scheme!!
00:00 Intro
01:44 Unboxing
03:04 Lore and Artwork
21:07 Rules – Detachment and Army Rules
32:34 Rules – League Customs – Greater Thurian League
38:06 Rules – League Customs – Trans-Hyperian Alliance
40:12 Rules – League Customs – Kronus Hegemony
42:25 Rules – League Customs – Ymyr Conglomerate
45:24 Rules – League Customs – Urani-Surtr Regulates
46:58 Chef Rant – Anything you can do Squats can do better, Squats can do anything better than you
50:28 Character Upgrades – The Votannic Council
58:39 Datasheets – HQs
1:14:55 Datasheets – Troops
1:25:54 Datasheets – Elites
1:38:46 Datasheets – Fast Attack
1:52::33 Datasheets – Heavy Support
2:06:26 Summary
2:15:04 Lovely jubbly that retcon
๐ฅ Want even more Tabletop Tactics videos? Check out our website and sign up for On Demand!
๐ Learn the ways of war with our in depth Tactical Guides!
๐ฒ Like to roll in style? Tabletop Tactics Merchandise
๐ For all your hobby and gaming needs, visit Tabletop Tacticsโ sponsors Element Games
๐บ Game Mats provided by gamemat.eu
๐จ For professional miniature painting commissions see Siege Studios
Okay, I admit some slight salt about myself in regards to the Leagues of Votann, as I have just recently got the new Daemon codex. And tbh, I’m not sure whether like it. Once again the army has changed (just like it’s changed every iteration before it). I like how Daemonettes for example are pretty killy, but I also don’t like how I’m spending 120 points on what is ultimately 10 T3 1W models (even with a 4++ at range). But I look at the Votann and sort of shrug my head. I am guessing that Votann has been in… Read more ยป
Thanks for the review guys. I have to say though, Chef’s salt was a bit too much for this video and took away from the overall video I felt. I get that the army is really strong, and I am sure it will get nerfed. I just found his constant faces and ranting kinda offputting. Either way, thanks for the content!
Thanks for the review gents. After watching it I really wanted to send an email rant to the 40K FAQ email but gave up as I feel there is no point. They just want to sell these until they decide to nerf them hard and sell something else. It is a shame that this is the business model that GW thinks works best for them. I believe eventually the player base will burn out and move on to something else. All GW really has to do is to make the point costs for all of these special rules appropriate and… Read more ยป
Excellent review! Thanks, guys. I’m also gladI didn’t join in the Lawrence says “Slaps” drinking game. It would have destroyed my liver ๐
It’s almost like GW are a model company and write their rules to incentivise the purchasing of their models. At the same time, I can imagine a few of these conversations going on:
“Just got a squats army! Want a game?”
“Thanks, but think I’m just going to stay home and nail both my feet to the floor as it will be more fun for me.”
โHegemonyโ:
heh- (vowel sounds like the e in โredโ)
JEH (stressed, vowel sounds like the e in โred)
mony (sounds like โmoneyโ)
Itโs a weird word to use. Nothing is formally called a โhegemonyโ as part of its name. Hegemony is an abstract term to describe something as being โhegemonicโ over something else. E.g. โThe Spartan Hegemonyโ wasnโt formally called as such, itโs just a word we use to describe when Sparta was more powerful (hegemonic) over the other city states of the time.
I was able to see on Chefs face that he did not enjoy the Codex that much and how broken it is.
Has no one else noticed that chef is now called Lawrence?…. (See start of the video) Sorry Mikey you have been renamed!!
It took me a while to comment the league… First, great video and at the same time its concerning if lawrence, beard and chef sit together to discuss the reveal more than 2hours….. In my oppinion they are a that piece of a cake with an extra cherry ob top – that cherry doesn’t seem to make the cake taste better. I’m scratching my head about them cause of the lack of lore and fluff that could ve in there to link it more in 40k -you already spoke about. In terms of rules some things are no brainers and… Read more ยป
See, Iโm curious to whether or not there are woman options in the models and art, or are the all men? Because if itโs another just all men armyโฆ
The Expanse!!! Ahh loved that showโฆ canโt wait to delve into this book Saturday
I dunno, I think there is some negativity in there. โThe Kronos Hegemony are ever on the march. Their Kindreds must fulfill quotas of martial conquest, and find the slightest excuse to launch into full-blown military invasions of alien-held systems. Over time, the temperament of these Kindreds has become ever more aggressive and Iโll-tempered, so that now there are few problems the Kin of the Kronos Hegemony will not seek to solve with violence.โ That doesnโt sound like a good guy, in fact it sounds rather Khornate. The Thurians are โruthless expansionistsโ, โuncompromisingly mercenary as they are driven in the… Read more ยป
Even if i’m as excided as Lawrence regarding having the Squats in 40k from a lore point of view and in general but i’m in the end very much on Chefs opinion rulewise. Everything* in the codex is like having not a cherry on top but a bucket of cherries on top. A bit too good, a bit too much and speaking army wide i think we see some bigger FAQ changes very short termed after the release. Those grutch tokens sound kinda overpowered as well as some of those weapon statlines comparing to pointcosts. There is a lot going… Read more ยป
I like the return to the older format, with the longer video breaking apart the new codex. Overall great video, and enjoyed the watch.
With that said, over the course of the 2+ hour video (length bothers me none) it really felt like Beard didn’t get to talk much. In the first 50 minutes, he probably said a handful of sentences. Content from Spider and Chef was great as always, but I do feel bad for Beard being largely resigned to sit there for the length of filming.
I think they will be broken level good. I agree with the gatekeeper thing and they might not go 5-0. They will be very easy to pilot i feel and will dominate casual mid and high level games. They will only show weakness at the tippy top tables.
Rock and Stone!!!
Craftworlds were heavily nerfed by having autowound on 6s on a weapon type. Admech were heavily nerfed by having autowound on 4s as a strat. what the devil?
The previous ones (CK/IK) were ‘balanced’. Chaos and deamons codexes were fluff and quite good… On this one you say ‘broken’ ๐
I’m not sold on the minis, the fluff and the whole around those who cannot be called ‘space dwarves’, so, perhaps I’ll miss winning games just because they are ‘broken’.
But, from your review and the one from French Wargame Studio, I see a big FAQ/dataslate hitting soon.
Awesome video, thanks for going through it all. As a casual player, I am not too bothered about competitive as people switch armies at the drop of a hat and I can see top tier armies being able to potentially compete. However, not sure what my casual list could do even vs a toned-down list and a big “feel bad” is that they just shut down some rules which is really, really frustrating especially if you aren’t someone who tailors lists.
I seem to recall that in times past, on the first printed page of each Codex there was a thank you to the Citadel miniatures design team, the ‘Eavy Metal painting studio and the GW playtesters. I hope they left the last one off for this Codex.
GeeDubs have been missing the mark quite regularly of late, and this home run of cheesy brokenness shows they don’t learn a single thing from their previous mistakes (Crusher Stampede, Hail of Doom Craftworlds anyone?). Feels like GW have become like a software house releasing a ‘Triple A’ game in a broken state – like Cyberpunk 2077 for example – and then just expecting everyone to put up with a sub-standard product until they get around to fixing it with patches (errata and FAQs). I also don’t particularly like the lore or the model range. Guess my new Chaos Knight… Read more ยป
On the miniature range, as I am printing Crystal bases for them, hearthkyn warriors are on which size bases please?
Great review guys. I have to agree with Spider…its definitely all about the fluff and the aesthetics!!!
Love the video guys @the chef so you like the transfers art work and a tactical rock ๐คฃ but would love a chef rant video about them. Keep up they great work guys
I think thereโs a path to darkness laid out in the lore you guys have described. We have one fairly significant example of what happens to a civilisation when its living god becomes impotent. I also think the โgood capitalistโ mode can only last so long. The Weyland Yutani comparison seems apt.
I don’t like the look but not bothered with the non sinister element, decent to have some heroes in 40k. The rules seem very oppressive, marine levels in 8th spring to mind. Can see the void armour getting the damage re-roll or wound re-roll removed.
A hegemon is an entity dominating by might among otherwise equal entities. AFAIK there is no negative connotation. Some say the USA are the hegemon of our times.
Edt: grammar correction
Btw did GW just release a competitor to marines saleswise (assuming the range will be expanded)?
L O L GW probably should of just called them The Brohkyn and been done with it! Compare the land fortress to a questoris/abominant knight, that is about *double* the cost… I guess the only time they temper the rules for the sake of balance in late 9th edition is for chaos factions and knights… Here was me thinking lessons had been learned with csm/knights/daemons but this seems to lend a fair bit of credence to the idea they stack rules to encourage sales. Its pretty blatant in this case. Do they not realise people would still buy them with… Read more ยป
#IStandWithChef not a fan of the lore, I think the models look dumb (except the transports) and the rules seem crazy. I genuinely am happy for folk that are excited about space dorfs but man, it’s probably one of GW’s biggest misses for me.
I vote to have Chef run them for the foreseeable future ๐
I feel so guilty for having bought the box… Luckily I cannot speed paint, so will be 3 nerfs deep by the time I play ๐
I’m with you Chef.
My Black Templars are NOT looking forward to any game with this force, it’s just going to end with me pulling out my hair.
Now they show us their way of Dwarfare
I hope as part of these Votann release videos we’ll get a whole video just from Chef.. I want at least 30 minutes of exasperation, frustration and anger!!..
I was actually excited for the release a while ago.. but these rules don’t look like they’ll be much fun to play against people with.
HEGEMONY is pronouced hej-e-mony.
I see hearthguard and berserkers like the hammer and anvil, more like skorpekhs and lychguard imho. I’d go trough biotransference to be able to split my 20 warriors blob in two ghost arks. That being said this book is ridiculous. I think tyranids and leagues can go play their game somewhere and leave the rest of armies alone.
So, you guys said you didn’t have any part in play testing/writing this book (I’m glad, I would be embarrassed to put my name next to this mess). Other GW articles with the creators have said LoV were designed during COVID. Is this the reason they didn’t release this to playtester feedback? On one hand, COVID disturbed everything. On the other, literally a pdf with the proposed rules and points could have told anyone that these guys are ridiculously overtuned. Good on Chef for telling it how it is. There is no tip toeing around this book being how it… Read more ยป
@Chef: since I am a really understanding guy I will accept that you don’t like the minis! it’s nice that in the hobby everyone has the things he likes or don’t. I will just write your name in the Book of Grudges, to be always remembered with scorn. You also gained a second Judgement token cause you make me remember that I was already playing 40k when the squats were still a thing. I will now roll to autowound you. Ok, I will admit that this codex is pushed. I will still play it cause I love the style, and… Read more ยป
Chef question for you. Given that the fluff, 40K wide, is generally accepted to have been delivered from a single perspective, do you think this leave massive scope for the Votann fluff to evolve some real darkness (al la Tau)? I mean, maybe this is the LOV told from their perspectiveโฆ no one believes their evilโฆ except maybe some of the Chaos forces, and even they think theyโre right. Maybe the next set of codexes will start to include some Imperial or other Xenos perspectives on the Votann and weโll see some darkness creep in. I guess Iโm saying I… Read more ยป
Well… I can safely say you’re being more reserved in you criticism than I…poor poor Knight players
The true Good Guys!!!!
Oh boy. As a person starting his collection with Necrons, I fear greatly for my freshly painted Lychguard…
The Black Staff of Ahriman is -1ap. On a 160 point model. Arguably the strongest psyker in the lore.
I love this army. Points will go up and a few FAQs will occur but think they have a great theme and great counter punch army and slow .. just awesome
I’m betting they gets points increases across the board at the next chapter approved.
49 Minutes in.
Spider is doing a valiant effort of trying to find Lore related reasons as to why the book is ridiculous.
Chef has a barely contained level of rage and frustration bubbling beneath the surface. I suspect a rant is imminent.
Beard is wondering why his awesome Iron Warriors trait and Armour of Contempt has been nicked by Dwarves.
Chaos.
Utter chaos.
Can’t wait to see what the Tau and Thousand sons can do against this league.
Also interesting would be mele armies that if they catch you, most likely you don’t have much units left and the game is over by then.
Love the review and I am excited ๐ to see what the army can do.
Please give the army to Jinx later in ๐
Edit, still watching, I am sorry but this is broken ๐ข
I will agree that the ymyr are really powerful, it does fix the issue with almost no save on the beserkers, however having gone through the rules they don’t feature in any list I have written.
What I can say, to get maximum efficiency when getting going, you start with 0 to 1 cp under the current competitive rules, which makes a grimnyr very important
So I played against the Ad Mech when they had the unmodified 4 to hit wounds. Thing was that It was on a str 4 gun, and It was broken then. And now they give the potential to an entire army that has some of the best technology In the game. Not to mention that It removes a part of the game, actually Ignores phases and rules that are In place, which have become common place In the game already. Its too much, and so bloated, and exhausting to keep up with. My love for the lore, and models can… Read more ยป