It is over, and the Adeptus Mechanicus shall live forever.

The tenth edition of Warhammer 40,000 is out, and because Games Workshop has generously shared all the rules at no cost, we can immediately determine the current strength of every army without having to spend a single cent. Not only is this a brilliant financial move on the part of the manufacturer, but it also means that Adeptus Mechanicus players can cry into their machine spirits and competitive players can quickly purchase Eldar armies. I’m Adeptus Mechanicus, and I’m here.

In case you’re not acquainted with the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the AdMechs are the engineers of the Emperor. They build all the tanks, titans, lascannons, and Leviathan dreadnoughts—you know, all the fun stuff—in collaboration with the fascist poster boys of the tabletop game, the Space Marines. The Space Marines wouldn’t have any weapons to fight without the Adeptus Mechanicus and their antiquated methods—they pray as much as they build engines when building a Land Raider. Hell, without the AdMech, there wouldn’t be any Space Marines—at least not Primaris ones.

Turning from the mythology to the surface of the table, the Adeptus Mechanicus are essentially robots. They have large robot mechs, small robot footsoldiers, robot horses, and robot airplane pilots. Although the army has some really good models and the concept is fascinating, a lot of gamers just utilize the current miniatures range as a jumping off point for their own creative ideas.




I know I’m biased because I play AdMech, but our armies are frequently the most imaginatively converted and intriguingly assembled. Despite the fact that my Forge World has not fallen victim to the Chaos Gods, I have opted for a Dark Mechanicus aesthetic, including a lot of Nurgle and Skaven kits. This interpretation of the Omnissiah differs slightly from the more Codex compatible scions of Mars and Ryza. However, I’ve observed that a lot of other players have interpreted the story differently, blending various outfits to give their army a distinct flavor.

There has never been a great army like the Adeptus Mechanicus. They’ve never quite found their footing, but they’ve remained solid nonetheless, especially with the addition of Imperial Knights. However, they weren’t bad either prior to the 10th edition. All of that has altered in the last month.




AdMech are currently terrible. I’m referring to the very bottom of the list, right next to the identically nerfed Death Guard, who also unluckily lost any thematic rules. Fortunately for us, Adeptus Mechanicus forces still retain some flavor, even though our rules now center on atom bombing the battlefield and using radioactive units—things that aren’t even mentioned in the lore.

Gamers have been arguing over whether the nerf was unintentional, if the rules were misread, or if the playtesters simply missed it. Whatever the cause, we’ve turned into a pretty terrible bunch. Though we do have some good units, such as the reliable Knights and Kataphrons, the army lacks cohesiveness, and it’s hard to see how the army-wide special rules actually help us. Lastly, we’re due for one of the earliest 10th edition codexes, so we’ll probably have to wait until then to see any adjustments, even if I expect the Eldar to get nerfed in a FAQ rather soon.


Even though our force has been decimated, a lot of AdMech players are enjoying the turmoil. No, not in that manner. Rather than leaving Mars and building a stronger army, players are creating entertaining lists with the units they enjoy. Why not just choose your favorite units if even an optimised list will perform appallingly on the table? The Kataphrons are by far the best conversions in my army, so I can’t wait to wheel them out (albeit mine aren’t wheeled). Next up is my Onager Dunecrawler, replete with arm cannon and beer belly. Emperor, please protect me. I promise you that this is not heresy, despite the appearance.

By 10th edition, the Adeptus Mechanicus has been completely destroyed; the only thing we can hope for is a whole revamp when the codex is released, meaning that the entire rulebook will essentially need to be rewritten. When competitive fighting isn’t an option, participants are embracing other aspects of the hobby because they have discovered some positive aspects among the negative. Now all we need is for someone to defeat an army composed entirely of Sicaran Infiltrators in a tournament. Brave soldier, may the Omnissiah be with you.