Next Few Codices for 40k/GW Rumour Round Up

Someone wrote to me and asked, what are the next few codices for 40k and WFB?

The rumour going around the various fora is that the following are due for release next year, for 40k:

- Tau (obviously)
- Cityfight follow-on (City of the Dead)
- Eldar
- Dark Angels codex

Assume a quarterly roll out. DakkaDakka reports the Tau codex itself will be out March 1, so maybe those earlier reports of February model releases are correct. I'm guessing a new plastic Imperial Guard set, per previous rumours, around the Cityfight follow on. My bet's on Steel Legion, since they can then introduce and sell a bunch of tanks also, but we'll see. Notably, they've retained Steel Legion and Valhallans in metal, plus the black library stuff (Schaeffer/Gaunt/Tanith) but killed Death Korps, Mordians and Praetorians, and given Tallarns to Forge World. I also note the Catachan battleforce isn't on the online store any more, and the codex is a free downloadable (not a good sign, Rambo fans).

There are also longstanding rumours of an Eldar/Dark Eldar/Harlequin consolidation in a single codex.

What needs refreshing? Right now, for 40k, the only "race" without a plastic battleforce box is the Inquisition (Daemonhunters/Witchhunters - notably merged into a single category in both the US and UK catalogues). There were longstanding promises of a third Ordo book, for the Ordo Xenos (Alienhunters), but that seems to be deferred, long-term. For WFB, GW did take advantage of Lustria to consolidate some of the lines with plastic battalion boxes without a codex, per se, but I can't see them doing that in this case.

The Dark Eldar models, if you take a look round, are the ones probably in most need of a refresh, but I'm still not sure we'll see the comprehensive Eldar codex given the logistics involved (2 new battleforces, 1 army deal, various additional squad boxes and a new Harlequins line?), certainly if GW are still bringing out new LotR lines, as seems to be the plan. The Necron could certainly do with a couple of new units, to my mind. But ... the apparent reason behind the Tau next has more to do with the popularity of the Tau line than a requirement for more Tau.

On the WFB side, the general consensus seems to be Orcs and Goblins, after the Dwarfs. After that, it's still unclear. In this case, those races without their own battalion box include:

- beasts of chaos
- hordes of chaos
- dark elves
- dogs of war (unlikely, as a premium line)
- dwarfs (on its way, already on advance order)
- vampire counts

There's also chaos dwarfs, still to come (apparently the chaos dwarfs in the Storm of Chaos hellcannon set were there as a kind of placeholder, to tell us they hadn't gone the way of squats), but equally rumoured to be a long way off. And there's a new release of WFB due in the early Summer, which if it goes the 40k/Macragge route would be Empire vs Orcs and Goblins, so probably look for an Empire refresh around then also. So my betting is O&G followed by Empire, followed by, umm, some form of chaos undivided refresh. I also think if GW thought they could get away, production/logistics wise, with 5 new armies next year, they'd do it.

Anyhow - mostly conjecture at this point, or repackaged conjecture from the various forums.