Today’s a big one: Invasion Amerika pre-orders are arriving all over the world ahead of next week’s release, and we want you to be able to play with your new toys as soon as they arrive – that means it’s rules update time! The Empire of Japan are the real (but far from only) stars of the show in this volume, and bring with them some deadly new tools for the tabletop! Let’s take a look at all the updates to the free PDF Konflikt ’47 Army Lists and FAQ/Errata, now available for download HERE or from konflikt47.com, as well as in the Warlord Games App!

The Empire of Japan

• The following new units have been added to the Army List:
  • Kimura Tadaaki, Scourge of the Spirit Realm
  • Ghost Infiltration Platoon Commander
  • Shadow Warrior Squad
  • Special Type Onryō Assault Walker
• The Ghost Infiltration Platoon has been added as a Special Platoon, which can take the place of a mandatory Assault Platoon in force building.
• The Ghost Attack Squad’s Bon Odori Active Rift Enhancement has been revised so that when used, a squad must redeploy at least 6” away from enemy units, rather than at least 12”, giving this ability much more utility, particularly when facing larger armies that have the potential to ‘lock down’ large sections of a board.

A note about the Onryō: The plastic kit which builds all three versions of the new Japanese Walker will go on pre-order in late November, but given how pivotal it is to the Ghost Infiltration Platoon, and how heavily it features in Invasion Amerika, we decided to release its rules alongside the rest of the new units. We know that wargamers are a creative bunch, and we can’t wait to see what you come up with to represent it between now and the kit’s launch!

Additionally, in response to playtesting and community feedback, we have revised the cost of Shiboru weapons across the board. Empire of Japan armies often tend to have a lower number of Order Dice compared to their opponents, owing to the relatively high cost of their Rift Weapons. By reducing the cost of Shiboru weapons, it allows Empire of Japan players far greater flexibility when list building, and helps to narrow the discrepancy between Order Dice counts, when employing such units.

The following units have therefore received a reduction in Requisition Points costs, or a reduction in the costs of Shiboru weapon upgrades:

• Imperial Japanese Shiboru Rifle Squad
• Battle-Frame Armoured Infantry Squad
• Assault-Frame Armoured Infantry Squad
• Ghost Attack Squad
• Sniper Team
• Type 6-Kai Ke-Ho Light Walker
• Type 7 Sasori Light Walker
• Type 97-Kai Shiboru Chi-ha Light Tank
• Type 3-Kai Shiboru Chi-nu Medium Tank

Other Nations

The United States are very much on the defensive for large stages of Invasion Amerika. Their August army list update is relatively minor, but nonetheless quite important. 

The United States

• The Tough as Nails army special rule is now limited to Veteran Platoon and Company Commanders. We felt this better represented the capability of Guts to return friendly Order Dice to the bag, as the common soldier is far more likely to be inspired by the grizzled types who’ve lived, breathed, and triumphed through the horrors of the Rift War!
• As befits his all-new (and all plastic!) appearance, and his importance to the story of the Rift War Volume Two, Slammer Samuels has a new title; Captain Harris ‘Slammer’ Samuels, ‘The First Paragon’. He also costs a little more, but this is more than fair compensation for his increased Damage Value of 7+, making him especially unique among the troops available to US armed forces (at least for the moment!).

We’re not yet done with the United States though, and they’ll get more exciting updates with more model releases not too far in the future!

We’ve also taken the opportunity to make a few minor updates to the Axis and Commonwealth lists:

The Axis

• The Hand of the Green Vault army special rule is now limited to Veteran Platoon or Company Commanders, as better befits the most trusted servants of the sinister organisation.
• The Volksgrenadier Squad minimum size has been reduced to accommodate their use of an Sd.Kfz. 250 transport.

The British Commonwealth

• Should they choose, players can now incorporate late war units from the most recent Bolt Action supplement; Armies of the British Commonwealth.
• The wording of the Corrosive Shell Active Rift Enhancement for the ‘Bombardier’ Mobile Automated Platform has also been adjusted, so that the Rift Die is exhausted after its use; so it better synergises with the Data Transmission special rule in line with other First Off the Line automated units.

FAQ & Errata

We’ve also taken the opportunity to make a small update to the FAQ, with a couple of clarifications on exactly when and how Walkers can assault enemy units (you have to have Line of Sight, and you can’t charge backwards!), as well as one regarding how Hard to Kill, Cover, and weapons which ignore Cover all interact. There’s nothing seismic in this one, but we felt these were important to clear up, given how powerful and prevalent Walkers are in particular.  

What’s Next?

This is but the first wave of rules updates related to Invasion Amerika. As you may see in the book, there are a couple more brand new Heroes showcased within its pages, and more units besides, which do not yet have published rules. We don’t want to spoil the surprises here! Their rules will be released alongside their respective new plastic models over the coming weeks and months.

There are also plenty more Rift War volumes to come in the series, as well as supplementary releases in between and around them – Konflikt ‘47 is only going to keep growing and growing!