Resolving Warhammer Sources
Given a rules question, identify system/edition/faction/date, then resolve the applicable source stack from most to least authoritative:
YAMLsystem: Warhammer 40,000 edition: 10th Edition faction: Adeptus Mechanicus rule_status: current applicable_sources: - source: Core Rules role: base rules - source: Codex Adeptus Mechanicus role: faction rules - source: latest FAQ role: wording correction - source: latest Balance Dataslate role: rules override superseded_sources: - source: previous Munitorum Field Manual confidence: high
Never answer a rules question without first producing this resolution. If critical identifying information is missing (edition, date, which codex printing), ask or state the assumption explicitly rather than guessing.
Progress:
- Step 1: Identify game system (40k, Age of Sigmar, Kill Team, Horus Heresy, Necromunda, etc.)
- Step 2: Identify edition (and edition sub-version if balance passes changed core rules significantly)
- Step 3: Identify faction(s) and specific units/rules in question
- Step 4: Identify the "as-of" date — either stated by user or assume "latest published"
- Step 5: Enumerate candidate sources: core rulebook, codex/battletome, index (if codex not yet released for edition), FAQ, errata, balance dataslate/points update, mission pack, designer's commentary, app-only updates
- Step 6: Determine publication order and supersession — later errata/FAQ overrides earlier printed text; balance dataslates override points/specific named abilities only, not whole codices
- Step 7: Check for conflicts between sources of similar authority (e.g., FAQ vs. a later balance dataslate touching the same rule)
- Step 8: Classify rule_status as
current,superseded,contested, orunknown - Step 9: Assign confidence (
high,medium,low) based on source completeness - Step 10: Output the structured summary — never fill gaps with invented rules
- Latest Balance Dataslate / Points Update — overrides specific points, named abilities, or stratagems it explicitly touches
- Latest FAQ / Errata — corrects wording, rules interactions, and typos in the document it targets
- Codex / Battletome / Faction-specific rules — overrides Core Rules where explicitly contradicted
- Core Rulebook — baseline rules for the edition
- Index/Legacy entries — only valid if no codex has superseded them
- Designer's Commentary — clarifies intent, same authority tier as FAQ unless marked otherwise
- Mission Pack / Pariah Nexus-style supplement — governs matched play specifics (deployment, scoring), doesn't override unit rules
Rules: a later-dated document in the same category always supersedes an earlier one. A document in a higher category overrides a lower one only for the specific rule it addresses — it does not silently invalidate the rest of that lower document.
Example 1: Input: "Can a Techpriest Dominus repair a Skorpius Dunerider in 10th edition?" Output:
YAMLsystem: Warhammer 40,000 edition: 10th Edition faction: Adeptus Mechanicus rule_status: current applicable_sources: - source: Core Rules (Repair Abilities) role: base rules - source: Codex Adeptus Mechanicus (Omnissian Repair ability text) role: faction rules - source: latest FAQ for Codex Adeptus Mechanicus role: wording correction superseded_sources: [] confidence: high notes: Verify Skorpius Dunerider is listed as eligible VEHICLE/WALKER unit target; confirm against most recent codex printing.
Example 2: Input: "What are the points for a unit that was changed in both the FAQ and a later balance dataslate?" Output:
YAMLsystem: Warhammer 40,000 edition: 10th Edition faction: [faction] rule_status: contested applicable_sources: - source: latest Balance Dataslate role: rules override (points) superseded_sources: - source: FAQ points note (predates dataslate) conflict_detected: true conflict_description: FAQ adjusted points pre-dataslate; dataslate issued later supersedes it for this specific entry confidence: medium notes: Confirm dataslate publication date is strictly after FAQ date.
Example 3 — missing information: Input: "Is this rule still legal?" Output:
YAMLsystem: unknown rule_status: unknown confidence: low missing_information: - game system not specified - edition not specified - no date/context given to determine "current" sources action: Request system, edition, faction, and approximate date before resolving.
- Always state the as-of date assumption explicitly (e.g., "assuming latest published errata as of [date]").
- Treat Core Rules and Codex as living documents — always check for the latest point-release/printing, not just edition name.
- When a balance dataslate changes a stratagem/ability, treat only that specific entry as overridden — the rest of the codex entry stands.
- Distinguish errata (fixes a misprint) from FAQ (clarifies ambiguous wording) from balance changes (intentional power/points adjustment) — label the role precisely.
- If a user references a source by informal name ("the new dataslate"), confirm which specific document/date they mean before resolving.
- For index/legacy units without a codex yet, mark explicitly as
role: index (no codex supersession).
- Don't assume the newest-sounding document always wins — a balance dataslate doesn't override core rules structure, only points/specific text.
- Don't merge rules from different editions even if faction names match — treat edition boundaries as hard walls.
- Don't silently drop
superseded_sources— always show what was overridden and why, for auditability. - Don't invent a plausible-sounding FAQ ruling if none exists — state
rule_status: unknownandconfidence: lowinstead. - Don't treat designer's commentary as equal to errata unless the publisher states it carries rules force.
- Don't forget mission pack scope is narrow (matched play structure) — it doesn't override unit datasheets or stratagems.