As Warhammer 40K begins its approach to its new 11th Edition, teasers seem to indicate that an Astra Militarium regiment could see new life, but questions persist as to which regiment will get the nod. Earlier this week, Games Workshop announced that it would be holding a preview show at Adepticon on March 25th. A teaser for the show included a motorcycle jacket adorned with patches featuring various faction symbols, including the Blood Angels and several Ork factions. These were a heavy nod to rumors of a Blood Angels vs. Orks launch box for 11th edition. However, a new Instagram post features a close-up of a new patch that hints at the rebirth of a long-lost Astra Militarium sub-faction.
The patch features the phrase "Gardus Ferrus," which likely is a nod to one of two Imperial Guard regiments. The phrase most directly translates to "Iron Guard," which relates to the Mordian Iron Guard, a blue-coated, gold-epaulette adorned wearing set of Guardsman. However, the phrase could also be a nod to the similarly named Steel Legion, which are gas mask-wearing combatants from the planet Armageddon.
The Imperial Guard could use some diversification, as modern armies are largely divided into three sub-factions, the Cadians, the Death Korps of Krieg, and the Catachan jungle fighters. Both the Steel Legion and Iron Guard could easily use the revamp and reintroduction into modern play, and there's clear reasons why both could see a reboot. The Steel Legion have strong ties to Armageddon (having originally come from the war-torn planet) and Armageddon is the likely home to 11th Edition's central conflict. However, the Steel Legion have some aesthetic similarities to the Death Korps of Krieg, which also got a new line of plastic miniatures recently, so they might get put on the back burner. The Iron Guard also participated in the wars on Armageddon, but have less ties to the planet. However, "Gardus Ferrus" seems to be a much more likely nod to that faction over the Steel Legion.
Our guess is that this tease is for a new Kill Team set. Kill Team has long been the soft relaunch point for various sub-factions such as the Kroot or the Death Korps, and a successful Kill Team launch could lead to a greater revamp in a couple of years.
