First Impressions: Chaos Space Marines 6th Ed

Codex: Chaos Space Marine is the 1st codex released since 6th Edition came out this summer, but it is not the first Codex written with 6th in mind. Necrons was the last full Codex of 5th Edition and was clearly written with 6th in mind as lots of little things that didn't make sense in 5th suddenly made sense once 6th hit. Grey Knights was also written with 6th in mind, but at an earlier phase in the game it had to equally consider 5th edition.

First of all, the Codex is impressive. Hard cover and full colour within. It also came with a hefty price increase over earlier editions of the game. Unfortunately that price strategy also carrier over to the new units included in the Codex with the Heldrake approaching Storm Raven prices. Is the Heldrake worth the price? Only time will tell.

So, what changed for the better and what changed for the worst with Codex: Chaos Space Marines?

HQ:

The Good: The special characters seem to overall have received a buff either via reduced points cost, or increased effectiveness. Huron Blackheart in particular stands out as his Hamadrya familiar gives you 1 of only 2 chances to get Divination psychic powers in your army. Some of the special characters have specific warlord traits which lets you build an army around the specific trait instead of rolling on a trait. Also, there were 2 new HQ options in the form of the Dark Apostle (Evil Chaplain) and Warpsmith (Evil Techmarine). Most of the HQ have access to a wide range of upgrades from the armoury ranging from a 4+ invulnerable save, to Daemon weapons and daemonic steeds.
The Bad: Predictably, the best units of 5th got nerfed. Daemon Princes are still powerful, but will no longer be an auto include in most armies. Also the only way to get a 2+ save on a Lord or Sorcerer is in Terminator Armour. This puts them behind the curve compared to Space Wolves who will be able to build a more survivable Lord or Sorcerer equivalent. Lack of Daemon Weapons. There are only 2 in the Codex for use by generic characters and 1 of those requires the Mark of Khorne.

Elite:

The Good: Most of the units received a point overhaul, doing the same as in 5th edition for less points. Possessed received a huge boost, with a much revised random mutation table with 3 good effects on it instead of 3 good and 3 bad. Dreadnoughts became more reliable (they only go berserk once they take damage now).
The Bad: Dreadnoughts still can not take upgrades form the vehicle armoury and can not be marked. Chosen lost the ability to infiltrate. Cult units are now Elites unless you are able to change their Force Org via your HQ (For Example: A Sorcerer of Tzeentch makes Thousand Sons troops)

Troops:

The Good: Cheaper overall with lots of options. You can start with small cheap squads and expand upon that all the way to 20 men units loaded for bear. Chaos Space Marines can also take cultists as a cheap meat shield/scoring unit.
The Bad: We lost our extra close combat weapon and now have to pay for it. To have the equivalent of a Grey Hunter it costs us 17 points (13 base + 2 for a chainsword + 2 for Counterattack from the Mark of Khorne), though for 14 points you can have a marine with a bolt pistol, bolter and Hatred: Space Marines via the Veterans of the Long War upgrade.

Fast Attack:

The Good: 2 new units, Warp Talons and the Heldrake looks like solid additions to the army. The Heldrake in particular with a Str6 AP3 Torrent Flamer will be very good against Marine armies. For some reason, bikes also saw a huge points decrease. 
The Bad: I cant really think about anything bad with Fast Attack other than you only get 3 slots!

Heavy Support:

The Good: Forgefiend/Maulerfiend. Either one of these will be really good in any list. Defilers increased in points but picked up a 5+ invulnerable save AND It Will Not Die which is a 5+ chance to regenerate a lost hull point. Obliterators went down in points and can be marked now. Tzeentch or Nurgle Obliterators seem like they will be the most popular, plus Obliterators can now fire as Assault Cannons! Havocs can now take Flak Missiles for their missile launchers, giving Chaos Space Marines an edge against flyer heavy armies.
The Bad: Obliterators cannot fire the same weapon 2 turns in a row so you have to switch every other round. No new Land Raider Variants or increased capacity.

Overall:

Overall this is a very solid codex with lots of interesting options. Some things stand out as clear winners at the moment but as the tournament scene adapts to the current flavor of the month new combinations will come to the front. It has the potential to do everything you want it to do, the question is how many points are you willing to spend on that model to do it. The individual units start out cheap, but quickly expand to be more expensive than you would think possible. It would be very easy to see a kitted out Daemon Prince with Mastery Level 3, Wings, Power Armour and the Black Mace and come in nearly 350 points. Then the question becomes how much does he have to kill to get his points back...