I’ll add the 11th edition to the stack of placeholder editions.
I also have the boxed sets for second and fourth but they are in deep storage. I did not get the boxed set for seventh edition as it was just sixth edition with a new rulebook. I did not get the launch box for the eighth edition but got the starter boxes instead.
For those keeping track,
Rogue Trader came out in 1987. It did not have a starter set.
Second edition starter box came out in 1993. It was Space Marines versus Orks. It came with monopose figures – 20 marines vs 20 orrks, 40 gretchin, and a cardboard deff dread, and a lot of cardboard terrain. This was the first edition to include codices.
Third edition came out in 1998. The starter box was Space Marines versus Dark Eldar. It contained 10 marines, and a landspeeder vs 20 dark eldar. It also had some plastic ruins, barricades, and some jungle trees. This edition had a codex wipe. Later editions carried the previous codices through until they were replaced by the newer ones.
The fourth edition came out in 2004. The starter box was called the Battle for MacCragge and was Space Marines versus Tyranids. It contained 10 marines, and a pilot vs 10 termagants, 6 genestealers, 8 spore mines, and a crashed aquila lander, and some tyranid terrain.
The fifth edition game out in 2008. The starter box was called Assault on Black Reach and was Space Marines versus Orks. It contained a captain, 5 terminators, 10 marines, and a dreadnought vs a boss, 5 nobz, 20 boyz, and 3 deffkoptas.
The sixth edition came out in 2012. The starter box was called Dark Vengeance and was Dark Angels versus Chaos Marines. It contained 1-3 characters, 5 terminators, 10 marines, and bike marines vs 1-3 characters, 6 chaos space marines, 20 cultists, and a hellbrute (chaos dreadnought).
The seventh edition came out in 2014. It reused the Dark Vengeance starter from the sixth edition with the new rulebook.
The eighth edition came out in 2017. The Launch box was called Dark Imperium and was Primaris Marines versus Death Guard (Chaos Marines – Nurgle). This edition wiped the codices and started with five index books that covered all the armies. It also came with tiered starter boxes. The First Strike starter contained 3 intercessors and 3 reivers vs 3 plague marines, and 6 pox walkers. The Know No Fear starter contained 5 intercessors, 5 hellblasters, and 5 interceptors vs a Lord of Contagion, 5 plague marines, 10 pox walkers, and a foetid bloat-drone.
The ninth edition came out in 2020. The launch box was called Indomius and was Primaris Marines versus Necrons. It contained a captain, lieutenant,chaplain, judiciar, bladeguard ancient, 3 bladeguard veterans, 3 eradicators, 10 assault intercessors, and 3 outriders vs an overlord, royal warden, plasmancer, 2 cryptothralls, a skorpekh lord, 3 skorpeth destroyers, a plasmacyte, 20 warriors, and 6 canoptek scarab swarms.
The tenth edition came out in 2023. The launch box was called Leviathan and was Primaris Marines versus Tyranids. It contained a terminator captain, a terminator librarian, an apothecary biologis, a ballistus dreadnought, 5 terminators, 5 sternguard veterans, and 10 infernus vs a winged tyrranid prime, a neurotyrand, 2 neuroloids, a screamer-killer, a psychophage, 5 barbgaunts, 11 neurogaunts, 20 termagaunts, and 2 ripper swarms. It also wiped the codices.
The eleventh edition came out in 2026. The launch box was called Armageddon and was Primaris Marines versus Orks. It contained a captain with shield, a chaplain with jump pack, a librarian, an ancient, 10 intercessors, 5 vanguard veterans with jump packs, 3 eradicators, and a land speeder vs a warboss, a big boss, a banner nob, a painboy, a weirdboy, 20 boyz, 10 gretchin, a wartrack, and a big mek dakkari rig.
