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GW's Latest Release Plan

Started by Chris, March 05, 2014, 11:36:39 AM

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Irisado

Irisado's guide to a happier experience on wargaming internet sites: never read any of the following: blogs, Bell of Lost Souls, or Dakka.  Avoid all those sites, and you will feel less angry :).

It's interesting that you mention Tyranids and table size, because what you say is true, and goes all the way back to second edition.  I remember playing in the loft at a friend's house on an 8'x4' table, and having problems fitting all the Tyranid models onto the board, so it has always been thus.  The difference back then was, however, it was huge units of infantry causing the difficulty, and I don't have a problem with that.  Tyranids are supposed to comprise an overwhelming horde of bugs after all, it's when they start adding large creatures like the Trygon, which is more or less the size of a Knight (see a pattern in my argument here ;)?) which is when problems begin.

It's not so much the fact that the models exist that bothers me.  If people really like Apocalypse (I don't, but I accept that others find it very enjoyable), then use these large models for that.  It's played on a much bigger surface, so space becomes less of an issue, and it's a free for all anyway, so almost anything goes.  I have no problem with GW allowing Knights, titans, super heavies, and all sorts of other ridiculous units to be converted into 40K for Apocalypse, and this is why I was never concerned about these large units in previous editions.

Escalation has changed all of that.  I'm not for one second suggesting that it's going to be a massive problem, and that we should all hold our hands up in horror and say that GW is terrible.  I can't see that many players taking advantage of the Escalation rules to even play it anyway.  Certainly most people I know don't even have the cash to spend on these new large kits, let alone actually field them.  My concern is, however, that the concept in of itself is taking 40K in an unhealthy direction, an arms race of escalating unit size, and in my view that's not good for the game.

No matter which way you cut it, 40K has always been more of a skirmish game.  Yes, it has had less of a skirmish feel to it since the end of second edition, but owing to the scale of the figures, and the detailed nature of the rules, this is essentially what it remains.  That sort of game being played on a 6'x4' table is relatively poor at mixing vehicles and infantry as it stands, in terms of writing decent rules, and it only gets worse the larger the vehicles are which are introduced.  These are the additional reasons why I'm opposed to these units being added.

As for presenting my opinion as fact, not at all.  All my views are based off personal experience of gaming, talking to people, and comparing sets of rules.  That's pretty much what you're saying too with reference to your local store.  It may well be that these kits and design ideas are popular at your local store, which is great for those who like this concept.  All I'm saying is that opinion across the internet seems much more divided, and much more difficult to sum up as being against or in favour.  It comes over as more of a fifty-fifty split to me.

Finally, on choice, speaking for myself, I don't want lots of choice.  I want good quality rules, which make sense, and are suited to the scale of the game being played.  I'm not going to get that with Imperial Knights et al.

Soñando con una playa donde brilla el sol, un arco iris ilumina el cielo, y el mar espejea iridescentemente