40K/WFB DEEP THOUGHT: Balance vs Spectacle
Hi guys.
As I go over the 40k Space Wolves and upcoming rumors regarding the Fantasy Skaven something has been working its way around my mind.
A lot of folks have been saying that Codex Creep is real, and is only getting worse. They say that each codex is stronger than the last, and the power levels are only accelerating with each passing publication.
I think its something else. It feels like the studio is not adding power so much as spectacle to the Warhammer game systems. I remember back during late days of 3rd and early 4th, that there was a time when the game kind of “settled down”. Warhammer seemed somewhat tighter and designed with things such as tournaments in mind.
As we moved into late 4th (probably around the time of Dark Angels and Eldar) slowly but surely a move towards spectacle began to show its head. Powers and abilities that while not very reliable, were very game altering began to appear. On the 40k side of things, Apocalypse, the great “King of Spectacle” entered the hobby, and it seemed like some of that energy has been with us ever since.
When I see things like the latest IG codex witht he amount of pie-plates that can be thrown around, or the power of the Space Wolves’ Jaws of the World Wolf, I feel more certain of it every day. Some of the more recent magic abilities from Fantasy fit into this mold as well.
I’d like your take on whether you think this is coming to pass as well as your thoughts on whether playing in a game that is more “leavened” but tighter designed is better or worse than a system with more high-powered unpredicatability. Such spectacle-based systems leave more to chance but can produce more-memorable game-changing events.
~Your turn players…
