The Convoluted Mess of 40k’s Quick-release Rules
40K is evolving so fast before our eyes it’s hard to keep track. You know what they say about too much of a good thing…
RULES AVALANCHE!!!
We are currently being constantly bombarded by new rules on a very frequent basis… Let’s take a quick at some of the supplements that have been released:
• Farsight Enclave (available as a hard bound book now – nice)
• Iyanden
• Black Legion
• Sisters of Battle (complete codex)
• Imperial Fists
• Codex Inquisition
Personally I prefer printed rules but that said I’m not against the digital supplements. It’s a lot to keep track of from a competitive point of view in regards to knowing all the rules and deriving a solid base of accumulated experience against every possible super army list. Throw Forge World into the mix and for a lot of people it becomes exponential — there’s too much information to fully process.
One thing I’ve been doing lately is to bring two sets of army lists when I play in local tournaments. Not everyone allows the use of the new supplements and I like to use the rules for Black Legion. If I can’t contact the TO ahead of time then the day of the event I ask them if supplements are allowed… If not then I use the alternate list.
In regards to Forge World more than once I’ve run into situations where I had an opponent that didn’t have the rules for their Forge World unit(s) and they used a cheap proxy. It’s kind of annoying and I felt like they were definitely taking advantage of the situation. Upon review afterwards I discovered they did not use the correct rules and gained an advantage. There is a rumor that Forge World plans to setup a shop in the US and at that time it will no longer require consent. Forge World has recently released the rules for Space Marine chapters and characters from their Badab campaign which do not require consent. They are Imperial Space Marines and the question should be asked — can they ally with Chapters from the new Space Marine codex ? I’d love to see an official answer… It’s getting kind of crazy now !
So, a question…
Let me ask this question – should we be able to cherry pick the best Forge World units from a campaign book and use it in a 40k codex army at the competitive level? For instance how do you feel about an Ultramarine army fielding both Tigerius and Sevrin Loth with Severin being the only Red Scorpion in the army regardless of the so called red painted Ultramarine units that aren’t truly Ultramarines ? I suppose we could consider the latter Psyker to be a designated hitter and this is truly cherry picking. The same could be said about Thudd guns in a 40k IG army knowing full well it was designed specifically for Death Korp of Krieg. It’s happened more than once at the national level. I have to ask myself is this really what Forge World intended with their multitude of campaign books featuring special armies intended for their campaigns? Should players be able to cherry pick the best characters to boost their armies? To me the answer is an unequivocal no and I don’t think that was the actual intent. That’s just me though through and through.
The bottom line is TOs need to step up to the plate and sort through this mess. I know it’s not an easy job but then again it is their job… Albeit a thankless one.
But one thing’s for sure, the game is getting more convoluted by the month and it’s hard to know what you might see at the tabletop these days.
So what are your feelings? Too fast, too slow, or just right? Spill it out !
