40K RUMORS: New Edition Cuts
Here is the latest set of info on what may be in Warhammer 40,000’s next edition… and what won’t…
Industry insiders tell BoLS:
- As with Age of Sigmar, there is a desire to reduce the number of 40K factions in the game to a very small number (AoS has 4 for comparison).
- There will be a new starter set for the new edition that will be VERY small and inexpensive, in addition to the rulebook-only and large starter box.
- The move over to some type of new Age of Sigmar inspired Warscroll layout for 40K units may be incompatible with current edition codexes.
Our Thoughts
We have reported earlier that there would be some type of new format for the new 40K edition. Taking a quick look at GW’s webpage led me to this guy:
Storm of Sigmar $33
That is an amazing pricepoint for an introductory product and certainly an easier path into Age of Sigmar than the full $125 Age of Sigmar boxed set. I could easily see a new 40K edition going down this path. Retailers would certainly be happy to have a $33 intro to the grimdark to hook new players.
Moving onto the reduction of factions – we saw the pattern already with Age of Sigmar. When WFB was END TIMESd the full collection of over a dozen factions was reduced to these guys:
Now exactly how you could distill the giant universe of Warhammer 40,000 into say 4 Grand Alliance books – I have no idea. That is one for you to figure out. I would do:
- Imperium
- Something
- Something
- Something
The most troubling bit of info in this set of rumors is the warning that codices might be invalidated. We haven’t seen GW do such a thing since 1998’s 3rd edition, almost 20 years back. I honestly don’t know if GW would have the stomach for such a move with literally dozens of current codices out there. On the one hand the sheer inertia of the current collection is a huge impediment to change. On the other hand if GW believes the current complexity of the game IS THE PROBLEM that is most holding it back from gaining new players – then the full range of books would be target number one. END TIMES/Age of Sigmar is people’s exhibit#1 of how far Nottingham is willing to go if they see a real problem in front of them that need to be addressed.
In the end, it really comes down to what they have in mind for the new ruleset – and if they can shoehorn the existing books and unit rules into it. If the changes are minor, they could keep things in place. If they are envisioning serious unit and core rules changes – once again, the codexes themselves are standing in the way of change.
As a final note on all of this, with this level of change – it would seem unthinkable that GW would not be releasing a 40K version of the Age of Sigmar app with all the units in there. That would go a long way to smoothing over any unit/faction rules transition.
Previous Warhammer 40,000 Rumors 10-10-2016
- A Warscroll such as the Stardrake is said to illustrate several new unit layout and big picture rules mechanics making their way to 40k.
- The new release will follow the standard GW rollout with at least three different versions, boxed set, rulebook, and others.
- There will be changes to some core mechanics such as S vs T which have been static for several editions.
- Again, look for a Q2 2017 release window.
- The new edition is shaping up as a larger shakeup to the game than we have seen in several editions, but is NOT aiming for an Age of Sigmar simplification of the rules.
Previous Warhammer 40,000 Rumors 8-15-2016
- Look for the new edition of the Grimdark to show up in Q2 2017.
- The new edition is slated for arrival before summer of next year.
- It will be a streamlined edition
- Look for changes tailored to make the current game more accessable for new players.
- Look for limited design elements to migrate from Age of Sigmar to the new edition.
- This will NOT mean the Sigmarification of 40K, only a carefully selected set of rules organization decisions to make learning and playing much easier than things are now.
~I’ll let you discus.
