Warhammer 40K: Table Size Change – Good Or Bad?
Warhammer 40,000 is getting a change in table size – is this good or bad? Let’s dig a little deeper.
In case you missed the news, Games Workshop announced some changes to their battle sizes and the table space required to play. Now, these are MINIMUMS and you can still play on the standard 4′ x 6′ table. But should you change over? And is this a good move or bad for the game?
Why The Change?
Simply put, the real reason for the change is stated in the article:
“Of course, these are only the minimum size requirements for your battlefields, so whether you’re using a 6′x4′ table with a Realm of Battle board, linking two, four or six 22″x30″ Killzone boards together according to the battle size you’re playing, or just using a dining room table, you’re good to go. In fact, most dining room tables should be able to accommodate a Strike Force game!”
Emphasis added. It’s all about those Kill Team Boards, folks – that’s pretty much it.
If you think about it the more it makes sense. GW is selling a product with gaming boards included, but the game (40k, not Kill Team) wasn’t using them…kind of odd, right? Well, now the game (40k) will be using those boards in a very clear way. If you’re a new player you can grab a couple boards and boom – you’ve got the correct play space.
Now, we still haven’t seen what the recommended terrain will be in relation to those boards or play spaces. However, it doesn’t take a very large logical leap to see the connection. I’m hoping for more “required” terrain than just one box of Kill Team per Kill Team board personally.
Pros And Cons
There are some pros for this new size as it’s not all doom and gloom.
- New Players can use Kill Team Boards – lower barrier to entry
- Everything existing players have still works
- Game Spaces fit on most dining room tables
- You can still use your 4′ x 6′ board and have extra space for all the “extras”
- Game Stores and Tournaments can fit more players in the same space
You don’t need to buy two of these any more – you can use a dining room table.
There have been suggestions of just cutting down your old gaming mats to the new sizes which is totally reasonable. You could also just tape off the areas and have a literal size board area for all the extras you need during your games these days. Like drinks – just use a coaster.
There are some negatives to the new sizes, too.
- Less room to maneuver at 2,000 points
- Will take some time to adjust to the new game sizes
- Big Models will feel a lot closer than before
You know, that’s actually a pretty weak list. Less room to maneuver is going to be a problem – but it’s a problem for both players. Plus the missions and the games were designed with these play spaces in mind. So I’m assuming GW took those things into account. Plus, we know that the model count is going to shrink as points were adjusted upward. Big Models will take up more of the board on a percentage basis, but this change will impact all players equally. Your army will change in the next edition.
Need More Data
To be perfectly honest – we just don’t know yet. We don’t have all the info or the rules to be 100% sure of all the impacts, positive or negative, on the game. We need to know the point values of units and models, we need to see more of the missions, we need to know more about army construction, we need to know about terrain rules and their placement, and so much more.
Things are changing. It’s a new edition. Change can be scary. But don’t throw your tables out without reading the rules and playing some games at first. Realistically, what we have seen has been promising. The missions we’ve seen thus far haven’t even had measurements for the edges of the battlescape – just the deployment distances apart and the objectives:
That could be played on almost any standard table very easily.
So is the Table Change coming good or bad? Personally, I don’t think it’s going to be either – it’s just going to be different. We’re all going to have to adapt to it and get used to it together.
Are you concerned about the smaller battle sizes? What are you worried about? Let us know in the comments!
