40K: 8th Edition – Wait For It…
While we patiently wait for GW to drop “8th Edition,” there is plenty else to do…
After all the “reveals” (more quotation marks?) at the Adepticon seminar, looks like we know SO MUCH MORE than we did about the upcoming latest iteration of our beloved 40K ruleset (the sarcasm there should be apparent). We want, at this point, to convince ourselves that we have plenty of information. In reality, we continue to speculate on a massive scale and dream of a shiny new 40K General’s Handbook-style tome.
Personally, there is way too much I don’t know. Considering the fact that I am in the early stages of building and painting a brand new Thousand Sons/Tzeentch Daemons army, I have to stop and consider what the new ruleset may bring. Do I really want to go all in at this point, not knowing how the changes we know (and don’t know) are coming will affect my chosen army? There is so much else going during the ramp up for this upcoming event, that I have decided to move onto other things, and put my 40K model building/painting on hold for now.
“So Stormy, what else is going on?” Well, let’s start with Shadow Wars and Shadespire. Both of these games will require a minimum investment and are just the right scale. Time wise, they will both take under 90 minutes to play through a game (Shadespire a lot under). The number of minis to paint is minimal as well. In the case of Shadespire, at least from what I can see, we are talking half a dozen models.
Shadow Wars has conveniently presented me with factions I already have painted models for; Marine Scouts and Scitarii. Once the rulebook is out for Shadow Wars (pre-order April 22), I can start playing right away. In the case of Shadespire, all it appears we will need is a small set of minis to prep and play. Both games seem to have a fairly strong following already. So finding someone to play with should not be an issue. These two games by themselves should cut into my former 40K gaming and hobbying time pretty significantly.
Now onto Sigmar. This game has truly come into its own since the release of the General’s Handbook last summer. I even invested in a smallish (a word?) Seraphon force so that I could play in the 2016 Summer Campaign. However, the Death faction is the one that really holds my long term interest. Have been eyeballing several of the models and Battletomes. I have finally settled on Flesh Eater Courts, with a healthy sprinkling of models from other Death factions. Spirit Hosts, Zombies, Necromancers, maybe even a Mortarch.
Wait a minute…isn’t there another new faction arriving for Sigmar? Something about Duardin Sky Pirates? Ow hell. Really? Another awesome faction, with tons of new models and beefy rules? So maybe I don’t have this Sigmar thing figured out after all. I mean…is it possible to have too many choices? Never I say! Yes, I hear some of you troublemakers whispering…”why not go for both Stormy?” As much as you tempt me, my wallet is already screaming bloody murder. Choices, and progress, will be made at some point in the near future. Have to be ready for the AoS events at Adepticon 2018…no time like the present to get started!
Putting my 40K projects on hold may seem a bit skittish. Not really. Everyone knows how much time we invest in building and painting armies. Not knowing how the revised 40K rule set will affect all aspects of the game makes going all in, in terms of buying and painting new 40K models, seem irresponsible. This does not mean I won’t play 40K in the interim. It means I won’t invest the resources of money, and more importantly time, when the rule set may invalidate/minimize the value of the models/units I choose. There has always been a level of uncertainty between editions of the 40K ruleset. I started my plastic crack hobby in 2001, a few years before 4th edition dropped. This means I have been through four edition changes.
For some reason, this one feels a bit awkward. Perhaps the fact that I am starting a new army right before the change is an issue. I also think the fact that we actually know something after recent GDub reveals somehow makes things a bit more uncomfortable…it allows for reams of speculation. The presence of a definitive, and popular, ruleset for Sigmar, is also something we haven’t seen right before a 40K ruleset revision. How does that affect speculation about 40K? Because Sigmar is now a ruleset that works, and several components of it would benefit 40K if properly ported over. This alone is making many in the 40K player community nervous. Another factor is the talk of “back to the future.” In essence, reviving several rule mechanics from 2nd Edition.
Sure we have been through Edition changes before. This one just seems different. So while I wait to see what Warhammer 40K will become in its next iteration, I will still have my hobby tools and paint brushes hard at work. I will also give Shadow War and Shadespire a go to satisfy the gaming itch. 40K has me in a holding pattern, and I am content to see how things play out as the weeks between now and the summer of 2017 pass by.
Are you still actively engaged in 40K or have you gone into a “wait and see” mode?
