40K Editorial: We Have What We Asked For – Enjoy It
Been a while…what a crazy summer for me. But wow, the folks in Nottingham have been busy!
How long have the faithful been asking for a responsive, engaged crew in Nottingham? Yes, that’s a rhetorical question, because we all know the answer. However, in the last 12+ months, the folks at GW HQ have come out swinging in every way we could have expected. In social media. In communication. In rules, FAQs and a new edition. In face-2-face engagement at organized play events. Even a sneak peek at a promised Chapter Approved. These folks have been doing it all. OK, Stormy, so what?
Have Some Cake!
I am bringing this up because with the recent release of multiple FAQs, rules clarifications/adjustments and codices, there have been voices in the interweb wilderness grousing about too many changes too often. Are you freakin’ kidding me?! Just because it makes it more difficult for some folks to build OP lists, and actually not be able to playtest lists for 10 weeks prior to a major event?! The same people have been begging, yes begging, for GDub to adjust points and issue FAQs more often for years. Now that they have what they thought they wanted, they still don’t know what they want. My advice… move on and enjoy the goodness that sits right in front of you. I’m not telling you to eat your Brussel sprouts; I’m telling you to eat your favorite dessert and actually enjoy it! The folks at GW have been whacking those moles as fast as they have been raising their pesky heads.
It’s raining awesome – go play in it!
Well fellow dice rollers, I am happy to say that GW has continued to press on, despite the voices urging them to slow down. Now that I’ve been salty, I will also say I can understand why some may say that so much change to a fledgling rule set is confusing. Not! I think the issue is that some folks have been so used to playing in a proverbial rules desert for so long, that the thunderstorm of updates/clarifications/changes that has been going on since late June is too much to take. That doesn’t even consider three codex releases in four weeks! I don’t know about you, but I love it when it rains. This, my friends, is what a living rule set looks like. It was born in mid-June 2017, and will continue to grow and change as any well written and maintained rule set does. I don’t think we should call this 8th edition anymore…from now on it’s Last Edition 40K!
What Kool-Aid have you been drinking Stormy? The Kool-Aid that has had me playing more games of 40K in the last two months than I have in the last two years. The same Kool-Aid that has clarified rules and provided answers to questions that mattered to ME. The Kool-Aid that has allowed me to put together a list from open the book to first dice roll in 15 minutes (Power Level is, as my Irish friends say, deadly!). Not only is GW more engaged in the game, but players are more engaged…and more players are engaged. There are folks dusting off old plastic (and metal), and folks buying shelves full of new stuff. Speaking of which, how about all of the new plastic crack showing up on the tabletop? Primaris, Death Guard, etc., etc.
Yeah, I’m happy with where the Warhammer hobby is right now, and looking forward to more goodness as you read this. My Chaos Marine Codex came out, but I still have my Thousand Son Dex to look forward, too. And, because I am a minatures multi-tasker, I can clearly see the 2017 General’s Handbook on the horizon (it’s out now officially). Some Path To Glory is also in the near future. I have not even mentioned a couple of new board games I need to get to. No exaduration, I honestly don’t have enough time to get in all the gaming I want. What an amazing problem to have! Wait! I forgot…I actually have to build and paint models before I will play them on the tabletop; yes, I’m one of those guys. No apologies.
The point here is that having so much going on, including a living rule set that encourages and makes it easier for us to play the game we love is never a bad thing. Moreover, the amount of choice we have now, in all aspects of the hobby, is refreshing. Having to prioritize our time and efforts in regards to our hobby/gaming is a problem, I at least, have not had for a long time. If anything, it gives me plenty to talk about on our new podcast. Wait…that’s another thing to throw into the time stew! Happy Last Edition 40K my friends!
What do you like most about the first few months of the new 40K?
