40K Apocalypse: The New EPIC
Games Workshop wants a way to play massive battles of 40k. They already have the perfect template: EPIC!
When the announcement came out that Games Workshop was relaunching Apocalypse with a new ruleset that was geared toward playing massive battles “all in an evening after work or school” – we got pretty excited. As we started thinking back fondly of our Megabattles of the past and the fun times those created we also began considering what that could mean for the game, logistically. How could you condense those 10,000+ point games down to a couple of hours? Even with the new movement trays? Things would have to be super-lethal, and the game would have to be extremely brutal so that you could manage a game that fast. But there was a game that was already like that – EPIC!
EPIC 40k was a game where Titans battled alongside massive formations of troops and other support units. It STILL has a following with some diehard fans. So why not appeal to that fan base and take EPIC and move it to the 40k Scale?
We don’t know all the details all we have is a blurb from GW that released at the Adepticon Studio Preview. But let’s think about this for a moment because it is a surprisingly good fit.
Megabattles
If you’re looking for a way to knock out Megabattles in an evening, EPIC has that structure down. More importantly, it made tanks, infantry, air support, and all the non-Titanic units MATTER. That’s a been a massive issue with Apocalypse for a long time – EPIC solved that problem years ago.
Fast, Clean Rules
Are you looking for a good ruleset that was fast and clean? EPIC did that and more. All GW would need to do is scale things up and make some tweaks. There are lots of new units in the game now, but EPIC had rules for many of the factions that exist – Orks, Eldar, and Tyranids. Sure, we’d need to get updates for armies like Daemons, Necrons, T’au and all the OTHER factions that have been added since EPIC, but if the core game mechanics already exist, it’s much easier to incorporate those new(er) armies.
Promotes Sales
If you’re Games Workshop, you’re a business. You want a way to promote the sale of your miniatures. We’ve seen GW start to experiment and create new games that use their AoS and 40k miniatures. Some of the games have been flash-in-the-pan while others have gotten some traction in the community. If Apocalypse is EPIC at the 40k scale, then that is going to help promote the sale of 40k miniatures – and they don’t have to ramp-up production for entirely new kits! It’s a win for them and a win for the community that wants to play MASSIVE battles in a shorter timeframe.
Doesn’t Compete With Adeptus Titanicus
Ever since Adeptus Titanicus launched, folks have been wondering if we’d ever see units that were smaller than a Knight. GW’s response has been “No, it’s a game focused on Titan Legions and Knights” – and it has been! The game still has room for expansion (like adding some Xenos races) – but for now, it’s solely focused on Titanic battles.
Apocalypse has always allowed players to play with those “smaller” units (infantry, tanks, etc.) that are in every 40k player’s collection. You also don’t NEED to purchase Forge World Titan kits to play (but you can). Apoc doesn’t compete with Titanicus in terms of theme or scale, and if it borrows heavily from EPIC then it will also play vastly different, too!
So what do you think? Should GW consider adapting EPIC into their new version of Apocalypse? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Note: Folks have already been playing EPIC with 40k miniatures for a long time – so we know y’all are out there already!
