Warhammer: The Best Time To Play During An Edition
I’ve got a question for all you Warhammer fans out there: When is your favorite time to play during an edition?
If you’ve been playing Warhammer for as long as I have then you’ve seen the edition cycle happen multiple times. It happens for all the Warhammer game systems. It could Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, Kill Team, Underworlds, or Fantasy/The Old World. You pick the system and this cycle is bound to happen. What’s the cycle? Well it goes like this:
- New edition launches and everyone’s army gets reset
- First batch of Codexes/Battletomes/Arcane Journals/warband rules hit and the Meta Shifts
- Next batch lands and the meta shifts — repeats until about half-way through the available armies
- Half-way through an edition we have the “haves vs the have-nots” for armies that have received a book vs the ones that haven’t
- Next batch lands and the meta shifts — repeats until about three-quarters to 80% of the edition release
- Edition fatigue sets in and folks complain about the amount of rules and are ready for a new edition — some armies are still waiting for their books
- Final books arrive and the edition ends soon after
Sometimes we even get an entire campaign/book series at the end.
Now, it might not be a book in some cases. It could be a rules update or new card pack or whatever fits the game system for Warhammer. But you get the idea. We’ve seen this cycle repeat again and again. And that got me thinking: When is my favorite time to play in an edition? And that led me to the next question: When is the best time to play during an edition?
Favorite Vs Best – Aren’t They The Same?
He knows what’s best…even if it’s not his favorite.
I think that a “favorite time” to play can be “the best time” to play…but those two things don’t have to line up. They can overlap but they can also be very different depending who you’re asking. Everyone’s got a favorite time to play. I’m also positive folks are going to have opinions on which point is the best time to play. And they are probably going to have valid reasons for their opinions. Maybe someone’s “favorite time” is when they get their codex/battletome. Suddenly their army is popular/good/meta breaking and they love it. But they can still recognize that it’s not “the best time” to jump in. Or maybe someone’s favorite time is when the edition is at the end and all the questions are answered and the meta has stabilized into it’s near-final form. But is that the best time to play because the edition is just about over at that point.
That’s kind of the problem — this isn’t a quantifiable thing. I’m not sure there’s a reliable metric to point to for a definitive answer. Could you use tournament data? Maybe. But I don’t have access to all the data that GW has. We could look at sales numbers, but again, I don’t have all that data. And spikes in sales at different times could be because of a new release. Or it could be a holiday sale. Or it could just be a renewed interest because of a video game release. I’m also not sold on big sales or tournament numbers mean the games are at “the best time to play” …but I’m getting off track here.
Did Space Marine II’s release mark the best time to play Warhammer 40,000? Maybe for some folks.
When Is The Best Time To Play During An Edition of Warhammer?
Personally, I think my favorite time to play is also the best time to jump in and play. That’s at the launch of a new edition. It’s my personal favorite time because for that first month or so everything is new and fresh. It’s exciting because we’re all learning the game again. And yes, maybe the edition just built on top of the existing framework. But folks still have to relearn their armies for the edition. It’s a fun time for me because nothing is “solved” yet. Mistakes will happen and that’s part of it, too. That’s because it’s a time of learning and discovery.
I also think that goes double if you’re new to the game. “We’re all learning” and it’s a great time to play with others who are also learning. This is the time when you’re going to find those weird scenarios that probably do need an FAQ or errata to solve. You’ve got to give others a bit of grace and the benefit of the doubt in this time. Community building at an all time high as well because everyone’s still in that honeymoon phase with the new game. People are excited for the new and shiny version of the game.
One more reason I like this period in the game is because no one has their codex/battletome yet. That wasn’t always the case. We used to have those “crossover” books that would come over from the previous edition. But with more recent editions GW has put out Indexes for armies to use with the new editions. They are (mostly) balanced across the board even if they are a tad on the boring side. But for me, I still prefer that time because it’s all still new and simple. Players don’t have a lot of options but everything is functional and working. Mostly.
Index time the best time? YMMV.
When Is Your Favorite Time To Play During An Edition?
I’m curious if you’ve got a different point in an edition’s life cycle that you like? What’s your favorite time to play? Also, when do you think the best time to play during an edition is? Do like the new launch window or do you like it more towards the end? Or maybe you like the half-way point where things can get kind of funky. I don’t really think there’s a wrong answer here because it’s really down to personal preference. Regardless of what the internet says, it’s okay if you don’t agree with me. I’m not trying to convince you I’m right and you’re wrong either. I’m just curious what folks think in regards to their favorite/best time to play during a Warhammer edition.
When is your Warhammer “Golden Age” during an edition’s life cycle?
