29 May 2014

40k 7th Edition Final Thoughts

After my full blown rant the other day about some of the highlights of the new edition of 40k, many a blog has posted their thoughts having had the book over the weekend. I've read these with interest as often the same rule change/addition will elicit opposing emotions amongst gamers.

There seems to be a general agreement that 7th Edition is actually v6.5 done properly. The rules certainly seem to be clearer and I've read some high praise from trusted sources on this aspect. This is great to hear as too often rulebooks can be vague or provoke obvious questions that aren't answered.


I find it very interesting too that people are already talking about ignoring/changing rules in the new edition in order to make the game more balanced. Unbound lists, Warp Charges and individual Psychic powers in particular have been highlighted as things that have to change or be ignored in order keep the playing field relatively balanced. This was quite significant I thought.

First of all, gamers changing a brand new set of rules voluntarily is surely really bad from the publishers perspective. Does it not indicate that those rules/powers in particular were so unbalanced that people could see it straight away, often before actually playing. Surely this indicates that there was precious little (serious) play testing done before the rules were published?

Secondly, it was quite heartening to see people wanting to alter these rules, rather than abuse them. Of course there will be those folks who feel the need to take advantage, but as one gamer put it… it's about fun being had on both sides of the table. It was great to see bloggers stating outright that things are a little too open and volutarily reel things in.


This time out the rules come as three books rather than one giant tome. I have mixed feeling about this. The last time this was done was 2nd Edition and I wasn't a fan. One of the three books was always missing and it is the only edition that I no longer have as a consequence. At least this time out it comes in a nice slip case, so the books have a home. I also wonder if GW have shot themselves in the foot a little here from a sales perspective. The standalone rulebook for 7th is great for people who don't want to lug a massive hardback with them when they game. However, having a single massive book created a market for people buying the starter box (Dark Vengeanace, etc.) purely for the small A5 rulebook, often selling the models that accompany it. Will those individuals feel the need to buy the starter box now that the main rulebook is more mobile? Time will tell.



So, am I likely to buy it?

I can't say either way at the moment. I would be happy to see this edition of 40k pass me by, much like 6th Ed did. However, with the imminent release of the Ork codex, and more importantly the new Gorkanaut and Morkanaut models, Bull will almost certainly want to let his Orkiness run free again for a while… and it's only right. Do we play a game using the universally-agreed broken 6th Edition or do we splash out on 7th? That's a question for another time but I'm a little more intrigued to look at these rules than I was a fortnight ago!


4 comments:

  1. I have a sneaky feeling that between the two of you there will be a 7th edition available! :) Best of luck for tomorrow.

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  2. Why not play 3rd, 4th or 5th? All good, slick versions. From what I can tell, Unbound armies won't win scenarios against Battle-Forged armies.

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    1. I was considering going back to 'the good old days'.

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