Can GW really fix the problems that repeat with every edition of 40k?

[Helias_Tancred]

Let me restate for clarity .....

 

If I had $20 and wanted to double it, I'd say no. They won't. Same problems will build up over time.

 

Could they keep it from happening? Yes. But it would require quite a move away from their typical ideas for profit growth. Definitely new ideas, maybe new concepts on how to attain profit growth over time? I'm not a specialist in that so thats about all I can say?

 

I've learned to go forward with my GW expectations at low to mid .... but I do admit that what I've seen so far since the reveal, I'm sitting at happily surprised and hopeful :)

 

 

[Arkangilos]

Personally what I think would fix it is to do a couple or two of things:

1) Make it more narrative based (I’m bias, my dad and I only played it narratively even in 3rd edition. I had a campaign roster of a company of my chapter, plus some attachments. When a marine died, we rolled at the end of the mission for each casualty. Every dead causality was permanently dead. I could increase the odds by having apothecaries alive (whether present or in reserve) and retrieving bodies). I could also intern heroic characters in dreadnoughts, and earn special rules for heroic feats in battles).

 

2) Make all codices at the same time, play them against each other to somewhat balance them, and release them all together at once.

 

3) All new units and rules are released in expansions, and each faction in that expansion is released together like number 2. 
 

4) Tournaments are themed as either base game, expansion A, B, or C, etc. For tournaments, units and rules are restricted based on the expansion. 
 

5) Units from all expansions will have data cards as the new rules have them, so you don’t need to have Expansion Book A and Core Book B and flip through both of them.

 

Though personally, I do love the customizations you used to be able to get.

Edited March 25, 2023 by Arkangilos

[JeffJedi]

The thing about all Coxexes at the same time is it is like the indexs of 7th (or 8th?) That most people hated.

 Next stuff generates excitement and makes people buy more. If you never got anything new for 3+ years your enjoyment would be lowered.

 

I have every marine unit, if they don't make more what would I buy?

[ThePenitentOne]

@Arkangilos

 

RE: 1) The system you describe here is very much like Crusade- which will exist in 10th... But has also existed for all of 9th. Death isn't as much a risk in Crusade, but it's certainly possible to get so many battle scars that you just remove a unit. Unit's can become dreads, they can earn far more varied battle honours than ever before, and Marines can earn significant chapter titles too.

 

RE: 2) & 3) I understand the instinct here... And I often feel the same way. However, flooding the market would do serious financial harm to GW. If everything was released at the same time, I think it would decrease profit by up to 30%... And the thing you have to understand about that is that while GW absolutely dominates the marketshare, this means their overhead is huge compared to other companies. Hiccups in the bottom line due to market saturation can have a chain reaction that leads to an inability to produce the quantity of miniatures and specialist games that we've come to expect over the past two editions.

 

We may think one edition at a time.

 

I assure you, Games Workshop does not. I hate some of their sales practices too, not gonna lie. But if it wasn't for those practices, 40k could be Battletech struggling survive through ownership changes and Kickstarters and virtually unknown in some places rather than the omnipresent behemoth that we have today.

 

[Scribe]

28 minutes ago, ThePenitentOne said:

I assure you, Games Workshop does not. I hate some of their sales practices too, not gonna lie. But if it wasn't for those practices, 40k could be Battletech struggling survive through ownership changes and Kickstarters and virtually unknown in some places rather than the omnipresent behemoth that we have today.

 

Battletech annoys me so much.

 

Successful game, table top, RPG, and legit fantastic PC games in its history 

 

And some of the worst minis ever lol

[Arkangilos]

7 hours ago, ThePenitentOne said:

RE: 1) The system you describe here is very much like Crusade- which will exist in 10th... But has also existed for all of 9th. Death isn't as much a risk in Crusade, but it's certainly possible to get so many battle scars that you just remove a unit. Unit's can become dreads, they can earn far more varied battle honours than ever before, and Marines can earn significant chapter titles too.

I know, Crusades was one of my favorite things. :) In fact, while I like a lot of the rule concepts prior to 8th more (templates, leadership, vehicle stats being different with damage results being something rolled for, etc.) I like a lot of what 8th and 9th did with narrative and the whatever the non-points rough estimate point thing is (can’t remember off the top of my head). 
 

I should also note, I’m not against rule bloat per se (my dad isn’t as big a fan of it, but we house rule a lot anyways, so it’s no real big deal)

 

By the way, I don’t think you and I disagree on most of what you said. And some of what I said is actually what is happening with 10th (all rules are being released for free all at once, for instance). I’m pretty excited for tenth. 

Edited March 26, 2023 by Arkangilos

[Redcomet]

On 3/11/2023 at 4:13 AM, Scribe said:

 

God if that isnt the truth.

 

I was in local shop the other day, chatting about 40K, when we looked at the massive stock of Battletech. I remarked 'with basic designs, in 2023, why are their models still so bad?!'

 

He said he hears the same all the time, cannot shift the stock.

 

Annoys me to no end.

Catalyst games is a very small company. And miniatures have always been a secondary thing. You can play the game perfectly fine without them.

 

Oh and their kickstarter had raked in 5 mill $ in a few days, the new range of minis can be difficult to find and they sell out of their starter box all the time.

[Redcomet]

Playing in tournaments require a very set framework so that every thing is set in stone. Same way in ttrpg, with the organized play that the larger companies organize.

 

But I definitely agree that players should be better at homebrewing their own games. Break free from the constraints that GW put on your games. 

[Helias_Tancred]

7 hours ago, Redcomet said:

 

 

But I definitely agree that players should be better at homebrewing their own games. Break free from the constraints that GW put on your games. 

 

Huge AMEN! As an avid D&D player since I got into it in 1982, this is something thats always intrigued me about the 40k hobby.

 

Right now D&D is up to 5th edition. Most people play it, but .... Every other edition remains playable if you own the rules. Also the system itself is very easy to house rule. My group of friends, we prefer to play the original AD&D version that started releasing in 1978 ;) ... but anyways if you prefer 8th edition then play it, etc ... all you need are the rules, older codexes, and some house rules for stuff units/models that have been released after the 8th edition era. 

 

Maybe it's because such a large number of 40k hobbyists tend to go to their local gaming store to play? And end up playing random people or a looser set of players where house rules and older editions don't exist? I'm lucky, I can play in my basement and I have a small circle of good friends that are into 40k? That is the optimum situation for 40k imo.