EPIC28

Playing EPIC in 28mm.

Friday 18 October 2013

7th Edition

Ooooh.  Post 400.

I've got three four fourtykay rool buks.  Hereafter referred to as BRB and a number.

I like BRB4 - it's got kill team and build your own terrain; possibly the last shred of the DIY hobby postulated in BRB1.



BRB1 (Rogue Trader) actually states that there arn't that many SciFi minis on the market (there weren't) and that you should use them from whatever source you could find them.  Yep, just in case you weren't a teenager in the early 80's Games Workshop told you to use things from other makers.



BRB5, then is the one I played most of (a whole four or five games), but is clearly a progression from the BRB4.  But doesn't have the same sense of freikriegspeil as BRB4.  (There probably was no sense of freikreigspeil at all, it's just I hadn't played forty kay for eighteen years...)



BRB6 is something more of an art piece.  They have set out to make it eye candy and fill it with figure porn.  Which again, is what the Apocalypse revision does.  It does appear to have been proof read though, which is something at least.



But at an average of two and half games per edition, this aspect of the "hobby" (and no, big game company, spending a lot on your products to satisfy my scifi gaming needs is not 'a hobby', it is shopping) is, over time, giving a poorer and poorer return on investment.  The basic turn sequence and BS3 needing a 4 or more to hit don't change.

I'd like to point you to this post on the Responsible One's blog, where he talks about why some of us might keep harpin' on about an older ruleset.  He's got a point.  But it's not that I think that older rules are better, I could never be arsed to learn them at all.

So I might just stop updating (BRBs - I'm gonna keep bloggin' as long as you keep reading).  If you wanna pop round for a game of 4ed, 5ed or 6ed.  Or even RT, that's fine with me.  Heck, those of you who have had the pleasure can confirm to anyone else that I'm not really gonna notice which rules are being used.

I might buy future codices and other products.  As far as I can see, all the previous edition codices still work with the basic mechanics, so I can't see any great problems.  Please don't view this as sour grapes; Most of you know that I'm a collector with a megalomanical desire to have my own 40K world and write it('s wars) up in detail.  The rules are a point of reference for me, not a mechanism to be exploited or defeated in order to win a game - yeah, winning would be nice, but the Devos IV war will be won by the side who spend the most blood and treasure, not the side with the best statline.

This is my hobby and I'm happy to share with anyone who expresses an interest.  I work quite hard to earn my own treasure to indulge myself with, so I'll do what I want with it.

Now, just so we're clear: I do enjoy playing, and understand that the rules inform and shape that experience and so on.  But the important word for me there is experience, as in I am participating in something with a friend or two or three for the purposes of having fun.  Which is rule number 1, remember.

Anyway, following in the footsteps of the laughing ferret and Mr lee and standing on the shoulders of the Mordian 7th, It did occur to me to celebrate my 400th post with a giveaway.  But it would be a case of  'just leave a comment' and I would then go through the motions of randomly selecting one and then just pick my favourite anyway*.  And all the stuff I have is half started projects anyway. 

*See ?  my blog, my rules.

11 comments:

  1. Interesting article! Having played through all the editions they all start to blend together for me (which is a pain when I actually get the occasional game in, as I'm continually misremembering what rules are current and what are holdovers from earlier editions). I do think that I had the most fun with 2nd edition, even though it was a hero-hammer-ish randomized mess. Definitely agree with your points on down the line with the various editions!

    Congrats on 400 posts, man! I've enjoyed reading 'em and I look forward to hundreds more! Cheers!

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    1. Cheers. I'll put up a picture of the Emperor's Champion soon. And the M7th recce section will be in action at the beginning of November (this November !)

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  2. Very interesting - I have every rulebook since 3 and I would agree with your assessment on each one, especially about 4 hitting the sweet spot. Generally when we game now, we play from memory (which is an amalgamation of 4/5), with a few bits simplified (CC is generally a 'pile in and everone fights' affair), with 6 on standby to look up unknown rules. And also congrats on the post milestone.

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    1. Odd how the like minded gradually drift together.

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  3. I tried to play 6th edition when the Dark Vengeance boxed set came out.
    I didn't play 3rd through 5th editions as I was too busy with the fairer gender and recreational substances. (Though I did continue collecting and painting.)
    RT and 2nd is where I remember most all my rules from and RT was my most favourite.

    But the current rules are dull and uninspiring. No depth and completely sily really at the scale they are meant for.

    I still love many aspects of WH40K as far as the setting as a whole, but as a rules set I prefer to set it aside and play something far more appropriate to my tastes like 5150: Star Army.

    Keep up the amazing creating of your own 40K world. It's always a good experience reading your latest update to your own fluff.

    Happy 400th post. I don't want to win anything, give it to Scipio instead. He's closer to you anyhow so mailing costs will be far more affordable.

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  4. Echoing much of the above - the rules/codex bits-n-bobs over editions have blended together for me given the infrequent gaming (most of my games were in 3rd, with maybe 20 in 4th, 3 in 5th and a sole game in 6th), but the standard BS4 needing 3's followed by 4's when playing other Marines hasn't really changed.

    I've never understood the moaning that acoompanies new editions/codices where a favourite rule/value changes. If you liked the older edition, just keep playing that one. Its really only the tournament players who 'need' (even then thats probably pushing it) to keep up to date with the latest of shiny rules/errata/faq.

    My semi irregular group I play/talk rubbish with is all about playing 2nd ed 40K and currently 5th ed Fantasy as that's where their memories most often take them.

    Like you though, my compulsive need to see me have my own GW shop in my back room ensures I trot down to my local stockist and collect the latest shiny BRB/Codex for the faction of my choice to add to the other 4-6 versions of the same that are now 'outdated'.

    Gosh I sound like a grumpy old man.

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    1. I have to jump back in and say that the above says what I wanted to say, just much better. It's our game, let's play it how we want to.

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    2. That's fatherhood. You've now an official GOM.

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  5. Wow. ALL of the above. All of it.

    You know my thoughts on pretty much all of this, I reckon. It'd just be nice if someone - deep in a Nottinghamshire basement - said - just once - "Hang on, Chaps: have we *really* thought this one through properly..?"

    Hearty congrats on 400 by the way: you've outstripped me for certain-sure!

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    1. There's a novel (as in "novel and contentious") iggy platoon build coming up in a month or so. I'll be interested in your thoughts.

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