Codexs are for 14 year olds, forge world is for adults

[Montpup]

This is an obsevation not a critism

Its something I've never noticed before but last week I got the choas codex and Horus heresy betrayal. I read the choas codex with great gusto and was impressed. While the book wasn't worth the $83 price tag, it is a great book, the art work is good the army list seems fun and well thought out and none of the fluff made me sudder with embarrassment. Phil Kelly even made abaddon not sound like a loser. Great book it has me buying miniatures that I wasn't planning to get. Then I picked up the tome which forge world had sent me. About 290 pages, I read it in one day. ALL OF IT.

It's funny, I see people talking about who the better codex writer is Phil Kelly or Matt ward, the church of Kelly exists and for good reason, the Matt ward defense league are out there as well. But the simple fact is that neither can really hold a candle to Alan Bligh. Anyone who had read the badab war books knows what I'm talking about. The fluff, the units and characters and the army lists are all so well done.

So what do I mean by my title? Well it comes down to whom the book has been marketed. GW targets the teen market, it's no serect and so the fluff in the codexs are written in a style that takes that into mind. The language used and still appeals to teens, now this is fine and I quite enjoy it. It's like reading a young adult book. I loved the rework of the necron fluff and now how Kelly has reworked choas so they are no longer the diet coke of evil, the best example of this writing it dragio's entry.

All my friends (not the largest sample I will admit) having read his fluff disliked him. And asked "why couldn't we have just a normal grand master?" I myself nevered used dragio as himself and wrote up fluff for a grand master who then ran around with dragio's stats and gear. I am yet to meet a boy between the ages of 12 to 18 who doesn't think dragio's story is the coolest ever....

The forge world books on the other hand read as military histories (the exception being volume 8 which is the worst written one). Again the style and language change. And the themes are much more quiet and restrained. The character are real and the whole book is much more focused.

It is worth noting that part of dragio's fluff problem is that it is poorly written and so you could blame at Matt ward's door. But it doesn't change the style of the writing that is used. The black Templar codex was written by graham McNeil and it does not read anything like his novels.

Also a note on price of Horus heresy betrayal, it is a A4 leather bound hardback book with silver guilded pages. If the book was a real military history in this format you would be paying £300 for it and it wouldnt have any gaming rules in it. Trust me I know.

[Deadlift]

You have a point, for me it is the models really. GW releases sci-fi chaos dinosaurs and FW Pre-heresy TDA. As examples of course. These models are absolutely aimed at different types of customer and as you say, could be age group as well. Reflects in the cost of the stuff too.

FW I think offers a little more realism, where as GW is more at the fantastic end of 40k for me. Neither is better or worse for it though.

[Mr Mystery]

It's likely unintentional, but the 14 year old thing is somewhat derogatory. Their is little wrong with the Codecies. They are there to enable you to field an army for the game.

Forgeworld however are indeed the more 'mature' end, and their books are less sandbox in nature, revolving as they do around a single exemplary conflict.

Just because the Codecies are much more general purpose, it doesn't follow that they're for kids. For my money, putting the background in the hands of the BL was an excellent move!

[Unzuul the Lascivious]

This is heartening to know - I'm hoping to receive this for my birthday. Sadly, of course, the adult prices of the miniatures mean that era-accurate army building is fairly prohibitive short term, and no-one I know is keen to collect. However, perhaps using existing armies as proxy models, some of the campaigns can be fought out (or perhaps I need to seek out other gaming clubs)...

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Just as a side-question - does anyone know what the average word-count for a Codex is?

Other than that, I think the Man o' Mystery has it.

[Mr Mystery]

Prices are pretty comparative to be honest.

My main complaint is that my Mk2 Assault Marines look a little.....odd. Legs very skinny, arms very long!

[Deadlift]

Prices are pretty comparative to be honest.

Until you add the shipping fee. I don't get why it's so expensive.

[Nabterayl]

I agree that the 14 year old label is unnecessary, but I also agree with the main point - Forge World makes an attempt to do 40K as military history (though for my money, while an inferior writer, Warwick Kinrade was better at this than Alan Bligh).

One thing I will say for the "codex style" of writing is that I feel it gets short shrift for being thematic. Though I am solidly in the "I prefer military history" camp myself, I do think it's important that someone is still out there writing background with an eye towards themes (which is what I think is really going on with Draigo). Half the fun of being a military history preference in this setting, in my opinion, is focusing in on what most people do in juxtaposition to what the heroic few do.

[Tommie Soule]

I have not really read a codex since the Tomb kins first book was released! I just looked at the pictures after that really
I still collect codexes and FW books tho so I may actually start to read em again.

Thanks for the inspiration!

[Anggul]

My problem with Forge World is their blatant human favouritism. Xenos units are almost inevitably inferior to human ones, to the point of ridiculousness.

Oh, and they can't proof-read for crap.