New Space Marine Codex Rumor Roundup

[Erik Setzer]

Is it pushing, or merely enabling?

GW have said on several occasions they don't want to restrict players.

Why shouldn't a Space Marine player field a Spearhead force, with lots of armour?

Remember. GW know that precious few hobbyists ever just buy and stick religiously to a single, set list. We add to our collections - especially when it's our 'army of fixation' such as my Necrons and Ogres. I'll keep buying those because I really like the armies. They chime with me.

Open up the options to me, and the impetus to collect gathers pace, because I can field more of my collection in different combinations.

Eh... I think I see a lot more possibilities (especially based on what we've already seen) to have a productive discussion with positive people on this. I just feel like to have an enjoyable game of 40K that feels like 40K and feels like units matter, I need to play 1000 points, no super-heavies or gargantuans.

[40kGamer]

Eh... I think I see a lot more possibilities (especially based on what we've already seen) to have a productive discussion with positive people on this. I just feel like to have an enjoyable game of 40K that feels like 40K and feels like units matter, I need to play 1000 points, no super-heavies or gargantuans.

To me 40k is like chili.... you can just keep adding stuff to it and still call it chili, but we all know it ain't no chili. :P

[Arkhan Land]

Eh... I think I see a lot more possibilities (especially based on what we've already seen) to have a productive discussion with positive people on this. I just feel like to have an enjoyable game of 40K that feels like 40K and feels like units matter, I need to play 1000 points, no super-heavies or gargantuans.

I think it should really go both ways, I love smaller games with only a vehicle or two, and I love games where there are heavy tanks beyond number. Every week I play probably one game under or around a thousand and a 2k game, plus whatever happens at a store/random email exchange matchups. Diversity is the spice of life. I think in a 1000 point game you do get to sort of enjoy the finese of infantry, but theres also nothing like a dozen tanks engaging in a total ordnance annihilation destructothon

[Lurker]

i know I'll be well narked off if Honour Guard squads are gone, I'm halfway through making the one I'm making for my Chapter Master, what they need is better equipment selection (they are the chapters uber elite for pete's sake, they should be first in the queue at the arsenal when its time to go to war) and a plastic set a la Sanguinary Guard.

Right there with you. I'm about at the same spot with my Honor Guard. What with building, revising and buying new stuff I'm already into it for quite a bit. If they do axe the HG, ima be proper cheesed.

I'm skeptical about the whole thing though. Some of the changes would be cool, some I'm thinking are not needed. like reducing tac marines point cost, really? they're cheap enough as it is, leave it alone. although moving Vanguard to fast attack does make sense to my nit picky brain. I'd be interested to see who the new IH character would be though, (cuz I likes me some fluff)! all in all it doesn't sound too bad, but will be interesting to see what comes of it.

[DarkLink]

To me 40k is like chili.... you can just keep adding stuff to it and still call it chili, but we all know it ain't no chili. :P

That's a doubly hilarious analogy, because I love chili but really hate beans, so I won't eat chili as long as beans are involved. And here I am with 40k and I really hate certain specific rules but really enjoy my Grey Knights...

[Erik Setzer]

Hmm... That first sentence in my post seems to have gotten away from me. And I do want to clarify I didn't mean it as a "knock" on anyone, just that people who are more positive tend to see just the brighter side of things, while people who are more depressed* tend to see not just that but also the potential negatives and other stuff. And it's hard to get people to see those things without sounding like a "whiner" and a "complainer" and you're "trying to bring everyone down."**

I'm actually trying to get excited about positive stuff with 40K and all (my growing stockpile of such stuff shows that), but I do see the problems that could be mounting. And I get to see them manifest in the people I play with, so I know it's not just paranoia.


*Don't recommend "Just think happy thoughts!" That is a stupid idea and you should be throat-punched if you ever say that to a depressed friend.
**Even better, making all of those comments to such a person usually makes them feel worse about him/herself, which just creates more of a downward spiral.

[Mr Mystery]

And it's all about novelty and fashions.

Ref my Ogres. Soon as 8th Edition Warhammer hit, I was padding out my regiments to Horde sized, because suddenly it made my Ogres really, really fun to play with, rather than somewhat limited. After that, we got our book. LOTS OF BIG THINGS POUR MOI MATRON!

Same with allegations SM will get Predator squadrons etc - it's a new way to field your toys, so of course it will be embraced. Some might stick with it, others go back to a more combined arms approach etc.

This is the thing about the meta - it's GW playing the tune, and everyone else dancing to it, in one form or another.

[40kGamer]

That's a doubly hilarious analogy, because I love chili but really hate beans, so I won't eat chili as long as beans are involved. And here I am with 40k and I really hate certain specific rules but really enjoy my Grey Knights...

Grey Knights are a really cool faction. Being a long time marine drop pod / bike army nerd I've never been able to get the hang of playing them. Hopefully the new books coming are good enough to let a person play faction pure in the world of Epic 40k.

[Defenestratus]

Erik,

As cliche as it sounds, I highly recommend reading the book "Who Moved My Cheese". I swear it could be a commentary on the sociological behavior of the 40k community when new rules come out. Especially lately.

[Erik Setzer]

Same with allegations SM will get Predator squadrons etc - it's a new way to field your toys, so of course it will be embraced. Some might stick with it, others go back to a more combined arms approach etc.

Predator squadrons I don't really mind. It's when I see things like Land Raiders in "Fast Attack" - why the hell is a heavy tank in "Fast Attack"?!? - or Space Marines getting cheaper again despite being no worse (which might just suggest the points for everything in the game have dropped... so maybe instead of dropping stuff even more, just re-up the points of underpriced stuff?).

But with the changes I see, I can imagine a Marine army like this:

HQ: Bike Command Squad
Elites: Sternguard in Drop Pod x2
Troops: Scout Squad x2 (this assumes Bike Squadrons aren't Troops in any way)
Fast: Land Raider x3
Heavy: Predator Squadron, Vindicator Squadron, Hunter/Stalker (for AA)

Just swap out one FA Land Raider for another Drop Pod to reduce points and make sure both Sternguard squads come in on the first turn.

There's not much all my bolter-toting Marines could do to a force like that. It can put out a lot of nasty firepower and has a lot of survivability. You can swap some tanks for Centurions with grav weapons for extra bonus. And who knows what new stuff might be added?

The thing that really bugs me is that I'd know, if someone puts that out, I can't take it on with my typical Marine army, and it would be 2-3 hours (at least) of slow painful death... but I still wouldn't just pack up my stuff upon seeing it, because I feel that'd be rude.

And you can explain such a list easily: The Command Squad is on bikes to keep up with the armored column. The Scouts are scouting ahead to help direct the column. The Drop Pods are a way to send in reinforcements swiftly once the enemy is located and engaged. Boom, perfectly reasonable explanation. You can explain even the most WAAC lists in 40K if you're willing to go that far.

(On a side note, if 40K Vindicators ever get Power of the Machine Spirit as an option, I think I'll actually quit. I have one of those in 30K games, it's just obnoxious.)