Spearhead disappointment

[DoctorEvil]

So, I picked up the latest White Dwarf yesterday will the so-called "Spearhead Expansion" in it.

I was looking forward to it, as I'm a big fan of tanks. Now, this is the 1st WD I've purchased since they raised the US price to $9.00 an issue (and I haven't really missed it since I stopped). So in the back on my head I'm thinking "If they're going to start putting valuable content into WD, I might have to start buying it again".

Whew!!!! Apparently I don't have to worry about that Oh, I like the Spearhead rules.....but I was a VERY disappointed to find out I really didn't have a complete expansion, I was VERY disappointed to find out I needed to download the 12 actual Spearhead and rules for them. Don't get me wrong, downloading stuff is not a big deal (unless you don't have a computer), but when you're telling me I'm going to get a 40K expansion in an issue of WD, give me the whole damn expansion, not half of it.

Perfect opportunity to win back a WD customer......and they didn't deliver.

<end of rant>

[lobster-overlord]

Ditto.

I was hoping it would be an actual small rule book, much like the campaign suppliments or the skirmish rules they put out years back. (Akin to the books found in the Skull Pass and Black Reach sets, normal size, but very thin with the content, bound with staples, not the rule book size)

I didn't even bother picking it up once I flipped through it.

John M.

[eldargal]

Well, I found it to be the best WD in a long time, and it makes me very hopeful that WD will start to improve and deliver new content. I'm not saying you are wrong or criticising, just saying I thiink this is a big step forward for WD.

[Lord Azaghul]

I phsycally picked it up, flipped through it and put it back on the shelf. I'll wait until its up on the GW site, or/and when my local store clearances the WD out for .50$ a pop.

[Brass Scorpion]

My copy of the June WD hasn't arrived yet, but I had a look at the store copy yesterday. After last month's issue where only a page or two was of any direct interest to 40K hobbyists I found the June issue to be the exact opposite. Between the Spearhead related articles, Apocalypse datasheets and the Nightspinner rules the June issue has plenty of good material for 40K enthusiasts. Having a lot of armored vehicles in multiple 40K armies I really appreciate what GW is doing with Spearhead and Apocalypse.

[DarkLink]

WD finally puts out something; an expansion so big they can't fit the whole thing in one issue, and you complain about it?

[Gotthammer]

The problem is that the rest of it won't be in the next issue - it'll be on the website along with the stuff that is in the magazine. So there's no point getting WD for Spearhead as you'll need to download the formation rules anyway.

[DoctorEvil]

WD finally puts out something; an expansion so big they can't fit the whole thing in one issue, and you complain about it?

...yet sadly, not important enough to cut out a couple page of ads and a Blood Angels article so they could fit the whole thing in the actual magazine

[SotonShades]

I was dissapointed with the Spearhead expansion in WD as well. I can fully understand that as it is, it took up a lot of column inches this issue, so putting more in would have possibly been a bit upsetting for Fantasy and LotR players (though of course Fantasy folks should be more than thrilled with next month's issue...)

I think I would have like to have seen a bit less verbiage about it and a page of the Spearhead rules (such as the one about being able to move and fire that was mentioned in the battle report) and maybe a small sample of the spearheads, rather than just one. Even if they had just showed those that featured in the battle report so we could get a better idea of the flavour of what's to come...

Speaking of which, I am not sure I like the new style of the battle report. Andy Kenrick has certainly tried to put his own style onto the mag straight away, but the combination of narrative as if the models were alive and game speak about the specific rolls of dice was really off putting for me. Personnally, I would prefer the players' point of view description of what happenned, as was the case under Fat Bloke, with a bit of narrative before and possibly at the end from the characters. However, I know a few people who prefer a narrative approach, with maps and side-notes explaining it in game terms. I think what has happenned is an attempt to find the best of both, but leaving a soggy middle bit that doesn't read as smoothely as it could.

I did find the rhetoric through out this issue to be a bit more 'airy-fairy' to use a colloquialism. Again, not my cup of tea and I assume Kenrick trying to mark this out as his territory. Did anyone else find this, or was it just me?

[Atrotos]

I'd like to convince people to buy it anyway. GW is giving us real rules in a White Dwarf. If we show them that they're taking a step in the right direction they'll try again, perhaps with better results.

The inclusion of the night spinner rules is HUGE. We could be seeing the beginning of an era where an army gets updated every month with new units preserving the players interest in his or her army and alleviating the bitterness that comes from being out the GW limelight for too long. If they're smart they'll introduce alternate army lists, the equivalent of new codicies but with far less risk for them.