should a codex be rules or guidlines

[Nabterayl]

In the end, I think that allowing the rules to be modified by consenting players in a casual setting is a great thing to be done with the rules in order to make the game more enjoyable, but only in a casual setting. That doesn't mean that the rules should be written loosely nor should they have obvious holes which need to be addressed by the players or judges. A solid rule set is possible, and casual players (who are more likely to change the rules for their enjoyment anyway) can still do so. In fact, well written rules may even benefit casual games since the players will (hopefully) have a better understanding of the core rules and will be better able to modify them to suit their needs.

This is true, but I don't think it's what Gav was talking about. He wasn't saying, "We felt like our last codex was too precise, so we decided to write the new one with more ambiguous wording." He was saying, "We felt like our last codex tried to give the players rules for too many variants, so we decided to write the new one with more focus on a mutable core 'variant.'"

You might feel like they failed to do that, but I think it's a reasonable objective, and has nothing at all to do with whether the rules that get into the codex (however few or numerous they be) are well drafted.

[TSINI]

All this is fine, but you tell me how liberal you feel about the rules when someone turns up with their 'Special' Nids army complete with attached Baneblades.............

Silly? In my experience if you give people an inch they'll take a light year.

in my experience, the people that take that light year quickly lose friends who were innitially willing to play games against them.

Seriously, the game is designed for fun, not tournement play. People that crush you into the ground arent fun to play against. The people who cry when you beat their "unbeatable" army list, are not fun to play against. The people who jake and have a laugh and try to beat you with what they brought along because it looks cool, are fun to play against.

[Kahoolin]

Exactly, all these cries of "but if there's no rules I can just say all my guys have x wounds" are false arguments.

Really? You go round to your friend's place to play a game and he says he doesn't want to follow the rule book to the letter this week, and your instant response is "Oh OK, then all my orks have 4 wounds and you automatically lose?" Maybe if you're six years old.

The game is clearly, obviously and always has been designed to be played between friends. The rule book and codices contain firm enough guidelines for two strangers to play a game without having to agree on everything beforehand, assuming they don't have the mindset of a selfish six year old. I don't think that's an unfair assumption to make.