Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Sixth Sixth Sixth

http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=15933

So with rumors as to what sixth may be bringing to the realm of 40k, it is looking very similar to what was done with Fantasy. Quite a few major changes to the game can be noticed when looking at things such as game turn order, how specific mechanics such as Ballistic Skill and USR's work. Rumors also look to make IC's a little more scary on the table. The biggest one for me is how first turn is determined, and the idea of pseudo-stratagems being introduced. All of these seem to bolster the idea that 40k is going to be a massively different game.

When talking with the folks down at our FLGS, both 40k players and non, the main reason for those who don't play is obviously the money... which given the current economic times is quite understandable. However the close second is simply the time it takes to play a game of 40k. In relative terms it generally takes about and hour + to play a good game at the usual 1850 - 2000 point level. That's a bit of time to invest in a single round of the game, and generally the want or time to play another round is often far off when I've played as well. With these new changes that we can only guess at now, it's still a mystery to me as to whether this new 40k (aka 6th) will effect the time it requires to play. My first guess is that it may increase the time to play, as there seems to be more to consider when it comes to situational questions and general rolling.

The next topic of interest to me is the idea of first turn. From what it looks like, there is now a bidding war that happens by the players... and whatever points were not used to try and go first can be used to purchase some sort of stratagem style bolster for a unit or the army. This to me feels a little unbalanced. Now it fits with the concept that 40k has announced "We want 40k to be more about strategy than chance." This is fair, but the system they have created feels like it could be gamed fairly easily... but I'll reserve judgement until I see the official rules in the new BRB.

As a side note, I did notice the part that Black Templar are going to be a 6th-style codex before the rules hit (similar to Orks of the 4th to 5th changeover). I can only hope that we do better in the new system than Orks have fared in 5th. I'll just look forward to new kits, and hope the new codex does the army justice. I know the new codex will most likely be a Ward creation, but I'll still hold out hope Graham McNeill will come back to write again... Shut up, I can still dream :P


In the end, I will look to 6th edition with great interest. I am not sure it is what I was wanting, but I have long felt that the love GW has poured into Warhammer Fantasy has been absent in 40k. With Fantasy getting full color codexes, fancy starter kits, rule overhauls, and generally faster FAQ's, 40k felt like the child they never really loved. Now is the time to see if this new overhaul of the 40th millennium will put the two games on a more level playing field in terms of quality.

What rumors about the sixth coming of 40k have you most intrigued (for good or bad)? Any additional rumors that I missed? I look forward to seeing where it leads, but time will tell.

Cheers!

3 comments:

  1. I have read over a lot of the rumors about whats supposedly coming out in 6th edition and I look on in a mix of awe and fear.. some of the things look very interesting and some look to be potentially very bad ideas.. The knowlege that Tyranids were the first codex to be created with 6th edition in mind gives me some hope that the new rules will work better with the codex than the current ones.. but then again seeing how far off 6th edition is and will be from the tyranid codex.. I'll take things with a grain of salt.

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  2. I will further my example of how GW has treated Warhammer Fantasy with more regard than 40k by looking at this new "Storm of Magic" that has hit GW.

    It would be nice to see GW have some of this hyped up stuff every once in a while.

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  3. Phil Kelly is writing the new BT codex. Direct from his own mouth if you don't believe the reliable rumor mill publicists. A friend met up with him at a convention and asked him directly about it.

    As for the 1st turn thing, as well as the stratagems, I really hope that it doesn't come to pass. It would officially turn a game that is somewhat balanced, into a completely unbalanced and "who knows what's going to happen" game where a true test of competitiveness between armies/players cannot be measured. It could kill the game.

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