Obviously there is still no certainty as to whether 6th edition is coming, or what form it may take, but to my eternal embarrassment it did make me giddy with excitement (for a few moments at least). What excited me most was the fact that this new edition may be the last for the forseeable future, and will live on as a living rulebook supported by ad-hoc updates, FAQ's and the like. If this were to be the case, it would certainly help to keep the playing field level, and hopefully prevent codexes from becoming obselete when a new edition arrives (a la Eldar when 5th edition arrived).
To summarise my thoughts, I've listed below my thought on why the leaked 6th edition pdf may be either real or a hoax:
Why might the new pdf be real?
- It would provide a level playing field and prevent codexes from obselesence when new editions arrive.
- The pdf is apparently very lengthy and incredibly detailed.
- It would allow GW to concentrate on developing new models and new units which could be designed to work in a unified game mechanic without upsetting the balance of other units and/or armies.
Why might the new pdf be a hoax?
- Sales of rules books would obviously reduce
- It would prevent future diametric shifts in gameplay - that is, there would be no opportunity for the game to be slewed massively in favour either of hordes, or massed tanks, for example.
- The leaked rules introduce some MAJOR changes, seismic in their magnitude - the biggest being the assault phase coming before shooting. For the life of me I cannot understand why this would be logical, or even vaguely representative of how real battles are fought (is that even a consideration?!).
Summary
So, I really don't know what to think. My heart says that I would love a living rulebook that might actually level the playing field and prevent codex creep and/or new edition obselesence, but my head says that GW is a sales-driven company and would not jeopardise revenue by giving us a book that doesn't need to be re-bought.
What do you think?
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I've been reading through the leaked rules and you are right, they are a massive shift from pretty much everything that has come from GW before. If they are a hoax then someone has far too much time on their hands, however, even if they are a hoax I think there is the foundations for a fantastic ruleset there.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I imagine that this is GW doing its usual fishing for leaks strategy. This may be an old, early attempt at 6th ed that they have moved sufficiently on from, and there'll be something in this ruleset that is specific only to it, a slight variation, which they can use to identify the source of the leak. I'd back this up by pointing out that the grammar and spelling of this book are even more noticeably bad (and I'm not the best at either), and there is a lot of repetition suggesting they have cut and paste together bits and not checked whether they are saying the same thing twice in different ways. All which would suggest that it hasn't had much editorial overview, and is rather a working document.As for a living rulebook, desirable as it is, I just can't see it happening. They may be designing the rules so that they are easier to keep up to date with FAQs, a kind of semi-living rulebook, but I just can't see GW abandoning the massive cash generator that is the release of a new edition.
Either way, I've got a copy and I'm going to hang onto it and if I ever get enough time (seeing as I'm rarely playing 40K at the moment let alone another system), I'd really love to give it a go.
I've not actually seen the leaked document first hand, nut would love to get s copy of it! Perhaps you could help?
ReplyDeleteG.