Warhammer 40k - PANIC about Model ranges and Confusion!
There seems to be some great confusion about what the future will be for certain models in Warhammer 40,000. It has mostly to do with Space Marine units and there is a massive overreaction from certain people when it comes to the use or continued use for miniatures in their collection and ranges.
Firstoff, I would like to mention the fact that some people who play Warhammer 40,000 only play the game for the same of playing in Tournaments... correction... they only want to play Grand Tournament.
This is strange to me. Massive chunks of 9th Edition core rules and Codex rules supported other kinds of gameplay that are NOT Grand Tournament games. And 10th Edition Core Rules are the same.
The new launch box contains a 397 page book that has the new Combat Patrol game system. This is not Grand Tournament rules. The book also has the Crusade game system. This is also not Grand Tournament rules.
Grand Tournament rules are meant to be the official competitive standard. There are meant to be a certain number of these events per year. However, there might be any number of other Tournament rules that use different rules.
Grand Tournaments are rule sets that are actively balanced as new releases comes out and the meta shifts.
However, there are THREE groups of models that are sowing confusion among players. I am going to run through them and what GW has said about them so there is some clarity.
Group 1 - Kits that have a new kit replacing them.
This is the group that I have shown above as my cover photo.
The Castraferrum Mark V Dreadnought, the current Sternguard Veterans box and the current Terminator Box are all on the "Last Chance to Buy" list. You can buy brand new ones for the last time.
These are intended to be legal for a long time still, but Citadel Miniatures (GW) are bringing out a new model replacing each of them. Thus the current kits and the old kits use the same datasheet.
Group 2 - Warhammer Legends
These are models that are in your collection that are not being made any more by GW, but they give you rules so you can play them in the current edition. They give you these rules once and do nothing to rebalance them constantly within the framework of the modern Grand Tournament rules and are therefore not allowed at Grand Tournaments.
Someone could easily host a Legends-Allowed tournament.
An example is the two Mortis Dreadnoughts I got recently:
Which have their 9th Edition Datasheets on Warhammer Community:
Group 3 - Legends of the Horus Heresy
In the article linked above it is explained that there were a massive amount of Horus Heresy Space Marine vehicles being used in 9th Edition 40k Grand Tournaments. These are being removed from the Grand Tournament rules packs and like the Legends in Group #2, are getting 10th Edition Datasheets, but without active rebalancing.
Thus you can keep playing them, but not at Grand Tournaments.
The reason for this is that rebalances take time. Space Marines (and Chaos Space Marines) who have access to these Horus Heresy vehicles have a massively bloated range and choice of miniatures which makes balancing unwieldy compared to other factions. The Votann for instance have 4 HQs, 1 Troop, 2 Elite, 2 Fast Attack, 2 Heavy units, and Zero Aircraft in their range. Rebalancing is easy.
The Space Marines have at least 6 Battleline Troop Choices and many multiples of the others. Rebalancing is hard.
Thus, for Grand Tournaments, it is easier for players to know what they may field and for opponents to know what to expect.
There are EXCEPTIONS however since there are a few units that will appear in both HH and 10th ed 40k without restrictions - Like the mighty Land Raider!
Conculsion
I hope that my ramble makes sense... but it means that the following image is really.... REALLY... stupid...
A meme, apparently because this Dreadnought is no longer legal for Tournaments... but it still IS legal for Tournaments... even GW Grand Tournaments... but even so, they are legal in all other gameplay as well.
So this seemed to me a MASSIVE OVERREACTION and totally throwing the toys out of the cot.
Really... thus the reason for this post!
I hope it clear things up!
If you have any (Imperial) miniatures you do not want because you don't think you can use it in tournaments, then please send them to me! I collect!
Cheers!
@zakludick
Awesome review! - so sad to see some of those legends leaving us , and the classic dreadnoughts :(
Well, as we've discussed... NOTHING is leaving us. Just not for Tournament play.
For some people that is 100% of their game.
For me it is 25% of the game.
Why do they burn their dreadnoughts....da rather burns my heart when I see that. So sad. So to cut a long story short I can keep playing with the characters.
If I ever have time I will times in my local GW store me times around hear what they say about it.
You can play all of them, just not in the main competitive tournaments.
I could host a tournament where they ARE allowed. lol