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Hey,

So I used to play plenty of 5th edition 40K. I had a good understanding and generally enjoyed it as a weekend game; nothing particularly competitive. 6th edition rolls along, I played a few games of Dark Vengeance, and I completely lost interest in the game. To me, it seems to be a massive convoluted mess, which reflects the fact that so many different people write rules for it; nobody knows what they want to do; some want skirmishes, some want massive battle with machines... Ultimately, I couldn't be bothered with the complete lack of aim.

So my question is this; is there any good reason for me to reenter 40k? Has it improved?

Thanks,
Blap

do you want to play Warhammer with the models/armies you already own? then 6th edition is for you.

You'll get a lot of mixed responses here.

You'll have one group that will tell you it's never been better; there are a lot of options through Escalation and Stronghold, as well as a slew of dataslates and formations. They'll also say how its cool to have things like overwatch and challenges as a part of a more 'cinematic' feel, and that the game works fine if you all specifically build non-powerful list and play for fun (beer and pretzels).

Then you'll have another group that will tell you its never been worse. The slew of options add a layer of convolution to an already convoluted mess, where the FoC is more or less a suggestion. Balance issues are still fairly rampant, both internally and externally, and the prices are fairly rough if you want to run the whole gamut of options available to you. The rules are also geared towards smaller levels of games, but additions like Escalation, allies, and Double force org are all running the game in the opposite direction.

Personally, I'm not a fan. That being said, the game can work fine if you play kill team games.

My personal recommendation is to take a look at other wargames on the market first and keep 40k as a backup to get in games if your local community is still 40k centric.

If it interests you, play it.

If it doesn't, don't.

Since all of the stuff is subjective, and very much relative to who you play with and your local group, I don't see how much I can tell you. I don't see the point in this kind of thread unless you're really dependent on some kind of social pressure to do your thinking for you.

6th edition is basically a toolbox to play things you want to play. Want skirmishes? There is a Kill Team for that. Want massive games of Epic? That's what Escalation is for. Want to get more mileage out of your terrain kits? Stronghold has you covered.

Outside of the game expansion stuff, the core rulebook says the rules are a framework to support games you want to play. Houserules and homebrew is a valid means of play.

The only thing 6th doesn't do well (without a lot of houserules) is competitive, crunchy tournament style play.

Um, its better than 3-4th, but not as good as 2nd? Its a cleaned up 5th edition with its own wonkiness.

If you ignore the extra expansions it isn't bad. They neutered hand to hand combat quite a bit and made it a majority shooting game. The expansions and flyers can really unbalance the game which is why both of my groups limit or disallow them, which sucks in general since we don't like doing that.

I have played 5th and also 6th at 1500-2000 Points I have alot of fun playing the game. I do play Orks so that may be part of it If you’re not at a turny (which I don’t play) and just with some mates to have a good time it’s great. Every week I look forward to game day. Just mix it up once in a while, last week we all brought a 500pt list for a change and it was alot of fun. As others have said its subjective, but if your goal is to have fun and enjoy the game whether you win, lose or get stomped you will have a good time.
Thank You,

7th is due soon i'd maybe hold off and see what thats like.

hobojebus wrote:
7th is due soon i'd maybe hold off and see what thats like.

not really... but ok...

hobojebus wrote:
7th is due soon i'd maybe hold off and see what thats like.

Nooooooooooo... They released 6th what, last year? 2 max? They haven't milked it enough yet...,

4-5 Years is the lifespan of the editions. So 3+ years left before we see 7th, assuming they don't turn this into a living edition or something.

6th isnt that popular and they've added alot of rules in over priced hard backed books to cover things like fortifications and data slates to cover formations and the like, the main rule book no longer contains the main rules.

Rumours of 7th hitting as early as this year have been around for a while now from sources proven reliable in the past.

6th was meant to last us a while but then last year's financial reports hit and GW have gone into overdrive producing things desperate to make money and keep share holders happy.

hobojebus wrote:
6th isnt that popular and they've added alot of rules in over priced hard backed books to cover things like fortifications and data slates to cover formations and the like, the main rule book no longer contains the main rules.

It's more popular with some groups than others.

hobojebus wrote:
Rumours of 7th hitting as early as this year have been around for a while now from sources proven reliable in the past.

I haven't seen said rumors honestly. Last I read was Fantasy was planned for this year or next year.

hobojebus wrote:
6th was meant to last us a while but then last year's financial reports hit and GW have gone into overdrive producing things desperate to make money and keep share holders happy.

Even if they wanted to push out a new edition, I doubt they could put a new rulebook out in 6 months that really overhauled things. Especially in the balls-to-the-wall pace they're doing everything else right now (and I've got a decent source that says Phil looks pretty haggard right now, so I'm positive that they're pretty darn busy, likely too busy to add in more right now).

That's my speculation though.

I think you are the only person who can convince yourself to play. If you already have an army than i see no reason not to since the costs will be minimal compared to a new player.

The game isn't completely horrible, it has obvious weak spots so it's all up to how you want to spend your time and money.

Honestly, I don't get the whole "things were better in 2nd edition". They weren't it was horribly balanced. Like Horribly.

Hollismason wrote:
Honestly, I don't get the whole "things were better in 2nd edition". They weren't it was horribly balanced. Like Horribly.

I think the mentality of those playing was less serious (for the most part) since there wasn't a real tournament scene and the game let you run a lot more different combinations of armies (especially if you played Marines or Guard, you had a massive list of allies options).

Hollismason wrote:
Honestly, I don't get the whole "things were better in 2nd edition". They weren't it was horribly balanced. Like Horribly.

Like how? Balance is the most over-used and misunderstood term in gaming, right up there with meta. If, as so many here like to say, everyone has a better system, how are your newly-minted, perfectly balanced, amd thoroughly play-tested games working out?

My two cents: personally I think 6th edition is the best one so far, and I've been playing since RT. It's not perfect, but like others said there are alot of options to play how you want.

Only play 6th edition if you dont wanna take it seriously. Its a game where you decide one day "lets have a titan brawl" or "lets do an HQ only battle" and so on.

Its not suited if you wanna play intense strategy and fight to teeth against an opponent.

Like any game system you will find problems. Its up to you to decide if the problems are worth your time and money. But there is no harm in playing another game wither. It may broaden your tastes and so on.

If you do join you will enjoy it more if you dont buy too many models and too many armies. Keep it simple, keep the game simple and use plenty of terrain. You may find you will enjoy it more.

But dont spend money on it until you think its worth your time. Otherwise you may turn into one of those people who hang around complaining. Do try it a bit without spending money first if you can.

 Swastakowey wrote:
Only play 6th edition if you dont wanna take it seriously. Its a game where you decide one day "lets have a titan brawl" or "lets do an HQ only battle" and so on.

Its not suited if you wanna play intense strategy and fight to teeth against an opponent.

Like any game system you will find problems. Its up to you to decide if the problems are worth your time and money. But there is no harm in playing another game wither. It may broaden your tastes and so on.

If you do join you will enjoy it more if you dont buy too many models and too many armies. Keep it simple, keep the game simple and use plenty of terrain. You may find you will enjoy it more.

But dont spend money on it until you think its worth your time. Otherwise you may turn into one of those people who hang around complaining. Do try it a bit without spending money first if you can.

and yet you play what?

viewfinder wrote:

 Swastakowey wrote:
Only play 6th edition if you dont wanna take it seriously. Its a game where you decide one day "lets have a titan brawl" or "lets do an HQ only battle" and so on.

Its not suited if you wanna play intense strategy and fight to teeth against an opponent.

Like any game system you will find problems. Its up to you to decide if the problems are worth your time and money. But there is no harm in playing another game wither. It may broaden your tastes and so on.

If you do join you will enjoy it more if you dont buy too many models and too many armies. Keep it simple, keep the game simple and use plenty of terrain. You may find you will enjoy it more.

But dont spend money on it until you think its worth your time. Otherwise you may turn into one of those people who hang around complaining. Do try it a bit without spending money first if you can.

and yet you play what?

What? You have another opinion? He asked me to sell him on it and I gave him my advice if he wanted to try it.

I'd say this edition depends more on what kind of game you want to play and who you're playing with. You need a firmer understanding of what kind of game you're playing with your opponent before you start. If you bring a fluffy BA army that's set for Take on All Comers, and you opponent pulls out his three knight allies, you're not going to have fun. Work it out first what you're playing before you play and you'll have fun.

viewfinder wrote:
do you want to play Warhammer with the models/armies you already own? then 6th edition is for you.

This happens for every new edition actually.

7th will come along soon enough and kick it all over the place again for a few months.

6th edition works decently well at low-points games (like 1000 points, my sweetspot). It's only at the larger point games that you get all the whacky bs.

I have completely quit playing 40K since 6th dropped. It's a giant convoluted mess, but that normally wouldn't be so bad: I'm a veteran gamer and no stranger to house rules. The real kicker is the downright insane prices attached to the giant convoluted mess. I absolutely, 100%, can not afford to buy the armies I'm interested in , despite having access to a wholesale discount. When even half price is too expensive there's a problem.

I got into 40K in 5th. While I've always been way more into the hobby side than the game side, I haven't and likely won't ever play a game of 6th. They just broke too much of what I liked about it.

 BlaxicanX wrote:
6th edition works decently well at low-points games (like 1000 points, my sweetspot). It's only at the larger point games that you get all the whacky bs.

I played enough games against eldar and tau at 1-1250 points to know that this isn't true.


6th is a good edition for someone who had a big tau or eldar army bought in 5th when people were getting rid of them . A WK here 2-3 riptides there and presto two very powerful armies done for not much cash .

 BlapBlapBlap wrote:


So my question is this; is there any good reason for me to reenter 40k? Has it improved?

Thanks,
Blap

I would wait until after 7th or 6.5 or whatever. 40k has not improved, it's convoluted and trying to accomplish too much under one format. Like any game good opponents can help make up for crappier balance but there's less now than in 5th in my experience. Part of that is GW closing its larger retail locations, fewer tables to play on. A lot of flgs's can make good coin stickin to cards, comics and collectables and even if they sell gw stuff no guarantee that there will be gaming space.

Makumba wrote:

 BlaxicanX wrote:
6th edition works decently well at low-points games (like 1000 points, my sweetspot). It's only at the larger point games that you get all the whacky bs.

I played enough games against eldar and tau at 1-1250 points to know that this isn't true.


6th is a good edition for someone who had a big tau or eldar army bought in 5th when people were getting rid of them . A WK here 2-3 riptides there and presto two very powerful armies done for not much cash .

Eldar and Tau are easily manageable at sub-1500 point games.

All armies are, because it's more difficult to spam your best units. At 1000 points, spamming Riptides isn't going to work, and an army that's predominantly Fire Warriors with a Crisis Squad and a Riptide or a couple vehicles isn't nearly as formidable.

Same concept with Eldar.

Sell you on sixth edition?

Two heroes duel atop an ancient stone circle while shells fall around them. One of them loses his footing as the ground shakes from the footfall of a nearby titan, but before his opponent can take advantage of the slip, they are forced back by a barrage of shells from a passing aircraft. Rocket motors fire, then twin contrails streak out across the sky to detonate behind the flier, igniting it in massive ball of fire that backlights the hero it had driven back, only for his opponent to to barrel into him and knock him off the pedestal... moments later the entire area dissolves as a volcano cannon misses its target and obliterates the area. The battle continues none the better for the loss of two such mighty heroes, for in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.