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Regular use of the iPad doesn't slowly wear down the glass or break the case. I can use my iPad for hours a day with no degradation in the device.

Regular use of a book ruins the binding and damages the pages. Books with heavy use wear out. If I were to page through a codex for hours a day, it would wear out and need to be replaced. Every codex I have owned was ready to be put away by the end of the codex after being used for 6 years.

Now if regular use of your rulebook consists of throwing it down the stairs or smashing it with rocks, then you may be better off with a paper book.

I had to buy a second ork codex at a swap meet since mine got so used.

To each thier own. I will be digital codex whenever possible moving forward. Especially after the pain in the ass the hardcover 6th book has been.

chromedog wrote:Think of it as a codex-tax.

IF you want the digital, you need to get yourself an ipad and use ibooks. To go with your ipod, iphone and nice, hipster ilife.

You can't port the ibook across to another format either. It's one of the reasons GW went with the format.

chromedog wrote:It's only a $30 saving IF one has already spent the several hundred more for the ipad.

For those of us who don't already have one, that saving does not exist.

I think it is understood that you don't like the iPad or iProducts and that you believe those who do are "hipsters". Since that clearly isn't the point of this thread I don't see why you felt the need to point it out once, let alone twice. The OP wanted to know about the actual iBook codices not our opinions on the iPad.

nkelsch wrote:Regular use of the iPad doesn't slowly wear down the glass or break the case. I can use my iPad for hours a day with no degradation in the device.

Regular use of a book ruins the binding and damages the pages. Books with heavy use wear out. If I were to page through a codex for hours a day, it would wear out and need to be replaced. Every codex I have owned was ready to be put away by the end of the codex after being used for 6 years.

Now if regular use of your rulebook consists of throwing it down the stairs or smashing it with rocks, then you may be better off with a paper book.

I had to buy a second ork codex at a swap meet since mine got so used.

To each thier own. I will be digital codex whenever possible moving forward. Especially after the pain in the ass the hardcover 6th book has been.

This. I used to have to go to Kinkos to get my codices spiral bound because the binding was so terrible. I have had my iPad for 2.5 years, I use it every single day including at work in my classroom where I allow students to use it. It has a single 0.5 in scratch on the screen which was caused by me. The text books for my students, which are bound much better than a GW codex, don't hold up that well over 2.5 years of use just 9 months out of the year.

Back on topic. Whether or not they are worth it will be a very subjective matter focused mainly on what you want it for.

If you mind having to constantly print out new FAQs and carry them around then the iPad codex is for you.
If you dislike carrying around multiple codices for reference then the iPad codex is for you.
If you can't stand having to flip through page after page of both the codex and BGB to find universal special rules and wargear rules then the iPad codex is for you.
If you enjoy fully interactive hobby sections with 360 degree views of models then the iPad codex is for you.

If you don't like apple products and have an axe to grind then the iPad codex is not for you.
If you make a habit of not taking proper care of your possessions then the iPad codex is not for you.
If you like the feel of a real book and enjoy hard back copies of your rule books then the iPad codex is not for you.
If you view the iPad as a tax on your codex purchasing power then the iPad codex is not for you.
If not being able to put the book onto another device after purchasing it for your iPad then the iPad codex is not for you.

It's all quite subjective.

I'd get them for reading while in the bathroom. Or maybe I'm at work and want to fool around with making lists on my break (or while I work which is what I usually do anyway). Plus it clears up my shelves for my Playboy and Import Tuner magazines as well as my scantily clad anime figurines.

Does GW offer content for my device (online dex, Space Hulk)? No.

Does my main army (Black Templars) have an online dex? No.

Can I offer my opinion for the OP? GW hasnt provided me with an opportunity to do so.



All bitching aside, I think I would rather have a book. The new dexes look great anyways. Nice slap in the face though, everybody who cant get an online dex having to buy DftS for flier rules.

I have all of the 40k codex releases and the Warriors of Chaos and Daemons Fantasy releases on my Ipad1. I love the format just the portability alone is worth the price. I also like having the books so I do buy them but now when I buy my Limited edition codex I don't have to worry about it getting messed up thru regular use.

 d3m01iti0n wrote:


Nice slap in the face though, everybody who cant get an online dex having to buy DftS for flier rules.

I'm sorry...can't? That's an interesting choice of words.

As to the new Marines dex whenever that will be: they should make us buy a new one. It's a new book edition.

Also: GW updated their IBooks Daemons painting guide with new painting articles for the new models.

I love my iPad just waiting for my lone wolf army builder app


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 ExNoctemNacimur wrote:
Why the hell would you sit on your iPad?

Wait.... That's not how you use it?

 Ouze wrote:

BaconUprising wrote:
Defiantly worth purchasing over a fragile paper one.

This is the first time I've ever heard a quarter inch thick electronic device that is 20% made of glass described as being less fragile then a book.

The you sir are blessed because my codex's just fall apart quite regularly. I don't mistreat them but the stabling/binding I have found is done very poorly. I have had no such trouble on the iPad.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Ouze wrote:
Which is more likely to shatter if sat upon or dropped?

Edit: eh, that's a whole other thread, nevermind.

Right... Not sure why you would sit on an iPad firstly. Secondly iPads don't even brake when sat on. If we are going down the "things that could possibly happen route" which do you think would fare better if gently toasted in a grill?

CAUTION---Long, tangential rant ahead. Skip to the last line if you want to.


The digital codexes are really nice, but it's not the direction I wish GW would have taken, for several reasons.

You can't loan these out like a physical book. That's not a detriment to GW, but it is a loss in value to the customer. You also can't resell them if you change armies. Also, a benefit to GW, and a detriment to you. Of course, the digital editions have other advantages (redownloadable, updated easily, less weight), but losing some of the value of a book makes me feel like the digital codex should have been priced less than the print edition.

Feature bloat. While some of the digital features (rule lookup) are awesome, others are cool, but not really necessary. I would have much preferred a cheaper codex without 360 degree spinning images, etc.

Loss of nostalgia. I have picked up all of the old, OOP rulebooks for the orks I can find. I love reading older stuff too. I'm worried that these books will vanish (not from your iPad, but from the store) as soon as a new edition comes out. Future iPad players will not be able to look back on older editions of the rules without finding a physical book.

Portability (for the consumer). You have to have an iPad to use these. I know that iBooks makes it much cheaper and easier to author an ebook, and their distribution channel is well managed, but I really, really wish that GW would have taken the chance to make their rulebooks MORE available digitally, not less available. While almost anyone can order a physical book from them, only a small percentage of the market can even consider buying a digital edition.

GW Doublespeak and lost opportunities. Even Jervis, in his Standard Bearer column, says that GW is primarily a collectible miniatures company. If your company's bread and butter is selling minis, and the rules are used to sell minis, then why make the rules expensive and hard to get? Less expensive, less 'extravagant' rulebooks in PDF format (which would be dead easy to do, since you probably already put them in that format to send them to the printer) could be used to 'hook' people into the army, and you could sell the more expensive, hardback, illustrated rulebook for the enthusiast. I always give the example of Paizo and Pathfinder. The 'core' rulebooks for that game, regardless of physical book price, are $10 each. They WANT you to buy the rules, so you will play their game (and buy more stuff when you do).

I think GW is really missing an opportunity by not using a digital codex to get more people into their games, and instead just using the digital codex as just a different sales channel for existing players.

That's not an answer, so:

If you already have an iPad, it's a great option. If you are thinking of getting an iPad anyway, it's another reason to consider it.

If you don't change armies midstream, it's a good investment relative to a print book.

It's much easier to stay 'current' with the rules (so far).

If you don't subject your possessions to a lot of rugged handling (and given you are using miniatures, right?) it's not a bad option either.

In short (TOO LATE), they aren't a bad option at all, but not nearly as good of an option as they could have been, I think.

I plan on buying digital copies for the armies I do not play and hard copies for the ones I do.

So far I have been pretty happy with the ICodices despite them being the same price as the hardcopy. Being able to click on the rule and get it is handy. Especially for those annoying rules that have a special name but only bestow a standard USR.

If you already have an iPad and plan to keep it, buy the digital codexes. Otherwise buy the paper ones.