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Their massively disappointing. The rules changes are so minor its a waste of time. The cost is pretty much driven a lot of normal paying customers to "alternative" sources.

The supplements are a cash farm of broken hopes and dreams and they think its all about the fluff in them and pictures... While I like fluff, GW back peddles and changes fluff non stop instead of going forward with any story. In over 20 years of playing GW the story literally has moved about 1" total lol.

Take the newest supplement Iron Hands, You can do nothing new really, you get a couple weapons that are unweildy but don't double your str...seems a bit of a waste.

Toss in you can choose to not take a master of the forge to buy Heavy support Dreads.... yippy, oh wait the one army that would likely take a master of the forge due to histyory and back ground more often has the option not too..... Its pretty lame.

Supplements needs to be more impactful. If they want to ever condone the prices. Remove unit options and add new options. Get more dreads but lose something, do something that actually matters.

Right now supplements are only for relics and micro managing psychic trees to build high end kill lists. Their overall impact is low for the rest of the play use. They are bait for new one trick pony exploits and not representative of the army.


Local Meta, people put up a sign up to chip in and buy them. Once they have 6-7 people they split the cost and buy one copy, and sort it out. That is a sign of a problem that the content does not represent the cost.

Along with this the need for a Tablet device or PC to look at the lists is really annoying for quite a few people. I have all the devices you can buy them on in my house, and I would rather read a book. My group of players trades army books to allow the others to learn their enemy, The digital ones ruin the fun of 4-5 guys sitting talking comparing books.

I do like digital for speed once the rules and the price Greatly! improve.

Imperal fist supplement was such blatant let down, and a obvious "lets sell more centurions" which ironically doesn't make you want to take more still because the supplement rules are silly lol.

I think the biggest problem with the Supplements is, that they are just a massive case of advertising-fraud.

By naming them "supplements", and by describing them as they are described on the GW site, the impression is given, that they add some new integral part to an army that allows you to play as one of the sub-factions; given the extremely sparse and badly thought out rules in them, this isn't really the case.

Would they have just advertised them as fluff books, in the vein of the heraldry books for Fantasy, I could easily give the books a pass, but as a rule-supplement they just fall way short.

DrunkPhilisoph wrote:
I think the biggest problem with the Supplements is, that they are just a massive case of advertising-fraud.

By naming them "supplements", and by describing them as they are described on the GW site, the impression is given, that they add some new integral part to an army that allows you to play as one of the sub-factions; given the extremely sparse and badly thought out rules in them, this isn't really the case.

Would they have just advertised them as fluff books, in the vein of the heraldry books for Fantasy, I could easily give the books a pass, but as a rule-supplement they just fall way short.

do you have an alternate name for them? What should something that suppliments a rulebook be called?

DrunkPhilisoph wrote:

Would they have just advertised them as fluff books, in the vein of the heraldry books for Fantasy, I could easily give the books a pass, but as a rule-supplement they just fall way short.

But they are not really "fluff" books.

A fluff book is something like "The Sabbat Worlds Crusade", a 96 pages masterpiece written by Dan Abnett in 2005.

Instead, we have things like the Sentinels of Terra supplement, where 100 Space Marines patrol the galaxy defeating Chaos invasions, Hive Fleets and Orks Waaaaghs!, only to find that everything that has happened was the evil plan of an incredibly stupid, mustache twirling Iron Warrior warpsmith, who has been consistently being defeated and forced to flee by the noble heroes over and over again. This fluff was written on the go, and it hurts to read it.

xruslanx wrote:

do you have an alternate name for them? What should something that suppliments a rulebook be called?

They are "supplements" in the same way the Codex Adepta Sororitas is a Codex.

I mean: they are supplements. Their quality is awful, that´s all.

MrVic wrote:
While I like fluff, GW back peddles and changes fluff non stop instead of going forward with any story. In over 20 years of playing GW the story literally has moved about 1" total lol.

And that's likely to be the way it will always be, because the 'current' time in the game is the setting for the game.

Fleshing out the story doesn't require moving it forwards. There are ten thousand years between the Heresy and the 'current' time to fill in.





The thing for me is, if they were just fluff books, I would think they were a fantastic idea. Extra fluff for those who like it, while those who just want to play the game can safely ignore them. But the inclusion of 4 pages of rules makes each and every one of these books something that every player needs to keep up with. From a business point of view, that might seem like a great idea... but it's a messy, messy system, and releasing them at the same price as a full codex is just guaranteed to rile up the unwashed masses. They're not going to see a cent from me for these.

Well, at least I am not the only one disappointed by the releases. I share most of the same arguments as have been put forth, they are primarily books that are adding fluff to the army... although with the Space Marine ones it's just a single company, (Is it bizarre to anyone else both have been 3rd companies?)

I did not know that they did supplements in 2nd Edition to much the same disappointment... that's disheartening. I wonder how well the supplements are selling as each one is seemingly released to further displeasure.

 sfshilo wrote:
Black legion really is a pimp my warlord suppliment...those relics are noice.

The rest seem to work just fine. Inquisition is by far the best so far.

except you cant mix and match wargear from the main dex and bl.

 Matt1785 wrote:
Well, at least I am not the only one disappointed by the releases. I share most of the same arguments as have been put forth, they are primarily books that are adding fluff to the army... although with the Space Marine ones it's just a single company, (Is it bizarre to anyone else both have been 3rd companies?)

I did not know that they did supplements in 2nd Edition to much the same disappointment... that's disheartening. I wonder how well the supplements are selling as each one is seemingly released to further displeasure.

Yeah 2nd edition supplements were not bad really. New models and units. It was the birth of the necrons and sisters. As well as the assassins supplement and the cluexis sp? Lol assassin.

They were decent fluff and full rules more then a couple pages.
Assasins was I think 10-15 bucks with new models released with it.
Awesome fun chasing hive tyrants around with them trying to avoid being seen.

I still have all the books and enjoy them. New ones we pay for photoshopped pictures and prettiness. 2nd it was truly about rules and fluff not artwork to stare at. Fluff to talk trash about and rules to play good times. Back then I played 4-6 games a day 6 days a week for three years. Still game with the friends I met back then only difference GW encouraged us to try other games since as well lol

 insaniak wrote:

MrVic wrote:
While I like fluff, GW back peddles and changes fluff non stop instead of going forward with any story. In over 20 years of playing GW the story literally has moved about 1" total lol.

And that's likely to be the way it will always be, because the 'current' time in the game is the setting for the game.

Fleshing out the story doesn't require moving it forwards. There are ten thousand years between the Heresy and the 'current' time to fill in.





The thing for me is, if they were just fluff books, I would think they were a fantastic idea. Extra fluff for those who like it, while those who just want to play the game can safely ignore them. But the inclusion of 4 pages of rules makes each and every one of these books something that every player needs to keep up with. From a business point of view, that might seem like a great idea... but it's a messy, messy system, and releasing them at the same price as a full codex is just guaranteed to rile up the unwashed masses. They're not going to see a cent from me for these.

I prettty much agree with everything you've said. No good can come of this

For Supplements, Farsight Enclaves was pretty nice, as was Iyanden.

I haven't been wowed by any of the rest so far.

Though not technically a "supplement", but an actual codex, C: Inquisition is a pretty huge disappointment.

Raukaan looks promising, but we'll see.

I'm in the minority (of the vocal online set, at least) as I love the hell out of these things. I'm a garage based narrative player who hasn't stepped foot on the tournament scene in years and that's who these are written for. They don't break codexes (except FE, but that's a different story) or make them better, they don't fundamentally alter the structure of the game. They let you show up at your buddy's house playing a variant army and gives you 8 different missions to play, and a handful of Planetstrike and CoD strategems. Between these and the Apoc War Zone books, it should be crystal clear that 6e is primarily a narrative play edition. They create one unbalanced, super expensive unit (or weapon) per codex for the tournament scene to lose their mind over (and throw fistfuls of cash at) and the rest of the time GW is catering to the guys who build tables in their garage.

My only disappointment was Codex: Inquisition, which lacked all the Altar of War missions and strategems that I have enjoyed in the other books. I thought of all the books that could make for some interesting historical refights, the Inquisition would off the most interesting and varied of selections.

Supplements needs to be more impactful. If they want to ever condone the prices. Remove unit options and add new options. Get more dreads but lose something, do something that actually matters.

I think this is one of the biggest misnomers about the books. GW *is* doing that. Farsight Enclave has to buy an upgrade on all units, as does BL. And Iron Warriors get the strongest Chapter Tactics in the game, a supplement giving them something cool, and in exchange they get *zero* named characters. None. One assumes this was their showing this edition (unless GW begins releasing supplements for other companies in already released Chapters down the line). Every other Chapter is balanced with their special characters; IH are balanced against the fact that they don't have one. Even their FW Sons of Medusa character is expensive and counteracts, rather than supplements, their abilities.

These new supplements barely have a glimmer of the coolness that we got with Codex supplements like Codex: Armageddon, and Codex: Eye of Terror, which were quite cheap, had lots of fluff, and plenty of new choices for the armies detailed within. Black Templars would just be vanilla marines still if not for Armageddon.

Massawyrm wrote:
I'm in the minority (of the vocal online set, at least) as I love the hell out of these things. I'm a garage based narrative player who hasn't stepped foot on the tournament scene in years and that's who these are written for. They don't break codexes (except FE, but that's a different story) or make them better, they don't fundamentally alter the structure of the game. They let you show up at your buddy's house playing a variant army and gives you 8 different missions to play, and a handful of Planetstrike and CoD strategems. Between these and the Apoc War Zone books, it should be crystal clear that 6e is primarily a narrative play edition. They create one unbalanced, super expensive unit (or weapon) per codex for the tournament scene to lose their mind over (and throw fistfuls of cash at) and the rest of the time GW is catering to the guys who build tables in their garage.

My only disappointment was Codex: Inquisition, which lacked all the Altar of War missions and strategems that I have enjoyed in the other books. I thought of all the books that could make for some interesting historical refights, the Inquisition would off the most interesting and varied of selections.

Supplements needs to be more impactful. If they want to ever condone the prices. Remove unit options and add new options. Get more dreads but lose something, do something that actually matters.

I think this is one of the biggest misnomers about the books. GW *is* doing that. Farsight Enclave has to buy an upgrade on all units, as does BL. And Iron Warriors get the strongest Chapter Tactics in the game, a supplement giving them something cool, and in exchange they get *zero* named characters. None. One assumes this was their showing this edition (unless GW begins releasing supplements for other companies in already released Chapters down the line). Every other Chapter is balanced with their special characters; IH are balanced against the fact that they don't have one. Even their FW Sons of Medusa character is expensive and counteracts, rather than supplements, their abilities.

The first two out had better setups and content maybe, but just adding a upgrade cost isn't really trading something for another. They don't want to make the supplements anything but a post it note of rules.

Why? Means they have to think or play test and actually put in some effort. Then slap on art work and fluff that makes no sense and zero fact checking and sell it. Let's be honest the rules and even fluff is a couple days work for someone. Sure peeping and editing but the actual content is so simple a couple gamers could and do cook up the same if not more over a beer after a game

Their not supplements their codex foot notes nothing more.

Only reason the Farsight one is any good is because of troop crisis suits. Even if you main normal tau, thats two troop suits and probably all you can afford anyway after your heavy and elite choices. I will never run pure suit army though, both because thats a lot of suits i dont own (lol) and there are times where the sheer numbers of my firewarriors outweigh what my crisis suits were doing.

Even still, its not what i expected either. its literally troop crisis suits or riptide cheese, thats it. I expected them to give crisis suits some kind of melee capability (for a cost obviously) so Farsight actually can do his damn job, hunt fethheads with his sword. What did i get? A single, 50pt weapon only a commander can get, or a bodyguard with no 2nd gun. And only one at that. Wth?

 Matt1785 wrote:
Then there is the obvious allying complications caused by the Inquisition book (Another HUGE let-down. Thanks for the warlord table... Other then that next time let me know when another Codex I own has what I need).

Iyanden and Black Legion.... does anyone see what those added for us? Just an easy way to make a dollar off of people who have high hopes that they'll finally get what they've been asking for.

Anyway, like I said, I've just been disappointed with the output so far, maybe it'll change, but as of right now, I think the supplement system is a failing us.

Can't say I disagree. For the price they are charging for these supplements they should actually be more useful and interesting. The Iyanden book is cool from the standpoint that you can actually make a ghost warrior based force completely, but the others the force changes are so minumal you have to wonder why they didn't just put a paragraph in the actually codex to provide the option instead of the $40 supplment book that only has a paragraph worth of usable rules in it?? That inquisition release was a joke. Of course people bought it so the joke is definitely on us. GW just cuts some text out of one book and puts it in a supplement, tacks on a warlord trait list and people buy it....that is why things have come to this point. People keep buying these things regardless...

Skriker

I'm fairly disappointed with the overall benefits of the Supplements. The army-expansion ones I can actually get more into. The in depth fluff is nice, although a bit more time spent on new units/rules would have been better. Not to mention a few more models to accompany said Supplement release.

Then Supplements like 'Death from the Skies' comes out and is proof in how stupid a company can really be. That time could have easily been spent better than the way it was, what a waste in manpower, resources and gamer relations.

Edit: Grammatical FUBAR.

Bummer. I was thinking about getting the IH book. Something about them I love to hate.

I'm not disappointed, but I can see why many are.

It's a brand new expensive thing and people really got the idea that these would be something you can grab a couple of.

I buy them for my 1-2 FAVORITE armies, and maybe if any have some really exciting rules gameplay wise.

It's great reading the fluff and I love how the rules reflect said fluff.

It's about delving deeper into your absolute favorite faction of whatever army you like.

What I would like to see is them make some gameplay balance changes to the supplements armies. Giving chaos space marines a couple more options would've been great, switching up Tau commander weapons would've created a lot more excitement.

I really feel that's a lost opportunity and I find myself staying away from my Black Legion just because they didn't get a ton of love.

For the most part, all of them since the Iyanden supplement have been rather poor, IMO.

I'm really suprised that anyone where would dislike the Iyanden one, besides cost. It actually did a lot of an Iyanden army. If every supplement was written with rules that well, It would go well.

We got, 0-5 Spiritseers
New Psychic Power
Excellent Warlord Table
The ability for a Wraithknight or a Wraithlord to be the Warlord
New relics.

It was actually a really good supplement, and made Iyanden Really Iyanden.

What is bad in the new IH supplement? They got a second chapter master to team up with the shield one . A non weapon relic that IWND vehicles on +4 and repairs stuff on +6. Even the warlord table isn't bad.

Makumba wrote:
What is bad in the new IH supplement? They got a second chapter master to team up with the shield one . A non weapon relic that IWND vehicles on +4 and repairs stuff on +6. Even the warlord table isn't bad.

A IH detachment cannot have the Shield Eternal (or any basic telic for that matter) if it is using the supplement.

Makumba wrote:
What is bad in the new IH supplement? They got a second chapter master to team up with the shield one . A non weapon relic that IWND vehicles on +4 and repairs stuff on +6. Even the warlord table isn't bad.

I think the relics and rules and everything are all quite good, but the price seems way to high just for a few relics.

As for the fluff, it is horrible. It contradicts all existing fluff about how the IH are organised.
The part about the Saphire Prince was the only good bit of fluff IMO.

 Unit1126PLL wrote:

Makumba wrote:
What is bad in the new IH supplement? They got a second chapter master to team up with the shield one . A non weapon relic that IWND vehicles on +4 and repairs stuff on +6. Even the warlord table isn't bad.

A IH detachment cannot have the Shield Eternal (or any basic telic for that matter) if it is using the supplement.

They get the chains, they'll manage.

Indeed, its disappointing. The supplements add too less to the existing codices. It may be only worth it if you play the corresponding army. Otherwise, I'd stay away from them.

 Iron_Captain wrote:

As for the fluff, it is horrible. It contradicts all existing fluff about how the IH are organised.

See, I think GW writers are Hollywood wannabes, after all the latter seem to be interested only in rebooting or remaking existing things, and GW is following suit with its fluff instead of just expanding it along the old lines ("sequels")...

Are the supplements the same thickness as the codex?
is it worth buying one? (farsight enclaves)
is it slightly overpriced?

Krieg!!! wrote:
Are the supplements the same thickness as the codex?
is it worth buying one? (farsight enclaves)
is it slightly overpriced?

I don't think any of the supplements are worth buying, Especially considering that some of them, you could memorize the rules in about 10 minutes.

I like the idea of supplements, and the content within them. However, I think that Games Workshop have overpriced them (as they seem to do to everything nowadays). £20+ for a book thinner than a codex and (to a gamer) contains minor changes to the original codex. For newer players to an army or the hobby, they could have to spend £25-£30 on a codex and £20+ on a supplement to get the best out of their force. This is before they actually buy any models. Say a new tau player wants to start a Farsight enclave. First, the have to buy the codex and the supplement (£50), then they will want Farsight as the commander of the force as he is the main guy in the codex (£25), then some crisis suits (for the supplement changes) (£45+) and a riptide (glorified 'main-man and bodyguard in the supplement) (£50). A super small force for a tau farsight enclave will come to around £200, before you buy some other units. Great marketing technique Games Workshop!

Krieg!!! wrote:
Are the supplements the same thickness as the codex?
is it worth buying one? (farsight enclaves)
is it slightly overpriced?

They're a bit thinner (72pgs for FE), but have substantially more artwork in them. Farsight Enclaves is the best of the bunch - it changes the way the army plays, adds some great Signature Systems, has great fluff detailing the whole history of the FE, a series of really great missions and 7 new characters (which includes a Broadside and a Riptide IC.) If you play Tau, it is a hell of a book and has become something of a must have.