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Here's a good example: I have over 6k worth of space wolves, plenty enough to use.

But, in order to use formations/detachments (whatever they are called), I'll have to go out and buy either tons more models individually and download some pdfs for the rules, or go buy the boxed set for way more than I can afford all at once to get the rules and the rest of the models I need (such as all the extra tanks for whichever one it was that gave away free rhinos to your squads, or 2 drop pods for the skyhammer force but I'd still need the rules).

In every space wolf detachment available, I'm missing about half of what it requires.

Yet, I have my own tactics and my own themes I'd like to try with my army and see if I could pull it off, but with all the special rules and free stuff everyone else is getting from picking up pre-made armies, I wouldn't stand a chance.

I like formations. It's really quite fun for my Skitarii to be able to pick and choose how I want to field stuff.

kaotkbliss wrote:
I wouldn't stand a chance.

This is the only part of your post I'd debate. The fact that your large army is built the way you want it rather than in a way that makes it benefit from specific formations does not mean it can't compete on the table-top. Just because you're deciding to not take advantage of certain rules doesn't mean your bolters, chainsword, multi-meltas, thunderhammers, and frost axes can't kill your opponents.

I feel like ... we don't expect balanced models from GW, so I guess it's not too surprising that they're making unbalanced formations as well.

What hurts the game almost as much as the imbalance, though, is the perceived imbalance. The rules interactions are incredibly complicated, and they don't explain the thought that went into any of it; they just try to make you feel like you are missing out if you don't buy the latest and greatest.

Is it any wonder people keep saying the sky is falling? That's exactly how GW marketing is trying to make everyone who doesn't buy a given formation feel. GW just hasn't yet caught on to the fact that their short-term sales boosts are coming at a huge price.

Terrible. Just another attempt to try to turn 40k into Epic at 28mm.

Really don't like them, they feel too restrictive to me to be fun, and the good ones are far too good to simply be ignored.
The alternate force orgs they made for a time however I love. They give a new way to build an army given a framework and offer enough benefits to compete with obj sec but (asside from champs of fenris , why can't I hold all these thunderwolves) feel pretty balanced.
I'm super stoked they brought them back for my DAs even though both RW and DW ones seem to not function RAW hope exists that easy day 1 FAQs will fix that.

I think they are rather cool. It's a new step toward forging the narrative here. The newer formation/detachments from Necron/Eldar/SM/DA codex match the background and the expectation I have from the models. Futrthermore, all the codex using said formation seems to be able to fight each other in a fair game. Too bad for the rest in the meantime, but you always have to begin at some point.

I just hope GW doesn't change for yet another system without formation or whatever making the newer codex still worse than Necron/Eldar/SM/DA for a long time.

Formations are great.

I don't see this hobby as "only buy these specific things then that's it!". So it gives me good reasons to buy things I may not have or just didn't have the inspiration for.

Free stuff is balanced by taking not great units. Look at the full Sk&AdMech formation. You need to take electro priests, but you'd never really do that unless you had reason to. Not everything is going to be perfectly balanced.

Pretty much disagree with almost every opinion here.

I would love to see the difference in sales for centurions and the new electro priests. One is dumb looking with fantastic rules, the other is sweet looking with garbage rules.