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It is a common misconception that 'Just play for fun' and 'Having a well written, clear and concise ruleset' are mutually exclusive. It's like people who equate 'Playing to win' with 'Power Gaming'.

It’s not as bad as the ‘Then just stop playing’ crowd, or the ‘Use Tactics’ Union, but it is just as asinine.

Things would be a lot more fun, and we could all 'just play for fun', if we didn't have to worry about the rules not making sense, or having blatant contradictions or, worse, incomplete rules within the published rulebook. This problem is only exaserbated by GW's considerably casual approach to fixing rules.

With the recent FAQ's this attitude may, of course, be changing... but some of us have been down this road before. When GW FAQ's were arriving thick and fast, they left a lot to be desired and were in some places quite condescending in their answers. Anyone here remember the ignominy being asked like a child why we would ever take an Honorifica Imperialis on an Ogryn Bone ‘Ead or the laughable and blatantly contradictory answer of Space Wolf Acute Senses vs Grey Knight Shrouding? Or how being an angry Daemon Prince of Khorne couldn’t make your wings flap any faster – ie. using a fluff justification to explain a rules abstraction, GW’s greatest FAQ flaw. These current FAQ’s are better, but, again, this is a path we’ve taken previously, and GW’s track record in this arena leaves a lot to be desired.

I can genuinely say that this new edition seems more positive, and is being approached with a lot less dread than 4th did, but GW is their own worst enemy, and although I don’t want them to slip up, I just can’t get past the fact that they will.

BYE

Augustus wrote:...rules for models that don't exist...

In the latest 40K radio one of their interviewees address this. They want to leave the door open so that they can continue to produce models in the future for a particular codex instead of blowing their load at once. I have to say that the interviews 40K radio did really opened GW up to better understand what and why they do what they do. Consumers feel better if you address their concerns. GW should have their own podcast or affiliate with 40K so that they can get information out there.

Rules for models that don't exist?

I for one have no problem with this. I love converting stuff. I am always pleased to see units where I need to use my skillz and imagination to create the model. They are doing better and better all the time with this, but converting is still an important part of the hobby.

greenskinned git wrote:

I for one am going to take these valuable tactics to heart. <snip> My grot screen will be invaluable against all the new assault Necrons !

Sigged!

HBMC sums it up quite nicely I think. Clumsy rules get in the way of playing, whether it is for fun or "for realz yo!" or whatever people who don't play to win call competing. Riding a bicycle is fun, whether you are just peddling around the park or racing in a velodrome. Riding a bicycle with some broken sprockets is not particularly fun in either case, though the flaws are more obvious in the latter.

Huh, you missed one in the Necron recap. I don't know if they subtracted it or if it's just some sort of misprint on my FLGS's copy, but they had the following:

"The new rules for Outflanking let your units of Flayed Ones appear on the enemy's flank, right where he doesn't want them!"

This is, to my mind, even more hilarious than the assault Necron bullet point.