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(I don't think anyone has created a thread about this yet so here goes)
Black Library's new site features a whole section for WHFB but that's not the best bit.
The core rulebook and the 5 end times books along with a collection of digital supplements have been made available again in ebook form. now all we need are the army books and WHFB will be accessible to new players again. (though they are dirt cheap on ebay at the moment). Even though WHFB is mentioned as being no longer supported on the black library pages it looks like they may have listened to the fans (I'm not defending GW's descions about the dropping of WHFB and am certainly no fanboy) fingers crossed they re-release the digital army books again.
The Black Library WHFB page the rules can be found a short way down the page.

Hmm.

Makes me wonder if AoS sales have been disappointing.

Meh, why support a company who don't support their games.

Why support them? They don't have anything to do with the game anymore. If its just the books people lack there are 100 free ways to get them that don't involve supporting the people that killed the game. New players aren't joining because the community is gone-split between age of sigmar, 8th edition, kings of war, and those who are playing old editions/homebrews. When you take a niche customer group and split it into 4 or 5 groups, its not going to last long.

Cool

Why not put on the other shoe? It's a way to actually to legitimately purchase the rules if you want to play it and are willing to pay for it and want it digitally. I'd highly recommend the local independents and eBay for the printed books, though, because they're really cheap

But anyhow... I know it's hard to imagine, but not *everyone* hates GW And you're stuck with buying their models anyhow, if you're new to it all, want to play WHFB, and just don't own the rules.

Wow, I guess I haven't been paying attention, but the prices on the digital editions of those End Times books are insane! You can get the physical books for less...

I actually was really interested in that series, but it's understandable that the floor would have dropped out of the market after the game was canned. It makes sense that GW would at least continue to acknowledge its existence with already-written background books, though - there is a major computer game coming out in the setting, and a lot of folks aren't going to buy into AoS (I'm not sure if that's clear to GW yet, but if it is they would have been really smart to hedge their bets - running WHFB like they are the Horus Heresy, for example). Pretty sure that ship has sailed, but you never know... lagging sales could get them to pull a "New Coke"

overtyrant wrote:
Meh, why support a company who don't support their games.

At the store I work at we are lucky to sell a single AoS model a month.

I think it's a cool move. If GW brought back the Necromunda rules to be purchased as an ebook I would be thrilled.

 Bottle wrote:
I think it's a cool move. If GW brought back the Necromunda rules to be purchased as an ebook I would be thrilled.

Why? The last 'official' version is still available online, as are the rules for all the other 'Specialist games'. If Necromunda, Mordheim etc were actively supported (and the rules weren't 'modernised') then that's a different story entirely.

 Vulcan wrote:
Hmm.

Makes me wonder if AoS sales have been disappointing.

That's an understatement

 Silent Puffin? wrote:
The last 'official' version is still available online...

Yup. It even has all the original mistakes from the original version. Impressive work.

 Silent Puffin? wrote:

 Bottle wrote:
I think it's a cool move. If GW brought back the Necromunda rules to be purchased as an ebook I would be thrilled.

Why? The last 'official' version is still available online, as are the rules for all the other 'Specialist games'. If Necromunda, Mordheim etc were actively supported (and the rules weren't 'modernised') then that's a different story entirely.

OH, my mistake then. I didn't realise GW still offered the rules for download. Where abouts on the site is it? I have the original books so it's no matter for me, but as my favourite GW game it makes me happy knowing it still has some support.

And to bring this back round in topic that is how I would feel if I was a die-hard fan of 8th.

 Bottle wrote:

 Silent Puffin? wrote:

 Bottle wrote:
I think it's a cool move. If GW brought back the Necromunda rules to be purchased as an ebook I would be thrilled.

Why? The last 'official' version is still available online, as are the rules for all the other 'Specialist games'. If Necromunda, Mordheim etc were actively supported (and the rules weren't 'modernised') then that's a different story entirely.

OH, my mistake then. I didn't realise GW still offered the rules for download. Where abouts on the site is it? I have the original books so it's no matter for me, but as my favourite GW game it makes me happy knowing it still has some support.

And to bring this back round in topic that is how I would feel if I was a die-hard fan of 8th.

All of the specialist games rules (and cool apocalypse formations) used to be hosted on the old gw site, but were removed (along with the massive library of online articles covering everything from terrain modelling, paint schemes and conversions to faction background introductions and list-building tips) when GW recreated the site to be the barebones catalogue it is today.

 Bottle wrote:

OH, my mistake then. I didn't realise GW still offered the rules for download.

They don't but they are still available.

Well that's not the point I was making at all then. I would be thrilled because it would be a sign of support (even if very limited). Just like this is a sign of support for 8th.

Being able to purchase a given ruleset from an official GW source is a form of promotion for that ruleset, so if you're a fan it's a good thing. But yeah, GW bad, rabble rabble.

 Bottle wrote:
Well that's not the point I was making at all then. I would be thrilled because it would be a sign of support (even if very limited). Just like this is a sign of support for 8th.

Whereas my point is that there is very little incentive to pay for something that is free and hasn't been actively updated in well over a decade and was officially free long before that.

If GW were to sensibly update Necromunda then that's a different matter.

 Talys wrote:


But anyhow... I know it's hard to imagine, but not *everyone* hates GW And you're stuck with buying their models anyhow, if you're new to it all, want to play WHFB, and just don't own the rules.

I don't quite get this statement Talys. As WFB is no longer supported as such, and you're not likely to be playing it in a GW store... why are you stuck with buying GW models to play WFB.
Finally, Warhammer players can get out of that "GW models only" mindset and explore figures from all types of ranges and manufacturers now.

There are still plenty of WFB units that don't have generic alternatives from other manufacturers, but that aside I didn't really understand that "stuck with their models" thing either. Broadly you are not.

 Vulcan wrote:
Hmm.

Makes me wonder if AoS sales have been disappointing.

Watch GW make up some bs reason and bring the Old World back.

They shouldn't have blow it up. There was still a lot of potential for expansion.
There could have been an campaign book based on Cathay or the East in general.

They're still releasing factions (ok, barely) for 40k, so a few extra for WHFB wouldn't hurt.
But noooo they had to blow it all to hell, and make it like 40k.

 Bull0 wrote:
There are still plenty of WFB units that don't have generic alternatives from other manufacturers, but that aside I didn't really understand that "stuck with their models" thing either. Broadly you are not.

You would be amazed how many model manufacturers have made alternative models for GW stuff. There's a whole thread on that very subject on the 9th Age page.

Not quite everything can be replaced, no; especially the big war altars (but even there a little conversion will go a long way...). But the vast majority of GW units are available from other manufacturers. Although not in the same 'covered in skulls' GW aesthetic....

I have to admit it'd be kinda funny to imagine GW looking at everyone buying and playing with their Warhammer models with Mantic's rules intead of AoS and going, "Wait a minute....if we re-release the WHFB, they'll totally come back- genious!"

Orock wrote:New players aren't joining because the community is gone-split between age of sigmar, 8th edition, kings of war, and those who are playing old editions/homebrews.

Welcome to the wild 'n' wooly world of wargaming outside the GW bubble, where one club might play Hail Caesar, and the group a few miles down the road might play DBA, and the gang that meets at an LGS might play Impetus, and the guys that throw a grass mat over a kitchen table might play something they typed up on MS Word and printed out on a couple pages foolscap, etc. etc. etc.

Or: the community's still there. It just got shoved into a situation where it had to make decisions.

Bottle wrote:Well that's not the point I was making at all then. I would be thrilled because it would be a sign of support (even if very limited). Just like this is a sign of support for 8th.

To add to Silent Puffin's point that you're missing - it doesn't have to be 'supported' by GW, because it's already 'supported' to the same degree that you're expecting, and saving you a few quid into the bargain. Or would the warm glow you get from GW saying "here's something from years ago that we don't make the models for anymore and won't bother fixing up ever. Come on, cough up." make all the difference?

 AegisGrimm wrote:
I have to admit it'd be kinda funny to imagine GW looking at everyone buying and playing with their Warhammer models with Mantic's rules intead of AoS and going, "Wait a minute....if we re-release the WHFB, they'll totally come back- genious!"

Watch them nuke 40k and make it like WHFB

 AegisGrimm wrote:
I have to admit it'd be kinda funny to imagine GW looking at everyone buying and playing with their Warhammer models with Mantic's rules intead of AoS and going, "Wait a minute....if we re-release the WHFB, they'll totally come back- genious!"

I don't think they're all too worried, as long as people are buying Games Workshop models.

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:

 Vulcan wrote:
Hmm.

Makes me wonder if AoS sales have been disappointing.

Watch GW make up some bs reason and bring the Old World back.

They shouldn't have blow it up. There was still a lot of potential for expansion.
There could have been an campaign book based on Cathay or the East in general.

They're still releasing factions (ok, barely) for 40k, so a few extra for WHFB wouldn't hurt.
But noooo they had to blow it all to hell, and make it like 40k.

I was still curious about the potential for the fish-men faction. You know maybe all cthulu based much like your name.

GW has no clue about the customer and the employees. The employees seem like they're brainwashed or forced to kiss GW's butt approving of anything no matter what the fans think. Almost no warhammer fantasy players approved of this esp. if they weren't painters. I almost stopped buying from GW but dark eldar are pretty. I expect to be fully disappointed by them in-game though due to power levels.

I actually played fantasy because it wasn't like 40k. No equivalent space marines faction (warriors of chaos were supposed to be scary), there was a sense of humor in at least 4 factions (ogres, greenskins, skaven, empire) and things weren't super grim dark all the time. What fantasy needed was coverage and video games. It needs video games like Vermintide, Total War: warhammer and mordheim. What it doesn't need is fantasy marines in the sense that they made them. Also for any saying companies decide to make games for GW I'm sure GW turned them down till they were about to destroy fantasy. GW were probably worried fantasy might get made in a way they disliked and hijacked by a company sorta like they say blizzard did. We all know GW are super annoying about their IP even though they have no qualms about violating other IP's.

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:

 AegisGrimm wrote:
I have to admit it'd be kinda funny to imagine GW looking at everyone buying and playing with their Warhammer models with Mantic's rules intead of AoS and going, "Wait a minute....if we re-release the WHFB, they'll totally come back- genious!"

Watch them nuke 40k and make it like WHFB

At least 40k players would finally understand what fantasy players were going through. GW has lost touch with the customer base. Make all this stuff to sell super expensive and in a few months let's destroy the game you loved completely. All this 'End Times' stuff you needed against 'End Times' players to be competitive? We're going to make a game where you balance dice on your junk for re-rolls to hit and growl like an idiot. Basically it's made for 5 year olds, painters, 40k players and college frat parties.

 flamingkillamajig wrote:

Also for any saying companies decide to make games for GW I'm sure GW turned them down till they were about to destroy fantasy. GW were probably worried fantasy might get made in a way they disliked and hijacked by a company sorta like they say blizzard did. We all know GW are super annoying about their IP even though they have no qualms about violating other IP's.

As much as I think GW is often doing things the wrong way that was probably more of a problem with existing (exclusive) licenses that reverted to GW when THQ went under. Of course the fact that they eliminated the old WHFB to such a degree now that they got video games related to it coming out speaks of their impeccable timing.

I think the telling stroke would be if GW offered a current FAQ for 8th edition. Until then, they aren't supporting the continuation of the edition.