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I’d be interested to know how many people buy the boxed game when a new edition is released or if you just buy the new rule book. Especially the more experienced gamers with established armies.

As there are no longer flamer templates etc is there a point for you or do you just want the minis that come with it? You get quite a few minis with dark imperium but I don’t want Death guard. I’d take the Primaris probably.

Would you be more inclined to buy the boxed game if, when ordering online, there was some flexibility around which armies you got included.

Depends purely on do I need models or not. So for past 3 editions just the rulebook.

Obviously if you could pick factions start set would become nearly automatic purchaces but that ain't happening. They don't do 20+ different sprue set(one for each faction)

But they could do that. I think they would sell more if they did. The new battle boxes seem to sell well so it looks like people are will to buy big to realise some savings

For 9th ed, I'll skip the rulebook. The 8th ed. one is useless since the Battle Primer covers the rules of the game far more succinctly and only elements from the rulebook that haven't been superseded or replaced are 1 page of deployment maps and 3 pages on detachments.

If the starter box has a ton of miniatures I want at a good price, I'll probably get it. Otherwise, I'll just print out the new rules primer and update my Codexes as necessary.

The more flexibility you want the more it costs GW. Plus don't forget with boxes like the AoS one GW has made most of the contents their "push fit" design for beginners. That's a lot of work to keep that standard for all armies (keeping in mind some push-fit models end up with two variations - a push fit and a regular with optional parts).


Honestly right now as an experienced gamer I get a box if I want the models; or if its two different armies if I want at least one half - I'll then trade away any I don't want. I don't see and point in buying the box just for the discount if I don't actually want the contents - I'll just get the big rule book on its own.


Heck most gamers after one or two boxes won't want/need more templates and such unless they are running their own clubs and providing materials for other games.r

Rule book really.

GW kits started getting boring for me when I started getting karts with no options. Space Marine evolution to Primaris and the power creep in the ork army has driven my 40k friend to love, marriage, and less 40k. He was a Land Raider/Redeemer friend who used to love Black Templar before the got their codex smashed into Space Marine: Misc.

I'm only hanging on to this hobby by "I should paint some of these dumbass ork models I bought."

One day a month "I wanna be a pro painter at the exact time employement at the coal plant becomes obsolete. "

Drunk.. not proud of it.

 Asmodai wrote:
For 9th ed, I'll skip the rulebook. The 8th ed. one is useless since the Battle Primer covers the rules of the game far more succinctly and only elements from the rulebook that haven't been superseded or replaced are 1 page of deployment maps and 3 pages on detachments.

If the starter box has a ton of miniatures I want at a good price, I'll probably get it. Otherwise, I'll just print out the new rules primer and update my Codexes as necessary.

Yeah, p much same. I picked up the new rulebook when 8th came out and pretty much immediately wished I hadn't bothered.

I’ve bought every starter set since 3rd (didn’t have the allowance money for the 2E). They’re a great deal on the minis that are included. With the latest set though I sold the Deathguard and rulebook as the rules primer was enough for me.

It would certainly be nice if there was some choice as to which armies came with the starter set, but I feel like the Start Collecting! Sets are the best choice for that. I just wish they came with a rules primer and cards for the model stats.

In my whole time of wargaming, the only time I've ever bought a new edition boxed game was the Age of Sigmar set.

At the time, I was fresh from 10 years of hiatus and just transitioning out of "I don't want to get back into wargaming, but I'll get and paint Warhammer Quest as a fun project" into "actually this is good, I'll get two armies for a wargame and play it with mates like a board game" - and so I really wanted the nice "all in one" boxed set experience. I went Age of Sigmar over 40K because Dark Vengeance didn't excite me and the Warhammer Quest I owned was set in Age of Sigmar anyway.

I have, frankly, always regretted it. As the Age of Sigmar box didn't contain a proper rulebook, the various non-army components were all pretty trivial and I wasn't really that interested in playing either of the armies that came in the box. Out of sunk cost, I ended up expanding both of them to 2000 points before I eventually sold off one of them and started an army I did want to play. The other army (the Stormcast) is pretty much just a 'guest army' I keep in my loft in case I ever have anyone round and they want to play an impromtu game of Age of Sigmar.

To date, this has (predictably) never happened.

As a well established player, the only reason I'd ever buy a starter box is if I wanted both sets of models it included.

Thanks I have found these responses interesting

Simply put...GW prices are insane. The only time they're almost not insane is when they do boxed sets.

So, if a new edition starter box shows up, it'll contain one of two things:

1) A ton of models for the money.
2) New models...

So that's why starter boxes sell. If you're starting Primaris marines, buying the Dark Imperium half off eBay is still one of the best ways to get a heap of models for a very reasonable price. It was around $75 for the Primaris half the last time I looked on eBay (some months ago). Considering one normal box of Primaris is around $60...you'd be silly not to get the starter box models. The same will be true for a new starter box if it comes out.

People were still scooping up the old Dark Vengeance(?) starter box from 6th or 7th because the models in it were such a decent deal.

mrFickle wrote:
I’d be interested to know how many people buy the boxed game when a new edition is released or if you just buy the new rule book. Especially the more experienced gamers with established armies.

As there are no longer flamer templates etc is there a point for you or do you just want the minis that come with it? You get quite a few minis with dark imperium but I don’t want Death guard. I’d take the Primaris probably.

Would you be more inclined to buy the boxed game if, when ordering online, there was some flexibility around which armies you got included.

4th/5th ed was wierd for me. I got the 4th ed box set and rulebook but 8th came out the following summer, and being a newb I had no idea and bought the 5th Ed book seperate, while my brother got the 5th Ed box and book seperate. 6th Ed I split the Dark Vengeance box with a mate who took the small rulebook as I like the big ones. 7th Ed i skipped the set as it came with only the rules and not the big box, and I didn't want a repeat of all my chaos models. But I bought myself Dark Imperium this month specifically because it came with the full sized rulebook.

I know many prefer a smaller, paperback copy of the rules, and if it came with both that'd be a godsend. But I like the collection of BRBs I have amassed. If the next box set comes with a full sized, £40 rulebook in it the way Dark Imperium does and you want at least 1 half of the set, its a no brainer, as you could end up with a positive value for money once you sell the other half.

The other side of things is the armies in the set, which is always Space Marines. FOr me, being a marine player, its a no-brainer way to get cheap models. In some cases the models are limited sculpts, or even worse, exclusive unitslike the Primaris Ancient or Gravis Captain. AoBR had the HQs and Deffkoptas as limited sculpts, Dark Vengeance had the HQs, PLUS a limited edition chaplain. In cases like these, if you REALLY want a sculpt, and need the new book, its a great buy. Even if you only want the book, often sets are worth picking up and selling on the models and you may even end with a lower net spend than if you just bought the book. I know one guy who made profit off of his Dark Imperium set because he kept the book and sold off the models for £15 per unit, getting him £195 back, and £100 profit (enough for a whole new box set!)

I was never a "box" buyer to begin with. I always got the codex first then made out an army list and only bought the models I needed for that army. I have no need to waste time or money on minis I won't use. .

That's now become a non-issue for the most part since my collection goes all the way back to 3rd with the occasional model here or there I really liked the look of. . so I pretty well have everything I need.

As someone who collects and paints more than playing the answer is yes. I got two of the Marine/Ork one with the dread and choppers. One extra Dread for the weapon options and I had two solid forces.

This edition, I´ve never used those deathguard, but I loved painting them and they look great! The Primaris are half done.

If the next set runs a specific marine tribe (heraldry bollox) along with a race I don´t collect, I´ll probably skip it.

Otherwise it´ll be that purchase for the 6 month period.