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GW should offer free digital rules for a faction of your choice for anyone that subscribes to Warhammer Plus for a year.

To me that would represent a fair bargain with the customer base. We'd spend less money on endless books, and more money on models, plus watch some good cartoons while we're at it. Plus they could change all the rules they want a million times a year, crank out warhammer 20th edition and no one would care.

What do you all think? Too sensible for GW?

Unlikely they can write a coherent set of rules that would last that long for one faction never mind multiple

And how do I access those rules, with the crap warhammer app ?

They should just do what Warmahordes had with War Room. Pay to unlock a specific faction or a set amount for EVERYTHING, for the duration of the edition, including any and all updates.

 Dekskull wrote:
We'd spend less money

Found the problem.

I could go with a living digital rulebook.

Because I’m a bit odd, I’d still buy the physical books. But stick them up on an app or what have you, which notifies and highlights any FAQ or Errata changes, and I think you’re pretty much golden.

It’s only relatively recently everything but points values for AoS were completely free. Well and other doohickies. And I think that might be the way forward overall.

Because let’s face it, the rules are there to encourage people to buy models. And it’s the models, not the books or rules, which bring in the cashmonies.

Or do as my mate and I wibble on about.

Rules = free. That lets people scope out an army, and be able to field their own with minimal barriers, and no worrying about if you have the latest book.

Lore and rules? Printed book thank you please. Heavy on the lore and art as is my personal preference.

Hell, making the rules free really opens things up for GW creatively. You don’t need to worry about winding folk up with a first release book (ref AoS Elveses) with some models, then a new version of that book with more models really not that long after.

Throw them up in the app on pre-order day. Those who impulse buy will still impulse buy. Those who perhaps want to review rules, consider what they may or may not bring to their existing force can do so - and still pre-order.

Make it a subscription if you really want to (writing and publishing rules still has an inherent cost).

Yeah, just make the rules free and available online like Infinity/Malifaux/Star Wars:Legion/Bushido/and many more do.

Then make fancy lore books for every factions that you can sell in hardcover.

 VladimirHerzog wrote:
Yeah, just make the rules free and available online like Infinity/Malifaux/Star Wars:Legion/Bushido/and many more do.

Then make fancy lore books for every factions that you can sell in hardcover.

Didn't they find out that those barely sell? Hence why they keep putting game rules in them?

Mozzamanx wrote:

 Dekskull wrote:
We'd spend less money

Found the problem.

The product cycle is now only 3 years, so I'm not sure how GW would make up that cash with a subscription service.

The rules exist as a buying entice. If it just went by what models players like, then stuff like 5 NDKs would not be something most GK players own.
Plus GW works on a bi yearly rules change cycles now, and people are , for now, keeping up with it. As both the sales are up, and some of factions rotate at the top fast enough, or their build rotate fast enough, for GW to consider it something, they do not want to change.

Free rules, free updates rules for 3 years, is out of the question.

 Dekskull wrote:
GW should offer free digital rules for a faction of your choice for anyone that subscribes to Warhammer Plus for a year.

To me that would represent a fair bargain with the customer base. We'd spend less money on endless books, and more money on models, plus watch some good cartoons while we're at it. Plus they could change all the rules they want a million times a year, crank out warhammer 20th edition and no one would care.

What do you all think? Too sensible for GW?

If you are paying for Warhammer + to get free rules then the rules were not free.

Again no, rules being "free" and constant update shouldn't even be in the same cart. People would care if rules were constantly updated the way it sounds like you're thinking. Good news rules changes between major tournament events and suddenly lists are voided or mechanics just don't work anymore, people would be unhappy about that.
If "free rules" means we'd have to pay for something else to get them and they wouldn't even be a constant, just sounds really bad to me and in no way free.

The solution to GW's terrible rules is not to pay in advance to subscribe to GW's terrible rules.

 Lord Damocles wrote:
The solution to GW's terrible rules is not to pay in advance to subscribe to GW's terrible rules.

In fairness to the OP at no point did they say they won't be terrible or ask them not to be, they simply suggested easier access to said terrible rules.

Endless rules are an endless source of income for GW. Hell freezes over before they give it up. Just pick a ruleset/edition you like best and collect all the books ever released for it, if you want to stop buying rules in perpetuity.

 tauist wrote:
Endless rules are an endless source of income for GW. Hell freezes over before they give it up. Just pick a ruleset/edition you like best and collect all the books ever released for it, if you want to stop buying rules in perpetuity.

When 3rd came out, a lot of folks wondered why GW didn't sell a revised version and call it "40k Classic" or something like that. We reasoned that it would keep more people in the hobby and buying models (new releases could have "retrofits" to the Classic Game).

It's now clear that doing that would have crippled their product cycle - people would eventually go Classic because it was a stable set of rules.

The only way a subscription model works is if GW realizes enough savings from not having print physical books.

If they figure it out, the next step would be linking payment to unit types. Wouldn't that be cool? You could charge individually for unit special abilities, unlocking elites.

I'm personally in the camp that rules should be free. I think it's ridiculous that I need to pay $84 AUD for an out of date codex, then not know my opponents rules.

Wayniac wrote:

 VladimirHerzog wrote:
Yeah, just make the rules free and available online like Infinity/Malifaux/Star Wars:Legion/Bushido/and many more do.

Then make fancy lore books for every factions that you can sell in hardcover.

Didn't they find out that those barely sell? Hence why they keep putting game rules in them?

you mean the crusade packs? Because those are for a subset of the 40k playerbase only, its normal they don't sell as well

If he’s meaning background only books? He’s wrong.

Liber Chaoticas and equivalent all sold out entirely.

There's lots of ways the community and fandom would love to get more out of GW.

Sadly, GW is set on a certain path, and they can't and wont change up their strategy unless they see it making them -more- money rather than less. Holding rules hostage behind 50+ dollar books that only last 1-5 years, and core rulebooks that have a 3 year shelf life, seems to be the method they've chosen.

They used to even provide free basic rules for AoS units, but have done away with that once they had enough people in the game that they figured they could pull the same stunts with that side of the fandom as well.

It sucks, and we should definitely keep voicing our frustration, especially at GW more directly, but alas, it's not going to change until it hits their bottom line.

Beast_of_Guanyin wrote:
I'm personally in the camp that rules should be free. I think it's ridiculous that I need to pay $84 AUD for an out of date codex, then not know my opponents rules.

Well shiver me timbers, matey. If its free rules ye be wantin', then how bout you join me crew of scurvy seadogs? We'll hoist the sails, fly the jolly Roger, and follow this 'ere treasure map to the very treasure you be seeking!

 Dekskull wrote:
GW should offer free digital rules for a faction of your choice for anyone that subscribes to Warhammer Plus for a year.

To me that would represent a fair bargain with the customer base. We'd spend less money on endless books, and more money on models, plus watch some good cartoons while we're at it. Plus they could change all the rules they want a million times a year, crank out warhammer 20th edition and no one would care.

What do you all think? Too sensible for GW?

I can already spend zero $ on the rules if I like thanks to the internet. And I don't have to deal with GWs app of questionable quality. Or a bunch of (IMO) crap animation.

You act like this is a bug when it's actually a feature. GW intentionally splits their rules into a bunch of different books because even if you have every model they've ever made, you still have to give them money for rules.

 vipoid wrote:

Beast_of_Guanyin wrote:
I'm personally in the camp that rules should be free. I think it's ridiculous that I need to pay $84 AUD for an out of date codex, then not know my opponents rules.

Well shiver me timbers, matey. If its free rules ye be wantin', then how bout you join me crew of scurvy seadogs? We'll hoist the sails, fly the jolly Roger, and follow this 'ere treasure map to the very treasure you be seeking!

Well posted

 vipoid wrote:

Beast_of_Guanyin wrote:
I'm personally in the camp that rules should be free. I think it's ridiculous that I need to pay $84 AUD for an out of date codex, then not know my opponents rules.

Well shiver me timbers, matey. If its free rules ye be wantin', then how bout you join me crew of scurvy seadogs? We'll hoist the sails, fly the jolly Roger, and follow this 'ere treasure map to the very treasure you be seeking!

Well ahead of you me matey.

drbored wrote:
There's lots of ways the community and fandom would love to get more out of GW.

Sadly, GW is set on a certain path, and they can't and wont change up their strategy unless they see it making them -more- money rather than less. Holding rules hostage behind 50+ dollar books that only last 1-5 years, and core rulebooks that have a 3 year shelf life, seems to be the method they've chosen.

They used to even provide free basic rules for AoS units, but have done away with that once they had enough people in the game that they figured they could pull the same stunts with that side of the fandom as well.

It sucks, and we should definitely keep voicing our frustration, especially at GW more directly, but alas, it's not going to change until it hits their bottom line.

Eh you can get from gw access to all aos unit rules for free. Not allegiance rules but unit itself. Handy for allies who don't get allegiance rules anyway.

If you want to see how such a site could work, look at Wahpedia. Is that what you mean?

Personally I wouldn't pay a subscription for rules, but that's actually fairly irrational as the GW rules are themselves highly ephemeral. Easy to print updated rules would be good. But I can't trust them to be able to do that...

Wayniac wrote:
They should just do what Warmahordes had with War Room. Pay to unlock a specific faction or a set amount for EVERYTHING, for the duration of the edition, including any and all updates.

The problem here is that WMH Mk2 and 3 lasted nearly 10 years. GW revise 40k every 3 years and some armies often get a second codex just before the edition ends because reasons (money). If they charged like 10 bux an army that would be fair but for some reason I feel GW would be looking for a fair bit more than that.