Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Personally, I'd enjoy having a centralized Codex: Big Book of Space Marines with the basic SM rules, stats, armory and then various indices or subsections taking the place of existing codices - even having a Space Marine index for the current C:SM only stuff.

Doubt it'll ever happen because that'd be one huge book and have a price to match. However, it should most definitely happen with the digital books. I'd be willing to pay a (reasonable) package price for an uber codex like that.

Dentry wrote:
Personally, I'd enjoy having a centralized Codex: Big Book of Space Marines with the basic SM rules, stats, armory and then various indices or subsections taking the place of existing codices - even having a Space Marine index for the current C:SM only stuff.

Doubt it'll ever happen because that'd be one huge book and have a price to match. However, it should most definitely happen with the digital books. I'd be willing to pay a (reasonable) package price for an uber codex like that.

Well, that's mostly like the 3rd edition Marines: 1 central codex, plus mini-codexes for the chapters--

DA got deathwing & ravenwing, plus characters
Black Templars got crusader squads, the Emp's champion, and the LRC

etc.

I preferred it, as the changes to Marines didn't have weird inconsistencies (i.e. identical pieces having different costs, upgrades working differently, etc.). I wish the newer chapter codexes were just that style with a larger section of fluff to match current books.

 spiralingcadaver wrote:

Dentry wrote:
Personally, I'd enjoy having a centralized Codex: Big Book of Space Marines with the basic SM rules, stats, armory and then various indices or subsections taking the place of existing codices - even having a Space Marine index for the current C:SM only stuff.

Doubt it'll ever happen because that'd be one huge book and have a price to match. However, it should most definitely happen with the digital books. I'd be willing to pay a (reasonable) package price for an uber codex like that.

Well, that's mostly like the 3rd edition Marines: 1 central codex, plus mini-codexes for the chapters--

DA got deathwing & ravenwing, plus characters
Black Templars got crusader squads, the Emp's champion, and the LRC

etc.

I preferred it, as the changes to Marines didn't have weird inconsistencies (i.e. identical pieces having different costs, upgrades working differently, etc.). I wish the newer chapter codexes were just that style with a larger section of fluff to match current books.

Yeah, it doesn't make sense when the same units or upgrades have different costs or sometime different rules between space marines.

I liked the minilist solution because they did more with non-Space Marine armies with it. Kult of Speed, Cadian Shock troops, Lost and the Damned, Craftworld Eldar and some others I think I'm forgetting.

While they weren't rich in fluff, that's probably favourable to most people over the fluff we get these days anyway.

I wish Codices functioned like the army list in the new Horus Heresy book where there is one central list, and then a few pages that give army special rules, specialist/unique units and special characters for a specific army.

You could (and FW is doing) Chaos Legions, Marine Chapters, Eldar Craftworlds, Ork Klanz, Imperial Guard armies and even Tau Septs that way. It's perfect.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I wish Codices functioned like the army list in the new Horus Heresy book where there is one central list, and then a few pages that give army special rules, specialist/unique units and special characters for a specific army.

You could (and FW is doing) Chaos Legions, Marine Chapters, Eldar Craftworlds, Ork Klanz, Imperial Guard armies and even Tau Septs that way. It's perfect.

Don't forget different DE Kabals and Necron tomb worlds. Absolutely. Not only should SMs get one big omni-book, but all armies should have slight rules variations for various sub-factions.
I can't imagine GW relishing the thought of updating EVERY SM codex for EVERY new edition, in addition to all the other armies. Eventually something has to give. They either do as many of us are asking and stop wasting releases on more SM that could have been included into the big SM book, or they continue to leave several armies without updates every edition... which frankly is a really gakky policy.

 Archonate wrote:
I can't imagine GW relishing the thought of updating EVERY SM codex for EVERY new edition, in addition to all the other armies. Eventually something has to give.

You're right, they probably don't like having to update that many Marine books every edition.

They sure love the sales bubbles around each one though.

That's the reason they won't get rolled into one book.

 Happygrunt wrote:

 Kroothawk wrote:

Ultraloth from Warseer wrote:Jeremy Vetock was recently quoted saying that the design team were still figuring out if BT would continue to have their own codex or if they would be folded back into codex Space Marines. I wouldn't bet on seeing a codex BT anytime soon.

I hope that isn't true, as BT play so differently from the normal Space Marines that they need their own book.

Black Templars need two pages: one for the chapter's unique doctrines and one for the Emperor's Champion. Throw in another two for the special characters, and you're still only on four pages of rules.

 -Loki- wrote:

 Archonate wrote:
I can't imagine GW relishing the thought of updating EVERY SM codex for EVERY new edition, in addition to all the other armies. Eventually something has to give.

You're right, they probably don't like having to update that many Marine books every edition.

They sure love the sales bubbles around each one though.

That's the reason they won't get rolled into one book.

It could prove a more lucrative venture for Games Workshop. Is it more expensive to publish one larger book or several smaller books? They'd save on manufacturing and distribution. They'd have a larger target market: every Space Marine player instead of only certain-kinds-of-Space-Marine players. There'd be a smaller barrier to entry for players wanting to try out Space Wolves or Black Templar or Dark Angels and so forth, translating to a greater chance they'd purchase units (read: models) for that chapter of Space Marine. How inclined is the average person to dump money on the unknown? Everything in the codex might not be available right away, but that's not something we're unfamiliar with.

The only drawback might be to, as you've put it, "sales bubbles" surrounding the release of current SM waves. Adopting the above model of One-Codex-To-Rule-Them-All, I believe Games Workshop would actually increase overall revenues and miniature sales. They might not sell as many models initially when a new flavor of Space Marine comes out, but they would sell more of them over a protracted period of time - a year versus a quarter. Heck, more models could be released per wave as the cost usually tied to a new codex would be absent, and available to expand that particular line.

Benefits would extend beyond the Space Marine lines as well. Not constantly developing SM codex after SM codex, Games Workshop could free up resources - time chief among them - and refocus those on Eldar, Tau, Orks, Sororitas et al and flesh those out. Gasp! Perhaps with some more TLC these other races wouldn't be relegated to just serving as supporting characters and might become sizable contributors to GW's bottom line. Madness, I know.



Back on topic: Yay! Techmarine sprue.

Yes, on topic in here please.