"Codex: Iyanden" released as book and electronic version

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**H.B.M.C.**

Then why not just do a whole AdMech Codex? Why would it need to be Imperial Guard+ ?

**Adam LongWalker**

$50 Codexes are enough of a 'bar to entry' for the game. You need the codex to play, so why make the 'entry fee' so high in the first place. Sell them an inexpensive codex so that they can spend all their money on your models. Throwing a secondary obstacle to starting an army in the way isn't only bad for customers, it's bad for GW. They make money selling models (according to them) so why make it harder for people to start an army? Wouldn't a cheap, easy way to get extra options for collecting an army be in their interest?

bty Da Butcha Excellent comments you made. Similar to my own.

Games Workshop does not care about the average person wanting to get into the hobby, nor those who are having a hard time justifying in upgrading their armies all together. They feel that they have enough sheeple to continue this current business practice, but even that practice can't last for long.

I liked the supplement aspect, however the incredible upfront cost to just to read the rules of a specific army is unacceptable.

**ClassicCarraway**

Therion wrote:
Eldar needed a new big model to follow the trend for every single new release. The big model for Eldar is a construct so it fits the Iyanden theme perfectly. So they decide that since the first wave to boost sales will include the big Wraith, they might as well release the new Wraithguard and the Wraithseer in the same time, and since all of them are thematically Iyanden units, the first supplemental Eldar codex might as well be Iyanden. There's nothing about Iyanden deserving anything. It just happens to be the craftworld that fits the new big gribblie the best.

It's just a shame that the Wraithknight is overpriced in game and thus not particularly effective. They'd have ~1000$ of my money if it was good (potentially more if I go crazy). I wonder when they'll learn. They were so close. Just a points cost fix away. Mat Ward would've made it good and GW would've made money. Fire Phil Kelly

Chaos Daemons and Dark Angels are still waiting for their "new big model" that is the alleged trend for every single release. Heck, do people really count the dino-fiends (ie, the MCs that are counted as walkers while other armies' walkers are counted as MC) as "big models" for Chaos Marines?

Anyway, you hit the nail on the head as to why Iyanden is the first supplement. When most of the new models for a new codex are prominently featured in a single faction, it just makes good business sense that its the first faction to get a supplement. Had they started this with Chaos, it would have been Iron Warriors most likely given all the mechs.

Just so long as GW makes good and does supplements for other factions, its all good IMO. Heck, its bound to be a great money maker after all.

**ph34r**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
Then why not just do a whole AdMech Codex? Why would it need to be Imperial Guard+ ?

Why not? I'm sure GW could have a multitude of reasons, from not wanting to support a whole new model range to the practicality of how much mundane/vehicle overlap there could be to any number of dumber reasons. It's enough of a stretch either way that I would be happy having either option, especially if the supplement book route makes getting any sort of codex at all more likely.

A full stand alone book would obviously be optimal.

**A Kvlt Ghost**

I really like the idea behind this book, and I'd love to see theconcept retroactively applied to, say chaos, but my guess is that isn't going to happen. We'll almost certainly see templars handled this way, though.

If I had more disposable income I might actually buy this thing for the art, it looks amazing. I'd like to readthe fluff, too, although I've never been an eldar player the wraith constructs have always been something I like a lot, fluffwise. We'll see.

**Ghaz**

timd wrote:
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Actually it just occurred to me, this is quite possibly the answer to GW's recent rapid fire release schedule. I was wondering if they were planning on maintaining this release rate and what they'd do when they started to run out of armies to update. Perhaps they intend to start releasing supplements for all armies so they can maintain the fast release rate without running out of things to release.

This is my thinking as well. They run out of regular 6th edition codexes to release sometime next year at the rate they are going. These subcodexes will fill the needs for new releases (along with a few new models) as well a fill gaps in the fluff. For the Eldar, a single codex expands to main codex, five craftworld supplements and perhaps a corsairs supplement. CSM supplements add four more new books and Marines add god knows how many supplements. Perhaps each Tyranid hive fleet will get its own book.

This is a huge opportunity for GW to expand the fluff and sell a bunch of expensive books at the same time. Given that 6th edition is intended to last quite a bit longer than previous 40K editions (8 years?) this is a way keep things interesting over the longer life cycle of the game.

Tim

Agreed. It also fits somewhat with the recent rumor for WHFB where they were simply going to release all of the army lists in three or four army books. I can see 7th edition of 40k having three or four main 'codices' released at the beginning of 7th edition as well followed by several 'supplemental' codices.

**Fenrir Kitsune**

Couldn;t see this anywhere, but how much is the book in GBP?

**Kroothawk**

Normal book costs same as Codex, limited edition about 50% more.

**shamikebab**

It's not the same as a codex is it? Preorder on IOS is £25, codex's are £30. Add in discount and it'll be £20. Perfectly reasonable to me.

**Puscifer**

Cypher226 wrote:
azreal13 wrote:
Cypher226 wrote:
alienvalentine wrote:
I don't know, I think that $50 is a pretty fair price for a hard back, full color, 100+ pages worth of Codex. It's actually cheaper than most similarly produced "coffee table" art books. Some of their model kits on the other hand are horribly overpriced.

This. Full colour hardbacks of this quality are expensive. I know I bought enough textbooks during my studies that were nowhere near the production quality of the newer codexes and cost twice as much - ten years ago. Sure they (mostly) had a much higher page count, but were printed on poorer quality paper, in smaller dimensions (LxW) and in monotone.

The kits; maybe, I'm not so sure anymore. When I was gaming two to three times a week and I was speedpainting my armies, sure, but now I have more time to paint and play fewer games (and thus put more effort in to the paintwork), I'm not so bothered.

But this is a thread about Codex Iyanden - I'll be getting this as I've been a fan of Iyanden since Doom of the Eldar at least. Actually, probably since the very first painting article for them in WD all those years ago.

5 spiritseers as a single choice? Interesting. Wonder if there's rules for the angel and if we'll get a mini?

Sorry, but this is a pair of nonsense arguments.

Firstly, full colour hard backs of this quality are NOT expensive! There is next to nothing in terms of size and production quality between the codexes and any number of annuals they trot out for Xmas every year for everything from Family Guy to the latest boy band, for less than a tenner, even double the price because of development and they're still overpriced by half.

Secondly, comparing the cost of textbooks, which may have a print run in only the tens or hundreds, depending how specialist the topic, to a book that's produced in the thousands, if not tens of thousands, is a fallacy. Also, when was the last time a text book barely broke 100 pages? That's either an incredibly specific, or very easy, subject you're studying!

Archaeology and Ancient History.
Here's one, very specialist (so refers to your last point) Greek colony of Miletos - more like £90 at time of release, 192 pages.The Kindle edition is still nearly £20, 11 years after it was published.

second and third examples: Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt and Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia Cover price was $50 each back in 2002. Inflation alone according to http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ would jack these to just shy of $64 apiece now. c. 240 pages apiece, but by no means full colour - maybe about 50/50.

The Iyanden Codex is a niche product with a massively smaller print run than seasonal 'stocking fillers' which are guaranteed to sell quickly. There's a whole raft of different economics at work there than in Codex pricing, where books may sit around for some time before being sold. I also think the paper is a much higher quality than that I've seen in the kids' annuals, it's certainly heavier. The gatefolds and such will also add on additional costs.

Sure, it's overpriced, but I don't think it's as overpriced as some of the responders here seem to think. .

Books are a lot more expensive than they used to be, and that's across the board. Penguin classics (the Bronte's, Dickens, Virgil, Homer etc) used to be £2.99 when I was in uni, they now retail for much closer to £10 each.

Licensed Calendars now, they're a rip off!

As a slightly off topic conversation, I believe the right honourable gentleman who said coffee table hardback art books aren't expensive hasn't got a clue what he's talking about.

I have a rather large collection of art books, ranging from £20 all the way up to £75, with most of them being for the Sci Fi genre. As an art lover and someone who takes inspiration for his own literary work, the price GW are asking for this book is very fair if it's full of great art like their modern day codex, which it looks like it is.

As a wargamer, I'm thrilled to see GW making this move. It's going to add the variety back to the game that is sorely missing. Taking a stock army from a codex and then passing it off as a full army from particular fluff has never sat well with me and to have Iyanden as the first one has pretty much sealed my pick of Eldar Army. I can't wait to see more fluff, different rules and more great artwork.

I don't usually praise GW, but this is a great move towards putting some of the variety and background back into the hobby that got me hooked way back when with Rogue Trader.

Good Work GW.

**The Shadow**

Meh, I hope that this Codex isn't a must-buy.

I'm more than happy for GW to offer this extra flexibility, but I don't want to have to buy 2 Codexes to make my army as good as it can be.

**Puscifer**

Fenrir Kitsune wrote:
Couldn;t see this anywhere, but how much is the book in GBP?

£25 mate.

**SalamanderMarine**

I like this for many reasons:

1) I am an Eldar fan

2) it sets a good president for other codexs to get this. I can see black templars going this way when the vanilla marines come out.

3) another book for flavour and to help create options, and I love options.

**Puscifer**

I have a question...

Is this book available in stores or is it Mail Order Only?

**OrlandotheTechnicoloured**

It will be available in stores (both GW and independent),

but may well end up suffering the same problem as Death from the Skies (selling out and everybody having to wait while it was reprinted)

**AlmightyWalrus**

DaddyWarcrimes wrote:
AlmightyWalrus wrote:
People complain that it's unfair that Space Marines get variants when no one else does. Games Workshop releases Codex: Iyanden. People complain that it's a money-grab stunt. WHAT THE HELL??

I don't need to own Codex:Space Marines to make use of the rules crunch in the Space Wolves and Blood Angel codexes. Apples and Oranges.

Considering it's impossible to have a discussion about the future of the Black Templars without someone saying they should be turned into a supplement I'm not gonna accept an "apples to oranges". Every single time there's a discussion about variant Chapters there's people complaining that they'd be better as supplements, but now that there's an Eldar supplement there's almost a universal outcry about prices. I'll stop my off-topic whining now, but the hypocrisy and goalpost-moving of the community is starting to get old.

**MandalorynOranj**

AlmightyWalrus wrote:
DaddyWarcrimes wrote:
AlmightyWalrus wrote:
People complain that it's unfair that Space Marines get variants when no one else does. Games Workshop releases Codex: Iyanden. People complain that it's a money-grab stunt. WHAT THE HELL??

I don't need to own Codex:Space Marines to make use of the rules crunch in the Space Wolves and Blood Angel codexes. Apples and Oranges.

Considering it's impossible to have a discussion about the future of the Black Templars without someone saying they should be turned into a supplement I'm not gonna accept an "apples to oranges". Every single time there's a discussion about variant Chapters there's people complaining that they'd be better as supplements, but now that there's an Eldar supplement there's almost a universal outcry about prices. I'll stop my off-topic whining now, but the hypocrisy and goalpost-moving of the community is starting to get old.

That isn't hypocrisy at all. Most people seem very happy with the concept and content of the supplement, just not the price. The issue is that you are clearly paying for more than you're getting, rules-wise, and that it seems pretty unfair to charge codex prices, or just under, for a product you still need to purchase the codex to use. My expectation, and I think one shared by a lot of people, was for supplements to be softback, kind of like the old codexes, and cost around $25. People weren't expecting to see an art and background book, with the premium price that those usually entail, with the rules they want thrown in, as those target two different markets.

**Rented Tritium**

I'm very much in favor of using supplements instead of entirely different codexes for in-faction variations.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say space marines would be better if there was one "space marine" codex and a supplement like this for each chapter. This way, even a less updated chapter would benefit when the basic building blocks of the army change.

But like everyone else, I think the price point is about $10 too high. This should be a softback with perfect binding for cheap.

**lord_blackfang**

I for one don't appreciate having other armies, such as Orks, pushed back in favour of Codex: Yellow Eldar any more than I do when they're pushed back in favour of Codex: Red Marines.

**Oaka**

The Shadow wrote:
Meh, I hope that this Codex isn't a must-buy.

I'm more than happy for GW to offer this extra flexibility, but I don't want to have to buy 2 Codexes to make my army as good as it can be.

I don't think there will be too many new rules in it. If anything, you will probably be able to skim the codex at a store, notice the changes you would want to incorporate into your army, and just remember them.

Like having 5 Spiritseers to lead different units. You don't need the Iyanden codex for that. We'll have to see how these rules are presented, based on those previews of the missions it is possible that you choose a Codex: Eldar army, with the ability to use the Iyanden supplement only for those missions. There may also be restrictions to what an Iyanden army can take. Furthermore, these rules may not be tournament-legal, just like Forgeworld, so there wouldn't be any need for a non-Eldar player to worry about having to pick up this book.

**jspyd3rx**

If white dwarf updates are tournament legal, this should be as well. Also, it's touted as a codex and not a supplement. So eldar now have two codexes in the same relation as blood angels to vanilla marines.

**Kirasu**

The main problem I see with people being excited over GW releasing expensive supplements is that this will become an excuse for GW to never put any kind of FOC altering rules again in the codices.

Want Space Marines? Buy codex space marines. Want to play with Vulkan? buy supplement: Salamanders. Want to use Shrike? Buy supplement: Raven Guard, etc, etc.

They used to include these things in the actual main codex

**Rented Tritium**

lord_blackfang wrote:
I for one don't appreciate having other armies, such as Orks, pushed back in favour of Codex: Yellow Eldar any more than I do when they're pushed back in favour of Codex: Red Marines.

If yellow eldar is successful, GW is more likely to give you different colored orks.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

jspyd3rx wrote:
If white dwarf updates are tournament legal, this should be as well. Also, it's touted as a codex and not a supplement. So eldar now have two codexes in the same relation as blood angels to vanilla marines.

We don't know that without seeing it. Just because they're marketing it with the word codex, does not mean it stands alone. We've had things called codex before that were really supplements.

**shamikebab**

Kirasu wrote:
The main problem I see with people being excited over GW releasing expensive supplements is that this will become an excuse for GW to never put any kind of FOC altering rules again in the codices.

Want Space Marines? Buy codex space marines. Want to play with Vulkan? buy supplement: Salamanders. Want to use Shrike? Buy supplement: Raven Guard, etc, etc.

They used to include these things in the actual main codex

Good! I'd love to have a proper Salamanders book instead of a few lines in Vulkan's page.

**jspyd3rx**

Hell yeah! Codex Salamaders! Gonna paint some green marines in anticipation

**elphilo**

shamikebab wrote:

Good! I'd love to have a proper Salamanders book instead of a few lines in Vulkan's page.

Agreed. People have been clamoring for supplements to the Legions for years. And I find it disheartening that now that it is a possibility of it happening people are complaining about it. I know that even though I don't play Eldar, I will be buying the Iyanden Book to show GW that I do support them and want more of them.

**Gertjan**

And that is exactly what the problem is here, if they do supplements for the marine codex such as the various legions ( which would be great, don't get me wrong here) it would also show the idiocy of it. Want to play Space Wolves or Angels of death, here get one codex for €39 (atm). Want to play any other legion not graced with it's own codex but a supplement, pay twice that. Don't think that will work very well tbh. Maybe I'm a bit negative but especialy with marine codex/supplement it would show the big price difference.

**Puscifer**

Every army could benefit from these supplements.

When I first picked up Rogue Trader from an indy hobby store in Northampton oh so many years ago, I was consumed by the rich background.

For 2nd ed, my favourite edition, there was so much lore and fluff in the books and each model was full of character.

After 3rd ed was released, GW removed the fluff from all of their books. I was working for GW at the time and that's when the hobby changed for me. There wasn't enough to keep me interested and it seemed that the only good army was Chaos 3.5.

I didn't care for 4th and 5th, but 6th for me is a return to form both from a game play and lore perspective.

This book seems to hark back to the years where the Codexes were lore filled tomes with a smattering of rules.

As for the additional payout, I'm willing to take the jump on this occasion, but if it's a dud product, I won't bother again.

**shamikebab**

Gertjan wrote:
And that is exactly what the problem is here, if they do supplements for the marine codex such as the various legions ( which would be great, don't get me wrong here) it would also show the idiocy of it. Want to play Space Wolves or Angels of death, here get one codex for €39 (atm). Want to play any other legion not graced with it's own codex but a supplement, pay twice that. Don't think that will work very well tbh. Maybe I'm a bit negative but especialy with marine codex/supplement it would show the big price difference.

It's optional though. If you want to play Space Wolves, buy the £30 Codex Space Wolves. If you want to play Salamanders, buy the £30 Codex Space Marines. if you want to play an Iyanden theme army, buy the £30 Codex Eldar.

If you really love those armies, want to read more fluff, special character, scenarios etc then you can buy Codex Salamanders and Iyanden add-ons for that. Neither would be needed, just extra stuff if you want it.

**-Shrike-**

ph34r wrote: A full stand alone book would obviously be optimal.

I can say with reasonable certainty they won't make an AdMech codex any time soon. FW are doing that. They've got:
1) A Special Character.
2) Thallax Cohort. (terminator sized)
3) AdMech Landraider. (Plasma cannon sponsons anyone?)
4) Dreadnought sized things. (can't remember name)
5) Another HQ choice. (can't remember this name either)
6) Forgot, the Special Character has a servitor retinue.

Each HH book, they'll add more things until they have a fully fledged army list. I don't think GW would trample on FW so much that they would take any of this or make an alternative.