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3rd was the first edition 40k felt like a war-game with armies clashing. RT was a RPG, 2nd was hero-hammer skirmish. But in 3rd troops were important, objectives were relevant, and the roles of the characters were downplayed. There was a huge amount of broken stuff and imbalance (as in previous editions) but still a lot of flexibility. Of all versions, I probably played the most of 3rd.

It was fun. But fun is hard to categorize. Every time you go to a new edition, people are going to hate it. Especially when you do a major gear change, like the 2 to 3 switch. Everything since then has been a refining of the rules. They fix a few things, break a few more, and tweak things just to mix stuff up. And time and nostalgia tend to wear the rough edges off of memories. You might remember all the fun special armies that you could make, but do you also remember first turn rhino rushes, which engulfed your entire army in a swirling CC that lasted until you were butchered?

3rd Ed characters could do far more killing than the upper echelons of the 2nd ed characters.

3rd Ed characters could do far more killing than the upper echelons of the 2nd ed characters.

I'm not sure I agree with that. Putting down Abbadon and his terminator body guard in 2nd was nearly auto-win, and I regularly saw Mephiston win games almost on his own.

As far as 3rd ed itself - I had played RT and 2nd for YEARS when 3rd hit and I hated it. The rules sucked a lot of the fun out of the game (speaking for myself here) and the initial "codexes" (if you could even call them that) were little more than wafer thin pamphlets with no fluff at all and some incredibly stupid characters so I checked out of the game for a while. I came back a few years later to find that GW did eventually begin releasing full codexes (Gav Thorpe has even said that he felt they went too far in cutting down the content in the initial 3rd ed books), but they were still not quite what the second ed books had been. They were very good, and even had some advantages over the old books, but, much like 3rd in general, they lacked the character of the previous set of codexes. So for me, 3rd was kind of a loss. It certainly brought improvements, but it just wasn't my personal cup of tea.

Tycho wrote:

3rd Ed characters could do far more killing than the upper echelons of the 2nd ed characters.

I'm not sure I agree with that. Putting down Abbadon and his terminator body guard in 2nd was nearly auto-win, and I regularly saw Mephiston win games almost on his own.

As far as 3rd ed itself - I had played RT and 2nd for YEARS when 3rd hit and I hated it. The rules sucked a lot of the fun out of the game (speaking for myself here) and the initial "codexes" (if you could even call them that) were little more than wafer thin pamphlets with no fluff at all and some incredibly stupid characters so I checked out of the game for a while. I came back a few years later to find that GW did eventually begin releasing full codexes (Gav Thorpe has even said that he felt they went too far in cutting down the content in the initial 3rd ed books), but they were still not quite what the second ed books had been. They were very good, and even had some advantages over the old books, but, much like 3rd in general, they lacked the character of the previous set of codexes. So for me, 3rd was kind of a loss. It certainly brought improvements, but it just wasn't my personal cup of tea.

Two words and a name: Phoenix Lord Baharroth.

Played third eddition BT and Orks was tons of fun tough i dont recall much about the rules... i was just a teen back those days

 Daba wrote:
....from Eldar Online and Portent)

Back in those days, I came over from Portent and Maelstrom myself. 3rd edition was alright. I always thought 2nd edition was better, but then Harlequins had always been my favorite army.

The rules were pretty junky. Sure WD released new rule adjustments all the time, but that was because it was obvious lots of things needed changing. As everyone has mentioned, the Blood Angel Overcharged Rhino Rush was stupid, pretty much guaranteed first turn charge. Fielding expensive vehicles, that weren't transports, was a pretty big gamble as it was fairly easy to glance them into not being able to fire. Terminators were worthless for half the edition. Star Cannons were amazing. There were a lot fewer high strength, low ap weapons with blast or multiple shots floating around; shooting was much less effective.

I did enjoy the exclusion of special characters from the game unless you had permission from your opponent. Some people really like special characters. I've always found them to be overpowered or that they completely alter the mechanics of the game.

I never played with anyone who managed to build a useful custom vehicle. Min/maxing was just as prevalent with competitive players.

I haven't played a lot of 6th edition, but it looks a lot better. Things seem overpowered in 6th by comparison, but that appears to apply to everything, so at least it seems to be balancing itself out.

Oh,one more thing, the game and its aesthetics are way too serious now. Grim dark and all that, but the fluff just keeps getting more ridiculous and everything is scaling up way too much. I enjoyed 40K more when there was still some levity in the game.

I think it was fun if you avoided rhinos or BA.

I liked 3rd, and 3.5, but then again thats when I first started playing, I may be biased on that.

Two words and a name: Phoenix Lord Baharroth.

No doubt Baharroth was tough, but in 2nd ed nearly every book had something akin to that. Over-all the 2nd ed characters (not all but most) were just more destructive. Chaos in particular. Watching someone deploy abbadon and his bodyguard, then watching as two blood-thirsters sprang forth from the body's of some crappy cultists was just insane in 2nd ed.


Although admittedly, 3rd ed lacked things like vortex grenades so I can see where, lacking things like that, a SC could be a little more devastating ...

I liked 3rd, and 3.5, but then again thats when I first started playing, I may be biased on that.

For me the 3.5 shift was huge. Like I said before, it still didn't quite measure up to what I wanted, but it at least showed me they were moving more in a direction I might be willing to go. The original 3rd ed "pamphlet 'dexes" were just deal breakers for me, so seeing the better books come out with 3.5 was a positive change imo.

3rd was the first concept of AP and auto-kill I think.
I will have to pull out the rulebook and look again.

There was a lot more variety and "flavor" so there was chances for abuse.

I had a noise marine army then and the chaos and mayhem was fantastic.

Since back then GW did not make everything they were more than happy to show tons of ways to make things from scratch.

The cost for models was right, cool ideas were forwarded regularly, it had a sense of community.

Things are a little more defined and that is not always bad.

Ah, well, models have improved now but the old ones had a ton of character.

3rd edition Dark Eldar!

Lord with Shadow Field Max. Incubi and Drazhar lol. You want to talk about 1 turn assault destruction. There you go!

Orktavius wrote:
To be honest....reading this thread....it doesn't sound like it's the rules fault that the game became less fun...it's because of the people that it became less fun. Since 3rd edition the internet is a helluva lot bigger than it was and as a result you see far more people netlisting or dismissing units outright having never used them because the internet said so. As a result you just don't see people playing the enjoyable, random wacky lists and see more cookie cutter armies instead which can drain the fun out of it.

So....6th isn't the problem...gamers are the problem.

I've played every edition of 40k and I truly believe that EVERY version has only gotten better and better (to varying degrees of course). Not one version of 40k has been perfect yet, and let's be honest, none ever will... but despite it being so trendy to bash GW they have put forth a fun/great game time after time.

I would agree wholeheartedly that the biggest problem with every edition of 40k was, and always will be, the players. I was mostly lucky to find good people to play with throughout the years but the wrong player always, despite the edition, ruined the experience.

Jesus spot the marine players, 3rd ed was great if you played CSM, or Space Wolves or Blood Angels I suppose. Conversely the original assault rules were a mess and heaven help you if you wanted to play Imperial Guard. My memory of 3rd ed was just rhino rushes every day.

 EmilCrane wrote:
Jesus spot the marine players, 3rd ed was great if you played CSM, or Space Wolves or Blood Angels I suppose.

Sisters were pretty nasty with the Chapter Approved codex.

 pretre wrote:

 EmilCrane wrote:
Jesus spot the marine players, 3rd ed was great if you played CSM, or Space Wolves or Blood Angels I suppose.

Sisters were pretty nasty with the Chapter Approved codex.

I never played against them so I can't comment unfortunately.

But I remember starting in 3rd, and I remember my friends marine armies wading through guardsmen like they weren't there. You know how when you meet a scrub 40k player and you mention IG and they go "Oh they're just puny humans with flashlights and T-shirts" 3rd ed is where those sentiments come from.

So did IG really suck that bad in 3rd? Man I miss 5th. I won almost every game with my armored company.

Now in 6th, I get mad at my cable service... When I get mad at my cable service, I play 6th edition 40k... When I play 6th edition 40k my vehicles are glanced... When my vehicles are glanced my guardsmen walk... When my guardsmen walk, they die... When my guardsmen die, I lose the game... Don't lose the game, switch to direct tv today!

MarsNZ wrote:
Played in 2nd, 3rd made me quit 40k for a decade.

Same with me! I just did not enjoy 3rd. It felt almost like an aftermarket game using GW models.

I thought 3rd edition was great. And quite a pivotal moment for 40k. Suddenly it didn't take all day to play a 2000pt game anymore. Outcomes for shooting and melee were determined far faster, but with the same outcomes. The difference was shocking, but fantastic.

I began just before 2nd edition, with tales from my older brother about Space Hulk. The concept was so exciting to me at the time. I learned all I could about Space Marines and Genestealers. (Even then I prophetically observed that SMs would be trendy and dumb to play) Then, one amazing Christmas, Santa gave me a board game called "Tyranid attack". I learned that genestealers are an appendage of the Tyranids. I thereby fell in love with Tyranids and their relentless hunger. They will always have a place in my heart.

Then 2nd edition emerged and my best friend got it, so we learned how to play. I already had a good start with models and so my Tyranid army grew and grew. In the back of my mind though, I kept wondering, "why don't these creatures resemble each other more?" And the models began to look kinda silly to me.

Then 3rd Edition came. I loved the rules. I loved relearning the game. I love how they rebuilt the mechanics almost entirely. Then the new Tyranid models came out and they all resembled each other! I thought they looked amazing. I wanted them, but I knew I'd have to start all over with my models. The old ones just looked awful... So I did what I thought I'd never do: Started a different army.

I loved DE for looking almost like they're dressed as Tyranids, with the segmented armor and jagged bony guns. Moreover, like Tyranids in 2nd, DE were the underdogs of their edition, which to me says they are a challenge to master, and probably very deadly to those who don't know how to combat a seasoned DE player... Which was most people.

I played DE with pride through 3rd and 4th ed eagerly awaiting a new codex... But never seeing it. I stopped playing once 5th came out, but kept my ear to the ground (via this website). I bought the new DE dex when it emerged but never played with them. LOVED the new fluff, and have read both Andy Chambers DE books. Waiting for the 3rd.

During 4th and 5th ed, I played Dawn of War, where seeds of admiration for the Tau first began. With new DE models being boundlessly cooler than the old ones, I faced the same dilemma as before. Do I replace my entire, extensive army with these incredible new models, or do I try a new army? Though DE will always be my favored kin, my answer was the same as before, and I began collecting Tau in early 6th. (I picked the underdogs once again, though they're less so now.)

@Archonate - Tau as underdogs once again? Hah... well alright. Tau were fantastically annoying and powerful during the 3rd edition and they have risen to that standard yet again plus some.

Anyway... I almost forget about Tyranid Attack hah... though Space Hulk and AdvHero Quest were my favorite board games. I stupidly sold most of them on Ebay for pennies when I stopped playing during 4th edition.

I do still have all of the 40k box sets though... I never even built the DE models from the 3rd ed box.

I started collecting IG and SM right as third was dropping. I bought my 2nd edition IG codex because I didn't want to wait, but then ended up buying two boxed sets 6 months later to get some spesh mareens. Those models are all getting stripped now to become Imperial Fists, which is what I wanted all along but didn't have the skills to paint.

3rd was awesome. I don't know if it is because it was the first edition I really played in, or delved into the rules for, but it was really neat.

EDIT: Heck, I think I still have two boxes worth of Dark Eldar models from those first 3rd ed boxed sets. They aren't very good. But willing to go to a good home to clear space. lol

 Gunzhard wrote:
@Archonate - Tau as underdogs once again? Hah... well alright. Tau were fantastically annoying and powerful during the 3rd edition and they have risen to that standard yet again plus some.

I know, I know... But they were underdogs when I started them! Now, overdog status and possible trendiness notwithstanding, I love Tau. Their look is just so unique and I love the longish, high-tech modern names for their wargear. "Hard-Wired Multi-Tracker", "High-Performance thermo-set molecular polythene", "Vectored Retro-Thrusters", "Multi-Spectrum sensor suite" I could go on and on...

I remember them being popular in 3rd, but I didn't know much about them and never played against them. I regarded them as an annoyance that came out of nowhere acting like they deserve respect... Somehow, at some point, I realized they're pretty stylish.

3rd edition was great.

I played DE and that old codex from 3rd lasted a lot longer than the one from 5th


The only constant: Mandrakes suck

 Exergy wrote:
3rd edition was great.

I played DE and that old codex from 3rd lasted a lot longer than the one from 5th


The only constant: Mandrakes suck

What do you count YOUR mandrakes as?

2x210 wrote:
I played 3rd edition, then stopped up until a few months ago and started anew with 6th edition.

It was like kinda like playing a sandbox FPS, then playing Call of Duty

It was like driving on the autobahn, then driving in rush hour

It was like being with a chick who'd let you do anything, than being with a chick who only did missionary

Basically, it's still fun, just not as fun

it's like reading a coherent post, then reading yours.

 Kain wrote:

 Exergy wrote:
3rd edition was great.

I played DE and that old codex from 3rd lasted a lot longer than the one from 5th


The only constant: Mandrakes suck

What do you count YOUR mandrakes as?

my old mandrake models are wyches and my new ones are wracks.

 agnosto wrote:
Ah third edition, pop-up skimmer tanks. Loved it. People think Tau are annoying now with JSJ..... lol

That was second edition...

 insaniak wrote:

 agnosto wrote:
Ah third edition, pop-up skimmer tanks. Loved it. People think Tau are annoying now with JSJ..... lol

That was second edition...

Lemme tell ya all 'bout fish of fury.

Fish of Fury was nothing to do with pop-up attacks.

 Kain wrote:

 insaniak wrote:

 agnosto wrote:
Ah third edition, pop-up skimmer tanks. Loved it. People think Tau are annoying now with JSJ..... lol

That was second edition...

Lemme tell ya all 'bout fish of fury.

Not to mention fish of fury was FOURTH edition.

 ZebioLizard2 wrote:

 Kain wrote:

 insaniak wrote:

 agnosto wrote:
Ah third edition, pop-up skimmer tanks. Loved it. People think Tau are annoying now with JSJ..... lol

That was second edition...

Lemme tell ya all 'bout fish of fury.

Not to mention fish of fury was FOURTH edition.

I still hate it enough to associate it with the Tau by proxy regardless of edition.