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Love it? Don't mind? Hate it?

Personally, I hate it. IMPERIAL GUARD is something iconic, dammit. I liked fielding an IMPERIAL GUARD army. Come April it's gonna be an Astra Militarum army? Come on, GW. They're also getting rid of the Stormtroopers name because of its similarity to Star Wars. GW spineless.

"Yeah I'm writing my 1500 point Astra Militarum armylist"

"Your what?"

I don't mind it (but I'm not an IG player) but it does seem like a bit much, especially since A) The army has been Imperial Guard since the beginning, and B) "Astra Militarum" is a bit of a mouthful for anyone to say. I would have likely came up with something not as outlandishly sounding, even if it was something like using the old "Codex Imperialis" and then having it be divided into Army/Navy/etc.

I do find it funny though that they're changing the names due to possible copyright, given how litigious GW themselves have been. Karma is a... well, you know.

What I dont get is, if GW wanted to go down this route, why didnt they release Codex: Adeptus Astartes instead of Codex: Space Marines?

At least that sounds semi decent and makes sense.

 Sir Arun wrote:
What I dont get is, if GW wanted to go down this route, why didnt they release Codex: Adeptus Astartes instead of Codex: Space Marines?

At least that sounds semi decent and makes sense.

I had heard a rumor that they might do this in the future; I can only imagine it's because they have a trademark of Space Marine, but couldn't get one for Imperial Guard and if rumors are to be believed, Disney has some issues with that since they bought the Star Wars franchise (which would also explain Stormtroopers).

I wouldn't at all be surprised, given the Spots the Space Marine thing, to see a Codex: Adeptus Astartes someday. I wonder what Chaos would be though.

Do they? I thought Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers (of which there is also more than 1 movie) have a trademark on Space Marines as well. And werent there Space Marines in Cameron's Alien 2?

 Sir Arun wrote:
Do they? I thought Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers (of which there is also more than 1 movie) have a trademark on Space Marines as well.

Supposedly they do, that's why they were able to go after the Spots the Space Marine author.

I'm not all that bothered about it. It's a cool sounding name, IMO. Fits in with the Imperium. Though I definetely appreciate what an iconic name Imperial Guard is, and will continue to refer to them as such myself.

Interesting that they seem to be making these changes. The Sisters of Battle codex was renamed Adepta Sororitas (though this name already existed in their fluff). As others said, probably a move to get a better handle on thier copyrights.

Hopefully Codex: Adeptus Legionnaires.....

It has nothing to do with wanting a legion codex mind you, nope, nothing at all.

Looking forward to when the WW1 German army issues a C&D to the Star Wars franchise for plaguarising Stormtroopers.

On Topic: Hilariously bad name, when I first heard the rumor I was like "not even GW..."

Apparently I'm wrong.

I'll (as I'm sure many others will) keep on using Imperial Guard as the army's name.

Easier to say than 40K faux Latin and tis more iconic.

Dont mind, hard to get used to but dont mind. After all its just a name change. Means nothing to me.

I hate this name change. I do not look forward to the day I play a kid and go "oh I'm playing imperial guard"
"The what???"
*sigh* "I'm not saying it"
"What are you talking about?"
"You know... The..... Astra.... JUST NO!"

Sir Arun wrote:They're also getting rid of the Stormtroopers name because of its similarity to Star Wars.

WayneTheGame wrote:...but couldn't get one for Imperial Guard and if rumors are to be believed, Disney has some issues with that since they bought the Star Wars franchise (which would also explain Stormtroopers).

Is there any evidence for these claims? I have heard people talking about this but I reckon it is nonsense. Neither term can really be trade marked, as they are both historical terms. Also, they have been used by GW for long time, an IP law can't really be enforced if you leave someone alone for so long. Sounds made up to me. It is far more likely that GW wants to have solid claims on its own army names, which means they need to use less generic terms.

I like it.

At the end of the day, change is usually better than no change. If it weren't, why buy a new book? If you want things to be more or less as they were in the old book, stick with the old book, no?

I like it, but I won't use it personally, they've always been Imperial Guard to me and that's he way they stay!

The only reason GW is coming up with a new name is because they can't enforce a claim on the name "Imperial Guard". They're not afraid of Star Wars or anything like that.

They can't really go after a company making "imperial guard" bits. They can go after guys making "Astra Militarim" bits though.

At least, that's what they think.

Honestly it won't do much but confuse new players. There will be a codex named "Astra Militarum", but the vast majority of its models will be labeled as Imperial Guard. Old players will refer to the army as the Imperial Guard without caring, and bits companies will be able to just outright say "we make Imperial Guard bits" without GW being able to do anything about it. It won't really matter in any way except to make this stuff even more confusing than it already was.

People are still trying to figure out if the Stormtroopers mini dex is actually related to the IG or if its a whole new army for example. That confusion wouldn't be around if they had kept the old names.

I personally don't really care. I'll keep calling them IG as always and I imagine that's what most others will do too. I will get a good laugh watching GW managers trying to say Astra Militarum with a straight face though

Zweischneid wrote:At the end of the day, change is usually better than no change. If it weren't, why buy a new book? If you want things to be more or less as they were in the old book, stick with the old book, no?

Better is always different, but different is not always better. Plus, they've been coming out with updated versions of codices for years without changing the name. Necron players aren't forced to use an obsolete codex to still be running a necron army.

Anyways, my vote? Two thumbs WAY down.

I agree that the name itself is worse (the name is no longer descriptive, is an awkward mouthful to say, is less distinct relative to its peers, etc.), and that it also sounds like a horrible intellectual property grab. Meanwhile, the upside to the name change is... umm... hang on...

Nope.

I'm going to be an Imperial Guard player to the end of my days, no matter what name is on the codex.

 Sir Arun wrote:
Do they? I thought Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers (of which there is also more than 1 movie) have a trademark on Space Marines as well. And werent there Space Marines in Cameron's Alien 2?

Last I recall Starship Troopers never says "Space Marine" in the book. I think there was a different book that did. But those would be protected by copyright while GW has Trademarks for Space Marine which are used differently and have different rules.

I don't care.

A tenner says that this about as much of a name change as Adepta Sororitas is to Sisters of Battle. As in, entirely on the Codex cover.

People being stupid and angry for the sake of having an excuse to be angry at GW again, nothing new. Regardless, it doesn't remove the right of anyone to call it the Imperial Guard.

They should have changed it to Codex: Verus Ferrus Testiculus.

So, does the Feminine conjugation they are using there mean that we are finally getting female IG?

Its just not fair. My Tau Just got a codex not too long ago so it will be at least a few years until we get Codex: Communistarum Pisces Spatio

The imperial guard are still referred to as the imperial guard in all other fluff, so I'm not entirely sure what the weird name of this new guard codex will mean.

It's kind of dumb, but I'm fairly indifferent to it; I'm not sure if it'll change anything. Like someone's already said, imperial guard is way easier to vocalize than astra militarum and I figure that'll further discourage people from using the new name.

 ekim wrote:
Its just not fair. My Tau Just got a codex not too long ago so it will be at least a few years until we get Codex: Communistarum Pisces Spatio

The same goes for Codex: Spicati Spatium Classiarios
And Codex: Cimices Comedens Extra Via Lactea will have to wait even longer.

 Sir Arun wrote:
Do they? I thought Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers (of which there is also more than 1 movie) have a trademark on Space Marines as well. And werent there Space Marines in Cameron's Alien 2?

The Aliens soldiers are Colonial Marines, not Space Marines.

They also weren't called "Space Marines" in Starship Troopers. They were the "Mobile Infantry". This is, however, the very first appearance of "power armor" in science fiction.

It's really not a big deal. Considering Imperial Guard was never functionally just the Imperial Guard, but moreso "Imperial Guard with attached Imperial Navy, Commisairat, and Adeptus Astra Telepathica elements", the army gaining a more broad term to describe it as a whole sortof makes sense.

Put simply, your guardsmen are still Imperial Guard, so are your tanks, and your sentinels. But the other stuff isn't. Combined, they all fall under the Astra Militarum designation.

I'm cool with it.
(Touch the name 'Imperial Navy' though, and I will destroy GW.)

-TheCaptain

 Ailaros wrote:

Zweischneid wrote:At the end of the day, change is usually better than no change. If it weren't, why buy a new book? If you want things to be more or less as they were in the old book, stick with the old book, no?

Better is always different, but different is not always better. Plus, they've been coming out with updated versions of codices for years without changing the name. Necron players aren't forced to use an obsolete codex to still be running a necron army.

Anyways, my vote? Two thumbs WAY down.

I agree that the name itself is worse (the name is no longer descriptive, is an awkward mouthful to say, is less distinct relative to its peers, etc.), and that it also sounds like a horrible intellectual property grab. Meanwhile, the upside to the name change is... umm... hang on...

Nope.

I'm going to be an Imperial Guard player to the end of my days, no matter what name is on the codex.

They have changed a few names in the past, though. Not big iconic ones like Necrons, mind you, but the Inquisition armies used to have different names - the Witch Hunters became Adepta Sororitas (and I think the 5th Edition "codex" in WD was called Sisters of Battle), the Daemon Hunters became Grey Knights, and now there's an Inquisition book of sorts, apparently. Obviously the Grey Knights are still a fairly generic name compared to the Adepta Sororitas, but my point is that there is a precedent for GW changing the name of armies.

On the topic at hand, I'm meh about it. I actually like the faux Latin names that GW has - I feel like Adepta Sororitas is way more fluffy than Sisters of Battle. I actually prefer Adeptus Astartes to Space Marines. With that said, though, I don't play Guard, and I have no intention of starting up a Guard army. I also don't think that people are going to be calling their army "Astra Militarum" any time soon - even with the Sisters of Battle, I've never met anyone who calls them "Adepta Sororitas," everyone just says "Sisters of Battle," because as far as I know, there's a vast difference between the way people speak and the way they write.

In my opinion, Astra Militarum looks great on paper, it's a pretty cool name and it fits in with the theme of 40k. But I really doubt you'll ever see a player who's going to say "My army of choice is the Astra Militarum."

 Locclo wrote:
I also don't think that people are going to be calling their army "Astra Militarum" any time soon - even with the Sisters of Battle, I've never met anyone who calls them "Adepta Sororitas," everyone just says "Sisters of Battle," because as far as I know, there's a vast difference between the way people speak and the way they write.

In my opinion, Astra Militarum looks great on paper, it's a pretty cool name and it fits in with the theme of 40k. But I really doubt you'll ever see a player who's going to say "My army of choice is the Astra Militarum."

Pretty much this.

 TheCaptain wrote:
It's really not a big deal. Considering Imperial Guard was never functionally just the Imperial Guard, but moreso "Imperial Guard with attached Imperial Navy, Commisairat, and Adeptus Astra Telepathica elements", the army gaining a more broad term to describe it as a whole sortof makes sense.

Put simply, your guardsmen are still Imperial Guard, so are your tanks, and your sentinels. But the other stuff isn't. Combined, they all fall under the Astra Militarum designation.

I'm cool with it.
(Touch the name 'Imperial Navy' though, and I will destroy GW.)

-TheCaptain

I agree with this. It makes sense by the fluff to call the army Astra Militarum as I have not fielded a 100% IG army in years (if ever); vendetta, Valk, commissars, primaris psyker, storm troopers, etc. are all most definitely not IG units.

I also think it is fine that GW tries to protect its IP. Them choosing the name IG in the beginning indicates they didn't really take the line seriously and didn't care enough about it to protect it. Now they actually want to do something with the line (new plastics and supplements) and are protecting it.

BTW if you want an easy name say I play on AM

Technically the Imperial Guard have been called the Imperial Guard only since their name was changed from the Imperial Army back in the late 80s.

I think most people will ignore the new name the same as they ignore all the other made-up dog Latin names.