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Sorry if this has already been covered, as far as I know there are no other threads like this. Anyway, how long do you think it will be until they release 8th edition? To be honest 6th edition has only really just been released as far as I'm concerned, while I haven't been playing much lately I still think that they are releasing 7th edition too early. Any predictions on what year (or perhaps what month...) they will be releasing 8th edition in?

That'll depend on GW's financial state within the next year or so.

From what I'm hearing I'm overall happy with 7th. That said, it feels a heck of a lot like something they should have released digitally as an online "6.5" update pack for free or maybe about $15 (like a sensible company). About the only really new thing is the psychic phase. The rest is just tweaks and clarifications.

Of course if they did that I'm guessing people would be complaining about it not being available enough, people walking in with new rules you can't confirm, and people not being able to use print media (I agree with the last one, I love my dead tree products, but there's this thing called a "printer" that does wondrous things like put digital media on paper).

EDIT: just realized I had absolutely no constructive content whatsoever. Put my money down for a 1 year lifespan before some new supplements come out that obsolete half the rules, then about 9 months before some more come out, potentially bringing in a new edition. In that time we will see approximately 8 new codexes (including SoB. Yes, I'm calling it) and ~3 setting/minor supplement books. This is just me pulling numbers out of various bodily orifices, but I think that's the best we can do less than a week into the edition's lifespan.

I would joke by saying next year, but my guess would be 2 or 3 years.

Who knows, they might start a new trend like the call of duty titles and release an updated rule book every years... Not that I would want that, but with geedub, anything can happen...

I will assume they will release another edition whenever they need more money.

 Nuln_Oil wrote:
I will assume they will release another edition whenever they need more money.

The cynic in me agrees.

Time will tell. Curious what the financial report will look like for this year.

dementedwombat wrote:The rest is just tweaks and clarifications.

... which is how 40k BRB changes always happen. Every time it's just tweaks and clarifications with a few new kinds of things added.

As for 8th, I imagine it will take quite awhile. The average time for a release is much more like 5 years, and regression to the mean would indicate that 7th will last rather longer than 6th.

The idea that 5th was out for 4 years, and 6th was out for two years and so 7th will be out for one year is just plain silly.

I think after 3 years. But I'm betting GW will dissolved prior to that. Hence I think 7th will be the last edition GW will publish.

My guess is 2 years from now. Instead of Daemons getting the big boost, I think it could be Tyranids next to get the "Daemon" treatment.

I think we will be seeing a 2 year cycle now. Each "edition" will feature a new army to be buffed to increase sales for that "faction".

It may not be Tyranids that get the "Daemon" treatment, but will be another group. So get ready for 2 year cycles or maybe even less now.

And here we were joking that GW was going to charge us for FAQs. Looks like that day has come.

wufai wrote:
I think after 3 years. But I'm betting GW will dissolved prior to that. Hence I think 7th will be the last edition GW will publish.

This isn't going to happen...

Hopefully next week. I'd like to see what else they can put on the table because 7th was a nice try, but naaaaaaaaaaaah.

My money is on 2 years or less. I don't think even GW would be so bold as to issue yearly rules updates, but every two years?* Sure. The majority of the player base already proved that two years is an acceptable life span for a rules edition so something in the neighborhood of 1.5 to 2 years seems likely. Especially if GW can release a new Fantasy edition on the year opposite of 40k's rules update then GW will have recurring annual revenue streams for their core systems. I'd love to be wrong about this but how could GW pass up easy money like that? I don't think they can or will, so new editions will sprout up regularly going forward.



*If GW's digital sales ever start outproducing their printed sales I can see them making a "living" 40k edition with annual subscription fees that roll updates and FAQs into the rule book. The whole concept of editions could finally be done away with leaving players to re-subscribe at a fixed interval in order to have the most recent rules release. All that could amount to yearly updates, but I hope it doesn't come to that.

I agree, 2 years.

Less if GW starts having financial issues.

Games Workshop want to start an 'organic' and 'living' rules system. Or some such blue-sky buzz-word filled sentiment.



What does this translate to me as someone who works in an environment where looking under the buzzwords means survival or destitution? Well, frankly the twisting of the nether suggests this:

''Games Workshop wants an easy to update rule set that can be modified in installments - preferably paid installments that require a subscription / payments per update''



I recall a drive to publish on iPads living codices and rulebooks... I get the impression the iPads were a test run for some-such malevolent mischief.



1-2 years you snotlings

That actually depends on us. 7th is a reaction to the poisonous nature of the online community, not a cash grab. There's little to no money to be made in these books. The big changes in this edition did three things: 1) it solved the major problems with 6th that people were complaining about (Allies Matrix, double FOC, the dominance of psykers) 2) it standardized the expansions as part of the full ruleset and 3) by making everything scoring, they opened up a much wider set of models that are now very useful and will most likely sell better as a result. If the online community is mostly excited and having fun over the next two years, the ruleset will hold; if we devolve into mean-spirited infighting about how broken the game is, they'll revise it early again.

They're in this to sell models, not rules. If we're happy and buying models, they're happy.

Well, GW hasn't succeeded in selling all of its CE copies yet, which I think shows for a pretty rough state of business (given they only produced half the CE copies as 6th...yes, I realize 7th's CE is much more expensive but it contains more "stuff" so I don't consider it that different in terms of expected sales).

I do think GW is certainly aware of the state they have put the game into in terms of revenue generation; the GW propaganda going to the IC2V seems to be a very clear indication GW is at least trying to control the spin on things. Even Tom Kirby, with his goals firmly on grabbing every dollar 40k is worth, will recognize that 8th edition cutting the lifespan in half of another lifespan *already* cut in half would result in a catastrophic decline in sales.

That being said, I sincerely think that GW now feels they have set the paradigm and 2 years is the typical lifespan of a book. After all, to use a warped thought-process, Call of Duty games are more than $40 and come out each year, so the 40k rulebook is like the same value!

However, I think this too will backfire on them, and the already shrinking customer base will hemorrhage even further, taking GW more and more away from market domination. GW certainly won't be going away, but 40k will be looking to be dueling for 1st place in tabletop sales to another company's game, perhaps Warmachine or something (this already seems to have happened at my FLGS).

About two weeks, at this rate

Massawyrm wrote:
That actually depends on us. 7th is a reaction to the poisonous nature of the online community, not a cash grab. There's little to no money to be made in these books. The big changes in this edition did three things: 1) it solved the major problems with 6th that people were complaining about (Allies Matrix, double FOC, the dominance of psykers) 2) it standardized the expansions as part of the full ruleset and 3) by making everything scoring, they opened up a much wider set of models that are now very useful and will most likely sell better as a result. If the online community is mostly excited and having fun over the next two years, the ruleset will hold; if we devolve into mean-spirited infighting about how broken the game is, they'll revise it early again.

I...you're blaming the community?

No, absolutely false. You're first assuming that GW even interacts with any portion of the player base, let alone listens. Second, you're also assuming 7th fixed anything. That's a debatable point at best, as basically throwing out the FoC in 7th didn't fix the issues with the FoC; it made it worse. Incorporating Escalation and Stronghold is also a debatable positive point, as superheavies and massive fortifications shouldn't have been introduced to 'standard' games of 40k and left to Apoc and among friends where you could house rule scenarios/games.

Making everything scoring didn't open up anything, it just shifted the usefulness of standard troops, and boosted already strong units more than necessary, while not doing enough to boost the weak units no one took.

Further, how can we devolve into mean-spirited infighting? Assuming everyone discusses things with a level head, it won't be mean-spirited, and debatable on in-fighting. People will have different opinions on the rules, and really, the rules are what's creating this compartmentalization in the first place. The community is simply reacting to the rules.

The only reason they'll revise the rules is to make more money. They're certainly not doing it to better the game. Just look at the FAQ to see how much effort they put into their rules.

Massawyrm wrote:
That actually depends on us. 7th is a reaction to the poisonous nature of the online community, not a cash grab. There's little to no money to be made in these books. The big changes in this edition did three things: 1) it solved the major problems with 6th that people were complaining about (Allies Matrix, double FOC, the dominance of psykers) 2) it standardized the expansions as part of the full ruleset and 3) by making everything scoring, they opened up a much wider set of models that are now very useful and will most likely sell better as a result. If the online community is mostly excited and having fun over the next two years, the ruleset will hold; if we devolve into mean-spirited infighting about how broken the game is, they'll revise it early again.

They're in this to sell models, not rules. If we're happy and buying models, they're happy.

I'm sorry but the glut of copy-paste and minimal content books, coupled with an increasing price on books, would argue that GW is just as much in the book-selling business these days.

Massawyrm wrote:
That actually depends on us. 7th is a reaction to the poisonous nature of the online community, not a cash grab. There's little to no money to be made in these books. The big changes in this edition did three things: 1) it solved the major problems with 6th that people were complaining about (Allies Matrix, double FOC, the dominance of psykers) 2) it standardized the expansions as part of the full ruleset and 3) by making everything scoring, they opened up a much wider set of models that are now very useful and will most likely sell better as a result. If the online community is mostly excited and having fun over the next two years, the ruleset will hold; if we devolve into mean-spirited infighting about how broken the game is, they'll revise it early again.

They're in this to sell models, not rules. If we're happy and buying models, they're happy.

Considering that the rulebook is $100, I'd say that they're definitely in the business of selling rules too.

Massawyrm wrote:
That actually depends on us. 7th is a reaction to the poisonous nature of the online community, not a cash grab.

BS

Massawyrm wrote:
There's little to no money to be made in these books.

Super BS

Massawyrm wrote:
If the online community is mostly excited and having fun over the next two years, the ruleset will hold; if we devolve into mean-spirited infighting about how broken the game is, they'll revise it early again.

Super, mega-ultra BS

Massawyrm wrote:
They're in this to sell models, not rules. If we're happy and buying models, they're happy.

Captain, our Bullcarp meter is exceeding safe standards. I recommend a full evacuation. Prepare escape pods!

Let me show you the world....

GW is making books to make money as part of a cashgrab. What showed this to me? The pricing of digital editions, the nature of the books, the cost of the books, the sale of cheapcarp 'Limited Edition' stuff, the Warzones? Everything that I don't have time to mention?

The "poisonous" online community is a backlash against GW's ridiculously business policies that are meant to exploit gullible consumers. The online venom is the result of gamers who know they're being milked for every last dollar, and who are sick and tired of being dragged around by the balls just because they like Warhammer. Gaming is meant to be a hobby that is scalable, affordable to the masses, and fun; GW has created a new paradigm of unfun, imbalance, and money-theivery. The community hasn't caused the problem- GW has caused the problem and the community is responding to it.

I feel sad. Sad when I play other wargames that I could be playing Warhammer if GW managed themselves better. Sad that when I spend my money, I buy other miniatures because they're more affordable even though I love the IP. Sad that GW has always been particularly close to drawing me back into the Hobby again and again, but they keep flubbing it.

I don't mean to , by the way. I respect your opinion (assuming you aren't some sort of paid GW lobbyist), but I firmly disagree.

I think soon, there'll be a double event...and then a triple event.

Depends... if they keep the "Let's take 3rd and change some stuff" then 2-3 years. If they ever actually decide to fix what needs to be fixed (ha!) and do a full on 2nd -> 3rd style revamp, then I'd say 5-6 years but the chances of that happening... well I think it'd be more likely to see them reduce prices or get bought out before that happens.

They are fully prepared to milk everything they can for as long as they can, while pretending that the internet and customer feedback is nonexistent and, therefore, must be positive.

Depends how badly it does on the anual report

 MWHistorian wrote:
I think soon, there'll be a double event...and then a triple event.

A bad quote from a bad movie
Damn you MWHistorian!

I personally don't care when the next rules release is, I'm sticking with 6th, it may not be perfect but it's what daddy's wallet can afford right now so it'll have to do while daddy loads up on 30k stuff

Well, I have a very good way of telling.

6th was released, and faqs stopped 13 months (1 year 1 month & 5 days to be exact) before 7th was released.

So, once 7th edition faqs stop (for the core rules that is) I'd say there would be a new rulebook in about a year from then...

IMHO.