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I've really been wondering if codices are really the way to continue the warhammer series. Having all of the rules and model information in a single bigger BRB would undoubtedly be more helpful. You would know what each army is capable of and the rules for each army. Its all too often that new or even experienced players will play a game with a codex they are less than familiar with, only to be blindsided by some rule they didnt know about. The downsides would be that it would cost more (but most of us I believe would be willing to pay at least double for what the BRB goes for). Yes, specific codex updates wouldn't happen as often, but since everything would be upgraded at the same time with this proposition, that might be a good thing for the balance of power.

Now, GW is a business. If punching babies in the face made their profit margins higher (after court costs and public backlash), they would do it. So why would they put all the codices in a single bigger BRB when they make lots of money off of selling individual codices? Well, as I said before, they could easily jack the price up of the BRB to at least double, probably triple. Hell, to play tau I have to spend $50 on the codex, $70 on Mont'ka, and then $80 on the rulebook itself! Thats $200 plus tax! So if everything was in one package and it would include so much more, they could easily justify a price of at least $250. This might make some stay away from the hobby, not necessarily because it would be more, but because it would make people realize how much it really costs to even get the rules to play a single army. I believe this, however, would be offset by something I have yet to talk about, being how easy it would be to get into other armies. It would be much easier for me, personally, to justify buying another army if I already had the rules for said army. I believe that, like me, many would be more inclined to buy another army if they already had all the rules they needed for it. I believe this could be a justification for GW to put all the rules in a single book.

So, what do you all think? Garbage idea or nomination for a Nobel Prize?

I think it would be crazy expensive, However I don't see them doing this, as they make more money by selling them individually, especially when you figure in all the art and fluff they added.

The DND formula of additional rulebooks like the new campaign books seems the way to go.
I would be perfectly fine if my armies get 2 of these updates a year.The reason why Iike this more is that I like new fresh options but I hate it if they take options I liked away even if it results in me fielding the same army.

More rules in less books is always good.

Well, I think it's a dead end. They are written not good enough and they are too expensive. A system like in WMH would be more preferable in which each unit or model has its own rules written up in a card.

Or follow suit in AoS (wait what) and have all the rules online. Then you only have to buy paper to print the rules on.

You also need to understand that the company needs to make money through our the year. If they release one rule book with everyone's armies in there, then they will have a spike of sales (and could possibly run out of supplies), only to have sales slow to a trickle until the next book.

Considering that GW has been releasing at the very least, limited runs of Battletomes for the new AoS, I think 40k codices are here to stay.

Sounds like a contradiction.
GW makes miniatures for collectors and charges the gamers for the rule set.

 Ryan_A wrote:
Hell, to play tau I have to spend $50 on the codex, $70 on Mont'ka, and then $80 on the rulebook itself! Thats $200 plus tax! So if everything was in one package and it would include so much more, they could easily justify a price of at least $250.

Just so we're clear:
You don't need to purchase Mont'ka to play Tau. Mont'ka is rules for the Farsight Enclave and those formations are not part of the new Tau Empire's Hunter Contingent--and several of them aren't even part of the Dawnblade formation within.

And you don't need to spend $80 on the rulebook. Find someone(or two someones) who might be interested in purchasing a core set and offer to buy the mini-rulebook off of them for like $20-$30 and you're getting the rules you need for way less.
Or alternatively, find someone who bought a Core set and might be interested in the two other books in the rulebook set(A Galaxy of War is basically a "hobbiyst book" and Dark Millenium is a lore book) to split the cost with.

And lastly, you can buy the rules digitally as an "interactive iBook format" where it constantly gets updated and has pop-out links, etc.

DirtyDeeds wrote:
You also need to understand that the company needs to make money through our the year. If they release one rule book with everyone's armies in there, then they will have a spike of sales (and could possibly run out of supplies), only to have sales slow to a trickle until the next book.

That pretty much sums it up. New codexes promote specific armies and seem to be used in a lot of cases to boost armies that have become slow sellers to become the fotm army again. More codexes equals a nice distribution of income until the next rule arrives and enables them to selectively push slow selling models.

In addition to that, in contrary to what the OP claims, I doubt very many people would shell out $250 for a single book, even if it includes the every army out there. It would raise the threshold of what you have to invest even further and not only drive people away (or more likely into the ranks of the pirates out there), but prevent people from joining the hobby. I most certainly wouldn't shell out that kind of money, I'd rather gather a few friends, buy one copy and scan the relevant parts. 40ks entry costs are already higher than every other tabletop out there, driving it up even further will only end in disaster.

 Kanluwen wrote:
And you don't need to spend $80 on the rulebook. Find someone(or two someones) who might be interested in purchasing a core set and offer to buy the mini-rulebook off of them for like $20-$30 and you're getting the rules you need for way less.

Thanks! Just saved me $50!

The codex formula is not really the problen IMO. Why was it working in the old éditions and just got ineffective right now? Because prices have raised while the quality of the content kept going down.
Just compare any 4-5th edition army books with the current codexes and you will wonder where all the awesome fluff, the customization features and cool stuff like this have gone.
Not every faction has suffered the same since the 6th ed SM codex was quite good ; in general, quality has decreased. Just look at the IG 6th ed book... So dull... IMO, quality means care for the balance, the fluff and the creativity of the player but these are slowly and purposely erased from the whole game, not only the books.
Back to the early 00s, I used to pay 20€ or so for codexes and I was happy with what I got. Now, I torrent with strictly no remorse. Why would have I respect for a company who had none for me and its customers?
Sickening.

I think they should make Chapter Approved ring binders and issue all the different rules for each faction (codex, fluff component, formations, extra mega units like knights) as collections of pages that you file into your binder. This would allow people to assemble exactly the codex type information they wanted.

I disagree with putting the info into the core rules because they are already too big and expensive. In fact, I think GW should issue the core rules and supplements for Forts, Flyers, Apoc units, etc, as separate ring binder sections.

There is no need to charge 39 or 50 € for a codex. This is a ridiculous price and in no way justified when compared with the content.

Codex
[koh-deks]
noun, plural codices [koh-duh-seez, kod-uh-]

1. a manuscript volume, usually of an ancient classic or the Scriptures.
2. Nerdnip, irresistible to neckbeards
3. requirement for playing games where 'current' status is more important than actual content or balance.


Synonyms
Cash-cow, moolah-magnet, easy-money, geek tax, idiot milker,

Mmmm, no... I don't see GW giving this one up

The codexes are the problem. Each one is just a sales vehicle for toy soldiers. It should be thought of as an integral part of the games rules. Until we get the 3rd ed reboot that we've been screaming for the problem of unbalanced armys will continue. Personaly I think its a large part of what killed whfb.

I say free, bare bones brb on the web site with a deluxe collectors edition for sale. We know for sure those sell at ridiculous prices. Then two army books. One for all Imperial forces & another combining all xenos. Call it the "Enemies" codex or some such. Hell, call it Us versus Them for all i care. Sell'em for $100 each.

I mean its not like GW is a game company, right? The freakish profits they make on over priced, broken rule books CANT be figuring in to any of their decisions right? This is how GW killed whfb. They think of their games, our games as pinatas that they beat, mangle & destroy for cash. And when its broken & useless reformat the look of it and continue the same destructive sales strategy.

Why has nobody pointed out that the book might be a little big?!

Do the maths on the weight.

I like fluff, so a core rules book only would not be good imo.

But the intention i agree with OP

40K armies as rules packets to insert into a folder?



40K Funfax! It even SOUNDS like it should be a thing!

- showing my age perhaps

I think they are making solid steps in the right direction. I have slowly migrated over to having everything digital, even my dice. It makes everything so much more convenient, especially when traveling. I like that the rules are coming with the models now, especially the new models. I like how they just released an addition to the current tau book instead of a complete reprint, they are offering options instead of just a complete codex reprint. Hey are offering the gamer editions for nearly half I think. Lots of good steps forward

No other game forces you to buy a second rulebook to go with the even more expensive rulebook you already bought.

Codices need to go away and be reduced to an optional extra if you want the fluff and art.

codices are a good idea. Having a specific book just for your army means in theory more detail going into your army because there is a whole book dedicated to it.

Whenever your army is about to get a new codex everyone gets excited and can't wait to see what new rules etc their army will get.

I like the idea of codices.


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codices are a good idea. Having a specific book just for your army means in theory more detail going into your army because there is a whole book dedicated to it.

Whenever your army is about to get a new codex everyone gets excited and can't wait to see what new rules etc their army will get.

I like the idea of codices.

Yes, the rules for every model and every army shoud be in the BRB. But this is predicated on the idea that GW would also need to streamline its rules and remove all the fething bloat.

1. This would make everyone happy.

Put out a new campaign book with pretty pictures and fluff every couple of months including the newest releases.

2. This makes those "special" people who buy those over-priced Limited edition codexes happy.

Include the full rules for every model in the kit, so the campaign book would not be a necessary purchase.

3. This would make those of us who don't feel the need to buy a separate, expensive hardback book to play with our minis happy.

For Christmas, print a softcover compendium including the rules for all that year's releases with even more pretty pictures and include a special/limited edition mini as part of the purchase. Make it a special character with rules included in the compendium.

4. This would encourage people who maybe didn't buy all the fancy campaign books to make a purchase, and all those completionists will buy it just to get the mini.

Every two years, do a full BRB reprint, adding the new releases from the previous two years and fix/refine things in the rules and army lists as needed. Again, predicated on the idea that a new BRB is not some ridiculous $100+ behemoth.

TL;DR None of this will happen because GW no longer takes the long view of the hobby, and markets to collectors.

The problem with putting everything in the core rulebook is that it cripples your ability to add new stuff to the game. You can't update a single army or add a single new unit without either having a new edition of the rulebook or creating an awkward mess of update pdfs, rules included in kits, etc. The codex model is fine, GW just needs to cut the cost of each book significantly, especially the bloated mess of the core rulebook where at least 2/3 of it is garbage hardly anyone cares about.

See the interesting thing is that on a sales basis, releasing two new campaign books a year with one or two models and rules update for each army is actually a net positive - it means that everyone will have to buy the new books to get the updated rules and new models / formations that they want to run. I'm sure that someone at GW is saying 'lets keep things consumer friendly by releasing codexes with all the information people need'. But they're already deviating from this with the newer releases, and as the rules continue to spread across more books you'll find cheat sheets and online army building tools becoming more prevalent.

Ultimately the unit / data card system is probably the best way to go for any miniatures game - allows you to have everything on-hand without having to flip through a book. GW is just fighting against other people's innovations for the time being, but with their current system they'll either have to try and go after the online tools people are using or buckle to the pressure of having a new way to centralize the rules people need. I expect that if there is a big update like this it will be with an edition change.

DirtyDeeds wrote:
You also need to understand that the company needs to make money through our the year. If they release one rule book with everyone's armies in there, then they will have a spike of sales (and could possibly run out of supplies), only to have sales slow to a trickle until the next book.

That's what campaign books and model releases are for.


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 Peregrine wrote:
The problem with putting everything in the core rulebook is that it cripples your ability to add new stuff to the game. .

You could say the same thing about any system using printed books. The Chapter Approved system would work just as well with everything in one book as it did with separate codexes.

Better, in fact, since you're assured of a longer span before any army gets a full update, which makes supplemental material better value for money.

 insaniak wrote:
You could say the same thing about any system using printed books. The Chapter Approved system would work just as well with everything in one book as it did with separate codexes.

It's a problem for all printed rules, but it's less of one if you break up the core rules and the army rules. That separation allows you to update in smaller increments and leave everything else untouched. For example, if you want to release some IG stuff next month you can combine all the new rules* into a single codex update and publish it immediately without having to update any other books. But if the IG rules are in the core rulebook you can't print a new version of the IG rules without having a new edition of the core rulebook. So you either update the core rulebook at a ridiculous frequency or you go years between army updates where everyone accumulates a growing pile of separate rule sources to keep track of.

*Including rules for kits that aren't out yet, if you get rid of GW's lawyers.

What I want them to do for seventh is update every major codex 7.5 style and then freeze it there. Any further updates should be in WD, Campaign books, or dateslates.

People seriously need to stop giving GW money for rules to the game if they dont like it. If you dont like it then dont play it. If you dont play it then dont buy it. Vote with your wallet and show them it is not profitable to waste resources on printing books. GW already stated they are in the business to sell models not make a game. So hold them to their word and starve them of published print revenue.

Why would anyone rely on books to add new models to the game in the age of the Internet?

Rules should be online, books are things you can choose to buy for tue fluff.