Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Not very frequent at all. Some armies could go an entire edition without a codex update. I legit thought Dark Eldar were getting the ax it was so long in between Codexes.

CapRichard wrote:
Does anybody remember how frequent were codex updates in previous editions?

Back then it would alternate with WHFB and you could expect a 40k codex every quarter - if you were lucky. 2-3 codexes a year, with some factions not seeing a codex for several years and often several editions.

The player base is spoilt these days with weekly releases and the insane speed that books are being churned out.

CapRichard wrote:
Does anybody remember how frequent were codex updates in previous editions?

This so much. You want to complain your book isn't out after less than 2 years, remember that there used to be the possibility of a decade plus passing between a new book. Given how sloppy GW can be with rule writing, this newer pace is nice.

HoundsofDemos wrote:

CapRichard wrote:
Does anybody remember how frequent were codex updates in previous editions?

This so much. You want to complain your book isn't out after less than 2 years, remember that there used to be the possibility of a decade plus passing between a new book. Given how sloppy GW can be with rule writing, this newer pace is nice.

I am unsure but Necrons, DE and sisters are now /were all close to a decade really no?

I am unsure but Necrons, DE and sisters are now /were all close to a decade really no?

DE got a codex in 3rd, 5th, and 7th, so every other edition until 8th.

Necrons had a similar cadence if I recall correctly.

Sisters got one codex in 2nd edition and were then relegated to a White Dwarf Codex. Then they got one in 6th or 7th that was digital only.

Not only that but every half a year you didn't get a Codex was another block of time you worried that the end was coming for your faction. Unless you were playing Ultra Marines or Blood Angles or Imperial Guard. Basically unless you were playing one of the more central Imperial forces any Xenos player was at the worry of losing their army.

Orks and Eldar felt a little safer being such long term forces; Tyranids were pretty old too - but Necrons, Tau and the rest all felt the worry.


A Codex/Battletome wasn't just updated rules and new models; it was confirmatiion that your investment in money and time in your army was going to last another 5 years or more. It was hope that GW was going to give you a new model, something new to add.

Plus for those who had invested and started to ease off one army it was confidence in investing in a new one because you knew that your 10K of Tyranids was safe; that it hadn't been a waste.


Squatting an army doesn't just remove that army, it removes those players from the game and runs a high chance that they won't drift into another army but gives up and moves out of GW

Ok but... Not many armies get squatted. It's not particularly founded in anything. And no reason for a Xenos player to worry more than an Imperium player, not sure why you've brought that up. Inquisition is a faction that got relegated from viable army choice to a handful of unsynergistic options in an index.

 Eldarsif wrote:
Sisters got one codex in 2nd edition and were then relegated to a White Dwarf Codex. Then they got one in 6th or 7th that was digital only.

Last codex in 2nd edition, within a year of the end of the edition (IIRC). Came with models.

3rd edition codex was Witchhunters, so alongside =][= elements - and also giving the option for them to be used as an allied force for other Imperial armies (though with a restricted FOC). Came with some models, including modernised Immolator and the pipe-organ Exorcist.

WD 'dex was either late 5th or 6th, and was there to a, remove the =][=; and b, remove the Allies mechanic. Didn't bring anything new for the Sisters.

Digital was late 6th or early 7th, I think, and removed even more options from the SOB, somehow.

When it comes to codex releases, SOB get the unpleasant end of the stick, to date.

 Dysartes wrote:

 Eldarsif wrote:
Sisters got one codex in 2nd edition and were then relegated to a White Dwarf Codex. Then they got one in 6th or 7th that was digital only.

Last codex in 2nd edition, within a year of the end of the edition (IIRC). Came with models.

3rd edition codex was Witchhunters, so alongside =][= elements - and also giving the option for them to be used as an allied force for other Imperial armies (though with a restricted FOC). Came with some models, including modernised Immolator and the pipe-organ Exorcist.

WD 'dex was either late 5th or 6th, and was there to a, remove the =][=; and b, remove the Allies mechanic. Didn't bring anything new for the Sisters.

Digital was late 6th or early 7th, I think, and removed even more options from the SOB, somehow.

When it comes to codex releases, SOB get the unpleasant end of the stick, to date.

Ah, forgot the Witchhunters one, but yes, the Sisters have not received a lot of love over the decades. Here is to new times and new sisters though!

Geneuary not over yet my purple skinned handsy monsters

 Stux wrote:
Ok but... Not many armies get squatted. It's not particularly founded in anything. And no reason for a Xenos player to worry more than an Imperium player, not sure why you've brought that up. Inquisition is a faction that got relegated from viable army choice to a handful of unsynergistic options in an index.

Squatting was rare but it was certainly common for armies to get parked for years and years, which was especially grim if you had a bad dex. SoB are the obvious ones but you could argue that with the vanilla move for CSM for so many years the traitor legions were sidelined, inquisition were left for ages without updated rules.

This time GW have missed their own deadlines. I was told by Cruddace that all the dexes would be out by the end of the last summer. They failed to meet that, but only be months. I can assume with GSC that there was some issue with the rules and they went back to redesign, add to it, etc. I hope they went back to add all of IG to the dex as renegade/cult troops, just for some variety.

I remember reading rumors that even by GW standards, GSC were to powerful, especially the cult ambush mechanics. They apparently trashed it and started over. This likely is the reason it got pushed back so long.

HoundsofDemos wrote:
I remember reading rumors that even by GW standards, GSC were to powerful, especially the cult ambush mechanics. They apparently trashed it and started over. This likely is the reason it got pushed back so long.

Don't believe this, it was definitely the unnecessary expansions and Chapter Approved that pushed back the GSC codex. Definitely nothing to do with how the design team works, or the realities of making unique rules for each faction that have some semblance of balance, or unforeseen circumstances requiring the release to be pushed back and those months filled with non-codexes. Not at all. GW just wanted to tease me - specifically me - with their comments of 'around the corner' and preview images. Couldn't possibly be anything else.

 Overread wrote:

Orks and Eldar felt a little safer being such long term forces; Tyranids were pretty old too - but Necrons, Tau and the rest all felt the worry.

Orks had a 7e codex (June 2014). Their previous codex was 4e (January 2008)

They waited SIX years for a codex.

 Cheexsta wrote:
. Not at all. GW just wanted to tease me - specifically me - with their comments of 'around the corner' and preview images. Couldn't possibly be anything else.

Well they did tease GK players with CA being some grand fix to the whole army, and it fixed next to nothing. So it is not like it is impossible to imagine GW making a bland codex with bad rules. I don't think the GSC codex is going to end up that way though. The whole blip thing is going to add a ton of time wasted to the game. I can already see the arguments if the first dude is within 1" of the blip, if the blip wasn't moved etc. Also no idea how it is going to work for people who only have downloaded their books.

Orks had a 7e codex (June 2014). Their previous codex was 4e (January 2008)

Was the codex after 6 years good?

Karol wrote:

 Cheexsta wrote:
. Not at all. GW just wanted to tease me - specifically me - with their comments of 'around the corner' and preview images. Couldn't possibly be anything else.

Well they did tease GK players with CA being some grand fix to the whole army, and it fixed next to nothing. So it is not like it is impossible to imagine GW making a bland codex with bad rules. I don't think the GSC codex is going to end up that way though. The whole blip thing is going to add a ton of time wasted to the game. I can already see the arguments if the first dude is within 1" of the blip, if the blip wasn't moved etc. Also no idea how it is going to work for people who only have downloaded their books.

Orks had a 7e codex (June 2014). Their previous codex was 4e (January 2008)

Was the codex after 6 years good?

It was a mixed bag.

Karol wrote:

 Cheexsta wrote:
. Not at all. GW just wanted to tease me - specifically me - with their comments of 'around the corner' and preview images. Couldn't possibly be anything else.

Well they did tease GK players with CA being some grand fix to the whole army, and it fixed next to nothing. So it is not like it is impossible to imagine GW making a bland codex with bad rules. I don't think the GSC codex is going to end up that way though. The whole blip thing is going to add a ton of time wasted to the game. I can already see the arguments if the first dude is within 1" of the blip, if the blip wasn't moved etc. Also no idea how it is going to work for people who only have downloaded their books.

Not quite the point I was trying to make, but I do agree that GK was unfortunate. Still fun and cool for narrative games, though.

I don't think the GSC blip counters thing is going to waste any time, in practice. The time you waste setting up the models in the first turn is made up for by the time you save during the deployment stage of the game. I don't see any arguments about what's within 1" of the blip.

As for the digital codex users, it wouldn't surprise me if GW offered blip counters as a free download on their new Downloads page. And it's only a matter of time until third parties get in on the action, making resin or 3D printed blips.

Loafing wrote:

 Overread wrote:

Orks and Eldar felt a little safer being such long term forces; Tyranids were pretty old too - but Necrons, Tau and the rest all felt the worry.

Orks had a 7e codex (June 2014). Their previous codex was 4e (January 2008)

They waited SIX years for a codex.

I was a Dark Eldar player who waited 12 years between updates....

SIGH.....

 BuFFo wrote:

Loafing wrote:

 Overread wrote:

Orks and Eldar felt a little safer being such long term forces; Tyranids were pretty old too - but Necrons, Tau and the rest all felt the worry.

Orks had a 7e codex (June 2014). Their previous codex was 4e (January 2008)

They waited SIX years for a codex.

I was a Dark Eldar player who waited 12 years between updates....

SIGH.....

It's a long and lonely road, BuFFo, a long and lonely road indeed.