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To go with the current discussion about how long 9th edition will last and the costs associated with updating rulebooks...

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/800429.page

Other Rulebooks? Are you referring to campaign books and codexes?

Codices: Minimized as possible:

(1) CW, Drukhari, Harlies
(2) Necrons
(3) GK, SM, BA

Buy? Zero.
I'm done paying £30 for fluff I already know, artwork I've already seen, and minor updates to a few datasheets.

As I said on the other thread, I currently have 2 codexes (SM and Chaos Knights), but I'm about to buy 2 more (GK and TS).

I'm not buying datacards or CA this edition in an attempt to reduce the pain of edition change. I've also not bought the Ultramarines codex supplement as I don't actually have any Ultramarines-specific units.

I used to get everything, even armies I didn't play. But not any more. I get a hardcopy of the rules, and that's it.

I'm not paying for books (or, worse, cards) that GW will invalidate in 2-3 weeks.

In 8th I only bought the Nids codex because I have every other editions Nids codex and the Sisters book, because it was a novelty to actually have a physical codex for once. I plan to buy nothing for 9th.

Zero shoul be a poll option.
The stats are on battlescribe.
Stratagems etc are cards you can buy.

Art and fluff has no fresh appeal to a veteran.

“It depends.” Previously I’d purchased the Core Book, the yearly Chapter Approveds, and any Codex/Supplement that came out for my Salamanders or Necrons. Currently I haven’t purchased a single book for 9th edition since they stopped selling digital versions.

You hace forgot the most logical option taken into accoubt the quality of GW rules and supplements... That is to buy none (0)

codex, PA and CA books in 8th. This one I plan to buy the codex, probably the even book, if we get one, and the CA books.

Hard to answer this one. “per edition” implies an average. But is that the best statistical tool? Because my numbers are all over the place.

Numbers are guesses over coffee. I’m actually interested to do a survey, but that’s a weekend kind of project.

RT - 1 (red compendium)
2nd - 6 (multiple codexes)
3rd - all (most every codex/supplement, compilations)
4th - 1 (almost skipped this edition, just the rules and my SM codex)
5th - 2 (SM, Eldar codex)
6th - 3 (codexes, apoc)
7th - 3 (Codexes, Stronghold assault)
8th - 5 (index, 2 SM codexes, one Eldar, Ultramarine sup.)
9th - 1 (SM codex, but will buy Eldar and Tyranids if/when they release)

I feel like there should be more. But that’s not counting the rulebooks, of which I have a copy of all but the 5th edition one. Also does not count WD. I’ve got a complete collection from late 2nd until 4th? Forget when I stopped picking it up monthly. But scattered copies bought for the rules (assassins, etc) Which should probably count as “rulebooks”

Also not counting the WHFB, specialist games, citadel journals, templates, cards, etc.

8th was a bumper year for me. I got CSM twice (grumble), Astra Militarum, GSC, SM, both Vigilus books, and 2 PA books. Just when things started to pick up Covid happened so I didn't get to use most of them. So far in 9th I've bought SM, DW, and Drukhari.

I voted 2. I have 2 main armies, so 2 codexs are sufficient. I rarely use any supplement material as I don't play enough 40k to need them usually.

For GW's current trend of putting matched play rules in campaign books, I'll simply find what I need (if I need it, which is rare) online.

There was a time when I was the ideal GW customer, buying everything directly from a GW store near me, but time and having books invalidated within a year have embittered me. Now I only the base books I need.

In 8th I bought the DG Codex, the Daemons Codex and War of the Spider. When the edition was over I also added Urban Conquest and some CA for 5€, I wouldn't have bought these at full price so I'm not counting them. Having additional missions in your pocket is never bad for campaign building.
In 9th so far it's just the DG Codex, and I'm thinking about the Plague Purge, because it contains the main rulebook I don't have yet in addition to crusade content. On its own the price tag is far too high, but since it saves me buying the rulebook separately it's okay.

In essence, I voted 3.

Varies, and from two very different eras, so I went with one.

3rd edition; Big rule book, Eldar + Craftworlds, Tyranids, Spacewolves...

8th edition; Kill Team core manual.

9th edition; None. Plan is Harlequins and Chaos Knights for this edition, but at this rate could be waiting as long as 2023...

Well, looking back. I did take a bit of a hiatus in 5th/6th edition. Still waiting for books for my armies to come out in 9th.

3rd, I had the Space Marine Codex, Space Wolves Suppliment, Chaos Space Marine Codex, Eye of Terror Campaign Book, and then the other Chaos Space Marine codex, Necrons, and then the Battlezone Cityfight book, Chapter Approved 2001, Index Astarties compliation books.

4th Chaos Space Marines, Apocalypses, and Cityfight

5th Apoclypse, BattleMissions, Blood Angels

6th Chaos Space Marines

7th Harlequins, Chaos Space Marines, Black Legion, Crimson Slaughter, Demonkin, all three gathering Storm books, both warzone fenris books, Traitor Legions

8th Index Space Marines, Xenos 1 and Chaos, Harlequins Codex, Space Wolves Codex, all the chapter approved and both Vigilus books, Kill Team, War of the Spider, Pariah, and Saga of the Beast.

9th Space Marines and Space Wolves

Stopped buying codex books for all my factions at the end of 5th. Exceptions were the purchases of a single IK and Genestealer Cult book when they were newly published.

Stop paying "book tax" for crappy new editions.

ZERO

Games Workshop has veered off in a direction that doesn't suit me nor any in our group. The last books purchased were from 5th Ed, with maybe the rules pamphlet from 6th.

So where do all those not buying codexes get their rules from?

 dreadblade wrote:
So where do all those not buying codexes get their rules from?

A mythical place call the internet... Its all there mostly free and mostly legal.

Free for sure, but legal? I honestly doubt that.

 dreadblade wrote:
So where do all those not buying codexes get their rules from?

It's not something many can do, but we've developed our own ruleset based upon previous editions but with several wrinkles of our own. We don't suffer the GW churn of invalidating forces, implementation of clunky and sometimes idiotic gameplay, obnoxious imbalance, and mechanics emphasizing lateral change, not real improvement. So we see if there is anything worth plucking out of a new edition or not. It requires a fair bit of work, playtesting and cooperation but if you have a good group it is worth it.

Zero for ninth edition. I came back to 40k the beginning of 8th after many years, as from what I was reading at the time GW had turned a new leaf. But after witnessing again the churn of codexes, supplements, and rules invalidated just weeks/months after they are published, I got back off the roller coaster of 40k editions. "Meet the new boss . . ." "Fool me twice . . . "

GW's 40k rules are not worth the paper they are printed on. I'm back to mostly hobbying, and my occasional games of 40k are with older rulesets or the new Apocalypse (Epic) ruleset. My 40k hobby purchases are now limited to eBay, and I do not purchase GW's books or cards anymore.

I only play one faction (Tyranids), and I don't buy anything outside of that. So it is relatively cheap to buy 1 codex + supplements per edition.

9th will be my final edition, so I'm buying the dex of any army I might be interested in:

Inquisitio/ Agents (if we get one)
SM + Death Watch
Sisters
Grey Knights
Talons of the Emperor
CSM
Chaos Daemons
Thousand Sons
Emperor's Children (if we get one)
Craftworlds
Drukhari
Tyranids
GSC

I have 3 Mission Packs (Tactical Terrain, Beyond the Veil, Plague Purge); I will get the 2nd Crusade pack from Charadon too.

Not sure if I'm buying into Octarius yet- depends on whether the resources support both KT and 40k; if they do, I'm in. If not, I'll probably skip it.

...Buy..?

a_typical_hero wrote:
Free for sure, but legal? I honestly doubt that.

Well its the type of "non legal" activity that is done in plain sight and with the compliance of the "victim".

What is hard to understand is why would anyone purchase a 40K codex that is outdated upon release??

You have a very curious concept of FAQ if you believe that outdates the codexes.

Well there was a point in 8th, when the rules in CAs and FAQs were so different from what was in the GK codex, that someone could get mighty confused if they started the build their army around what was in the codex. Because practically everything was different. Point costs, wordings of rules, rule interactions etc.