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I have just been looking at the preview images of the new shorter 40K rulebook on the GW website and it looks like it hasn't been updated! E.g. if you look at the core rules preview page, it still has the original wording for the default melee weapon, which was updated with one of the very early FAQs. From the description of the book, it also sounds like it still has the original terrain rules and not the updated version from Chapter Approved.

Unless this is just an oversight on the webstore preview, it seems like a poor decision by GW - it's annoying for players to still not have the updates in a nicely-formatted book, and it's also bad financially for GW, as I expect that sales would be a lot higher if the book actually contained the updates!

Has anyone seen a copy in person to know if this is right?

Well, this is an interesting observation.
If so, the book would only be interesting for those who haven't bought the full rule book for 80 Euro.

Come on, thats to much work to copy and paste new rules over the old ones, and put the updated file on their server. Also, they dont make any money if they do it, so they dont do it. Its encouraging for new players when they download the core rules, read them, and when they play their first game, i have to tell them that those rules are outdated.

Sorry if it was confusing - I meant the Core Rules as printed in the new rulebook that became available for Pre-Order today (link to UK website version): https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Warhammer-40000-The-Rules-2019

After looking again, the preview image for the rulebook definitely has new page numbers, so it seems like it really hasn't been updated, and it's unlikely to be a mistake on the webstore.

Yea, that's quite ridiculously lazy.

I'd advise people to not buy that.

What did you expect?

They've only just got around to releasing the rulebook in a format which isn't a massive impractical A4 hardback - despite having much more practical A5 softbacks multiple editions ago.

Aren't hardbacks seen as more of a luxury product and by virtue of being that, are easier to bump up their price.

It would be kind of a hard to expect people to pay 60$ for a floppy.

Karol wrote:
Aren't hardbacks seen as more of a luxury product and by virtue of being that, are easier to bump up their price.

It would be kind of a hard to expect people to pay 60$ for a floppy.

It's a little nuts that they're charging $60 even if it is a hardback.

I guess I was spoiled by the starters of yore having small format rules on eBay for $30 or less.

 Lord Damocles wrote:
What did you expect?

They've only just got around to releasing the rulebook in a format which isn't a massive impractical A4 hardback - despite having much more practical A5 softbacks multiple editions ago.

Incorporating faq would have been logical move. But being customer friendly isn't gw's style.

Explain why they avoided answering that. Clearly hoping to sell book before this leaks out

 Daedalus81 wrote:

Karol wrote:
Aren't hardbacks seen as more of a luxury product and by virtue of being that, are easier to bump up their price.

It would be kind of a hard to expect people to pay 60$ for a floppy.

It's a little nuts that they're charging $60 even if it is a hardback.

I guess I was spoiled by the starters of yore having small format rules on eBay for $30 or less.

100% price hike. Nice. But then again someone told me, that a few unit in w40k had twice the size of units inside for same money they cost now. With identical models. Can't really blame them for selling 60$ books. But selling stuff which is out of date, straight out of the box is not cool. Specially as people who are going to buy those books are not going to be 2 year old vetarans of 8th ed, but new players.

The AoS mini rulebook apparently has the Generals Handbook and Endless spells incorporated into it.

The 40k one is a strait copy of the actual rulebook.

The 2 departments need to talk a bit more with each other.
The 40k version is just plain bad.

And yes, considering new players are going to buy them and then be told to add 3 more books and faq's to it is just plain terrible and is going to make people quit on the spot.

It is simple. If GW updated the small form rule book with the FAQs and CA rules they would inevitably cock something up and have to Errata the Errata.

Who said 7th was bad for rule bloat?

I wonder whether the page references in the Errata/FAQ document will still match the new format book..?

 NoiseMarine with Tinnitus wrote:
It is simple. If GW updated the small form rule book with the FAQs and CA rules they would inevitably cock something up and have to Errata the Errata.

Who said 7th was bad for rule bloat?

Obviously the book would have been invalid, because the latest FAQ, but they could have at least made the foundation better.

I dont expect perfect, but I do expect something of value.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Lord Damocles wrote:
I wonder whether the page references in the Errata/FAQ document will still match the new format book..?

Oof...good point...what a mess.

It's very difficult to see what the point of this new book is. So much of it is already irrelevant - terrain rules, Cities of Death, Stronghold Assault, and Planetstrike have all been replaced with updated rules in Chapter Approved. I don't understand why they have bothered reprinting any of that old stuff - just wasted pages and weight in a book that is supposed to be more convenient to carry around.

What GW needs to do in my opinion is thus;

Replace Chapter Approved with a $25 soft-back yearly rulebook, which includes as an index at the back-end the points changes. Keep the price low/reasonable to where people won't throw a fit (which means GW would likely price it at $65 for a softback or something atrocious). People are already paying for the Chapter Approved. Skip that, or make it an optional collection of White Dwarf articles, etc.

Throw all the "current" rules into the yearly rulebook, add the points changes in the back...be done with it. Stop with the ever increasing FAQ/Errata/Big FAQ, etc. I appreciate the intent behind the system (and it's still better than any system where units/armies/rules are stagnant for 3-5 years)...but be realistic with what is happening.

A new player simply needs to be able to buy the rulebook and know it's the rulebook. End of.

reminds me of the old Agents of the Imperium hardcover...

GW's FB post on the release of this book was totally removed from existence within 2 hours of posting earlier this evening. Nearly every comment was about either the high cost or the fact it was just a reprint without updates. It was gaining laughing face or angry emotes at a rate quicker than thumbs up likes.
I guess even the fans aren't impressed with this piece of laziness.

I wonder how many people will pre-order it expecting updates in it and be rather disappointed.

Different rulebooks for the same edition can lead to confusion. Unless they were to update every product with the rules to the 'new 8.5 rules' it's probably best that none of them are. I don't really know why they're doing that with Age of Sigmar unless they think it won't cause confusion since it's a compilation of rules from multiple sources.

 Gimgamgoo wrote:
GW's FB post on the release of this book was totally removed from existence within 2 hours of posting earlier this evening. Nearly every comment was about either the high cost or the fact it was just a reprint without updates. It was gaining laughing face or angry emotes at a rate quicker than thumbs up likes.
I guess even the fans aren't impressed with this piece of laziness.

I wonder how many people will pre-order it expecting updates in it and be rather disappointed.

Hmm. People should shame them for that. Deleting posts is a bad precedent to set. Take your lumps, GW.

From my understanding they don't 'delete' the posts but they do hide them from view of the general public.

GW - minimal effort for maximum profit.

However, it's pretty par for the course, they haven't been updating the rule foldout they include in the various box sets, despite the FAQs/errata that's been in place for quite some time.

Heck, as I recall, in the Forgebane set, there were datasheets that didn't match the entries in the Admech codex that came out a few weeks later.

 Stormonu wrote:
GW - minimal effort for maximum profit.

However, it's pretty par for the course, they haven't been updating the rule foldout they include in the various box sets, despite the FAQs/errata that's been in place for quite some time.

Heck, as I recall, in the Forgebane set, there were datasheets that didn't match the entries in the Admech codex that came out a few weeks later.

That's just difficult timing. What goes in the boxes is probably the pre-feedback rules since they need to get models produced on a different timeline than codexes.

What an awful product, I would rather just keep my outdated big rulebook than buy a brand new slimmed down out of date rulebook.

Really don't understand what they were thinking of when they "okay'd" this idea.

 Elbows wrote:
What GW needs to do in my opinion is thus;

Replace Chapter Approved with a $25 soft-back yearly rulebook, which includes as an index at the back-end the points changes. Keep the price low/reasonable to where people won't throw a fit (which means GW would likely price it at $65 for a softback or something atrocious). People are already paying for the Chapter Approved. Skip that, or make it an optional collection of White Dwarf articles, etc.

Throw all the "current" rules into the yearly rulebook, add the points changes in the back...be done with it. Stop with the ever increasing FAQ/Errata/Big FAQ, etc. I appreciate the intent behind the system (and it's still better than any system where units/armies/rules are stagnant for 3-5 years)...but be realistic with what is happening.

A new player simply needs to be able to buy the rulebook and know it's the rulebook. End of.

Not only is this a good idea, you could go further and just have the damn points on a pdf on the website. No rules, just points. Then you could update it whenever it was necessary, and people could just print out the page for their codex and go to town.

That would be extremely sensible...but let's not get carried away...GW product info for free?

 NH Gunsmith wrote:
What an awful product, I would rather just keep my outdated big rulebook than buy a brand new slimmed down out of date rulebook.

Really don't understand what they were thinking of when they "okay'd" this idea.

I had to look it up, and I have no clue what they are thinking. I can only assume they wanted to put it out and hope people assumed it would be at least as up to date as possible, buy it then find out they bought a lemon and lament. GW laziness and greed are really so bountiful. We should be thankful they never stop trying to confuse or straight rip off the uninformed customer.

Anyone who expects a GW book to be right is deluding themselves. I mean look at the Necron codex - that was hugely wrong on Day 1 when they said Deathmarks were a troop choice. It was not a simple typo, they had it in the troop sections and it stood out a mile off.

Yet, no apology from GW.

They clearly do not proof-read or test books prior to print - but see them as a quick way to earn a high profit margin

I’m not generally one for GW-bashing but this is really poor imo. Not just that they didn’t incorporate the updated/refined/clarified rules, but the fact it seems they’re being somewhat less than transparent about it too. Oh well, that’s 25 quid saved. A shame really, as had they released this at the launch of 8th I’d have been all over it instead of the big rulebook. And now, presumably, given that this has been bungled so badly, it could give them the misguided impression that a stripped-down rulebook won’t sell.

 Ghaz wrote:
Different rulebooks for the same edition can lead to confusion. Unless they were to update every product with the rules to the 'new 8.5 rules' it's probably best that none of them are. I don't really know why they're doing that with Age of Sigmar unless they think it won't cause confusion since it's a compilation of rules from multiple sources.

Still going to be very confusing, considering the books have different number of pages. someone will buy the new book will want to check a page of where the rules got changed and there will be something else there.