Death of the flamer

  The changes in 40k between 8th edition and 9th edition are revealed ad nauseam all over the interwebs by now.  So of course I have to add a little bit as well.  One of the biggest changes to the game is how certain weapons work.  And there is one big change that really burns me up... 

  The biggest beneficiary of the Overwatch rules in 8th edition was the underrated Flamer weapons.  Being able to blast opponents charging from 8" or less with auto-hits made these weapons extremely useful- especially on defensive units (typically campers holding forward objectives).  In an offensive mode, flamers required some interesting maneuvering or even the so-called 'transport tax' to ensure that they were going to get used.  Which was okay, because who doesn't like burning stuff? 



  In 9th edition, the flamer has lost the ability to Overwatch without spending a Command Point.  This means that only one unit can take advantage of the strength of the weapon, which further means that players will be extra-selective when it comes to which unit to waste this on.  I have two units of Flamegressors and I used to love putting them straight out front and letting my opponent charge right at me.  The fire was glorious.  Now I will need to combine the units to take advantage of that.  Or change the unit's role to 'offensive' and pay that transport tax.

  Now all is not lost.  Vehicles, Dreadnoughts, and Monsters can still fire their flamers while engaged!  This is amazing and you'll see far more walking sarcophagi with underslung flamers.  You'll also see Land Raider Redeemers actually hit the table once in a while- especially for the boyz-in-blue!

  On that note, Ultramarines maintain their top-level ranking among the Astartes because of that Chapter Tactic that allows them to still fall back and shoot.  In 9th, units that fall back can do NOTHING else.  They can't even cast psychic powers, much less shoot or charge again.  But the Ultramarines...  yeah.  This means that my Flamegressor units are still vicious, having teeth that other colors of marines lose now.  And I enjoy that, obviously.

  Much like most of my complaining with this edition, it's not really a big deal.  But I hate to see the oft-forgotten flamer fall to the wayside like it did for so many editions previously.  8th edition really brought it back into the fray as a legitimate weapons option and I worry now that 9th is going to re-retire it.  I like my flamers.  And my wife, with her infantry-based army of Sisters of Battle, really likes hers as well.  Now to get up the nerve to tell her...

  Let me know what you think or if you already realized this and I'm just late to the party.  Until next post, Happy Gaming!

 Public Service Disclaimer- Please note that I IN NO WAY condone setting things on fire in the real world.  This is just a game and representative of the horrors of war in a grim and dark universe.  Setting things on fire in real life is known as arson and is classified as a crime (often a felony).  I will not be held responsible for any actions or threats from arsonists or pyromaniacs instigated by this, or any, post.   

Nine lives and no more

  I have my hands on it.  You know what I'm talking about.  The entire interwebs has been talking about it for months now.  It only became available for preorder a couple weeks ago.  This was the harbinger of the awesome new age.  And it's mine.

Pandora's box, er, awesomeness!

  If you haven't figured it out, I mean the Indomitus launch set for 40k 9th Edition.  I had the connections to get my box and begin digesting the new rules and I took full advantage.  This box is such a great deal that it was irresistible.  The models are amazing, even if I'm not a fan of returning the Space Marine aesthetic to the 'skulls and chains' motif.  I'm more of a fan of the 'sci-fi' motif that kicked off 8th edition.  But they still look awesome and the Necrons are much more alien-looking (it's becoming generational!), so I'm not unhappy about spending money on this set.

  The rulebook, to me, is far too long and heavy.  It's a great quality and with a bunch of new stuff that wasn't present in any of the older editions.  But I was all about the 8-panel pamphlet of rules and the three-page printout update that drove 8th.  Now, I need 40 pages of the rulebook and an immediate FAQ/errata from the Chapter Approved just to have the basic rules!  I really, really, really enjoyed the simplicity of 8th edition.  I absolutely abhorred the complications of 5th-7th.  It wasn't fun playing those complicated versions of the game.  And now we're back to that level of complication- terrain is four pages of rules by itself! 

  I've already mentioned how much I loved 8th edition a few times (here and here).  I've also mentioned how high my hopes are for the new stuff and expressed some of my skepticism.  I can go through this post dissecting every rule change and wax on about how I think it'll affect the armies I own, but everyone else on the interwebs is already doing that.  What I will note is why this has to be the last.

  40k 8th Edition was promised to be the last- a living ruleset that would be updated every year to keep things in balance.  The codices were published at a pace that made Formula One drivers jealous.  The Chapter Approved books came out with small changes and even entirely new missions to keep things somewhat fresh and balanced.  And all of that lasted... three years.  Three years is much less time than the promise implied. 

  The so-called 'codex creep' was insane- not at all different from editions previous.  Imperial Knights completely broke the game and then did so again even when the game around them changed drastically.  Eldar got nerfed.  Tau didn't.  And then the new Space Marines were released and... wow.  The attempts at balance in this edition were sporadic and often ineffective- just like previous editions.  And just like AoS's Stormcast armies, GW just kept releasing new models and new books to keep up.  It wasn't cool.  And owning almost every army meant that I never got a breather. 

  In fact and on that note, the fact that my 'mini-marines' have been basically obsoleted is still a major sore point for me.  I'm not one of those unhappy ragers that is angry that GW felt the need to invalidate years of collecting.  I'm unhappy that I have quite honestly have many thousands of dollars of that old stuff sitting in my garage, taking up shelf space, and reminding me daily how much of a waste of money that was.  I'd be just as angry if I'd just bought all of that at discount as I am having purchased it all over decades.  And all to simply sit on the shelves, never to be used again and having almost no value for resale.  I wish there was a plastic recycling plant anywhere near here...

  So let's see- I'm not happy about the complications being injected into the rules.  I'm not happy about the short lifespan of the game.  I'm not happy about the lack of balance that is sure to become worse.  And I'm not happy about the amount of money that I've spent on useless stuff ever the decades, from 'mini-marines' to strategem cards and redux-codices.  I could quite literally own a nice house based on the money that I've spent.  I'm not sure that my excitement for this edition will remain very high for very long.  In fact, much of my skepticism (though not all) can be expressed on the ever-popular BoK page here.

  So this is it.  I'm going to keep up with this edition as best as I can.  But I won't buy another edition after this.  If you read my previous article linked above, you'll remember that I have almost everything for the previous eight editions of the game and will have everything for this one too.  And just like D&D, where I have the exact same problem (sans miniatures), I am more than happy to just play at home with friends and family using older rules.  I love 2nd edition D&D and I love 8th edition 40k.  Games Workshop is like a cat to me- it has nine lives and it's on the last one now.  Quit being a curious cat, Geedubs.  It's almost over. 

  Let me know if you think I'm being a bit overdramatic or if you agree (even a little bit).  Now for me to get back to digesting that rulebook (and painting Necrons).  Until next post- Happy Hobbying!