Re: [Epic] Couple Questions

From: Eugene Earnshaw-Whyte <eug_at_...>
Date: Sun, 14 Sep 1997 14:47:27 -0700

Brett Hollindale wrote:

> The whole E40K excercise is nothing more than an attempt to extort (I'm
> pretty sure that that is the correct term) money from the gaming fraternity.
>

Well, depending on how you look at it, the entire Wargaming hobby, is an attempt to
extort money from the wargaming fraternity; I mean, companies exist to sell product,
right? It's pretty standard to periodically come out with new editions of an old
favorite that purport to fix the problems with the old version (Star Fleet Battles
is a classic example). E40k is just different in that the overhaul was much more
thourough, so much so that it is almost (but not entirely) a different game. The
main continuity between the two systems is that you can generally use the old models
with the new system; which is why it bugs people so much when you can't. Pretty much
all of the things that I disliked about the old system (tanks sucking, broken units,
etc) were fixed in E40k, which is why, IMHO, the upgrade/revision was useful and
justified. Of course it is meant to claim our dollars (what new product isn't) but
it does deliver value for the price, so I'm not complaining (much).

> I don't know how things happened on your side of the pond, but over here GW
> Aus sent sales reps around to all GW stores prior to the release of the
> highly overpriced E40K figures to collect all of their stock of the not
> quite so highly overpriced SM/TL figures.
>
> Given the thoroughness of the job, it looked like a policy decision to me...
>

Yeah, there's no doubt that E40k was a policy decision; these things don't happen by
accident. The pricing on the new models is aggravating - particularily the plastics.
Stands of Tyranid infantry now cost more than $1.00 Canadian, which is absolutely
nuts. Does GW really think the 13 year olds have that much disposable income? Maybe
they do....

The undoubted truth, however (question it not, heretics!) is that the new metal is
_really_ nice. Ork Buggies, Imperial Predators, the T-Hawk gunships, you name it,
are all very pretty indeed. GW models are very, very expensive, but the annoying
thing about GW (and the reason I am still involved in this hobby) is that you get
value for the cost. With a few exceptions, the new models are much, much nicer than
the old. I certainly can understand if you disagree, but GW is betting that you
won't.

> Best of intentions? Sure, if you own shares in GW and get a share of the
> profits.
>

Listen, the guys who designed E40k are the same guys who design all the cool GW
stuff. It's them we have to thank for the whole WH/WH40k universe. I can't believe
you seriously think that Andy Chambers, Jervis, Rick Priestly, and the rest, redid
SM/TL only to squeeze more dollars. If radical redesign is corporate policy at big,
bad GW, why haven't we seen a radical overhaul of WHFB or WH40k? The workshop has to
keep putting out games, agreed, but because WHFB works pretty well as is, it's not
getting changed much. SM/TL, in the opinion of the GW design gang (and I agree with
them) had some big problems, so they overhauled it. We might see some tweaking in
the future, and at some future date (Khorne forbid) the Epic line could, I suppose,
be dropped entirely, but I think we've seen the last big overhaul of the Epic Rules;
the new ones seem pretty good.

I have noticed that critique of E40k is mostly centred around the army lists, not
the rules.

> I'm even prepared to bet that the five in a row troop stand is so that you
> can't just put a single stand in the middle of a square base and have the
> figure look vaguely OK...
> (It looks a lot sillier to have a single stand in the centre of a E40K base...)
>

Yeah, okay, you can think that if you want. I personally think a single stand on a
base looks pretty much the same on either base, and I really doubt that GW is
worried much about the possibility in the first place...

At GW hq, spoken in thick german accents

GW weasel #1: Und zat iss not all! Ve haff reports of players putting only a single
infantryman on ze bases zat can hold five! Zis devilish plan to keep their money
from us must be shtopped!

GW weasel #2: Ve shall crush zem like insects!

The Dark Lord of Marketing: Do not worry yourselves, gentlemen; I have a plan...

All: Mwaaa-haa-haa-haa-haaaaaa!!

> I may be paranoid, but they just might be out to get me too...
>
> Agro

Oh, don't worry, I'm sure you're very near the top of their list...

Eugene
Received on Sun Sep 14 1997 - 21:47:27 UTC