Hello:
I find all this doom and gloom talk a little surprising. I have played Epic
since WD 116 and I can remember the two previous big changes: 2nd Edition
and Titan Legions.
When 2nd Edition was released, it seemed everyone was really excited about it.
1st edition Space Marine closely matched 1st edition 40K. Tactical Space Marine
Squads were actually segregated into special weapon squad and heavy weapon
squad. There were 3 types on Imperial drednoughts and 6 types of Robots !!!!
Most of the early Epic players were happy to see a second edition for a number
of reasons:
1. The Marines {Plus Titans} always won against non-Marines {Squats, Eldar,
Orks}. Imperial Titans combined with teleporting terminators and Elite
Artillery Spotters were devastating. Don't get me started with the Haywire
support missile.
2. The rules were scattered among Adeptus Titanicus, Space Marine, Codex
Titanicus, and about a dozen WD issues. It was a serious chore to keep everyone
in sync with standard rules.
3. There were far more 40K players. It was hard to find new opponents for Epic.
The new Epic attracted many new players.
4. While Epic-only items such as titans and grav tanks were introduced, many
40k items such as Aspect Warriors, Psychers, Medics, and Chaplins, were not
available.
5. The biggest reason for welcoming 2nd Edition 40k was that the core rules
were starting to break down. The constant addition of new units and races made
the game disjoint.
Although once powerful weapons such as the Capitol Imperialis, Hellbore, Eldar
Phanthom Warriors, Thunderbolt Gunships, Regimental Commanders, Titans for
Squats and IG, and Terminators were all rendered almost obsolete, most people
thought the benefits far outweighed the problems.
2nd Edition Epic has some similarities:
1. The rules are spread over Space Marine 2nd Edition, Titan Legions, Armies of
the Imperium, Renegades, Warlords, Hive War, SpMar Battle Book, and assorted WD
issues. I believe that no two gaming groups I have ever seen play it the same
way. { i.e. Can Trolls ride in Chaos Marine Rhinos? Do Warp Missile Fit above
or below the carapace?}
2. Core Rule Breakdown - Over time, newer weapons seem to get deadlier and
deadlier. Battles over 6,000 points rarely go more than two turns. I once was
involved with a 30,000 point battle that was over, in terms of VP, before first
fire ended. {The legendary "Warlord with Titan-Killer Mission card hits
Imperator with Warp Missile and Imperator full of tech guard fall down on top
of Stormblades and go boom" maneuver.} Two turn games make turn one initiative
way too important.
3. Players becomming scarse. About 2 months before Epic 3rd Edition {4th if you
count Titan Legions} was announced, I helped run a "Chapter Aproved" Epic
Tounament at a local game store. Outside of the poeple I game with regularly,
only 3 people showed up. Two of them lived over 2 hours away and were thrilled
to find people still played the game. This to me is the biggest reason for
change. Only 2 out of around 14 hobby stores in the region carried a reasonable
selection of Epic figures a year before its discontinuation. GW makes no money
and no new interest is generated in the game.
Do get me wrong, I still think Epic is by far the best Sci-Fi miniatures game
for company-level operations or bigger. I just think that the mechanics need to
be updated to better account for the many new items added to the 40K universe
over the years. I personally thought the original system was wonderful but as
new units appeared, the rules did not always adapt well. As far back as
Renegades, the more exotic weapons, such as the Wave Serpent and Doom Weaver,
did not work well with basic game mechanics. I know people who still like to
play Epic with the rules from the 2nd edition box set and a few WD articles
that followed before Renegades was released.
I do not agree with the GW viewpoint to eliminate order chits. The order
structure is a big strength of the Epic systems but maybe the new system will
work out {anyone know what will be used in stead of order chits???} Although I
disagree with it, Most 40K players in Northern Illinois HATE order chits. It
appears to be a case of GW actually listening to its customers and taking this
complaint seriously.
In general, I think we should maybe give GW the benefit of the doubt until the
game is released. The latest new system offering from GW, Necromunda, was a
superbly designed game. If this level of game design is achieved with Epic40k,
I think we will all be very happy with the change.
Sorry for Rambling...
Tom R.
Received on Wed Mar 12 1997 - 23:37:34 UTC
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: Tue Oct 22 2019 - 13:09:14 UTC