Friday, November 1, 2013

40k Rules Expansions: Escalation and Stronghold Assault


There are two releases that are coming, that will literally shake up the 40k community, and these are two expansions for regular (standard) games of 40k. Escalation adds a new Foc slot for super-heavies and gargantuan creatures, with full rules included saying that they are for regular games of 40k. Stronghold Assault is combined fortifications and upgrades, adding a whole new set of fortifications expansions into our regular games.

Of course there are many people that do not think this is going to happen. Well it is, sorry to burst the bubbles. Here is the relevant link on what is coming. http://natfka.blogspot.com/2013/10/new-surprise-releases-for-december-game.html

So what does this mean for our game? It means War in the 41st century is about to feel and look much like what we read about in the books, and in our imaginations. Machines of Destruction marching forward to collide with impenetrable fortifications is about to become part of our game.

How will you construct your armies now? Codex Supplements, flyers, faster releases, fortifications, allies, double force organizations, and now the possibility of facing a super heavy. The game is becoming rich with options, and with the additions of Forgeworld to standard games, the possibilities become seemingly endless.

The thoughts of going to a tournament and knowing that I will face these 3-5 army types will soon become a thing of the past. Variety within the game is not something to fight, something to embrace. We as a hobby have been screaming at GW (rather rudely most of the time) for years that this is the direction that we want the game to go, so I find it slightly off that there is so much resistance to it.

Of course we had to pull teeth when 6th edition was first released, just to get allied rules into tournaments, and there are still some out there that fight it. This will be no different with the inclusion of Forgeworld, and the two new supplements on their way.



I will leave you with these comments that were posted up in the comment section of this site by Aaron Dembski-Bowden regarding Forgeworld being official rules and models for standard 40k. He literally had to write a book in the comment section, but I believe he makes it very clear.  And oh, if you have never followed his blog, or read it, you should.  http://aarondembskibowden.wordpress.com/.


aarondembskibowdenOctober 31, 2013 at 5:41 AM
It's been official since forever. People have always taken polite phrasing to justify their incorrect opinions on what's official. 

To GW, it's all official, and always has been, Like it or not, that's the literal truth. To see it being heralded now as something new to adapt to (or worse, that it's still not official) is the very definition of missing the point.


aarondembskibowdenOctober 31, 2013 at 5:44 AM
I just gave myself PTSD flashbacks to the time I foolishly tried to explain that simple policy to 3++.
Oh, the rage. Oh, the resistance.


aarondembskibowdenOctober 31, 2013 at 7:04 AM
That's the thing. GW has released that statement, but the fanbase mistake it as "Forge World is a different company, so they don't count."

GW have released the statement countless times. With the 40K Approved stamps. With Forge World stuff being on almost every page and in almost every army in White Dwarf for months. With every Imperial Armour book since #2 saying "Consider these official, but be nice if an opponent hasn't read the rules, so ask permission." Because of that misunderstanding becoming so entrenched, FW changed it in recent updates to "inform your opponent you're using these rules" with no "ask" at all.

That's how GW chose to release the statement. It's the same as Black Library being canon. To GW, it's all the same, it's all canon, it's all official. But because people apply their misunderstandings to how the company functions, you get this meme about needing "GW" to release a statement.

They did. They have. It's clear as day. People just don't realise what GW is, and take their misconceptions as truth.




In response to
please find some way to get GW to make some comment somewhere public to this effect

aarondembskibowdenOctober 31, 2013 at 8:26 AM
They have, though. That's the point. The company's made it abundantly clear. "GW" has made the comment through every avenue it's chosen: it's plain across White Dwarf; it's mentioned on Forge World's Facebook page every time it's asked; it's at every single signing and seminar and open day from countless staff in every department; it's in every single Forge World rulebook... FW *are* GW. The Black Library is GW. The "separate company" thing is massively misunderstood.

People set the boundary on this themselves, saying "I think the company works like X because I believe Internet Meme Y" so they start on incorrect foundations, and then move on to "The only way I'll be convinced is if GW issue a statement". GW *has*, countless times. People just choose not to believe the parts of the company that actually communicate with the public, and insist a statement must come from some mythical entity that doesn't actually exist.

Clever stuff, really. To set the goal lines in a place the other side of the argument (and the truth) will never reach. It's no different from saying that you'll only believe in dinosaurs if God sits you down personally and tells you they were real. The fossils and other evidence isn't good enough, but that's all reality will provide, because that's how the Earth works.


aarondembskibowdenOctober 31, 2013 at 7:08 AM
I think the biggest misunderstanding is the triumvirate of "companies" that make up GW. 

They're just departments, in the same building. Their designers all go to the same range meetings. Their top brass all talk, all plan, all discuss stuff.

There's a lot more communication than people seem to believe.


check out this pic that was released on his site for Halloween.