Adjusting to New Editions

[AGPO]

Hi all

This will be my 11th new edition of a Warhammer core game (WFB, 40K or AOS) but I know for many who started with AOS this will be the first time you've experienced this. IMO it's worth discussing this process apart from all the rules speculation. I thought we should start a thread where vets could share their experience from previous edition changes and maybe put others' minds at ease. I'll be approaching this primarily from the narrative, beer and pizza gamer's perspective, so if any tourney/comp players want to chip in that'd be especially welcome!

Points to remember:

1. Wait for the book.

There are always leaks, but these are often taken in isolation. Very often other mechanics shift to compensate. This is especially true now we have the GHB to adjust points. Wait until you've seen it all together before you start worrying/celebrating too much. 

2. These things go in cycles.

My army has been mid-tier, OP and relatively weak depending on what edition I've been playing, but rarely the same for long. The same goes for certain units. I've never played an edition which made it almost impossible to win or lose with any army.

3. The adjustment is rarely as big as you think

Your units will still excel at the things they do well, and suck at the things they do badly. In general, the big changes tend to be to reduce the power of the tactics that dominate the competitive scene and maybe give a boost to things that have been rarely seen. Rather than canning an army it's often a case of just bringing in a new unit or two or maybe an ally.

Positives and tips to adjust:

1. Everyone will be starting from the same point. 

People are going to be trying out new tactics and builds to exploit/mitigate the rules changes, but a new edition is a great time to be playing because everyone is starting from scratch and adjusting before the meta starts to settle down again. It's a great leveller

2. The edition doesn't settle all at once.

Generally, new rules published within a year of the new edition are designed to work with the new rules. Books published 6-12 months after will be designed around how people have been playing the new rules. Sometimes, unexpectedly powerful combinations emerge or players find ways around the issues the rules changes were meant to fix. If these combos belong to an old tome, they tend to get hit pretty fast (see Daemons of Chaos in 8th ed). If you're going to build a whole new army or make changes to your old one it's sometimes worth waiting to see what stays good.

3. The sky isn't falling.

Each of the new editions has had its doom merchants saying it's going to destroy the game and they've only been right once! To my mind that time was the best new edition I've experienced. Play a few games before you make up your mind. Play a few games and you'll probably find the changes aren't as big as you were expecting - you're still playing the same game with the same minis with the same people.

4. Play as much as you can early on

You'll find it much easier to pick up relatively casual games even amongst competitive groups whilst people get to grips with the changes. Stores also run far more demo games. IMO it's much nicer to learn the rules together with someone than to constantly feel a little awkward holding up their game whilst you look stuff up for the ninth time that round.

5. It's a great time to buy

If you're a bargain hunter, a battletome update isn't a great time to be looking for second hand minis. Not so for a new edition! It's really easy to find people to split starter sets with when a new edition comes out. Some stores even organise events for this. If you really want the books, often you can trade the second half of your set for the other half of someone else's, getting double the minis for your chosen faction for the price of one box. In addition, lots of people will be selling off the second half of their set online, and with so many, it's a buyers' market. Last but not least, there's always a fair few rage quitters putting their collection on ebay.

6. AOS 1e is still there.

A couple of years ago I played a warbands game using 3rd ed WFB rules and the realms of chaos books. It was great fun. In TRPG communities it's considered perfectly normal to play a previous edition of a game since you've already invested in the materials. D&D 3.5 is still going strong two editions later. If it turns out you really, really hate 2nd ed, I'm sure you can find a like minded group to play 1st ed with. Failing that, why not try 9th Age

 

Last but not least, remember that the one rule that hasn't changed in any edition of Warhammer is the Most Important Rule - this is about you and your friends having fun, so go for it.