Everyone LOVES to play 40K with the latest and greatest rules, but big changes can throw the meta on its head – what are players and events to do?
Goatboy here and I am writing this as I finish up my list thoughts for the upcoming Challengers Cup in Salt Lake City, UT. It is a team event and if you are paying attention to competitive 40k then you know that this event closely follows a rather fun update to the current state of 40k. In fact, it was so close it was within a day of the rules “cut off”. What this means is that usually an event has a locked in date for all available rules to be used for the event. This lets players have all the army info needed to play that event without a mad dash in either getting models, getting rules, and just being prepared.
The Question – How Fast Should New Rules Be Used?
The question today, is while I understand rules cut off for say new armies, the current state of 40k is not really seeing new armies come into play. We are just seeing rearranged rules with existing models and while some releases might have a unit or two show up to be purchased most things are just looking at new rules. I say this because yes, the dataslate was huge update it was just an update to existing armies/models/rules. So why the push to not let it be used at the event?
I am usually all for playing games with the newest options. Any “old” rules left in an event kinda makes the event irrelevant to the competitively minded player. If you win with broken rules that have a fix for them then are you really winning by being the best player? If something wrecks the tabletop because they are too cheap but point adjustments fix this issue does a crushing win feel good? Does having an “*won using old rules” appended to your trophy make it not as exciting?
No Easy Choices for Events
I feel for any event that have updates happen before or even right after their event. It can be such a pain in the butt to either hope you don’t update your apps if you army has massive changes or if an army is way too good and wrecks your player base. I even feel for those events that need to deal with players that “quickly” create armies, bring subpar painting/modeling to the tabletop, and leave some opponents feeling unhappy by being wrecked by bad looking models.
Option 1: Some Events Choose to Give Players More Time
I remember like 15 years ago during one of the first ATC our friends from Toledo were going to be playing WTC, but WTC was playing the previous edition of 40K just after GW had launched the next edition. They brought lists that match more of the old edition to at least give the players some practice with stuff but the entire time they were trying to play the new rules but still keep the old rules in their head. The shift in edition was a couple months after the “rules” cut off and it kind of made that WTC a meh event as none of the armies mattered for the future as it was big rules shift between editions. GW is now a lot better about these types of updates and I don’t think will have an issue like this in the future, but it was still an interesting set of games that year.
Option 2: Some Events Choose to Jump Into the Fire
Also hats off to ATC because a lot of the times it seems they were always on the cusp of a massive rules or 40K edition change. A lot of the years they jumped on the live grenade of new editions and shifting their rules to allow teams and armies to work. I think this was one of the only events I came with models not painted due to a massive shift of the game weeks before the event. I remember rolling to go first versus Adam from The Army Painter’s amazing Lamentors army of flyers in a flyer fight off and becoming lifelong 40k friends. Nothing beats some grey Storm Ravens murdering some lovely yellow Storm Ravens from across the tabletop.
Option 3: Let Attendees Decide?
The Challengers Cup let the captains vote on if they allowed the new rules and I was thankful the majority voted to play the new version of 40k. I think overall it’s a good thing for the game as it means the armylists for the event will be relevant for any future events, the players will be playing new rules, and we don’t have to worry about the GW app being out of date. I was also thankful we got a few days to figure out new lists if needed which is helpful. It still means I am thinking too hard on adding Land Raiders but that is my own sickness.
What do you think? Should we always play with the new rules if available. Should new codexes be allowed if they were released a week out? Should anyone playing them at least have the codex to show this or updated App and rules?
Thomas Reidy, aka Goatboy, the ever-evil member of BoLS. I do arts, play 40k, and even paint a lot of stuff. I have been playing Warhammer 40K since the 1990s, and have won multiple national events including Adepticon and GW GTs. I’ve been writing for BoLS for 15 years. Look at my Instagram to see what I am working on – or working on for someone. I am always doing something hobby related.