Games Workshop slaps thousands of Warhammer 40k players in the face with their foolish and ill-timed release of Chapter Approved 2023.
We think this is just a very odd move from GW, as the Las Vegas Open is one of the biggest and most prestigious tournaments of the year, and they are releasing giant rules changes just one day before the official cut-off for rules changes and updates.
As of this writing, Frontline Gaming has not released an official statement on how they will handle it. However, thousands of 40k players are now wondering what points and rules the event will use.
Editor’s note: This is our opinion on the situation and does not reflect what Frontline Gaming feels about the changes.
GW Slaps Thousands of Warhammer 40k Players In the Face
Games Workshop is releasing the new Chapter Approved book on January 14th, which is literally one day before the LVO rules cut-off. This means, in theory, all players would have to adjust their lists to the new points, figure out those new lists, and adjust those armies to the new rules.
Which also means hobbyists might have to paint new units, and if you already spent all this time making an army, booking travel, etc., this is downright rude by Games Workshop.
To start, it’s not like GW doesn’t know about LVO; they are there every year and do one of their major previews at the tournament (and it’s the tournament to wrap up the competitive year).
So, that’s not really an excuse; if this were one of FLG’s smaller tournaments, it could easily be that they didn’t think about the timing. However, this feels almost malicious to both players and the FLG organization as a whole.
Internet memes say this is fine too…
What the release of Chapter Approved 2023 on January 14th, 2023, has done, in our opinion, is put the biggest single 40k event under the gun to make a decision and really makes GW look like they do not actually care about working with anyone on a level playing field.
This opinion seems to resonate online with the thousands of competitive players that attend LVO, down to local players that may not make the event. Actually, it seems worse for the more casual players, who already don’t practice as much.
Plus, it’s probably safe to assume most of the top players have had access of some kind to the new rules for a while now, and it just gives them an even bigger advantage over the average player.
At this stage, if Frontline okays the use of Chapter Approved 2023, it leaves the average player with about two weeks to figure out all the new stuff and possibly even remake their lists.
LVO draws some of the best players in the world; they won’t really be affected by this as they can practice a ton, some of which already have access to the new rules via their partnership(s) with Games Workshop.
An average player might be lucky to get in two games before the tournament with the new rules, meaning they will be way behind the curve. Some of the top players can literally put in 40-hour weeks to adjust with early access to the new rules.
In our opinion, this was totally preventable. It’s just another set of bad optics from Games Workshop and really cements the fact that GW seems to only care about what’s best for their bottom line, aka current quarter profits, above all else.
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
