With how often the rules and points are updated, it just feels like GW needs to start making Chapter Approved part of White Dwarf already!
It isn’t new, Games Workshop charging an arm and a leg for its products, and your average hobbyist has gotten used to this fact. However, at this point, just the cost to play an up-to-date game, with all the codexes, warzones, Chapter Approved, etc… is just getting so insane. While they are giving the points for free this time around, it isn’t enough.
We did a full breakdown of the pricing just to get the rules, which you can check out here, and it’s just insane and irresponsible in 2022!
Just Make Chapter Approved Part of White Dwarf Already
With a new CA coming every six months, the cost just to be up to date is a hard pill to swallow. Not to mention how they shorted some stores here in the states their copies, and as a solution told them to have their customers order directly from GW’s webstore because trade sales (who sells directly to stores) were “out of stock” already.
Spoiler alert: all the stock is in the same warehouse! GW just plays “shell games” with it to squeeze out the most money possible to fuel their current quarter profits above all else” business model.
While at least this time they have promised to give out the points for free, we just don’t feel like it is really just enough.
Sure free points changes, thank you, finally! But think about it, the rest of the rules would be so easy to just publish online. This would give current players far more value (considering there was just another increase in price on minis) and people would be more willing to buy more minis. Then, it would make it so much easier for new players to get into the game as they wouldn’t have to spend all that money on rules.
However, we get pivoting right to free rules releases might not be for GW, so…
That leads to the middle ground, White Dwarf! We have seen the small points changes booklets included there for free in the past, why not actually put the rules part of that wimpy small Nephilim Chapter Approved 2022 book in a White Dwarf too?
Included with each physical copy of March’s issue, you’ll find:
– A Steam voucher containing a code that will unlock a whole bunch of awesome Warhammer games for free!
– A 56-page printed booklet – Warhammer 40,000 Chapter Approved: Munitorum Field Manual 2021 MK I. Inside are updates to the points values for every unit of every faction for use in Warhammer 40,000 (including Forge World units), and it’s the only way you can get a printed version of these points.
From March 2021
Games Workshop charges $11 for each edition, which means they still make some money, and if they really put the effort into that edition, it might get more people to buy the magazine even…
Then, when you include the fact that getting a White Dwarf with all the other stuff inside gives you more value. If you told players they only had to pay $11 (or even $15 for a “special edition”) every 6 months to keep up to date with the overall rules changes, it would be an easier pill to swallow. Plus, as we said, you get a White Dwarf on top of it.
One other thing to consider though, Games Workshop already has something that could give everyone value on top of the incessant rules bloat and creep (emphasis on could).
Paying for a Service
This is where the Warhammer+ could actually be great (we know it has endless problems, that’s why we said could). We don’t mind paying for something maybe once a year that just has everything in it. If you never had to look at the book and could just have everything automatically updated, we don’t mind paying. If you could build your lists right there with the most updated points, we wouldn’t mind paying. That’s not what’s happening now. Basically every few months you have to buy something new for rules, and then in about six months, they could be totally outdated.
Giving away the rules might seem counterintuitive for profits, but it could really help. Not only help in the sense you only could get the rules if you were subscribed to Warhammer + and they would increase the member base. The second thing this would really help is piracy. How? Well, the majority of the sites that post rules sets directly could be considered piracy, if GW just did this themselves, it would mean a large portion of that would just disappear.
Plus they could charge a monthly fee for the privilege of access to this content (possibly through Warhammer + if it worked well). Apple proved a similar thing will work when they basically stamped out song privacy in the 2000s with iTunes as an easy legitimate way to access the content consumers wanted.
Lastly, it would get way more people into any of their games. When you look at just starting to play a single army, you have to buy the codex (which the price just increased to $55 now), any supplements (things like Charadon), and the Chapter Approved.
What do you think about the constant rule changes for Warhammer 40k and paying for them?
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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.
