A suspiciously timed rulebook, fading previews, and Titanicus déjà vu have us thinking, is GW already killing off Legions Imperialis?
The writing on the tiny, tiny wall is here… And we have our tinfoil hats on.
It’s starting to smell like ozone and broken dreams again, and that’s never good. If you’ve been around the Warhammer block for a minute, you might be getting a strong whiff of déjà vu, too.
The same kind that lingered when Adeptus Titanicus quietly slipped into the void. Now all eyes are on Legions Imperialis, and the signs aren’t looking great.
Let’s talk about why this “new” game might already be on its way to the great shelf in the sky. Before we do, keep in mind, this is nothing official, just how we see the situation in parallel to previous games.
The Epic That Wasn’t
When GW first started teasing us with new bases on Titanicus models and put a suspiciously edited image on the internet, alarm bells started ringing in hobby circles. Not in a bad way, mind you.
People were hyped. Was Epic 40k finally coming back? Were we about to field squadrons of Ork buggies, Eldar grav-tanks, and Necron monoliths at true epic scale?
Nope. We got Legions Imperialis. A Horus Heresy-era only game, tightly themed around Space Marines and Solar Auxilia, with no plans (then or now) for xenos factions. Cue collective hobby sigh.
Sure, the models were gorgeous. The detail was great. The launch had some heat. But the scope? Cramped. Many longtime Epic fans felt shortchanged before the first Rhino even rolled off the sprue.
Echoes of Adeptus Titanicus
Here’s where things start feeling very familiar. With Adeptus Titanicus, we got:
- Gorgeous kits
- Strong initial support
- A steady trickle of content
- A sudden drop-off
Then the big finale in 2021: the Warmaster Titan and a fancy rulebook compiling everything into one last hurrah. After that? Crickets, except for the odd community paint showcase. And just like that, the engine of war sputtered out.
Now Legions Imperialis seems to be walking the same path in the same boots.
The Big Book and the Last Hurrah?
Let’s talk about that giant rulebook announced at the Big Summer Preview. These compendiums are great for wrapping everything up in one place, but they’re usually the hobby equivalent of a funeral program.
When GW bundles all the rules, unit profiles, and army options into one neat package, it’s often their way of saying, “We’re done here.”
To make matters more suspicious, that same preview also dropped the last few big kits people were waiting for: datacards, tanks, objective sets, the whole works. The range is now, well, complete.
GW tends to stop writing new rules and models for side games once the range hits that point.
Sound familiar? That’s exactly how Adeptus Titanicus wound down.
No More Horus Heresy Thursdays
Remember when Horus Heresy Thursday was a thing? Yeah, that was the main avenue where we got Legions Imperialis updates. Now that it’s gone, so is the regular spotlight. Without dedicated previews, we expect the game to slip off the radar.
That’s a massive red flag.
If all we get going forward are a few painting guides and community showcases on WarCom, it’s safe to assume the lights are dimming fast.
What Comes Next?
To be clear, this isn’t official. There’s no funeral dirge playing on the Warhammer Community site (yet). But when you line up the signs:
- A “final” rulebook
- Full range delivered
- Preview channel shuttered
- It’s hard not to feel like we’ve seen this before.
And if we’re honest, it’s a bit of a shame. There’s a lot of potential in the Epic scale space. But when you limit it to just Heresy factions, lose the xenos, and cut off regular content flow, it becomes more of a niche within a niche.
Final Thoughts: Is It Time to Panic?
If you’ve been invested in Legions Imperialis, this might sting. The models still rock, the rules are solid, and there’s fun to be had. But don’t be shocked if support dries up. If GW starts drip-feeding paint guides and skipping previews, the pattern’s already been set.
So, keep building your tiny tanks. Keep rolling those dice. But maybe don’t hold your breath waiting for tons of new minis to show up.
GW Killed Off Horus Heresy Thursdays
Wouldn’t be surprised. Old original Epic player here, most models seem picked up more by nostalgic collectors than gamers. I have yet to see a game of AT or LI played at any Hobby/game/comic/collectible store or even a GW store within 100 miles of where I live. I have invested in the AT models but the LI boxes at $50 bucks a box I’m concerned the stock and support currently available will dry up before I can afford enough models to field proper units. Fortunately I do have enough Titans and Knights but I had hopes of an Ork Gargant and Eldar Titan release…we can still wish for that.
With Mantic’s Epic Warpath coming to stores in the next few weeks…who cares? It’s a much better game than GDUBS anyway.
I’ve played through the Original Adeptus Titanicus, Space Marine/Epic through to the current games. When was the hype the greatest for these games? Usually when an expansion was released, ex Renegades box, lots of players would start at least 1 army. They were small, easy to travel, and each player could build an army with a box of plastic minis and a few metal blisters.
Both AT2.0 and Legions Imperialis seem to be suffering from a similar problem: a severe lack of Xenos.
Oh neat, heresy Thursday, or as it’s known in my office as “Legiones disappointment” thursday is gone.