It’s the question that seems to be on a lot of peoples minds- will Games Workshop change 40k to be like Age of Sigmar?
Depending on who you ask Age of Sigmar is either the absolute worst, or perhaps one of the best things GW has ever done, and that seems to worry a lot of folks.
Should we worry about Games Workshop messing with 40k in a similar manner? Maybe, but perhaps not anytime soon I would think.
Traditionally GW seems to plan out their moves well in advance, and honestly it seems like their focus right now for 40k is to get all the books on par with 7th edition. Now that will end as soon as the Tyranids book drops assuming that both Chaos Space Marines and Daemons get an update this year, which seems unlikely.
My gut says that all codex books could be wrapped up and changed over to 7th Edition by Summer 2016. That even could allow for any “new” factions that may get released, and perhaps some new Age of Sigmar releases in there as well.
Now there is the curious case of what rules GW will use with the new Horus Heresy Stater Set that is rumored to be releasing this fall as well. Surely they are not going to include “full rules” in this kit, as those volumes are extremely pricey products from Forge World itself.
So it is probable that whatever rules come with that box set, IF they are for games of conventional Horus Heresy, that they would be a “simplified version” of the Forge World books. That way players can still engage in the games that the figures may be meant for AND Forge World doesn’t have to “devalue” one of its biggest sellers: the Horus Heresy Books.
Now they may just take the starter game in a different direction as well, and make it a mini game like the Assassin Execution force was.
However if there is one thing I’ve learned about Games Workshop over the last 20 or so years, is that if they think they can do something to either save a dollar or make a dollar, they will do it as soon as corporately possible. Now that being said it seems like their new CEO is serious about making changes around the old HQ homestead, so never underestimate what may happen in Nottingham in the next 1-2 years.
In conclusion I don’t think 40k will get the AoS treatment, anytime soon. And if it was going to, we’d probably see a general slide to the game itself that heralded Fantasy’s demise from all the way from July 2010 to this year.
What do you think?
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.
