40k has been under some serious changes in the past year and seems like its burning more hobbyists out that it’s bringing back in. Is it time for a change?
With 40k’s meta constantly evolving, multiple FAQs dropping, and the same list archetypes in the top tournaments, people are getting burnt out. We’d like to propose a “version” of 40k with the hobbyist’s hearts in mind.
A New Type of 40k: Making The Game Great Again
The Problems with 40k Currently
40k has been going through a phase where a certain faction is at the top of the meta. People who don’t want to get swept off the board go all in on the army. Three months later, an FAQ drops and makes the army obsolete. Those people rush to get the next hottest thing only to have the process repeat. After a few cycles of buying kits, putting them together, and painting the entire army, people start to burn out and move to other games.
While 8th edition 40k may be welcoming to new players, some of the veterans are jumping ship and going to things like Horus Heresy, Warhammer Underworlds, AoS or Magic The Gathering.
Can we expect anything less from a business doing what a business does? GW is in it for the money and we can’t blame them for that. They realize that people want to play the “best” thing and will pay good money for it. After some time, they make an FAQ neutering that top army and buff another so people flock to that faction.
A Game For the People
Ultimately, people aren’t made of money and they want to be able to play the models that they think look cool. One key aspect of a good game is to make every unit a viable option. People can’t afford to chase a meta for years and years. One big attraction for most people getting into the game was that their models never go out of date. (we’re sure you’ve told one of your friends this to get them into the game). So what are we getting at exactly?
We’d like to see a version of 40k with:
- It’s own unit ban list
- Uses FINAL FAQ rulings. (Meaning no knee-jerk beta FAQs).
Having a Ban list
We know we just said “people should play what they want to play” but banning certain units that are too over the top would be necessary. Things like Smash Captains, Castellans, Harlequin bikes with Haywire rockets, and maybe even some Ynnari things are just some suggestions.
Bottom line, the ban list would smooth out the unit pool to make sure no over the top powerful units completely devastate an army. We want to see people using Dreadnoughts, Rhinos, Land Raiders (basically the stuff that haven’t seen competitive play).
Final FAQ Rulings
What comes along with the stress of 40k right now is chasing the meta. The meta changes only to bring one faction down and push another one to the top. With a total of four big FAQs mixed in with some minor random FAQs, the game is becoming increasingly hard to keep pace with.
To “trim away the fat” so to speak, the game would only run the final FAQ rulings on the game. (i.e the ones set in stone). It would cut down on people having to change their armies around quite as often.
Ran By the People
We can’t expect GW to run a version of the game like this, mainly because they can’t. They are the rule makers for units and are in business trying to make money. It takes a group of well-versed players in the community to create a fair ban list and smooth out the meta.
The game needs to be slowed down and all of the units made a totally viable option. That way, players would get to buy what they want without having to worry about how much playtime they’ll get out of the model before it becomes obsolete. They would also be able to take their time and show some hobby love to their army. Burnout would almost be nonexistent.
Horus Heresy is a perfect example of this. The game’s edition is extremely balanced and detailed. More so than 8th edition. There also isn’t a single unit in the game that is outright “bad”. People can build their lists exactly the way they want and have the models perform great on the tabletop.
What do you think about the meta shift of 40k? Would you like to see a version of 40k with its own ban list? Do you have a playgroup that already does something similar? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits In 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
Bio: Virginia restless, miniature painter & cat dad. He blames LEGOs for all this, as there was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all. Spikey Bits started with Rob trying to stay motivated to hobby on his backlog of projects and share his knowledge with others during the early blogging era.
Scale model hobbyist in the 80s, miniature wargamer, and trading card player ever since. He’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy since 5th Edition, but 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 minatures made of both pewter and resin.
