With 10th edition on the horizon, we may see a mass exodus from Warhammer 40k next summer, but there is time to avoid it…
We’ve talked a ton about the likelihood of 10th edition Warhammer coming next year, so we’re not going to cover it too much here, but if you want to see all the rumors, you can check those out here.
But it’s not all gloom and doom, this is more in the hopes we’re wrong, or GW makes the changes needed to keep people in the hobby and keep things rolling in the right direction.
40k Mass Exodus Scheduled for July 2023
So, what could happen? There are rumors out there, and the way things are trending, the 10th could be a huge reset to the rules.
Let’s take the example of 7th to 8th edition first. When 8th came out, the game was built around secondaries and stratagems, like a giant reset button from 7th, along with stats changes, etc. However, all previous rules, including codex books, became invalid. GW mitigated this two ways: offering refunds of codex books bought just before the change to the 8th edition in 2017 and selling Index books grouped by Chaos, Imperials, and Xenos at launch.
Then, 9th was more of a soft reset, but both stratagems and secondaries are already starting to play a much smaller role. The key here was codex books at the start of 9th were all still valid with a quick points update rollout. However, an index book was still offered for Forge World Imperial Armor.
So, in theory, and according to the rumors, it wouldn’t be too far of a stretch for 10th to take those two main attributes (stratagems and secondaries) away and replace them with a different game style for 10th edition.
The hot-button issue, however, seems to be the plight of some of the most anticipated codex books for Warhammer 40k in a long time.
If 10th hits sometime next year and invalidates all rules and codexes released before it, Imperial Guard, Leagues of Votann, Daemons, CSM, Both Knights, maybe Space Marines 2.0, and maybe World Eaters will have been out for a maximum of only one year.
Consider if you’re a newer player who just started one of those armies; not only would you have to learn new rules, but you would also have to rebuy all the rules for not only a new edition but potentially an index book, and then a codex book when it is re-released for the faction.
While it’s not an insane amount of money, if you’re new to the hobby buying new rules within a year just never feels good.
As we said, maybe veteran hobbyists will stick around, but it may just be a bridge too far for newer players to the game in this economic climate.
What Changes Could be so Big?
As we said, secondaries and stratagems are becoming less and less of a focus, so we could see them taking them away completely or just changing them so much we don’t really recognize them.
Then, the biggest probable change to Warhammer 40k could be reactions! GW likes to test things out with the smaller games before making the jump to 40k, and with reactions in Warcry and now in Horus Heresy, we could totally see that being a large change in 10th edition. This would make the game more interactive (which could make the games more fun).
However, if you just started and you have to buy new rulebooks and an index, it might be too big of an ask.
The X-Wing 2.0 Example
This has been discussed a lot, so we’ll keep it short. But… when X-Wing 2.0 came out and said you have to buy all new cards (for $100 plus) to play with your figures, the game basically died for a long time.
While 40k has been more insulated from people leaving, this is one of the times in a while where GW had an insane influx of players instead of the normal growth. We could lose so many of those players due to an edition change that’s not handled correctly.
It could very well be like X-Wing 2.0, where a bunch of new players joined, and then boom, the new edition takes them right back out of the Warhammer hobby.
Handling it Correctly
So, while GW has been on the 3-year edition cycle for a long time now, there could be a great easy way to retain the current base of players going into 10th Edition. If they did decide to hard reset the game, they could offer new index rules for free. Or if the rules are not getting reset, release a big starter box set full of value like Indomitus again!
That, in theory, would not just destroy the interest of all these newer players and appease veterans alike. Honestly, it probably would be received quite well, just like GW’s promise of “reinventing” themselves back in 2017.
The reason is, generally, not only do you have to buy new rules with an edition change, but also models too. Sometimes things change so much that units become useless or get better.
If you are a new player and all you have is a 1,500-2,000 point force, it may not be a stretch for you to buy new rules to stay competitive/current; you would have to buy some new models as well!
That may be a hard sell for newer hobbyists in our current economic world.
So, we’re not against Games Workshop changing things up, we just hope they do it in a way that won’t isolate old or new players!
Plus, the game is in a pretty balanced state right now, so changing things up when it seems like they finally figured out how to balance the game is also kinda a feels bad looking ahead to the future as well…
We talk more about this on our podcast from August 11th, 2022, linked below:
How would you feel about having to buy new rules for your Warhammer 40k army in less than one year, and would you like to see something like reactions added to 40k?
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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.
