Epic 40K went through a fair few incarnations, initially starting as Space Marine and Adeptus Mechanicus, it eventually ended it's existence as Epic: Armageddon with little love from Games Workshop but a still loyal if diminished following. The minis were available from GW at a high price and the community still bubbled along.The rumours of the so called "Knights" game could point to the return of the smaller titans from 1st and 2nd edition of Epic 40K. |
The real buzz at the moment is to do with Battlefleet Gothic, something that I have thought might be coming back for some time.Battlefleet Gothic provided players with the ability to stage space battles between fleets of ships. There were fleets for the Imperium, Chaos, Orks, the Eldar and later Space Marines, Dark Eldar, the Tau (including their Auxilary forces (Squats), the Tyranid and the Necron. The level of detail on the ships was amazing and some incredible books were produced to supplement the system. |
More after the jump
Macragge's Honour was the flagship of Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines Legion during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy.
Then in May 2013 at the Weekender, this artwork was revealed for Macragge's Honour
Dan Abnett is THE man behind the current success of the Horus Heresy universe, no matter what you think of the revisionism. Who better to trust to bring Battlefleet Gothic back to life?
Another thing that got me wondering was Games Workshop themselves.
They are pretty methodical with their website, constantly removing material that doesn't match their current canon - even going so far as to take the Marine Chapter painting guides.
So why, when control is so tight... is this still up?
Games Workshop's repositioning of their website as a store for both Forge World and GW product could also see these systems almost entirely web-based and the rules only on digital platforms - ideal for updating rules and adding expansions.
The stores wouldn't need to service them, maybe a display or two, but not shelf space. The existing fan base know what they are getting and Battlefleet Gothic provides a good counterpoint to Spartan Games (Firestorm Armada) encroachment into GW's territory.
To me this is a no-brainer and pretty exciting news, but will Epic work now with Games Workshop's price increases? It would cost a lot to build an army these days...
Battelfleet Gothic could survive with smaller fleets, plus plastic counters for certain smaller contingents.
For me Battlefleet Gothic is the real winner here.
What do you think?
Is this exciting news or just something you have no interest in?