This is a two-part discussion about the release of Warhammer 40k Escalation.

Part 1 was a defense of the Codex: Escalation with Part 2 a deconstruction of what real problems this new  expansion represents.

In the previous article I took a decidedly pro-Escalation bent, because I felt the loudest and most annoying portion of the community had over-reacted to an otherwise fantastic addition to the 40k Universe.

While I will always believe most competitive players are good people, they mostly mask the simple desire of just wanting to win, regardless of whatever, even if removing all the joy in the game is part of the plan. The servitor in that manufactorum mine became clear the second the supposed "top players" felt forced to take lists like Seer Council to be "competitive". Oh, the pity party. As it has been proven time and time again, humans take the path of least resistance to accomplish their true desires. The perceived threat of something like a D-Weapons, could easily defeat them causing them to flip their shit. Like I said before, in the last article these "competitive players" are exposed, unable to handle an auto-win unit, when they relied on unit combos to accomplished the same goals.

With that said, Codex: Escalation is a design trend having big consequences. It is obvious, GW has been eating itself and repackaging old content and claiming it as new. Akin, to reading the same Huffington Post article five times, only to finally notice all they did was change the title. The last month saw the putrid bile called Codex: Inquisition and now the Dataslate money grabs of Christmas. This lead to an extreme amount of built up rage and Codex: Escalation was the final straw.

GW seems from the surface rudderless, but the design team isn't a bunch of troglodytes scheming the next way to bend us over, just to appease their corporate masters. Instead, last time I checked they are still human beings with feelings-- remind me the last time Mat Ward made a 40k codex?

So, what is the message from Codex: Escalation? It is about accessibility, the same thing 6th edition is about. The design team is thinking about the Baneblade, sitting on someone's shelf, unused because they don't have a group big enough for Apocalypse. They are thinking about the painter who rarely plays, but has models from multiple armies and wants to play them all at once. They are thinking about the Forge World player wanting to use his resin gold, with the rules supplied, not just as "counts as". By breaking down these boundaries 6th edition has given something for every type of player.

All this doesn't come without some sacrifices and the biggest might be balance. GW does play-test, but they cannot possibly play-test all the combinations they have released. So, instead they continue to stand behind one of their longest running tropes: If you cannot agree on something dice-off or agree to not use the rule or model.

My response to that was pretty simple as I posted on GW Digital Facebook page...

How about this for a change. Instead of trotting out the same old GW rules cop-out, the design team should make rules where any two players can bring whatever models they want and not feel like they have to ask permission to use them. Why should anyone buy a model, then travel to play a game only to be told, no one wants to play against them because of said model? The fault is not with the player the fault is with rules, rules should be thought out and play-tested to maximize fun FOR ALL types of players. I shouldn't have to convene a UN conference anytime I want to stop by my local game store for a pick-up game.

This is the conundrum GW has put itself in. They have made rules for any model you own, for any game situation, but they didn't make it fair across the board. Instead, it they have created resentment, a resentment not easily fixed, because GW has no apparatus to honestly communicate with the community. The designers are forbidden to answer questions outside of Games Days. They have no sanctioned tournament circuit to make rulings. They have no customer outreach. This was a stew just waiting for Nurgle's blessing. The only hope (sadly) is GW current pace of releases; each new supplement, expansion, and codex represents chances to realign the meta for the better.

The alternative (already happening) is to watch the ban-hammers come crashing down from local stores to the largest tournaments across the world.

Warning

Meat for Meta is rated editorial nonsense. These articles are meant to complain about some group, somewhere, that is playing the game for all the wrong reasons or simply to just make fun of 40k nerd rage.