Finally!
The Crimson Slaughter, the amazingly minor Chaos Space Marine Warband is getting a codex!!! And in typical Games Workshop fashion, is the uncanny ability to follow-up an amazing release (Imperial Knights), with something no one cares for or wants. Instead, what all CSM players want is something completely different-- namely Legion books. This constant fail on GW part by looking the other way when it comes to the CSM is frustrating and illogical. If they ever wanted to print money, feeding the insatiable Chaos player's hunger for the 1st Traitor Legions is the easiest place to start.
So, then why did GW create this pointless codex?
Well the easy answer, is selling it to little Timmy, who doesn't give a crap about who Angron or Mortarion is, but thinks the word Slaughter sounds so cool! Now, GW can tell Timmy's mommy she has to buy; the Dark Vengeance box set, the Chaos Space Marine Codex, and now the Crimson Slaughter Codex.
Design wise Crimson Slaughter Codex does make some sick sense. The warband isn't well-known, only recently getting love with the release of 6th edition. The design team can easily explore this army without the weight of previous editions, novels, or critical eyes. As Jervis Johnson (read the latest White Dwarf to understand) elegantly stated, the digital medium has given license for the design team to write and publish whatever tickles their fancy. The Crimson Slaughter Codex could very well be a love affair between CZ Dunn and Mat Ward, who really knows.
The more likely explanation goes back, once again to Rick Priestly's most telling quote of all time.
The Crimson Slaughter codex is nothing more than a slash release, a companion to the new Helbrute model.
Getting back though, why is the design team so afraid to tackle the original traitor legions?
Looking again, if what Jervis says is right (read the latest White Dwarf to understand) and the design studio can kinda do what they want, why hasn't anyone done it? The apologist fluff answer has been, "well you cannot do a legion books because the legions are just so fractured and their wouldn't be much to tell".
If that is your defense then why in hell do we have Crimson Slaughter codex!?! Another excuse, is Forge World has done a lot of traitor legion stuff; well in that case, it is the 30k not the 40k universe you are dealing with.
As I alluded to before, the task might just be to daunting for anyone in the studio to tackle. It could also be ego driven; designers in every field want to make their mark, and rehashing old content isn't personally rewarding like creating something new. You want to tell new stories, or at the very least, with the Imperial Knight, stories with such little background it can easily be expanded. Similar to when a DM might be happy with the Forgotten Realms world, but never the less has to leave their mark to separate themselves from everything that came before.
Well now that we are getting the Crimson Slaughter Codex, we have to start praying the rules are good. Here is the 20th chance to make basic Chaos Space Marines redeemable. This is a chance for GW to fix Champion Challenges and Moral problems. If they succeed expect "counts as" armies to start popping up almost immediately. At least expect a relic by the name of the Hellfire Stone to show up.
Strangely last few "digital codexes" have been small and filled with useless copy & paste material, where the Supplements are packed with more meaningfully content. Since the Crimson Slaughter Codex is priced at $50 bucks here is hoping for the meaningfully content!
Our first hint will come when GW publishes the rules for the Helbrute in the White Dwarf this week, if their rules aren't changed expect more of the same old, same old, from the new codex.
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.