Meat for Meta: Why are the Rules never fair game?

So, when GW held a Warhammer 40k Open Day a few days ago it wasn't surprising to find anyone asking deep questions. At least one person though was there to observe the proceedings and comment on them.

35 going on 40k as these observations about the "40k Seminar" discussions.

+ As my friend said, the GW staff talked like teachers for the most part. When a kid asked about the new IG codex being ‘nerfed’, the conversation ended with “Did you like the new Codex overall?” “Yes.” “Yay!”. That was cheap but it would tie in with marketing towards kids. And by George, where do these kids get there money from?
+ Bugman’s Bar was better than I expected. There was no discount at the GW stores for the day (missed opportunity).
+ Astra Militarum and Imperial Guard are the same thing; it was a change to bring the IG in under a gothic name like other Imperium factions.
+ As a general principle, GW will not have models in a codex that they no longer sell a model for.
+ Forge World and GW studio act independently and catch-up to share ideas/pass on new rules. Forge World are able to act more reactionary and at a quicker pace.
+ People like the new Psychic phase.
+ Phil Kelly would like to see a Sisters vs Eldar supplement; this was a personal idea when asked what he’d like to see if he could do anything.
+ Supplements will become more popular and replace the typical ‘new codex & new units’ cycle (though this will still happen when the time’s right). The supplements enable GW to add brand new units at a faster pace to armies without complete Codex rewrites or waiting for the conveyor belt to come round. There was a strong hint at something Sisters related in the future in this regards.
+ Someone asked if there would be a compendium of supplements/formations/datasheets eventually. They said they hadn’t considered it but it was a cool idea should the opportunity arise.
+ People and GW like Unbound. Comments of ‘reminds me of 2nd’ were not uncommon.
+ When asked if Unbound was permitted at tournaments, GW said that’s up to each tournament organizer to decide.
+ When asked about the idea of a system that lets you build your own HQ character, GW said they leave this up to the the player to create and discuss with friends. Internally, they’ve created personal characters. It was a cop out answer as it was a great suggestion.
+ 41k won’t happen.
+ Concept artists/sculptors come up with the models, the studio then write the rules to match.
+ The studio has been playing Kill Team recently.
+ They like Lords of War - big robots fighting big monsters.
+ They admit they’ve yet to crack how to do social media well; they are looking into it.
+ They talked about an idea Jervis has had of a gameplay supplement. This could cover concepts such as roleplay narratives, campaigns, leagues, tournaments, etc.
+ The studio said that from experience, people talk to them at events etc about the new models, story and painting. Rules is something they rarely ever get asked in person. They openly said - perhaps unintentionally - that at the Open Day no one was asking about rules, only models. And to them this made it seem like models come first, rules second. Though, of course, rules should still be good.
+ No specialist games. Focusing on core ranges.
+ They tried killing off main army characters and felt it didn’t work. They won’t be doing it again.
+ One of guys - whose name escapes me - really likes Tau and the Riptide. I think he wrote the rules. Phil Kelly later made a interesting side note by mentioning that the Riptide was a stepping stone in big robots when talking about the Titans. As technology progresses they hope to continue exploring giant robots and monsters; they love the concept of them stomping through cities.
+ They have a playtest team of about a dozen (a mix of tournament/casual players). This doesn’t include the core GW team playing too. Not all the playtest team may be testing the same thing at the same time.
+ GW strongly encourages people to approach them face-to-face at these events and ask them questions. Next time I’m going to take all the rule questions I have.
+ If people enjoyed the Open Day format they’d like to do it again.
+ When asked about the possibility of a new race they said yes.
+ A guy asked if Dark Eldar would ever get better armour than cardboard. The answer was no, it was part of what made them unique. Like having no tanks. Plus Orks only have t-shirts for armour.

The name change question was really funny. It almost sounds rehearsed. Does this mean we can expect to see Space Marine going away? What about future Inquisitorial books? Of course, they couldn't say it had anything to do with the Chapterhouse case, but at least be consistent.

I find the unbound comment to be so ridiculous, but let me tie that into another comment later.

Jervis is born to do this supplement! Even with all his flaws he is creative when it comes to this sort of thing. I would buy it and ever narrative type should to. 40k could use a one source compendium for different play styles instead of the bits and pieces we get now and then. Especially, if it only rules for use with the basic game not any of the expansions.

The comment about no one ever asks questions about the rules is so rich! I have had experience talking to Phil Kelly and he avoids every, and I mean every inquiry about the rules. The only things he will comment on is models, painting, and fluff. If he does comments about rules it is always in the context of the corporate line "change them yourself". The design team doesn't talk about rules because they won't listen to anyone talk to them about the rules. The culture created protects them from talking about the sometimes shitty rules they come up with. I believe people refer to this as living in a bubble, so no wonder all they smell are roses when it comes to Unbound. More likely, it is the marketing department meddling with the design team, but you won't hear say that. It really does boggle my mind, the whole not being asked rules questions. I mean this is the design team for the game. They are not the sculptors or novel writers, their business is the rules and for people to not ask them any rule questions is pretty unbelievable.

We will have to wait and see if GW really wants Face-to-Face conversations with their players. Every time they open up they inexplicably shut it down just as quickly. I hope people who can attend these events do ask questions about the rules, but if the deflection is always "well do you like the models" then what is the point? I am sure whatever the format is, it protects them from getting a string of difficult questions. They probably target younger gamers without long GW memories or a maturity to ask poignant questions. The only way to get anything through would be a group of players with prepared questions and statements, a similar approach to a debate or congressional hearing. Of course, this sort of thing requires a lot of effort and timing, all things you quickly realize are not worth your time because we are only talking about a hobby here.

Finally, the new race dangle is being thrown out. I am surprised they gave even a yes to the possibility. This instantly has people clamoring for Squats, but it ain't asking no matter how many times people do.

So, what rule or design questions would you ask?