Crazy that it has been 2+ years since I've posted. Like many of you, I quickly tired of 7th Edition and was on my way out of the hobby. Then GW announced 8th Edition and reeled me back in. I have been following the updates on Warhammer 40K 8th Edition with much interest. I'm really impressed with how far GW has come this past couple years. Going from a company that didn't listen to any outside feedback at all to where we are now is pretty impressive. In particular, fan interaction is great and the guys that run the Warhammer Community Facebook account and how the troll the community is amazing (see inset image).
As a game, 40K got really stagnant. The rules were over bloated and the game just wasn't fun for me anymore. List building for tournaments became an insane amalgamation where generals wouldn't bat an eye putting Dark Angels and Space Wolves in the same army which was crazy town and just felt wrong.
Luckily, they realized the error of their ways, and brought in outside help for the first time in years, The fact that GW brought in outside playtesters from Adepticon, Nova, and Frontline Gaming was definitely a step in the right direction. Last I knew, GW stopped using outside playtesters way back when I was writing Lustria scenarios and Warbands for them back in the Mordheim days which was in the early 2,000s.
What we have now is an edition based on fan feedback. Honestly, this is the game I wanted to play. A lot of the stuff they included like models can shoot at what they want, command points, running, are all house rules I used to play with anyway so the changes are most welcome. I'll post more about my thoughts in the future when we get a better idea of where the Blood Angels are going in this edition. I also have some no hobby projects and tutorials in the works, so look out for more soon.
Finally, a bit of a shameless plug. A friend of mine just released a Kickstarter for a new turn-based Tactical RPG. A lot of the design was influenced by tabletop wargames and you can actually play the game now as there is a demo available. Art Direction and the maps were done by me. If this is your kind of game and you want to see it made, please back if you are able to. Every little bit helps. If you can't back, a mention to your friends or a post to your social media outlet of choice would be much appreciated.
Until then,
-The Harrower