The only problem there is that GW is going to make themselves look very stupid if they change things again too much in another ET book. Different elf players sprinkling their armies with others elves and then GW pulls a bait and switch? That won't end well.

While the future of different special characters seems to be uncertain (well, those with older models (potentially by implication, finecast) seem to be the most at risk...), I'm not sure they'll do too much to the armies until new books come along.

The whole plot puts me in mind of this classic from 40k (although Matt ward's input this time was likely little or none due to his departure). Just insert a dark elf on the left and high elf on the right.

This blog entry seems to indicate Khaine is pretty much Ward's work. I guess take from it what you will...

And to think Gav Thorpe is currently taking the avalanche of worldwide online abuse in his stead

Interesting to see that blog entry. They have definitely had this planned for a long while then.

Very, very interesting find. Very Ward...

Gav Thorpe managed to make Malekith almost cute at times. Mind me, the kind of cute a little senile Nazi grandfather reminiscencing good times of his youth could be. But overall I think he didn't do that bad a job, considering.

And yes, this was planned at the least before Vampire army book...

"...as I've mentioned before, I don't like killing characters off..."

A fairly ironic statement given the vast number he kills off, to the point that being a red shirt on the Enterprise is probably viewed as a better career choice than being a hero in the warhammer world right now...

tbf I'd be surprised if the cull was his idea.

The sales and profit strategies most likely lead the fluff design, and the GW chiefs likely had a boner over the popularity of GoT.

OMG!!

http://www.thetowerofstars.co.uk/#!The- ... 72A8464BD1

I guess that is EXACTLY who we have to blame. That #$@$er got us on his way out the #$@^ing door!

But I doubt he decided the overall strategy. The higher-ups then the team as a whole would have set out this direction.

But now that totally explains the utter failure in clarity of the rules. Especially what we saw in Khaine with the magic. The man CAN'T write clear and concise rules to save his own life.

"You have to go back more than a quarter of a century to find my first visit to a Games Workshop. It wasn't to buy anything for Warhammer, but a box of plastic Daleks and Cybermen. I still have memories of a dark and dingy place; something of a cave of wonders, filled with dozens of different games and hundreds upon hundreds of miniatures. Have you seen that Bugs Bunny film where Daffy Duck finds Ali Baba's treasure cave? Well, it felt a bit like that. I think there was even a Nazgul on Winged Beast behind the till. Not actually serving behind the till, of course. That task fell to two men of indeterminate age who were fighting a losing battle against the till roll. Funny the things that stay with you. If the pair are still with the company, they're probably quite senior by now."

The sad thing is that he describes here the GW I first fell in love with. My school was down the road from the original retail store in Hammersmith, London (opened in 1978 - long since closed) and I remember going as a wee tween in the very early 1990s to play games and purchase miniatures there. The whole store felt like a cavalcade of excitement and adventure, with tons of different miniatures and games, not even limited to purely GW ones. Items were heaped in an often disorganized mess, yet there was a sense of broad variety and rich diversity. Items were mostly priced fairly (although at that age, I winced at paying £1 per metal miniature) and I remember the first 4th edition army books coming out (high elves first, then orcs if I recall rightly), for the princely sum of £9.99 per book (actually, books were - or used to be - one of the areas that prices had not soared up too unreasonably on. When I got back into Warhammer again in 2009, my dark elf softbound book cost me just £15, although it was admitted slimmer and made with worse quality paper. Of course, prices have soared on books in the last couple of years).

Now it has all changed. Very specific products are placed on shelves to be as clearly visible as possible. Only GW products are stocked, and these are priced very highly. There are only really two (possibly three games) that you can buy - 40k or fantasy - with occasional other directly related board games sold for limited periods of time. I appreciate that Matt Ward shares my memory of the secret treasure trove feeling that GW stores once had, and don't blame him for the way it changed (indeed, I don't even really blame GW: commercial realities, not daemonic ministrations, changed their approach), but still, it's a shame all told.

Bottom line is that Mat Ward apparently is single handedly responsible for the ruin of TWO editions of Warhammer. 7th edition with his over powered and completely unbalancing version of the Daemons of Chaos book and now Warhammer: Khaine's completely insane magic rules.

Thank God, he won't be here to ruin 9th edition too! Since he's been fired/quit or whatever from GW for about a year...it just shows you guys how long it takes from writing to distribution.

Back in October I decided to get back into 40K, so I went to the local game store to check it out. There I found it was still the same fetid bag of refuse it has been since late 5th edition. I realized that it just wasn't for me.

Now I had always liked the dark elves of fantasy. The two characters of Malekith and Morathi had been favorites of mine since 4th edition came out, for while I didn't play fantasy I did like reading about the races, especially the dark elves. So instead of dusting off the ol' Black Teplars I put down a grand and got my pittance of GW models. I read the army book front to back in one fell swoop and was generally pleased with what I saw. Then I heard about the End Times. It seemed intriguing yet I remembered the mess that was Storm of Chaos, but I decided to wait to see for myself.

I finally got my copy and read it last night. As I was turning the pages I kept thinking to myself, "I thought Matt Ward left?" As far as the actual writing went it was well written, but the content was utter horse hockey. I don't mean to but as has been said it seemed like it was written to simply remove an enormous amount of IP from the game, whether it be for the sake of royalties or the lack of models for characters, or both. I really just don't even know how to put into words how this makes me feel.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a narcissistic company gave such an important product to a "writer" with such a record of utter ad complete idiocy and it came out bullXXXX.

I really wish I had my $1000 back.

But maybe I am being too pessimistic. Maybe 9th edition will be fun full of interesting peoples and kingdoms. But if ET:K is anything to go by pigs will grow wings and learn to fly first.

I know that feel.



A man of taste and style!



Swag



I think you are being too pessimistic. A lot of us got back into the hobby after the obligatory beer and girls break. GW may make stupid decisions, but we also have their very rich and very long game background to work from. The painting, modelling, gaming and fluffing is still potentially as good as ever. The communities are really good too.

Hope you stick with it. The more passionate Dark Elf players around the better IMO

+1, This is the exact reason that I stick around. I distrust GW's business model to respect my pocketbook. But I tolerate their profit making because the game in all its dimensions feeds my soul.

The story sometimes has a bit of a forced feeling to it. It impressed me that decisions were made and the story was pushed into it. Even the duels. Some of the face-offs between characters felt forced. Like a battlefield of the reported magnitude offered no constraint between two characters to find one another (oh by accident of course, every battle again).

But this feeling continued even in the storyline besides the battlefield. It's just a simple example, but the Phoenix Guard and Black Guard merged... and were labeled Shadowfire Guard.
...
Why?

It's a nice name. I like it. But why, of all the possible names they could take, did they choose that name, before the final battle?
After the final battle, where Malekith was destined to contain the wind of fire, he instead carries the Wind of Shadow and the Flame of Asuryan. Then the name Shadowfire Guard makes sense. Because he is both Shadow and Fire. But before that, there would have been dozens of alternatives that would have been more logical.
1. Each kept their name
2. King's Guard
3. Asuryan's Guard
4. Blackfire Guard
....

This impressed me that the name was long chosen in advance with the ending in mind, rather than the consequence of a natural order of events.

Every ET book comes as e-Book as well as iBook version.

http://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/War ... view=table

It's probably a sign of things to come. They probably didn't "ignore" the other half of the tablets, but chose to start with Apple platforms.