One thing that always stirs up some controversy in 40K are the “Spirit of the Game”-boxes included in the rulebook, which emphasise players – not just game designers – doing their part to make sure a game of Warhammer 40K is fun, enjoyable and “reasonably balanced”.
Love it or hate it, the philosophy has been around for a while. It certainly is not an invention of 6th or 7th Edition.
Have a look at this article from the way, way back White Dwarf 200 (that is 1996!), when Wolf Guard Terminators with both (!) Assault Cannons and Cyclone Missile Launchers dominated the gaming tables (anyone remember those?).
Ian Pickstock Talks Game Balance!
Owning to the open way in which we design our army lists, both of these forces are perfectly legal. [...]
We prefer to leave them very open, allowing gamers ot build armies in as free a manner as possible. [...]
Obviously, a shrewd gamer can abuse this, and deliberately put together a rather lopsided, “killer” force.
Thoughts?
While the article admits that this Wolf Guard combo was a mistake or an oversight, it very much stresses that the deliberate “killer”-lists (or “competitive” lists?) are going again the grain of the game?
Still relevant today?
It seems not all that much has changed, no?
Z.
Zweischneid
@pinsofwar
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