The Lost and The Damned - Re: In search of a Warhammer 40K edition

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Re: In search of a Warhammer 40K edition

Posted by Legiocustodes on Sep 08, 2011; 1:49am
URL: http://the-lost-and-the-damned.71.s1.nabble.com/In-search-of-a-Warhammer-40K-edition-tp5880777p6770211.html

Hmmm a complicated question indeed!

From a background and sheer originality perspective then I have to say rogue trader is by far and away the best edition! It always feels so fresh and vibrant when I play it, even if it can be a little chaotic and unpredictable. However it is not without it's limitations, firstly size wise, it really is a skirmish/light rpg at heart and thus if you play with more than twenty models aside then things can get real confusing, especially if you're using all those random tables and charts to generate troops and equipment! Secondly which version of rogue trader do you use... Over it's lifespan (1987-1993) it received an update book almost every year (Chapter Approved 1988, Compendium 1989, Compilation 1991, Vehicle Manual 1992, Battle Manual 1992) all of which significantly altered one or more aspects of gameplay, not to mention the various updates in the now rare White Dwarf articles from that period! Thus a game of 1987 RT is a whole different beast to a game of 1992 RT.

For streamlined, fast play gaming 3rd edition is your best bet as this ripped out many of the more complicated (though many would argue more interesting) rules from earlier editions. However I always feel a little hollow with these and subsequent rules, simply because my armies feel like a swathe of generic toys as opposed to units of individual personalities!!

I currently mostly play the latest fifth edition simply because this is the one that is catered for by GW and also because it is easier to find opponents who play this version. It's ok, and is a little more ineresting than third/fourth edition, but is still a little bland for my liking!!

That said I have just acquired a pristine copy of second edition and dark millennium and so my gaming group and I will be giving this a go pretty soon! I shall let you know how it goes!!