Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

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TheSpillmonkey ( 4 )
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by TheSpillmonkey »

That still holds true. Fantasy is probably only 20% of GW's north American business. America loves their space battles.
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by HarlequinZero »

In my opinion America's love of space battles pales in comparison to America's love of big guns and using those guns. I never thought it was so much the setting as the arsenal.
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by kturock »

It's a matter of the players are lazy. For fantasy, you used to have to keep track of facing and formation and cost to change. Everybody I've talked to over the last 25 years that plays/played 40k, and was interested in fantasy; gave the same reason. Movement was to hard. In the latest version of WHFB, they simplified it even more, just so they could try to get 40k players interested.

In 40k you don't. All are skirmishers.

The players who like, or don't mind facing, formations and such, play real wargames based on history. ACW, and the like. There's still a niche market for them. Also most are 15mm. Snce they need more models than a skirmish game. That's why GW came out with it's 'historical' rules sets. They were/are basicly the bare WHFB without magic, but with the army books/lists for the different compatants.

Dragons & giants are kool, but lines and squares aren't.
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by mickmoon »

It is the movement in warhammer fantasy that makes the game far more strategic. This sets fantasy apart from 40k and should never be changed. It is the element that makes fantasy superior as a board/table game. It is the element that drives so many army builds and strategic considerations. Being a rated chess expert for many years and playing both 40k ( first) and fantasy games it became apparent how fantasy really captures a strategy board game where 40k falls short. Warhammer 40k is enjoyable to play but with movement rules in 40k it just doesn't cut it for me. ADmittedly, I was atrracted to 40k due to the futuristic models and alien races but Idoubt I will ever play a 40k game again. FAntasy really has me hooked.

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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

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Recently, the new local GW store started a 40k summer league. There are about 20 players.
Fantasy has about 6. But more players are buying fantasy to try it out. especially with needing only 750 points per side.
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by Boskie43 »

mickmoon wrote:It is the movement in warhammer fantasy that makes the game far more strategic. This sets fantasy apart from 40k and should never be changed. It is the element that makes fantasy superior as a board/table game. It is the element that drives so many army builds and strategic considerations. Being a rated chess expert for many years and playing both 40k ( first) and fantasy games it became apparent how fantasy really captures a strategy board game where 40k falls short. Warhammer 40k is enjoyable to play but with movement rules in 40k it just doesn't cut it for me. ADmittedly, I was atrracted to 40k due to the futuristic models and alien races but Idoubt I will ever play a 40k game again. FAntasy really has me hooked.

mickmoon

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(saying that, I agree with what you've stated)
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by ShaneC »

From what I've seen locally and a few specific forums I visit - a lot of the friendly Fantasy games tend to go for themed lists.

Tournament play is of course a whole different story.

My impression of 40k has pretty much been "chuck loads of dice for shooting until everything is dead". I say that as someone who has yet to play 40k (but Daemons are on the way!) Fantasy seems to be more "if this, then that, counter, combo, etc" (dare I say tactical? i still just chuck fist fulls of dice ;) )
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by jason1977 »

May just be with GWs heavy push on 40k now. If you were to check GWs site, alot or the Bret models are missing. TMK, i dont play Fantasy, Bret is one of the bigger armies GW makes. Could be hinting at a new Fantasy rule set with Bret being army number 1 out of the gate.
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by Solution9 »

From my observation over the years (been playing fantasy since 4th ed) is that interest in the game dips to a low and the end of an editions life cycle. 9th Ed is on its way (I think) and when that comes WHFB will be quite dominate for a while. This is a normal cycle. Same applies to 40K just not as noticeable as WHFB.
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by jdevita »

So did Age of Sigmar ruin Fantasy all together? Is GW going towards Fantasy going more 40k? Like the round bases and simple window licker rules like 40k?
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by kturock »

jason1977 wrote:May just be with GWs heavy push on 40k now. If you were to check GWs site, alot or the Bret models are missing. TMK, i dont play Fantasy, Bret is one of the bigger armies GW makes. Could be hinting at a new Fantasy rule set with Bret being army number 1 out of the gate.
Bretonians have been on the decline for a while. The models have become fewer and fewer leading to speculation that they were going to be in the new box set. They were due for a new army book.
Empire, Orcs, Elves, Chaos and Skaven have been the biggest armies for a long time. Lizardmen had a steady following; as did Dark Eldar, Ogres and Dwarfs. Chaos was split up between beasts, mortal and deamons and desire varied; with beastmen losing. Undead was holding it's own, but the split between Tomb KIngs and Vampire Counts Increased and decreased the desire of the armies.
Then deamon summoning and the huge undead horde came into the game.

AoS is an entirely new game using the old models. It also has new models, on a more heroic scale and price, coming out. The starter box models average under $3 each. The 1st release of for the Sigmarites, the Liberators, which are in the starter, but includes different weapons; is $50. $10 per model. Which is right in line with 40k Terminators. The models are about the same size and the running joke is they're fantasy terminators. I know several people who are going to paint them in marine colors for use in both games.

Like checkers, the rules are simple, but the strategy isn't. Which units should attack in which order is one of the newest twists in the game. Before, it was all of one side attacking. In 40k there was both sides attacking based upon initiative. In AoS, the acting player chooses first, and then attacks alternates. The defending unit doesn't have to, or necessarily want to, attack back instantly.
Movement and facing was a key facet in winning or losing the game. It was also the biggest complaint by players for not wanting to learn the game, or why they lost, didn't have fun or disliked the game.
Facing doesn't matter as much, but movement, range and the timing, does matter.

Will it attract the numbers of new players that GW is hoping for, only time will tell. Every time there's a change in rules or army books, players complain how the new rules nerfed them. How this wonderful unit isn't anymore. Then after a read, they see how they're now better or, not as bad, then the last edition. Some people quit entirely, rage selling or destroying they models. Others changed but grumbled. Others just kept playing the old rules and ignored the rest.

People are still playing older editions of 40k, but not in stores. You can still play 8th edition of fantasy in GW shops. GW hasn't supported tournaments in a long while. So a lack of tournament viable rules, doesn't concern them.

Players have always complained and still do, that GW doesn't balance points. So now they removed the points entirely and said balance it yourself. Play as large or small or equal games as you wish; in most any combination of forces as you want.

WIll it die? AoS is a hot seller. The last issues of White Dwarf are sold or selling out. The starters set have almost sold out online. The starter and novel set already has.


I played my 1st game yesterday. I had more models with my Beastmen army. My opponent had fewer models, but more wounds. We played 4 turns and had a blast. We ran out of time and using sudden death rules, he won by losing fewer models. Wounds and model count are important in the game.
We had a blast. He's never played fantasy before. He has 2 40k armis and has played for at least 10 years.
I've played and collected fantasy since the late 80's; about 3rd or 4th edition.

Yes fantasy has changed. It's not Warhammer Ancients; but then again, neither was 8th edition. They were closer in rules than AoS, but that's about it.
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by Noble Korhedron »

You call Warhammer 40K simple?! I've been re-reading my copy of the rules in preparation for writing up some new army lists for my Ork collection, and frankly it's giving me a headache!! :-(
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by kturock »

Noble Korhedron wrote:You call Warhammer 40K simple?! I've been re-reading my copy of the rules in preparation for writing up some new army lists for my Ork collection, and frankly it's giving me a headache!! :-(
If you're referring to me, I was calling AoS simple; since it has a 4 page rulebook.
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by Admiral Underpants »

TheSpillmonkey wrote:That still holds true. Fantasy is probably only 20% of GW's north American business. America loves their space battles.
Fantasy is less than 15% of their Business world-wide.
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Re: Is Warhammer Fantasy Dead?

Post by Admiral Underpants »

I'd like to start off by saying that WHFB was one of my favorite games of all time, so it pains me to admit that this game is dead... Sure, it'll live on for another 1-2 years from people trying REALLY hard to keep it afloat, but it'll never last. With the books and models coming off the shelf, you'll get no new players into the game. As models break down and become useless, so will the hobby.

WHFB was unlike many games, because it made you feel like an actual general of an army. You had large blocks of guys and had more to think about than just rolling dice and hoping it went your way. You had calculated risks, movement strategies (front arc) and just straight more strategy than any other tabletop miniatures game.

The closest thing to WHFB, is this new Kings of War Version 2.0 that's coming out. It is taking MANY aspects of WHFB and adding some of it's own flair to keep things interesting. The major differences are the magic phases, they seem to be far less swingy. There's less "Purple sun" type of spells and no such thing as "Cascading" your wizard. There's no conga lines or stupid stuff like that, so the game tries to improve on a lot of the sillier aspects of 8th edition WHFB.

If you're looking at a game, that is going to thrive for the time being and reminds you of WHFB, then I suggest hopping on the bandwagon now and getting ahead of the curve.
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