Games Workshop has gone and done it again. No, not raising their prices, but I’m sure we’re in for that again soon (insert sarcasm here). This time I propose that they have done the unforgiveable. GW has broken the sacred compact with the gamer, they have changed rules explicitely to make sales.
What’s that you say? Everyone does this? Well, I will agree that this is not uncommon when versions of a game are released, but there is an unspoken agreement between the gamer and GW that a new codex or new edition with shake thing sup and then you (the gamer) can expect a slow decline in the ability of your highly priced models over the course of a few years before they become good again.
A few months back GW released new Flamer and Screamer models in plastic and a White Dwarf rules update. What is truly amazing is that from reading the updates and the new codex at the same time you can tell that GW already had the codex done. The WD update made flamers and screamers too good to pass up (thus selling losts of models) and then turned around a few months later once the models were sold and reduced their ability by an order of magnitude (100% worse or more).
I’m not upset that the new rules are underpowered. I think they’re a little more realistic now, but I am upset that we see such a blatant change of rules once they made their sales (and in such a short order).