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The schizophrenic marketing probably comes from the fact that while most other companies can put out newly updated products frequently with minimum complaints, Wizards can't do that with D&D. Ford can do it. Games Workshop can do it. Wizards can do it with Magic. When Wizards bought TSR, they had already put out five editions of Magic.

Games Workshop can do it? Since when?

Cheers!
 

Games Workshop can do it? Since when?
Well, I don't know how long they've been getting away with new editions, but Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000 are on their 8th and 5th editions respectively. I don't play, but I have friends that do, and every time a new edition comes out, I've never heard any of them complain about new editions they way they complain about new D&D editions. Of course, my friends aren't necessarily a representative sample.

Also, if I understand correctly, GW updates Army Codexes between editions sometimes. For example, I seem to remember there being two Dark Eldar codexes for one of the WH4K editions.

That said, now that I'm thinking about it, Warhammer Fantasy Rolepalying is getting flack for it's 3rd edition. While that's Fantasy Flight Games, not GW, I think it stands as a good counter example.
 




Well, I don't know how long they've been getting away with new editions, but Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000 are on their 8th and 5th editions respectively. I don't play, but I have friends that do, and every time a new edition comes out, I've never heard any of them complain about new editions they way they complain about new D&D editions. Of course, my friends aren't necessarily a representative sample.

Also, if I understand correctly, GW updates Army Codexes between editions sometimes. For example, I seem to remember there being two Dark Eldar codexes for one of the WH4K editions.

Correct on both accounts. It's possible that there's really no "edition warring" on the GW front because if you want to keep playing the game, you pretty much have to go with the new ruleset. If there's any company who would employ secret gaming-ninjas to smash your old stuff, it would be Games Workshop.

When they release a new army book or codex, however, the whining and complaining begins, and continues until the next army book or codex is released later that year. Then the new flavor of the month gets the complaints.
 

Magic was the item on that list that jumped out at me. Isn't it sort of a cliche how every Magic set since the beginning of the game has ruined the game forever?
I think frequency has something to do with it. Wizards just keeps cranking out new editions of Magic. By contrast, they've only put out 2.5 editions of D&D. Every one of them was a big event. Admittedly, they haven't owned D&D as long as Magic's been around, but Magic has had far more than 2.5 editions in the same time frame.

So, while every edition (or expansion) of Magic has ruined the game forever. Forever isn't as long for Magic as it is for D&D.
 

Correct on both accounts. It's possible that there's really no "edition warring" on the GW front because if you want to keep playing the game, you pretty much have to go with the new ruleset.
I suspect that part of that comes from the existence of GW stores.

If there's any company who would employ secret gaming-ninjas to smash your old stuff, it would be Games Workshop.
You know, I think they tried that once. I saw some disguised as a hedge in front of a friend's house a while back.
 
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