What to ask at Enter the Citadel?

[theresponsibleone]

So, I'm heading up to "Enter the Citadel" next weekend, and there are some Q&A sessions with folk like Phil Kelly and Jervis.

I'm pondering what questions to ask. Please take note of my choice of forum nick - I don't intend to ask comedy questions or troll. But for those folk who can't be there, what would you like asked?

To save wasting anyone's time, the following topics won't be considered:

- Any questions about what's coming in the future (they won't tell us)
- Any questions about pricing / material use (they're games designers, not marketing / production)
- Anything about Squats, because it's to the point of a running gag now
- Loaded questions set more as a statement followed by "do you agree?"

I am kind of curious as to how many thoughtful, intelligent and considered questions we can come up with in just under a week.

[lattd]

Do you feel that certain units such as banshees and gene stealers should be changed to have grenades considering the impact of over watch?

[Psychosplodge]

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Are they happy with the speed of releases for sixth edition?

[Mr.Pickelz]

I'm pretty sure someone may ask this, but if you don't hear it thrown out there. Could ya toss it up please?

"With the advent of Terrain fortifications are we going to see faction specific terrain pieces, or just more archetypes with which each player can customize/convert the aesthetics of to fit their appropriate faction?"

[Roadkill Zombie]

Why did they give the Hemlock Wraithfighter a spell it cannot use on the turn it enters the board?

Why did they not give the Hemlock Wraithfighter better armour or a better jink save considering it is only armour 10 and will die to even bolter fire, yet has to hang out at range 12 (bolter rapid fire range) in order to get any use out of its Mindshock pod?

[eldargal]

Is there a possibility we will see Howling Banshees fixed in an errata as currently they are comprehensively inferior to Striking Scorpions even with being cheaper. Lack of plasma grenades, reliant on unreliable buffs from a unit that can't join them to inflict wounds an inferior Mask and and inferior Acrobatic.

Also for the love of god someone film it. We live in an age of small digital devices with cameras and video capacity yet no one thinks to film GW seminars.:p

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

I'd like to know if they're planning to do more terrain and upgrade packs. Making a finecast pack of las/autogun wielding arms would be great for converting WHFB models to 40k :3 Maybe tie it in to a minor Necromunda rerelease?

Howling Banshees might be good if errata'd to Troops? (Dire Avengers are Troops as they're the most common aspect, I believe Banshees are second most common?) Doubt it'll happen, though, since they seem pretty heavily opposed to rebalancing in faqs/errata.

[eldargal]

Changing them to troops would require dropping their points further to compete with Dire Avengers. I'd rather them be made to be properly elite:

-Mask negates defensive terrain
-Acrobatic lets them treat their dedicated transport like an assault vehicle

That's it, they become useful again without being OP. As it is they are too fragile, too weak and too unreliable. Anything they can do Scorpions can do and take fewer casualties.

Anyway, those are things to mention especially if you get a chance to talk to Phil Kelly personally at some point. Don't want to turn this into another debate about Banshees so I'll leave it there.

Ooh, question for Jes Goodwin: Is it possible we might see future plastic kits represent a more equal gender breakdown in line with their background and the new Dark Eldar range?

[desert_hack]

Please could you ask Phil Kelley if he meant that the burning chariot couldn't move and fire, since its flame is a heavy weapon, and because its a template weapon, it cannot snap fire either. I'd be immensely grateful if you could clarify this specific question. Thanks!

[Aldavaer]

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Are they happy with the speed of releases for sixth edition?

Would that be the European or the African Swallow?

[Psychosplodge]

Neither, A Catchaan barking swallow.

[Gotthammer]

"So, do you guys regularly 'enter the citadel'?" *eyebrow waggle*

[Mr Mystery]

[dakkadakka/Whineseer]How dare you release releases without our express permission. You know perfectly well we represent the entirety of your customer base, and therefore you must issue all would be products to us, 50 years in advance, for extensive play testing. For free. Evey 5 minutes. In a Golden carriage. With a chick in it. A chick with big thingies. A chick with big thingies that finds lack of social skills, acne, questionable hygiene and ill-fitting replica Star Trek uniforms a turn on. What are you playing at GW???[/dakkadakka/whineseer]

[Wolfshade]

"When will Codex: Squat be released?"

[Nicholas Sacco]

will be there even supplements for codex already out in the sixth edition?

Will we see a time when all units will have a model?

[Magpie]

I'd be keen to hear what his thoughts are on the rise of 3D printers and how he sees GW taking on that technology into the future.

If he can present the answer via a chick with big thingies that finds lack of social skills, acne, questionable hygiene and ill-fitting replica Star Trek uniforms a turn on, so much the better.

[Wolfshade]

will be there even supplements for codex already out in the sixth edition?

Will we see a time when all units will have a model?

I think with the later question the answer will be a "yes". IIRC from a previous GamesDay when the studio was asked this, this was the direction they wanted to head in doubly so now given the whole CHS/GW concern. If GW produce every unit for every (new) codex then it closes that opportunity. The flip side is that it stops the secondary splash sales 6months later.

I am not sure if this is good or bad, my first reaction is that this must be good as we get all the models from the start, and it makes me consider how best to spend my hobby budget. On the other, will they circumvent the secondary splash by releasing new supplementary codecii for the secondary splash sales. If so I am not sure I want to pay extra for a supplement to use new shiney stuff, though I suppose it isn't that far removed from getting a new codex in the first place.

[Psychosplodge]

Maybe they ought to change codices into fluff material and include unit rules cards in the boxes, so they can release new units at will, and you get a handy a5 card with stuff on it.

[Magpie]

Maybe they ought to change codices into fluff material and include unit rules cards in the boxes, so they can release new units at will, and you get a handy a5 card with stuff on it.

I'd be disappointed to see it go down this road. I'd rather not pay for the same information multiple times over as I build an Army.

I'd rather see new units come out along with an update to a digital codex.

[Wolfshade]

Maybe they ought to change codices into fluff material and include unit rules cards in the boxes, so they can release new units at will, and you get a handy a5 card with stuff on it.

Reminds me of something....

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa263/kingfig/Vehicle%20cards/01A-3.jpg

[magickbk]

handy a5 card

Those crazy international standard sizes don't fit right in anything. Couldn't we ask them to follow the insane, virtually arbitrary sizes that we correctly use here in the US?

Also, I would venture to guess that instead of a codex release with a wave, followed by a wave 6 months later with further units, that they will simply leave any possible new units out of the codex completely if they don't have a model ready, and that anything without a model will probably be dropped when the codex is re-done. (I'm looking at you Voidraven)

[Psychosplodge]

I'd rather not need to buy a ****ty tablet or lug my laptop round with me to use a codex.

You currently re-buy the same background with every new edition. How many times have they repeated the stuff in Codex Marines? and then sold it separately too. Just including a unit card you can slip into a mini ringbinder would be a big improvement, but it wouldn't happen as they probably make good money on a codex.

I was thinking like the old vehicle cards, but yeah thats essentially it Wolfie.

What sizes do you use instead of the A system?

[Magpie]

I'd rather not need to buy a ****ty tablet or lug my laptop round with me to use a codex.

You currently re-buy the same background with every new edition. How many times have they repeated the stuff in Codex Marines? and then sold it separately too. Just including a unit card you can slip into a mini ringbinder would be a big improvement, but it wouldn't happen as they probably make good money on a codex.

I was thinking like the old vehicle cards, but yeah thats essentially it Wolfie.

What sizes do you use instead of the A system?

So what do you do with your pile of cards when the edition changes ? I know ! By a Codex ! LOL
I have my gaming stuff on my phone so it's not that much of an impost really.

US uses, the old letter, legal, tabloid sizes don't they ?

[eldargal]

Keeping track of all those bloody cards was a nightmare.

[Psychosplodge]

Download the updated unit entries from the handy PDF on the GW website? To allow you to print new replacement cards at home?

[Magpie]

Download the updated unit entries from the handy PDF on the GW website? To allow you to print new replacement cards at home?

OK so you pay for the same card 5 times over in one edition and then everyone gets it free in the next?

[Psychosplodge]

You say pay for five times over, they just chuck it in with the unit, like when they used to fall out of your white dwarf.

[Magpie]

You say pay for five times over, they just chuck it in with the unit, like when they used to fall out of your white dwarf.

Yeh fair enough but it still has to be paid for somehow so it will be covered by the cost of the unit you have bought. So that means an extra cost for the card by itself or an extra cost on the box which you pay each time you get the box anyway.

You also can't sit down with all of the stats for all of the units and decide which ones you want/need.

As long a Codices are a saleable item you won't see any unit cards I reckon. Maybe if the do bring out the digital update thing they might but I'm guessing it won't go that way either,

[magickbk]

US uses, the old letter, legal, tabloid sizes don't they ?

For printer paper, yes, but for printed books it is a mixture of old formats and halves of formats and so forth. We have a book shelf for my daughter's books, and no two books that aren't part of the same series are the same size.

I liked the 2nd ed datafax cards for vehicles, very easy as a reference. It was the wargear cards and everything that were more a pain to keep together.

[deinol]

Remember when a new unit would be released and the rules would be in White Dwarf? Back when the magazine was more than an expensive monthly catog…

[Gotthammer]

...and three months later you couldn't get the rules.

So either GW gives them away free later, which means there's no incentive for buying WD.

Or GW charges for them in a compilation later, which will disincentivise buying WD for some, and put others off buying a book for a single unit's rules.

Or they have pay-downloads which annoys pretty much everyone in some capacity. Like if they made them upgrades to the digital codex you'd have to get one, or if not then you have to print it out but then it's easily pirated...

[David Crossley]

Also, I would venture to guess that instead of a codex release with a wave, followed by a wave 6 months later with further units, that they will simply leave any possible new units out of the codex completely if they don't have a model ready

I'd say that's what's happening. After CHS I wouldn't be surprised if 'Conversion opportunities' are now considered to merely leave an opening for third party producers to fill.

[DeSteele]

Will all 16 current armies for WH40k get a codex in the new release cycle for 6th edition?

Will the Imperial Guard show more Gender equality in their figures in the future?

Same question for Eldar.

[Roadkill Zombie]

So were you able to ask those questions?

[theresponsibleone]

So were you able to ask those questions?

I asked some! Not a lot of the questions people asked matched my criteria, and for a few questions I just plain ran out of time because I had so many people to talk to about other things.

I do have a lot to write up, and we're still at our hotel. The iPad mini is not the greatest tool to type on!

As a teaser, though, I did manage to get a few words in with Mr Kelly about the new Eldar flyers, and I will be typing that up as part of a longer post later.

I did trawl the FAQs before going, and I can answer your question about the Hemlock psychic power. If you look in the general FAQ, it says that you can choose the order of actions between entering from reserves and using start of movement phase psychic powers, as they are simultaneous - so Terrify can be used on a turn the Hemlock enters the board.

[jgebi]

Do you feel that the hobby has become less about having fun and more about making money?

[theresponsibleone]

Do you feel that the hobby has become less about having fun and more about making money?

Too late! Already over. Kicking our heels over breakfast before driving home...

[daboarder]

I asked some! Not a lot of the questions people asked matched my criteria, and for a few questions I just plain ran out of time because I had so many people to talk to about other things.

I do have a lot to write up, and we're still at our hotel. The iPad mini is not the greatest tool to type on!

As a teaser, though, I did manage to get a few words in with Mr Kelly about the new Eldar flyers, and I will be typing that up as part of a longer post later.

I did trawl the FAQs before going, and I can answer your question about the Hemlock psychic power. If you look in the general FAQ, it says that you can choose the order of actions between entering from reserves and using start of movement phase psychic powers, as they are simultaneous - so Terrify can be used on a turn the Hemlock enters the board.

Please don't propagate incorrect rules, the BRB clearly solves this issue in the psychic powers section, units arriving from reserves may NOT manifest powers that are down at the beginning of the movement phase.

however, I am looking forwards to your write up.

[theresponsibleone]

Please don't propagate incorrect rules, the BRB clearly solves this issue in the psychic powers section, units arriving from reserves may NOT manifest powers that are down at the beginning of the movement phase.


"Q: Blessings are manifested ‘at the start of the Psyker’s Movement phase’ – does this mean they happen simultaneously with Reserves rolls, Outflanking rolls etc and if so which is resolved first? (p68)
A: They do occur simultaneously – as such, the player whose turn it is decides in what order these things occur as per page 9 of the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook."

- April 2013 40K Rulebook FAQ, P7.

[-Tom-]

A few tidbits to throw out there from Enter the Citadel this weekend...

- Jes is still hopeful to see his newer sculpt jetbikes released. No sort of time frame - he says he has become a very patient man. Apparently they had a choice between the new wraithguard and the new sculpt jetbikes to put into the new release, obviously we got the wraithguard. I think this is the best that we expected to hear as they couldn't talk about a release schedule anyway.
- Phil felt it important that armies are defined by their weaknesses as much as their strengths, in particular relating to Guardians keeping a 12" range. Being that ideally, they wouldn't be being asked to fight at all if it could be helped and so on the occasions that they are, they'd rather hang out of the way of trouble with their heavy weapon platform rather than wanting to get stuck in to fighting. Their guns are there to be used in defence, as a last resort. Banshees didn't get a mention.

Jervis and others had their 'Ask the Audience' session and so have had it put to them that people would like to have:

- Sisters of Battle as a Codex, ideally with plenty of of multi-part plastic kits.
- That people like plastic kits, both ones that are heavily interchangable with lots of spare parts (Jervis specifically checked that people like prefer duel-use kits where they come, so building up cool parts for conversions, rather than hating having wasted pieces), and also ones where they will only go together one way but that you end up with a very 'heroic' looking model.
- Mixed views on faster releases of codices vs. more releases of expansions. Some felt that it was too slow a turnover for codices, other people felt that some weren't all that broken and that some of the expansion stuff released works across the board with everything they have and gives them new ways to play.
- People would like more releases rather than getting all excited for theirs and then knowing they'll be waiting years to get something else new.
- People asked for more Xenos scenery.
- People would like to see the re-emergence of gene stealers.
- Squats re-emerging as the real biggest threat to the Imperium of Man.



There were other things cropping up, but I think for the most part I've just cut out the bulk of the nerd-rages.

[Magpie]

"Q: Blessings are manifested ‘at the start of the Psyker’s Movement phase’ – does this mean they happen simultaneously with Reserves rolls, Outflanking rolls etc and if so which is resolved first? (p68)
A: They do occur simultaneously – as such, the player whose turn it is decides in what order these things occur as per page 9 of the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook."

- April 2013 40K Rulebook FAQ, P7.

This has been discussed at length and should really be taken to a separate discussion however, the rule on Page 125 covers it.

[theresponsibleone]

That was a lot of typing!

Here's the write up of the questions I asked and what I managed to find out...

http://the-responsible-one.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/enter-citadel-questions-from-bell-of.html

[Roadkill Zombie]

Thank you for the write up. Although it doesn't really answer any of the questions I asked, I still appreciate the effort.

[-Tom-]

That was a lot of typing!

Here's the write up of the questions I asked and what I managed to find out...

http://the-responsible-one.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/enter-citadel-questions-from-bell-of.html

I wonder where you were sat relative to me... :D