[masterofweirdness]

To a degree I agree with this guy... GW HAS stuck themselves into a hole... the way things are going they have to continue their business plan as they have since the release of the 4th ed. Also, the static nature of the story does, to a degree, bug me.

I think the key to creating a really good ruleset AND a good background is a combination of both static and everchanging in the background while having a ruleset that is solid, but easy enough to change.

While the ruleset of 40k may never change from the current one, and I don't really expect it to, or want it to really, the background, IHMO does need to be relooked and and the style of how the backstories are written needs to be reinvinted.

For instance, take the Eye of Terror Campaign. Nothing happened. Why? Because GW does not want to take the risk of losing the balance of the various races. Screw that. If the Imperium slowly slowly dies, then allow the game to reflect that... you don't necessarily need to have "balanced" races and factions. What would happen if the IG were no longer as numerous, if the SM became a faction that was more focused on their great past exploits than their future ones, IE a faction stuck in the past. What would happen if the Tau gained true Warp Engines... if their expansion really started to hurt the Imperium. What would happen if the Eldar civilzation started to grow again, not die? Sure, not everyone may like the change... and that is the key to GW's problems... they are afraid of change, what it might do etc. But, lets face it, they have written in to many possible plot hooks (Wolftime, the C'tan on Mars, the Star God Theory, the Eldar God of Death, the Tau, Farsight)... it would be a shame to never have any of them, ANY of them, explored. This is what will happen if GW continue's down its current path, no?

Rules, rules are much more difficult to implment, and while I do agree that the current system is not that effective, it does work. 4th ed. to me doesn't need a radical change, its a good system with some big flaws and the need to be streamlined (there are some rules and things that are being removed... that's what I mean by streamlining it). Also, certain rules do need to be revised and reinvented. Psychic powers are a good example... as are the vechicle rules. Perhaps putting in overwatch could work, but according to some it made the game VERY predictable... and that the current system is more fun and possibly more tactical.

Well... that's all I have to say.