Now I bet people will accuse me of being a Games Workshop fanboy or a shill (which is dumb), all because I'm looking forward to Warzone Charadon: The Book of Fire.
Look, I'm not a Games Workshop fanboy and I don't lap up everything they sell. I can't say I'm a big fan of what they did to my Thousand Sons, with the smite nerf and the Tzaangor nonsense. But that's fine, there are options other than Tzaangors, and people whining about how Thousand Sons are playable only with Tzaangors and how Rubric Marines and Scarab Occult Terminators suck simply don't know what they are talking about. The Ritual of the Damned gave us some great tools, but as you've read my post on it from way back, I was annoyed with how they wrote the story. They turned Magnus into a joke, which annoyed me. So am I a fanboy who laps up everything? No.The Adeptus Mechanicus codex? I do have a few complaints about the special weapons - I built my Skitarii squads to have 2 special weapons each and now I can't do that because...codex. I'll keep them MSU, but that doesn't mean I like it. Plus I don't care about the damned Ironstrider Ballistarii. I don't care how good their rules are, I'm not going to buy six of them. I smply don't have the money nor the interest to construct them and run them. I'm sticking to my Knights and Ruststalkers (because I love the transonic blades). Serberys Raiders are awesome? Yeah, I have a squad of them, but I like the Serberys Sulphurhounds more - fire-breathing cybercanids!
Oh, and the Grand Tournament Pack? Chapter Approved 2021? That was dumb as hell. I only got it because I don't have Chapter Approved 2020, but if I had Chapter Approved 2020, I wouldn't waste my money on Chapter Approved 2021. Seriously? You're going to clarify some rules, swap out a couple of missions, and then sell them again for a full price? You've got to be kidding me. That's just terrible.
So yeah, I'm not a shill. Do you think Games Workshop pays me to say good things about them? Of course not. They probably don't know that I exist...or maybe they do, because they seem to have referenced my Knights (Daimyos, yay...and somehow Andy Clark came up with House Draconis after I created House Yato on Draconis III), but they have never reached out to me for anything. I have no reason to lick their boots. I'm just saying what I observe.
With that out of the way, I will say this. The whole whining over the Warzone Charadon is stupid.
Now, let me clarify that. Is it stupid that we are getting campaign supplements before other factions get their codex? Yeah, probably. I agree with that somewhat. My Thousand Sons, my Imperial Guard, my Imperial Knights...they are still hanging out with 8th edition rules while Adeptus Mechanicus, Death Guard and other stuff are getting supplements. Wait, what's this about Chaos Space Marines and Traitor Legions getting supplements? Shouldn't they be getting their codex first? What's with this nonsense? Chaos Space Marines need the 2 wounds more than they need supplements or whatever! Why screw up the release schedule?
But all the Adeptus Mechanicus players whining about rules bloat? About how they need to lug around 3 books? How our rules are spread across 3 books, and that we need to get all 3 books to get our "full rules"?
Go frak yourselves.
If you're a Chaos Space Marine player, I sympathize. I agree with your concerns. If you're an Imperial Guard or Tau player, seeing how other factions are getting supplement expansions, I share your pain. But Adeptus Mechanicus players jumping on the bandwagon of whining to...complain about non-existent issues? Like I said, go frak yourselves.
I bet one of my forge worlds that 90% of these Adeptus Mechanicus players complaining about how they need 3 books for all their rules aren't even Metalica players. Most of them play Lucius now (I'm probably the only one playing Slaved Systems Forge World: Ryza). And if you don't play Metalica, why on Holy Mars do you need all three books? Do you play the stupid and utterly limiting Defense Cohort or something? Don't lie to me - the most powerful portion of Adeptus Mechanicus armies is the Skitarii, the only reason why you would field the Defense Cohort is because of fluff or narrative reasons - which is why I buy these books in the first place. I don't play Metalica, I don't play House Raven, and I have NEVER taken my Book of Rust to a Rogue Trader Tournament or any event or grand tournament. I bought it just to read the lore and fluff. There simply is no reason to bring the book to a tournament, because those cohorts or supplements are only meant for a very niche and fluffy portion of the playerbase. Unless you're Metalica and House Raven, there is utterly no reason for you to lug around "3 books" for Adeptus Mechanicus for tournaments. They aren't even the most competitive option!
What you guys are doing is pulling the attention away from the REAL issues at hand. You're whining about non-existent issues like very entitled brats. Oh, should I feel sorry for you that you have 3 books of cool, narrative rules or for Metalica while my Imperial Guard army has no codex yet? That there's still no news for my Thousand Sons despite them getting pointless points updates in Chapter Approved 2021 that we can't use because the codex is nowhere in sight? Bear in mind, I'm a patient guy and I don't mind waiting. I have my Knights and new Adeptus Mechanicus codex to play around with while waiting for the Thousand Sons, and it's not as if I'm not aware of all the problems with shipping worldwide, with the Suez Canal incident, the pandemic and lots of other problems. It's all right, the Thousand Sons codex can come in September, October or even in December, I'm not that desperate for it yet. But here we are, getting a new book for Metalica, and still people complain because... "we need 3 books to get full access to our rules!"
No, you don't. Warzone Charadon is mainly narrative. It's a campaign supplement. It's like me buying Sanctus Reach: The Red Waaagh! for the Steel Host and Adamantine Lance formations. But do I need them for full Imperial Guard or full Imperial Knight rules? No. I'm not a Metalica player, and I know most Adeptus Mechanicus players are min-maxing Lucius these days with the multiple 20-men strong Skitarii hordes. Even if they are not, you have a bunch of other forge worlds to choose from. Do you expect me to believe you all suddenly and coincidentally became Metalica when Warzone Charadon came out? Do you think I'll buy your claims of bringing the Defensive Cohort to a grand tournament when the best units in our army are Skitarii?
Oh, right. The Skitarii Veteran Cohort. We'll see what that is about, but even if it turns out to be this uber, must-bring formation, that's still 2 books, not 3. Yet these Adeptus Mechanicus players are whining about needing to lug around all 3 books, as if they were all Metalica players. Keep in mind, if you're using the Skitarii Veteran Cohort, then why the f would you bring the first book? You can't use the Defensive Cohort if you use Skitarii Veteran Cohort. Either you use one or the other. If you want to use the Skitarii Veteran Cohort, then just leave the Book of Rust at home. Why do you need to bring it along? Is it because you're playing Metalica? Right, I'm sure you are. If that's the case, you'll be referring to yourselves as Metalica players, not Adeptus Mechanicus players (in the same way Ultramarines or Imperial Fists or Black Templars differentiate themselves rather than simply claiming to be Space Marines).
At the end of the day, these warzone books are mostly narrative. They are designed to be narrative, not competitive. Stop whining about having to bring three books around, that's just hyperbolic, and detracts from the main issues. I think it's dumb that we're having supplements when not all the codex are out yet. They should have done like psychic awakening, wait until all factions get their codex before they release psychic awakening campaign supplements. That's a gross error on their part, and I get why people are upset with that. But being upset that you need to bring 3 books around (when you really don't have to) for your faction that has received so much love and attention, that just screams entitled, hyperbolic and selfish.
I'm an Adeptus Mechanicus player too. I get the outrage that we're getting supplements when other factions haven't gotten their codex. But I have to roll my eyes at the nonsensical "we need all 3 books to get full rules!" because that simply is not true. Chill out, dudes. At the end of the day, you're the one with the addiction to purchasing books for the sake of completion, and not because you really need all 3 books. That's more of a problem with you, and not Warzone Charadon.
If there's any problem, it's that we should give the other factions their codex first. I'm rolling my eyes at how Chaos Space Marines are getting supplements without any codex, and how they will not be getting 2 wounds even though it's been almost a year since Space Marines got their codex. Just...come on. Sigh.