Goatboy’s Warhammer 40K: What’s Matters Most in 2023?
Goatboy here, and it is an interesting time for competitive 40K. But what is most important for 40K 2023?
It feels like we are looking over a cliff and wondering if we are going to fall in and land in something awesome or just a pit of (grimdark) snakes. A big rules update is coming, and a lot of pieces have floated out into the giant web of nonsense that is competitive 40K.
I won’t talk about the leaks or what I think about them. There isn’t anything I can say till they release for real. So instead of talking about hearsay, let’s ask the more important question – what do you really want out of competitive dice battles? What do you want to happen to your army? Or to your armies? Or to your hobby?
Actually, I Don’t Want a Power Army
Personally, I just want my armies to look cool and well – just work. I don’t want them to soul crush everyone as that isn’t fun to me, nor do I want them to be just made up of the best boring unit choice over and over and over. This means I really want some thought put into how they look and how they work. Synergies, choices, and interactions are what drive this game and will hopefully push people to continue playing it. Without people throwing down regularly, you have to question why all this plastic nonsense is sitting in your closet.
Let’s try to avoid all that red, please.
I sit here looking upon a new year and a new batch of possibilities. Do I look towards trying to make a name for myself in the winners brackets of competitive 40K? Do I just continue to be some kind of ok player who wears bright hoodies and constantly rocks a Golden Girls t-shirt? Do I pretend to be some kind of internet general ready to spout random thoughts about the 40K universe, influencer style – always trying to be relevant?
I mean, most likely none of that as I feel like my time spent in this hobby is best spent doing this hobby. Painting armies, building silly (but effective) lists, and maybe winning more games than losing. That overall goal and New Year’s resolution will fuel me to keep flying to a few events, hopefully grabbing something cool while I am there, and bring a story or two back. It isn’t always the winner’s circle that draws me. But we all know how I like meeting new people instead of just beating up new people with dice.
Ahem, Back to 2023 Predictions
Let’s loop this back to what will most likely be a fully new and refreshed year. I am sure will have a whole new shake-up of the meta. The chatter already points to a lot of new rules coming down the pipe this January. The smart money says with a Dataslate, points, Mission changes, and most likely an FAQ – 40K will be a whole new ballgame by February.
Is this really just setting us up for 10th Edition? Is this just a case of GW throwing everything at the wall and see what sticks to make decisions in the future based on that? Probably not. If we are getting 10th Edition in Summer, it would mean the new edition is done and either at the printers or almost there. Or is this just GW’s method to let us figure out how to build armies in an all new style?
It’s going to be an interesting year. Llet’s all just take a breath, figure out what we want to do for the year, and be happy we get to play 40K. Or AoS – it’s good to. Or whatever game you want to play. It sounds like a lot of new stuff is coming, new events are being birthed, and old events are ready for you to come and throw down on mouse pad tabletops and MDF buildings.
What do you think 2023 will bring?
