Necron in =][=

[DapperAnarchist]

Grey Knights... is an odd one, but still, while being silly, mostly managed to avoid insulting the people who would be using the book. Some of its good - the newer stuff for Coteaz is pretty cool, as is the suggestion that the names of Grey Knights are in fact extremely flexible. Some is pretty bad (the names especially - gatling psilencer is a bad name), but I wonder are the Grey Knights being set up for a fall in an upcoming Chaos book, much like the Blood Angels were in the Necron book. The Necron/Blood Angel "honourable" team up is turned into a Necron Lord bitterly being forced to leave the battlefield due to strategic weakness, but conning the idealistic Blood Angels into letting him.

But, basically, I like the Necron book, and Ward has learned at least one lesson (do not insult the users of a codex in said codex), and might be able to learn more. We'd still be better of with Kelly.

[MarcoSkoll]

mostly managed to avoid insulting the people who would be using the book.

While important, this can be read past and is not hugely relevant to the overall feel and quality of the background.

but I wonder are the Grey Knights being set up for a fall in an upcoming Chaos book, much like the Blood Angels were in the Necron book.

Is this a good thing though? While it could be clever done the right way, it just seems like it's going to reinforce the already infamous codex one-upmanship.

We've got the Worf Effect going on badly in 40k. The awesomeness of any race/character is usually demonstrated by having them kick the snot out of the biggest baddest mofo possible. The notorious example is Eldar Avatars - you can hardly have a codex go by without one getting its arse handed to it.

The Necron codex brought us Trayzn and Thor's head. This could be one hell of a kick in the teeth for the Imperium if he seriously managed to waltz onto Terra and steal one of the most holy relics of the Ecclesiarchy from under constant watch and heavy guard.
Now, I get the feeling that it might be trying to be a joke about how all the claimed relics of Thor would probably add up to a seven armed woman with twenty-three knees, but if it is meant to be a joke, it could have been done better. Like if he'd had both Sebastian Thor's heads.

I imagine many of the issues ultimately derive from the fact that the clock is stuck permanently at two minutes to midnight the 42nd millennium, and the only way for new background is replacement rather than addition, but that, in of itself is not an excuse. I know the executives are looking for fluff that will sell the game to 12 year olds whose parents have more money than sense, but there are ways to do that don't alienate all the more mature gamers.

I will not say there are no gems within Ward's stuff - if someone had slapped him occasionally and told him to buck his ideas up over the more over the top fluff, then his codices could have been really worthwhile. There is background that needed a boot up the bum, and his rules writing is reasonably solid (if still rather prone to the special rule dense culture that 40k has become and a few howlers as far as game balance), but he really needs to be kept more in check.