40K Online

Main => General 40k => Topic started by: Calamity on February 20, 2019, 05:58:59 PM

Title: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: Calamity on February 20, 2019, 05:58:59 PM
Has anyone ever mentioned this idea before? A games company (like, say, Gamesworkshop) providing all of their rules via a monthly subscription service that’s automatically updated when changed with alerts etc. Maybe with separate services for each game? Is that economically viable? Although you wouldn’t make as much on book sales, you would have every person interested in your stuff paying in.

It would mean that you’re extracting a little bit of money from everyone every month rather than a fair bit from some. Now whether that’s right or not...I don’t know.

It would have the advantage of allowing anyone to check anything out instantly. Plus, it could really help out with balance if points and rules could be adjusted on a monthly basis.

It feels like the future imo.  What do you guys think?
Title: Re: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: Partninja on February 20, 2019, 07:12:55 PM
Depending in price it would definitely be a system I'd be interested in.
Title: Re: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: Blazinghand on February 20, 2019, 08:46:35 PM
I'd buy it if it were available. Having some kind of compressed rules PDF that updated on the fly when new changes came in would be super convenient, and a similar one for the codex, etc, rather than the thing I do right now where I have to bring a bunch of books, printed out FAQs, updated points values written in in the back of my dex, etc. Might be a bit of a techincal challenge though.
Title: Re: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: Wyddr on February 21, 2019, 09:03:16 AM
I really like hardcopy rules, but I'd do this if I could just pay one fee a month and get all the rules delivered to my device and updated regularly without me needing to do anything.
Title: Re: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: magenb on February 21, 2019, 03:38:09 PM
Look at that GW has conditioned you to expect to have to pay for updates to their gaming system already... This used to be free and then you just paid for expansions...


Title: Re: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: Grand Master Lomandalis on February 21, 2019, 04:40:04 PM
Look at that GW has conditioned you to expect to have to pay for updates to their gaming system already... This used to be free and then you just paid for expansions...

How far back are you remembering?  Because the method they are using now is exactly what they used to do during the 3rd / 4th edition eras.  The rules would be released, they would release the codexes, then they would provide updated rules in White Dwarf, and release an annual Chapter Approved with additional rule updates.

Where GW differs now is that they are actively looking at the game and providing regular updates with FAQs in a quick and predictable method.  Gone are the days where you have to wait 6 months for a codex FAQ.  Gone are the days when a broken rule remained broken because they didn't want to change a core mechanic.

Nothing in this game was ever free.  It's almost like GW is in business to make money...
Title: Re: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: Calamity on February 21, 2019, 05:14:09 PM
Where GW differs now is that they are actively looking at the game and providing regular updates with FAQs in a quick and predictable method.  Gone are the days where you have to wait 6 months for a codex FAQ.  Gone are the days when a broken rule remained broken because they didn't want to change a core mechanic.

Yeah, this is a great development and a marked improvement over what went before.

This idea would take that even further, and fully digitalise it.  With reference to what Partninja, Blazinghand & Wyddr said, it would go something like this:

You would pick the ‘Warhammer 40,000’ App, and this would cost you...whatever a month.  For that you get the core rules, and every codex and supplement.  All the rules there are in the game, right there in your hand.  When a new faction is created, it’s simply added in.

Then, every month you get an alert telling you that from the 3rd, unit A will now cost X points, or that it has Damage D6 now or whatever.  And these changes will be added automatically, without the player having to do a damn thing.

Books can still be a thing; but now they can focus purely on fluff and modelling.  No more outdated and worthless books, full of obsolete rules. 

I would probably make a separate app for each game system there is; one for 40k, one for AoS etc.  They should probably work out the same as buying 3-4 books a year.
Title: Re: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: The GrimSqueaker on February 21, 2019, 05:19:25 PM
If it's a subscription service it'll hardly be on a month to month basis. Otherwise, like we all would, you'd sign up for a month, grab everything, then cancel before repeating later on when changes happen. Things don't significantly change often enough to maintain such a subscription. Perhaps when it's a codex a month but not in the down years between. There's just no money to be made in it.

The alternative is that you pay your monthly fee but when you cancel your library goes with it. So rather than buying material you're renting it. A common mechanic these days with movies/songs. Sure, third parties will provide the usual dodgy methods of downloading material yet such options are already available if you look for them.
Title: Re: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: Blazinghand on February 21, 2019, 06:40:19 PM
Probably one of the things holding this back is the possibility of the files being downloaded and distributed by people who just sign up for a month then cancel their subscription after that. I'd be fine paying for it on a yearly basis though - instead of $10 a month, $120 a year. I already spend close to that on GW books as-is anyways - the occasional White Dwarf that has rules I want, campaign books like Vigilus Defiant, Chapter Approved, the Codexes for the armies I buy, etc.
Title: Re: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: Myen'Tal on February 21, 2019, 08:22:40 PM
I thought Games Workshop was already working on that, or is the new app that's coming only a List Builder? Speculating on my part, but it would be cool if this new app mirrored the Age of Sigmar App, where you can buy the digital versions of the codexes at discount price if you buy it through the app and are also updated through the app.
Title: Re: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: Calamity on February 26, 2019, 09:17:52 AM
I completely forgot that people would scam it if it was monthly.  Yeah, in order  to work it would probably need to be a yearly subscription.

You know what else this would help with?  Balance.  With every book effectively being developed simultaneously, nobody would get left behind.  If I remember correctly, the few times GW has done this (the indexes, and the old ravening hordes books back in the day), the balance was much better.
Title: Re: 40K (and others) subscription service?
Post by: magenb on February 26, 2019, 05:10:24 PM
How far back are you remembering?

The early days had little choice in the frequency of updates as they relied on print media to get the word out, which also meant you had to pay for some updates, but there wasn't an alternative.

5th Ed was Rules+Codex+Expansion which you paid for, rule updates and FAQ's were published on the website for free as erratas. My memory is a bit hazzy but I believe there was a cross over point where they published them in white dwarf and on the web site.


In this age you should never have to buy a bug fix.