1997 for myself, still think the early years around 3rd-4th ed were the best time I had in the hobby. All got rather stale on the GW front since - I used to play 40k, fantasy, warmaster and battlefleet gothic.. now what we got? Aos and AoS in space, both with boring ass rulesets and sales driven list builds.
Its not a coincidence thst 6th dropped at the end of 3rd edition 40k and finished during 5th. 6th WHFB basically covered the entirity of absolute high point of GW and then some. It is sorely missed
3rd edition was just 2 years old, when 6th droped. So it had 4 more years... thats not even close to "at the end of 3rd". Also 7th edition launched in 2006, thats 2 years after the 4th edition of 40k. Your time line is way out of hand in your memorys
As a customer, the early 2000's as a whole was truly the golden age of Games Workshop (except from a financial standpoint perhaps). We saw 6th edition fantasy (which is also my favorite edition), with books filled with fantastic, evocative, black and white artwork, tons of magic items, options (vampire lineages, wood elf spites and high elf honors to name a few) and every fantasy army was redone to a greater extent. It wasn't just fantasy either. The early 2000's was when we first got Lord of the Rings and saw 40k get some amazing codices. Chaos (3.5. Probably the greatest 40k codex of all time), Imperial Guard, Daemon Hunters, Witch Hunters, Spacemarines, Black Templars and Tau all came out during at this time. Also, let's not forget that it was During this time that the 4th edition of 40k came out, with the best version of Killteam ever committed to paper and we saw the release of the original Dawn of War series of games. Most of the Black Library authors of note also started writing at this time and really solidified the tone and setting with memorable characters and events. Additionally, we had a WD, that was something you could really look forward to every month, packed with articles, battle reports, conversions, army showcases, and optional new rules (does anyone else remember the Josef Bugmann campaign from 2003/04 with custom scenarios, characters and rules). We had several world wide campaigns, from Armageddon and the 13th Black crusade to Albion and the storm of chaos, which made you feel involved in the story of the game (I still remember reading the conclusion to the Storm of Chaos in WD 301 and seeing the results). I think the overall common thread of this period was that the releases made it seem like the game was yours. GW released books with lots of things in them and you were left to crate something from it. The universes they created were more akin to a sandbox from which players and authors could create something, not have told to them by people who already had the narrative mapped out.
How I miss playing Ogre Kingdom and Skaven during this. Best time in fantasy I ever had honestly as each army was unique, had tons of character and was always a blast to play as my opponent enjoyed themselves too.
The mid-2000s were a great time for the hobby. I got into Warhammer around this time, and i got into 40k around the turn of 5th edition. This video gave me a major nostalgia hit for legendary artwork, terrain tutorials, simpler rules, and better lore.
One thing I miss from the original Rogue Trader was the ability to create profiles for all your scratch built flyers and vehicles. Turn radius ratios for movement though....
2nd edition was my favourite 40k - game sizes felt just right and the rules were complex enough for some crazy hilarious situations. Psychology rules were great. The game had balance issues (Vortex and Virus grenades, Wraithguard spam, jetbike armies, OP Psykers and characters) if you wanted to cheese it, but for casual pick up games I had the most fun with it. I think being popular before the internet was widely available to most people in the UK helped - in the current focus on tournament style competitive play 2nd edition would not have been as fun, I think. Also the lore and army design was at the sweet spot for me. Never forget that Marneus Calgar took his gauntlets off of a defeated Chaos Champion! 4th edition was my second favourite. As for fantasy I really liked 4th and 5th editions, although some games did devolve into Herohammer.
.. Come on modern Chaos 3 kits ..?! Chaos Space Marines Chaos Havocs Chaos Terminators Chaos Lord Abbadon Haarken Worldclaimer Master of Executions Arch-Lord Discordant Chaos Space Marines Sorcerer Dark Apostle Bouns (you can't buy separately for some weird reason) Venomcrawler Obliterators Greater Possessed Master of Possession
To be fair half of that list is monoposed characters. But if I'm still in a fair mood, and I am, they did good with Chaos. I'll give you that. But the "Ork Refresh" of a handful of new vehicles was lame, as was the pyschic awakening update of the eldar and dark eldar. One character plus a kit each. Much hype, not much substance. That being said I'm hopeful that as soon as we're through this rough spot(late next year?), GW might make good on the updating of ranges that are not space marines. Even a guard refresh would be awesome.
I thought that at first too, but, what do Haarlem and the Executioner replace? Nothing, they’re just additions, bloat.same with Venomcrawler and Master of the Possessed. Doesn’t mean I hate it, but it’s not a rejigger of an old unit, such as the Defiler, Chaos Rhino, Land Raider etc. You have Abbadon, Chaos Marines, Havocs and Terninators, yes, but the possessed and obliterators? How do you get those outside of a box of assorted stuff??
the edition that introduced 9 y/o me to Warhammer! The time when a standard infantry box got you 16 warriors - and that was before the hord edition. Had much fun playing that. Though my dark elves got beaten the shit out of them by chaos most of the time. Orks were fun as well. you just made me miss it, damn.
In my opinion 2nd edition 40k was for 40k not just for the rules but for the lore and general feel of the game, I would agree through 6th edition Fantasy was the best Fantasy book.
honestly we are at a point allready where the fandom brings better products than GW them self, look no further than Astartes and Death of Hope, fan made campains seam also to be/becom a thing. third party miniature company´s make some models that look better than those of GW them self, even better (or at least mor 40k looking ones) since a while i am not all to "trigger happy" when it comes to GW products. and those i buy, i buy mostly second hand...
There is no excuse for GW not to update 40k factions across the board now than when this fantasy edition was released. The company was smaller and less mainstream back then and had fewer resources yet they could do all this. Sad to see how far they've fallen.
@@heathenpride7931 this may be premature but Primaris may very well be seen as the watershed moment in GW destroying their own property (not that it was all perfect before that). But a turning point of sorts
That's spooky! I literally just made up my mind to start slowly building a 6th edition Wood Elf army, and purchased an original box of Dryads on ebay, then you drop this video all within a couple of hours.
Beastmen, Deamons, and Khemri were split off into their own factions from Chaos and Undead respectively. Ogres went from being a mercenary unit into their own faction.
I loved this edition. The downside to all of Warhammer Fantasy, really, is that the game favored numbers and toughness over weapon skill. This made it tough for elite armies to overcome hordes.
I remember visiting GW stores when 6th ed fantasy ended. I was playing 5th ed 40K and new to the hobby at the time. I fell in love with what I saw going on retrospectively but couldn't put up with AoS to try to capture the magic. Heresy fulfills my hobby itch these days instead
At the beginning of this video, I was going to say how insane you were to suggest that 6th ed Fantasy was the greatest edition of Warhammer, but after watching it I have to say "Well done, you've convinced me." It's definitely not my favourite edition (that would still be 5th ed Fantasy, and 2nd ed 40k), but the amount of work GW put into 6th edition fantasy does speak for itself. Great video.
I really loved this edition, I had been in the hobby since early in 5th Edition Fantasy. You have not mentioned one wonderful little book. The Ravening Hordes booklet that came out at the start of the edition free in White Dwarf... which as a Chaos Dwarf player I might have gotten more use out of than most! Undead getting split into Tomb Kings and Vampire counts worked because they had enough going on in the background and in the lines to divide them. I'm a Deathguard player but I feel the lists for them and Deathguard are a little limited, I'd have been pretty happy if they had came out the door with a Chaos Codex early and then did Deathguard and Thousand Sons as supplements (and the rest of the Legions but special attention to Emperor's Children and World Eaters).
Early 5th ed. was my favourite. 4th had too many weird rules imo, but early 5th smoothed that out and was still using the awesome 4th ed. Codices at that point.
You should try out kings of war Macca. The new plastic rat kin from Mantic like the goblins are amazing sculpts. Incubi got moved to plastic for dark eldar.
In my opinion Rogue Trader still stands as the best edition in spite of my love of 3rd and 4th. Battle at the Farm still stands as a fantastic scenario to play, and I would argue RT is better balanced and has more nuance than 9th (but that might not be surprising, given the fact it has hybrid RPG leanings!). The freedom to play with random elements adds so much to the game in my opinion and usually surprises with the randomness it adds to the battle. Sure, in comparison to 9th it's a little slow and a bit confusing at times with the terminology/ wording, but otherwise it's far stronger than many people give it credit for. I would like to add to say that I consider Inquisitor is the true successor to Rogue Trader. Edit 5.
6th was the best for fantasy, however for 40K core rules 5th was the best, unfortunately there were about 15 rules from 3rd, 4th and 7th that were better that should have been in 5th. our group uses a hybrid 5th with those rules "house ruled" in. codexes vary however, some were better in various editions that best represented the factions in universe lore via the rules. Our group allows players to use whichever codex they like best in the 5th edition rules set. Of course the best game GW ever made for 40K is still battlefleet gothic. thank you Andy Chambers, it hasn't been the same since you left.
4th ed fantasy also saw a huge update to the range...intro of box set idea, army books and plastic minis for most factions...3rd to 4th ed fantasy was like rogue trader to 2nd ed 40k... Also the edition where many mainstay characters were introduced or got proper models...
I didn't start WFB till 8th edition 2 months before the End Times Started and had 2 years of fun before AoS. Definitely miss Warhammer Fantasy and now being Military it's damn near impossible for me to play WFB just sad.
Yes, the Brettonians were Perry brothers sculpts. Oddly, this is the only WHFB edition I bought the book for. The 2nd best ruleset was WH40k 2nd Edition. - Anecdote: a detachment of 10 crossbowmen (50 pts) break a giant who fell over due to Rank bonus (400 points).
Omg I remember this. I started with lizardmen a few years before the new release in 2003. For so long I heard rumours about their update and I waited, holding my breath. And when they were released I was like, omg they are so cool. And I had a friend who started a tomb kings army when they released. Such an amazing time to be in the hobby. Every now and then they showed teasers of upcoming units on the website and it felt great, and they had alot of articles about converting units or how to build terrain themed for your army. Today they have new realeses every other week or so and I don't feel anything for that.
I Have a soft spot for 3rd Edition WFB even though rules were convoluted, Rogue Trader was fun but 3rd edition 40k was arguably when it became truly playable. 8th/9th edition 40k are better with the Open/Narrative/Tournament formats which arguably they should have introduced earlier allowing both competitive and fun players to exist in the hobby
I was heartbroken when GW split my chaos army into two separate armies. Went from having an awesome Hordes of chaos list (of about 70% mortal and 30% demons) into two weak lists. I still bitter about it. Ended up building a warrior list but man were they slow and unsatisfying to play.
Same here but i also had beastmen as well. :( Oh they did this to my other army too Undead was split into Tomb kings and Vampire Counts... i got bent over twice and was on very limited kid budget at those times.
Dark Elves are also a great example of this era being the time when GW cared about the players as well. The DE were politely speaking crap, so they got an Errata towards the end of the edition which made them more playable. This was during time when the norm wasn’t constant fiddling or to release something either without playtesting or intentionally broken to sell the new releases and then nerf it a month or two later too.
@@Bergioyn they used to beat me all the time anyway. IIRC, the problem was that the High Elf units which mirrored them had advantages but the same point value (spearmen for instance fought in 3 ranks). But the problem must have been subtle as I lost to them before and I lost to then after too.
When you said warhammer 6th ed. I was just like ya I can see it. It was definitely my favorite fantasy warhammer game. And I played it a lot more than I did 40k at the time.
The Dark Shadows campaign was so good! I still have my Truthsayer model somewhere, lost my fenbeasts though sadly. 6th was a really good edition for fantasy and would probably be the one I would choose to play in given an opportunity.
@@TheOuterCircle the emissary was a really nice model. I was playing High Elves at the time though so I passed over him which now that i have a big vampire counts army I regret. Still maybe one will show up for a reasonable price on ebay one day
I bought an armload of old codices from 40K and some WHFantasy Battle supplements (though 40K- Heresy Era, really- is my focus)- and I got them very cheaply, as they’ve been superseded. But I never know just what edition any of the old ones are. Just recently I had picked up a 40K 3.5 Chaos Marine Codex, after hearing you sing it’s praises for years, but not being sure if that was the one (I kind of suspected it was.). Anyway, I got a copy of Warhammer Chronicles 2004, for the WHFB game, for about $3-4 USD. Is that from the 6th edition that this video is about? The models, and even the cover of the Chronicles book, seem to match up. If you stated the date in the video, I must have missed it. Thanks! And I enjoyed the video, as well-
The Author of the Sixth Edition Dark Elves army book was so weak that he changed it a lot posted the changes in a White Dwarf before an updated version was released. Oh what I had playing sixth edtion Skaven, when thing went bad it really went bad, unlike the ungodly seventh edition army where thing dien't blow up and kill friendly troops.
I consider 4th ed warhammer, haven't played it since childhood and recently tryed it again, ez to understand and pickup while still having the technical and strategic depth that is the hallmark of warhammer. Otherwise i agree.
I both agree and disagree. I too started in 5th edition Warhammer Fantasy. In units we gained tonnes. Characters were removed and replaced by 2 new characters per faction. Luckily we got them back in 7th (some even re-sculpted). Still it was a definite improvement for the range and general mechanics. That said, it was in later editions that units gained more character and interacted with special characters in synergy.
GW used to look after the customers back then if you look at Old White dwarfs you'll see 2 to 4 pages of new releases every month now what do we get one unit if we lucky and I'm not talking about special games good video keep the salt flowing
Yeah that was a good one. Later it seemed the rules just revolved around getting bigger units and adding annoying side rules. When a new army release ment a new army release with a good handful of miniatures released over a few months in waves. Also a great time to play. Would go to games workshop almost every week to play in the game rooms (though I know not every games workshop store had that)
It’s the annoying side rules that stop me from playing Warhammer nowadays. Does every unit, every weapon, every army, every faction, every character, every turn, and every scenario need special case rules? Does it make minmaxers buy the new hot model? Yes. Does it make it more accessible and more fun to play? No.
I started around 2016 and started with Nids. I thought 7th was a lot of fun being a newcomer. I liked how gritty the combat was and enjoyed the extreme complexity. Nowadays, I’m just tired of GW going “HERE HAVE MORE SPACE MARINES BECAUSE THATS WHAT YOU ALL WANT BECAUSE I SAID SO”. I don’t care if Tyranids don’t get something new, I just want Games Workshop to care about the game and the players. Not just pcness and money😔
Reading White Dwarf back in the early to mid-00s was insane. Every few months had a new army update. Next Month: Dwarves, Next Month: Wood Elves, Next Month: Bretonnia. Not to mention new factions like Ogre Kingdoms.
Imperial guard? Eldar that only now are starting to get new models? Orks? Grey knights? Sob and necrons had their major update only half a year ago yet THE INQUISITION is basically dead as a playable faction because of lack of new models, just like the CSM who STILL have most of their models date back to 2009 or earlier.
If we’re talking 40K I actually think 7th is better than 8th and 9th both. 8th started promisingly except for command points, but pretty soon aquired most (if not all) of 7ths worst qualities without the good ones. 9th edition doubles down on the worst of the 8th like the command point/stratagem system.
early 7th before the formations destroyed the game and people exploited the ally rules in the worst way possible was really fun. The rules were strong, immersive and fun to play. 8th was so full of bad mechanics, re-rolls and aura abuse that it just wasn't fun and ended 40k for me forever.
Hard disagree. 8th made the game all about humongous units (gotta sell them models), op magic, laser guided cannons and the ”wrong” kind of randomness.
@@Bergioyn you mean it made a massed battle game, a massed battle game? 😱 it was much better than the 'Chaos Lord on dragon and his 4 mates' armies of 6th. Plus massive units in 8th are shit (see below). 6th has zero sense of the epicness I want from Warhammer Outside of an argument with my gf, I dont think I've ever seen so many arguments about whether something is 7.99" or 8.01" than in 6th ed tournaments. As for the cannons, I played empire since 3rd, I could hot you just as reliably with than as in 8th. And the 'op magic'. Remember you complained about big units? That was the counter. It's almost like...balance As you might guess, I play napoleonics, an actual real game. I have more models in 1 Austrian unit than most 6th ed armies.
yes I think the competitive scene destroyed the game. 8th and 9th were purely designed for competitive play and not for people who wanted a fun, gritty set of rules without all the bad mechanics and gaminess.
@@Bergioyn it's mostly by people who played 5th also referred to as herohammer at times. Seriously 6th toned down and allowed for a lot less characters. Changing to the special/rare unit system also meant less wacky units and war machines in the mix. It pulled the focus to big blocks of basic troops and limited the crazy. Hence borehammer.
I am so glad i started Warhammer in 2002. I was there, in the golden age, when GW had to make a good product to not go bankrupt.
1997 for myself, still think the early years around 3rd-4th ed were the best time I had in the hobby. All got rather stale on the GW front since - I used to play 40k, fantasy, warmaster and battlefleet gothic.. now what we got?
Aos and AoS in space, both with boring ass rulesets and sales driven list builds.
I wish i could of played these earlier editions of warhammer, but i was born in 2001 so i wasn't entirely able play at the time.
I got into it in 2006, blew all my pocket money on one pack of chaos space marines and a terminator Lord. Better days.
Its not a coincidence thst 6th dropped at the end of 3rd edition 40k and finished during 5th. 6th WHFB basically covered the entirity of absolute high point of GW and then some.
It is sorely missed
3rd edition was just 2 years old, when 6th droped. So it had 4 more years... thats not even close to "at the end of 3rd". Also 7th edition launched in 2006, thats 2 years after the 4th edition of 40k.
Your time line is way out of hand in your memorys
@@Ventris999 yeah my memory is a bit over cooked, I was like 12 at the time. Get alot of crossed wires
This is a painful watch. God those ranked up armies look so good in comparison to AoS' cartoony skirmishes.
I don't recognise Macca's voice without the scuffed microphone
As a customer, the early 2000's as a whole was truly the golden age of Games Workshop (except from a financial standpoint perhaps). We saw 6th edition fantasy (which is also my favorite edition), with books filled with fantastic, evocative, black and white artwork, tons of magic items, options (vampire lineages, wood elf spites and high elf honors to name a few) and every fantasy army was redone to a greater extent.
It wasn't just fantasy either. The early 2000's was when we first got Lord of the Rings and saw 40k get some amazing codices. Chaos (3.5. Probably the greatest 40k codex of all time), Imperial Guard, Daemon Hunters, Witch Hunters, Spacemarines, Black Templars and Tau all came out during at this time.
Also, let's not forget that it was During this time that the 4th edition of 40k came out, with the best version of Killteam ever committed to paper and we saw the release of the original Dawn of War series of games.
Most of the Black Library authors of note also started writing at this time and really solidified the tone and setting with memorable characters and events. Additionally, we had a WD, that was something you could really look forward to every month, packed with articles, battle reports, conversions, army showcases, and optional new rules (does anyone else remember the Josef Bugmann campaign from 2003/04 with custom scenarios, characters and rules).
We had several world wide campaigns, from Armageddon and the 13th Black crusade to Albion and the storm of chaos, which made you feel involved in the story of the game (I still remember reading the conclusion to the Storm of Chaos in WD 301 and seeing the results).
I think the overall common thread of this period was that the releases made it seem like the game was yours. GW released books with lots of things in them and you were left to crate something from it. The universes they created were more akin to a sandbox from which players and authors could create something, not have told to them by people who already had the narrative mapped out.
Glad that I decided to keep my old sixth sculpts, rulebooks, and supplements from when I was a kid. Looking forward to playing with a buddy soon.
The sweet spot between "Herohammer" and "Hordehammer".
Great video.
How I miss playing Ogre Kingdom and Skaven during this.
Best time in fantasy I ever had honestly as each army was unique, had tons of character and was always a blast to play as my opponent enjoyed themselves too.
The mid-2000s were a great time for the hobby. I got into Warhammer around this time, and i got into 40k around the turn of 5th edition. This video gave me a major nostalgia hit for legendary artwork, terrain tutorials, simpler rules, and better lore.
One thing I miss from the original Rogue Trader was the ability to create profiles for all your scratch built flyers and vehicles. Turn radius ratios for movement though....
2nd edition was my favourite 40k - game sizes felt just right and the rules were complex enough for some crazy hilarious situations. Psychology rules were great. The game had balance issues (Vortex and Virus grenades, Wraithguard spam, jetbike armies, OP Psykers and characters) if you wanted to cheese it, but for casual pick up games I had the most fun with it. I think being popular before the internet was widely available to most people in the UK helped - in the current focus on tournament style competitive play 2nd edition would not have been as fun, I think. Also the lore and army design was at the sweet spot for me. Never forget that Marneus Calgar took his gauntlets off of a defeated Chaos Champion! 4th edition was my second favourite.
As for fantasy I really liked 4th and 5th editions, although some games did devolve into Herohammer.
.. Come on modern Chaos 3 kits ..?!
Chaos Space Marines
Chaos Havocs
Chaos Terminators
Chaos Lord
Abbadon
Haarken Worldclaimer
Master of Executions
Arch-Lord Discordant
Chaos Space Marines Sorcerer
Dark Apostle
Bouns (you can't buy separately for some weird reason)
Venomcrawler
Obliterators
Greater Possessed
Master of Possession
To be fair half of that list is monoposed characters. But if I'm still in a fair mood, and I am, they did good with Chaos. I'll give you that. But the "Ork Refresh" of a handful of new vehicles was lame, as was the pyschic awakening update of the eldar and dark eldar. One character plus a kit each. Much hype, not much substance. That being said I'm hopeful that as soon as we're through this rough spot(late next year?), GW might make good on the updating of ranges that are not space marines. Even a guard refresh would be awesome.
I thought that at first too, but, what do Haarlem and the Executioner replace? Nothing, they’re just additions, bloat.same with Venomcrawler and Master of the Possessed. Doesn’t mean I hate it, but it’s not a rejigger of an old unit, such as the Defiler, Chaos Rhino, Land Raider etc.
You have Abbadon, Chaos Marines, Havocs and Terninators, yes, but the possessed and obliterators? How do you get those outside of a box of assorted stuff??
got a complete collection of 6th ed fantasy books. cheers macca you just made them appreciate in value haha
the edition that introduced 9 y/o me to Warhammer! The time when a standard infantry box got you 16 warriors - and that was before the hord edition. Had much fun playing that. Though my dark elves got beaten the shit out of them by chaos most of the time. Orks were fun as well. you just made me miss it, damn.
In my opinion 2nd edition 40k was for 40k not just for the rules but for the lore and general feel of the game, I would agree through 6th edition Fantasy was the best Fantasy book.
honestly we are at a point allready where the fandom brings better products than GW them self, look no further than Astartes and Death of Hope, fan made campains seam also to be/becom a thing. third party miniature company´s make some models that look better than those of GW them self, even better (or at least mor 40k looking ones) since a while i am not all to "trigger happy" when it comes to GW products. and those i buy, i buy mostly second hand...
There is no excuse for GW not to update 40k factions across the board now than when this fantasy edition was released. The company was smaller and less mainstream back then and had fewer resources yet they could do all this. Sad to see how far they've fallen.
Pop
Too busy shoving Primaris into everything.
@@heathenpride7931 this may be premature but Primaris may very well be seen as the watershed moment in GW destroying their own property (not that it was all perfect before that). But a turning point of sorts
That's spooky! I literally just made up my mind to start slowly building a 6th edition Wood Elf army, and purchased an original box of Dryads on ebay, then you drop this video all within a couple of hours.
Games Workshop has really dropped the ball lately on Faction revamps
6th edition was my favourite edition of Warhammer too.
3rd edition was my favourite 40K
4th Edition 40K imo
Lore And Gameplay
I enjoyed the video.
Beastmen, Deamons, and Khemri were split off into their own factions from Chaos and Undead respectively. Ogres went from being a mercenary unit into their own faction.
I loved this edition. The downside to all of Warhammer Fantasy, really, is that the game favored numbers and toughness over weapon skill. This made it tough for elite armies to overcome hordes.
I remember visiting GW stores when 6th ed fantasy ended. I was playing 5th ed 40K and new to the hobby at the time. I fell in love with what I saw going on retrospectively but couldn't put up with AoS to try to capture the magic. Heresy fulfills my hobby itch these days instead
At the beginning of this video, I was going to say how insane you were to suggest that 6th ed Fantasy was the greatest edition of Warhammer, but after watching it I have to say "Well done, you've convinced me." It's definitely not my favourite edition (that would still be 5th ed Fantasy, and 2nd ed 40k), but the amount of work GW put into 6th edition fantasy does speak for itself. Great video.
I was a rogue trader guy
I really loved this edition, I had been in the hobby since early in 5th Edition Fantasy. You have not mentioned one wonderful little book. The Ravening Hordes booklet that came out at the start of the edition free in White Dwarf... which as a Chaos Dwarf player I might have gotten more use out of than most!
Undead getting split into Tomb Kings and Vampire counts worked because they had enough going on in the background and in the lines to divide them. I'm a Deathguard player but I feel the lists for them and Deathguard are a little limited, I'd have been pretty happy if they had came out the door with a Chaos Codex early and then did Deathguard and Thousand Sons as supplements (and the rest of the Legions but special attention to Emperor's Children and World Eaters).
You forgot the dogs of war many mercenaries for your armies I loved the cursed captain and his undead unit 😊
Early 5th ed. was my favourite.
4th had too many weird rules imo, but early 5th smoothed that out and was still using the awesome 4th ed. Codices at that point.
You should try out kings of war Macca. The new plastic rat kin from Mantic like the goblins are amazing sculpts.
Incubi got moved to plastic for dark eldar.
In my opinion Rogue Trader still stands as the best edition in spite of my love of 3rd and 4th.
Battle at the Farm still stands as a fantastic scenario to play, and I would argue RT is better balanced and has more nuance than 9th (but that might not be surprising, given the fact it has hybrid RPG leanings!). The freedom to play with random elements adds so much to the game in my opinion and usually surprises with the randomness it adds to the battle. Sure, in comparison to 9th it's a little slow and a bit confusing at times with the terminology/ wording, but otherwise it's far stronger than many people give it credit for.
I would like to add to say that I consider Inquisitor is the true successor to Rogue Trader.
Edit 5.
I always wanted to play the bretonians. Hope the eventual return to Fantasy brings them back
Obiwan Sherlock Clousseau says Rogue Trader. My own opinion is shrouded in mystery.
6th was the best for fantasy, however for 40K core rules 5th was the best, unfortunately there were about 15 rules from 3rd, 4th and 7th that were better that should have been in 5th. our group uses a hybrid 5th with those rules "house ruled" in. codexes vary however, some were better in various editions that best represented the factions in universe lore via the rules. Our group allows players to use whichever codex they like best in the 5th edition rules set.
Of course the best game GW ever made for 40K is still battlefleet gothic. thank you Andy Chambers, it hasn't been the same since you left.
4th ed fantasy also saw a huge update to the range...intro of box set idea, army books and plastic minis for most factions...3rd to 4th ed fantasy was like rogue trader to 2nd ed 40k...
Also the edition where many mainstay characters were introduced or got proper models...
I didn't start WFB till 8th edition 2 months before the End Times Started and had 2 years of fun before AoS. Definitely miss Warhammer Fantasy and now being Military it's damn near impossible for me to play WFB just sad.
Yes, the Brettonians were Perry brothers sculpts. Oddly, this is the only WHFB edition I bought the book for. The 2nd best ruleset was WH40k 2nd Edition. - Anecdote: a detachment of 10 crossbowmen (50 pts) break a giant who fell over due to Rank bonus (400 points).
Omg I remember this. I started with lizardmen a few years before the new release in 2003. For so long I heard rumours about their update and I waited, holding my breath. And when they were released I was like, omg they are so cool. And I had a friend who started a tomb kings army when they released. Such an amazing time to be in the hobby. Every now and then they showed teasers of upcoming units on the website and it felt great, and they had alot of articles about converting units or how to build terrain themed for your army. Today they have new realeses every other week or so and I don't feel anything for that.
I Have a soft spot for 3rd Edition WFB even though rules were convoluted, Rogue Trader was fun but 3rd edition 40k was arguably when it became truly playable. 8th/9th edition 40k are better with the Open/Narrative/Tournament formats which arguably they should have introduced earlier allowing both competitive and fun players to exist in the hobby
Luckily for you, those formats can be used with older rule sets instantly making the game modes better :P
I was heartbroken when GW split my chaos army into two separate armies. Went from having an awesome Hordes of chaos list (of about 70% mortal and 30% demons) into two weak lists. I still bitter about it. Ended up building a warrior list but man were they slow and unsatisfying to play.
Same here but i also had beastmen as well. :( Oh they did this to my other army too Undead was split into Tomb kings and Vampire Counts... i got bent over twice and was on very limited kid budget at those times.
I will have to agree with you 6th was my favorite as well
I still remember the battles I took part in for the Albion campaign, haven't spent that much time in a GW store since.
WHFB 6th Edition is best?
You can be my friend Macca
Also 6st brought us the best miniature ever: Young Valten
At least 11 armies because you forgot the Dark Elves. They had a HUGE redesign for 6th edition, losing the old 80s style big hair and tall hats
Beat me to it!
Dark Elves are also a great example of this era being the time when GW cared about the players as well. The DE were politely speaking crap, so they got an Errata towards the end of the edition which made them more playable. This was during time when the norm wasn’t constant fiddling or to release something either without playtesting or intentionally broken to sell the new releases and then nerf it a month or two later too.
@@Bergioyn they used to beat me all the time anyway.
IIRC, the problem was that the High Elf units which mirrored them had advantages but the same point value (spearmen for instance fought in 3 ranks). But the problem must have been subtle as I lost to them before and I lost to then after too.
When you said warhammer 6th ed. I was just like ya I can see it.
It was definitely my favorite fantasy warhammer game. And I played it a lot more than I did 40k at the time.
The Dark Shadows campaign was so good! I still have my Truthsayer model somewhere, lost my fenbeasts though sadly. 6th was a really good edition for fantasy and would probably be the one I would choose to play in given an opportunity.
I always wanted one and a Dark Emissary, but didn't have the funds.
@@TheOuterCircle the emissary was a really nice model. I was playing High Elves at the time though so I passed over him which now that i have a big vampire counts army I regret. Still maybe one will show up for a reasonable price on ebay one day
My dark emissary and fenbeast are back in the to paint pile after being stripped. For use in frostgrave.
GW needs to see this, if only to jog their memory.
I bought an armload of old codices from 40K and some WHFantasy Battle supplements (though 40K- Heresy Era, really- is my focus)- and I got them very cheaply, as they’ve been superseded. But I never know just what edition any of the old ones are. Just recently I had picked up a 40K 3.5 Chaos Marine Codex, after hearing you sing it’s praises for years, but not being sure if that was the one (I kind of suspected it was.). Anyway, I got a copy of Warhammer Chronicles 2004, for the WHFB game, for about $3-4 USD. Is that from the 6th edition that this video is about? The models, and even the cover of the Chronicles book, seem to match up. If you stated the date in the video, I must have missed it. Thanks! And I enjoyed the video, as well-
Yes, all the chronicles and annuals are for 6th ed WFB.
@@Bergioyn Thanks very much for the info-
Wood Elves were in 4rth, but alot of people hated them as they could bring terrain to the table and then move it around with their spells.
They where released in 4th, but flashed out in 6th.
Oh man.. the memories... *Cries in Warhammer Fantasy*
what are your takes on 5th edition?
This was the last edition I played, it was a great edition, started with Woodelves & then added Darkelves.
The Author of the Sixth Edition Dark Elves army book was so weak that he changed it a lot posted the changes in a White Dwarf before an updated version was released. Oh what I had playing sixth edtion Skaven, when thing went bad it really went bad, unlike the ungodly seventh edition army where thing dien't blow up and kill friendly troops.
damn. I should've gotten that white dwarf.
I consider 4th ed warhammer, haven't played it since childhood and recently tryed it again, ez to understand and pickup while still having the technical and strategic depth that is the hallmark of warhammer.
Otherwise i agree.
keep these coming!
I both agree and disagree. I too started in 5th edition Warhammer Fantasy. In units we gained tonnes. Characters were removed and replaced by 2 new characters per faction. Luckily we got them back in 7th (some even re-sculpted). Still it was a definite improvement for the range and general mechanics. That said, it was in later editions that units gained more character and interacted with special characters in synergy.
The 6th edition has a busy Facebook group
100% agreed started 5th ed fantasy, but 6th was the best, still playing today
I am currently building up armies for 6th Edition. I agree that 6th was the best Fantasy edition.
GW used to look after the customers back then if you look at Old White dwarfs you'll see 2 to 4 pages of new releases every month now what do we get one unit if we lucky and I'm not talking about special games good video keep the salt flowing
My 2nd Warhammer rulebook.
Not gonna lie, was just about to type out 6:th ed whfb when you stated it. Such a good one.
Oh, and don't forget the awesome chapter on fighting siege battles with optional rules for things like wall defences.
Yeah that was a good one. Later it seemed the rules just revolved around getting bigger units and adding annoying side rules.
When a new army release ment a new army release with a good handful of miniatures released over a few months in waves.
Also a great time to play. Would go to games workshop almost every week to play in the game rooms (though I know not every games workshop store had that)
It’s the annoying side rules that stop me from playing Warhammer nowadays. Does every unit, every weapon, every army, every faction, every character, every turn, and every scenario need special case rules? Does it make minmaxers buy the new hot model? Yes. Does it make it more accessible and more fun to play? No.
I started around 2016 and started with Nids. I thought 7th was a lot of fun being a newcomer. I liked how gritty the combat was and enjoyed the extreme complexity. Nowadays, I’m just tired of GW going “HERE HAVE MORE SPACE MARINES BECAUSE THATS WHAT YOU ALL WANT BECAUSE I SAID SO”. I don’t care if Tyranids don’t get something new, I just want Games Workshop to care about the game and the players. Not just pcness and money😔
Reading White Dwarf back in the early to mid-00s was insane. Every few months had a new army update. Next Month: Dwarves, Next Month: Wood Elves, Next Month: Bretonnia. Not to mention new factions like Ogre Kingdoms.
I’ll keep an eye out for these codexes then, have a buddy who has his grandfathers lizardmen. Maybe my Nurgle demons can put up a fight!
My man has the right answer
4th ED had the best lore.
Why should armies be overhauled every edition? A lot of kits are great now, you said it yourself, don’t fix what isn’t broken
Imperial guard? Eldar that only now are starting to get new models? Orks? Grey knights? Sob and necrons had their major update only half a year ago yet THE INQUISITION is basically dead as a playable faction because of lack of new models, just like the CSM who STILL have most of their models date back to 2009 or earlier.
Everyone knows the best edition of Warhammer ever is whatever GW declares it to be today.
6th edition i really hated the rule heroes and generals had to start without and unite and had to walk in one to be part of it.
40 seconds in and I'm already agreeing with you 6th ed fantasy was perfection
You guys can easily discern differences betwen each edition? Absolute diehard legends.
Generals Compendium best product they ever released.
9th feels better than 7th but worse than 8th
Just my opinion though and I suspect I’m wrong
If we’re talking 40K I actually think 7th is better than 8th and 9th both. 8th started promisingly except for command points, but pretty soon aquired most (if not all) of 7ths worst qualities without the good ones. 9th edition doubles down on the worst of the 8th like the command point/stratagem system.
@@Bergioyn Yeah that’s probably fair. I liked it when we all got indexes in 8th
early 7th before the formations destroyed the game and people exploited the ally rules in the worst way possible was really fun. The rules were strong, immersive and fun to play. 8th was so full of bad mechanics, re-rolls and aura abuse that it just wasn't fun and ended 40k for me forever.
5th for 40k is best :)
Much better microphone
Greatest edition of Warhammer ever is Laserburn. Fight me. :-)
Never played it but I'm now tempted to try and hunt a copy down.
Online PDFs are pretty easy to find if you know where to look.
@@monkeyinapanzer8805 yeah but books are way better. Just use the 40k app as a shining example.
Best fluff. 8th are better rules
Hard disagree. 8th made the game all about humongous units (gotta sell them models), op magic, laser guided cannons and the ”wrong” kind of randomness.
@@Bergioyn you mean it made a massed battle game, a massed battle game? 😱 it was much better than the 'Chaos Lord on dragon and his 4 mates' armies of 6th. Plus massive units in 8th are shit (see below). 6th has zero sense of the epicness I want from Warhammer
Outside of an argument with my gf, I dont think I've ever seen so many arguments about whether something is 7.99" or 8.01" than in 6th ed tournaments.
As for the cannons, I played empire since 3rd, I could hot you just as reliably with than as in 8th.
And the 'op magic'. Remember you complained about big units? That was the counter. It's almost like...balance
As you might guess, I play napoleonics, an actual real game. I have more models in 1 Austrian unit than most 6th ed armies.
Idk. 9th I think it’s stagnant. Repetitive and boring. Setup to much for competative play
yes I think the competitive scene destroyed the game. 8th and 9th were purely designed for competitive play and not for people who wanted a fun, gritty set of rules without all the bad mechanics and gaminess.
Short answer: no
Long answer: hell no
A lot of people do call this edition borehammer.
Never heard anyone say that about 6th.
@@Bergioyn it's mostly by people who played 5th also referred to as herohammer at times. Seriously 6th toned down and allowed for a lot less characters. Changing to the special/rare unit system also meant less wacky units and war machines in the mix.
It pulled the focus to big blocks of basic troops and limited the crazy.
Hence borehammer.