Apocalypse is has developed into the most pervasive and successful Warhammer 40,000 expansion ever. It is a game in and of itself and played almost exclusively by 40K players all over the world.
So why is Apocalypse so successful?
1) We want big games!
There is a whole generation of 40K players who aren't interested in small, tournament-sized games of 40K. It gets routine, and often, too competitive. My Atlanta gaming group played a huge game every Christmas since 2001. We didn't play in between much unless they were big games. We ALWAYS wanted to play big games, and Apocalypse was exactly what we wanted.
2) We want to play with all our toys!
Well, thanks to Forgeworld, we have LOTS of them. Flyers, Titans, Super Heavies, we love buying and building the stuff and we want a HUGE universe of stuff. Those of us who are adults and have disposable income, want to buy more and more of the cool stuff. We are like kids at Christmas every time the Forgeworld newsletter comes out.
The Siegeworld annual event in St. Louis rents a warehouse!
3) Big games are more social and have more fun stuff happening. We want to have fun. Big games are more fun for so many reasons. You can build a story, you can blow more stuff up, and you can play with all those cool units you have. The games are events, and when you break for dinner, you can sit and chat about what has been happening in the game and not worry about winning or losing. The social part of gaming is very important to me and I know it is to my friends.
4) The Warhammer 40K Universe is getting deeper and richer.
The Horus Heresy novels have helped breath new life into the Black Library and the fluff of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. They are simply the best 40K novels ever. Boring Space Marines now have color and depth. Primarchs have come to life, characters are interesting and you see why Space Marines can be so different. And you actually LIKE Horus before his fall!
It gives us ideas, and makes us want to game more. Look at all the pre-heresy armies now.
Plus, Apoc has given rise to a whole cottage industry of conversion parts for figures and vehicles. Resin is becoming King, and not just with Forgeworld. And I see conversions that are insane on sites like Works in Progress and Apocalypse 40K.
Tom McBride's (Machinator) awesome Fellblade conversion kitSo this is the age of Apocalypse. It is changing the face of Games Workshop and the way we play. This blog is all about Apocalypse.
Alec
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