I has 'Don't panic Mr Mannering'

Games Workshop has finally gone and done it. 

After years and years of producing mediocre rules which have threatened to kill 40k off, they've finally managed it with the introduction of Escalation and Stronghold Assault.

Bollocks.

All they've done is expand the game. No-one is forcing anyone to play that guy with the Revenant Titan, at least not in a friendly game, and no-one is forcing you to buy either of the two new books.

So what's the problem?

The internet. 

The same internet that told us 40k was fucked when they introduced fliers. Oh, and that would be the same internet that told us 6th edition was shit, and that Allies had killed the game off and that the world would end in 2012.

In case you haven't noticed, the world didn't end and 6th edition is actually quite good, shock horror gasp, even with fliers and allies. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it's nowhere near as bad as the Private Frazers of the 40k world have made out.

So will Escalation or Stronghold Assault kill 40k?

No, because most of the bitching and moaning that's going on about the new releases is by people who've never read the books or played a game with them and their opinions have been formed from what other unhappy bunnies on the internet who've probably never read the books or played a game with them have written.

Sure, without a doubt they're going to change the nature of the game. But, how popular do you think 40k would be if it didn't change and we were all still playing 2nd edition rules?

Change, whether we like it or not is what's kept the game alive. 

And do you know what? Nobody is stopping you or your buddies playing 2nd, 3rd or 4th editions.  

Here's Durham.