The Big Hobby Questions: Is GW at War With Fans & Is 11th Edition Coming?
The hobby world moves at the speed of a White Scars jetbike.
Blink, and you’ll miss a new army reveal, a major controversy, or whispers of the next big shake-up.
This month, the conversation has been dominated by two huge topics: Games Workshop’s relationship with its fans and the ever-present “three-year itch” for a new edition of 40k.
It’s a full-time job keeping track of it all, so we’ve done the hard work for you. Here’s our take on the essential intel from the front lines.
Between Coats: Our Little Journalism Corner
You know those conversations you have after a game night? When the dice are put away, and you’re just talking about the hobby?
This is the space for those conversations. Each month, we’re picking one of those big-picture topics to explore them a little futher.
The Three-Year Itch: Are We Ready for 11th Edition Already?
There’s a rhythm to being a Warhammer 40k player.
You learn an edition, you buy the books, you master the rules… and then, right on cue, you start to feel it. The three-year itch. It’s that nagging sense that the next big shake-up is just over the horizon. With 10th Edition now firmly in its mid-life, the whispers about 11th Edition in 2026 are getting louder, and it begs the question: are we just stuck on a hamster wheel of consumerism, or is this constant cycle of change actually good for the game?
The three-year cycle is a business model. But it’s also become the lifeblood of the game’s evolution. Based on everything we’re seeing, 11th Edition is almost certainly going to be an evolution, not a revolution. And thank the Emperor for that.
10th Edition, for all its quirks, brought a simplicity that the game desperately needed. The idea of our brand-new codexes becoming obsolete overnight is a horror story no one wants to live through again. A gentle refinement seems to be the plan, likely cleaning up the mountain of FAQs and integrating Detachments more smoothly.
But “gentle refinement” doesn’t mean we don’t have a wishlist. The community consensus is clear on one thing: the game’s lethality is off the charts.
We’ve all had those games that are basically decided by the end of turn two. The plea for 11th Edition is for more tactical play – more movement, more objectives, and fewer units being vaporized the moment they peek out of cover. We want our games to be stories of back-and-forth struggle, not just a brutal alpha-strike competition.
And then there’s the big, fun question: the launch box. We know Space Marines are a lock; they’re the poster boys for a reason.
New units of Space Marines to complete the Primaris-ification seem like a safe bet. But who will they be fighting? The smart money is on Chaos. After years of Xenos taking the spotlight, it feels right. Will it be the much-rumored Night Lords, finally stepping out of the shadows? Or will GW throw us a curveball and give the long-suffering Drukhari a full model refresh and a starring role? No, they won’t. They’ve just updated the codex, gave one new mini, refreshed one and that’s all. Usual Drukhari treatment.
Ultimately, the three-year itch is a mix of fatigue and excitement. We’re ready for a change, but we’re praying it’s the right one. We want an edition that keeps the accessibility of 10th but brings back some of the tactical depth we’ve lost. We want our armies to feel resilient, our victories to feel earned, and our games to be more than just a race to see who can delete the other person’s army fastest. We’re ready for the next chapter.
Let’s just hope it will be a good one.
First They Came for the Cosplayers, Now They Come for the Apps
Just last month, we talked about the legal hammers falling on a popular 3D creator of cosplay files. The logic, while heavy-handed, was clear: Games Workshop was entering the high-end helmet market, and they cleared the field of fan-made competition first. It was a commercial dispute. We understood it, even if we didn’t like it.
This, however, is different. This is worse.
For over a year, a fan-made, non-commercial website called Kill Team BattleKit has been arguably the single best resource for playing the game. It was a passion project, created by a fan named Albe Cortes, with no ads, no subscriptions, and no revenue, just a clean, intuitive interface that organized the game’s scattered rules into one perfect place. It even had a match tracker. It was a love letter to Kill Team, a tool that helped over 30,000 players get into the game and play it correctly. It was a community service.
And Games Workshop just killed it with a legal threat.
Let’s be perfectly clear about the absurdity of this.
Unlike the cosplay situation, BattleKit wasn’t selling a product. It was a free tool that made GW’s own product better and more accessible. Kill Team’s rules are already free digitally, so this wasn’t about protecting rulebook sales. This was about control. Instead of acknowledging the incredible, unpaid work this creator did for their community (work that likely sold more Kill Team boxes) and collaborating with him, they sent in the lawyers.
It’s a baffling, self-defeating move that feels like a slap in the face to the passionate community that keeps their games alive. The creator himself said it best on his Discord: “It saddens me that, instead of contacting me to acknowledge the unpaid work I’ve done… they have chosen a legal threat.” It’s a war that makes no sense.
This is the next step in a worrying trend. First, they come for the commercial fan ventures that compete with their products (and thats understandable). But now, they’re coming for the non-commercial fan tools that actively support their products. What’s next? Will fan-made painting tutorials be seen as competition for their official videos? Will home-brewed scenarios be viewed as a threat to their campaign books?
This action against BattleKit is a grim signal. It suggests a zero-tolerance policy towards any fan creation, no matter how helpful or non-commercial it is. They are telling their most dedicated fans that their passion is only welcome as long as it stays strictly within the lines GW draws.
For a company that relies so heavily on the creativity and dedication of its community, that’s a dangerous message to send.
September Warhammer News Summary
The Sons of Macragge Return
Ultramar is reinforcing its command structure. Revealed in all their glory were new sculpts for Chapter Master Marneus Calgar, the legendary Cato Sicarius, and their Victrix Honour Guard. The masters of the Codex are looking sharper than ever.
A New Era of Pain for the Drukhari
The Kabals of Commorragh are preparing for a fresh season of raids. The new Codex: Drukhari was revealed, spearheaded by a chilling new miniature for the master strategist, Lady Malys. A new Combat Patrol is also on the way to bolster your realspace raids. GW remembers after all!
The Age of Darkness Gets Heavier
The Horus Heresy is escalating. A brand-new plastic MKII Assault Squad is inbound, supported by the new Malcador Heavy Tank and the announcement of “Combat Forces” – the Heresy’s answer to Combat Patrols.
The Forges of Hashut are Open
The cruel Dawi-Zharr are stoking their furnaces. The Helsmiths of Hashut – a new unit of Chaos Dwarf war-sorcerers and engineers – have officially hit pre-orders.
The Knight Houses Muster
The Throne’s mightiest war machines are marching out. The new Codex: Imperial Knights is up for pre-order, bringing updated rules and new ways to command your lances.
Other Wargaming News
Starcraft Board Game Progress Check: New Sculpts Sighted!
Archon Studio keeps the hype train rolling for their Starcraft board game. During their AMA on September 18th, they showed off a few more work-in-progress sculpts, giving us a peek at some unpainted Zergs and a classic Spac… ekhem, Terran Marine.
It’s not the finish line, but it’s great to see designs taking physical shape for the tabletop. We are definitely watching this one closely.
Warmachine Proves You Can Have It Both Ways
Steamforged Games is making a smart, player-focused move for Warmachine.
For the first time since the launch of MkIV, a physical, hardback Core Rulebook is coming this December, and it’s a beauty. While the full rules will remain free on the official app (a policy we love), this new book is for everyone who appreciates the tactile experience of a well-made rulebook filled with lore, art, and faction deep-dives.
It’s the perfect tool to draw new players into the Iron Kingdoms at your local store, letting them flip through a gorgeous book instead of just pointing them to an app. It’s a win-win: modern accessibility with a classic, premium feel.
Warcrow Shows a Horde of New Monsters and Models
Proving they have no intention of slowing down, Corvus Belli unleashed another wave of fantastic miniatures for Warcrow.
The Northern Tribes get a massive, story-telling Rock Troll that looks like it could anchor an entire army, while the Scions of Yaldabaoth can now raise hordes of shambling undead Husks from various factions. To round it out, the grim Guardians of the Mound are here to bolster Feudom forces, and a new Hegemony of Embersig Action Pack provides a perfect entry point.
It’s an impressive mix of massive monsters, horde units, and elite characters that shows Corvus Belli is serious about rapidly expanding their wonderful, yet strange fantasy world.
Flames of War Tidies Up the Eastern Front
Battlefront is making life easier for Flames of War players focused on the brutal fighting of 1944. The new Operation Bagration supplement is a massive compilation, taking all the previously scattered rules for the Germans, Soviets, Romanians, Hungarians, and Finns and putting them into one invaluable hardback book.
While it doesn’t change any points, it adds new formations and serves as the perfect, single-volume entry point for anyone wanting to dive into this crucial period of WWII. It’s a quality-of-life move that simplifies the game without rewriting it, something more publishers should take note of.
The Long, Sad Saga of CMON (and Mythic Games) Continues
The cautionary tale for Kickstarter backers has a new chapter. Two of Mythic Games’ long-undelivered projects, Anastyr and Hel: The Last Saga, have been sold off yet again. After Mythic failed to deliver and sold the IPs to CMON 18 months ago, a struggling CMON has now passed them to French publisher Don’t Panic Games.
This leaves backers, some of whom were expecting their games as early as 2021, in an even deeper state of limbo. It’s a messy situation that highlights the risks of crowdfunding, where promises are plentiful but the realities of production and finance can turn a dream project into a multi-year nightmare for the people who funded it.
All eyes are now on Don’t Panic Games to see if they will finally be the ones to deliver, or if this is just another stop on a journey that may never end.
From the News Feed to Your Tabletop
It’s easy to get caught up in the constant cycle of wargaming news. Between the excitement for new releases like the Drukhari, the speculation about the next edition of 40k, and the drama in the community, there’s always something to talk about. But at the end of the day, all these headlines point back to one thing: the armies we love and the games we want to play with them.
That news might have sparked an idea. Maybe you’re now planning a fresh realspace raid with the new Drukhari, or you’ve finally decided to reinforce your Horus Heresy legion. The inspiration is the best part of the hobby, but turning that excitement into a fully painted force is the hardest step.
You’ve got the vision for your next great project. Let us handle the painting. Send us a message below, and let’s get your next army from an idea to a tabletop reality.
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