All around the Interwebs people are liking or disliking the rumors - let's stress rumors though from seperarte sources some of these are likely to be included - and other people are jumping up and down on the opposite camp. One of the main things I seen thrown at the disliking of the rumor camp (particularly when that terrible hodge podge of an early rumor packet was going around last year) was that good competitive players (aka WAAC, cheesey, OP, whatever other bad and misappropriated names you'd like to label competitive players) were just angry because they'd have to change. This is false. I'm sure there are some people who are angry they'd have to change their armies or whatever but let us point out it has often been these players who have changed with the times best and been the ones to suck it up when their favorite armies don't do well (i.e. Eldar and Tau :().
What many people seem to be missing is the difference between whining about the new rules and disappointment in the new rules. I doubt many will disagree with the notion that 5th edition has been stellar compared to what we've had in the past from Games Workshop. It's not perfect, far from it, but if Games Workshop had continued in this mould and evolved 5th edition into something even better (prticularly in re-engerising the player base), well everyone wins right? The good competitive basis of 5th maintains its course, the problems which a lot of casual or fluffy players complain about become addressed (i.e. 90% of good armies aren't nearly pure mech) and Games Workshop profits without having to do all that much.
By taking what appears to be a different direction, and I stress appears, Games Workshop may undo all the good work they've done with 5th. We may dislike certain rumors in isolation but we don't know the whole rulebook as many have pointed out, there might be many other rules which interact to make the rules we don't like fundamentally somehow work well within the game. The issue here isn't we have to adapt or change, if good competitive players want to continue the game they will do just that and probably better than the people pointing the finger at them because, well they've done it before and will do it again.
The point here is complaining about something doesn't mean you're just going to pack up and quit the game (which is a perfectly understandable reaction btw if YOU no longer find the game enjoyable. Screw what people tell you to feel) or that you're sad the 'winning forumla' you've discovered is going to change (because let's put it bluntly, the skills required to win reliably aren't going to change that much, the lists are). Again, the good competitive players will, on some level, enjoy the challenge and refreshment of new challenges but if overall the rules are a regression from what we've come to love of 5th edition, well people are damn well entitled to some disappointing (aka whining). If as the game appears, it is moving towards Fantasy style rules, 40k players on the whole would be disappointed - if they wanted Fantasy they'd play it. So let's not get disappointment and whining mixed up here - and let's be clear that the majority of us at 3++ are still going to play 40k come 6th edition, it might just take a back seat to other endeavours (though you'll still get your lovely and awesome content). This won't be because we have to change or adapt (uh hello, a whole new editions worth of topics!!!!) but because we get less enjoyment out of the game. We hope this is not the case and our fingers are crossed tightly for it, but the possibility is out there.
Now. Some of you may have heard from a while back that if 6th goes down the toliet, some major tournaments are getting together to essentially evolve 5th edition (i.e. what many of us think 5th needs rather than a full scale overhaul). I am torn here - the minds working on it and associated partners around the world (it's USA based) are a pretty hefty array of experience, brains and not doucheness. That's a positive. On the other hand, it's a significant change from what Games Workshop is selling (i.e. 6th edition) and I'm torn because, well I've generally been against that - play what you're given and all that. So I'm interested to see what they put forward will happily help out but I'd be surprised if it made it across the pond/become worldwide. Again, let us hope 6th is good enough to avoid this =D.
