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Epic 40,000

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Epic 40,000 is the name of the 3rd edition of Epic. It was developed by Jervis Johnson and Andy Chambers in 1997.

General Information

Epic 40,000
Epic40k.jpg
Designer Jervis Johnson and Andy Chambers
Manufacturer Games Workshop
Released 1997
Scale 6mm
Players 2+
Preceded by Titan Legions (game)
Followed by Epic Armageddon

Epic 40,000, like its predecessor Epic 2nd Edition, was a tabletop game played with armies of miniatures. The gameplay was, however, dramatically changed from the earlier version.


  • The armies were no longer based fixed army sheets (companies or detachments). Larger armies now had much wider choice of unit selection.
  • On the other hand, the units lost a lot of their individual character. The complexities of the weapons were replaced with a single fire power and range statistic.
  • In order to increase the speed of games, the fire power values where checked against a table. Hits are then assigned to opposing units if the fire power value beats the armour value.
  • Early bombardment markers were introduced, which affected the moral of enemy units.


Reception

The aim of Epic 40,000 was to simplify and speed up game play. Instead of learning hundreds of different stats for individual units, they were each given basic values. New play elements introduced included: bombardment markers, rules for fire fights and fate cards, which made the battle more interesting but without complicating it too much.

However, the immediate player reviews were negative. Many thought the simplification was over-the-top, despite what the designers thought. Also, many of the armies available in earlier versions were no longer usable, only the Imperial Guard, Space Marines and Orks (various prototypes never went to production, for example Chaos). Epic 40,000 quickly disappeared from the shelves and White Dwarf due to poor sales. It was with this edition that Epic lost its status of one of the three top Games Workshop games, which was later taken up by Lord of the Rings.


Box Contents

Epic 40,000 Battles Book
Epic 40,000 Rulebook
Epic 40,000 Armies Book
  • Epic 40,000 Battle Book
  • Epic 40,000 Rulebook
  • Epic 40,000 Armies Book
  • A quick guide
  • Pad of unit cards
  • Superglue
  • 2 reference sheets
    • 6 initiative counters
    • 12 fate cards (shown as the Emperor's Tarot)
    • 20 bombardment markers
    • 3 Barrage templates
    • 2 landing fields
    • Mission goal markers
    • Outline of an Ork Gargant
    • Superglue for plastic ruins
    • etc. ???
  • 2 centimetre staffs
  • Dice (10 white, 6 small green, 6 command)
  • Plastic ruins by Owen Branham
  • Plastic miniatures


See Also