[Lantz's Corner] AdMech FanDex Part III: The Future

The Future Is Filled With Effeminate Droids And A Majority Of The Populous Dressed In Bath Robes, Apparently

As you probably have guessed, the third and final post on the AdMech fandex is going to focus on what has yet to come of it; the future. Being the original starter of this project, it's easy for me to go into what all will happen with the fandex, but as with any project, for every 'will' there are about ten uncertainties that come with it. Because of this, I don't want to divulge too much information on the future of this project, and while that might be frustrating, I won't leave you all with nothing to sink your teeth into. I had a cat, once. I like dangling little bits of string in front of you guys before I throw the yarn-ball down. Yes, you are a cat in this analogy. More after the break.

I guess the best place to start would be what is the next milestone for the fandex, and that is it's third version/release. Looking back at this point, it's a lot to grasp how much work I've put into this thing over the last year. With every little step I take, things just keep getting better, so I press on. The third release (which I'm not putting a time frame on like I have the last two as that seems to bite me in the ass repeatedly,) will be the version with the most teamwork involved. It truly astounds me how this community can come together everyday, just for the love of the game. As I've said before, there have been numerous people involved in the first two versions of the fandex, and the team just keeps getting bigger.

The AdMech Fluff Will Be Far Better Than This, Though Significantly Less Comfortable

This time around, you all won't have to endure my less-than-impressive fluff writing skills. At this point I have a team of four to-be-named fluff-writers working hard on the fandex's elusive and intriguing stories and descriptions. This team of individuals is doing a fantastic job so far and I can't wait to see what they have in store for the rest of the work. In addition to the writers, I've also received a lot more battle reports and criticism on the second version of the fandex in the last week. This is really pushing along the progress of the third version, and as always I'd like to encourage any and all comments and battle reports on the fandex to be sent to my email.

"But Lantz, I don't care about fluff. Give me more info on what I can look forward to!" Okay, rude, but I'll level with you. Not all of us are into the stories of 40k, and while I can't see myself enjoying the game without the fluff, I get that it's not a requirement for everyone. The other aspect a codex provides for entertainment is the rules. While I'm not going to release any specific rules as these are still subject to change, I'll repeat what I did with the last release and list the names of some of the new units/models you'll see in the third release of the fandex. In no particular order:

• Imperial Jetbikes
• Iron Father
• Iron Hands
• Textura
• Tech-Priest Artifex
• Solus Infiltrator
• Luceo Rollers
• Termite

Now, some of these you'll recognize from the fluff that's already out there. As for the ones you don't recognize, you may be wanting a bit more. I'm not giving away details, but I'll note that my naming-of-units does have a pattern to it. Some of you have already figured this pattern out, and I tip my hat to you. For those of you who didn't realize there was a naming convention I use; it's out there and once you figure it out it will give you a rough idea of what's to come. As for the elephant in the room, the Iron Hands, no I'm not going to include the chapter as a whole as they deserve a separate fandex in my opinion. However, I did want their inclusion in the fandex and I think I've fit a little bit of them in nicely in a way that works with the fandex as a whole.

Along with new units, you'll be seeing another slight overhaul to the rules for the entire army; namely how vehicles can function. This new tool was a creation from the mind of one of my gaming buddies and I loved it. It won't change the feel to the dex much, but it's a big enough change to make mention. More changes will be coming to the units that exist already as well. Stat and rule changes will be more like tweaks, but point costs have been reran at a minimum of three times for each unit and some have been recalculated six or more times. Aside from organization, my largest goal is balance. I want this dex to be played, and not just by myself, but by anyone who picks it up. If point costs are too low, your friends won't play against you. If they're too high, you won't want to play the army. Point costing may very well be the most important piece of a codex creation puzzle and I take it very seriously... Unless a unit's base cost is 69, in which I will chuckle a smidge.

So once the third version is released, then what's on the horizon?

"Oooo, pretty..."

As I mentioned in the previous post in this series, questions of The Codex Project are always buzzing about. Yes, I am going to submit my fandex to TCP. Do I think it will pass their regulations? No. You see, the agreement that we all have with GW is that when creating fan-made material, we aren't supposed to let it look too official. There's no clear definition of what this means for a fandex, but when you see it, you know it. While I think the organization I have set up for the fandex dances on the line of too official looking, I can see where TCP would toss this to the curb because of this issue. It's fair, and if they believe it's too risky then they should deny my fandex. They have a huge job and have millions of eyes on them at all times. But, I believe it looks fan-enough to have a chance and I have nothing to lose in submitting the fandex. I promise come the third release I'll give it a shot.

Another question has been posed recently, what about Sixth Edition? Once Fifth is but a fading memory in our minds and all the rules as we know them are changed, what's to come of my fandex? This is something I've pondered since the first month of work I put into this project, and my answer is no more defined now than it was then. I love the AdMech, dear god I heart them (notice the hip lingo.) They're on par with Necrons in my book for coolest and most interesting "race". I would love to continue to update the dex with each Edition of the rules, but there's the overbearing amount of work that needs to be put into codices with each Edition. Will I pull a GW:Necrons and just put out FAQ after FAQ for years on end? Will I fine-tune and edit the fandex as needed? Will I rewrite the whole thing? Will I sit on my couch with a bag of Doritos and watch The Office reruns and call it good?

Exhibit D

I really don't know. It will 100% depend on what Sixth Edition means for all of us. If the rules go through exuberant changes, I like to think I'll end up rewriting the whole thing. And depending on changes to the story of 40k; the fluff as well. If changes are minor, I'm pretty positive I'll be doing editing to the current dex. Unfortunately until we see Sixth Edition, nothing is set in stone and my answer will be a flamboyant "I don't know!" until that day comes. My hope is that Sixth isn't a drastic change for numerous reasons. The fandex included, but I enjoy Fifth Edition. I started in Fifth, so it's all I really know, but from what I've read this is arguably as balanced as it has been over the years. Only time will tell.

So there you have it; past, present and future. I must say this project is a huge labor of love and I'm more than happy to continue forward with it so long as others enjoy it. While my love for the AdMech is never faltering, it's truly the fans and their feedback that keep me going with it. Providing something for all to enjoy. Any questions, comments or cursing can be posted in the comments below or emailed to me at Sinaura40k(at)gmail(dot)com.

Later Days.

~Lantz aka Sinaura

(www.themagnetpro.blogspot.com)