You Shouldn’t Play the Warhammer 40K Darktide Board Game<br>

The miniatures game Warhammer 40,000: Darktide was just released by Games Workshop. Given Darktide’s ongoing success, it seems obvious that the business should have repackaged some of its current models and created a game to go along with them sooner rather than later.

Darktide isn’t a flawless video game. It’s not even close. However, the fact that creator Fatshark is releasing updates frequently to gradually enhance it is what keeps users interested. These days, most live-service games fail within the first year, so it’s remarkable that Darktide’s rough combat has kept thousands of players interested for a whole 18 months.


While the Warhammer 40K license definitely helps Darktide, most players are persevering despite terrible live-service mechanics. The creator gradually repaired both of the Vermintide games after they launched in a shambles, rewarding devoted players with an enjoyable experience.


But I saw right away that there was opposition to the board game Darktide in internet communities. There are no new models in the box; everything is an existing sculpt. It looks like thousands of die-hard tabletop Warhammer players won’t be purchasing this since it’s so bad. But you were never meant for this game.


Darktide gamers only should play this game. for players of video games. Those who have spent countless hours playing Fatshark on their PC or Xbox might consider emulating the gameplay on their kitchen table. With the most recent update, Darktide reached a height of 9,465 players on Steam. Although that number is declining, Games Workshop hopes that some of those players will purchase the tabletop game and eventually become buyers of its main product, toy soldiers.

Even if the Ogryn is already ten years old, he is still unusable in your current army. For what reason would you want an extra Ogryn that stands out from the others? Why would Games Workshop alter its stance for a video game crossover when it has already demonstrated with the cancellation of the Warcry line that it does not desire unique troops in its expansive gaming systems? Although you aren’t buying the board game for that reason, it would be nice if Ogryn had a bit more description for the game.



The problem with Games Workshop’s boxed offerings is more widespread. How many people actually played the exquisitely crafted game that came with Betrayal at Calth by James Hewitt? How many were drawn to it by the abundance of armored Space Marines from the Heresy era wearing Mark 4? Renegade is the same question for Imperial Knights. The majority of players are more interested in trading in their Space Marines for additional Tyranids so they can expand their Hive Fleet with twice as much plastic than they are in actually playing the custom scenarios included in new edition starter boxes.


As so, this is not a negative thing. As I mentioned earlier, the main activity here is purchasing toy troops. Games Workshop wants you to keep buying their products for whatever reason, and for most of us, that motivation is collecting, even though you can paint and play with them. Purchasing miniatures is a necessary step in the collecting process, whether it is for painting, creating the most meta list, or playing exclusive board games that nobody else plays. The goal of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide The Miniatures Game is to involve more players in this never-ending cycle.

I’m not sure how enjoyable the board game Darktide will be to play. Although the models appear ordinary, that is precisely the point. Perhaps it will be a fantastic recreation of the chaotic video game, complete with vicious battle and never-ending waves of mutant enemies. Perhaps it will be monotonous, a cash-in portal designed to steer pixel players toward more lucrative plastic. But don’t get me wrong: the goal of this game is to attract new players. This isn’t intended for veterans.

If not, the generic Poxwalkers will be joining my Dark Mechanicus (see, I’m no better than the rest of you). I hope it’s intriguing. My aim is that I can play it and enjoy it with my family. However, I don’t play this game, and you shouldn’t play it either. It’s for little Timmy on his Xbox, who is approaching his birthday and has a Warhammer store close by.