The Current State of E:A

“So Warhammer no longer support E:A; what if I want to play now?”

Well, you’re in luck! Epic is very much alive and kicking. The original rule books (PDF format) are available on the Epic rules page to get you started, and literally thousands of miniatures are available to use with the game. The one obstacle some new players encounter is understanding how the community is organised, and that’s what we’re here for!

There are two major English speaking development teams: NetEA, and Epic UK. Both use the original core rules, and the only (slight) differences are in the army lists, and sometimes unit stats.

NetEA is a worldwide organisation, with contributors located in Europe, the US and Australia. Each army (e.g. Space Marines, Orks, etc.) has an army champion who is responsible for co-ordinating the development of any army lists associated with that army. Army Champions discuss theory with the community and digest and battle reports submitted by players, with the goal being to get their army lists to ‘Approved’ status. This is where the Net Epic Rules Committee (NetERC) comes into the picture. Once an Army Champion is satisfied their list is balanced, they will submit it to the NetERC which makes final decisions on whether to approve it or ask for more testing. Lists with an ‘Approved’ status are considered ready for tournament play. NetEA lists often incorporate rules for recently released miniatures from Games Workshop, and each new model release brings about a discussion about possible Epic rules.

Epic UK was created specifically to cater for the UK tournament scene, though many play groups around the world take advantage of their lists. The UK currently has the highest concentration of Epic players, and Epic UK co-ordinates a full calendar of well-attended tournament events. Development of Epic UK lists is carried out by experienced players, and the results are intended to be streamlined and highly balanced.

The original Games Workshop lists (Space Marine, Imperial Guard, Ork, Eldar) are used as a baseline for all new lists. This means NetEA, Epic UK and original lists are all generally balanced against each other for casual play.

Epic UK discussion can be found on the Epic UK Facebook page, and NetEA discussion can be found on the Specialist Command Discord server.

“Ok, but je parle français.”

In addition to the Tactical Command forum, there are other Epic hangouts around the world such as Epic Armageddon.fr(France).

“Great, where do I get the models?”

There are numerous sources of models, new and old. If you’re looking for original models, the most obvious is eBay. However, prices can vary from reasonable to ridiculous and unless you are hell bent on obtaining that limited edition Warmonger Titan, it’s often not the best place to start. The Tactical Command trading forum is a better bet. The community welcomes new players with open arms, and will help by trading models at fair prices wherever they can.

Recently, an abundance of new options has arrived on the scene. Companies such as Vanguard Miniatures and Onslaught Miniatures make superbly detailed miniatures, ideal for use with Epic and other 6mm games. It’s fair to say that since Games Workshop and Forge World halted production of their 6mm lines, third party producers have kicked up a gear. What’s more, the designers of these models are actively engaged in the community, so you can have a say in how the finished models look.

“Ok, so I’ve got the rules and the models, where do I find players?”

Easy – jump onto one of the sites listed on the community page and start networking!

Epic Armageddon Rules

Epic Armageddon was published in hard copy as well as PDF format. The core rulebook included Space Marine, Imperial Guard, and Ork factions. The Swordwind supplement introduced the Eldar, Baran Siegemasters, and Feral Orks.