I think it's clear something fundamental has changed about 40k in the last few years. I see several developments coming together, many of them driven (I think) by new publishing and manufacturing technology:
1) There are now really big impressive plastic kits. This puts larger (and maybe goofier) models on the table in large numbers. Old Heavy Support options are now outclassed by Knights, Lord of War and so forth. The scale feels even more like a short-ranged cage match.
2) There are now a zillion books, which GW can publish at will. I think this is a consequence of electronic publishing and print on demand. But now every release gets a Codex, a Supplement, and some Data Sheets. We are seeing Campaig Supplements in large numbers.
3) The publishing scale is now so fast, and the prices so high, that I am now only buying books for the factions that really interest me. I've had to give up on owning and reading everything.
4) The structure of armies is now very open. Between multiple FoC variants and Formations and Unbound, people can take pretty
much anything they want in any combination.
4) As a consequence, the game is no longer a (relatively) limited set of rules and codices, in which it is possible or desirable to try to push the system for maximum competitiveness. I don't know if it ever was, actually, but as codices and models proliferate, top-end competitive army become ever more gimmicky and ridiculous.
Now whether these developments are good or bad depends I guess on your perspective. But I have found that my enjoyment of the game greatly increased once i just stopped worrying about trying to make a single list, suitable for all opponents, that I could play upon walking into a store. I now play more or less what I want, and in our league, I try to find games that are not crazy-competitive. If I do happen to pair up with someone who has a super-nasty army, I just let them crush me, and aim for some smaller goal. (" I will kill your Knight/Daemon Prince/Character before I die.") Then I try to find someone else to play. If they are obnoxious I think nasty thoughts at them. I would never go to a tournament now. I do not invest any ego in winning or losing.
So I still enjoy playing, but it's a different sort of game, environment, and goal for me now. The new environment has some cool looking stuff in it, like Knights. i love the world and background. I enjoy painting. Most games are quite fun. But I've given up any pretense of 40k being a controlled competitive environment, rather than a casual game which I play largely for aesthetic reasons.
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