Well in some ways, 'yes it is' however hasn't this always been the case for a long time now?
So before I get started on what is happening on the Warhammer vs 40k front I want to make it clear that these are my informed personal opinions. I'm all for more fantasy but I want to explain why 40k is taking all the limelight at the moment. So here we go!
40k Is 'Hot of the Press!'
Simply put the new Warhammer 40'000 7th edition has only just been released which warrants a plethora of new releases to coincide with it. Now you may be thinking, 'Well when Fantasy 8th edition was released we didn't get an Armybook until March the following year!' Which is true, but I think GW clearly learnt from their mistake as it was too long before the 8th edition cycle got started following the release of the rulebook and starter set. I think that Fantasy suffered due to this and they are trying to stop this from happening to 40k this time around.
This bodes well for Fantasy 9th Edition though, as in theory we should get a lot of Armybooks and goodies blocking out the release schedule when it is duly released.
40k Is 'A Bigger Seller'
It pains me to say this, but it sells more, has a larger reach and is better for new players to pick up and play from scratch. Fantasy struggles on all of these fronts, and I think it's mainly because it has negligible appeal to youngsters, my reason being that if Little Jimmy wants to play Ogre Kingdoms then Jimmy's Daddy will most likely have to get involved and will potentially start a force of his own to help Little Jimmy. 40k does this really well as its world is more immersive and ignites kids (and adults) imagination, as Sci-Fi is cooler right? Okay so Fantasy is never going to be as big as 40k but it should be able to draw people in, and one of the things it needs is a more immersive background and an army that potential new players will look at and go, 'That's Cool'.
Bretonnia 'Should Be' the Space Marines of the Warhammer World
Bretonnians are knights in shining armour, and if there's something that potential Warhammer players should lap up like chocolate ice cream it would be a modernised Bretonnian army. If they could take the force and totally re-imagine it to give it a signature like they've done so well with the Space Marines identity then I see no reason why people wouldn't be blown away. I personally believe that if the Bretonnians could become the poster boys of the Warhammer World then the effect they would have on the game would snowball. Essentially a lot of players would come out of the woodwork to play their old favourites, whilst a whole plethora of new blood would take arms to field an army of knights battling against the monsters of the old world - and due to this influx of people all of the other armies would benefit as more players would get involved and take up arms.
But why is it so Barren at the Moment?
Fantasy is on the back burner compared to last year, which was fantastic! Having 5 armybooks in one year is unheard of however does anyone remember the year before? I think we had Vampire Counts in January and The Empire in April and then we had sweet F* all for the rest of the year due to 40k 6th Edition. So unfortunately I would not be surprised if we didn't get anymore Fantasy for the rest of the year, there may be a few kits here and there but I think we're going to have to wait our turn.
40k has also had a huge block due to a new release method, this being the Stormclaw boxset which I think is a fantastic idea. It allows two players to get involved in the hobby in a new way, effectively it has two armies which have both been updated either side and gives a new player the all encompassing effects of the GW release schedule. We've had Orks since late May, until last week when the Stormclaw boxset was released and now it looks like a Space Wolf codex is imminent with another month of releases. Which leaves no room for the classic Warhammer players to get any new goodies, and by the sounds of recent rumour rumblings I think the most we'll see for Fantasy are a few new Daemon kits.
Reasons NOT TO Panic
This has happened before only two years ago and cricky heaven forbid we get the repeat of 2009 where all we had for 10 months of the year were some Empire kits... Warhammer has had some truly barren periods and I think that the rest of the year will be extremely similar to 2012, we may get a couple of kits near the end however I'd be pleasantly surprised if we got another armybook. So bring on 2015 when hopefully GW make the most of their weekly White Dwarf format and start supporting both their systems, we can only hope. And the hobby would benefit hugely from a duel campaign set like Stormclaw, imagine having once a year a set that has two different armies that coincide with an armybook either side of the release. Say for example having Bretonnians included with the Beastmen allowing people to sink their teeth into both armies cheaply, it has to be an exciting prospect!
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