That's not a bad way to compare things. NetEA with 0 real changes can be used to play a WW2 game and would still feel like WW2. It's heavily designed to be a manuver combat game and a community around that is somewhat obsessed with game balance. Actually there's several WW2 lists that do exactly that setting and did almost 0 modification other than renaming to be less sci fi in the abilities.

NetEpic does focus more on feeling like 40k and all the wackiness that entails. Lots of fun crazy details and crunch. In addition, us old grognards who played 2nd edition AND Rogue Trader when both systems were current and new will remember using 2nd edition rules to play with our 40k collections! There were documents that used to be passed around over BBS's to give 2nd edition stats to 40k models in order to play "large model count" Rogue Trader games with. NetEpic, originating from 2nd edition like it has, should still retain that vibe. Ask Primarch, he knows what I am talking about having played that stuff way back when as well. So yes, it's very accurate to say NetEpic is very "40k" ish.

However as Pacific says, this is the joy of Epic gaming that you can get 4 (really 6) very different games to play with your single collection of models with. Games that are ALL unique and fun and enjoyable and scratch very different itches but all compliment each other as part of a gaming universe.

Awesome, huh?

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Yes this. If you go with NetEpic I would strongly suggest taking a look at Magnus's hard work on balance with his points system. While it's not my personal preference for rulesets I cannot stop singing his praises on the work he produced for this. It's a really good bolt-on that rejiggered NetEpic and gave some semblance of reason and objective balance

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He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
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-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

Yes for sure.

I think so far, I've gone with..

NetEA - because this seemed most popular (in the UK at least), lots of tournaments and events if I want to attend those.
Imperius Dominatus - for the Heresy-era flavour. Really hoping some big Heresy narrative events will come along when things start to open up again!
NetEpic Gold - because I loved Space Marine 2nd edition, the rules/character of the armies are just so much fun (orks especially), I love the titan hit-chart rules and think it might lend itself well to massive games.

I will have to give Epic 40000 a go at some point too!

yeah 3rd edition is the only epic ruleset that is army level not company level detail (at that point you don't care if they're carrying bolters or plasma guns-they're all PBI). you can scale it to stupidly big games and still play it quickly (watched 200 land raiders on a table once and it wasn't even a deal). you have to be willing to give up that detail though.

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He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
-Penal Legion-Fan list
-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

I reply to JWomack94's post to introduce myself!

I am from Italy, 44 and going back plaing NetEpic after a long hyatus. I began playing EPic in the 90s, then moved to other wargames but always kept playing old school GW games (40K 2ed, BFG, Necromunda...)

Currently we are six players and are now working on a new, city themed table!

See you around!

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Deda
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"The truth is usually just an excuse
for a lack of imagination"
-Elim Garak
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Net Epic Gold Games 2021-22 W-D-L
Squat 8-0-3
Imperial Guard 1-0-2

A late welcome to you too Deda! Would love to see the table WIP-pics.

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Nitpicks Knapsack (Scratchbuilding and 3D designing and printing and painting)

Thank you!
Sure, I plan to post some pictures of the work on the table!
At the moment we are more involved in rebuilding our armies and playing some test games.
Our 3D-Printer equipped friend is printing buildings at a good pace anyway!

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Deda
---
"The truth is usually just an excuse
for a lack of imagination"
-Elim Garak
---
Net Epic Gold Games 2021-22 W-D-L
Squat 8-0-3
Imperial Guard 1-0-2

Welcome Deda

Great to see a new person here.

Look forward to seeing some of your work.

You will have to give me some advice about using Squats, considering your win record!

Welcome to both new players in this topic. Net Epic and/or Space Marine second edition are by far the most enjoyable ways to play Epic in my experience and I hope that you will both enjoy contributing to the discussion about both versions of this excellent game. My advice is not to worry about all the other tinkering that goes on and just to stay focused on the core (approved) rules and have fun.

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When my local group started to get back into it, we looked at NetEpic and NEA, and went with NetEpic for a couple reasons. We liked the flavor and feel of how different the 2nd Ed armies were; none of the other editions really felt like they had the same flavor. That and the ease of army construction. Just picking the company/detachment cards for NetEpic just felt much easier than how NEA does it with buying a company, then purchasing individual stands to attach to it.

We also liked the feel that it seemed like NetEpic would allow for bigger armies/more models. It felt more.... Epic.

not sure hat's really accurate. there's literally an EA card system here someone did on the boards if that's your thing.

Play 2nd/NEG because it is an awesome game that has the crunch you want. It's really got that zany wild 2nd-3rd edition 40k flavor But selecting a card or a core detachment are literally the same thing if you have a card with the same data on it for either system in front of you. You don't buy individual stands in EA (though like some of the 2nd edition cards, you can have options on the units for X points). Likewise the EA army builders have had 2nd edition cards put in them for people that prefer a more modern approach to army construction. Their metaphors are practically identical so have no issues.

if you want big armies and flexibility, that's 3rd edition tho. All the other systems are company level games with rigid structures.

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He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
-Penal Legion-Fan list
-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

I agree with Jimmy. Seems the usual case of confusing Epic40K (creating detachments by buying stands) with EpicArmageddon/NetEA (buying ready made formations). I could be wrong but my guess is that you have not even looked at NetEA as an option yet.

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Nitpicks Knapsack (Scratchbuilding and 3D designing and printing and painting)

That's my feeling too. I do like EA also and feel the game has its place (this is why its so popular in tournaments, its a very strategic game) but I love the flavour of NetEpic/Space Marine 2nd edition. Playing an Ork army, it's just so much fun. Stuff flying off in random directions, picking up enemy tanks and dropping them on others etc. It's a really crazy army to play but also can be really deadly! EA lost a lot of the individual flavour to make the game more abstract.

One persons "flavor" is another persons needless noice. Some flavour left in Epic40K that was lost in EA too. The lifta droppa rules is a prime example... From the Epic 40K rules: Super Lifta Droppa
[Content from Rule Book page 34.]
The Super Lifta Droppa is a powerful Ork weapon which defies the understanding of human tech-priests. It works by
latching a traktor beam onto the target and lifting it up into the air. The Ork Mekboys operating the weapon then try to
drop the contents of the traktor beam onto some other choice victims nearby.
The Super Lifta Droppa is used to pick up vehicles and war engines, infantry units can't be picked up. In order to grab
and lift a target you have to roll a D6 and beat its damage capacity (1 for vehicles; war engines have a Damage
Capacity of 3 or more depending on their type). The target can then be moved by up to 1 cm for each point the D6
score beats its damage capacity by before it is dropped. The dropped unit is destroyed automatically (roll for
catastrophic damage on war engines). Anything dropped on takes 1 point of damage on a D6 roll of 4, 5 or ...etc.

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Nitpicks Knapsack (Scratchbuilding and 3D designing and printing and painting)