I saw this earlier, and it really made me angry.  I understand what they are trying to do - but why?  This is having a horrible effect on even their most ardent fans.

Now I admit, I have been a staunch GW supporter in the past.  However...

It's gotten really bad this year.  They seem to have completely and UTTERLY lost their goddamned minds.  From the whacked out price variations to the complete and utter disregard for public image or game balance.  WD has deteriorated over the past year to actually be the joke everyone has been making of it for the past decade - only they seem to have embraced that concept.

I've had enough compelling arguments to bring the motion before my club to remove GW entirely from our gaming continuum.  We can no longer in good conscience promote any GW game to new players unless we promote Wargames Factory as the model source.  Yet with the way the rulebooks are turning out these days, there's not even a really good reason to do that.  We are turning away from GW, but there's a faction that's finding it hard to let go.  Personally, I'd like to remove GW from our cramped schedule simply because then I'd have more room for Flames of War and Warmachine.

Add to that we just obtained Ronin from Osprey and are adapting it to Legend of the Five Rings.

GW better wake the fuck up.

I know they won't, but I felt compelled to state that anyway.

At this rate, the motion to remove GW from the club's coverage and activity will be back on the board pretty fucking quick.

Fuck.

I don't pay much attention to them as a business, but I sure do think their prices are fucking ridiculous. If i thought in could find people in my area who would be cool with it I would be using minis other than their to play their game. (By that I mean fantasy, but I'd like to get into 40k one day)

I have no clue how true it is but all the FLGS owners in my area seem convinced that they are in trouble and Hasbro is eyeballing buying them out.

I have no idea why GW are such ass-hats.

The solution is as always, don't buy stuff from them if you don't like them. It's really all you can do.

Its massively worse in countries like Australia.
Absurd price gouging way past what we see in the US.
The cancellation of permission to sell product online to Australian FLGS that other countries apparently are still allowed.
The increasing rate of the price jacking.

How long can the cult theyve built up last? Sooner or later they will start loosing more than they are suckering in simply because hardly anyone will be able to afford the damn minis.

You can't really "price gouge" on a luxury item.

Don't want to pay what they ask? Don't buy it, no one is forcing you.

Its really hard, liking the game and the figures so much, but hearing about GWs actions. As I'm finishing g up my Skaven army, I already talked to the people I play with about from now on only using non-GW models. Outside of Skaven , this won't be particularly hard, and I've already done heavy research into alternatives for Ratmen.  

It was this video from Miniwargaming earlier this summer that really clenched it for me:

http://www.miniwargaming.com/content/an-open-video-letter-games-workshop

Miniwargaming isnt alone in this. The new trade agreement earlier this year has had an enormous effect on online retailers, many whose small brick and mortar shops are kept open by Internet sales. Retailers in Australia are filing a class action suit against GW.

I don't see them staying in profit using this ruthless, short-sighted approach. I'd love to see wargammers en masse boycott the company and turn to one of the many alternatives. I managed to snag a copy of the old Rackham Confrontation rulebook, and snagged a used copy of Warhammer Ancient Battles. Even thinking of writing my own system. Even if you really want to play Warhammer, there's so many companies producing miniatures on par with GW for a fraction of the price I really recommend looking into proxies.

I don't think the miniature industry as a whole will survive in its current form another decade though, with 3d printing advancing so quickly and getting so affordable.

Quote from: Piestrio;698091You can't really "price gouge" on a luxury item.

Don't want to pay what they ask? Don't buy it, no one is forcing you.

I stopped many years ago after they phased out the two minis I'd had a very minor hand in.

I dont like the newer sculpts on a-lot of the units and knowing how GW treats its workers was just another nail in the coffin. That and it seemed like everyone local was dropping everything GW.

I played with Wargods of Aegyptus after that. Interesting system, with more sanely and just as well sculpted minis.

It's not about the money.

Quote from: Blackhand;698398It's not about the money.

The ever shifting focus from squads to whole armies to champions to whatever didnt help either.

Oh... and an army book for stuff they hadnt even made most of the minis for yet. That one was a bit of a quirk moment.

My main issue is they absolutely refuse to get the rules in working order.

Power Creep is a massive problem in every edition, and this new edition is no exception.  As WHFB moves into it's 9th edition next summer, the first army book tht will be released is Orcs and Goblins, which was last released in 2010 as the first ever hardcover army book for either system.  There's no reason for that when all the armies haven't been updated.

But halfway through the cycle, they start prepping the lists for the next edition.  In 40k right now, one need only look at the difference between codex Dark Angels and codex Space Marines to see the power creep in action (already) in 6th edition.

They keep shoehorning things into the games to sell models.

Flyers run 40k now.  You must buy $75-100 to have a unit on that level, and not every army has had access to anti-aircraft weapons - forcing new kits to be sold to competitive players.

In fantasy, monsters get Thunderstomp now for no fucking reason whatsoever.  Yeah they really needed that.  My buddy and archrival fields 3 giants at 2000 points, and yeah he can do that (I'll tell you how if you ask nice).  No monsters on the field?  Fuck you buddy.  Let's see your spearmen do something about these ogre beasts.

Add to that the fact that you need more units for each game than ever before, while simultaneously charging double for each model (in some cases, i.e. Dire Avengers) and / or putting half the models you need in each box.

Compare:  GW State Troops vs. Hail Caesar Legionaries.  10 GW state troops with options for spears, halberds (same basic polearm, different head bits) swords and shields is sold for 27.50 (USD).  30 Legionaries with gladius and pilum is 27.00.  28 Greek hoplites from Wargames Factory with swords and spears is 20.00.  And anyone wishing to join any Warhammer game at our club will be advised of all the alternative models they can possibly get.  With the club's wide knowledge in this area, GW will be lucky to sell a single kit here next year.

I think the club has decided to develop our Warhammer games on our own from now on, without GW's input.  We can use whatever fucking models we want on our games, and we're beholden to no one for our game space, so no trade agreement can regulate anything we do.

That's why I'm getting more and more excited about historical games from Warlord and Battlefront (love me some FoW).

I like 8th, but not as much as 3rd, and that not as much as WAB, which was basically a cleaned-up 3e.

I don't have any trouble with monsters, Doonwheel and/or a small unit of Gutter Runners with poison/slings usually makes short work of them. I like that 8th emphasizes units over characters. Yes, from a marketing standpoint it's obviously designed that way to sell more models, but it does feel more like a massive battle to me bringing units of 30+ models into play.

The prices based on points value is just retarded. Raising the prices simultaneously with switching to plastics had to be one of the most cutthroat moves I've ever seen in the industry though, and I'm not going to be switching to 9th, though I do like that they are not going to be doing individual army books in that edition. Thinking of starting a thread just to point out all the alternative models available, though one thing I'll give GW credit for is some damnn pretty toys. Not all of them though, the Night Runners models are godawful: look like demented chimps.

You used to be able to play a solid (WHFB5) Chaos Warrior army for well under £100 - and I know, because I played that army. A single box of Warriors or Knights would form a decent unit on it's own, and while they were bloody expensive in-game, that made them really cheap and easy to collect out-of-game. My buddy played Orcs - one of his units would outnumber my entire army. Bring it, green boy - I can break any of your units with my charge, so you'd better hope you can take me down before I get that. I'm T4 and my worst armour save is a 3+. Have fun throwing your pointy sticks.

Being honest, I either won by lots or lost by lots.

I mean, I can understand cash inflation, that's expected, but points inflation really annoys me. If you want the standard game to be larger, okay, pitch 3,000 or 3,500 points as a standard. But don't take away the game we already had.

Problem is GW execs believe the game is like a cult, and apparently some execs want to run it like a cult.
And lets be honest. A fair portion of the GW games players ARE a cult. GW can do no wrong. The prices are fair, look, you are saving 3 bucks buying the boxed set for the same units! The minis are the BESTEST MOSTEST sculpts ever.

GW makes the damn minis for pennies (pence?) They have the process down to a science now.

I got out of playing anything GW well over a decade ago and prices were absurd then. 50$ US for a Keeper of secrets. I check now and a skaven Warpfire Thrower or five measely skavenslaves is 15$?

For decades now I have loved Warhammer and hated Games Workshop which has led to this confusing relationship where I just buy used stuff off eBay. GW have been assholes to their fans for a loooong time.

GW is run by scumbags, but damn I love freaking love their settings. It sucks.

I really enjoy the setting of Warlords of Aegyptus, but I can't get excited about their figs unfortunately.

I dropped Warhammer for Wargods of Aegyptus. Good system and really good sculpts with fair variety. I have some of the prototype minis and one of my suggestions apparently lead to the Khemeru race. So Like Warhammer, I have that little extra interest for having had some tiny little impact.

As for the Warhammer setting... eh... its a bit too generic for my liking. The RPG was neet at least. Deadly but neet.

eh, such is fate. Companies go bad left and right. Its the appalling level of corruption GW suffers that is the hard part.