The LAF Games Workshop Discussion Thread

[Constable Bertrand]

Awesome Tau release! (I like anime robots) It reminds me of appleseed and Neon Genesis.

Very cool

As for AoS.. Bretonnians... Grumble grumble grumble...

*goes back to painting post apoc shanties and enjoying narrative based gaming through the Pulp Alley ruleset*

[Vladimir Raukov]

I have to admit, there's a lot to like about the tau, but their dang ships are so blobby and non-angular...also, I don't have the mons for a 40K army.

[Vermis]

Nuck from Dakka. An invester's view of the GW AGM. The GW 'hayturz' have jumped all over the comments section already. I almost pity the poor guy for peeking into Pandora's box. Almost.

http://www.iii.co.uk/news-opinion/richard-beddard/games-workshop-agm%3A-relentless-profit-machine

[Constable Bertrand]

A very interesting read. I though the following was quite enlightening.

 

The company’s mission statement is “we make the best fantasy miniatures in the world and sell them globally at a profit and we intend to do this forever.”

...

Games Workshop exists to make models, because that’s what it does well

So there you have it hey, AoS is here to stay, and the fact you can use your detailed models with dice on a table with mates is a happy coincidence.

So they want to reposition the brand to be Tamiya or Gundam? 
 

Cheers
Matt

[The Voivod]

one thing that really doesn't add up to me.

Warhammer fantasy didn't sell, so to shake things up, they drastically changed the rules.
But since only 20% of their costumers supposedly play games with their models, the rules shouldn't matter. It's models that sell....

Or am I missing something?

Interesting read indeed. Kinda infuriating too, but what to expect?
It doesn't really concern me. I have plenty to play with and I might buy a model when the mood strikes me.

Still, all this shouldn't bug me, yet it does....

[Major_Gilbear]

I... Find that a surprising article for a number of reasons.

I can't help but feel that the chap who wrote the article is (1) doesn't really understand what he's bought into exactly, and (2) his son's response to the half-painted starter game is typical of a lot of GW customers; that is, people who've bought some isolated GW products and then basically abandoned The Hobby altogether.

The first point isn't helped by the strange way that GW sees and explains things, nor by the odd ideas they have about how to run a successful business. I mean, the estimation that only some 20% of their customers game is clearly wrong - phenomena like "Codex-Creep" have been long noted and exploited by GW (to the detriment of their games) in order to sell more/new models, and with only 20% playing (and even only a smaller percentage of those who would want X model for their specific army), it doesn't seem like something they'd bother with... Unless the number of people who play is in fact far higher.

The second point is significant as it highlights that the games are niche, are time-consuming and expensive to pursue, and that there are more accessible (and probably more fun) alternatives.

Anyway, I see that it's finally Chaos' turn to have some more releases for AoS, and that we have two more half-naked chaps at a mere £18 each - the Slaughterpreist and Skullgrinder. I guess it's hard to come up with other roles that Khorne's servants might play besides applying axe-to-face in a very violet and efficient manner - the Slaughterpreist's description sounds rather, erm, wizard-y to me! 

[The Voivod]

I guess it's hard to come up with other roles that Khorne's servants might play besides applying axe-to-face in a very violet and efficient manner

Next for AoS; Khorne Face-Axers.

If we go unsubtle, let's go unsubtle....

[Tactalvanic]

Next for AoS; Khorne Face-Axers.

If we go unsubtle, let's go unsubtle....

So basically a Blood  drench human-ish F'axe Machine?

Priest - acapella noisemarine less the armour.


Going back to eyeing up more interesting stuff from other companies - although I did aquire the boxed start AOS set for the collection as such, thats about as far as my AOS collections is going I am afraid

[Argonor]

one thing that really doesn't add up to me.

Warhammer fantasy didn't sell, so to shake things up, they drastically changed the rules.
But since only 20% of their costumers supposedly play games with their models, the rules shouldn't matter. It's models that sell....

Or am I missing something?

They always used the rules ans a mean to the end of to push minis over the conter, and the rules were mainly there for 2 reasons: 1) Get new customers in - the best way to lure kids to want their models has always been displays of battles with painted minis (most kids want to PLAY with their toys, not just have them sitting on their shelves, after all). 2) Make existing customers want to buy new minis/troop types for thier army/collection.

Warhammer models didn't sell because they got too expensive, and thus ppl played their games with cheaper historical and fantasy minis from alternative companies.

Thus, they needed another rules-sales structure to prevent ppl to get into non-GW models and buy more of their own stuff. They needed to get rid of the all the generic fantasy and semi-historical stuff, as it could be substituted, and they wanted to make existing armies obsolete, so they ditched the world (with the rules, as they were structured for use with the old models), changed aestethics into something 'ip-defendable', and made a ruleset that is the bare backbone for adding limited scenario add-ons which require the purchase of specific limited ed. minis to be played.

I think the lightness with which they ditched the rules after putting decades of man-power into maintaining/revising them is descriptive of how little they care about this part of the business (and, remember, rules can be easily copied/scanned/etc, so what has happened here is effectively a cost-reduction).

[Major_Gilbear]

@ Argonor:

Yes, I agree for the most part, although the model kits are still getting more expensive so I'm not sure how re-setting the system will fix this issue.

[Argonor]

@ Argonor:

Yes, I agree for the most part, although the model kits are still getting more expensive so I'm not sure how re-setting the system will fix this issue.

I agree, totally, that their pricing policy should continue to drive existing customers away and deter new from entering.

But, in their optics (at least as given to shareholders), ppl will now buy whatever they bring out, as they cannot get something like it from somewhere else. And theirs ares the best (and only) products out there! 

That's the part that doesn't make sense to thinking people, but, either GW management has succumbed to their own employee-brainwashing, or they are just desperate to prove that their strategy is and always has been right.

[zemjw]

Review of some newly released and upcoming GW computer games - here

[Major_Gilbear]

Hmm, sadly not much of a review. Parts of it are so perfunctorily descriptive that it seems to be barely more than an adverticle really.

[Cubs]

I just watched 'Thor:The Dark World' for the first time tonight.

None of the imagery or design was anything like Age of Sigmar.

No sir.

No sir, not a bit.

[Vermis]

I just watched 'Thor:The Dark World' for the first time tonight.

I'm here for you, Cubs. Do you want to talk about what you saw?