The Hobbit minis; are those prices for real??

[Momotaro]

I certainly don't hate GW.  They make a lot of nice stuff, and the local shop staff have been great over the past decade.  They were fantastic with the school club I ran back when I was teaching, coming out to club sessions with freebies, running games, etc.  And many of them they genuinely want to talk about models, painting and gaming in general (when they're not working ).  One or two were happy to admit that they worked in GW more to chat up the MILFs who brought in their kids than for the gaming...

But there's a disconnect between that and the corporate-level asshattery that they're well known for - increasing price insanity, treating the shops they supply and the internet fanbase as a threat rather than supporters, restrictive trade practices (sorry rest of world), setting up store near gameshops they knew were successful because they supplied them...

It's not unique to GW, but a little goes a long way in a niche industry where a lot of people know each other personally.

Ultimately, Scurv has it - I've accumulated enough terminators second-hand over the years for an almost-legal Deathwing army.  Total cost, £40.  But it's not going to happen.  Why?  Well adding in Belial, a command squad (6 minis total) and the new army rules would set me back another £80.  And don't get me started on the Hobbit prices...

[Mahwell skel]

It just seems there is no easy way into GW now. It used to be a slow accumilation of (unpainted) lead now its special this and that and multipose plastic whatnots and the necessity to have the biggest thing on the table. All of which costs the same a another whole army elsewhere.

Mighty armies of countless troops clashing seems to have fallen by the wayside to a privateer press style "Skirmish" with units of some things and massive things to stomp them.

The hobbit should be a starting point but is expensive and where do you go from there?

Straight into price craziness and no doubt conclude ebay is your friend which does not add anything to the GW coffers.

What I would be interested in is if Battle Games in Middle Earth makes a comeback or something similar.

I just don't think that loads of stores are that viable when the hobby is massively internet based now. GW should consider supporting independants and let them bear the risk of premises and the rest in exchange for a cheaper product that will sell.