The LAF Games Workshop Discussion Thread

[mcfonz]

I bought the Shadespire starter set without fully realising what the game was purely because of the size of the game. It's not really for me so I have it sitting here totally untouched bar me taking the celophane off to look at.

I also have the healing potion card and the giant card etc from the white dwarf which I can throw in with it. Let me know if you'd be interested. And as an addict, I'd just be using the funds to buy more miniatures! 

[Charlie_]

Yeah, but the thing with the free event mini's you get anywhere is that they are not free.

Free to the first 5,000 or something isn't it?

Some companies will do discounts and what not for games minis because it's advertising and product placement. So Renedra might have done a deal for that one and the sculptor may have done the same, they get the mini in the mag and in other magazines. I think Wargames Illustrated have featured them before. Especially with the painting comp of which one category is last years mini.

In either case, it's £10 entry to get one. Even 1000 people through the door is £10k. For a small sprue like that, I think that's not far off. Plus they are always selling them the year after, those that are left. And I suspect that a production run with plastics is so low we'll see them sold there for a while longer yet.

I did once look into it, but size of sprue does make a difference to the cost. At one point I think someone was offering a small sprue like that for around £8-9k. I think that was outside of the UK, maybe in EU? But when you consider GW also have to cover the cost of infrastructure as well. And we all know that retail units (eg shops) are becoming more expensive (well at least in the UK and parts of the US - and in a lot of big cities).

yeah I've always understood that plastic sets are very expensive to produce, so are only worth doing if it's going to be a big seller.

So a successful company like Perry Miniatures (one of the biggest names in historical miniatures, but obviously NOTHING like as big as GW in the wider gaming world) can afford to bring out two or three plastic boxes a year, but they only do it for ranges they know are going to sell lots of. They aren't going to bring out a plastic set for some really obscure range with limited customer interest - it would lose them money. At least, that's the way I understand it, correct me if I'm wrong.

So following that logic, a small start-up company could make a huge mistake by investing lots of money into a plastic set that doesn't sell simply due to lack of customer interest - it could ruin them.

With that in mind, I am genuinely amazed when I stop and look at the ammount of plastic sets GW sell, with new ones coming out every month. Obviously something like a plastic Space Marine tactical squad is going to be a big seller forever..... But everything they release now is plastic, isn't it??? Every obscure character they decide to make is in plastic, and it presumably costs loads to make the sprue. I mean I'm sure they do it all in-house, whereas smaller companies have Renedra and others do the plastics for them. But still..... Really is amazing.

[mcfonz]

Yup. What's even more amazing is that for the main ranges, the releases have been planned and prepared for quite some time. I think it's been published that the White Dwarf is written three months in advance. So if you consider they often cover the releases for the coming month, that's a minimum four month lead team. I think in reality they have a range ready in advance and spread out some of the releases.

The biggest issue with smaller companies doing it is going to kickstarter where people nearly always demand free bonus sprues or a discount because it is kickstarter. Then they sell so many that after the kickstarter their range has almost saturated the sales in the desired market.

[Dr Mathias]

I've wondered how profitable it was for GW to make so much plastic, and some kits seem sort of insane. I mean, a 28mm Deathstrike Missle Launcher? 

What I can't figure out why they haven't made dedicated sets of plastic Mark V or VI 'Beakies'.

[Lost Egg]

I would love a beakie squad.

Perhaps some kits subsidise others to help make all the plastic pay.

[beefcake]

What I can't figure out why they haven't made dedicated sets of plastic Mark V or VI 'Beakies'.

They have! Mind you they are 30ish year old I think.

[mcfonz]

I wasn't introduced to Rogue Trader until well into 2nd ed so I have no nostalgic pang for beakies.

I am more than happy to dig around for the helmets that haven't already been snaffled by other gaming buddies with similar ideas. Hah! Just found one on my desk, that's a start!

[beefcake]

I bought the Shadespire starter set without fully realising what the game was purely because of the size of the game. It's not really for me so I have it sitting here totally untouched bar me taking the celophane off to look at.

I also have the healing potion card and the giant card etc from the white dwarf which I can throw in with it. Let me know if you'd be interested. And as an addict, I'd just be using the funds to buy more miniatures! 

I would be interested but postage to NZ is quite expensive for something that size and also my hobby budget is shot. Thanks for the offer though.

[mcfonz]

Dang, yeah that would be a killer!

Just to ensure our desire for minis is kept on close to ceiling levels:

[Lost Egg]

Nice looking mini with a restrained level of detail...I like it!

[AWu]

I love non boobed breastplate. First time in ages.

And i hope they will make more of book characters!

[Cubs]

Now that's a good min.

[jon_1066]

Pffft.  Can't be a GW mini - I only count four skulls on it.

[FionaWhite]

Am I the only one not seeing any picture here? 

[von Lucky]

I couldn't see it either, so I just quoted mcfonz's post to get:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dxnf1hRX4AY0hS1.jpg