The LAF Games Workshop Discussion Thread

[Gibby]

Is it that they include them for the tournament community they're increasingly catering to*, so that there are fewer arguments of where to measure to?

*not to suggest they're doing so exclusively, just perhaps being as inclusive as possible

[mcfonz]

Whilst I think you may be onto something in terms of measuring I don't think you could be further from the truth in terms of 'increasingly cater' to the tournament community.

In reality, GW has taken large steps away from that community in recent years. The emphasis in the rule book for 40k is on narrative play rather than competitive play and this is the same for AoS. I know for a fact our local GW has made a conscious decision to move away from encouraging anything like that in store, and there is no real surprise why.

That community is a minority amongst hobbyists these days and reality is that most of the people you play against are just wanting a bit of fun, it is a game after all, and something to socialise over.

[Gibby]

Well I certainly don't go for all that tournament stuff and am very much a narratively driven player. However, tournament players don't seem like the minority, every tabletop game seems to end up being talked about in tournament terms at our local game shop anyway where conversations about points, optimum lists etc are often heard.

When I say GW are increasingly catering to that community, it is in the sense that they actually acknowledge that style of play. Matched play, articles and discussions thereof, Shadespire is essentially a competitive tournament style game, and there's a tournament version of Kill Team on the way. It's not a bad thing, but it certainly is more than they used to do for the tournament players.

[Lost Egg]

It'd be good to see some actual stats on the percentage of tournament players, 40k players, AoS players and all that. I hear lots of opinions being expressed all over the net but it'd be good to see something more reliable. Just out of interest really.

I haven't played a GW game in nearly 5 years, excluding HeroQuest at home with the kids, so I have no idea how many are playing what games.

[beefcake]

Heroquest doesn't count, let's just say it's milton Bradley, so you're safe there.
I think vehicles such as this look better based as it pops the height up a little so when a based mini is beside it things look okay.

[boneio]

It's not saying that she is, but I hope she's not limited edition. She's being released for the Black Library Celebration day.

A post from GW Nottingham said she would only be in-store during the Black Library celebration weekend. That doesn't mean much re. whether she'll be online for general release, though...

Not sure about that cults vehicle. In some shots I've seen it looks like a converted kids' toy (yes I know, all GW stuff is technically a toy  )

[mcfonz]

Well I certainly don't go for all that tournament stuff and am very much a narratively driven player. However, tournament players don't seem like the minority, every tabletop game seems to end up being talked about in tournament terms at our local game shop anyway where conversations about points, optimum lists etc are often heard.

When I say GW are increasingly catering to that community, it is in the sense that they actually acknowledge that style of play. Matched play, articles and discussions thereof, Shadespire is essentially a competitive tournament style game, and there's a tournament version of Kill Team on the way. It's not a bad thing, but it certainly is more than they used to do for the tournament players.

The thing is, 'increasingly' would suggest that they are catering for that player more. I actually think the evidence is that it is less than they have done in the past. In fact, part of moving away from WHFB was that it was no longer selling well because they were tied down to a system that was reinventing the wheel purely for those tournament players.

Their focus completely shifted for AoS and yes, whilst they have introduced the likes of matched play etc, I think that alone speaks volumes. They 'introduced' it. It wasn't their priority straight out of the box. Now, the cynical part of me would say this could well be because at least initially they needed to sell the new world, the new fluff, because the settings have always been what really helps players to buy into their products and if they went in straight away with just pure competitive play I am sure it would have flopped hard. But then putting my balanced hat back on, I would say that also perhaps is indicative of their audience now. If they are concerned more about selling the universe than just selling to tournament players then guess where the money is at?

Also, moving those sorts of players out of the stores seems to have helped make GW a much more user friendly experience for all. And whilst I will admit that some of what I am saying is anecdotal and perhaps only symptomatic of the area I live in (Norwich, Norfolk), I can vividly remember a time when there were far more regional tournaments being arranged for 40k and WHFB, some official that sort of acted as a way into the grand tournament, others more independently organised. Talking of the grand tournament, do they still have those? They used to feature a write up of the finals in the White Dwarf in years gone by and look at the likes of the awards for best painted army etc.

As for Underworlds - I think it was more about a product for a certain market. It mixes CCG with models, with the CCG bit being probably more important than the models. For years GW licensed out stuff to the likes of FFG and I think with the new CEO they've realised that if they bring it in house, it's more valuable than the license they got. But also the gaming world has changed. They want to encourage people in from various directions. Many moons ago their official line was computer games are the biggest rival to their products. Now you have a boom in tabletop gaming with boardgames and wargames often meeting somewhere between the two zones of interest. Zombicide etc. I would not be at all surprised to see more of this kind of thing from them.

[Duncan McDane]

A post from GW Nottingham said she would only be in-store during the Black Library celebration weekend. That doesn't mean much re. whether she'll be online for general release, though...

Yeah, like they did with their Canoness, that later did become available again by direct order... Or their recent offerings of a Nightgaunt and a Primaris commander, only at a special day. Bought mine a couple of days later from the back of the local GW-store.
So, we can safely say, there is limited and there is GW-limited  . Nevertheless, if you want to be sure to get her, get her on the day itself. I know I will, it's a great miniature.

[JamesValentine]

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/01/28/28th-jan-sanguinius-the-model-revealedfw-homepage-post-1/

Poor pose (especially legs)
Poor facial sculpt (but typical for FW)
Very unimpressive wings  (seriously Celestine looks better)
Very off putting base.

[majorsmith]

Not my cup of tea but it a great figure, the face and pose is great very reminiscent of the art in the Sistine  chapel

[Chico]

Yeah not a fan of it, something just seems off about it.

I don't know why but alot of the newer HH stuff isn't doing it for me like the flying Custards, Alpha Legion Termies and all the Space Wolves.

[mcfonz]

Yeah. I'm not a great fan of the model either. I have had a few issues with some of the bases before in that they are huge and quite often requiring more resin than the miniature themselves.

I actually understand i with this one, as the idea is to give the impression of swooping in to strike, and without using the traditional flying bases this can be difficult to do without sticking a hole in the model somewhere. And on this pose it would be at the feet which would be a really weak point.

I believe it says there will be a version without the base though.

[Duncan McDane]

I like battle poses, not action poses so I'll pass on the Primarchs.

[boneio]

It looks like the rock is stuck up his jacksie

[Cubs]

It looks like the rock is stuck up his jacksie

Or has been produced from it. In the future, a high fibre diet is still important.