The LAF Games Workshop Discussion Thread

[zemjw]

I buy quite a bit from them, mostly via Wayland if I can. However, more and more of their stuff seems to be "online only", and Wayland don't seem to be allowed to discount that

I don't play any of their games, so I stick to things that I think I'll be able to use in my own worlds. As such, it tends to just be things that take my fancy, rather than as part of a larger plan.

[Citizen Sade]

Isn’t ‘online only’ GW speak for direct only meaning they get to cut out the middle man and make punters pay full price?

[pixelgeek]

Isn’t ‘online only’ GW speak for direct only meaning they get to cut out the middle man and make punters pay full price?

Oddly enough I used to work at a store that could order in 'online only' products. The fellow that handled GW orders would print out a quick colour copy of the miniature from the GW site and tape it to the plain white box it was shipped in before putting it on the shelf.

I don't know why they were allowed to do that other than the volume of product they ordered and sold.

Those boxes took a while to move though. Not high volume sellers at all.

Since that time, GW has certainly expanded the number of products that are only available online but I suspect that they are also low selling products that GW doesn't want to keep in stock in their stores. Since some VP of Sales at the company doesn't want to be favouriting non-GW stores they also don't sell them to other brick-and-mortar locations either.

Edit: I just looked at the Skaven range on their website and there are 14 products marked as Online Only including the Clanrat box. There are also five marked as 'Temporarily Out of Stock' including the Stormvermin. So the issue is clearly more significant than I had though previously.

[pixelgeek]

I don't play any of their games, so I stick to things that I think I'll be able to use in my own worlds. As such, it tends to just be things that take my fancy, rather than as part of a larger plan.

This is what I would have assumed is the general behaviour of folks on this forum. Buy GW minis and then use them in another system. I use the AoS minis we buy in Age of Fantasy and I have been quite happy with the Warhammer rereleases for that reason.

[McMordain]

As far as I know it is possible for shops to buy webstore exclusive stuff, but GW offer very little or no discount on those. So it does not worth the effort to work with these items. Plus they are often "Temporarily out of stock" for a long time...

[pixelgeek]

I generally like what they release. The Lord of the Rings game is my favorite game system, and I really like the current Necromunda as well (rules and releases).

Necromunda was the first game I experienced with GW's new business model of having a large number of cards, dice and other accessories available in small print runs. It put me off the game.

I do quite like the minis. Especially the newer ones. The prices though...

I found Age of Sigmar more interesting than the old Fantasy game, but I like high fantasy settings. I quiet like the figures as well.

I quite like them as well. I just wish that they were able to make minis on smaller bases so they mixed with my other figures better.

[HerbertTarkel]

Sentry Box is indeed one of the big shops (the BIGGEST!).

Lots of other shops do get GW Online Only though; I sometimes order from a Quebec shop (they sell out of French product, but not English, on the pre-release insanity days), and they often have almost all the online only as well. And almost everything will be at a 15% discount (usually not the online only), which makes the prices a bit more … less icky.

[pixelgeek]

And almost everything will be at a 15% discount (usually not the online only), which makes the prices a bit more … less icky.

We moved to Edmonton where most stores sell at less than the GW MSRP on products.

[HerbertTarkel]

We moved to Edmonton where most stores sell at less than the GW MSRP on products.

Nice! 👍

[Pattus Magnus]

Lower than MSRP on GW products is nice, but it is a poor substitute for having easy access to the Sentry Box. That place is amazing- I still make a pilgrimage to it a few times per year when I go to Calgary. Their GW stock is comprehensive and they even carry products from dozens of other manufacturers, too! I’ll stop gushing now…

[pixelgeek]

Lower than MSRP on GW products is nice, but it is a poor substitute for having easy access to the Sentry Box.

I never said I didn't want access to The Sentry Box :-) I don't want to say how much I spent there when I was last in Calgary

[voltan]

.... are any of us actually buying new minis from GW?

Yes, usually through the Outpost, but only the things I want or can use for conversions, it does help I'm working towards a force built to play an old version of the game. I'm actually thinking about pre-ordering the Death Korps army box on saturday, though that's a maybe as it might work out better for me to wait for the individual releases and not having to get rid of the codex in it.
Though it has been fun seeing people pre-selling copies on eBay before they've even got them, the range of prices is massive.

[Pattus Magnus]

I never said I didn't want access to The Sentry Box :-) I don't want to say how much I spent there when I was last in Calgary

It’s probably best not to admit how much time you spent there - never know where that info would end up!

Regarding access, it’s that extra 300 km that gets me down … I used to live 10 minutes away, 20 if the traffic was heavy along Memorial Drive.

[HerbertTarkel]

It’s probably best not to admit how much time you spent there - never know where that info would end up!

Regarding access, it’s that extra 300 km that gets me down … I used to live 10 minutes away, 20 if the traffic was heavy along Memorial Drive.

I used to live walking distance to it - just the other side of 14th on 17th! Now I’m a drive, and not a fun one, but it’s still “the local” shop. Was just there the other day…

[McMordain]

Necromunda was the first game I experienced with GW's new business model of having a large number of cards, dice and other accessories available in small print runs. It put me off the game.

Well we don't bother with the cards too much. They are not essential to the game and some of them are clearly broken, others are essentially useless. There is over a 100 of them now and when we use them people choose the same dozen or so card every time. It is not a very good underdog mechanic. This is the part of the game I like the least.
The core boxes have enough dice to play, the gang specific ones are just thematic extra. They should sell some base dices separately though.

I quite like them as well. I just wish that they were able to make minis on smaller bases so they mixed with my other figures better.

Yeah, the base sizes and the scale inconsistencies are annoying.