Tuesday 12 February 2013

New Title same blog\ GW getting everything wrong.

Good morning readers.

 New title
I have decided to change the title and address of my blog, the reason I did not want to be linked directly to games workshop. The blog will remain loyal and active to wargaming but less focused on games workshop content. I have already found 3 game systems that interest me (hordes-dark age and maybe warzone).


I am in a bitchy mood and you are the lucky ones I will share it with.

Stepping away from GW product.    

I have decided to stop buying GW product, this is not a boycott but more a statement that other games deserve a bigger piece of the wargaming market. I will still paint and play 40k , and there are still four armies I want to build cause of my love for the hobby (typhous zombies, nightlords, flying orks and greek marines) but the majority of these armies is already bought. I think 6th edition 40k  is a brilliant edition, but not good enough to keep me 100% loyal to GW. Bellow are the reasons that triggered my reaction.

45 pounds for 4 models.


  • Overpriced miniatures. - "Gw is the leading company in manufacturing brilliant miniatures". Maybe that was true 10 years ago but in 2013 I can name many nice miniature companies. The price of their miniatures is not justified by their work or pace or "innovation". Their product is neither affordable: a box of orks went up double in price when they repacked them in boxes of 10 and  40+ pounds for a flyer does not sit well with me. No one will dissagree that gw produces some stunning models but they have had some large fails also. Heldrake obliterators and digimon chaos come to mind. You may also have noticed the trend of making troops cheaper forcing you to add more to your army. Their finecast and plastic miniatures have reached the resin prices of forgeworld.
Gw Ogres

Mantic Ogre


  • The new thing is the best thing syndrome.
    5th edition was all about tanks, razor back spam ig mechanised, etc. And it seems every new kit gets buffed rules and I realy hate that. When space wolfs were realised thunderwolfs were amazing and 3 units of long fangs were by their side. Then came the new necrons; when was the last time anyone did not play with 4 flyers and when the last time someone played a monolith? GW released new screamers and flamers, and released a booklet making these models amazing in game. I am not a good player but I am sick and tired getting screwed over every new realise, and the worst part is chaos space marines seemed to have missed the power creep.The flyers are the new thing and every one is needing to make additional buys to adjust to the change.







  • Bad playtesting and reading. I know my blog has spelling mistakes and sometimes does not make sense but I do not charge you 30+ pounds to read it. I find it incredible that a five day old codex like dark angels needs two pages of FAQ and amendments, and still has people arguing about what counts as a bolter for a specific banner. Or the glorious days with lizardmen when a stegadon with an engine of  the gods, activated the "burning alignment" ability in the magic phase but was not a magical attack because they forgot to write it. Or the badly written typhous zombie rule that for a while did not allow you to increase the size of your zombies or not allow to change both weapons on a terminator. Things my self and friends spotted in one read. Bad play testing creates the new thing is the best thing syndrome which actually might be intentional.
    On the 18/19th February 2012, Mantic Games hosted their second Kings of War tournament at Maelstrom Games with the single aim of breaking the new Kings of War rules and army lists.





  • Failcast. "The new best thing making models cheaper cause metal is expensive", flames of war have been using it for a while but gw promoted it like they were the founders of this plastic resin. The product was full of holes, hideous mold lines and it was warped like hell. I know gw would replace it but there were times were 2nd and 3rd replacements were still poor quality,  but to be honest now days there are very little defects but the price of it is still high.





  • Over priced events. 50 pounds for a 2 day event in their own venue with zero prize support, were I have attended cheaper events same style with prize support. No universal rankings, no player spotlight, no promotion of healthy competitive gaming. Same goes for Games Day an over priced ticket for them to advertise more of their product. zero sneak peaks, big fiasco last year with forgeworld service lines reaching into the gaming hall.
     
  • Its the little things. Very poor coverage on goldem deamon, were amazing people create and paint amazing models, once again the independent unofficial golden deamon web page is the only way to view these entries by year, country and placing.
    There has not been a good campaign book since lustria and storm of chaos appart from FW recent badab war book. Why can't you mail order FW stuff in a GW store?
    Limited edition 2000 copies of codex, +20 pounds for a poster, a stamp and a piece of ribbon? And yet fans rushed to buy it, only to find out GW accidentally printed more than 2000, there have been legit limited edition copies with the same number, oups.
    Also GW tournaments do not support the use of 40k approved forgeworld models, crazy right?
    Advanced pre orders arriving a few days after the release? What's the point?
  • GW the inventor of orcs and space marines.
    GW forgets that all their armies are concepts stolen from writters long before they produced anything. Recently they demanded amazon to remove a book titled: "Spots the Space Marine". A book that has nothing to do with 40k, more here :http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/02/08/games-workshop-space-marines_n_2646001.html .
    It has been rumored that GW also made many lawsuits againts privateer press when the company was starting because their warmachines looked too much to a dreadnought. I don't find that hard to believe.

  • Out of my shop vet!
    All of the above as an idiot fan boy I was willing to except, but 2 weeks ago the Cambridge GW store got a new manager, that was removed all the painting and gaming tables turning the hobby centre into a store. Now many of you in the UK and USA mind find it silly hanging out in the GW store, but it was nice, I would cycle in on my lunch break and talk hobby, do some quick painting and socialise with friends. Maybe I was spoil ed but I think it is also a bad financial move for the company, maybe I am wrong, time will tell.

 I don't hate gw, I do think the people running it NOW are idiots. I love the horus heresy story. I will still play the game but limit my armies and buy none of their product if I can help it (now if they produce some nice dinos for my lizardmen army I will buy some). So I will be selling my goblin army, my unpainted beastmen, fire hawks, raptors, slannesh marines and load of sprues.

I understand that GW was the founder of wargaming and we owe the company alot, but banking on the past will not do it anymore.


What about your selves,are you still madly in love with Gw?
Is there something that annoyed you about gw that I missed out?
Have you found another game that you play now?

Soon I will be looking into Hordes Warmachine from privateer press and dark age.

As a painter/collector/gamer I intend to support the deserving game developers. How about you?




8 comments:

  1. I hear ya, brotha!
    I think you've hit every nail on the head. I have not been a big fan of their downward spiral for a while but last week's big story of how they're trying to lay claim to everything Space Marine (when obviously their whole company is based on copying LOTR) really disgusted me. And the constant price hikes, the laziness that goes into their new rules after years of development and suggestions from players (why can frag missiles not fire snap shots but kraks can? same weapon, right? just didnt want to bother with coming up with blast snap rules?), all the new codices constantly getting more powerful and expensive, drawing folks to buy new armies with every release in order to keep up (like the anti-air missiles that are apparently reserved for the up-coming codices)... just all of it. I'm with you, ready to quit GW. I have a crap ton of 40K guys, enough to last me if i want to continue playing, but i don't want to feed this monster anymore. would really like to look into new games with less investment. My buddy swears by Wyrd (Malifaux) as a great company that listens to and cares about its players. you might check that out.
    And while i hate blogs that just reblog other folk's stuff, i will likely refer to your blog in my next post -- this is a rant worth sharing!
    it'll be on brinkschaostheory.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your info and repost J.D.
      I have a bunch of friends that play Malifaux and it does look like a great game, unforunatly the models don't appeal to me. My next post will be about hordes from privateer press, another company that listens, I have so many good thinks to say about this game. Their 2 month universal public testing, the steady simultaneously release of figures for all factions. The tier reward for themed lists.

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  2. I mostly agree. I'm not so fussed about the prices but it is a bit of a rip, and Finecast is getting better in fairness. Also, I think Dark Angels and Chaos Space Marines are fairly balanced, baring in mind I faced a Deathwing Army and almost tabled them with my Necrons and I didn't use any Flyers and only 1 Tesla weapon.

    But as to the rest of it, I think that GW kicking out vets is utterly, utterly ridiculous, I hate it. That's why I will buy their products but boycott the stores once Wood Green closes (we shall remember thee). The focus on Flyers is what's annoying me most, I only plan on getting at most 2 Night Scythes (no Doom Scythes) and using them to beam my Immortals down as a shock tactic.

    But yes, I think GW's had it's time in the sun, independent miniature companies are really rising up. Many people I know are moving to Hordes, Warmachine or Infinity, so GW could do with a kick up the jacksy.

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  3. Amen.
    Short term profits over customer care and loyalty.
    They seem to be quite the aggressive corporate entity these days.

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  4. You're not wrong. I am definitely considering trying out Infinity and Malifaux this year as I finish up the 6 or so armies I have. I'd love for my hobby time to be more varied, especially because I don't own a car so getting my minis to the game shop means riding my bike and I can fit enough infinity minis for a large game in my shoulder bag.

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  5. My eye and tastes have begun to wander the more I see of other mini companies. I doubt I'll ever boycott GW out right, but with so many options I'll be "broadening my horizons" for sure ;)

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  6. Here here! I agree with everything you’ve said.
    The prices especially get to me. When you compare GW human armies to historical minis, especially empire to say Perry Wars of the Roses/Euro mercs the cost, and quality of the sculpts shows.

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  7. Nice article. I agree 100%. I do love the warhammer 40k lore. I did try to get into GW miniature gaming, but GW's attitude towards it's fans drove me away.

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