BBC 40K

[SamuelF]

Just thought I'd share this funny article I read this morning:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17274186

Made me laugh

[MortiS-the-Lost]

Excellent I was just reading this via a link someone posted on FaceBook

here's my favorite bits:

Old school favorite Gary Chalk speaking out on GW's pricing:

Still an enthusiastic table-top gamer, he does, however, believe Games Workshop uses its monopoly on the products to target and exploit increasingly younger fans. The prices for essential models, paints and books are "eyewatering", he says.

Here's a quote for the records!

"They are not selling a hobby. They are selling a craze."

More on prices!

Several players say they feel exploited. "You need at least £200 just to set up a half-decent legal army for a game, and if you want a board and scenery to go to play with friends you're looking at least £200 on top of that," says Craig Lowdon, 25, of Crewe.

Mark Wells of course puts forward his lies ... I mean defense ... no I mean lies

"That would go against everything we stand for. It's just not in our nature,"

and I feel Gary Chalk speaks out again for people such as us when he says

"The original rules were about fantasy combat and creating character. Now the rules only work within their imaginary world, with their figures and it cuts out all the other influences."

It's great to see this sort of thing pointed out in the public media, but what I feel the article fails to mention is all the more affordable alternatives. It would be nice to see a follow up article that mentions companies like Reaper, Mantic and Ral Partha Europe who are producing the same sort of products with much lower price tags (and in most cases at higher quality)

[MortiS-the-Lost]

after doing a bit more reading I have discovered that quote from Mark Wells was taken out of context - it makes much more sense in context:

[MortiS-the-Lost]

ok, ok that's unfair - it probably went like this:

"Some of your customers feel they are being exploited by the high prices - have you considered lowering them to make your products more affordable?"

"That would go against everything we stand for. It's just not in our nature,"

[SamuelF]

Yeah, I guess that a few of us here at TLaTD could say that Games Workshop have sullied a great hobby with their eye-watering price exploitation.. but, that would go against everything we stand for. It's just not in our nature.

[Apocalypsedreamer]

yeah read that just now.... made me piss myself :D trolololol

A.D

[Billiam Babble]

Realm of Zhu pointed to the extended interviews here:

http://www.samiraahmed.co.uk/?p=1870


I still find it a bit uncomfortable reading about the history of Games Workshop.

[MortiS-the-Lost]

Gary Chalk – Fantasy Illustrator and Games designer (including formerly Warhammer and Warhammer 40K) @garychalkpics

I used to put on demonstration games.Found it boring. Played the 1st version – 3 little books in a box with a cover. Designed by John Blanches. I Was a Games Development manager at GW about 30 yrs ago. Designed boardgames  and wrote White Dwarf articles:

I designed Talisman – all original art work, and wrote Space Hulk.

Also Battle Cars and Bikes – fighting eachother in the near future (we’ve always wanted a machine gun to kill the git in front of you. It’s based on that.)

Left Games Workshop (GW)  to go Lone Wolf Game books, then went as a freelance to Nott GW.

Warhammer was relatively unlimited – you could add more figures, scenery, boards to play on, as a wargame it is about resolving combat. You can give them character. It is a mix of historical wargame and fantasy role playing.

The business was eaten by Citadel miniatures which took over Warhammer. Original GW made and sold games by other manufacturers and sold many different worlds. It was all reflected and covered in White Dwarf. Eg Rune Quest, Traveller (SF) as well as own products.

It became all in house about its own products. Even ditched role play and narrowed the audience.  It’s much more restricted in England – no where to buy cards. Lots of little shops that sold historical magic miniatures went out out of business.

Eyewatering prices – for what is often a small lump of plastic or lead. Not always assembled. How is that Games Workshop can charge as much as they do?

They are not selling a hobby. They are selling a craze.  An addiction and craze – craft paints cost less. They have huge markups. You’re not a gamer you’re a fan. You need huge books of rules. Can’t play with someone else’s figures. The rules about their costumes are so detailed – less and less imagination being used.

The original rules were about fantasy combat, magic spells and creating character. Now the rules only work within their imaginary world, with their figures and   it cuts out all other influences.

People used to invent things – Eg. Dwarf hanggliders and hot air balloons and invent rules to use them in the game. I came up with naval ships – we called the game “All the Nice Dwarves Love a Sailor”: — they were fun add ons. I wrote the rules in White Dwarf.

I wrote a scenario called the Bloodbath at Orc’s Drift. Dwarvan militia with scythes and pitchforks based on the Zulu film. The principle characters were turned into a slightly deaf elf and a dwarf.  Had an alcoholic druid – none of it is possible any more.

A Dungeons and Dragons explosion happened just before Warhammer came out. It was 17-18 year old students really.

Historical games are getting older – fantasy games are getting younger. No subtlety at all. One lot of armoured guys w spikes rush at another lot of armoured guys with spikes. It’s all pain.

We're all behind you here Gary!