Has GW Gone Mad????????

Greetings Brothers.
Having just seen the Beasts of War latest news broadcast last night and seen several links late last Friday on the imminent release of the withdraw of all metal to GW range and replace with the so called Finecast Resin models all fine and goog until I saw the intended price hike. Generally a 25% increase WTF!!!!! is that all about. And on top of that they want to stop their independent retailers to halt their sales to international customers.

I am so glad I put my order in for my Grey Knights a few weeks ago but this is just madness surely. This increase appears across the range including Codex prices. £20 for a codex

This was the reason I stopped playing GW games a few years ago price and rule book changes. I like this game so much thats why I got back into it....but this is sheer lunacy. How does Management of GW think in their wildest dreams think that this is going to do either their business any good or the hobby.

What do you make of it Brothers?

i bought as much metal as i could and finish with buying in GW 2 days ago ! that's what i did.
to be true i possess a reserve of metal models that is enough for the next 20 years !
i went to the french games day yesterday and no news about the Finecast and the increase of prices ... i guess they didn't want any riot !!
Aubec

Can't say I blame you brother. Like yourself so glad I ordered what I need before. I saw the links to price increase on the Warseer forum and then I thought last nights I would see what the chaps at Beasts of War had to say and kind of confirmed the bad news, they even have a reply from a GW manager to an Independant stockist posted up.

Last I heard is that there is going to be some sort of announcement today ot the 28th something along the lines...lookey lookey here is our new Finecast resin products, no more nasty metal, fluf fluff fluff etc and then under muffled breath oh by the way here is our 25% increase despite that resin is cheaper oh and we are also including a tube of lubricant jelley in each product!!

I don't know of any company, that during a global financial crisis would increase their prices. It goes against any business model aimed at increasing demand for a product.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that increasing prices by 25% and banning independent exports during a global financial crisis is the fastest way to kill your market base.

@ Maximus..."tube of lubricant jelly" genius!! PMSL!!

Just seemed appropriate Brother.
The sad thing is I really want to continue playing 40K but they are not making it easy in this day and age. I reckon more than ever before the brown stuff will hit the fan over this course of action.

If you find it difficult to continue with the hobby, picture the situation of us folks living outside the EU. It's getting bleaker every day.

DonFer wrote:If you find it difficult to continue with the hobby, picture the situation of us folks living outside the EU. It's getting bleaker every day.

I have seen and heard that as well Brother...unbelievable, just simply unbelievable. I was looking at getting back into WHFB Bretonnians and may be expanding my Ultramarines....No bloody chance of that happening now. Just sticking to GK now and thats not going to be easy. Probably be a new Rule book costing an arm and a leg any minute. Hope you Brothers come right somehow.

you can play with what you already have
another possibility is buying on web sites like ebay priceminister and so on where you can find sometimes good deals...
Aubec

I second the frenchman.

I will not buy something from gw (unless it's über-cool or i totally need it, only the dreadknight and perhaps some mechanicus bits come even close to this description) until they realise what they are doing.

I have been a long and faithful GK player and is served shit and toast to celebrate my long service, plus they make it cost even more than the sheer awesome toast with marmelade that gk was before.

True it's still a toast, and it's a better bigger toast, but it's covered in shit and i cannot enjoy that, that is how i see the new GK.

And rasising prices and lowerng demand is not something i would do if i had a company, i am not a business-man and even i can see that it is utter stupidity to do that.

Wait.......you get toast? I've been playing this game since 1986 and the the stuff they have done over the years,would make that sandwich taste like filet mignon.......blister packs with 5-6 figures for $10, box sets of 20/30+ troops for $22, 3 rhinos in a box for $19.99, 2 land raiders in a box for $25, a WD for $3.50 Bringing any tears yet? mind you these are 1986 prices.Just when you say your going to quit,they bring out something dazzling and must have........lets face it were all junkies and they are the dealers,were all hooked until....something better comes along or they fire that IDIOT in marketing that has these IDIOTOTIC ideas,Sometimes I think his/her mother didn't take that plastic bag from the crib in time

oh yes jerbat brother ... we are junkies geeks it's totally true (including me) ... but there's other dealers even with the GW products so why bother waiting that they change all their marketing service ?
let's use the others till that happens ! let's buy old models so they won't really benefits our sellings !!
Aubec

I agree,I think the last thing I bought from a GWS was a box set of metal GKT and only because they were on clearance.I mostly now buy from independents or EBay stores online like most of us do,but I do wish I could travel time and smack my younger self in the head and tell myself to stockpile this stuff............ anybody got a delorean laying about?

I have not bought a single thing in a GW store for 6 years now only at an independent retailer that gives me a good discount and throws in the postage as well, but even with this it is still not exactly pocket money. By the way did you Brothers read todays announcement from GW on their homepage. Well lets just say you would not believe that bullshit could be stacked that high. The scary thing is that the shit for brains that is spouting all that rubbish on that announcement actually believes all his bullshit. No mention, of course, of the bitch slapping hike in prices or of the tube of lube jelly sold in each finecast box. They go on to hype up the "Grand Launch this Saturday and which will be your first finecast model" blah blah.

I was wondering if they had given their shop managers and assistants all the intensive training on the correct method of how to take the customer over the gaming table, how to apply the lube jelly properly for a good shafting.

jerbat123 wrote:Wait.......you get toast? I've been playing this game since 1986 and the the stuff they have done over the years,would make that sandwich taste like filet mignon.......blister packs with 5-6 figures for $10, box sets of 20/30+ troops for $22, 3 rhinos in a box for $19.99, 2 land raiders in a box for $25, a WD for $3.50 Bringing any tears yet? mind you these are 1986 prices.Just when you say your going to quit,they bring out something dazzling and must have........lets face it were all junkies and they are the dealers,were all hooked until....something better comes along or they fire that IDIOT in marketing that has these IDIOTOTIC ideas,Sometimes I think his/her mother didn't take that plastic bag from the crib in time

Even just 7 years ago when I started in 40 K Brother here in the UK the prices were so different and the quality of the models was brilliant. I remember my first codex cost just £12, Rule Book £25. Tactical squad £15, landraider was £25 etc etc. Most if not all blisters were under £10. They try and bullshit us to say how they are the most detailed models in the world. Have they looked at Empress Minatures, Eureka Minatures, Bolt Action minatures all 28mm models and they are just as good and IMO better. WW2 and Modern War I know but the point being and as for the prices I bought a 22man box set of German paratroopers for £25, an 11 man squad blister for £13. All support blisters for between £3.50 and £6.00. Bottom line for starting from scratch I spent just about £75 for Rulebook and all the models I needed for my first game in Rules of Engagement. I have currently spent over £350 to get my Grey Knights thats to facilitate a game from 1500 to 2500 points. Thats not including Codex or a new Rulebook.

Ok RoE is a much different game points wise but lets take Flames of War you could get a German 2500 point force for roughly about £100. There is a SS infantry company box set which gives you all the forces you need, HQ combat squads and two support options for about £45 add a tank platoon of panthers on that about another £30. Thats easy 2500 points in Fow. Add Rule book for £30 plus an intel book which give you all the forces not just the one you are interested in for about another £20. Thats without a 10% discount most Independant retailers over here would give you.

I have been even looking at Privateer Press, not my kind of game really but the point is chalk and cheese in terms of pricing. Yes there models and box sets are quite pricey but you don't need a lot to have a game. Over here you could start for about £50 to £70 including Rulebooks.

GW whatever you are smoking you should put it out. These other Game manufacturers are going to take a great big bite out of yor arse sooner rather than later.

It's the whole principle of more bang for our buck. We all like to save and if independent distributors can capitalize on that to our benefit, so be it. I purchase directly from my local GW store in support that I don't have to drive 20-40 miles away to get a battle going, plus they have great terrain and the games are centered on WH/WH40k. I still Ebay to save in order to put what's saved, back into my army.

you do know of course that when GW gets away with this other producers will follow suit , look at FOW and how they upped their prices

I agree that GW has gone a bit over the top with "the best detailed miniatures in the world"

Balls to it, i can find better models everywhere.

Metal for sure, and perhaps more expensive. But they are in a heck of alot better quality.
And with the toast example i meant the new GK codex and the old.

The bread is the army list, the stuff on is the fluff.
Sure the army is probably alot better, i hear it's the most broken one out there. I will never play an army that is covered in shit though no matter how good it is.

Yes i'm bitter. Yes i blame matt ward. No this is not a hate matt ward thread.

Or is it?

They seem to have gone down on the quality of stuff too.
The art in the GK codex is shockingly bad compared to the old, i mean, just look at it.
Oh yeah, the cover might be nice, but i'm thinking off the pic of for example Crowe, dang that one is bad.

They have worse art, worse background, the models are getting better but at what cost? Surely it cant cost that much to get 4-6 new plastic boxes that good.

The designers are worse, the management is horrendous.

But you have a point there. We are sort of junkies and they are the provider.
But me for one can control my hobby. And i see what it is developing into.
And i don't like it.

I am going to build my warlord titan, because its what its supposed to be, nothing stupid, nothing better than ever stuff.
Sure it's broken, read the fluff, it's supposed to be that hard, probably even harder.
When i read the GK codex, what do i see? Purifiers disintegrating hordes of orks with their flame rule? Where the heck does it say that in the fluff? Yeah they are surrounded by flames, didn't say they were surrounded by 30 dudes with flamethrowers each cos that is what it probably takes to get that effect.

I'm gonna stick to what is good, and that is my beutiful mechanicus, until matt ward sunders it with ass-rape of doom and sends it into the oblivion that other armies like deamons and GK have fallen into.

BLÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ!!!!!
(Means, Yuck, but prolonged like Yuuuuuck)

hardrainfalling wrote:you do know of course that when GW gets away with this other producers will follow suit , look at FOW and how they upped their prices

Sure, I have played Fow for some 4 years now and in that time FoW prices have gone up only TWICE. Also not completely across the line. All the books and most importantly the main Intel Books have stayed the same in price, I mean the main rulebook has been £30(I get 10% from my Independant stockist) for years now. There price increae has also been fairly marginal. According to my Supplier GW has had a price increase TWICE A BLOODY YEAR and for the last 3 or 4 years consecutively. Their battle boxes are a joke in comparrison to Fow or Warmachine/Hordes. Most factions we would need to but 3 or 4 just to get 2000 points. Total bollocks.
Its just greed thats all plain simple greed. Being capitalist I have no problem a company making money and a profit but not this blatant "take the customer over the barrel and pay for the ride" Scary thing is those schmucks in GW will be quite happy to put another price rise later this year.

fow tanks have gone from £5 to £7+ since i started playing , codex creep has begun with newer books offering better options for less points and even the same troops for less points than odler books
and they stopped maelstrom games selling their stuff at all !

hardrainfalling wrote:fow tanks have gone from £5 to £7+ since i started playing , codex creep has begun with newer books offering better options for less points and even the same troops for less points than odler books
and they stopped maelstrom games selling their stuff at all !

Not sure what your point is. I only started FoW 4 years ago and there was a difference in tank prices. Medium tanks were £5.85 and heavy tanks £6.85 and now after only 2 price rises medium tanks are £7.50 and heavy tanks £8.50. Campaign books have been made into compilations yes but the main Rule book and intel books are still the same price. There are new intel books out all coming out in hardback that are priced the same as the rulebook. As I mentioned before my local supplier always gives me 10% discount and no charge on postage.

Don't get confused over the Maelstrom debacle. Maelstrom broke its contract with Battlefront which was offering more discount than what was agreed in their contract and also was undercutting every single retailer overseas especially Aussie and New Zealand, both Battlefornt online shop as well as every single independant shop. We could argue that one all day but for me i found that was wrong of Maelstrom. I would not appreciate my local supplier going out of business due to some overseas internet seller undercutting him and every other hobby business in this country. Compare FoW pricing in Aussie and New Zealand to UK/Euro pricing and going on exchange rates they are approximately in line with each other. GW is NOT by a long way, those guys are getting screwed and getting screwed big time.......wheres that lube jelly of GW's

maelstrom stopped doing the extra discount on FOW stuff long ago when asked nand battlefront still stopped in mid order ! both sides could have handled that better

my point is that once GW gets away with it and i believe they will after all the moaning and bitching online (some of which is fulyl justified) other companies will follow suit
the hobby market is about what price your customers are willing to pay not what it actually costs
yes there are cheaper figures out there, some are good , others just dont have the quality of GW which granted can be mixed but at times is superb

First WH/WH40k then FOW and warmachine. My estimate would be 99% of big business capitalizes on the supply and demand theory and price grow steadily with demand. The 1% is for large charity/nonprofit business.

Not for FineCast, looky looky:






Quality is not excelent, lot of flashing. And frankly it's the same as the metal one, only more expensive.

i agree with you brother Donfer
Aubec