No New GW News

[ddsa86]

Is it just me or is there generally less and less news about GW? Is it just that time of year when we don’t have that many releases or has GW really clamped down on "leaks" regarding upcoming codices, models and releases?

[isotope99]

Combination of factors:

GW have stamped on the rumours a bit so they are coming through more slowly but they are there, leaked ogre pics being most obvious recent example.

Summer is a quiet time for codex/army books which generate a lot of the news and rumours and there is a focus on fantasy which is not quite as popular (especially on BOLS).

[eldargal]

There has been, though. We had OGre Kingdoms pictures leaked and the WD SoB codex leaked, before that we knew a lot about SoM before it was released including some pictures.

[Brass Scorpion]

No New GW News

That is the new reality and has been for many weeks now. No more "Incoming" emails from GW, Advance Orders don't go online till one week before release, usually the Friday night a week before release Saturday. No previews, no Black Box preview models or books in stores, nothing.

[Bigred]

Yes and No,

Yes, in that GW itself is cutting way back on the official releases, so we are seeing less things like pics of upcoming products.

No, becasue any company the size of GW will eternally have leaks. If governments and militaries leak constantly where the penalty for getting caught is jail, or even death, what chance does a toy company have to be airtight?

So there is a steady drip of leaks on the rules side of things, just not many pics of them.

Finally, as was said, its summer and its always slow this time of year. Things ratchet back up in September.

[Lockark]

GW has ALWAYS been tight on Rumor's/Leeks. All thier new polices are is the amount of officle material released about upcoming products.

Somethings has to be said about the summer season and the holidays that people take during it. Rumors always slow down this time of year.

[ddsa86]

I personally think it is bad business to hold back on the "leaks." Yes, you don't want to make promises you can't keep because as we all know us gamers are a fickle bunch and if you have delays in shipping products that you promised, we all get pissed but I think a leak here and there is good business and keeps your community eager for the next thing. I guess I am yearning for the fun GW years where they were less corporate and more like your LFGS and the WD was an essential read.

Anyway, what GW has done is driven me and me kids (we all play 40k and I have for some years been in the hobby) to other gaming systems such as FoW and Infinity. I am also eager to see what Mantic has for Sci Fi because we have been having a ball playing Dwarf's Kings Hold. Unfortunately, we have a heavy investment in GW armies and while I don't patronize them as much as I use to (or at least until a there is a new BT codex), we will continue to play 40k and dabble in Warhammer Fantasy....

[wittdooley]

I am also eager to see what Mantic has for Sci Fi because we have been having a ball playing Dwarf's Kings Hold.

Really? Maybe I didn't give it a fair shot, but I thought Dwarf Kings Hold was just awful. Perhaps they've fixed the rules since I demoed it last year at Adepticon?

[Kawauso]

I agree that holding back on the leaks the way they are is bad business, and their hype engine is, in my opinion, Godawful.

I can understand not wanting things to leak out too far in advance (i.e. a year or more from intended street dates), but there is nothing wrong with letting customers in on what's coming down the pipes half a year or even up to a full year in advance. In fact, I think it's a good way to garner interest and hype. You don't need to show off everything that's going on, just a simple "oh, 6 months down the pipe this army is getting an update". And the releases that are closer than that? Spoil little tidbits - photos of individual models (none of that 1/18th of a model garbage), maybe every couple of weeks spoil a statline for a unit, or other parts of a unit entry...

Really, I just think there should be a nice, steady flow of 'leaked' content from GW, at least within the 6-months-before-launch window. It would save them the trouble of having to fret so much over leaks, it would keep the consumer base more informed, happy and interested (makes customers feel like the company cares about them, giving 'inside scoops', etc.) and generate a hell of a lot more interest for things in advance.

Again, this is all opinion, but I think they really ought to do like a once-a-week spoiler on their website. And every month they could throw out some exclusive, slightly-bigger spoilers in WD - maybe for the stuff coming the month ahead. WD would be relevant because it would spearhead the more-detailed spoilers. And in that month before launch the weekly spoilers on the website could even become daily spoilers at some point, since the thing being 'spoiled' is already so close to launch.

And as long as the rumour flow is steady and never reveals too much at one time (until, I'd say, around the 1-month-before-launch mark), they wouldn't need to worry about revealing so much that the hype kills itself.

But that's just what I think. GW is going to do whatever they want.
I'd sure as hell take a job to try and fix their hype machine/marketing/customer interaction (esp. online), though.

[ddsa86]

Rules seem pretty solid and they are simple and easy enough to understand for my kids. Alot easier then some other board games we have tried (Horus Heresy). Anyway, my kids love bashing the hell out of me in the game and that makes it fun for them and me. I am trying to have my older son play as the dwarfs and he finds it a bit frustrating but he likes dwarfs so he really has been trying to get past the first few scenarios. I have also painted up all the miniatures and that adds to the game. We got the game after it came out so I have no point of reference regarding the rules at the demo stage of development.