Where's the goodwill?

[Eldar_Atog]

I won't cover ground every else has mentioned...

I would just like to mention how much I hate having to go by their stores. This is a hobby I really enjoy but they have turned part of it into a painful chore. Since I tend to be a bit of an introvert, I don't like my personal space being violated. But most GW employees ignore this and start trying to hump my leg as soon as I walk in the door.

[GrauGeist]

I can afford the stuff, even as the prices go up. And I don't really care how long they go between editions or updates. Not a big deal. Sure, I get that they're milking me, and they're very unsubtle about it.

For me, what really grinds my gears is the constant shifting in the ruleset to add complexity where it isn't necessary or desired, for what is touted as a "beer & pretzels" game - something that can be easily played halfway in the bag. When I play, I want 3 or 4 good hours of shooting the breeze and drinking away. Pushing toy soldiers and throwing dice should take less than half of that time. Stopping to figure out what the rules are kills the buzz.

[Captain Bubonicus]

I think Rick Priestly himself said it best:

[url]http://bloodofkittens.com/blog/2013/02/08/network-news-rick-priestly-what-2/[/url]

"Bryan always said that if the studio ever had to mix with the manufacturing and sales part of the business it would destroy the studio. And I have to say – he wasn’t wrong there! The modern studio isn’t a studio in the same way; it isn’t a collection of artists and creatives sharing ideas and driving each other on. It’s become the promotions department of a toy company – things move on!"

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I won't cover ground every else has mentioned...

I would just like to mention how much I hate having to go by their stores. This is a hobby I really enjoy but they have turned part of it into a painful chore. Since I tend to be a bit of an introvert, I don't like my personal space being violated. But most GW employees ignore this and start trying to hump my leg as soon as I walk in the door.

Ditto, I'm also a fellow Introvert and that's precisely what made me stop going to my local one.

[Arkhan Land]

i would easily agree. a lot of my favorite things about the 40k universe were already solidified by 2nd and 3rd edition, i think now the companys design studio is just filling out the fluffy exspansion of this same universe with carefully calculated changes motivated by the protection of profits and not so much the core ideas that drive the 40k universe itself. that said...
theyve also done some great things too. 30k was an incredible exspansion looking into an often referenced but seldom modeled part of the universe/timeframe and that overall in between alternate versions of battling you can spend hours playing an apocalypse battle or minutes playing a fast paced killteam game. the company has provided us with everything we need to complete what we could want to do/what to buy and then some, now its getting bogged down in trying to keep us buying things. but even if it fails as a buisness this company has given me a set of codified rules and models some of which have been fighting battles for decades enduring paint strip after paint strip, all perfectly fine even if their authorizing voice goes under.

[silashand]

I think Rick Priestly himself said it best:

[url]http://bloodofkittens.com/blog/2013/02/08/network-news-rick-priestly-what-2/[/url]

"Bryan always said that if the studio ever had to mix with the manufacturing and sales part of the business it would destroy the studio. And I have to say – he wasn’t wrong there! The modern studio isn’t a studio in the same way; it isn’t a collection of artists and creatives sharing ideas and driving each other on. It’s become the promotions department of a toy company – things move on!"

This.

Plus all the other things people have mentioned. Somewhere along the line GW lost touch with its customer base and decided that it was better to pursue the temporary sale rather than focus on what was good for the hobby they created. Nice miniatures are fine, but if I can't afford them (or don't want to) then someone else will get my money. Pretty codices are nice, but if the rules are written to sell models rather than make an enjoyable game then I will lose interest. And if they won't answer questions about their game in a timely and effective manner then those players who do play will get tired of dealing with the problems. Abdicating responsibility to support your own product is not just bad for the hobby, it's arrogant and negligent toward a group of people who are exceedingly loyal. Unfortunately for GW everyone loses patience eventually.

Also, I really think GW overestimates the number of people who buy their products just to paint/model. Sure, people might buy a few, but I find it highly unlikely they will buy in the quantity GW wants unless they have a reason to do so such as a game system.

[Dawg]

Remember this from Wells from a few years back?

[url]http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2011/05/gw-news-wherein-mr-wells-responds.html[/url]

He talks about making things more exciting for veteran hobbyists, changing the trade terms to discourage internet discounters because they cut into the bottom line and don't contribute to growing the hobby, and the international pricing deal.

Now, I may be a cynic, but:
-I've been in this thing since the early 90's and I've been buying less and my reaction is an overwhelming 'meh' to most of the new releases. The fact that chaos has been my passion from the get-go is probably a big part of that.
-my experience walking into their latest model of friendly local GW store.. Am I alone for thinking they just want my wallet and aren't about the gaming, painting and hobbying?
-a couple of people in my local gaming group are debating an international road trip to the US to buy plastic crack in person.

I'm trying not to be inflammatory but the GW hobby specifically has left me cold for a year or two now. Yes, I know anecdotal is anecdotal, but this is closer to support group therapy. "But it was SO good at the start, and he said it would change and things would be get BETTER! Am I alone for feeling this way?"

I mean, WTF? This is a game about rolling dice and pushing around toy soldiers, and I don't want to pull plug because I've got too much invested in armies. And that rationalization is too close to "think of the CHILDREN!" for me to be comfortable.

The worst part is, I made the mistake of asking the local black shirt how much I spent since I let him put me into their system. Talk about hindsight.

[ElectricPaladin]

God... Warhammer 40k really is that ex I can't quite get over. I think I'm on the verge of quitting. I'm seeing this new girl FSA, and she's really cute and makes a lot of sense. She really has her sh*t together, you know? But then I run into 40k in the mall, and we get to talking about old times, and the next thing you know I'm painting some assault terminators. *******it.

Sometimes I think that it isn't that Warhammer 40k is my least favorite game. It's my most favorite game... but it's so poorly managed that I can't stand to actually play it the most.

[DarkLink]

I play mainly because I already have an army, and because there's a big community. And I have fun doing it. My complaint is that it could be significantly better.

[biffster666]

What is it about GW that constantly and consistently makes them a company people just don't like?

I see things as they are, not how they should be. What the heck does that mean? Games Workshop is a publicly traded company that states very clearly that they are a model making company first...and oh yeah we have these games to. Their fans want them to be a gaming company first.

Then in 2009 Kickstarter launched and suddenly other companies got a HUGE shot in the arm.

That's ok though, I know exactly how to deal with that little monster.