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  1. #1

    Default A Petition to Games Workshop

    The videos in the the[URL="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2014/10/must-see-gw-corporate-strategy-exposed.html"] MUST SEE: GW CORPORATE STRATEGY EXPOSED[/URL] post on BoLS got me thinking about all the open letters over the years. But I feel now is a better time then ever to reach out and try and reason with GW as their customers, before it is all too late.

    I did up a petition outlining a few core concerns the gaming community has with their business practices and how they should reflect upon them selves and how their strategy is not meeting customer desires or expectations.

    You can go to it via my [URL="http://sepulchreofheroes.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-petition-to-games-workshop-limited.html"]blog here[/URL]

    Or [URL="https://www.change.org/p/games-workshop-limited-refocus-your-business-model-on-the-sale-of-a-game-and-support-of-a-gaming-community-vice-the-pure-sale-of-collectible-miniatures"]directly to it here[/URL]

    Or read it here before going:
    Refocus your business model on the sale of a game and support of a gaming community vice the pure sale of collectible miniatures.

    As competition from outside organizations grow and GW revenues and profits fall, your company seemingly continues to pursue a business model not in alignment with your customer base's desires and expectations.


    Your business model states "We make the best fantasy miniatures in the world and sell them globally at a profit and we intend to do this forever". Realize that you produce a game, and that the models are playing pieces in that game, not the end product themselves. Without the game, there is no need to purchase Games Workshop models. They are not collectible in the same sense as scale military tanks and aircraft, nor are they as utilitarian as historical wargames miniatures, applicable to multiple game systems and supported by real world events. GW models are only useable in the context of GW games, the primary of these being Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy Battles.

    I and many others collect your models to play the game. Only a fraction of the community do so purely for the experience of owning, building and painting Citadel miniatures. This is why when armies are timely updated and released, model sales for those armies jump. It is not because of marketing through White Dwarf and Online Stores. It is because people want to play with the newest "Toy". Collectors continue with these factions to keep playing the game, not just own miniatures.

    Your fanbase and the dedicated gaming and hobby community ask that you adopt the following policies

    1- Support gamers, conventions, and tournaments, primarily through well-developed rules and encouraging competitive play. Despite GW's desire for Warhammer to be a "Beer and Pretzels" game that is simply a reason to buy and collect GW miniatures, gamers want a system that can be used for competitive play as well. Just because this is supported does not mean that fun, narrative driven relaxed play is not possible. Appeal to both sides of the gaming community, not just the one you want to more. You cannot interface directly with the small group playing a campaign in their basement. You can with the 100+ players at a tournament. Doing so will improve your corporate image, impassion your playerbase and ultimately encourage the playing or your game which directly correlates to the sale of your miniatures. This means releasing fairly balanced, well play tested rule sets, and timely FAQs which address the issues players are encountering. The relaxed narrative players will appreciate these clearer and improved rules just as much as the cut-throat tournament gamer.

    2- Reduce the number of "Direct exclusive models" and support the FLGS. Game Stores are where your community exists. It is not in their home, alone, painting. Most of the hobby may occur there, but it with the objective in mind that on the weekend they will travel down to their local friendly game store and set up across the table from someone and play a game. That is why they put all the hours into building and painting their army. Sure it may be fun to build and paint it, but it is a means to an end, not the end itself. Since the objective of collecting is to play a game, game store owners are going to promote games they can sell in their store. If majority of your product is exclusively available from your webstore, game store owners will not push your product as they lose potential sales. Without that push or those sales, their gaming community abandons GW games, and without the game they abandon GW/Citadel models.

    3- Competitively price your products. You have some room to charge a slight premium because of the quality of your miniatures. But since the ultimate objective is to play a game at the end of the week, players are going to financially invest in what they can better afford. All wargaming is a luxury market. If a player can get the same amount of game time for less with another game and have just as much, if not more fun, then that is where I will invest my dollars. This is a big factor as to why so much competition now exists whereas very little did before. A potential aide to this point would be to allow sales of bits, aftermarket 3rd party add-ons, and discount online retailers. This all encourages throughput of your products, and for players to gather larger or more forces for their games. Sales for GW have only become worse with the policies that eliminate these possibilities.

    4- Change your website to be hobby and gaming driven with a webstore option attached for support. This used to be the way it was. Your website should not just be an online marketplace. Your site should be the one stop shop for painting, tactics, gaming communities, upcoming tournaments, etc. etc. The webstore should then be a feature that a player can access after reading a tactica article or a painting guide. It is in game performance that drive sales of models the most, so discussing the performance and ways to use particularly models in game can only benefit you by swaying consumers to purchase it. Beautiful photos and well painted models help, but a vast majority of your playerbase knows is cannot paint as well as your webstore and White Dwarf images, so they fail to be lured in by that trap.

    In short, rededicate your company to supporting the selling of a game. This is your main product. Your models are the key playing pieces of this game, and will make you the most money. Without the game though, they are worth nothing.

  2. #2

    Default

    Thanks to the mod who put this where it should be. Didn't realize this subforum existed.
    Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs, High Captain of Angband - Veteran Blood Angels Player
    Home of the 9th Legion: www.sepulchreofheroes.blogspot.com

  3. #3

    Default

    I added a fifth bullet

    5- Conduct market research and increase player involvement. With the advent of social media this is easier than ever. Rather than just having youtube videos for new releases, have discussions of in progress design concepts to allow hype to be generated and discussion to occur, then systematically feed this back into your development process. Release trial rules again and gather important commentary from the players to fine tune them. Furthermore understand your consumer base and what they need and want to continue collecting, converting, painting Citadel miniatures and playing GW games rather than just assuming another huge kit or wacky limited edition gaming aide is what they need to be fed. With a generation thriving off constant connectivity and insight into early product development in virtually every market, particularly the growing tech and video games industries which manage to steal potential hobbyists daily, a policy of secrecy and blind assumption only will accomplish an alienation of the consumer.
    Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs, High Captain of Angband - Veteran Blood Angels Player
    Home of the 9th Legion: www.sepulchreofheroes.blogspot.com

  4. #4

    Default

    We are up to 2500 Signatures!!!! Please sign and share if you believe in the above!
    Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs, High Captain of Angband - Veteran Blood Angels Player
    Home of the 9th Legion: www.sepulchreofheroes.blogspot.com

  5. #5
    Chapter-Master
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    Default

    'encouraging competitive play' ha.
    I'M RATHER DEFINATELY SURE FEMALE SPACE MARINES DEFINERTLEY DON'T EXIST.

  6. #6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Denzark View Post
    'encouraging competitive play' ha.
    Something that had to be included. Why should the company decide how we can and cannot play. They say they don't for that very reason, but in doing so pull the rug out from competitive playing (something I don't even do actually. I have never been in a tournament) but why not try and support competitive and relaxed play?
    Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs, High Captain of Angband - Veteran Blood Angels Player
    Home of the 9th Legion: www.sepulchreofheroes.blogspot.com

  7. #7

    Default

    I've signed although I don't expect this will go anywhere. The rules team do want a balanced system, there are just too many units and rules in the game.
    The best way for GW to retake market is to stop solely releasing £30+ units and Stock most of their range in store. There will always be counter fit models and some people will still buy them, but the current prices are nuts and too prehibative to younger players.
    Rogue Trader since 1991.

  8. #8
    Chapter-Master
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    Default

    im not saying the aims of this petition are wrong, but it will achieve absolutely nothing. Petitions influence governments and NGOs (sometimes). Businesses care about money, not customer opinion. So long as people keep buying the plastic crack, GW will keep doing what they want.

    The only way to really get the change you want is to get people to stop buying their stuff. If you can't do that, then it simply means that most people are happy with the way GW run their business (or at least willing to tolerate it for the shiny models) and that you aren't actually in touch with the wishes of the wider community.
    Chief Educator of the Horsemen of Derailment "People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought, which they avoid." SOREN KIERKEGAARD

  9. #9
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Gothmog View Post
    Something that had to be included. Why should the company decide how we can and cannot play. They say they don't for that very reason, but in doing so pull the rug out from competitive playing (something I don't even do actually. I have never been in a tournament) but why not try and support competitive and relaxed play?
    Because they don't feel its in their best interests to encourage that sort of aberrant behavior.

    If you want to run a competitive tournament, run one, change the rules as you see fit, thats allowed. They don't want a tournament scene because they don't think its good for their business. Thats their choice, its their game.

  10. #10

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Gothmog View Post
    Something that had to be included. Why should the company decide how we can and cannot play. They say they don't for that very reason, but in doing so pull the rug out from competitive playing (something I don't even do actually. I have never been in a tournament) but why not try and support competitive and relaxed play?
    Because that's for the community to provide.

    GW have always been more about the models than the rules.

    Comparing it to a game designed from the ground up for inexplicably hardcore tournament play is a bit like claiming a Ford Focus (or other family car) is somehow flawed, because you want a racing car. Both have different design ethos.
    Fed up for Scalpers? https://www.facebook.com/groups/1710575492567307/?ref=bookmarks

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