Wolf Patrick

Andy C., on 15 May 2013 - 11:43 AM, said:

Well, even if GW totally trashes the game they're not going to stop selling miniatures anytime soon. So even if the new editions blow, we can continue playing the current edition... Honestly, if GW did cease to support WH Fantasy Battle it would probably prompt me to go on a spending spree and buy up copies of all the current edition army books along with a crap-ton of various miniatures just to continue to play this edition with different armies.

Basically, I enjoy the current edition of the game that much to continue to play and support it even if GW doesn't...

From what it sounds like, GW wants to make Warhammer the entry-level miniature war game. Honestly, while the basics of the game can be taught and played fairly quickly, there is nothing really "Entry-Level" about it. The game has some pretty giant rule books now along with optional books, army books, and what is probably one of the highest initial price points of any miniature war game out on the market. There's nothing wrong with wanting to target some new blood and get people into the hobby, however if I'm an 18 year old kid and I have $500 to spend on entertainment; picking up a Warhammer army that I have to build, paint, and find similar players to play with is a much tougher sale than say an Xbox 360 and some games.

Druchii Love, on 15 May 2013 - 04:40 AM, said:

It won't increase sales, however by combining the books it decreases the production costs that would normally go into a bunch of individual books. Sales of a combined book would be stronger than a single army book simply because it would have multiple armies in it. All in all, the idea is to reduce production costs.

I guess what I am thankful for is that I really like 8th edition and the 8th edition army books (Even if none of my armies have one.) Assuming that GW finishes releasing the rest of the 8th edition books, I'm content to draw that stake in the sand and not evolve beyond this edition should GW go down a path that I don't want to continue with.

 Mordante, on 14 May 2013 - 12:12 PM, said:

I agree as I would like for my Dwarves, Bretonnians, and Beastmen to all have a shiny, new hardback books to play from. : )
Off the top of my head, they still need to release books for those 3, plus Lizardmen, Skaven, Dark Elves, and Wood Elves... If GW continues the every other month cycle as they have been, they might just make it if 9th edition is to come out next Summer... Knowing my luck, the Dwarves will be the last book released and then be obsolete a month later with a new edition and a Ravening Hordes book.

Personally, I don't want to see allies in WH Fantasy and aside from the few that make sense in 40k like Chaos Daemons with Chaos Marines, I don't like allies in 40k either... I think they're great in campaign games, apocalypse, and team games, However they completely ruin any hope of game balance when you pitch one codex or army book against another... If GW takes the approach of creating one evil faction and one good faction where you can build a 9th edition army with Bretonnian knights, backed up with Dwarf artillery, using a Steam Tank and a High Elf mage, then I can absolutely tell you what edition I will not be playing...

Honestly, should GW go down that path of over-simplifying and combining to save money, then they've finally become a victim of their own creation... IMO, part of the reason that Fantasy is a fraction of the revenue that 40k generates is due to the fluff and black library stories behind 40k. The whole story of the Emperor, the Horus Heresy and the 40k universe is awesome, and honestly there just isn't the same background fluff in Fantasy as there is in 40k.

Personally, while I've been a big GW supporter for years, I almost wouldn't care if they folded up their tent and ceased to exist tomorrow. Here's why- In the first 20 years of Games Workshop, I think the drive was to improve the games of WH Fantasy and 40k. I actually think they cared about how enjoyable, refined, and balanced the game was. However, in the last 6 years or so, things have changed dramatically and the only consistency that GW has shown is inconsistency. 6 years ago GW was building a thriving tournament scene with Rogue Trader tournaments, 'Ard Boyz tournaments, Grand Tournaments, and support for independent tournaments. Now, there's no support for tournaments. 6 years ago, GW had mall stores and Battle Bunkers. Today, the Battle Bunkers are gone and the stores have moved out into strip malls with very limited staffing and store hours. GW's model line has changed from pewter to resin, yet increased their price point with a lower cost of production. What's funny is that while the cost of production decreased, the molds and models have basically stayed the same and created a demand on the secondary market for the same miniatures. (Think used cd's vs new ones... You can't tell the difference when you listen to them.)

However, and not to bag on GW, but the reason I wouldn't care if GW ceased to exist tomorrow is that I already own my armies and rules to play the game. If you look at the hobby from strictly an entertainment perspective, once you have your army, some terrain and the rules to any edition, you never need to make another purchase again! Think about it, we could just as easily still be playing 6th edition WH Fantasy or 4th edition 40k. As long as you have a pool of people to play with, who cares what edition it is? (Just ask anyone that continued playing D&D 3.5 when 4.0 came out.) For me personally, I'd gladly go back to playing 5th edition 40k or continue to play 8th edition Fantasy after 9th comes out. Heck, I'd go back to playing 5th edtion Fantasy if I could get anyone to play it with me... The point is that you still have the same amount of enjoyment and entertainment playing a different edition as you would from playing the latest stuff.

I honestly wonder that with the 4-year cycle that their game systems have, just how long it is going to be before people get tired of buying the same thing over and over again. How many times do you need to re-make and sell a Space Marine codex, before people just get tired of buying it?

I'm already signed up and paid for the WH Fantasy tourney on Sunday with the Dwarfs... It will be a nice tune-up event before the Quake City Rumble.