[Magpie_Oz]

Well, I obviously can't speak for Australia, but I know that I can find about a million places to play WotC games around where I live in the states. And you're right, there are no WotC stores, but that's why we have independent retailers. And from the horror stories I've heard about GWS locations, I think i'm just as well avoiding the 6 of them that are established in my city.

At least there are GWS locations, if WotC are going to make the claim "World leader in Hobby Games" they might want to look a bit further beyond the US border, as GW does.

When i'm talking about support, i'm talking about support for the games. That's what players really need, not a brick and mortar.

But that is the whole point of all of the things I have bought from my $500,000 home through my $75,000 Subaru to my $3000 worth of Advanced Squad Leader games to my 20c potato peeler the only stuff I own I KNOW I can go tomorrow to the shop where I bought it and talk to the guy who sold it to me and ask him about the product how best to use it, what I should buy next and what the next get together HE is organising as part of the company policy and sit around and talk shit for 3 hours with him, is the $1k worth of stuff I bought from Games Workshop.

I only found out Wizards of the Coast even existed upon working out what WotC stood for in this thread, never realising that they have 1000's of mine and my kids' money.

 

[bitsandkits]

magpie has a very good point, as freaky as people may think GWs business model is, it works and has continued to work since they invented it and nobody in the wargame industry has had the balls to copy it, plenty of people are willing to cash in on stealing GWs IP or developing games in the "style" of GW but no one, not even the big hitters has the nards to actually put there effort and money into bricks and mortar and yet despite this they are happy to charge similar prices for similar products.



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[Arcane]

This is obviously becoming a discussion of UK company in the USA vs USA company in the UK/AUS. It doesn't even make sense to compare the two at this point and I'm sorry I even brought it up.

I do find it rather funny though that an AUS player is very pleased at the state of GW in his nation. From everyone down under I hear nothing but bad things, especially with insane price hikes.

WotC -did- have many retail locations just like GW across the USA, then they realized it was more economical to work with authorized dealers. You gents over in England probably never got the chance to visit one. I've visited GW shops in London and still stand by that they are unnecessary. Maybe you can go talk to the guy but if you want good information on models, armies and news you will get it from other players like you find here on Heresy. The guys behind the counter generally don't play at a competitive level, they are salesmen.

 

[Magpie_Oz]

This is obviously becoming a discussion of UK company in the USA vs USA company in the UK/AUS. It doesn't even make sense to compare the two at this point and I'm sorry I even brought it up.

I do find it rather funny though that an AUS player is very pleased at the state of GW in his nation. From everyone down under I hear nothing but bad things, especially with insane price hikes.

Prices on everything in Oz are higher than elsewhere so we whinge about most things. Sure I don't like the prices but I can see why they are set at that level and I do buy a fair amount of my stuff from the US because of it.

WotC -did- have many retail locations just like GW across the USA, then they realized it was more economical to work with authorized dealers.

The point was raised that WotC look after their fanbase better but there in one you show they put company profits over customer serivce.

You gents over in England probably never got the chance to visit one. I've visited GW shops in London and still stand by that they are unnecessary. Maybe you can go talk to the guy but if you want good information on models, armies and news you will get it from other players like you find here on Heresy. The guys behind the counter generally don't play at a competitive level, they are salesmen.

It isn't about whether the advice is good bad or otherwise I am comparing customer service. The guy in the shop taking a genuine interest in my interest in their product.

I know full well he is doing it mainly to sell me things but as I said I spent half a million dollars with a builder who disappeared the instant he got the final cheque and $75000 with a car dealer who vanished in just a big a cloud of dust.

The GW guy I can go an talk to whenever I want, he knows my name and we can have a chat for a bit while I hang about in his shop and meet some of the other 40k guys. That means a lot to me.

 

[bitsandkits]

Sorry arcane but i have to disagree that the stores are unnecessary, GW is a company and a plc at that, if any store withing the company was unnecessary it would be closed down,the simple fact GW have a store in any location in the UK and elsewere is because it makes money, GW is a business and they are here to make money, when that isnt the case then the stores are gone. Stores are still the easiest and fastest way for people to access GW products first and foremost and as a secondry bonus they give like minded people a place to go to game/paint/network, the last time i went into my store i had a 45 min conversation about "the good old days" with a gent a few years my senior who was gob smacked to bump into someone who like him remembers 40k 1st edition.

GW is big because it does the store thing well, other companies like PP,mantic, etc etc exist because GW exist, the core of the fantasy wargaming hobby is GW and there sucess is inpart related to its high street presence, and we all forget that GW turned its back on the wargame mail order trend long ago in order to have the high street presence,while other wargames companies had photo copied catalogs or relied on a mention in wargames illustrated or dragon magazine or sales at conventions, GW said "we can make these games almost main stream and open stores in shopping centers ".
The company like it or not was built on the back of the stores, Ok times have changed,internet is king, stores have moved or closed and GW has adapted to mail order and killed off all but the indies who will match its store format,but thats OK, better that than supporting failing stores and biting the dust.



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[Arcane]

Hate to tell you, that all sounds well and good but it just isn't that way in the States. WFB isn't big here at all. GW pulled the majority of their retail locations because they realized it just doesn't work here. There is nothing you guys are talking about which is exclusive to a GW store. Any FLGS could have the same old guy who knows you by name and talks to you for 30 minutes about the good old days, that and they are (usually) locally owned by a sole proprietor, not a corporation. If anything, cutting their losses, getting rid of retail locations and supporting small businesses would be good for everyone. Instead they do the opposite, embargo all internet sales, even a LGS can't put their GW inventory online, and drop game support at non-official locations. I would love to see 5 LGS in town owned by local people than 5 GWs with some college kid behind the counter and all the profits going back to the Emperor over in Notingham.

If anything GW should take a lesson from a company like STIHL, who supports independent businesses, and still has world wide success despite not being sold in big box stores. They don't need retail locations because they develop such a relationship with their dealers and offer them support that they work hand in hand.

 

[Magpie_Oz]

Hate to tell you, that all sounds well and good but it just isn't that way in the States.

The you guys need to lift your game, I can easily say the GW shops are the best in Oz in terms of customer experience, bar none.

I'm heading off to the UK soon so it will be interesting to compare.

 

[TheKingElessar]

Forums don't bring in new players, shops do.

No new players, no more Hobby.

Simple.

 

[boreas]

I stand by what I said in the past. It's a cultural thing... From what I understand, NA customers don't want shop beacuse they tend to have their own "mini-club" in their basements, they want faster access to new rules models. UK customers like that GW has brick and mortar shop.

Phil

 

[darktide]

So anyone new here anything new about 6th edition? Or is this just going to be a thread that goes off in such a completely different direction that I don't need to check it anymore?

 

[Zion]

So anyone new here anything new about 6th edition? Or is this just going to be a thread that goes off in such a completely different direction that I don't need to check it anymore?

Any new rumors will be added to the first post as they're found or posted. So if you're just looking for more updates that's the easiest place to check. I've been digging around but I haven't found anything else outside of the old leak document and BoW's later post saying that some things from the leak where no longer valid but it's partially accurate.

 

[humakt]

There don't appear to have been much in the way of rumours in this thread over the last few pages. Please try at least to stay on topic. GW prices and customer service are not relevant to this thread. If you want to discuss these side of things you should take it to the General 40k section.

 

[Adramalech]

So anyone new here anything new about 6th edition? Or is this just going to be a thread that goes off in such a completely different direction that I don't need to check it anymore?

We can always discuss the existing 6th ed rumors in more depth, if you wish.

If only that 6++ save against psykers weren't lost in the salt desert....

 

[Zion]

After looking over the GW event their holding at Warhammer World I'm beginning to wonder if some Tasty's rumors may be related to this event instead of 6th edition (the Event also occurs on July). The pamplet for the event is here.

The two things that strike me are the 5 missions (which have cropped up from time to time as a 6th Edition change) and allies.

Either way this is just some speculation to offer an alternative viewpoint. I've been looking for solid information, but we're two months out from this supposed hard date and have yet to see anything concrete in terms of rumors being collaborated by multiple sources (of any kind, they seem to be firing all over the place) so who knows? Because right now with what we've got it's hard to be sure if we really are getting a 6th Edition.

 

[Mokuren]

The two things that strike me are the 5 missions (which have cropped up from time to time as a 6th Edition change) and allies.

I was laughing pretty hard at the Tau going under Astartes protectorate, then I saw that official event alliance grid and couldn't help but notice that Spehhs Mhreens are "brothers in arms" with Tau. And that made me pause.

I... Am not against it, I mean, I'm okay with fluff not being set in stone and I've never really taken it very seriously in the first place (it's hard to), and if this means allies get back in then hoo boy am I excited, it might actually compensate the utter lackluster, partial nonsense and immense boredom we got with the Sisters' WDdex, so maybe I won't give up and start (probably) collecting Chaos if the new dex doesn't suck. Though knowing myself I will probably get a model or two regardless.

I frankly never understood why they did away with the allies rules, if it was such a bother in competitive play just make it unavailable at tournaments and bam. I also don't get why they still make people pay for a codex, especially at such prices, instead of making them available for free online and make physical copies optional; if more people know the rules, especially those specific to each army, you have more people that can potentially be interested in playing and by extension buy miniatures.

But I digress, and I apologize for that.

But hey, maybe this Tau and Space Marine suddenly becoming buddies thing means that Matt Ward will do the next Tau codex?

 

[Adramalech]

I was laughing pretty hard at the Tau going under Astartes protectorate, then I saw that official event alliance grid and couldn't help but notice that Spehhs Mhreens are "brothers in arms" with Tau. And that made me pause.

I... Am not against it, I mean, I'm okay with fluff not being set in stone and I've never really taken it very seriously in the first place (it's hard to), and if this means allies get back in then hoo boy am I excited, it might actually compensate the utter lackluster, partial nonsense and immense boredom we got with the Sisters' WDdex, so maybe I won't give up and start (probably) collecting Chaos if the new dex doesn't suck. Though knowing myself I will probably get a model or two regardless.

I frankly never understood why they did away with the allies rules, if it was such a bother in competitive play just make it unavailable at tournaments and bam. I also don't get why they still make people pay for a codex, especially at such prices, instead of making them available for free online and make physical copies optional; if more people know the rules, especially those specific to each army, you have more people that can potentially be interested in playing and by extension buy miniatures.

But I digress, and I apologize for that.

But hey, maybe this Tau and Space Marine suddenly becoming buddies thing means that Matt Ward will do the next Tau codex?

Not six months ago, I could have sworn that everyone was whining about matt ward codexes.

Now everyone wants him to write their favorite codexes for the new edition.

It's really quite amusing.

 

[Zion]

Not six months ago, I could have sworn that everyone was whining about matt ward codexes.

Now everyone wants him to write their favorite codexes for the new edition.

It's really quite amusing.

I think it's a case of "Well if everyone else gets a broken* codex I want one too."



*I still stand by that codexes aren't NEARLY as broken as people claim, but the mindset still exists.

 

[Mokuren]

Not six months ago, I could have sworn that everyone was whining about matt ward codexes.

Now everyone wants him to write their favorite codexes for the new edition.

It's really quite amusing.

Oh, do not misunderstand, I still think his fluff is beyond terrible, but at least it's a terrible I can laugh and point at, so it works out fine to me.

The point is that, given his blatant fanboyism for Space Marines, and Ultramarines in particular, if that part of the Imperium suddenly has the hots for them it's probably because he's somehow involved in their writing.

Kind of like Necrons with their (temporary) Blood Angels alliance. I wonder if this means Tau will get giant robots a la dreadknight? I'd be kind of disappointed if they didn't, it would look a lot less silly on them.

 

[SilverTabby]

I'm confident a 6th Ed is imminent. Simply because of a game I played almost a year ago, where my opponent was having trouble remembering how 5th worked, and kept saying "really?" when I said something worked this way, then showing him the BRB. He also said it about the WH Codex I was using at the time, and it turned out the confusion was because he'd been playtesting the WDDex for months before then.

So I'm confident we aren't seeing huge sweeping changes, but it's different enough to give pause in places. Firing of weapons from vehicles may see some adjustment, as I had a "hang on there" moment or two. But one thing I am confident of: 6th exists. It's been written, tested and is ready to go. Exact dates may vary, but it's there...

 

[Katie Drake]

But one thing I am confident of: 6th exists. It's been written, tested and is ready to go. Exact dates may vary, but it's there...

Yeah, I actually saw what the new rulebook looks like just a few days ago, like the front cover. Fairly nifty. I can only imagine that it's been printed and waiting for a while now.