Jacking in GW

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montka

New member
Before it gets any worse...

I've long been aware that the company has been transitioning from killer to filler.
Current trends in customer service and boagin cover illustrations, flavourless streams of models and price increases that belong in Zimbabwe have really turned me off a once beloved brand.

I don't know other companies except by name only. I think it could be fun exploring other niches in the hobby world. I am quite keen to see some D&D style stuff; barbarians, orcs. goblins, wizards - old school themes. The odd naked lady model would not hurt either.

Any suggestions how to go about filling this gaping hole in hobby culture much appreciated!
I must say quality of writing and 'fluff' is also very important to me. This is one area where I feel GW has drastically gone downhill from real genius in early work to utter tripe in the present edition - anyone feel the same?

I will still paint up their best models and I have a massive back catalogue of things to paint, but I won't support them as a fan any more or see them as anything other than a bunch of money-grabbing kill-joys who've sucked the soul out of an excellent creation - the GW universe, and are likely to keep on sucking at it till the bone and marrow are gone as well and we're left with a shop selling one thing only - Space Marines. They'll call it the Second Heresy and pit identical tactical squads against one another for the rest of time.
 
JesterzUSMC

JesterzUSMC

Recovering Megalomaniac
Ditto.

Myself, and most of my LGS has moved to Warmachine/Hordes.
There are also MANY other games.
Anima Tactics, ZOMBIES!, Malifaux, Confrontation, many independant supporters for BloodBowl, Necromunda, etc.
Just pay attention in the forums, or check in with your local (non-GW) game store.

There really is a whole universe of OTHER games and companies.
 
Y

Yuggoth

New member
From your signature I`m guessing that you are german. If so, I would highly recomend "Freebooter`s Fate" by Werner Klocke . Its a nice balanced skirmish game featuring a carribean setting with lots of pirates and half-naked ladies ;-)

Regarding GW: I second your opinion. While they still churn out something amazing every now and then, the company as a whole is becoming a big pile of ****.
Some of my "favorites" from the last years:
1. killing of the exellent fan-film "damnatus" and giving their fans the more than questionable "Ultramarines" instead.
2. Marketing models as "limited Edition" which aren`t really limited in any way (Prince Althran on Foot anyone?)
3. Turning the white dwarf into an all-out advertisement letter while at the same time cutting off the little extras they included in former times (does anyone remember the time when they included metal charakters and cardbord scenery into white dwarfs?).
4. Cutting independent stores off from full range supply while at the same time limiting margins for online shops.
5. Schooling their store staff to be overenthusiastic a-holes who won´t shut the fuck up until told to do so in the most unfriendly manner (and -unlikely as it may seem from this rant- I have a really big problem to be unfriendly or even strict to anyone)
6. Closing the bitz and pieces online service (which was also seriously overpriced before it went down)
7. Scale creep. Nuff said.
8. Price creep. " ".
9. Making that grim darkness darker and darker and darker and.... come on, I want some slaanesh marines with crazy mohawks and electric guitars! ;-)

I could go on for hours... ;-D
 
L

lono

New member
GW stores usually smell bad enough. We can do without you jacking in there to add to the unpleasantness. Yuck!

Right, now I'll go and read the post as well as the title. :D
 
P

painterboyroy

Member
agree

I came to same conclusion a few years ago, especially after a mini exchange and received a couple of non GW figures.

Freebooter and Hasslefree (small and fiddly) are great, warmachine are awesome and I managed to get a few Rackham Confrontation figures before they stopped trading and figure prices went mad..

Have even gone the whole way now with Vallejo and Andrea Mini' paints and MIG weathering effects all very nice and cheaper than GW.

Had to go in GW at weekend for emergency black undercoat and got in yer face 'what you painting, collecting, fav army etc'

could not get out quick enough lol
 
L

lono

New member
montka said:
I must say quality of writing and 'fluff' is also very important to me. This is one area where I feel GW has drastically gone downhill from real genius in early work to utter tripe in the present edition - anyone feel the same?
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Can't really agree with this. They've got some awesome fluff going on still and although they've not always got as much in codexes and army books now, I think it gives a rather good overview and some great little details. As an example, the Dark Eldar Codex was brilliant for background. Utterly entertaining and rich with nastyness and madcap ideas.

For new games to try, I'm loving Malifaux at the moment, although it doesn't exactly fit your old school yearnings. It is however about as far away from GW's game systems as you can get. Doesn't use dice, has random activation rather than standard turns, very much mission (and sub-mission) based rather than flat out fights, etc.

The models are brilliant too. Fluff wise, it's streamlined, but cool, with wacky stuff you'll not find so much in other game worlds.
 
freakinacage

freakinacage

Well-known member
Bishop Odo said:
Infinity is a great game with even better minis, if you like sci-fi with a touch of anime.
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yeah i heard that from a few mates. also warmachine is supposed to be quite good

if you just want quality minis,i can recommend hasslefree, studio mcvey, black scorpion, eolith, heresy, enigma, mad puppet. just have a browse through the store here, some great stuff
 
M

montka

New member
lono said:
GW stores usually smell bad enough. We can do without you jacking in there to add to the unpleasantness. Yuck!

Right, now I'll go and read the post as well as the title. :D
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There's always one :rolleyes:.

I'll agree that the DE were an exception to the trend of standards falling off. Do you consider current quality of writing to be good though?
 
L

lono

New member
montka said:
There's always one :rolleyes:.

I'll agree that the DE were an exception to the trend of standards falling off. Do you consider current quality of writing to be good though?
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I've never considered the quality of writing to be 'good' if I was to analyse it from an English literature mindset. It's fluff, and it's written as such, without much real weight and bite to it. The content tends to entertain though, and there's enough interesting stuff in it, with a developed depth, that it keeps me reading. I can generally overlook any shortcomings in the way it's been written. They've always been there, I think they may be more noticable now because I'm a 29 year old with a lot more reading under my belt than I was when I first got into it 21 years ago!

As for the content, there's a lot of dependance on cliche and a hell of a lot of thievery, particularly from movies and other books. Even in the majority of Black Library novels there's a lack of genuine writing talent and full blown innovation. It doesn't mean it's bad, you just have to take it for what it is.

But, getting back to the main topic, as mentioned by me and others, you should be looking at playing Malifaux! :D
 
cassar

cassar

BALLSCRATCHER
hmmm hope someone from GW's with some influence is watching because this is not the first thread like this and is worringly indicative of a serious slump and one they cant blame on the credit crunch. still once it starts to impact the profit margine they may start and take notice.
 
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idpagula

New member
Know the pain, been collecting Chaos since about 96 or so after playing Necromunda for about a year, had a forced break for about 7-8 years knowing nothing of 40k's "progression" to come back and find that the whole feel had changed not to mention some different structuring of the army list. Haven't been very happy since. Anyone remember those old WHF novels Plague Daemon and Red Thirst? Those were two of my favs.
Will have to raise my hand to Malifaux as well. Only have the Pandora box set and played a handful of games but I find it interesting a breath of fresh air.
 
U

uberdark

New member
cassar: i dont see that happening. ever. look at the american car companies. they did not change with the times, and when new blood came in, instead of changing with them, they still kept with their old model. much is the same for gw. they refuse to change old methods that worked 30 years ago but not in this new economy and overly saturated miniature market. capitolism at its best and its downfall. in the lates 70s early 80s they had little to no competition, much like america had after world war 2. capitolism flourished. now they have competition, and unless things change which wont, they WILL go under. just will take longer than expected. lol.
 
S

supervike

Super Moderator
There is just too many good alternatives to worry about anything GW does right now.

But I don't really play any games, I just like buying and painting!
 
M

mud duck

New member
Vikey, Didn't you just have a thread like 6 month's or so back that basically stated that you hadn't started any painting and that you need help getting started?

Has for the thread topic Warmachine is a fun game. Advancing story, new models every couple of months, a magazine that isn't just a ad. I fear that the only problem with this game system is that they are going to have to recon the system every couple of years as a rule/model creep starts, oh wait, GW does that as well.
 
H

hajmoid

New member
montka said:
flavourless streams of models
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I dont necesarily agree with that, i mean i wouldnt call the the Hell pit abomination, araknarok spider, sanguary guard, astrogath the grim, new dark eldar range as "flavourless". Lets be objective, they are good, different models and if all these other companies could produce minis of that standard, volume and range then i'm sure GW would have something to be genuinely scared about. Doesnt mean there isnt some interesting stuff out there of good quality, I personally have quite a few non Citadel minis in my collection, but i'm not getting on board this GW Bash

And the fluff... Horus heresy anyone? there is way more fluff available now then there was 10 years ago in my observation, reading prospero burns at the moment, its good.
 
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