No mini with Games Day tickets...who else feels a bit hard done by?

[ColtheReaver]

I was at my local GW the other day talking to the sales guy about Games Day and Golden Demon and he had some tickets for sale which apparently were not just for White Dwarf subscribers, so I thought fantastic...get my ticket and the mini now and have it ready for GD. I was just about to part with 30 of the queen's finest when he told me that the model DOES NOT come with this years ticket. When I asked him why he said he didnt know it just doesnt. So I rang Games Workshop for an answer and apparently the costs of holding the event have gone through the roof so they decided to not supply a model with the ticket and sell it at the event at £12 a pop.

I for one feel a bit hard done by with this...for one thing the tickets are not cheap in the 1st place and the added mini made the pill a little less bitter to swallow and if last years UK GD is anything to go by the que for the sales stands will stop the majority of people getting one of the models simply for the fact that only the hardened buyer will stand for 3 hours (if theyre lucky) to get one and I point blank refuse to pay £30 for a ticket and whatever astronomical figure the costs of fuel are going to come September to stand for half a day to spend more money.

And before I get whalloped with the 'so dont go' or 'suck it up its GW, what do you expect' replies...I am going to go because I enter Golden Demon every year and as such have no choice but to suck it up based on that. This is just my opinion and I'm sure it will be agreed with by some and shot down by others.

Rant over

 

[noneedforaname]

I do feel it's a bit of a crapper mainly because it will be adding more people into a sales queue for no good reason, they should have just made it an optional extra when buying the ticket or just jack up the ticket price. If there is an issue of them not wanting it on eBay for the event, simply don't ship the mini til the event or hand it out as people are having there tickets checked on entrance. After last years retail fiasco it's simply insane to try to make the problem worse. Another issue is that it's in finecast (also known steaming pile of crap cast) and the one I've seen so far was miscast, so are we going to have a situation of circular returns like is still happening with the anniversary model or will queues be made worse by people opening, checking and rejecting them at the sales counter til they get a good cast?

 

[10 ball]

WTF your right, Ive just looked and there is no mention of a figure with the tickets sales!! I'm like you, I go just for GD. Ive just read that the prices for the venue have gone up due to GW adding an extra hall for more room for sales.

 

[ColtheReaver]

Making the mini an optional extra at point of ticket sale is a hell of a suggestion and one that I would have been happy to do but it seems that the only way GW want you to have this mini is if you que for it. I asked the guy at GW customer services if I could pre order the mini as well as my ticket and the answer was a straight forward no :S.

If they open up an extra sales hall then that will help but even so, the hideous amount of money they will take on the day would still cover the costs of producing the miniature and shipping it with a ticket.

As for it being a finecast/shitecast or the million other names it has earned itself...I havent really had an issue with it but that being said ive only bought a handful of minis at best since its release...but I can see the issue that is inevitably going to come with it with people checking the mini at the sales counter.

 

[Pictish Mini Painting]

I think the catch 22 here is that given the farce of last years sales section, they have rented more of the floorspace at NEC, as a result this costs a lot more, so it was either charge more or keep cost the same but get the mini on site for cost. Neither of which will ever sit well with paying customers.

However the issue is with the need to check the mini at the counter, that could be an issue. Although most of the finecast i have had has been fine, i am in the lucky position of getting into the place early as i have cronhs disease and the manager lets me come in early to help set up and put my demon entry in, so i get a good 2 hours to wander the halls and peruse the sales before the mad rush, so i get the sales out of the way, i usually pre order any FW stuff too. however it could be frustrating for folk, but GD has always been mad, i remember the NIA days near the end before the NEC jump, it became horribly cramped, i suppose its great for GW, but a long day otherwise.

 

[AndyG]

Yet another reason not to go.
Keep thinking oh ok all the lads say go go go and its realy good and then bang keep walking into the fact that GW realy does take you for a ride and you realy realy are just a walking wallet to them.

Fine I get it they are a busines but do they actualy sit down and go "Right now how are we gonna piss everyone right off. What other dreadful pr stunt can we pull just to see what a bunch of cr*ck head mini addicts we've got as customers because we know that they will just take it and we can do what ever we want because we're GW" lol:laugh:

 

[RuneBrush]

I ordered by tickets last Thursday and discovered this, I think the bit I'm mostly annoyed about is that the price of the ticket went up a few years back with the justification that you were now receiving a miniature with it. Now we no longer get the mini but keep the price the same - and for the first time in a few years it's actually a nice mini... Although the queue's were insane the way they limited the people browsing works really well. Black Library has been doing it successfully for years.

The other thing is that there are no seminars available for the first 500 tickets. I've a feeling that there will be seminars but it could be a "collect at the event" affair which will mean that people who get there first and elbow their way through everybody without a care in the world will take them in preference to people who are going to actually look at painted mini's and enter GD (like the ForgeWorld one was last year).

 

[noneedforaname]

There are going to be no seminars (except maybe Forgeworld as usual) instead there will be an enlarged studio area where they will be doing various demos during the day and the chance to talk to studio staff. The reason for dropping the GW seminars is that they will continue to not give any sneak previews nor answer any questions with regards to future releases and therefore had nothing to talk about that couldn't be handled in the studio section.

 

[lono]

I've had an issue with the price of Games Day tickets for a long time and this is just too much for me. Way too big a percentage hike up, and really burns when you think that it's basically a trade show for just the products of the company you are paying an excessive amount to go to. Golden Demon is the only draw for me and the free model with potential re-sale value to make up ticket costs was the only justification for going.

I would feel hard done by, but it's Euromilitaire the same weekend, so I'll just go to that for the first time instead. I suspect I may well prefer it anyway.

 

[ColtheReaver]

I made myself a promise a long time ago that one day I would lift a demon so I am honour-bound to let GW feast on my hard earned until ive got one lol. Thats the only reason I still go.

 

[freakinacage]

As of last year, with the prices I thought about it and decided against it. Now I think - fuck em

 

[10 ball]

I've been 5 or 6 times over the last few years, tbh haven't enjoyed it only went for GD .
THEN last year I discovered the .......... Wait for it ..........
BAR! Wooooohoooo (and I got to the finals)

 

[ColtheReaver]

I have to admit I enjoy the anticipation at Golden Demon, waiting to see if your mini gets a sticker then venting sour grapes when I dont lol but other than that theres nothing entertaining about it what so ever...I always drive to the event so I avoid the bar at all costs otherwise I thirst for beer all day (and I wont even have half a lager when Im driving) and get even more sickened watching my buddies guzzling it without a care in the world cos all they have to do on the way home is heckle me.

 

[Dragonsreach]

........ I point blank refuse to pay £30 for a ticket and whatever astronomical figure the costs of fuel are going to come September to stand for half a day to spend more money.
And before I get whalloped with the 'so dont go' or 'suck it up its GW, what do you expect' replies...I am going to go because I enter Golden Demon every year and as such have no choice but to suck it up based on that. This is just my opinion and I'm sure it will be agreed with by some and shot down by others.

I don't blame you for ranting £30 is a lot of cash for basically bugger all.
I've ditched GD after 13 years and 25 Finalist certificates brcause of too much crap like this.
This weekend is Salute 2012 £10 entry fee, Free mini, 100's of traders, Bloody good Painting Competition and no GW brainwashing. Last Year not only was there the official Mini but a 6mm vehicle and a FREE Kaiser Rushworth Bag worth £15. So you can see if a smaller show (Yeah right 8,000 people!) can manage a venue in London with that level of performance I'm content to say GW can "Go Whistle".

I would feel hard done by, but it's Euromilitaire the same weekend, so I'll just go to that for the first time instead. I suspect I may well prefer it anyway.

You will.
Last Year was a Serious Eyeopener for me. Although the venue is small, the competition is XXXXing terrifying (In the best way. Dig out the thread I did of the pictures to see for yourself.) Fran & I will be there again this year.

 

[Einion]

£30 entry for a single-day show with no bonus?? It's like paying to get into a shop - that spells swizz to me!

I would feel hard done by, but it's Euromilitaire the same weekend, so I'll just go to that for the first time instead. I suspect I may well prefer it anyway.

I second DR's point, I'm sure you will. Not that much mini-related (although lots more than just a few years back) but man, the painting standard on some entries will blow you away if you've not seen its like before in the flesh.

Einion

 

[Pictish Mini Painting]

I saw a magazine recently with euromilitaire winners..... :-O!!!

Was a good eye opener, in both figure painting (Big Scale) and vehicles etc. as i model aircraft and tanks too.

However I gave up on GD about 4 years ago, and i only attended about 4 of them before that but it was a good laugh as i know a lot of the staff so its nice to see people and have a laugh, but i saw the first year at the NEC and it was great, lots of room, and good use of the displays, but i know last year was basically a MASSIVE GW shop and the que's were horrifying.

The only reason i go now is because i get in really early, can wander and take pictures, chat to GD competitors, chat to FW guys and pick up my usual ore-order. then saunter about and peruse the stalls etc.

Its a nicer day and if i couldnt do that i simply wouldnt go, but its once a year and tbh its cheaper taking the bus and getting a ticket and buying a GD model than driving down or taking the train, so its not the end of the world. But i do hope the new space allows for less que's and they use a bit more of that space for displays and seminar\chat areas, but we will see.

 

[cyberakuma]

Never done any of the shows i've fancied itwhen.i was younger seeing all the pics of gd in white dwarf made it look really fun but when you are a kid travelcan be a complete pain and when you are older you realise travel.is still a complete pain but paying 42 quid for a one day show and a single mini that you will spend time at the show queueing for is nuts i've spent a lot of time going to rock gigs and festivals and i have to point out the similarity of this to those of people who spend 150-200 quid on a weekend festival ticket then spend most of their time either queueing at the bar the merch stands or autograph tents i can understand for some if they are really obsessed with a band and have no other chance to meet them spending hours in a queue after you've spent a load could be considered worth it but this is for a mini it's not even a one per customer deal from what i hears but first come first served (that is inviting problems all of it's own) sure this isn't paying over a hundred for a ticket but festivals tend to be three day events i've been to gigs in some of the biggest venues in the country for some big international acts and where as some will charge over a hundred just for one day most you could go see get a tshirt and album for the price gw are charging...these bands even play the nec to more people thaan attend these shows it ju is ludicrous i know it's gw they live on ludicrous V home planet of the adeptus overchargeus but come on look at the price of the last manowar uk tour. They had different packages available including your ticket tshirt early release album and loads of other gubbins for what games day are charging gor a rrade show maddness this has pushed me firmly towards salute i was going to go this year but i should really learn to check dqtes in advance week before my birthday and my gf has planned to drag me off somewhere their free minis have always looked cool to sure not got the same appeal if you play games rather than.paint for fun but even with games day chances are most people going don't collect an army the mini is usually for. The goody bag would be icing if i coupd.wangle a trip to london this saturday for 11quid entry on the door i'd be there next year hopefully

 

[Dragonsreach]

cyberakuma:
please, please, break your texts down into smaller chunks, makes it easier to read.

 

[ColtheReaver]

i have to point out the similarity of this to those of people who spend 150-200 quid on a weekend festival ticket then spend most of their time either queueing at the bar the merch stands or autograph tents

Yeah I have tickets to Downlaod festival which cost me a kidney but I feel I am getting a hell of a lot of value for my money. The chance to see Black Sabbath and Metallica live all in the same weekend for me is awesome.

I've never been to Salute or Euromilitaire before but I am considering paying them a visit next year and to hell with GW.

 

[cyberakuma]

Yeah I have tickets to Downlaod festival which cost me a kidney but I feel I am getting a hell of a lot of value for my money. The chance to see Black Sabbath and Metallica live all in the same weekend for me is awesome.

I've never been to Salute or Euromilitaire before but I am considering paying them a visit next year and to hell with GW.

You may regret that come june considering how bad the live shows of both those bands have gotten.over the years...nah if you have never seen them before it is still an experience and even if you have there are tons of other bands to

@dragon's reach i'm having enough problems getting letters in the right place at the moment since i'm using a tiny touchscreen you'd think that the precission skill of painting tiny miniatures would be cross appicable to typing on a small touchscreen but no my generation and beyond are destined to sound illiterate through modern conveniences