A short post
OK, first my credentials, so you know who\'s speaking.
- First mini ever painted: Some Ral Partha Knight
- First time got into GW stuff: \'95
- Dropped out of it: \'95
- Picked it up again: This summer
- Own models from companies:
> GW
> Zvezda
> Italeri
> Hat
> EM-4
Right, on with the subject. Here\'s my points, in favour of GW.
1. After starting to play and paint again this summer, in September I moved into a foreign country, where I am living now.
Once settled, I went straight to the local GW to buy some stuff. The staff there was very friendly (didn\'t jump at my throat to sell me unnecessary things), helped me with getting further back in the game and were jolly good chaps all around.
I made some new friends in the shop and the local gaming club and, being still new in town, the guys from the club and the shop are still my circle of closest acquaintances \'round here.
I find that, as the add goes, priceless.
2. If it wasn\'t for GW and the \'Eavy Metal team, we \'d still be painting in block colours.
3. To tell the truth, I don\'t really like the rules for either WHFB or 40K and I find the way they \'re written sloppy and ineffectively worded.
However, and I say that with about 12 years of experience of rulebooks and supplements (mainly RPGs) under my belt, the WH40K rulebook is one of the best ever gaming sourcebooks I \'ve seen printed. Ever.
Half the book is rules. Fine. The other half is about everything else you might be interested in while playing the damn game and in bloody colour too.
Every single penny I spent on it was worth it.
4. GW are not innovative? I \'m sorry? Have you seen the Tau? People actualy have issues with them because they feel they \'re taking the game in new directions. Well, imagine that!
5. I think that their stuff is worth the high prices. As you notice in my CV above, I do buy other companie\'s minis, so I have a perspective.
The prices would be more manageable if people finished painting and modelling a unit before buying the next. That\'s hard to do because of the way the rules favour big battles. That\'s a fault of the rules and I did say I believe they \'re lacking.
On the other hand, as has been said by others, the scope of the games is geared toward epic battles (with the exception of LOTR which is geared towards milking the property cow). They should be expected to cost a little bit more than skirmish games.
6. I actually feel all warm inside knowing that a bunch of people that sell little toy soldiers make a buttload of money out of them. Gamers making money out of games? Why wouldn\'t every gamer feel all warm inside knowing that?
I \'ve noticed quite a few of the people on this thread are either in the business or have been... as employees of GW.
Well, if GW is ran by suits who know nothing about gaming, how come they employed you guys and not some dumb bimbo with a pert butt, or a trendy guy with a degree in Business Management?
7. Somebody said something about all the old gamers having deserted the company. Oh, come on, who\'s not an old hand in GW? Gav Thorpe? John Blanche? Andy Chambers? The Perrys??
You guys feel those people betrayed the game? That they sold out? Well, that sounds like the accusations of fans against their favourite bands everytime a new album comes out. Point is, those people made the game what it is today by making it what it used to be. So some of us tagged along for the ride and after all these years some feel the first days were glorious and nothing will bring them back and today is crap and we \'d better scrap it all and start fresh with Confrontation.
Well, I \'m starting fresh now and I can tell you with my hand on my heart that the new ride is every bit as exciting as it was the first time around, a decade ago.
So, stop growing up. GW rocks.
... All personnal opinions you understand. And please correct me where you feel I \'m making a fool of myself, thank you.