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After years of going to the local GW, painting, playing etc, I've been noticing a trend with words that seem to come up again and again when discribing anything GW related. You will only hear these words from staff.

Firstly 'hobby'. This is used as an all encompasing description of GW and GW products. You have your Hobby Developers, Hobby Starter Set and it is used anytime a project or non-playing event instore is mention. Not only is it the word 'hobby' but specifically 'the hobby', as if it is the one and only anyone can have.

Secondly 'shiny'. Used to describe anything that is new, or even old. When something gets failcasted, it becomes 'shiny' again, even though it might be some old-as-hell cast which now lacks any of the physical properties that made it shiny. Yes, 'shiny' means new, but geez it wears on you after the first dozen times.

Hopefully I'm not the only one who sees these words creeping into general conversation with any GW staffer. Anyone else notice any other buzzwords?

Not sure about buzzwords, but all GW staff claim they will personally buy every single new release because of how awesome it is.

They must be really well paid.

Flashman wrote:Not sure about buzzwords, but all GW staff claim they will personally buy every single new release because of how awesome it is.

They must be really well paid.

Wait, sorry I misread.

Love the thread concept I've noticed that "random" often becomes "fun." The particular offenders were references to the OnG book and 8th edition charging range and forests.

Flashman wrote:Not sure about buzzwords, but all GW staff claim they will personally buy every single new release because of how awesome it is.

They must be really well paid.

Heh heh, yah, but do you really expect the people who work at the store will say anything different

Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote:Love the thread concept I've noticed that "random" often becomes "fun." The particular offenders were references to the OnG book and 8th edition charging range and forests.

Hey random in the O&G army is what makes it fun. Fanatics may kill you or may kill the enemy. It's fun waiting to figure out what happens...

Staffers get "career opportunities" and one of them is to " .....gaining a huge sense of satisfaction from delivering results within the context of Games Workshops needs and principles".
To enlist you need " enthusiasm for , hobbies and hobbyists..." So they gain satisfaction and become part of "the hobby".
Plus their income depends on: " Your pay is based on the sales of your store".
Be "in THE hobby" AND fithy rich...

Buzzwords exist. They are the code those clad in red shirts are trained to act upon. To speak a buzzword is to unlock the pacificator helmet...
................so just don'T.

Shiny.

Do they aim to misbehave as well?

There were a couple that I heard when I was a staffer (going back some years now, but not sure if they are still used). One was 'gribblies', used for Tyranids. Anyone who used that term I instantly labelled as being single. The second one, and this one was particularly irritating, was 'hobby love'. How does that make any sense, and what were they implying? They wanted me to come into work and mount them over the Realm of Battle Gameboard?

Ehsteve wrote:Firstly 'hobby'. This is used as an all encompasing description of GW and GW products. You have your Hobby Developers, Hobby Starter Set and it is used anytime a project or non-playing event instore is mention. Not only is it the word 'hobby' but specifically 'the hobby', as if it is the one and only anyone can have.

You only just noticed this? GW don't want to portray themselves as being part of the miniature wargaming industry. They want to portray themselves -as- the miniature wargaming industry.

Pacific wrote:They wanted me to come into work and mount them over the Realm of Battle Gameboard?

Dammit, Pacific. Now my computer screen and my lap are covered in coffee.

"The Hobby" has been a term used frequently by GW. It refers specifically to "The Games Workshop Hobby" which isn't just painting and gaming, but doing so specifically with their models.

One thing I've noticed is in White Dwarf. They almost never refer to their models as miniatures or models or what have you, but as "Citadel Miniatures" in almost every occasion. That makes sense from a branding standpoint, but leads to sentences like "I love seeing two armies of beautifully painted Citadel Miniatures clashing on the battlefield" and while it works in text, nobody ever talks like that. It's one they drive home pretty far.

Hobby and shiny.... 2 words that I am addicted to using when describing (resists urge to say the hobby) Games Workshop (I can't help it, it's just THERE) hobby to any one that asks!

And I don't work for GW.

Though I have just applied... lol

Another one is the 'Hobby Challenge'.

I'm pretty sure it's going to get to the point where this becomes like the smurfs, with GW staff replacing random words with 'hobby' in order to appeal to the younger audience

Do they still say '[has] been shot' in reference to ex staff members?

H.B.M.C. wrote:

Ehsteve wrote:Firstly 'hobby'. This is used as an all encompasing description of GW and GW products. You have your Hobby Developers, Hobby Starter Set and it is used anytime a project or non-playing event instore is mention. Not only is it the word 'hobby' but specifically 'the hobby', as if it is the one and only anyone can have.

You only just noticed this? GW don't want to portray themselves as being part of the miniature wargaming industry. They want to portray themselves -as- the miniature wargaming industry.

...Wait, you mean there's more than 40k/ Fantasy?!

Kidding of course. I'm starting to get the itch for Malifaux.

DoctorZombie wrote:
...Wait, you mean there's more than 40k/ Fantasy?!

Why yes there is! There's also Lord of the Rings and Dreadfleet!

Pacific wrote:There were a couple that I heard when I was a staffer (going back some years now, but not sure if they are still used). One was 'gribblies', used for Tyranids. Anyone who used that term I instantly labelled as being single. The second one, and this one was particularly irritating, was 'hobby love'. How does that make any sense, and what were they implying? They wanted me to come into work and mount them over the Realm of Battle Gameboard?

Thats just GW manager speak for ;" If you want to keep your job,come in on your day off to the shop and paint,model etc, bonus points if you buy something big and 'wow' the local crowd that day like a baneblade, dragon, 'instert expensive model here'.


Used in a sentence as : "if you have any hobby love, you will come in and work for free to help 'promote' 'The Hobby,c,tm(GWplc,c,tm)'.

George Spiggott wrote:Do they still say '[has] been shot' in reference to ex staff members?

The one I heard alot off was 'virus bomb'. As in the GW inquisition comes into a store, when the staffers start to show up they ask them who they are then tell them they are no longer employed with GW and are 'escourted' out of the store. Used as a noun as in ' Wow the richmond store got virus bombed' ie everybody canned. Or "They are going to virus bomb that store soon."

Heh, GW staffers were using 'Gribblies' when I first started playing. I can't recall any particular buzzwords at the moment, but then I havnt set foot in a GeeDub store for some years now.

'Shiny' and 'Virus Bomb' certainly ring a bell in my sleep deprived and generally knackered brain but as for anything else....

Ohh ohh I remember! It's not really a buzzword, more like a buzz-sentence, but 'Squats? No. Not in here' springs to mind. Heard that one a lot...

The one that gets me is the word "collect," which sounds way fancier than "buy" or "own" or "waste money on and watch collect dust in the closet." As in, "what armies do you collect?"

I get that not everybody plays, and not everybody paints, but calling the act of buying hobby kits "collecting" seems insidious. Like, I'm not just a lazy hobbyist with poor impulse control, I'm a dedicated collector! (BTW, see my thread in the swap shop for great deals on things I've "collected!" http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/391859.page)

Flashman wrote:Not sure about buzzwords, but all GW staff claim they will personally buy every single new release because of how awesome it is.

They must be really well paid.

I was shopping for a car recently, and two different salespeople said they drove the same car I was looking at. Which means either I have amazing taste, they don't make very much, or are liars. I decided all three and bought something else.

Collect is not an unusual word in the UK, so a few Britishisms wafting down to the colonies is to be expected.

"I collect XYZ" seems pretty natural to me and certainly isnt a buzzword here.

Gribblies for monsters/bugs/aliens is a pretty common one though and I can remember GW mail oredr trolls using it on the phone in the early 90s. Seems to have spread throughout the general hobby though.

Shiney is pretty common parlance as well, heard a few "my precious's" as well. Thats pretty fething wierd.

I actually usually associate a high pitched squeel and general over enthusiasm as signiture GWisms. I dont tend to bother listening to the actual words.

GW staff buzzwords: "So what's this for?" then there are a few variations that follow this:
"So, what else do you need?"
"Why don't you get a ....?"
"Do you have enough paint/glue/insanity?"

Its the reason I tend to avoid GW unless theres no other option.

Yeah I forgot about that sort of thing, the oft asked "So what are you into?" comes to mind.

I have yet to pluck up the courage to respond with "Hardcore S&M, do you wanna see my piercings?"

I hate the way they have to add 40k phrases to everything. "Virus Bomb" is a good example and "Inquisition" but it goes all the way through the company. Cell Managers are "Veteran Sergants". It does my head in.

Not long after I left the store staff were told they had to aquila salute the store manager when he came in.

I dont know that was his idea or HQs but I would have refused.

One of the "shirts" out here seems so invested in following GW's scripts that common sense is thrown out the window. This person has a very annoying habit of walking up to me, looking at what I'm doing (usually the same thing I've been doing for the past several days) and asking, "So, what are you working on today?" When I answer, "The same thing I've been doing the last two days." that person responds with, "Well, you could be doing something different. I won't know unless I ask." While I usually don't feed the troll, the "inside voice" is going, "Really? Are you that stupid or just blind?". I never let the inside voice out, though. Mostly.

The other "shirts" are more casual in their approach, saying things like, "More Skaven?" or "Is that the same unit you were working on yesterday?" or "Hey! Those look like the same rats I painted for you."

chromedog wrote:Shiny.

Do they aim to misbehave as well?

They are brainwashed by the oni bar.
Just walk in the shop and say "Miranda."

Lol.

There's a store in a place CALLED 'Miranda' here.

not been into a GW store for ages but the only one i can remember was" overwatch" ...used when an atractive female walked past the store ..

Eh, I dont rlly care if the GW employes are pretending to be nice and are just trying to sell me stuff, I would rather they pretend to be nice then to be mean!

Castiel wrote:GW staff buzzwords: "So what's this for?" then there are a few variations that follow this:
"So, what else do you need?"
"Why don't you get a ....?"
"Do you have enough paint/glue/insanity?"

Its the reason I tend to avoid GW unless theres no other option.

My favorite is if they ask if I need primer. The guy that runs my GW says that almost every time, and never asks if I need any other paints.