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 parakuribo wrote:
Was that before or after they decided to only listen to Frontline Gaming?

Long before.


Today's story looks like a spoiler to another story arc. So when we get Iron Warriors, new Corsairs with Yriel, Cyber-Yarrick, undead downers and an old hunter with his daughter we can say in retrospect: 'yeah, that was in last Grotmas - I fondly remember it.'

Or... maybe not.

On that? I’ve been meaning to go back through the Paycheck Awakening books, to see if any of the odd teasery things (Squats, Fulgrim etc) are yet to come to pass.

Paycheck Awakening has a nice ring to it.

So.... can we take a page of out the film Sphere and just choose to forget that this Grotmas ever happened?

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
So.... can we take a page of out the film Sphere and just choose to forget that this Grotmas ever happened?

Well, you may suppress it over the turn of the year, it may be a slightly itching but fading memory in the spring and summer and forgotten in autumn - but next winter it will haunt you again and will make you a cold cynic without any access to the Grotmas spirit.

I honestly feel like you've just said "have you ever heard of...Kong?"

Christ, I haven't seen Sphere since...since...since...ummmm...the late 90s? I remember...awwww....Dustin Hoffman? Sam Jackson? I'm struggling with the other one...I think I got it wrong but...Sharon Stone?

Held my tongue for a while now.

GW put out a bunch of free stuff.

Apparently, free stuff wasn’t of sufficient perceived value.

I think last years detachments set quite a high bar for expectations.

SamusDrake wrote:
I think last years detachments set quite a high bar for expectations.

This.

But also, there's some perceived repetition, like multiple Nurgle-themed stories. There's also been some rehashes, like stuff from White Dwarf.

It’s. Still. Free.

Me? I’d have preferred the month long rumour engine.

But when something is free? If only there was a saying. Perhaps to do with equines and facial orifices.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
It’s. Still. Free.

Me? I’d have preferred the month long rumour engine.

But when something is free? If only there was a saying. Perhaps to do with equines and facial orifices.

Just so you know, everyone looks down horses throats. You never know when there are going to be a bunch of Trojan soldiers hiding in your gift horse.

Last year set a particularly high bar but it's still pretty shoddy when you compare it to previous years with rumour advent calendars and the like. Even this year's 40k detachments were explicitly intended to accompany the quarterly update yet were instead dragged out over the course of a week. It's not worth complaining about but this year's 'grotmas calendar' has absolutely just felt like standard Warhammer Community programming with a different label on it.

Pretty much, I feel like they could have put a LITTLE more effort into it. Like even a more bespoke Christmas 40k and AoS Scenario like they did last year with the Red Gobbo but maybe make it model/faction neutral.

But of course, let's leave the multi-billion pound company alone, they don't deserve any scrutiny for something they themselves have took upon themselves to promote as something noteworthy this Christmas season.

If it was subscription based? Fair enough.

But it’s, say it with me now….free content.

Yet folks seem like it’s some arrow at the heart of their wallet.

Don’t get me wrong, as well as preferring a month long rumour engine output? I wouldn’t have said no to something more substantial.

It’s still free though. So, like…bit of perspective please.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
It’s still free though. So, like…bit of perspective please.

Mate they're not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, it's all advertising on the company's official mouthpiece. Something being freely available on WarCom doesn't make it a gift to mankind immune to commentary or comparison to previous offerings. So, like...bit of perspective please.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
But it’s, say it with me now….free content.

You mean like the free content they put out every single day for the rest of the year?

People aren't complaining about free content, they're complaining about something the company made a big deal about being mostly literally the same content that we get on a regular basis or just re-released content.

If you're going to hype something up as special, then maybe make it actually special.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
So.... can we take a page of out the film Sphere and just choose to forget that this Grotmas ever happened?

I've already forgotten the couple of detachments that came out.

An advent calender is about anticipation for what is to come, and this grotmas was early on apparent to be something you dont need to follow, you wont miss anything significant.

I guess we could call it a missed opportunity then, because GW sure enjoy the buzz they create from the free stuff they put up on War Com.

 Platuan4th wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
But it’s, say it with me now….free content.

You mean like the free content they put out every single day for the rest of the year?

People aren't complaining about free content, they're complaining about something the company made a big deal about being mostly literally the same content that we get on a regular basis or just re-released content.

If you're going to hype something up as special, then maybe make it actually special.

EXALT! +1

The stories were OK. But nothing ground breaking or special (? the return of Yarrick, or ? not), and could have been released any day of the year as filler content.

The actual detachments were OK, again nothing ground breaking but at least they provide something for us to use.

What could they have done different.

Alternate between:
A story that will actually lead to something for an upcoming release, be it a BL novel or new codex/army book.

A detachment/scenario (narrative, competitive doesn't matter). Double points attacker coming from all table edges to fight defender in a central location. Snow squalls limit shooting in turn 1, 3 and 5 (on a 4,5,6 you cannot see your target) and the defender gets supply drops from a mysterious benefactor with a white beard and an open topped flyer allowing (randomly generated) 5+ wards save for the turn, re-roll attacks, re-roll wounds, re-roll armour, double movement, 6 instant wounds on any enemies however you choose (pile all in on a character, kill off single wound infantry, or mix). Something different, something interesting, and something worth using/playing.

A picture of new models for upcoming releases - they have multiple model lines so one from each of the next upcoming release for each system would still be in the 2-3 month window and actually get people interested/excited.

Nothing in life is free, you’re the product for giving their website traffic for absolutely nothing of real value.

It’s only free content if you enjoy it. Time is money.

Bah,
Humbug.
Scrooge out.


(P.S. All I want for Christmas is a Kroot Combat Patrol and a plastic Arquitor kit)

Ok. Gimme a tick. Am currently on WG’s post.

MarshallLoss. Yes, I know how Capitalism works, thank you.

Platuan4th? Yes. Exactly the same content, that nobody moans about on account it’s free gubbins. Please define “big deal”. I’m entirely open to evidence I missed. But to the best of my recollection, all they promised was daily content?


WG. Your first point is currently undetermined. We don’t currently know if the short stories might bear fruit. Please don’t claim otherwise for now. You may well be right, and if you are I’m happy to acknowledge that. But right now? Kinda feels like you’ve planted a seed, and not woken up to a fruit bearing tree the very next day.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Platuan4th? Yes. Exactly the same content, that nobody moans about on account it’s free gubbins. Please define “big deal”. I’m entirely open to evidence I missed. But to the best of my recollection, all they promised was daily content?

Maybe we were all wrong to assume that free content united under a seasonal banner would be distinct from the regularly-scheduled free content they put up there every other month of the year.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
We don’t currently know if the short stories might bear fruit. Please don’t claim otherwise for now.

Given that we had pre-existing release rumours for several of these fluff pieces it seems like a fairly safe bet that at least some of them will materialise.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Ok. Gimme a tick. Am currently on WG’s post.

MarshallLoss. Yes, I know how Capitalism works, thank you.

Platuan4th? Yes. Exactly the same content, that nobody moans about on account it’s free gubbins. Please define “big deal”. I’m entirely open to evidence I missed. But to the best of my recollection, all they promised was daily content?


WG. Your first point is currently undetermined. We don’t currently know if the short stories might bear fruit. Please don’t claim otherwise for now. You may well be right, and if you are I’m happy to acknowledge that. But right now? Kinda feels like you’ve planted a seed, and not woken up to a fruit bearing tree the very next day.

What I meant is something more definite than a random chat fest between guardsman about possibilities which may or may not lead anywhere.
Also reading it they were unsure if Ghaz is still alive (CONFIRMED NOW: HE IS DEAD)

For example, chat fest between guardsmen in a bunker, exit bunker and walk into a commissar with an ork power fist and a mechanical eye surrounded by a mass of guardsmen following him to the front, or a fleet of landers arrive and first off is the previously described commissar.. They do not have to explicitly say his name but it would have been a damn sight better than what they gave us.


yes free stuff is free stuff, but this is (mostly) generic anytime of year free stuff/content, and not what is expected when they make such a big deal out of it.

In saying that a souple of the AOS wintery stories were a good short read - the forest walk of the man searhing for his daughter, and the nurgle one giving people what they wished for were very good. But again, could be dropped almost anywhere in the year.

ccs wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
So.... can we take a page of out the film Sphere and just choose to forget that this Grotmas ever happened?

I've already forgotten the couple of detachments that came out.

That would be because they're forgettable, mostly. The Harlequins and Grizzled Company will make names for themselves, though.

You'd think that the Christmas themed article series might be, y'know, actually Christmas themed for a change...

Legends rules for the Red Gobbo models which have been abandoned, Phanta Claws for Necromunda, stories featuring Candlemas and whatever AoS's legally distinct Christmasalike is, themed scenarios (The Fight Before Fistmas), painting/modelling snow. That sort of stuff.

That is a fair thought.

TBH I much prefer the free original fiction to the rules bloat we got last year.

A scenario featuring Da Red Gobbo for AOS for day 24 - this is the sort of thing we should be seeing more of, given that this calendar is being pushed as a big thing this month.

I wonder if we get a James Workshop holiday message, of it he wait for the new year.