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sharkticon wrote:

At the end of the day when the judge declared himself to be the winner of the tournament, I didn't question it, I just added that store to the list of ones not to return to.

Why do you blame the store and not the people involved?

That's sort of a relevant question for a lot of these posts.

DarknessEternal wrote:

sharkticon wrote:

At the end of the day when the judge declared himself to be the winner of the tournament, I didn't question it, I just added that store to the list of ones not to return to.

Why do you blame the store and not the people involved?

That's sort of a relevant question for a lot of these posts.

Judge was store staff, and runs most of their events.

How can you just declare yourself a winner? DId the tournament have no scoring system for games lost/won/drawn?

H.B.M.C. wrote:How can you just declare yourself a winner? DId the tournament have no scoring system for games lost/won/drawn?

Well in his defense, the judge could have pulled a Taurus Judge, and was unanimously elected winner...

DAaddict wrote:A friend of mine has a nicely painted BA army. We are playing at a local gamestore with other activities like ccg and such. We have a tournament at the same time.

Some little kid - maybe about 8- is entranced with the look of 40 k. To the point he is like a moth drawn to the flames. The kid is about 6" away from the models and my friend calmly asks the kid to back off... My friend goes back to playing his game. The kid gets closer again. Another warning.

About the 4th warning the kid gets up next to the table again. It is very tight and the kid manages to knock the landraider and a couple of figures to the cement floor. From the sound you know that pieces have gone fllying...

Friend, " Don't move!"

Little kid steps back in horror.

KRRRUNCCHHHH!

The kid looks like he is staring down the barrel of a loaded shotgun. My friend has turned to a deep shade of red.

We laugh about it now but this was both horrible and funny (for me) .

I've done this, but to my own model.

My brother and I wer eplaying one our first games of 3rd edition, deciding to get used to the new rules with the models in the box. I was leaning forward over the table moving something, and my brother and a friend watching said 'Don't move!'. For some reason, I thought "gak I'm leaning on something!' so I stepped back. It sounded like I was standing on a pile of rice bubbles. I looked down, and there was a poor Dark Eldar warrior, base crushed, broken at the ankles, knees, waist, shoulders, elbows, wrists, weapon/hand joins and neck.

My dog has also decided to destroy one of my dreadnoughts- my brother steps on it, breaking it and the ankles, then my dog kicks it across the room as the glue is drying, then he knocks over a castle wall onto the dreadnought as the glue dries again.
He was shut in the lounge for the remainder of the game.

My local GW is great, and there has been only one "horror story" in the last three years.

So like most days after morning college classes I went to GW to paint (blood angels). After painting about 3 assault marines in store, nature called and I went to the local subway to relieve myself (we have a sever # 2 policy at our store enforced by the local club). About 10 minutes later I come in, and find the store operator with a hobby drill drilling "battle damage" onto my models. Multiple drill holes in the shoulder pads, helmets, and jump packs.After bitching, I made him buy me a battlebox under threat of calling the regional manager. It may also be the fact that at time I had just finished my college football career (6'4 290), and threatened to throw him through the window when he warned me that he used to be in the navy.

Other than that, my GW has been glorious. After a leg injury they allowed me to use the bar stools to play (I stopped because the little ones decided to use the paint stools also), which violated the fire code.

As for people complaining about not being able to bring in non GW models,

You should respect the store that offers free paint stations and tables, If i ran a GW store i would do the same. And BTW in Texas, most fast food restaurants will kick you out if you bring in non restaurant food.

I also don't mind the store operator getting mad at people talking about how expensive models are and how they can get them on ebay for cheaper, other potential customers hear that and sales will go down. Personally I have told many people to feth off after they went on a rant about Matt Ward or how they heard that fantasy 8th is unplayable, because the little ones listen and believe every word of it. How would you feel as a GW employee if you tried to sell fantasy to a person and got this response (Oh, I heard on a forum 8th edition fantasy is unplayable and horrible and that 80% of the player base left). The best one was a kid that had never played the table top game told the operator that he would not buy any 40k because Matt Ward ruined it, a person that had never played the game!

It's a business first and foremost and you should respect that.

Liquidice281 wrote:So like most days after morning college classes I went to GW to paint (blood angels). After painting about 3 assault marines in store, nature called and I went to the local subway to relieve myself (we have a sever # 2 policy at our store enforced by the local club). About 10 minutes later I come in, and find the store operator with a hobby drill drilling "battle damage" onto my models. Multiple drill holes in the shoulder pads, helmets, and jump packs.After bitching, I made him buy me a battlebox under threat of calling the regional manager. It may also be the fact that at time I had just finished my college football career (6'4 290), and threatened to throw him through the window when he warned me that he used to be in the navy.

I'd have called the regional manager anyway. That's just fethed up.

Gratuitous dog commentary removed -- Lorek

Enough dog comments guys. Come on.

Woof.

Watch out 117 may be getting upset.

fire4effekt wrote:Woof.

Watch out 117 may be getting upset.

This is spam and will not be tolerated. Further spam messages will result in a temporary suspension.

I must say, after all these stories, I feel like I've missed out on a whole emo side to mini gaming.

I especially like the comments from ex staff.

Frazzled wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:How can you just declare yourself a winner? DId the tournament have no scoring system for games lost/won/drawn?

Well in his defense, the judge could have pulled a Taurus Judge, and was unanimously elected winner...

Best quote in the thread, IMHO.

The Judge is great...I would have no problem to letting that guy win if he had one of those...but maybe I would have just let him think that while I went to get my.44

DarknessEternal wrote:

sharkticon wrote:

At the end of the day when the judge declared himself to be the winner of the tournament, I didn't question it, I just added that store to the list of ones not to return to.

Why do you blame the store and not the people involved?

That's sort of a relevant question for a lot of these posts.

I was thinking this also.

2 more incidents after thinking about horror stories.

We have a serial grey player, who loves cheating. Long story short, we had a 500 pt tournament at a GW. He was involved. Zero for painting, zero for presentation of army. First match was verse me. I had 2 tact squads, a dread and an Interragator chaplain, about 490 points worth.

He had blood claws with lucas, long fangs, a dreadnought and some wolves. I asked to see his army list. He produces a piece of paper with some scribbling. I read it, it details out a 1k point army. I point this out and he shouts at me.

At that point I realise its going to be a bad game. He constantly switches Dread and Longfang weapons. kills lucas before the BC squad goes down and generally is cheating. I manage to pull off a draw, with my dreadnought and the chaplain contesting both objectives. He THREW the dreadnought to the floor, and was about to do it with the chaplain (asmodai) until I uttered a single word very softly.

Don't.

He ran out of the store, leaving his models behind. The manager put his army behind the counter for him, he returns a few minutes later, packs the models and leaves.

a month later his parents come instore and he identifies me as a *troublemaker* and they start trying to abuse me verbally. I tell them to talk to the manager and walk off, leaving them dumbfounded. Next thing I hear is *get out of this store and stop threatening my customers or else I will call the police*.

Turns out mom and dad wanted to tear me a new one for the tournament event, which I had forgotten.

Haven't seen him for about 3 years now.

Ah, this thread again. Always worth a read.

I'm happy to say that my worst horror stories about gaming involve TFGs (one in particular who gets really angry whenever he loses, even minor losses during a game) and the occasional rules lawyer at my FLGS. To be fair, I've never had to set foot in an actual GW store, as there aren't any within 100 miles of my address, only independent stores that sell their products. Having read 8 pages of these, I've got to say that I feel really lucky that there aren't.

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

Please don't troll the board.

Thanks

Reds8n




Automatically Appended Next Post:
WHAT! 15min to right that man...




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Can I get a reason why my post was "Trollish"?

Had an incident at my FLGS fairly recently that is on topic.

I was setting up my Cryx on a table out back when I noticed there was a high volume of people in the store (you can see the whole store from the playing room essentially).

Most were your typical gamer types, but one kid and his friend were being more than borderline sketchy.

The smaller of the two kept going up to the store's lone worker and asking about buying specific MTG cards and the like, so the worker would be distracted while his friend filled his sweatshirt pocket with various items from the store.

It wasn't even like he was being inconspicuous about it, he kept looking back and forth and had his shoulders all hunched up. It would've been comical if it weren't outright thievery.

After watching this all go on for quite a bit, I simply entered the retail area and stood at the end of the aisle while the kid deposited another HeroClix in his pocket. It was then he noticed I was watching him. Just gave him the all knowning look of "you're busted", to which he removed:
-Three Hero Clix
-Two Dice Cubes (Twelve Die each)
-Four packages of crystal markers
-Two miniatures
-Two blisters of some space ship wargame.


He placed it all on the shelf in front of him and dragged his friend out with him. I let the worker know, he seemed a bit shocked, but hey. These things happen. Just glad I could help.

The most awkward moment I ever had was when some kid, about 11 years old I guess... started talking to me in GW Woking.

Maybe I was being a bit stupid making such a joke to a kid, but LotR came up and I got onto the topic of that ol' 'LotR is racist' meme... not sure how I did, maybe I was having a socially awkward moment, who knows.

Anyway, this lovely coddled middle class kid (rather like myself) loudly responds to the quip that there are no blacks with 'Well, there are the Orcs!'

My reaction, rather uncharacteristically for me was 'woaaah steady there kid'.


As for non-GW models:
I once shot myself in the foot when I asked if I could paint a Farseer conversion. It was an Avatars of War High Elf mage with a Singing Spear stuck on as well as a Shuriken pistol... so like, 20% GW at best. The store assistant said it was fine and I just *had* to add 'Oh but I thought it would be like an 50% minimum.' So the guy got his manager and he told me it was more like 80% and to put the model away.

Gah. I think both these posts show I have some undiagnosed social condition..

I honestly don't know how people paint in a GW store. I used to when I was a lot younger simply for free access to the whole range of paints, but it was terrible. Now when I walk in and see the people painting... I just feel I have better things to do when I'm out.

I got a story of my own, though it is fairly old (and poorly remembered)

When I was starting WHFB, around the age of 14 or so, I was playing a game at the games workshop over at Melbourne central (I was in AUS at the time). Anyway, its a fairly small store in a mall, and one of the tables was like halfway out. Not on the street obviously, it was in a mall after all, but anyway.

So yeah, I was playing with someguy, and then I felt something poking me. So I turned around and I saw these kids looking at me. I didn't say anything and went back to playing, and I thought nothing of it. Anyway, at the end of the game I noticed that I was missing a skink. I asked the store staff, and after looking under the tables and such we didn't find it. I forgot what happened next, but I think the one of the staff members suspected that it may been been those kids. Said he thought he saw them teasing me or something. So yeah, some bastards may have nicked one of my skinks.

And there are more nasty stories. We always got jerks passing by GW over in aus. We had jocks walk by calling us satanists and whatever. The fact there's no bloody door doesn't help matters.
I am sure there are more, but I can't remember them that well.

One of the threads of thought that a lot of these stories have in common is an interesting example of the disconnect that GW have successfully created over the years. GW have persistently claimed to be 'the Hobby' to the extent where a newcomer to wargaming thinks that GW = wargaming. They buy GW product, GW paints, they game in GW stores and paint in GW stores. Which is why it comes as a big shock when GW refuse to let someone paint a non-GW miniature or use non-GW paints/tools in a GW store. GW don't let people game and paint in their stores because they are jolly and friendly or because they wish to foster and nurture the hobby climate; they do so because kids gaming and painting in GW stores (and ostensibly enjoying it) is excellent free advertising to both kids coming into the store for the first time and for kids passing buy and looking in. What better way to motivate sales than seeing a bunch of kids having fun? The best form of advertising is word of mouth, even better when your own customers do it for you.

Nobody would try no crap with me in a GW because I'm an ex-Green Beret, French Foreign Legion Veteran and genetically modified super-astronaut.

H.B.M.C. wrote:I've only once become so annoyed that I wanted to physically pick up a tank and throw it against the wall... but it wasn't during a game. It was about 3am in the morning and I'd been struggling to put a 100% resin FW Stormblade together and it just wasn't working. I

I hope you made it like the old epic version with the deathstrike on top of the cannon and manticore launcher on the side good sir

Doctadeth wrote:a month later his parents come instore and he identifies me as a *troublemaker* and they start trying to abuse me verbally. I tell them to talk to the manager and walk off, leaving them dumbfounded. Next thing I hear is *get out of this store and stop threatening my customers or else I will call the police*.

Turns out mom and dad wanted to tear me a new one for the tournament event, which I had forgotten.

Haven't seen him for about 3 years now.

Now THERE is a manager who needs an award!

Bought him a beer after that day of work.

Rayvon wrote:

DarknessEternal wrote:

sharkticon wrote:

At the end of the day when the judge declared himself to be the winner of the tournament, I didn't question it, I just added that store to the list of ones not to return to.

Why do you blame the store and not the people involved?

That's sort of a relevant question for a lot of these posts.

I was thinking this also.

I don't really see anyone blaming the 'store' except when it's store staff causing the problem.

Sure a lot of people say they never have/will go back to those stores, but I also don't go (back) to stores that are populated by donkey caves like the ones in these stories. If the staff doesn't take steps to ensure a positive environment, then they don't deserve my money.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

-Loki- wrote:I honestly don't know how people paint in a GW store. I used to when I was a lot younger simply for free access to the whole range of paints, but it was terrible. Now when I walk in and see the people painting... I just feel I have better things to do when I'm out.

I paint there sometimes because I'll go in hoping to get a game or two, but no one is there. So I paint, because otherwise I'd probably just stand around talking.

-Loki- wrote:I honestly don't know how people paint in a GW store. I used to when I was a lot younger simply for free access to the whole range of paints, but it was terrible. Now when I walk in and see the people painting... I just feel I have better things to do when I'm out.

In my experience, a lot of the people painting in store are either waiting for a game, have to be in town because uni / work is split and there's X hours inbetween, or at home there's kids / other distractions. There's also a social aspect to it - painting with a like minded group rather than alone.

I mostly paint at home, but I generally make sure I take the paints I need for whatever current project I'm working on when I go in store so in those periods I'm invaribly waiting for a game, I can paint stuff up.

Henners91 wrote:Nobody would try no crap with me in a GW because I'm an ex-Green Beret, French Foreign Legion Veteran and genetically modified super-astronaut.

the troll is strong with this one LOL