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The Epic Chaosdude!!! wrote:GW had a discussion board which is now shut down?!

There is a God!

Yep back in the day when they still did this instead of this.

I heard it was pretty crappy. Probably as crappy as minecraft's native forum.

Games Workshop makes me sick to my stomach, and if I didn't love Chaos Marines so much, I would toss a brick throw the nearest store window... Well, maybe not, lol.

That they should have closed them down is obvious given what would have continued to be posted there.

What, as a company, they might have been rewarded for doing, was asking why it was only ever negative feedback and vitriol. If your company is getting an overwhelming negative response and complaints, why not carry out some complaint investigation, root cause analysis and trending information gathering, so that you can implement process improvement... Unless you believe your company doesn't need to improve... which is a highly dangerous attitude to carry.

Anyway, I for one am glad of independently controlled forums like dakka, they let me post naked.


You're welcome.

I kinda miss the old GW forums...don't get me wrong, they were an abomination...but in an entertaining way.

MeanGreenStompa wrote:That they should have closed them down is obvious given what would have continued to be posted there.

What, as a company, they might have been rewarded for doing, was asking why it was only ever negative feedback and vitriol. If your company is getting an overwhelming negative response and complaints, why not carry out some complaint investigation, root cause analysis and trending information gathering, so that you can implement process improvement... Unless you believe your company doesn't need to improve... which is a highly dangerous attitude to carry.

Anyway, I for one am glad of independently controlled forums like dakka, they let me post naked.


You're welcome.

Maybe they did all of those things and found that the feedback they were recieving through the forums was contrary to the feedback they were recieving through other sources.

Another consideration is child protection. Which is clearly something that they take seriously, GCN club committee members are required to undergo CRB checks for example. Perhaps they reviewed the forum and decided that the risks were too great.

Lanrak wrote:Hi all, I can remenber when GW was a games company!

When was that? When Steve and Ian were still running it?

The previous management was firmly of the opinion that they were a miniatures company. At least the current management acknowledges that the minis and games are equally important.

HI Scott-66.
Back in 1987 to 1992 games workshop sold tons of ,minatures for great games...and they made great games ....
(An me and my friends had tons of fun)
As far As I can asses, GW (GW plc ) DOUBLED thier turn over every three years from 1988 to 1998.
After Kirby decided GW were in the buisness of selling toy soldiers to children GW plc has lost over 40% of its sales volumes ...

There has been no change in senior managment or thier atitudes for the last decade that I am aware of.
I may have misseed something, what makes you think senior GW corperate managment care about GW core games?

(GW staff are brilliant folks in general.Its just the senior corperate managment that I have serious issues with!)

I remember the old forums...terrible layout. It was also mainly kiddies (like me) who used it.

Lanrak wrote: Back in 1987 to 1992 games workshop sold tons of ,minatures for great games...and they made great games ....

That was when Steve and Ian were at the helm.

'91 was the beginning of Kirby's "we're a miniatures company, the games are just bonus" era.

The current management is an improvement, IMO (Mark Wells at least acknowledges that the games are important) but the pre-91 period was the best.

If GW could actually be bothered to maintain it and listened to people who were posting, something may have happened.

I thought it was the endless "what arer you thinking with the prices? I'm off to play other games" posts that got it shut down. Plus the constant criticisms about rules, GW not listening to its fanbase about what was going wrong ofcourse

Hobby games draw the worst of personality cases, combine that with an anonymous forum with insufficient moderation, and it will become a cesspool.

Honestly, the internet branch of the GW hobby doesn't deserve online forums.

Worglock wrote:Honestly, the internet branch of the GW hobby doesn't deserve online forums.

Cheerio then.

Actually I find Warglock's comment fascinating. He seems to be saying that people who say things he doesn't like should have their ability to say them taken away.

Howard A Treesong wrote:

Worglock wrote:Honestly, the internet branch of the GW hobby doesn't deserve online forums.

Cheerio then.

Actually I find Warglock's comment fascinating. He seems to be saying that people who say things he doesn't like should have their ability to say them taken away.

That was what GW did basically, so it only stands to reason that he would advocate the same policy...

Worglock wrote:
Honestly, the internet branch of the GW hobby doesn't deserve online forums.

Lucky for us there is no such thing as the "GW Hobby" then. The hobby is called "Wargaming".

njpc wrote:

Balance wrote:Technically, the old GW forums were pretty hideous. I would not be surprised if (like the rumor I heard about their Interactive Army List program) the one guy who knew how to fix them left and no one felt like learning how.

I think GW officially said they felt Other Web Forums (presumably including Dakka) did a better job than their own. Which made the occasional round of lawsuits against forums all the more entertaining.

I bought that piece of crap
I even attempted to return it to their store a month after I did and they refused to take it back because it was opened. I pointed out the thing had tons of errors, the army I played at the time Eldar didn't have half the unit entries needed, and units had the incorrect cost! They said i'd have to wait for the patch. I did, which resulted in more issues, came back and was told "your outside of the return window." I get pretty good use out of it now. I use it to mix paint on.

I was going to say go try battlescribe.

Scott-S6 wrote:

Lanrak wrote:Hi all, I can remenber when GW was a games company!

When was that? When Steve and Ian were still running it?

The previous management was firmly of the opinion that they were a miniatures company. At least the current management acknowledges that the minis and games are equally important.

Hasn't Kirby stepped down from his position? I thought I read that somewhere...

Hi folks.
Scott-S6, Although Mr kirby was a manager in 1991 and thought the minatures were the major focus of the buisness.He didnt get to be Chairman AND C.E.O (which isnt allowed any more,) untill much later.

Being faced with the chioce of saying GW plc is a games company that interfaces with its gamers and develops and supports a wide range of games to grow the buisness organicaly through positive word of mouth .(As it was mid 1980s to mid 1990s.)
And then having to do the research to PROVE this to the shareholders.

He took the easy way out , by saying '...we are in the buisness of selling toy soldiers to children...'Which takes no research or proof to back up as lots of companies sell toys to children and make lots of profit.

Unfortunatley , this became the company line -and a mantra spread top down.
And as a result targeting a small and fickel part of your potential customer base , can lead to aleination of the remainder of the customers.

Writing rules specificaly for teenagers , who like over complicated strategic focus, over tactical interaction.(As younger gamers can learn large amounts of facts quickly , but struggle with over arching tactial annalasis.)
Activley alienates gamers who prefer a cleaner more tactical rule set.(Which are much easier to balance to apease competative and fluffy gamers!)

(No disrespect to those exceptions who are far more mature and tacticaly minded and in general, great younger gamers.)

Since it became ILEGAL to be company chairman and C.E.O .GW plc got Mr Wells to be C.E.O.

Unfortunatley Mr Kirby is still calling the shots as Chairman.(And still creaming of money while he can.)

Most of GW plcs 'dubuios' actions can be explianed by 'massive money grab before I retire Kirby.'or by general incompetance of senior managers.

Despite the stirling efforts of the GW staff in the studio and the stores.GW plc is shedding customers at an ever alarming rate.

THIS is why the GW discussion board failed.

Games companies attract gamers that want to imporve thier favorite game , by improving game ballance or game options.(Mantic ,Battlefront, Privater Press, etc.)

GW plc wanted to attract children/collectors with AWSOME KOOL STUFF THAT IS THE ROXXORZZZ!!!!And then wonder why thier discussion boards get filled 'non productive' posts.