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focusedfire wrote:OK, I'll play the devils advocate.

What is the difference between bowling alleys charging for shoe rentals and lane use?

Also, Pool halls charge for table use. It isn't that far of a stretch to imagine GW would look to recoup some of the cost that the the tables incur for the space they take up.

The difference is that I don't have to own my own bowling ball, my own pins, my own cue ball, my own rack, my own stick, etc. to make use of a bowling alley or a pool hall. I can just show up, plink down a few dollars, and they provide me everything I need to play. Plus access to beer. So GW could charge for tables, but they'd have to also provide you with an army to play with, or there's no point.

I would never, ever pay to play on a GW table. I consider the tables a right, it is afterall the only justification for how grossly overpriced their models are compared to every other company in the hobby. They charge two to four times what other companies charge for a single metal miniatures -- you can seriously buy metal models of the exact same size and quality from Reaper for $5 what you'll pay $15 for from GW.

If GW charged for table use, then not only would there be no justification for their overpriced models, but there would be a HUGE incentive to stop buying their models entirely and use cheaper proxies. I mean, if I have a choice between paying for GW's overpriced models and paying for table space and paying a club to rent space for tables where I wouldn't run afoul of GW's stupid anti-proxy rules, I would tell GW to kiss off in a heartbeat.