infinite_array wrote:
The thing is, we've heard these threads before. And before then. And before THEN. The very thing man did when he finally evolved enough to articulate sounds into meaningful language was complain about GW's prices.
I actually
lol'd at that
The people who cared about the hobby initially, how made
GW what it is, have been forced out of the door by the bean counters. I still believe there are a core of people, the designers and a few stragglers of old-guard (Jervis Johnson etc.) who genuinely love what they do and want the best for the hobby, but their actions are controlled by sinister overlords, who sit in darkened rooms smoking and with their hands templed and simply nod in approval when a goblin underling shows them a plan for the next cunning money-making scheme.
Root of all the evil: going public with the company on the crest of the
LoTR boom, foolishly believing that such a revenue influx would be sustainable over the long-term. This is why practically every release, every change in the rules and new product release in the past 4 or 5 years, has just been an attempt to make maximum profit for minimum expenditure. While I don't have a problem with that, the games themselves have suffered; 'apocalypse' of both
40k and WFB becoming the standard 'way to play' meaning that now massive expenditure is needed before you can field even a modest army.
- The sidelining of
SG (really the proof of who is in control of the company, that much fun for $50 is not a wise idea)
- the cut backs of budget in both the production of
WD (no 'journalism' any more because they can't afford to pay anyone to write anything that isn't an advert), and the lack of new artwork being produced (again - too expensive),
- cutting down the stores to one-man units, perhaps defeating the entire object of them existing (to attract more youngsters into the game), as it's difficult to run a demo game when you are trying to answer the phone, serve at the till and eat your lunch at the same time. Although perhaps that isn't an issue if the company is indeed switching to resin, as no responsible parent is going to let their younger child come within a mile of it.
I'm only half serious with these comments, but I genuinely believe we would be in a better position now if the company hadn't got greedy all those years ago and made the company public, and would now be in a position where it had the interests of the hobbyist, rather than the shareholder, at heart. And of course the company is still producing some beautiful stuff, and makes a lot of people happy (myself included often, despite this rantish post!) But, it's hard not to think of 'what could have been'.
Part of me hopes that the share price will drop enough that some philanthropist(?!) will make a majority buy out of the company, and then put a load of hobby-orientated guys back in charge of it as it once was. Any millionaires reading this who have this desire and have some spare change hanging around in your pocket, the onus is on you
