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I played a game at my local GW store today and I noticed the "rules" of the store that were posted:



Looks like GW, or at least this store, is punishing people for not having a painted army.

Now I will admit that I enjoy a game between two fully painted armies, but I know that not everybody has the time to actually paint all their minis before playing. Especially with the push towards giant units that we are seeing in WFB. One of my Skaven units was not painted, so they suffered from the house rule at the store. I also wonder if this is just to push people more towards the "HHHobby" and to make sure that people have fully painted armies that they are playing with so that the store gets the maximum benefit of the free advertisement from having people play at their store.

I guess it could also be a quick cash grap for the store since I could have decided to purchase three pots of paint and a brush and put three colors on the base to meet this "standard" at the store.

Anybody else see something similar at their store?

No reason the players at the store can't just quietly ignore that rule...

~Tim?

I actually approve of that rule. I don't call it "The Games Workshop Hobby" but I still call it "the wargaming hobby", and the hobby part is very important regardless of which game you are playing.

HAHA! I think this is great! I can hear all of the orks screaming WAAAAAGH! as they roll for their waaaagh! As for hatred of unpainted models... I think this is kind of cool too. Maybe we will instate this in our gaming group! I Try to paint my minis before I play with them but sometimes I get so excited to use them I put them out there before they are. This usually gets me some eye rolls from my friends. Why not encourage painting. After all this game, for me and my group at least, is more about having a cool army than it is about having the min maxed list for tournament play. We actually all buy one another gifts for birthdays. If the group wants to see a model on the table that looks cool we are more likely to buy it for our friend than the one that helps them with rule abuse and min maxing.

 Some_Call_Me_Tim? wrote:
No reason the players at the store can't just quietly ignore that rule...

~Tim?

I don't know if the GW guy will be breathing over your shoulder and "reminding" you about that rule everytime you play. I figured if I'm the guy with the painted army I would remind the unpainted guy about it since it benefits me .

Considering that the company policy previously was to NOT ALLOW unpainted armies to play under general circumstances, I'd say that this is not that big of a deal. They have limited table space in their ridiculous 1 man stores and that space is intended to sell product as a primary purpose. Painted armies are more visually attractive to potential customers and lead to more sales. It's better than closing down free play completely (like some GW stores have done according to threads here) or not allow unpainted armies to play at all (like they all used to do a decade ago).

I'm more enraged that they force you to yell Waaagh! for the roll.

Fair enough in my opinion. Way more attractive for a new customer to see painted armies on the table. Can't blame a retail outlet for wanting things to look as good as possible.

I've seen local GW's offer in game bonuses based on what the player bought that day. E.g. X amount of rerolls, or bonus effect cards, per game based on the amount spent on new release products that day. I don't play at GW stores but that sort of thing seems like its asking for trouble.

I wonder if this helps them?

It would for certain cut back my spending at my store if they had this rule, and possibly mean I didn't bother to turn up at all.
GW army's are just to big and painting a full army up is a slow process to begin with without any extra issues.D:
Thinking about it more, if a store I play at put this rule up I would quit playing at that store.

I like this idea. It's a good compromise between banning unpainted models entirely and allowing ugly gray armies without penalty. The only thing I'd change is make it preferred enemy so it also helps shooting units.

 Sidstyler wrote:
I'm more enraged that they force you to yell Waaagh! for the roll.

This. Mandatory yelling is just stupid.

Maybe the yelling is what brings Little Timmy into the store to see what's going on?

I actually think that's pretty funny. At least they haven't banned unpainted models outright, I'm pretty sure my store does.

GW used to require fully painted models up until the 'ard boyz events in the middle 2000s.

If you don't like it, paint your models or take your ball and go home? Stores can make and enforce any house rules they want. Sounds like a tongue in cheek way of getting people to paint. I have seen stores near me who allow people who buy and paint a unit from the store draw from a deck and that unit gains a "power". Incentivized buying and painting, you get a boost.

If you take gaming so serious that you get angry over losing a slight advantage, then don't play there.

I love all of those rules, actually.

If it drives away the types of players that need these sort of things put into writing, more the better.

 Monster Rain wrote:
I love all of those rules, actually.

If it drives away the types of players that need these sort of things put into writing, more the better.

Agreed, I find as I get older that I enjoy playing untainted armies less and less...

Yeah, I have no problem at all with stores insisting on painted models. One of the reasons for allowing in-store gaming is to attract passers-by. That works better with painted armies.

A club I played at years ago used to have a rule for thier tournaments whereby unpainted models suffered a -1 to their armour rolls. They had very, very few unpainted armies in their tournaments.



I would, however, not play in a store that required Waaagh! shouts. It's vaguely amusing the first time... and just irritating after that.

 insaniak wrote:
A club I played at years ago used to have a rule for thier tournaments whereby unpainted models suffered a -1 to their armour rolls. They had very, very few unpainted armies in their tournaments.

I can just imagine there being that one player with an entirely unpainted ork army and not giving a gak about that rule.

I have building and ork 2.0 army. My first army were orks. I have bounced around a bit, learned a lot about painting and have come back to my orks. I am going to shout WAAAAAAGH! every time I declare a waaaaagh when my force gets painted and ready to put on the table!


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The rule is 3 colors and based I hope?

rothrich wrote:
I am going to shout WAAAAAAGH! every time I declare a waaaaagh when my force gets painted and ready to put on the table!

Calm down kid, this is why people avoid game stores. Remember, it's not always about you and your volume.

I have no problem with asking that players have painted armies. This being said, none of my armies are completely painted, and I hate that. If I had time, I'd use the punishment as motivation to finish my armies.

Haha That remind me of this guy at a local store hear, he's got autism or something, but he is by far the most likable guy there, anyways, everytime he WAAAAGH!s he just SCREAMS IT! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!! Can be heard from miles around haha Although a "store rule" like that is kinda dumb.

As for painting, there could be better ways to encourage people to paint. I know quite a few guys that play for the game, and not the hobby, and I don't think that it should be something "forced" on them.

Those are cute, I like them. It might actually force me to spend more time painting and less time spending money though!!

 painkiller66678 wrote:
Haha That remind me of this guy at a local store hear, he's got autism or something, but he is by far the most likable guy there, anyways, everytime he WAAAAGH!s he just SCREAMS IT! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!! Can be heard from miles around haha Although a "store rule" like that is kinda dumb.

As for painting, there could be better ways to encourage people to paint. I know quite a few guys that play for the game, and not the hobby, and I don't think that it should be something "forced" on them.

Both my store and club encourage painting there, offer help to learn and give out regular prizes for it even I have won something !

Loud waaaghs are discouraged :p particular if the stores next door can here it.

Let's see, screw the ork players...

So, alternate rules for other armies;

No laser pointer, no markerlight.

No reanimation protocols unless you robot dance (or sing Mr Roboto)

No ATSKNF unless you "For the God-Emperor".

I have a thing about my armies being painted, I really avoid playing with models that dont have at least a base coat and a second color, but that just my personal thing. I dont believe in telling other people what to do with their property. If they want to paint or not is none of my buisness, not to mention not everyone has time. Punishing people over paint seem really petty and in my experience the carrot works better than the stick.

 painkiller66678 wrote:
...and I don't think that it should be something "forced" on them.

It's not. There is no requirement for those players to play in that store.


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 Madcat87 wrote:
I can just imagine there being that one player with an entirely unpainted ork army and not giving a gak about that rule.

It was a bigger deal back in 2nd edition, when Orks occasionally got to make armour saves...

Yeah i dont like running unpainted models, the least ive ran was 18 gaunts that had 2 colors on them, the rest painted. I only did it because i had just finished painting another tervigon and really needed the models for spawning. Playing unpainted armys can be okay, as long as i can feel the opponent being jealous that myn is painted. And with my lack of painting skills, thats very hard to do.

Calm down kid, this is why people avoid game stores. Remember, it's not always about you and your volume.

I am 27...
I actually don't play at a game store. I have a small gaming club that I play with and would shout WAAAAAAGH! really just to watch their eyes roll. They will only have to hear it once in a while since I have several armies to play. One of the main reasons I avoid playing at game stores is the fact that every time I have tried to play at a game store I end up playing against armies that are A. competitive points optimized lists (if thats your thing I am really not hating it is just not mine) B. not painted at all in any way C. Half painted. I have actually played with some nice people at games stores but you find a few people who are really hard to be around too. I really just enjoy my group of five friends or so that I play with.

 insaniak wrote:

 painkiller66678 wrote:
...and I don't think that it should be something "forced" on them.

It's not. There is no requirement for those players to play in that store.

Agreed, no one is makeing anyone play at that store. If my local store started posting up rules like this I would play someplace else, and paint someplace else and buy my product somplace else. The store has every right to set such rules and I have every right to take my buisness elsewhere.

That's exactly the reaction I would hope for.

Marcus Scipio wrote:

 Monster Rain wrote:
I love all of those rules, actually.

If it drives away the types of players that need these sort of things put into writing, more the better.

Agreed, I find as I get older that I enjoy playing untainted armies less and less...

This. I find it kind of embarrassing to have to field a model that isn't painted, because I feel it reflects badly on my army and painting.

Not to say that I won't, because an ork horde takes a while, but I don't enjoy having models that aren't painted.