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Flicking through the latest White Dwarf i noticed GW are bundling up all the Army of the month articles shoving in a handful of extra pics and flogging it as a hardback book for £30.

Am i the only one that finds this particularly outrageous?


Not only do they make WD about 30% hobbyist submitted content (cheap page fillers!) but then they go sell it as a £30 book!

Words fail me.

I'm going to need more proof before I make a judgement, seeing as even by GW standards this is asinine.

The price is indeed daft and outrageous but its not as if GW or indeed other companies haven't done collected versions of hobby magazine articles before.


http://www.flamesofwar.com/wionline_store.aspx?CategoryID=13157

You could just not buy it of course.

 Valkyrie wrote:
I'm going to need more proof before I make a judgement, seeing as even by GW standards this is asinine.

http://the-responsible-one.blogspot.com/2013/09/games-day-2013-going-gonzo.html

Scroll down.

Okay, I'll play devil's advocate. Seeing amazing armies modeled and painted by other players constitutes one of my very favorite aspects of the hobby. Definitely one of the best things about tournaments, IMO. And about White Dwarf, too. A few years ago, I was one of many calling for more coverage of players' armies. 'Eavy metal stuff gets so boring.

If this book really does provide in-depth coverage and piles of pictures of gorgeous armies, hell yeah I'll be tempted to buy it. Maybe not at the US$ equivalent of 30 pounds, true. But I'll give it a look.

Nobody's going to force you to buy it! You're really outraged? Crazy!

I think its a good idea, it will probably be overpriced but it think the general idea is ok.
These are the type of things that gamers and painters like to look at and it would be nice to get them in a book that I can flick through and keep on a shelf.

 Bull0 wrote:
Nobody's going to force you to buy it! You're really outraged? Crazy!

So you send pictures of your models to WD to be used in the mag. Fair enough, but in doing so you then sign over all rights for them to be used in other ways including in overpriced hardback collections. You are not gonna see a penny of this money, Your models are directly being used to profit GW. Id be outraged tbh. Its already bad enough that WD is full of stuff you can find on any decent plog for free. Anything that has been in a WD that is of value (tactics, fluff, new rules) has been stripped out and is now being made available for sale piecemeal.

And just because im not going to buy it (and have the option to do so) doesn't mean i can't call out GW on yet ANOTHER cynical cashgrab.

Aren't the blood angels army on the cover one of the forge world staffers'? But that is a charming tin-foil hat you've got on.

And no, of course you're allowed to call them out on "yet ANOTHER cynical cashgrab". Just like I'm allowed to say I think it's pretty tiresome to do so - if it's not for you, don't buy it, a few other people have expressed a legitimate interest in it, it isn't a rules book and is purely for looking at so there's no compulsion whatsoever unlike, say, an expansion or supplement, which you could be legitimately annoyed about

I actually like this idea, despite the price, I love looking at completed armies, gives me ideas for my own armies and motivation to actually finish them. I'll probably pick up a copy depending on what its like/

To be fair there are some mighty fine armies in there. There was one lad with an amazing Lamenters (i think it was Lamenters) army with 3 titans in it. Although i recall a couple of drybrush specials making an appearance as well.

I've no doubt that people will get inspiration and use out of it. Just something doesn't sit right with other peoples armies being used this way. Evidently i'm in the minority though. I even think one of my mates armies was featured but ill have to check.

I think it's quite a cool idea, the execution and price maybe off (we'll see) but I don't partake in that rag they call White Dwarf and neither do I follow GW's blogs much so the idea of a compendium of fancy looking armies for my coffee table/bookshelf seems like a nice one to me.

I think it is quite a cool idea that could eventually be expanded upon to have competitions where your minis could be immortalized in a book. I might buy it once I get my money woes sorted out, something I can flick through and get inspiration if I don't feel like reading.

It's almost like they are continuing to plunder the 2nd Ed/RT era for stuff, because they know that hardly any of their customers were alive then, and don't have any new ones!

The idea is great! The price is nuts!

 DiabolicAl wrote:
To be fair there are some mighty fine armies in there. There was one lad with an amazing Lamenters (i think it was Lamenters) army with 3 titans in it. Although i recall a couple of drybrush specials making an appearance as well.

I've no doubt that people will get inspiration and use out of it. Just something doesn't sit right with other peoples armies being used this way. Evidently i'm in the minority though. I even think one of my mates armies was featured but ill have to check.

If your mate's army is in there, it would be interesting to know what they think about it and whether or not they were informed the army would be included in this book.

 DiabolicAl wrote:

 Bull0 wrote:
Nobody's going to force you to buy it! You're really outraged? Crazy!

So you send pictures of your models to WD to be used in the mag. Fair enough, but in doing so you then sign over all rights for them to be used in other ways including in overpriced hardback collections. You are not gonna see a penny of this money, Your models are directly being used to profit GW. Id be outraged tbh. Its already bad enough that WD is full of stuff you can find on any decent plog for free. Anything that has been in a WD that is of value (tactics, fluff, new rules) has been stripped out and is now being made available for sale piecemeal.

And just because im not going to buy it (and have the option to do so) doesn't mean i can't call out GW on yet ANOTHER cynical cashgrab.

Eh, it happens. I had some models in WD once upon a time, and they were re-used once or twice, ending up in an Australian WD IIRC. Turns out they even placed one of my Dark Eldar models in their 2002 minis catalogue, and not only did they not tell me, but they attributed it to the wrong artist! I survived.

They never hide the fact that they may re-use the photos, and that they may make some money off your work. Good for them. I'd like to see them promote more player's armies, and I don't believe for a second that anyone who owns one of the featured armies is distressed that their work ended up in a full-colour coffee-table book.

If you don't want them re-using the photos, you don't give them your models or your photos. It's not rocket-science. They aren't preventing you from taking your own photos and selling your own coffee-table book if you choose. If you make your living painting armies, it's free advertising.

Honestly....there is nothing wrong with this or the price for the quality of book you are getting...I mean....lets look at art gallery book prices.

The art of Warcraft: Retail $75.00

The Art of God of war Ascension: Retail $70.00

The Art of Disney's Tangled: Retail $40.00

Almost every Disney art book of or game art book tends to be about $40.00.

These are common place and do not usually have the quality of Games-workshop so honestly...the price does not bother me. I mean, how many pages is it?

72 pages, full colour hardback.

£2.80

Probably required a greater deal of editorial input too.

 Avrik_Shasla wrote:
Honestly....there is nothing wrong with this or the price for the quality of book you are getting...I mean....lets look at art gallery book prices.

The art of Warcraft: Retail $75.00

The Art of God of war Ascension: Retail $70.00

The Art of Disney's Tangled: Retail $40.00

Almost every Disney art book of or game art book tends to be about $40.00.

These are common place and do not usually have the quality of Games-workshop so honestly...the price does not bother me. I mean, how many pages is it?

Sure. But this is not an art book, is it? It's a collection of content previously used in White Dwarf (pretty much the only stuff approaching content in White Dwarf these days, no less). Even though the models may be beautiful, I'd hardly call GW's photographs of them art. Disney sells "the art of Tangled" for 40 bucks - but this is more akin to flogging movie stills (as in, seen before and low to non-existent artisitic value of the medium translation) for 50.

alphaecho wrote:
The price is indeed daft and outrageous but its not as if GW or indeed other companies haven't done collected versions of hobby magazine articles before.


http://www.flamesofwar.com/wionline_store.aspx?CategoryID=13157

The mega battles book at £30 is all new material I believe, and a limited run of 1000 176page hard back book, covering some properly huge games.

The partially re-used great wargames special comes in at £5.

Both are leagues apart from an expanded coverage of user magazine content for £30. I'm actually tempted by the mega battles book

I have a question. When you submit your army to WD for publication in their mag, do you get no compensation? That seems to leave them open to litigation the way Pink Floyd was sued by those kids who sang "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II".

I'd like to get the opinion of someone who's actually had their army put in this book. Anyone on Dakka?

 fishy bob wrote:
I'd like to get the opinion of someone who's actually had their army put in this book. Anyone on Dakka?

Diabolical Al who created the thread thinks a friend's army might be in it. I'm interested as to whether there was any communication.

Eh, it happens. I had some models in WD once upon a time, and they were re-used once or twice, ending up in an Australian WD IIRC. Turns out they even placed one of my Dark Eldar models in their 2002 minis catalogue, and not only did they not tell me, but they attributed it to the wrong artist! I survived.

Thats funny. I had some models show up in the catalog, on the website, and in WD and I was quite pleased. I was a little miffed that they got the name wrong (seems to be a theme there hehe) but I survived. Anyone that knew me knew they were mine and it was pretty cool. I would think anyone that had an army show up in this book would be quite pleased as well.

So although that got deleted, to spell it out, I don't really think the fact that the disney princess annual 2013 is £2.80 has much of any bearing on the discussion as it's not really the same by any stretch of one's imagination. Apparently I'm not allowed to be flippant about it too.

We've established it's overpriced, let's not be silly about it, eh?

 azreal13 wrote:


It's almost like they are continuing to plunder the 2nd Ed/RT era for stuff, because they know that hardly any of their customers were alive then, and don't have any new ones!

I looked through this book pretty much every week as a child. It was my main source of inspiration and impetus for Games Workshop. I've still got it somewhere, absolutely fantastic...

 Bull0 wrote:
So although that got deleted, to spell it out, I don't really think the fact that the disney princess annual 2013 is £2.80 has much of any bearing on the discussion as it's not really the same by any stretch of one's imagination. Apparently I'm not allowed to be flippant about it too.

We've established it's overpriced, let's not be silly about it, eh?

You're fixing on the subject matter (which I'll admit I chose because of its faint whiff of ridiculousness) rather than the fact that the object itself is almost entirely identical to a codex (granted the book in question might be a bit more substantial, but the point remains) for less than 10% of the asking price. I don't think it is in anyway silly to highlight exactly how overpriced these things are.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Eiríkr wrote:

 azreal13 wrote:

Spoiler:

It's almost like they are continuing to plunder the 2nd Ed/RT era for stuff, because they know that hardly any of their customers were alive then, and don't have any new ones!

I looked through this book pretty much every week as a child. It was my main source of inspiration and impetus for Games Workshop. I've still got it somewhere, absolutely fantastic...

Yeah, me too! IIRC I picked it up at my first Games Day, or it might have been my first trip to a full blown GW (which was over 60 miles away on the other side of the county, so was a real event, I dragged my parents around Torquay for a full half hour looking for it!) Either way, I remember a) being hugely inspired by it as well and b) getting it in sale!