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As has been said, this isn't exactly a publish policy.

Even if it were, it's better have the official policy be draconian, and than allow managers to allow certain bits on a case by case basis.

Does anyone else remember those bright yellow toy truck Battle wagons in White Dwarf?

Are they included in this moratorium?

Has anyone actually got a first hand report of this happening anywhere except the one place mentioned in the link?

Scott-S6 wrote:Has anyone actually got a first hand report of this happening anywhere except the one place mentioned in the link?

No, and I think that's telling.

MeanGreenStompa wrote:
The glue, stop sniffing it. I would be honoured to have stuff of this quality across the board from me.

And that is the point, things can be done "right" and done "poorly"
Elitist douches want everything done "their" way, when a reasonable person would let anyone try out an army/units a few times with some stand-ins before they drop tons of cash picking up the minis.

Having read the gist of this "release", It is /not/ GW's previous policy on 3rd party parts, basically if you work at an official GW store and allow models with unofficial parts to be used, at all, be sure to have your resume up to date.

It is a far cry from the previous %age GW parts thing, and I can see it being a direct response to 3rd party part availability.

I also heard that some GW managers wont allow older GW models to be used for example:

The old "sexy" metal daemonettes cannot be used as they are not current edition only the plastics....


I can understand not allowing models from other companies, but not allowing your own models that still fulfil all the criteria (ie. same size, same base, same look etc) is silly.

Even with all that as I said banning other companies models fair enough, but not allowing any converted bases/pads etc is to extreme!

I know for fact it is policy at GW Grapevine Mills in Texas.

In the thread I posted, they also confirmed it in an Australian store as well.

I guess you guys can be asked around at the other local GW stores to confirm if you want.

GWS kindly solved this problem for me. They closed all the GWS stores in the area. And the LFGS could care less how modified my minis are.

I have Scribor Heads and Shields, and some Chapter House Shoulder Pads...I fail to see how those cost GWS any money.

100% sounds pretty anal even by GW standards.

I do wonder if they are releasing the hounds early, what with third party product being in vogue and the Hobbit coming out in 2012 and hence the licensed game system? (Over thinking this probably).

Most people can only afford to make one army, so make it the best they can. I think it's a really bad thing for 'the hobby' if people feel they can't do what they want because the local games workshop touting itself as the local games store will make a fuss over minor modification.

Models are models, there's very little reasonable about expecting people to tailor their collection in a certain way just to game at your shop for the sake of a few shoulder pads. Cut your customers some slack, they are still spending most of their money with you. This isn't whole models, it's bases and shoulder pads and guns. It really doesn't matter, GW just have no perspective and are showing themselves to be their usual paranoid and possessive self when it comes to the dominance of their product.

In a lot of places the only local game store is a Games Workshop, they're just trying to monopolise people's purchases and trying to discourage the use of any other model retailer. Well fething grow up.

It's just another very good reason not to go to GW other than for purchases, go and form a gaming club or anything to avoid these stores for gaming purposes. Go somewhere else where you have the freedom to make and play with your own models and have some expression of imagination that doesn't involve fitting their corporate advertising needs.

After all, lets not forget that people gaming in their shops *is* a big advert for them to draw more people in and get everyone enthusiastic about spending. They should to some extent be grateful that people use their premises for gaming, it's a great advert for their 'hobby'. See, it works both ways, the most successful and well thought of games stores are those that foster gaming beyond merely selling goods. I don't see it happening, but if everyone went elsewhere to game and GW stores started to look rather empty and lifeless, they might just remember that stifling creativity and individuality in people's armies might not be a price worth paying just to prevent anyone daring to use a Chapterhouse shoulder pad or Micro Arts base.

1. It's just a rumour.

2. If it's true; Company store, Company rules. GW cannot afford to let the newbs realise there is a huge world of wargaming outside GW.

3. Start a club. Hire a venue or play at someone's house, or church hall. Americans have a lot of community involvement, big houses and so on. Put that to good use.

Grundz wrote:

MeanGreenStompa wrote:
The glue, stop sniffing it. I would be honoured to have stuff of this quality across the board from me.

And that is the point, things can be done "right" and done "poorly"
Elitist douches want everything done "their" way, when a reasonable person would let anyone try out an army/units a few times with some stand-ins before they drop tons of cash picking up the minis.

Having read the gist of this "release", It is /not/ GW's previous policy on 3rd party parts, basically if you work at an official GW store and allow models with unofficial parts to be used, at all, be sure to have your resume up to date.

GW has never had a 'previous policy on 3rd party parts'. They've never said anything, apart from a few overzealous employees doing it to people who were really 'consistent offenders' bringing in armies full of non-GW models.

It is a far cry from the previous %age GW parts thing, and I can see it being a direct response to 3rd party part availability.

It's funny because if you read this release--it mentions that percentage.

As never being more than a 'guideline for GW prize supported, non-GW events'.
What does that mean?

Any FLGS/independent that ran a tournament or event that got GW prize support--had to use that percentage when determining 'best in show' armies that were to be photographed/displayed.

I think it's proof what's screwed up in this country when the only examples anyone can think of is Fast Food ones...

spireland wrote:I think it's proof what's screwed up in this country when the only examples anyone can think of is Fast Food ones...

Well, there aren't a lot of instances where a company sells a product, plus nearly all of the associated accessories, and then also provides room to use those products.

Maybe it would be like brining yoru dell to the Apple Store, but even then you don't really use macs at the store.

Polonius wrote:

spireland wrote:I think it's proof what's screwed up in this country when the only examples anyone can think of is Fast Food ones...

Well, there aren't a lot of instances where a company sells a product, plus nearly all of the associated accessories, and then also provides room to use those products.

Maybe it would be like bringing your Dell to the Apple Store, but even then you don't really use Macs at the store.

The closest one I can really think of is taking candy you bought in a huge bulk bag into a movie theater.

That or showing up at a mini-golf course with your own clubs

Grundz wrote:Welcome to the fallout from chapterhouse

*IF* that was true, the only one to suffer would be GW.

Eric

I do not think that this is a company-wide policy. A manager decided it was in his best interest to stop 3rd party stuff from being used in the shop. GW managers make all kinds of crazy decisions. I know a GW manager who stopped a person from using Forge World models because they were not sold in the store.

The other point to consider is that policies change. It used to be that they would not allow you to play in the store if your models were not painted. Now you can play with it if you can put it on the table. I frequently see people playing with parts of miniatures.

Most likely because higher ups know their going to get their rear handed to them in the chapterhouse suit, so they'll just ban it from their stores.

Stupid policy. I'm more likely to buy a GW model if I have an idea that involves an outside product, then not. GW has come a long way since RT days, and not in a good way.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

SoloFalcon1138 wrote:Would you be peeved if a local McDonalds posted a sign reading that you couldn't take Whoppers into their stores? They are in retail, and they want to make money. They don;t want to here people whining about the cost of an expensive hobby and finding alternate models to fill the gaps.

Apples and oranges comparsion. you dont have a meal that is 90% mcdonald's and 10% burger king.

But you can have a GW model thats almost all GW and a head or a shoulder pad thats outside product. In essence, they've made their money when you buy a space marine tactical box, and added say a chapterhouse shoulderpad- which is no different then using say a forgeworld shoulder pad.

However, GW is well within their rights to implement any stupid policy they want.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

krazynadechukr wrote:I think it is good policy.

If GW starts allowing people to use other game miniatures, and allows a much broader use of stand ins & scratch builds, we will start seeing hodge podge collections of minis, mixing 25mm, 28mm, 30mm and different details in the minis, heroscape minis being used, toy soldiers, and "count as" will be rampant too, and so on....

Obviously you havent been playing very long. There was a time where they, GW, encouraged scratch building and such. Hell I remember pictures they had in various magazines(WD, Citadel journal) they proudly showed them off- including one chaos dread they had that took 35 different parts, including they said, car parts to build.....

People are purposefully being dense for the sake of outrage. They are digging up possible examples so they can say "SEEEEEEEEEEEEE? You would ban this models so your policy is void! all models should be allowed!"

We all know why this is here...

1. People who use alternative lines as proxies or 'counts as'. GW has no reason to allow those models to ever be used within the store.

2. People who are using conversion bitz for a significant part of the model, especially the important visible parts like heads/shoulders/weapons. If anyone sees those parts and want to purchase them, they can't because they are made by other companies.

3. Garbage, toys or shoeboxes being used as proxies.

Just because someone somewhere on the internet made an awesome model that may not be welcome in the store doesn't mean that 99% of the models which would be targeted by this policy are not valid models that GW is perfectly justified in not allowing them in their store.

If you don't like it, don't game there?

Kilkrazy wrote:1. It's just a rumour.

2. If it's true; Company store, Company rules. GW cannot afford to let the newbs realise there is a huge world of wargaming outside GW.

3. Start a club. Hire a venue or play at someone's house, or church hall. Americans have a lot of community involvement, big houses and so on. Put that to good use.

[]
1. Assuming it is true:

2. I don't think anyone has said they don't have the right to do this, just that it's an arrogant and short-sighted move on GW's part. As an aside, it's more than a little annoying that the first defense in any "GW Does Something Stupid" story is to trot out the same old weak "their house, their rules" defense, as if GW's right to do x is ever in dispute. It is their house, and no one is suggesting they don't have every right to do this, just that it's stunningly disrespectful to their customers (oops, sorry, "followers" ) who pour in large sums of money year after year. Especially for IG players who are, in my experience, the main consumer of after-market heads to make up for the feth-ugly ones we got stuck with.

3. At this point, after a 10 (15?) year campaign by GW to undercut local games stores (and in so doing, the clubs that relied on those stores) in the UK and US it's a little sanguine to put forward that we can just start a club in the (often non-existent) public spaces for 40k. As others have said (and, noting that anecdotes aren't the same as data), once the dice come out lots of people scream "gambling" and what little space might have been there, isn't there anymore.

TL,DR: If this is true, it was a stupid and arrogant decision, even by the standards of GW.
[/]

Taking my own experience as a for-instance. I was debating whether to put Pig Iron Kolony heads on Cadian bodies (for a Red Army in space look) or to use Cadian arms on Wargames Factory's Zulu War Brits (for a Michael Caine, Zulu-tribute look). Now my old justification for buying a lot of Cadians and just adding better heads is gone, if this rumor is true, I can't play in a GW store either way. I have no reason to buy the Cadian sets anymore, I'll just buy Cadian arms from a bitz-merchant, which means lower sales overall for GW (especially since I suspect a lot of the bitz merchants are doing recasting). I fail to even understand how this is a good deal for GW.

I find this to be exceedingly unlikely.

Sounds more like some neckbearded baddie got caught being a neckbearded baddie and did what neckbearded baddies do: Cry On The Internet.

Doctor Optimal wrote:
2. I don't think anyone has said they don't have the right to do this, just that it's an arrogant and short-sighted move on GW's part.

I find a lot of supposed GW customers entitled and selfish as they activley take actions to harm GW with weak justifications and then demand GW pander to their unreasonable expectations.

Between the people who are playing GW games with garbage proxies and never buy a GW model or those who steal from GW both physically as well as recasting... I just don't see why GW should be expected to let people who are actively spitting in their face game for free in their stores.

Of course not all people are like this but it only takes one turd in the punchbowl to make it unsafe for everyone to drink... I know to keep my Kromlech orks at home if I want to game at GW as in exchange for me monopolizing their space which they pay rent on, I don't find a problem being expected to show GWs models in the best possible light to enhance sales. If I am gaming in GW, I am basically staring in a GW commercial for lookie-loos to see. That is how it is... the expectation of a 'higher cause' or 'gamers rights' is absurd, they are a company with a store selling a product, not a non-profit gaming club.

Doctor Optimal wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:1. It's just a rumour.

2. If it's true; Company store, Company rules. GW cannot afford to let the newbs realise there is a huge world of wargaming outside GW.

3. Start a club. Hire a venue or play at someone's house, or church hall. Americans have a lot of community involvement, big houses and so on. Put that to good use.

[]
1. Assuming it is true:

2. I don't think anyone has said they don't have the right to do this, just that it's an arrogant and short-sighted move on GW's part. As an aside, it's more than a little annoying that the first defense in any "GW Does Something Stupid" story is to trot out the same old weak "their house, their rules" defense, as if GW's right to do x is ever in dispute. It is their house, and no one is suggesting they don't have every right to do this, just that it's stunningly disrespectful to their customers (oops, sorry, "followers" ) who pour in large sums of money year after year. Especially for IG players who are, in my experience, the main consumer of after-market heads to make up for the feth-ugly ones we got stuck with.

3. At this point, after a 10 (15?) year campaign by GW to undercut local games stores (and in so doing, the clubs that relied on those stores) in the UK and US it's a little sanguine to put forward that we can just start a club in the (often non-existent) public spaces for 40k. As others have said (and, noting that anecdotes aren't the same as data), once the dice come out lots of people scream "gambling" and what little space might have been there, isn't there anymore.

TL,DR: If this is true, it was a stupid and arrogant decision, even by the standards of GW.
[/]

Taking my own experience as a for-instance. I was debating whether to put Pig Iron Kolony heads on Cadian bodies (for a Red Army in space look) or to use Cadian arms on Wargames Factory's Zulu War Brits (for a Michael Caine, Zulu-tribute look). Now my old justification for buying a lot of Cadians and just adding better heads is gone, if this rumor is true, I can't play in a GW store either way. I have no reason to buy the Cadian sets anymore, I'll just buy Cadian arms from a bitz-merchant, which means lower sales overall for GW (especially since I suspect a lot of the bitz merchants are doing recasting). I fail to even understand how this is a good deal for GW.

1) Going by the man at the head of the thread, and their *ahem* interests I would take a large pinch of salt

2) Stop being so myopic, do you really think GW would do something that would cost them sales? Umm, that would be a no then. At the end of the day you can't go into a store that sells product A, while espousing product B because you think it is so much better. Common sense would tell you that is wrong and unfair to the shop staff and likely to lead to you being asked to leave.

3) How does a GW store undercut a FLGS? I have never seen a discount offered, or is it the fact that GW has a buisiness plan and training for its staff in order to boost said sales? Ok, it might not always work but hey, it does well enough (sorta). Why is it so difficult to start a club in America? Are there no facilities at all that you could use? Are you putting too many barriers in your way to prevent you going to all the hassle of running your own club?

At the end of it I'm calling shenanigans on all this. Yes there will always be managers/staff that are having a bad day at the office, and stupid spod customers taking the mickey. Look at the author of this thread, and look at the vested interest he has in rabble rousing. I don't know about you guys, but I am able to have a descent relationship with my local store staff and have never run into any problems with any of my armies, including the 'Cowboy Guard' in my gallery.

To be honest, they do have every right to keep the sole focus in the stores on the models they make.

However, most staff wont recognise alot of the older models.
Infact, you could use 3rd party stuff.
How can they prove you havent sculpted it and cast it yourself?

Also, by following the exact ruling, bases would look pretty damn poor.
Using nothing outside of GW really does limit basing.

I remember a time when GW managers were insisting that people could only use bases painted goblin green AND NOTHING ELSE.

They guy who had spent a week painting individual chequered patterns on a hundred Goff Orks was more than a little irate.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I also remember GW using Star Wars AT-ST scout walkers as the basis for scout titans, and deploying them at a Games day. And cardboard baneblades, "lego" war-wagons, the lot of it.

I do infact still paint alot of things with a goblin green base
Like the classic look of it lol.

nkelsch wrote:
I find a lot of supposed GW customers entitled and selfish as they activley take actions to harm GW with weak justifications and then demand GW pander to their unreasonable expectations.

Between the people who are playing GW games with garbage proxies and never buy a GW model or those who steal from GW both physically as well as recasting... I just don't see why GW should be expected to let people who are actively spitting in their face game for free in their stores.

Of course not all people are like this but it only takes one turd in the punchbowl to make it unsafe for everyone to drink... I know to keep my Kromlech orks at home if I want to game at GW as in exchange for me monopolizing their space which they pay rent on, I don't find a problem being expected to show GWs models in the best possible light to enhance sales. If I am gaming in GW, I am basically staring in a GW commercial for lookie-loos to see. That is how it is... the expectation of a 'higher cause' or 'gamers rights' is absurd, they are a company with a store selling a product, not a non-profit gaming club.

Hurp-a-Durp. Keep on banging that "rights" drum! Because someone has totally said that, rite?

Jackal wrote:I do infact still paint alot of things with a goblin green base
Like the classic look of it lol.

No issue with choosing to paint bases whatever colour one cares to. But to enforce this at the same time as releasing Tallarn Desert Raiders and Valhallan Ice warriors in a GrimDark universe that contains such things as "Cobalt/Ammonium Deserts" or plains of fused glass, or even scenery that ignores the laws of physics and is made of tortured souls last nightmares, and Dave Andrews had Cadians with static grass on the bases ("static grass, what on earth is that? Never heard of it, but it looks so.. real.") ...Epic level stupid. Short thrift was given to this edict.

AFAIK this 100% GW thing is official policy for GW tournaments since about a year or two, probably also for GW stores. But not every GW store enforces this fully.

Wow, quite surprised to see so many surprised people here. I thought it was common knowledge that official GW stores tend to not like you if you got non GW stuff