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Wow.

Just wow...

I really must meet the GW decision makers one day, they sound... interesting...

GW store operators are now prohibited from giving away product, having raffles for product, etc. as was commonplace just a few years ago. It's another one of those company culture and philosophy changes that has changed severely in the last couple years.

So, store operators have had to look for creative ways to have buying incentives without being able to offer prizes for painting contests and the like. One tactic that is becoming more common is to offer customers some kind of intangible bonus. Re-rolls on dice are one incentive, another I've seen is to offer players unit statistical bonuses or special abilities for the month in which the unit is purchased for all games in which it appears. As GW has become much more draconian in what it allows store operators to do lately they have been forced to stretch the limits of their imagination to come up with buying incentives for customers that don't violate company policy.

Not only is it laughably stupid in that GW are basically promoting cheating (only if you can afford it), but I can think of a better sales promotion right off the top of my fething head that would have made way more sense, that I doubt anyone would be complaining about.

Buy $100 worth of product, get a free blister. Buy $300 worth of product, get a free box set valued under $50.

But oh noooo, they're so terrified of losing that $18 sale, or just giving away a box of Marines and losing $40.

GW store operators are now prohibited from giving away product

...what kind of backwards-ass...god damn.

Vladsimpaler wrote:If it's a campaign then you're going to be adding new units/bulking up forces anyway, so it's just an extra bonus.

If not, well, it sucks but that's what it is. I'm not denying there are some cons to the idea, however overall it's a good one.

I don't have a problem with a minor rule like that being used in a store sponsored campaign, since campaigns are played for fun and rarely involve strong competition or prize support. However, does the guy that spent $500 in one month have any less right to play on a store's tables than a guy that spent $500 in ten months? This idea that you have to be constantly spending to support a store is ludicrous, and it really goes a long way to devalue the patronage of customers who have already completed their armies/figure collections.

Vladsimpaler wrote:

Kriswall wrote:This sort of thing is pretty standard. The GW nearest me just wrapped up a 2 month campaign with bonuses. If you purchased a unit in the store to use in the campaign, you got to pick a random card from a deck. Each card corresponded to a bonus... +1S, reroll attacks, etc. There were a ton of different bonuses. That unit would keep the bonus throughout the campaign.

See, I think this is cool and a really good way of encouraging people to buy from the store. So in reality, the people who'd have less luck would be the people who don't support the store they're playing at, which I'm cool with.

Personally I think the whole business about paying 100 euros for a re-roll is pretty hilarious. If I'm playing against some Neck-beard who paid 100 euros so that he could re-roll his Lascannon's penetration dice against my Leman Russ, I'd welcome it. Because in the end, the jakes are on him, not me. I can go on with my life and go have a fun evening afterward with the ~150 dollars I didn't spend on a re-roll, and the neckbeard just spent an absurd amount of money to win a toy soldier game.

This is, ironically, a great example of why people are upset about the idea of being able to buy such perquisites; they are an unambiguous affirmation that the game is a joke, one that even the people that put it out can't take seriously.

Think that is putting it to far? Try and imagine selling something equivalent, say, the ability to take back a move or add time to your clock at a ranked chess tournament, or the ability to draw an extra card once in a game at a ranked MtG tournament.

Wouldn't pay a fiver for an eggroll
That store was having a laugh alright...
all the way to the bank.

I don't know why GW doesn't have a customer loyalty program for in-store purchases. Since they seem obsessed with driving people away from Internet purchases and into retail shops, which isn't a bad thing to me, I don't understand why they are the only company with which I do business regularly that has no loyalty program. Virtually every other retail chain and restaurant chain I frequent has some kind of loyalty program and even small amounts of free items will inspire surprisingly many people to make in-store purchases. Even just $5 for every $100 you spend or something like the old Skullz program would benefit their in-store sales greatly, cost them almost nothing, and generate a lot of store and community growth on top of all the additional in-store sales.

GW store operators are now prohibited from giving away product,

Yes, this surprised me. Someone I know offered a GW model bought and painted by himself to a GW shop to be given away as a prize in a competition. Offer refused.

But quite honestly this 'buty a re-roll' business is pretty trivial. I mean how much shop-bought product do you need for enough re-rolls to win a competition?

That might involve them giving something useful away, like cash or models.

For the sake of argument, a blister at cost would be 10% of a £100 purchase and a lot more useful (Assuming the blister contained all parts in good order) than a reroll

The thought of influencing dice rolls by purchasing product just doesn't sit well with me. Can't the idiots come up with a better way to promote their product?

In the kerching of the 21st century there is only lucre.

Buzzsaw wrote:

Vladsimpaler wrote:

Kriswall wrote:This sort of thing is pretty standard. The GW nearest me just wrapped up a 2 month campaign with bonuses. If you purchased a unit in the store to use in the campaign, you got to pick a random card from a deck. Each card corresponded to a bonus... +1S, reroll attacks, etc. There were a ton of different bonuses. That unit would keep the bonus throughout the campaign.

See, I think this is cool and a really good way of encouraging people to buy from the store. So in reality, the people who'd have less luck would be the people who don't support the store they're playing at, which I'm cool with.

Personally I think the whole business about paying 100 euros for a re-roll is pretty hilarious. If I'm playing against some Neck-beard who paid 100 euros so that he could re-roll his Lascannon's penetration dice against my Leman Russ, I'd welcome it. Because in the end, the jakes are on him, not me. I can go on with my life and go have a fun evening afterward with the ~150 dollars I didn't spend on a re-roll, and the neckbeard just spent an absurd amount of money to win a toy soldier game.

This is, ironically, a great example of why people are upset about the idea of being able to buy such perquisites; they are an unambiguous affirmation that the game is a joke, one that even the people that put it out can't take seriously.

Think that is putting it to far? Try and imagine selling something equivalent, say, the ability to take back a move or add time to your clock at a ranked chess tournament, or the ability to draw an extra card once in a game at a ranked MtG tournament.

If you think that Warhammer 40k is a game that needs to be taken seriously I suggest you take a deep breath and go take a walk outside and enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine.

:edit: you live in Pennsylvania, my condolences

If someone wants to win that badly that they'll pay 2000 dollars for 10 rerolls against my army, I'll have them go ahead

And in 6th Edition, all HQ units will have their stats defined by the customer's purchase history, "to allow for more unique characters."

So we've had Kan and Redbeard in here to defend it. We just need Mystery to make an appearance and we'll have the Dakka Trifecta.



Overall this is kind of a silly and pointless move. If it really is a reaction to stores being unable to offer any sort of prizes and incentives then it's a larger company culture problem than a 'greedy evil company' problem. I know though that I wouldn't be too pleased if I was playing at a tournament and the guy across from me told me he had a re-roll because he bought some stuff at a store. That's just daft.

BrassScorpion wrote:I don't know why GW doesn't have a customer loyalty program for in-store purchases.

Loyalty is a two-way street. GW doesn't show any to their customers, so why should their customers show any to them?

Would you argue with someone who would pay 100 euros to reroll one dice?

Think of what else they would be willing to spend their money on to win... a thug with a knife for instance.

Anyway its kinda funny tbh, if they paid me a fraction of that 100 euros I'd be more than willing to take a dive.

Hell I'd do it for a chocolate bar.

Necros wrote:Can you return your reroll for a new one if it's miscast?

HA!

Surely this is getting blown out of proportion. The 'advantages' were only if you had purchased that amount of goods on the day.
People are taking this far too seriously. In saying that GW should be offering something more substantial if they want to lure people into spending.

Also, because you can't have enough Jeff


Please move to discussions!

Vladsimpaler wrote:If you think that Warhammer 40k is a game that needs to be taken seriously I suggest you take a deep breath and go take a walk outside and enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine.

For the amount of money it requires to get started up? Yeah, I'd argue that 40k should probably be taken a little more seriously than that. Especially by the company who made the damn game.

No one's saying 40k should be treated like life and fething death, but I'd like to think that for the money I've spent on the hobby that it's just a little bit above Chutes and Ladders...

Oh, the humanity!!!!

This completely demolishes the purity of the game. What about the history, the pageantry, and the immortal records and stats?!?

Would you argue with someone who would pay 100 euros to reroll one dice?

Not sure

First things first, pick jaw off floor.

Then consider options:
Maybe tell him to shove his reroll where his poop comes from
or
Pointing and laugh
or
maybe a combo
or
tell him he may do so but only with dice made of cheese.

I dunno, maybe GW's on to something...I'll offer re-rolls for $10. Tournaments are $20. And for $35 not only will I forfeit the game but I'll give you a coupon for $2 off your next purchase!

Buzzsaw wrote:

Vladsimpaler wrote:

Kriswall wrote:This sort of thing is pretty standard. The GW nearest me just wrapped up a 2 month campaign with bonuses. If you purchased a unit in the store to use in the campaign, you got to pick a random card from a deck. Each card corresponded to a bonus... +1S, reroll attacks, etc. There were a ton of different bonuses. That unit would keep the bonus throughout the campaign.

See, I think this is cool and a really good way of encouraging people to buy from the store. So in reality, the people who'd have less luck would be the people who don't support the store they're playing at, which I'm cool with.

Personally I think the whole business about paying 100 euros for a re-roll is pretty hilarious. If I'm playing against some Neck-beard who paid 100 euros so that he could re-roll his Lascannon's penetration dice against my Leman Russ, I'd welcome it. Because in the end, the jakes are on him, not me. I can go on with my life and go have a fun evening afterward with the ~150 dollars I didn't spend on a re-roll, and the neckbeard just spent an absurd amount of money to win a toy soldier game.

This is, ironically, a great example of why people are upset about the idea of being able to buy such perquisites; they are an unambiguous affirmation that the game is a joke, one that even the people that put it out can't take seriously.

Think that is putting it to far? Try and imagine selling something equivalent, say, the ability to take back a move or add time to your clock at a ranked chess tournament, or the ability to draw an extra card once in a game at a ranked MtG tournament.

Do none of you people have fun with the game any more? A random in-store game is just that, a fun kickabout. Official GW tournaments are jokes which no-one takes seriously. It's not even close to comparable to a ranked chess tournament.

No one takes it seriously because GW suck at running tournaments. The Throne of Skulls is proof enough of that, they just don't care anymore. And independent stores aren't any better with their constant re-balancing of the game, which often does more harm than good, and tables that either have no terrain or way too much/not the right type, gakky missions that favor armies they like, etc.

daedalus wrote:I think Dakka members should adapt the same business acumen. For 100 Euros, HMBC could state one good thing about GW, for 150, Ailaros could admit that he likes autocannons, and for 300 Euros, Kan could allow something glaringly wrong in 40k Background to slide!

I think Dakka members should adapt the same business acumen. For 100 Euros, HMBC could state one good thing about GW, for 150, Ailaros could admit that he likes autocannons, and for 300 Euros, Kan would have to say something nice about Chapterhouse Studios!

Fixed that for you.

Really? GW HQ is stopping stores doing raffles? Just this christmas my local store gave away 3 GW art lithographs and gakloads of bits in a raffle. Got a massive turnout as well and likely sold a lot more stuff than usual.

Me gusta?

It's an (admittedly silly) promo that's been done many times before. Not news.

Corrode wrote:

Buzzsaw wrote:

Vladsimpaler wrote:

Kriswall wrote:This sort of thing is pretty standard. The GW nearest me just wrapped up a 2 month campaign with bonuses. If you purchased a unit in the store to use in the campaign, you got to pick a random card from a deck. Each card corresponded to a bonus... +1S, reroll attacks, etc. There were a ton of different bonuses. That unit would keep the bonus throughout the campaign.

See, I think this is cool and a really good way of encouraging people to buy from the store. So in reality, the people who'd have less luck would be the people who don't support the store they're playing at, which I'm cool with.

Personally I think the whole business about paying 100 euros for a re-roll is pretty hilarious. If I'm playing against some Neck-beard who paid 100 euros so that he could re-roll his Lascannon's penetration dice against my Leman Russ, I'd welcome it. Because in the end, the jakes are on him, not me. I can go on with my life and go have a fun evening afterward with the ~150 dollars I didn't spend on a re-roll, and the neckbeard just spent an absurd amount of money to win a toy soldier game.

This is, ironically, a great example of why people are upset about the idea of being able to buy such perquisites; they are an unambiguous affirmation that the game is a joke, one that even the people that put it out can't take seriously.

Think that is putting it to far? Try and imagine selling something equivalent, say, the ability to take back a move or add time to your clock at a ranked chess tournament, or the ability to draw an extra card once in a game at a ranked MtG tournament.

Do none of you people have fun with the game any more? A random in-store game is just that, a fun kickabout. Official GW tournaments are jokes which no-one takes seriously. It's not even close to comparable to a ranked chess tournament.

That... was kinda my point. GW games are a joke, incapable of being taken seriously even by the people that make them. This is in contrast to chess or MtG, which can be played at many levels; dead serious or pants-on-head. GW games only have the pants-on-head speed.

As Sid points out, the people who have invested hundreds or thousands in the game sometimes find this hard to swallow.

At the same time, the "it's a crappy, unserious game that can't be played seriously" isn't... well, it isn't really a heck of an endorsement, eh?

Quite a funny subject. I wonder if anyone there fell for using the 100 Euro re-roll