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It seems a bit odd that in this modern age GW don't have a community rep that liaises with the main wargaming websites/publications.

Such a position would allow them to provide official rulings on rule interpretations/questions as well as providing 'sneak peeks' of upcoming products, promoting offers, gaining valuable product/design feedback and I feel would go a long way to promoting general goodwill within the gaming community, the people that buy their products.

I honestly can't understand why they don't have anyone doing this, they don't even have their own forums.

Because they don't care much about any of those things. They used to do sneak peaks and take people's Q&As and have their own forum. They scrapped it all because they know most of their profit comes from customers new to the hobby and who only stay a short time. We online just don't matter and sneak leaks and the like don't interest GW who want to out everything through their magazine and make people pay for it. Just giving it away? Madness.

And more importantly, look at the community. It's not healthy to subject people to that kind of abuse. I mean, probably the only thing worse to the human psyche would be to have to be one of those guys who does the offensive crap filter for google or something.

You guys are a lot more vicious than you realize, I think sometimes.

GW is what it is. PP has pressgangers all over and they have employees that interact on their boards as well.

Because GW's management is a bunch of incompetent idiots who are afraid to do anything that might in any way change the current "successful" model and damage their investment before they can loot the company and retire. In their opinion it's better to settle for stagnant sales and hope to keep the company "profitable" for a few more years through unsustainable price increases than to risk losing money by expanding the company.

A properly-run company would understand that even when they're making lots of money off kids who whine until their parents buy them a box of space marines and then forget about it within a week there's still a lot of profit to be made from older players who value things like community interaction, previews, etc. The result would be something like MTG where there is a major marketing campaign before each set is released with previews, articles about the design, etc. Meanwhile their "blog" would consist of real information about the game instead of just pictures of models and links to buy them, there would be a legitimate effort to support third-party sites (including giving them previews to write about), and a general recognition that the internet is important and the community-building aspect of it is vital to having a successful business.

Conclusion: the sooner GW dies and gets bought by WOTC the better.

 Peregrine wrote:
Because GW's management is a bunch of incompetent idiots who are afraid to do anything that might in any way change the current "successful" model and damage their investment before they can loot the company and retire. In their opinion it's better to settle for stagnant sales and hope to keep the company "profitable" for a few more years through unsustainable price increases than to risk losing money by expanding the company.

A properly-run company would understand that even when they're making lots of money off kids who whine until their parents buy them a box of space marines and then forget about it within a week there's still a lot of profit to be made from older players who value things like community interaction, previews, etc. The result would be something like MTG where there is a major marketing campaign before each set is released with previews, articles about the design, etc. Meanwhile their "blog" would consist of real information about the game instead of just pictures of models and links to buy them, there would be a legitimate effort to support third-party sites (including giving them previews to write about), and a general recognition that the internet is important and the community-building aspect of it is vital to having a successful business.

Conclusion: the sooner GW dies and gets bought by WOTC the better.

This is why, OP.

daedalus wrote:And more importantly, look at the community. It's not healthy to subject people to that kind of abuse. I mean, probably the only thing worse to the human psyche would be to have to be one of those guys who does the offensive crap filter for google or something.

You guys are a lot more vicious than you realize, I think sometimes.

Peregrine wrote:Because GW's management is a bunch of incompetent idiots who are afraid to do anything that might in...

Ahh, there it is: my moment of zen.

 darefsky wrote:
GW is what it is. PP has pressgangers all over and they have employees that interact on their boards as well.

PP has pressgangers because they dont have stores. I've PP had its own chain of stores then I'd bet the press gangers would go the way of rogue traders..

 Peregrine wrote:


Conclusion: the sooner GW dies and gets bought by WOTC the better.

Ahhh, if only. I would probably cry from all the joy.

 Daedricbob wrote:
It seems a bit odd that in this modern age GW don't have a community rep that liaises with the main wargaming websites/publications.

Such a position would allow them to provide official rulings on rule interpretations/questions as well as providing 'sneak peeks' of upcoming products, promoting offers, gaining valuable product/design feedback and I feel would go a long way to promoting general goodwill within the gaming community, the people that buy their products.

I honestly can't understand why they don't have anyone doing this, they don't even have their own forums.

Because GW doesnt care about you or your communities. Only the new player.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 ironicsilence wrote:

PP has pressgangers because they dont have stores. I've PP had its own chain of stores then I'd bet the press gangers would go the way of rogue traders..

perhaps. But GW had outriders for a long time when they had stores as well.

As Carmachu said, GW had a forum, outriders, answered faq questions via email, etc. All the same things that smaller companies do (PP, etc). They stopped doing them. It wasn't worth the time, headache, and investment (salary, forums, IT, whatever) to keep doing it, especially considering what GWs forum became. I don't blame them.

 Cruentus wrote:
It wasn't worth the time, headache, and investment (salary, forums, IT, whatever) to keep doing it, especially considering what GWs forum became. I don't blame them.

I'm almost afraid to ask, but what did the GW forums turn into?

EDIT: It was funny but not a good idea.

Never mind.

There will be a day when GW will have to account to the public, but that is not a day long coming when they continue to be successful and their IP strong.

I honestly don't think GW has this seething dislike for most as many feel, I honestly get the impression they don't realize, or don't want to realize that they have competition. I think they feel that they can keep going this way and that their brand name will carry them threw despite things like the internet and such.
I don't like GW as a company very much, but I don't buy new from them, rarely play their games (rules for which I don't buy) the only money they get from me is paints, which are usually bought at a local store anyways
I was loyal to them at one point, but they priced me out and moved in directions I disliked, so I moved on. Things change and I don't think they are malicious, just ill-informed

With the rather dismal failure of fantasy warhammer, and the rather pathetic launch of the hobbit. I wonder how good they actually are

They had someone come in a small while ago, they were QUICKLY ran off by the likes of this community with heavy vitriol, some of which is posting in this thread now.

carmachu wrote:

 ironicsilence wrote:

PP has pressgangers because they dont have stores. I've PP had its own chain of stores then I'd bet the press gangers would go the way of rogue traders..

perhaps. But GW had outriders for a long time when they had stores as well.

To be fair, GW having Outriders and stores was not a mutually exclusive thing. I think that there are more independent shops than "official" GW shops and having the Outriders was a good thing for that.

Personally I was not impressed with the Outrider who was "in charge" of my area.

Zebio: That person is not gone. He still is here, and in fact became a DCM in response to the fact that people were accusing him of "spamming" the forum with the job postings he was putting up.

It is important to remember though that he is here to post jobs; not directly push for change from within the company.

I think it's more of a build up of anamosity towards GW. They are so very much "behind closed doors" in their desicion making that when people get the chance to interact with them it all comes out.

Personally I don't care anymore, I parted ways with GW and don't miss it. I don't think GW is willing to put the time and effort (as in Money) to reach out and make good meaningful contact with the customer base. Business hasn't been affected as much as one might think if there earnings statements are true so why go against the best evidence a company had to the contray and make a change? If and when the dividends smart to shirink dramatically, we will probably see a change in behavior. Before that not so much.

OP, let me ask you a simple question: If you were running a company, would you want a phone line where, no matter when you picked it up any hour of the day you got nothing other than an endless string of insults, obscenities, and screaming demands that you essentially give your product away for free?

You wouldn't?

Well, now you know why GW doesn't have a community representative.

Seriously, if 'the community' wants GW to listen to them, then said 'community' had better start saying something other than "You stupid who don't know we don't give a damn about your wellbeing as a company, give us everything we want, right now, for free!"

I dont want everything for free, but I would like at least prices somewhat ground in reality
example- lotr when it began, was very affordable and a great buy, now, 12 for 35 dollars vs 24 for 25 dollars...
50 dollars for a codex (60 for the chaos ones)
my D&D books cost less then 40 each, and have a much longer life ahead of them
I am not asking for things to be given to me, just a little bit more reasonable
miniatures are not worth what they charge,

Trolls.

Seriously, that's why.

Just sit and read the hate and rage on this board, there is your answer!

The poor fether who worked for GW in that role would get more abuse than a registered sex offender with leprosy.

I'd volunteer to do it. In a heartbeat.

mattyrm wrote:Welcome to Dakkadakka.com, a fun and sociable wargaming website/militant theocracy that brooks no dissent.

I haven't been on the board much lately, so I haven't seen your posts much, was this before or after this thread?

Cause, like, if it was after, it's a reaction that makes sense. If it was before, then yeah, that's kind of the feeling I've been getting too. :(

You haven't seen me much because saying bad things about Christianity in front of American mods gets you banned from the board for lengthy periods.

But yeah, that's not in reaction to this thread....don't worry though, I'm only on a temporary ban.

I'm going to be given full privileges back when we're all playing warhammer 50k, and lucius the eternal has alzeimers.

 SurfPenguin wrote:
Seriously, if 'the community' wants GW to listen to them, then said 'community' had better start saying something other than "You stupid who don't know we don't give a damn about your wellbeing as a company, give us everything we want, right now, for free!"

Yeah, let's just pretend that the anger at GW is all about trolls demanding free products instead of justified concerns about GW's poor handling of the games we love and a perception that GW doesn't care as long as short term profits keep coming in long enough for the upper management to cash their retirement checks.

I nominate Matt Ward for community rep!

 Peregrine wrote:

 SurfPenguin wrote:
Seriously, if 'the community' wants GW to listen to them, then said 'community' had better start saying something other than "You stupid who don't know we don't give a damn about your wellbeing as a company, give us everything we want, right now, for free!"

Yeah, let's just pretend that the anger at GW is all about trolls demanding free products instead of justified concerns about GW's poor handling of the games we love and a perception that GW doesn't care as long as short term profits keep coming in long enough for the upper management to cash their retirement checks.

Case meet point.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 mattyrm wrote:
You haven't seen me much because saying bad things about Christianity in front of American mods gets you banned from the board for lengthy periods.

But yeah, that's not in reaction to this thread....don't worry though, I'm only on a temporary ban.

I'm going to be given full privileges back when we're all playing warhammer 50k, and lucius the eternal has alzeimers.

Really? I am glad I don't get into any theological or political debates etc. on dakka then...

 Daedricbob wrote:
It seems a bit odd that in this modern age GW don't have a community rep that liaises with the main wargaming websites/publications.

Three simple answers to this:

Our perspective: Yes, you are correct. It really is odd. They really should have one. Engagement with the community at large is a good thing, even if they cannot cater to everyone's wishes. Especially with the bigger sites (Dakka, Taco Bell, Whineseer, etc.), there should be some attempt at a gathering of thoughts and feedback - a back and forth of discussion. It would bring the community together and service both the hobby and the HHHobby.
GW's perspective: The Internet is a fad. We can control it!
My perspective: With people like Testify and Zwei chugging the GW Kool Aid, they don't need their own representatives here.