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Both the gaming side and the painting side are now biting the dust

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SM3ZasfAWqM#at=161

Anybody with outstanding painting projects will need to contact Shaun at Blue Table Painting who has apparently agreed to provide credit equivalent to what they are owed for the Blue Table Painting service

(so credit not refunds)

from the sound of the video the new gamestore has not worked out and it is that which has taken down the painting/video side of the business

 OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:
Anybody with outstanding painting projects will need to contact Shaun at Blue Table Painting who has apparently agreed to provide credit equivalent to what they are owed for the Blue Table Painting service

(so credit not refunds)

from the sound of the video the new gamestore has not worked out and it is that which has taken down the painting/video side of the business

Yeah. But it also sounds like they knew they're in trouble for some time now. Did they still take orders?

They had that special deal thing a while ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAkRurseFEM&feature=share&list=UUa_-P0_HA_d0OTshAhHep7Q

Game stores now a days take a lot of work to stay viable to the customers. Its sad to see another one go under.

They were one of the official painting service of Mantics KOW KS project. I presume they won't have had the minis to have completed those projects yet, so I wonder where mantic will go to get that stuff done

Edit: Looking closer it looks like they were only due to paint a few resin masters for the 'design a mini' levels, so maybe they have been finished, and even if not, getting a single mini well painted won't be such a hassle as a hole KS set

I also know they produced painted stuff for Warzone, and Warzone had a painted mini pledge level (but they don't actually specify what painting service they would use), so Prodos may also be looking round for an alternate (not booked up) painting service

Thats a shame, because as painting services went, they seemed like one of the better ones.

Game stores are volatile. If they're not run as a business and are instead run as a clubhouse, it's real easy to go under. I don't know if that was the case here, but it's really a shame.

There's that old joke, "How do you make a fortune with a gaming store?" "By investing an even bigger one.". They're not a business where anyone really thrives.

Didnt their gameing store have some crazy idea of haveing painted warhammer armies on display that people could buy "off the shelf"?

Sounds like alot of expensive slowmoveing product they had tied up doing that. Probly not why they went under. But i couldnt see it helping...

2nd store in as many weeks (and this had the advantage of being a painting studio also)?

There aren't that many in the UK.. bad signs indeed, especially considering the industry is apparently undergoing a period of rapid growth at the moment..

 Pacific wrote:
2nd store in as many weeks (and this had the advantage of being a painting studio also)?

There aren't that many in the UK.. bad signs indeed, especially considering the industry is apparently undergoing a period of rapid growth at the moment..

That information was based on the US market, to be fair.

I don't think Nerd culture is so prevalent in the UK, so not only is the population smaller, the percentage of the population is smaller too (still more people involved now than 20 years ago though)

Personally, I think the way to crack it in the UK is to go big or go home, using something like Warhammer World as a template. A big destination store with huge play areas, a wide range of games, and probably video games, comics and a cafe or similar to maximise revenue streams without diluting the identity of the store too much.

The issue is, I doubt anybody would be willing to gamble the significant amount of money it would take to get it off the ground for such a niche prospect.

Anybody reading this who would, PM me, lets talk!

Hard thing about it is that wargaming is self destructing as a hobby. Not just because of the stores, but on D bag moves by GW and the like with the excessive annual price gouges, and the trickle down effect that Kirby and company embarked on those many years ago.
Even with FF, and base board game companies, you are competing with card games, consoles, computers, and other grubbers that have taken a hobby based on a kids pocket money and taken it to the extra mile of trying to gak on mom and dads pockets as well.

That thing about gamestores is just the same style of issues as any other stores, you need something more then just a painting service, or a couple of game tables to keep the lights on.

These guys couple of months back had that painted army thing going, but that was not as good a deal as maybe selling painted unit box sets, or something smaller that would have pushed some smaller, steady cash flows.

Combined with the fact that GW is crapping the bed on their own, it isn't much of a wonder why we are seeing the decline and fall of the GW empire.

Failures trickle down, and others need to take note and diversify out of GW's shadow and push on with other things and games.

Well that sucks. I really enjoyed watching their videos. I really loved that 30k DA army they had.

Did you just blame GW on ther store closing??

 cincydooley wrote:
Did you just blame GW on ther store closing??

It's a part of it. Blame comes with overpricing of the total package. GW is part of it, if not the major player. They set the market, everyone else follows suit. So yeah, they get the brunt of it.

The HHHobby killed the video star.

That's a shame, really liked their videos and hate hearing business's going under

That is a shame but the High Street is tough at the moment, stores are closing all the time - even well known or popular stores. I can't honestly say I'd buy from a local store unless they had a discount these days (other than for minis from smaller companies maybe) and some dedicated space to game.

Unless stores also operate online sales and diversify to include Magic and numerous other geek culture products then it's going to be hard for them - it's a lot of work and you wonder how much the painting studio interfered with the store or vice-versa

Also location is critical - which may have affected them. It's a shame but all kinds of stores are closing down all over the place here, even though I think stores that cater for a niche market maybe stand a better chance.

 OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:
They were one of the official painting service of Mantics KOW KS project. I presume they won't have had the minis to have completed those projects yet, so I wonder where mantic will go to get that stuff done

Probably Golem. Mantic seems to work with them on a regular basis. They do the Deadzone stuff. They were at Mantic Open day doing seminars. Etc...

There's no reason to think that miniatures wargaming will last forever. When GW got started with it, for example, computer games were still crude pixelfests with annoying beeps for music. These days, they're the biggest entertainment industry in the world, and almost all of the target market of miniatures games are exposed to them every day. Little plastic men will not be able to compete with that indefinitely, just like model kits, RC cars and model trains, all of whom are already dying.

Maybe in 20 years some post-hipsters will ironically rediscover space marines and rolling dice.

 Agamemnon2 wrote:
There's no reason to think that miniatures wargaming will last forever. When GW got started with it, for example, computer games were still crude pixelfests with annoying beeps for music. These days, they're the biggest entertainment industry in the world, and almost all of the target market of miniatures games are exposed to them every day. Little plastic men will not be able to compete with that indefinitely, just like model kits, RC cars and model trains, all of whom are already dying.

Maybe in 20 years some post-hipsters will ironically rediscover space marines and rolling dice.

Which is why GW is experimenting with licensed products such as LoTR/The Hobbit. They clearly turned around companies like Lego, though GW doesn't seem to have mastered it yet. They also emphasise their own IP (including the perhaps often insensitive methods vis-a-vis small self-published authors and/or blogs).

 Agamemnon2 wrote:
There's no reason to think that miniatures wargaming will last forever. When GW got started with it, for example, computer games were still crude pixelfests with annoying beeps for music. These days, they're the biggest entertainment industry in the world, and almost all of the target market of miniatures games are exposed to them every day. Little plastic men will not be able to compete with that indefinitely, just like model kits, RC cars and model trains, all of whom are already dying.

Maybe in 20 years some post-hipsters will ironically rediscover space marines and rolling dice.

I thought Model Railways were making a come back...

Plus, I would say the biggest problem Worthy painting had was the size of the building they rented. The rent, costs and council taxes must have been massive...

 Agamemnon2 wrote:
There's no reason to think that miniatures wargaming will last forever. When GW got started with it, for example, computer games were still crude pixelfests with annoying beeps for music. These days, they're the biggest entertainment industry in the world, and almost all of the target market of miniatures games are exposed to them every day. Little plastic men will not be able to compete with that indefinitely, just like model kits, RC cars and model trains, all of whom are already dying.

Maybe in 20 years some post-hipsters will ironically rediscover space marines and rolling dice.

I would argue that it won't die out for at least 30 years, even if GW does. Despite what people say about a lack of new players, I am constantly meeting new/younger players who are enthusiastic about the hobby. I also doubt video games will kill it off. People like to play games that aren't on screen. For example, MTG is still going strong, even though the same company has released an online version of the game that's pretty much exactly the same. Some people just prefer for their gaming to be physical.

Card gaming is doing very well, and Board games have been undergoing a bit of a renaissance in the last several years.

 Azazelx wrote:
Card gaming is doing very well, and Board games have been undergoing a bit of a renaissance in the last several years.

Games Workshop has been reporting steadily rising profits for years.

Miniature Games on Kickstarter are obviously booming.

Hell, top-shelf miniature-painting services are probably a growing industry due to (a) all those miniature companies outsourcing their pro-painting (not everyone can afford a fully employed 'Eavy Metal team) and (b) the greater number of "older" miniature gamers, who started the hobby in the 90s and are back into it (still in it) with a better job and less time on their hand.

Escapist hobbies and diversions generally thrive in economic hard times.

Where do you start. I frequented the store often.

Maybe it was too big too soon.
Paying painting staff a wage instead of paying commision for completed work. Hardly motivates them
Maybe someone sitting around watching DVD's instead of actively sinking everything into making the business work
Having a pile of GW stock that wouldn't sell such as all the LOTR range. It was still there despite a 50% discount yesterday.
Stocking other lines no one was interested in
Lack of online sales, to boost the customer demographic, whilst Preston has a good wargaming community, you need sales from further afield.
Cashflow problems preventing further purchase of stock that was selling well. Nothing worse than going in the store for certain well selling items, yet they couldn't get them in for you.
Seperating the painting business from the shop.
In all of this I feel really sorry for the amazing store staff. They offered great service, and deserve accolades for the professionalism they have shown over the past few weeks, despite not being paid for quite a while. They would do any hobby business proud.

I didn't remember this one

The painted minis pledges for Relic Knights were scheduled for Worthy painting, so CMON/Soda pop are contacting them to arrange refunds (update just now)

(A decent response, as an alternate service would not nessesarily offer the same style, but hopefully they'll also offer to find an alternate painting service for those pledgers who want one)

That's bad news, also, is it just me or is the presenter the worlds most photogenic wargamer?

If he wants another job, we could just make him our ambassador to the outside world, as a counter to the damage done by Stelek's pretty face and bedside manner...

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
If he wants another job, we could just make him our ambassador to the outside world, as a counter to the damage done by Stelek's pretty face and bedside manner...

I recently found out he's got his own Urban Dictionary page, he's really something now!

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
That's bad news, also, is it just me or is the presenter the worlds most photogenic wargamer?

If he wants another job, we could just make him our ambassador to the outside world, as a counter to the damage done by Stelek's pretty face and bedside manner...

Really glad I'm not the only one who thought this.

If anything, he could go do some modeling for polo or Abercrombie

 Grot 6 wrote:

 cincydooley wrote:
Did you just blame GW on ther store closing??

It's a part of it. Blame comes with overpricing of the total package. GW is part of it, if not the major player. They set the market, everyone else follows suit. So yeah, they get the brunt of it.

The HHHobby killed the video star.

Probably doesn't help that there is a GW only 100 yards down the road.

The store they had was massive though, I never went in despite being like 8 miles away in the next town but it sounded huge, like 3 floors or something, way too much floorspace for the custom coming in. Plus apparent rumours that the dude who ran it spent way beyond his means, like many trips to the US and Blue Table