Games Workshop cancels all Invasions and store trips to Warhammer World

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**beast_gts**

Games Workshop cancels all Invasions and store trips to Warhammer World

I haven't seen this posted on here yet:

Hi everyone,

John here from the Warhammer World Events Team - there have been a few questions about Invasions going forward so I thought it would be good to let you all know the following:

Games Workshop has chosen to cancel all Invasions and store trips to Warhammer World. We've done this because we decided that they were not the right thing for our customers or Games Workshop going forward, they are impractical to run properly to give everyone the best possible experience.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused everyone.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact GW customer services at the following number:

uk.custserv@gwplc.com
01159140000

https://www.facebook.com/GWWarhammerWorld/posts/715843955101754

**pretre**

What are Invasions?

**beast_gts**

pretre wrote:
What are Invasions?

Sorry -

Run by your local Hobby Centre, Invasion Days are your chance to lay siege to Warhammer World, the beating heart of Games Workshop. Visit us and experience everything Warhammer World has to offer, with all of the details such as transport and food taken care of, and the bonus of other hobbyists to enjoy the day with. You and your friends can see beautifully painted figures in the Citadel Miniatures Hall, play on our amazing feature boards, and relax in Bugman's Bar while waiting for those same-day Direct Sales and Forge World models to arrive.

You can also take part in a gaming event run at every Invasion Day, where you can fight for the honour of your Hobby Centre against the foul denizens from rival stores. With prizes on offer for gaming, painting, sportsmanship and more, there are many opportunities to achieve glory. Ready your army and prepare for battle - how will you fare in the Invasion?

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?catId=&categoryId=3500001§ion=community&pIndex=0&aId=22200015a&start=1&multiPageMode=true

**H.B.M.C.**

And what are store trips?

**beast_gts**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
And what are store trips?

They are when your local GW store would put on a coach for you to go and play at Warhammer World for the day.

(It's probably only directly relevant to the UK, but an 'interesting' decision anyway....).

**pretre**

Aha, gotcha. So trips from local stores to Warhammer World. Gotcha.

**MeanGreenStompa**

It's a cost cutting exercise.

Doesn't matter a rat's ass to me that they aren't doing it, but it will possibly become the self fulfilling prophecy of reduced revenue into Warhammer World and Bugmans, which will then facilitate closing that...

Which would be a pity.

**Pacific**

Someone's a bit slow with the old delete key on that Facebook page for the time being..

Impossible to run with the staff cuts perhaps?

**H.B.M.C.**

MeanGreenStompa wrote:
It's a cost cutting exercise.

You're not meant to practice the art of scrimshaw on your own bones, but when you've already cut away the fat and the meat, what's left?

**Grimtuff**

MeanGreenStompa wrote:
It's a cost cutting exercise.

Doesn't matter a rat's ass to me that they aren't doing it, but it will possibly become the self fulfilling prophecy of reduced revenue into Warhammer World and Bugmans, which will then facilitate closing that...

Which would be a pity.

This.

From my understanding this is case of, once again, GW being hoisted by their own petard in the form of the one man store model as they would have to temporarily close the stores in question for a day if they cannot find cover, which I presume is few and far between in modern GW.

What do we say to this?

Spoiler:

**Azreal13**

Really?

I'm the first to say it?

Oh well....

This is Great News!

**xruslanx**

I love how people aren't jumping to conclusions about the reasons behind this.

Given that Warhammer World is hugely popular, I wonder if they've done it to free up room for gamers/museum goers. Maybe all these parties from stores used to squat in the pub not buying anything and drawing complaints about their poor body odour.

**Eggs**

The store visits ARE gamers/museum goers. That's the whole point of the store visits - it gets a decent sized group of gamers to go there. I doubt much people would travel for hours on end to sit in a pub for a few hours and then travel home. (And whose to say the other attendees don't have poor body odour?)

**H.B.M.C.**

xruslanx wrote:
I love how people aren't jumping to conclusions about the reasons behind this.

Where you see people jumping to conclusions, we see yet another example of a pattern of cost-cutting behaviour.

But no, my dear Blue Knight, keep testifying to the average joey’s out there as you defend GW from any criticism or logic…

**Azreal13**

xruslanx wrote:
I love how people aren't jumping to conclusions about the reasons behind this.

Given that Warhammer World is hugely popular, I wonder if they've done it to free up room for gamers/museum goers. Maybe all these parties from stores used to squat in the pub not buying anything and drawing complaints about their poor body odour.

Accuses people of jumping to conclusions.

Jumps to a conclusion.

**Kirasu**

You can tell its a cost cutting measure by the fact that they are trying to make it sound like both the customer and GW want this to end..

Why would the customer not want a field trip to Ultramarine land? Come on.. It's just GW saying "This costs us money and is fun for you..therefore it has to go"

**Pacific**

You shouldn't have humoured that post with an answer Eggs...

**Joyboozer**

Is an x at the beginning and end of a name some kind of lodge symbol? It's bearers always seem to be of the one point of view.

**xruslanx**

Kirasu wrote:
You can tell its a cost cutting measure by the fact that they are trying to make it sound like both the customer and GW want this to end..

Why would the customer not want a field trip to Ultramarine land? Come on.. It's just GW saying "This costs us money and is fun for you..therefore it has to go"

Wait, are these "invasions" free? I assumed GW charged for them.

**Grimtuff**

xruslanx wrote:
Kirasu wrote:
You can tell its a cost cutting measure by the fact that they are trying to make it sound like both the customer and GW want this to end..

Why would the customer not want a field trip to Ultramarine land? Come on.. It's just GW saying "This costs us money and is fun for you..therefore it has to go"

Wait, are these "invasions" free? I assumed GW charged for them.

Yes they charged for them.

It costs GW money as they have to close the stores in said group due to (more than likely) having no cover when these invasions are. As I already said, hoisted by their own petards.

But... I'm not even sure why I'm dignifying you with a proper reply as we all know how this will go down.

**Kirasu**

Does it matter? People pay to go to all sorts of events they enjoy. Thats like saying they cancelled games days because the fanbase didn't want to go.

**beast_gts**

xruslanx wrote:

Wait, are these "invasions" free? I assumed GW charged for them.

Not free, but subsidised by GW - something like £30 a ticket including transport, entry & food.

**Ouze**

Those trips sound to me like a lot of fun.

I don't imagine I will ever get to visit Warhammer World or have a trip to Bugmans bar :/

**xruslanx**

Grimtuff wrote:
xruslanx wrote:
Kirasu wrote:
You can tell its a cost cutting measure by the fact that they are trying to make it sound like both the customer and GW want this to end..

Why would the customer not want a field trip to Ultramarine land? Come on.. It's just GW saying "This costs us money and is fun for you..therefore it has to go"

Wait, are these "invasions" free? I assumed GW charged for them.

Yes they charged for them.

It costs GW money as they have to close the stores in said group due to (more than likely) having no cover when these invasions are. As I already said, hoisted by their own petards.

But... I'm not even sure why I'm dignifying you with a proper reply as we all know how this will go down.

Well, logically if it was profitable when cost of ticket sales > lost revenue, could it be possible that the lost revenue now exceeds the ticket sales? Or did they always lose money?

Would be great if there were some numbers on this - how many people on each trip, cost of each ticket. (Incidentally I reported your post for rudeness, please try to be polite in future. Using the phrase 'dignify with a reply' is very rude and condescending, especially when all I've done in this thread is offer a different viewpoint to your own).

**Azreal13**

xruslanx wrote:
Grimtuff wrote:
xruslanx wrote:
Kirasu wrote:
You can tell its a cost cutting measure by the fact that they are trying to make it sound like both the customer and GW want this to end..

Why would the customer not want a field trip to Ultramarine land? Come on.. It's just GW saying "This costs us money and is fun for you..therefore it has to go"

Wait, are these "invasions" free? I assumed GW charged for them.

Yes they charged for them.

It costs GW money as they have to close the stores in said group due to (more than likely) having no cover when these invasions are. As I already said, hoisted by their own petards.

But... I'm not even sure why I'm dignifying you with a proper reply as we all know how this will go down.

Well, logically if it was profitable when cost of ticket sales > lost revenue, could it be possible that the lost revenue now exceeds the ticket sales? Or did they always lose money?

Would be great if there were some numbers on this - how many people on each trip, cost of each ticket. (Incidentally I reported your post for rudeness, please try to be polite in future. Using the phrase 'dignify with a reply' is very rude and condescending, especially when all I've done in this thread is offer a different viewpoint to your own).

But, tragically for you, this thread isn't in a vacuum, and regular posters will be more than aware of your history of "debating" points where you discard anything people offer while accusing them of failing to offer anything to support their argument simultaneously. Arguing with you is, largely, a waste of time.

**H.B.M.C.**

And who wants to argue against a sock-puppet anyway?

**xruslanx**

azreal13 wrote:
xruslanx wrote:
Grimtuff wrote:
xruslanx wrote:
Kirasu wrote:
You can tell its a cost cutting measure by the fact that they are trying to make it sound like both the customer and GW want this to end..

Why would the customer not want a field trip to Ultramarine land? Come on.. It's just GW saying "This costs us money and is fun for you..therefore it has to go"

Wait, are these "invasions" free? I assumed GW charged for them.

Yes they charged for them.

It costs GW money as they have to close the stores in said group due to (more than likely) having no cover when these invasions are. As I already said, hoisted by their own petards.

But... I'm not even sure why I'm dignifying you with a proper reply as we all know how this will go down.

Well, logically if it was profitable when cost of ticket sales > lost revenue, could it be possible that the lost revenue now exceeds the ticket sales? Or did they always lose money?

Would be great if there were some numbers on this - how many people on each trip, cost of each ticket. (Incidentally I reported your post for rudeness, please try to be polite in future. Using the phrase 'dignify with a reply' is very rude and condescending, especially when all I've done in this thread is offer a different viewpoint to your own).

But, tragically for you, this thread isn't in a vacuum, and regular posters will be more than aware of your history of "debating" points where you discard anything people offer while accusing them of failing to offer anything to support their argument simultaneously. Arguing with you is, largely, a waste of time.

Well that's the beauty of ignoring people. Nothing HMBC says is ever worth my time or attention, but I don't point this out every single time. If you think that what I'm saying is trolling or stupid, ignore it.

Regarding the *topic* I'd be hesitant to cynically call "cost cutting!" without seeing more numbers. Hell if you want an alternate explanation that satiates your oedipal hatred of Games Workshop, maybe they just aren't as popular any more? Maybe people are just losing interest in GW because they can't write rules and have crappy models, so the coach trips just aren't worth it any more. There are all sorts of possible explanations of this, sneering derisively at someone for suggesting an alternative one doesn't get anyone anywhere.

**MeanGreenStompa**

xruslanx wrote:
[
Well, logically if it was profitable when cost of ticket sales > lost revenue, could it be possible that the lost revenue now exceeds the ticket sales? Or did they always lose money?

Would be great if there were some numbers on this - how many people on each trip, cost of each ticket. (Incidentally I reported your post for rudeness, please try to be polite in future. Using the phrase 'dignify with a reply' is very rude and condescending, especially when all I've done in this thread is offer a different viewpoint to your own).

Well, there would also be vehicle rental (I think they hired minibuses like the GW stores that launched 'invasions' to Games Day?) and then the insurance aspect of that as well as the potential risk of taking youngsters on trips, having to have your store employees take on the whole 'in loco parentis' aspect, which, again is has the potential for nightmare litigation should anything go wrong.

Couple all that with the scaling down of staffing levels in the stores and yeah, it becomes untenable.

**Ravenous D**

here you go

**Grimtuff**

xruslanx wrote:

Regarding the *topic* I'd be hesitant to cynically call "cost cutting!" without seeing more numbers. Hell if you want an alternate explanation that satiates your oedipal hatred of Games Workshop, maybe they just aren't as popular any more? Maybe people are just losing interest in GW because they can't write rules and have crappy models, so the coach trips just aren't worth it any more. There are all sorts of possible explanations of this, sneering derisively at someone for suggesting an alternative one doesn't get anyone anywhere.

You keep using that word....

But OT: If they were no longer profitable, then why not just cancel all future ones? GW have cancelled all the existing ones too. Right before Christmas. If this does not smack of cost cutting I don't know what does.