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 Geifer wrote:

In a way I like the Kirby era better. Things were dire, but GW had real economic reasons to implement change, hopefully for the better. The current model, on the other hand, is so successful that GW would be foolish to try something new. Which sucks for people like me who aren't happy with how their games are released. Nothing that can be done about it, though.

The great oddity I've seen as of late is that while GW sales have been fantastic, I don't see many people playing games. It feels like people are mostly just overloading their piles of shame right now.

...yeah, we are >_>

 LunarSol wrote:

 Geifer wrote:

In a way I like the Kirby era better. Things were dire, but GW had real economic reasons to implement change, hopefully for the better. The current model, on the other hand, is so successful that GW would be foolish to try something new. Which sucks for people like me who aren't happy with how their games are released. Nothing that can be done about it, though.

The great oddity I've seen as of late is that while GW sales have been fantastic, I don't see many people playing games. It feels like people are mostly just overloading their piles of shame right now.

We are decidedly not!

*inconspicuously shoves unopened Wrath and Rapture under the bed*

No sir!

 Geifer wrote:

 LunarSol wrote:

 Geifer wrote:

In a way I like the Kirby era better. Things were dire, but GW had real economic reasons to implement change, hopefully for the better. The current model, on the other hand, is so successful that GW would be foolish to try something new. Which sucks for people like me who aren't happy with how their games are released. Nothing that can be done about it, though.

The great oddity I've seen as of late is that while GW sales have been fantastic, I don't see many people playing games. It feels like people are mostly just overloading their piles of shame right now.

We are decidedly not!

*inconspicuously shoves unopened Wrath and Rapture under the bed*

No sir!

Putting it under with all the “source material” for skin tones huh?

That's totally scientific research!

How else do you get into the mindset to play Slaanesh?

I think my pile of unbuilt plastic is now decidedly a fire risk... :/

Polystyrene and card burns well

At this point when I die I hope they burn me with all my unbuild and unpainted miniatures in a boat, so I can finish them in Valhalla.

 Galas wrote:
At this point when I die I hope they burn me with all my unbuild and unpainted miniatures in a boat, so I can finish them in Valhalla.

Don't forget that they must lay your weapons alongside your trophies: a chipped hobby knife; a pair of clippers, the tips twisted; an old paintbrush, with the last few remaining bristles. The tools of a warrior who went out fighting.

“When I die, my worst fear is that my wife sells my stuff for what I told her I paid for it”

These times are infinitely better than the Kirby times

I just wish GW would stop using the excuse "we're a miniature company not a game company" for their shoddy rules.
Seriously what game company hires fiction novel writers to write their rules instead of game designers? it's a mind bogglingly terrible idea and it shows.

Danny slag wrote:
I just wish GW would stop using the excuse "we're a miniature company not a game company" for their shoddy rules.
Seriously what game company hires fiction novel writers to write their rules instead of game designers? it's a mind bogglingly terrible idea and it shows.

Outside of straight min max tournament settings that generally break anything they touch, how bad is it really.

Danny slag wrote:
I just wish GW would stop using the excuse "we're a miniature company not a game company" for their shoddy rules.
Seriously what game company hires fiction novel writers to write their rules instead of game designers? it's a mind bogglingly terrible idea and it shows.

They already stopped using that excuse. Noone has said it since the Kirby era. Also Warhammer Underworlds is probably the best balanced rule set they have ever done. Killteam has a solid rule set. Bloodbowl, adeptus Titanicus and the newest version of lotr are all pretty well regarded. I haven't played Blackstone fortress but it has an 8.5 rating over on boardgamegeek which is pretty good by their standards.

It's not a pile of shame, it's an extensive sprue-based bits box.

And I'll add to it.

Danny slag wrote:
Seriously what game company hires fiction novel writers to write their rules instead of game designers? it's a mind bogglingly terrible idea and it shows.

To be fair, some of these did pretty good job with multiple games and should be (rightfully) praised for it.

The real mind boggling thing is how you can be clearly completely unfit for the job, like certain Eldar writer - who is producing blatantly broken books for his pet faction, while rest of his work (see say DW and Imperial Agents in 7th edition) is bland, tired, lazy mess that easily beats even infamous 4th edition CSM book in every possible way while also starting the whole 'no bits no rules' crap on unprecedented scale - yet still keep your job

And before his fanboys complain, his novels are if anything even worse. He completely slaughtered Tau in his series ignoring their established fluff and opening dozens of colossal plot holes in what could be perfect 'first contact' story in hands of another writer. Alas...

I thought Phil was just a background writer now?

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I thought Phil was just a background writer now?

He has been just a background writer for about five years now. I think some users on here are living on the past.

Danny slag wrote:
I just wish GW would stop using the excuse "we're a miniature company not a game company" for their shoddy rules.
Seriously what game company hires fiction novel writers to write their rules instead of game designers? it's a mind bogglingly terrible idea and it shows.

What are you talking about? One or two of the game designers may have gone on to write novels (Andy hoare and Gav Thorpe are the only two that spring to mind right now), but you've got cause and effect the wrong way round.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I thought Phil was just a background writer now?

A background writer for Age of Sigmar, so the complaints here are even more out of touch.

Danny slag wrote:
I just wish GW would stop using the excuse "we're a miniature company not a game company" for their shoddy rules.

That's an excuse that they've never used.

Seriously what game company hires fiction novel writers to write their rules instead of game designers? it's a mind bogglingly terrible idea and it shows.

You got it kind of backwards. They let their game designers play novel writers.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Chikout wrote:

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I thought Phil was just a background writer now?

He has been just a background writer for about five years now. I think some users on here are living on the past.

People still complain about ward, even though he left gw more than half a decade ago.

But didn't Matt Ward come back a couple of years ago?

 Galas wrote:
But didn't Matt Ward come back a couple of years ago?

No. He was doing contracted work for Black Library.

Complaining about Ward is different though - the work of rules writers typically vanishes with each subsequent iteration of the codex, or at least dissipates over time, but the work of background writers tends to stick around until it's directly contradicted. As such, Ward's horror show lingers like the stink of spoiled meat long after he's gone.

I will say that it's unfair to blame Ward solely for the things he sharted out, somebody gave him permission/instructed him to write that garbage, but while said garbage is still floating around in the setting's background I don't think having a pop occasionally is as unreasonable and "stuck in the past" as some like to pretend.

People seem confused by this so I'll lay it out here.
Pete Foley is head of the boxed games and books. Under him there is Ben Johnson in charge of Aos and someone in charge of 40k ( It was Wade price). There are 4 fiction writers who work on both aos and 40k. There are currently 4 rules writers for 40k and 3 for AoS. There is also a team of 2 doing Killteam, underworlds etc. There is a little cross over with the rules team, Robin Cruddace worked on the aos Dok book for example. Surprisingly Dave Sanders did the entirety of season 1 of underworlds by himself which explains why that game's balance is pretty good.
There are also about 30 miniature designers and about 10 full time artists.
One little tidbit is that Mark Gibbons recently announced that he would do some art for GW again.

Utterly off topic, but good to hear Mark Gibbons is coming back. Always liked the contrast between him and Blanche.

(Ian Miller FTW, though)

 Irbis wrote:

Danny slag wrote:
Seriously what game company hires fiction novel writers to write their rules instead of game designers? it's a mind bogglingly terrible idea and it shows.

To be fair, some of these did pretty good job with multiple games and should be (rightfully) praised for it.

The real mind boggling thing is how you can be clearly completely unfit for the job, like certain Eldar writer - who is producing blatantly broken books for his pet faction, while rest of his work (see say DW and Imperial Agents in 7th edition) is bland, tired, lazy mess that easily beats even infamous 4th edition CSM book in every possible way while also starting the whole 'no bits no rules' crap on unprecedented scale - yet still keep your job

And before his fanboys complain, his novels are if anything even worse. He completely slaughtered Tau in his series ignoring their established fluff and opening dozens of colossal plot holes in what could be perfect 'first contact' story in hands of another writer. Alas...

If you don't have a clue about who is who at GW, stop making personal accusations.

If Dakkanaughts restricted themselves to speaking about only subjects they understand, then Dakka would be as quiet as a graveyard.

 Galas wrote:
At this point when I die I hope they burn me with all my unbuild and unpainted miniatures in a boat, so I can finish them in Valhalla.

That's not going to fit in a longboat...

 Crimson Devil wrote:
If Dakkanaughts restricted themselves to speaking about only subjects they understand, then Dakka would be as quiet as a graveyard.

Dunno. I could bore you all to tears with the finer points of Investigation and Adjudication!

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

 Crimson Devil wrote:
If Dakkanaughts restricted themselves to speaking about only subjects they understand, then Dakka would be as quiet as a graveyard.

Dunno. I could bore you all to tears with the finer points of Investigation and Adjudication!

Don't sell yourself short - you bore us to tears on a lot of subjects!

GW's GAMA reveals were...OK.

Here's hoping that they were saving the Good Stuff for Adepticon!