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Made in ie
Longtime Dakkanaut




Ireland

Over the last few years we have seen GW produce a few games that were for USA only. Now to begin with the games seemed like simplified versions of already available games, so not much attention was given to the restricted release.

Now we see 3 recently released games that are also limited to the USA. One of these games is a not like a game currently available, the other is a 40K version of Gorechosen, and the other is a version of Underworlds.

The interesting one to note is the Underworlds game, Dreadfane. The Warbands in it can be used in regular games of Underworlds, and the game even mentions playing against previous Warbands, along with deck building. So it isn't a simplified version of the game, but rather a cleaner version of the rules, and adds some very needed keywords and alterations to existing rules (namely a model on guard can not be driven back). Along side this is an interesting board and the Hazard cards. Now these look like they add heaps of fun to the game for those of us who want to just play casual, and/or want to add a bit of a random environment conditions to the game to mix things up a little.

GW have said that the Warbands found in Dreadfane will be available for global release in the future, however there is no mention on the board or Hazards, or even the rule changes being made available.

It is annoying, as someone who really enjoys Warhammer Underworlds I am denied this product based on where I live. I could order a copy and get it sent over... however, as the game is made in the UK and sold through Barnes and Noble, that would mean the game would have been shipped from the UK to USA, then from the USA to Ireland. In an age where people are trying to limit their carbon footprint, it just seems irresponsible to do so, that and it is very wasteful.

What concerns me, is if this is a trend that we are going to see GW follow. For a company based in the UK it seems utterly baffling that they are not selling some of their products in the country they are based.

So what are we the non USA community to do about this if it does become a trend? I honestly think a global week boycott along with a letter saying that this is in response to this very odd business practice might make GW at the very least aware that this practice is rubbing their customers the wrong way.

For those of you who live in the USA and managed to get a copy of Dreadfane... I hope you enjoy it, as it seems like a very solid product.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/08/27 09:18:40


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Does GW still have a factory in the US?
That may be why they are US-only.

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All about them trying to adapt to specific markets.

For instance, what works in the UK, where GW have little high street competition, won’t work so well in the USA, where it’s FLGS that dominate the high street.

In Japan, it seems blind boxes are the vogue, hence Space Marine Heroes.

And if you want any regional exclusives, see my signature, and hit up the Loot Group!

   
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These things are far from new. Maybe not common with GW, but a pretty standard part of globalization. The internet has just made us more aware of their existence.
   
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Gathering the Informations.

 Skinnereal wrote:
Does GW still have a factory in the US?
That may be why they are US-only.

They aren't US only.
US, Canada, and Germany.
I haven't seen them in the flesh yet(they're not supposed to get shipments in the stores until August 31st but they were preselling them via their webstores) to check where they're made, but I'm it's a distribution deal rather than production deal.

With that said, there is literally no reason to complain about this. Dreadfane has 0 Universal Cards, they're banning the two warbands from competitive play unless you're in the US, Canada, or Germany, and the Hazards aren't even supposed to be a thing with Beastgrave.

Combat Arena...why would anyone buy it at $39.99 when Escalation(which is admittedly more expensive) comes with the Cultists too?
   
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Florence, KY

The products mentioned are a part of GW's strategy in North America by looking outside of their own stores and the FLGS to grow their business, instead being sold in places like Barnes & Noble. The sculpts usually aren't exclusive for that game (e.g., Dreadfane uses the ETB Stormcast Eternal Sequitors and ETB Myrmourn Banshees).

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Southeastern PA, USA

I would have liked to purchase the new stratagem decks for AT from the US store, instead of having to arrange for people in other countries to buy them and ship them to me (thanks to MDG's loot group and an awesome hobbyist). For whatever reason, the US and Canada sold out of the cards immediately, even while they were available for weeks literally every else in the world.

Sometimes things work in your favor with this global stuff, sometimes they don't. *shrug*

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UK

GW does seem to have trouble with card production and shipping - I recall that there were some hints that they might try and bring it all in-house or they might be securing new overseas deals. I guess the issue is that GW's sales are big enough to do well for a single order; but not good enough for competitive rolling orders so that stocks can be replenished easily.

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Made in ie
Longtime Dakkanaut




Ireland

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
And if you want any regional exclusives, see my signature, and hit up the Loot Group!


Might have to do that, sadly your signature isn't showing as I am on a smartphone.

 Kanluwen wrote:


With that said, there is literally no reason to complain about this. Dreadfane has 0 Universal Cards, they're banning the two warbands from competitive play unless you're in the US, Canada, or Germany, and the Hazards aren't even supposed to be a thing with Beastgrave.


There really is. Not everyone plays competitive, and isn't fussed about organised events, some people prefer casual play. 2 new Warbands, an interesting board, and hazards to add a bit of fun to the game. Those things all seem very attractive to me.

The lack of universal cards is actually a bonus in my books. It makes intro games a lot easier, no other warband has a full objective deck. They all require adding in some universal cards. Having a self contained ready to go deck that I can use with out having to fiddle about with deck building is at times a refreshing change, and helps make the game more accessible for new players.

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Southeastern PA, USA

 Overread wrote:
GW does seem to have trouble with card production and shipping - I recall that there were some hints that they might try and bring it all in-house or they might be securing new overseas deals. I guess the issue is that GW's sales are big enough to do well for a single order; but not good enough for competitive rolling orders so that stocks can be replenished easily.


Production seems to be a problem, but in the case I cited the country allotments seemed to be the real issue. The US and Canada obviously didn't receive nearly enough stock, since they sold out quickly on preorder. Meanwhile, the rest of the world (including other English-speaking countries) didn't have this issue, and the items made it through preorder to general release.

Some things I understand, but other actions by GW/FW one just has to chalk up to vagaries of the warp.

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Space Marine Adventures was US and Germany only, IIRC, I was a little miffed about that. Seemed like a bit of easily accessible fun for casual play.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/08/27 22:21:33


 
   
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While international shipping is annoying for a lot of things...we do live in an age where you can simply order whatever you want from the appropriate shop. Almost none of these releases are "OMG gotta have it!" games. However, if you're desperate for one - just order it online.

I've never cared about limitations to a product. Sometimes it sucks, but it's never been worth getting frustrated over. Then again I also support the use of shop-only or event-only limited editions models, etc.
   
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I really enjoyed gorechosen and would have loved a 40k version, I also play AdMech and the character seems to be a must buy -_-

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I don't know what to make of this country specific approach. What's the big difference between Germany and France or Italy? And if as I suspect these games get translated to German, why not sell in Austria and Switzerland, too? You'd think having introductory games everywhere would be desirable for GW.

What's more, I'm still trying to figure out where you can actually buy Combat Arena in Germany. I've never even seen Space Marine Adventures or the other games and I wouldn't know where to start looking. I think these things could do with a little more advertising.

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I would happily trade access to the handful of US exclusives for Conquest's dirt cheap prices on ETB minis.
   
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Biloxi, MS USA

 DominayTrix wrote:
I would happily trade access to the handful of US exclusives for Conquest's dirt cheap prices on ETB minis.


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 stonehorse wrote:
So what are we the non USA community to do about this if it does become a trend? I honestly think a global week boycott along with a letter saying that this is in response to this very odd business practice might make GW at the very least aware that this practice is rubbing their customers the wrong way.



If you, or others, do a global boycott and sternly worded letters, please also include Conquest, and all the Warhammer World/Bugman's Bar merchandise as well, as they are all also country-specific releases, too, and have been, in the case of Warhammer World, for several years, with no indication that they will ever be available elsewhere.

 
   
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Da Butcha wrote:
 stonehorse wrote:
So what are we the non USA community to do about this if it does become a trend? I honestly think a global week boycott along with a letter saying that this is in response to this very odd business practice might make GW at the very least aware that this practice is rubbing their customers the wrong way.



If you, or others, do a global boycott and sternly worded letters, please also include Conquest, and all the Warhammer World/Bugman's Bar merchandise as well, as they are all also country-specific releases, too, and have been, in the case of Warhammer World, for several years, with no indication that they will ever be available elsewhere.

The limited release of Conquest is due to Hachette from what I understand, not Games Workshop. They announced today that Conquest is now available in France, so it's slowly expanding.

Also some of the Warhammer World exclusive product (such as the Space Marine HQ Command Tanks) are available at the Warhammer Citadel in Texas.

'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents
cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable
defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'

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 stonehorse wrote:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
And if you want any regional exclusives, see my signature, and hit up the Loot Group!


Might have to do that, sadly your signature isn't showing as I am on a smartphone.



Don't let that stop you - just click the "Switch Theme" link and view the site in all of its...glory...on your tiny little device!

(That's what I do when I'm on my phone!)

   
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Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

I figure Conquest for the USA is a big project for both the magazine company and GW in terms of logistics and production. Remembering that the USA is massive compared to most European countries. A market so many times the size that different states might have a different rollout pattern and a market so huge that estimations on sales must be accurate or a shortfall could very easily happen. It might not happen until GW has its new factory and can devote more production to those kits

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We'll find out soon enough eh.

Even setting aside that "just buy it from abroad then" presumes there's no language barrier(I've never actually seen anyone say they managed to find any of this stuff for sale in Germany, so I still don't know if their versions are translated or not), dependent on which there may be further issues(if you need to order from the US to get an English copy, that's B&N international shipping fees, plus 20% VAT, plus customs handling fees to get it to the UK); this kind of thing makes zero sense in the modern world.

The same expanded access to the internet that makes us aware of these things "that always existed", removes any need for making things exclusive to a given market. There's no actual reason GW couldn't offer the product to retailers in the US or elsewhere as an exclusive for their stores, then offer it online through their webstore for customers elsewhere. There's no actual reason they couldn't make these products available through an exclusive retailer in each country, if that's a condition they've set. There's no actual reason for them to not allow the terms of their exclusivity deal to expire/all stock to sell through, then offer a reprint on a wider basis through traditional channels. The scarcity is entirely artificial.

Even if they physically cannot produce enough product to go beyond those initial exclusivity deals right now, there's nothing preventing them from doing reprints for elsewhere in future, and letting us know they plan to do so.

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 Overread wrote:
I figure Conquest for the USA is a big project for both the magazine company and GW in terms of logistics and production. Remembering that the USA is massive compared to most European countries. A market so many times the size that different states might have a different rollout pattern and a market so huge that estimations on sales must be accurate or a shortfall could very easily happen. It might not happen until GW has its new factory and can devote more production to those kits

Sounds likely. Canada seems like a much safer NA launch that can be ramped into a full US market.
   
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 Yodhrin wrote:

The same expanded access to the internet that makes us aware of these things "that always existed", removes any need for making things exclusive to a given market. There's no actual reason GW couldn't offer the product to retailers in the US or elsewhere as an exclusive for their stores, then offer it online through their webstore for customers elsewhere. There's no actual reason they couldn't make these products available through an exclusive retailer in each country, if that's a condition they've set. There's no actual reason for them to not allow the terms of their exclusivity deal to expire/all stock to sell through, then offer a reprint on a wider basis through traditional channels. The scarcity is entirely artificial.


Try telling that to anyone who's run a kickstarter campaign and had to deal with international shipping.

"The overhead is too high to make it worth doing" IS an actual reason for not doing this sort of thing. It's the same reason why Newtype and Animage magazines have Diamond Comics distribute their issues at a two to four month delay in the U.S., and a person in the U.S. can't just subscribe to the magazines directly.

   
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My perspective is it is an opportunity missed for profit.

A good example is the subscription model being employed in the UK. Pretty much any US player would have signed on, if they had the money.

It would have been likely tens of thousands if not more in subscriptions over just a UK release.

Now.. about international shipping.

For some reason it costs MORE to send to or from certain areas.

For example. I order stuff from Spain all the time and it gets sent via Spains Postal Service to the US Postal Service to me.

First of all it is fast.. having done a lot of international ordering from china, tiwan, india, russia, Spain gets it to me FASTEST. Hell faster even CONUS USPS shipping. It costs less. A lot less. Like a fraction of the cost of international from GB or China, though China has ok rates. Russia is pretty good rate wise but is slower than a snail superglued to the floor. China is rock solid on shipping, its going to be a month, it is always a month.

It costs me roughly 6x the cost to ship to Spain as it does for Spain to ship to me.. wait what?

I often think international shipping cost is a Criminal Racket where certain markets are extorted because of a monopoly or simply, because they can, or because some Syndicate in the form of a Corp can rape all it can.

Also if you get "membership" in the Syndicate you get better rates. For example. If you buy into the USPS postage self-printing system as a Business (you get a little machine).. you pay a fraction of normal. As a consumer if you print from home on the internet it will on average cost your 2-3 USD less than if you use their KIOSK or ship at the counter. If you are AMAZON you dictate your shipping rates and you get to pay less than a quarter of what a consumer does.

Which is why the Kickstarters often have trouble with international shipping. They are "little people" and get rammed up the exit sign without any comfort with costs.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/09/10 15:10:13


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 Geifer wrote:
I don't know what to make of this country specific approach. What's the big difference between Germany and France or Italy? And if as I suspect these games get translated to German, why not sell in Austria and Switzerland, too? You'd think having introductory games everywhere would be desirable for GW.

What's more, I'm still trying to figure out where you can actually buy Combat Arena in Germany. I've never even seen Space Marine Adventures or the other games and I wouldn't know where to start looking. I think these things could do with a little more advertising.


Here you go:

https://www.gamestop.de/SearchResult/QuickSearch?q=space+marine

https://www.mueller.de/search/?q=space+marine&ms=true

https://www.mayersche.de/index.php?cl=search&_artperpage=3&searchparam=space+marine&searchcnid=&neue-suche-button=

These stores should also be the ones that sell Dreadfane when it's released - as far as I know it's not actually out in Germany yet.

The Canadian release is the real joke. I guess EBGames will be the retailer if Dreadfane ever really makes it to Canada. There are no Barnes and Noble stores here.
   
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angryboy2k wrote:
 Geifer wrote:
I don't know what to make of this country specific approach. What's the big difference between Germany and France or Italy? And if as I suspect these games get translated to German, why not sell in Austria and Switzerland, too? You'd think having introductory games everywhere would be desirable for GW.

What's more, I'm still trying to figure out where you can actually buy Combat Arena in Germany. I've never even seen Space Marine Adventures or the other games and I wouldn't know where to start looking. I think these things could do with a little more advertising.


Here you go:

https://www.gamestop.de/SearchResult/QuickSearch?q=space+marine

https://www.mueller.de/search/?q=space+marine&ms=true

https://www.mayersche.de/index.php?cl=search&_artperpage=3&searchparam=space+marine&searchcnid=&neue-suche-button=

These stores should also be the ones that sell Dreadfane when it's released - as far as I know it's not actually out in Germany yet.

The Canadian release is the real joke. I guess EBGames will be the retailer if Dreadfane ever really makes it to Canada. There are no Barnes and Noble stores here.


Thank you! I guess that means if I ever want to try for one of these, it's Gamestop for me. A search on their website doesn't yield any result for Combat Arena, so I guess it's not out yet.

I said it before, but these releases don't seem to be handled very well. Finding out anything about the publisher or release date shouldn't be this hard.

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 Geifer wrote:


Thank you! I guess that means if I ever want to try for one of these, it's Gamestop for me. A search on their website doesn't yield any result for Combat Arena, so I guess it's not out yet.

I said it before, but these releases don't seem to be handled very well. Finding out anything about the publisher or release date shouldn't be this hard.


For what it's worth, Dreadfane is now out on Mueller
https://www.mueller.de/p/games-workshop-warhammer-underworlds-dreadfane-2563180/

Hopefully it won't be too long till they and the others have all three new releases.
   
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So I've gone out and bought a copy of Combat Arena now. Yay! Naturally I have a couple of unsolicited comments to share.

Like I said earlier, it's Gamestop for me and the one local to me is a small store in a mall that seems to have had exactly one copy of the game. I don't know if they'll get any more, but before I went to buy it their website stock tracker showed Combat Arena in stock at that store, and after i came home with it it was shown out of stock. The website showed the release date as three weeks ago, too. Now I don't know what's going on, if it's just the tiny mall store that can't keep excess stock around, they can only restock at the beginning or end of the day because it's a one man store, if the deal between retailers and GW simply encompasses low numbers or if GW only wants to make and sell a set number of copies. I certainly thought having small introductory games outside of dedicated game stores was a nice move on GW's part. I mean when I was a kid we had Hero Quest and the like around and that certainly did its part to ensure you get to read my mad ramblings on Dakka today. So I don't know if I'm reading too much into this, but since I'm already not a fan a region exclusive releases, seeing such limited stock doesn't raise my confidence that there's an actual recruiting strategy supposed to be at work with these games. Which, if true, is a shame.

It's a cliche, being a GW product and all that, but I have to say something about price. I can live with 35€ for five nice character models and a complete board game. It makes it all the worse that Combat Arena is country specific, because if you want to get the models elsewhere you need Escalation. We can all agree that it's overpriced, it's been a much criticized point. I paid RRP for Combat Arena and you can get the cultist half of Escalation for 20€ straight from GW and that adds up to 55€ for all the models and a complete game as opposed to 85€ for the same models and a game expansion with comparable material volume (cards and cardboard) that does you little good on its own. 30€ of GW tax out of 85€? That's a bit, isn't it? i was tempted to write something more extensive about it, but it's not like that will do anyone any good. That figure might come in handy down the line when you have to explain to people why a 30% to 35% discount on a box like Phoenix Rising isn't actually something to cheer about, though.

On that note, does anybody remember what Gorechosen cost, which I gather Combat Arena is the sci-fi version of? Not sure anymore but I seem to remember it was 50€, but it may have been less. If that's true, Combat Arena that released years later compares very favorably, I'd say, and shows what things could be like if GW did not act as the quasi monopoly they are.

And since Yodhrin asked, the game has been translated to German (with the usual exception of trademarked names that can make the background passages annoying to read).

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 Geifer wrote:
(with the usual exception of trademarked names that can make the background passages annoying to read).

So this is a global affliction? We have it here in France, I remember when it got introduced, it's HORRIBLE VERY BAD I HATE IT!
And even some non-trademarked, impossible to copyright names are untranslated too, it's really only about unit names. For instance, they write the English "Commissar" instead of the French "Commissaire" in the middle of a French text, BARF!



Some people suggested ordering stuff online from Barnes & Noble, but their website don't allow shipping to EU countries because they just won't submit to the GDPR .

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Global affliction seems right. I seem to remember seeing Spanish and Italian posters comment to the same effect. It's all part of GW's post-Chapterhouse madness.

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