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The 8th edition Death Guard codex is still for sale on the GW website, and given how the new codex is probably just a week or two away from sale, the old codex still being up strikes me as somewhat unethical. A new DG player could come in today and spend money on something that is suddenly worthless in a flash. In your mind, when exactly in the time frame of things should old codices be removed from sale? For me, it is at least a month's time, preferably more, with a notice on the codex's page that it is soon going to be replaced with a new edition.

I would say when the new codex goes up for preorder. I get what your saying but people should research and know what they’re getting into.

Interesting question. I wouldn't mind it if they lowered prices for books that are going to be replaced about 2-3 months later. So if you're a collector or are just interested in the fluff you can pick up the book that you'd otherwize consider to be too expensive, and if you're a new player you are warned.
On the other hand I must say since GW nowadays does previews of what's to come months in advance and there are Forums and Facebook groups and whatever it's not hard to find out when a book is replaced.

As soon as the new book is announced, they should put a pop-up on the site saying in big letters: "WARNING: This book is due to be replaced and obsoleted on X date. Are you sure you still want to purchase it?"

A year at minimum. The amount of time between Marines 8.2 and the new edition was fething ridiculous.

yukishiro1 wrote:
As soon as the new book is announced, they should put a pop-up on the site saying in big letters: "WARNING: This book is due to be replaced and obsoleted on X date. Are you sure you still want to purchase it?"

In their defense, my experience of actual gw store staff is that they would explain as much when they know that a new codex is inbound.

However, I agree that the website could be clearer.

I think they should put up a disclaimer that there is new edition coming when the new one is announced, and the date the new one is available. At the moment I think that is about a month in advance, which seems reasonable to me. I'd expect the same warning if I was to buy it in a GW store or a FLGS.

It should stop selling it online when the new one is available for pre-order.

Having a receipt with a book you want to return should be enough. They did that when 8th appeared, IIRC, with a rebate for codexes and campaign books bought in the previous 3 months?

Online though, that's just rude of GW to keep it up with no warning.

Or, for people who bought an obsolete codex up to 2 months of the update, at least give people the code for the app version.
Does the app code work properly? Has anyone done this yet, with the SM or Necron codex?

xerxeskingofking wrote:

yukishiro1 wrote:
As soon as the new book is announced, they should put a pop-up on the site saying in big letters: "WARNING: This book is due to be replaced and obsoleted on X date. Are you sure you still want to purchase it?"

In their defense, my experience of actual gw store staff is that they would explain as much when they know that a new codex is inbound.

However, I agree that the website could be clearer.

Yeah had a similar discussion with my local GW store staff when the Necron codex was about to drop, he nodded at the old codex on the shelf and said 'of course, I won't actually let anyone buy that now'...

Crispy78 wrote:

xerxeskingofking wrote:

yukishiro1 wrote:
As soon as the new book is announced, they should put a pop-up on the site saying in big letters: "WARNING: This book is due to be replaced and obsoleted on X date. Are you sure you still want to purchase it?"

In their defense, my experience of actual gw store staff is that they would explain as much when they know that a new codex is inbound.

However, I agree that the website could be clearer.

Yeah had a similar discussion with my local GW store staff when the Necron codex was about to drop, he nodded at the old codex on the shelf and said 'of course, I won't actually let anyone buy that now'...

My local is pretty much the same.
They were even warning seraphon players to hold off on buying a carnosaur for a week as the start collecting would contain one for the same price and give them a couple of units for free.

I honestly agree with the warning pop up though.
Once it’s announced, it needs to be made clear the book is being replaced.



As a small side note though, it’s an expensive hobby.
I really don’t know many people that just jump in without doing some research first.

The Warhammer Digital site has eBook versions going back several editions still for sale. For example, Codex: Inquisition is there, and has these two warnings on it -

Warhammer 40,000 is being updated soon and we’ll be taking this title off sale. Though the rules section of the title won’t be compatible with the updated version of Warhammer 40,000, all of the great hobby content and background narrative will be as valid as ever.

The rules in this eBook are also available in Codex: Imperial Agents, fully revised and updated along with new detachments plus rules for adding even more servants of the Emperor to your army.

A clearance sale would be better.
Stick the books on 75% off or whatever when they announce the replacements.
It notifies new people that new rules are coming, but still allows them to pick up the book and helps GW clear old stock, which is a win-win for them!
I think "sale" is just a dirty word to GW.

 kirotheavenger wrote:
I think "sale" is just a dirty word to GW.

The persistent rumour is that the majority shareholders have blocked sales / price reductions as they "devalue the brand".

Makes sense.
GW never produces anything but cutting edge premium products.
/s

Crazy Jay wrote:
I would say when the new codex goes up for preorder. I get what your saying but people should research and know what they’re getting into.

How do you research anything when GW does give a yearly plan, and if they give up any plans for the future, something like the push of DG happens. For all we know right now we should be getting the DA/DE books or with something else coming after that.

If I were a new GK player, and saw how old and bad the GK codex is, and had no way to buy its patch in the form of PA book, because it is oop, I could think that it is going to be updated soon. Specialy as in the past the GK codex came out along side the DG book. But not being a new player, I now know that the GK may be a year away, or may even never happen. And no seller at a store that wants to get rid of unsold merch is going to tell you that.

yukishiro1 wrote:
As soon as the new book is announced, they should put a pop-up on the site saying in big letters: "WARNING: This book is due to be replaced and obsoleted on X date. Are you sure you still want to purchase it?"

This seems a really reasonable idea.

On the one hand, it sucks to spend money on a book that won't be current in less than a month, on the other hand, anybody old enough to have a credit card and make online purchases should also be capable of looking into a hobby before investing. Also, I don't know that textbook manufacturers put out a warning when they change editions, nor does WotC put warnings on old packs that aren't legal in standard anymore. So given those examples I think GW is fine to keep on as they are and that buyer beware always goes double for online shopping.

beast_gts wrote:

 kirotheavenger wrote:
I think "sale" is just a dirty word to GW.

The persistent rumour is that the majority shareholders have blocked sales / price reductions as they "devalue the brand".

Well until that rumor is proven as fact, they can shove their clamshell characters where the sun don't shine.

GW allowed me to return Traitor's Hate and Traitor Legions after 8th came out, about 3 months after I purchased them.

As long as there's a safety net for people who are dissatisfied, I don't think there's a duty to inform people their book is about to become obsolete.

This may be different for hobby shops, since they set their own policies. I imagine it would be in their interests to allow returns. I helped a friend manage his hobby store during the transition from 6th to 7th, there were a lot of returns at that time.

There should be serious notices on the old version as soon as the new one is released, but ...

People don't stop playing the game for the one to two weeks (or more) until the new book comes out, and arrives wherever it needs to go. That's a good enough reason to continue selling the old book.

I find GW codices and supplements become obsolete way too quick. I now try to avoid purchasing them where possible.

 Huron black heart wrote:
I find GW codices and supplements become obsolete way too quick. I now try to avoid purchasing them where possible.

And people wonder why anyone would pirate GW rules...

Stop selling? When they run out of stock.

But I think it would be courteous if they put a notification that it wasn't the current version, and that it would be smart to reduce the price.

But sell that stuff and get it out of your warehouse so you aren't paying for old stock 20 years old that no one will buy (TSR, looking at you...).

 solkan wrote:
There should be serious notices on the old version as soon as the new one is released, but ...

People don't stop playing the game for the one to two weeks (or more) until the new book comes out, and arrives wherever it needs to go. That's a good enough reason to continue selling the old book.

Well, if someone doesn't already have the codex then they're not really playing with that army yet, are they?

I think starting a new army just a week or two before the new codex is released, but *needing* a codex in the mean time, is quite an edge case...

It's tricky. I play Dungeons and Dragons as well, and I like having books from earlier editions of the game. I would not like it if those books were removed from sale because I would feel pressured to pick stuff up. I am happy to have things be on sale, but maybe store employees should just advise people that a new book is coming soon or whatever.

I remember that I bought a book in 7th like a month before 8th was announced, and GW actually gave my money back as webstore credit.

They should never be removed from sale. Let people buy the old stuff if they want to.

 Kall3m0n wrote:
They should never be removed from sale. Let people buy the old stuff if they want to.

That's the problem though. How do new people know...?
How do current people know too? It's not as though GW labels their books "Compatible with the 8th edition ruleset" or anything like that. There's hardly any publication date or version information either.

 Skinnereal wrote:

 Kall3m0n wrote:
They should never be removed from sale. Let people buy the old stuff if they want to.

That's the problem though. How do new people know...?

IF the store front is designed well?

Add category CURRENT and make it allways the first one.
Then a folder including subcategories
In this folder separate to the current ones you add on a per edition basis your publications.

DONE.

Does GW just have all these old books hanging around in workshops? Are they printed on demand? I can't imagine they'd exactly fly off the shelves.