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I subscribe to the Webway email newsletter and to my surprise, GW has announced unbelieveable news!

(It may not be to some of you, but to me it's huge)

"One lucky White Dwarf subscriber will win EVERY BATTLEFORCE, BATTALION ANDLEGIONS BOXED SET THAT GW CURRENTLY PRODUCES!"

that's 23 boxed sets! Imo, that's a bit too much for anyone to possibly paint (over 950 models) so I reckon they'll probably turn up on ebay or something. But still, thats a REALLY OTT prize to win!

Tell all your friends!

That ain't nothing, the lotto is giving away $23 million to one lucky ticket buyer!!!!!!one!!!

Sorry man, I never buy anything based on what I might win maybe possibly one in a million chance.

Yeah, I can't believe that was what you were all excited about... though since only about 5 people subscribe to White Dwarf anymore, chances might be pretty good.

Posted By ChristmasKironor on 10/23/2006 8:21 PM

Tell all your friends!

      

Umm yeah. Cool. I guess GW wants to encourage people to re-subscribe for their lousy WD ...

Plus, unless I read something wrong, but wasn't it like $60 for a one year subscription. Hardly worth it if that is the case.

Posted By 2.0 on 10/23/2006 9:45 PM
Yeah, I can't believe that was what you were all excited about... though since only about 5 people subscribe to White Dwarf anymore, chances might be pretty good.

Sweet, I might get this then!  No wait...  I haven't renewed my subscription yet, and I've only got two more magazines coming...  I might be "disqualified".

I'm putting my money where my mouth is. My WD renewal just popped (I have two issues left as well), but it won't be renewed.

GW charges $ 60 per year for a color catalog?

They said they invented miniature gaming, now they'll claim they invented lottery.

ZOMG! ONE lucky WINNAR gets EVERY BATTLEFORCE BATTALION AND LEGIONS BOXED SET that GW is currently PRODUCING? SAY IT ISN'T SO! WHARE DO I SINE UP?!?!

Special K ChristmasKironer, back to your potato, you.

Tehehe, $60 a year for a color catalog (snicker). So glad I never renewed my sub years ago.

Just think of all the 500 point games you could play... har har har...

hey this is a pretty cool promotion, it's just too bad that WD sucks. no chapter approved and craptacular batreps on top of the no discount for subscriptions which pretty much EVERY other magazine does. also the LOTR pandering.

I am not so sure if it is the White Dwarf has gotten worse or that the fanbase is more crass and judgemental.

I have only subscribed a few times, but I still have almost every White Dwarf since the early 80's and sitll think it's a good read.

While this seems like a "cool" promotion, IMHO, this is another no-prize from GW. Other than the ability to combine the Space Marine battleforces, none of these prizes may be combined to build a suitable army in any of the commonly played points values (1500 or 1700/1850 or 2000 in Fantasy) without spending a buttload more money on additional models and the obvious omission of codex / army books. It is no small thing to have to (at least) purchase the armybooks for all the armies in order to make use of such a no-prize.

Some of the battleforces, construct very sub-par armies (New Eldar Battleforce, Tau Battleforce) and the Imperial Guard box does not construct a legal army out of the box.

It was bad enough that they stopped giving out tangible "thank you" gifts for subscribers, but to offer a "chance of a no-prize" as an incentive takes the cake.

While I agree WD isn't what it used to be, I still find it odd that people are slamming GW for trying to promote their magazine. I mean, if GW didn't make any effort to push WD, I'm sure everyone would jump on them for doing jack, but when they DO do something, everyone wants to jump on them anyway.

And don't forget, some of us have existing armies, to which a battleforce could add some nice add ons. I know I could always use some extra Firewarriors and a devilfish (not to mention a Crisis Suit.)

And most of the Fantasy Battleforces make solid foundations for 2000pts (Ogres, TK, Brets, Dwarves and High Elves spring to mind.) Anyway, good gaming!

Zoned

Zoned: Uh. Ok. GW contest for the win. Good luck with winning the contest too. If you buy a second subscription, you double your chances of winning! If you buy 10 subscriptions, you'll have 10x the chance!

Actually, the truth of the matter is, nobody really cares about White Dwarf anymore.  There was even a thread which discussed whether or not it should be put to death by GW.  All the stuff I used to buy it for are gone:

1. Heavy Metal Masterclass
2. Content such as "Tale of Four Gamers"
3. New missions / Scenarios
4. Playtest rules / Optional rules
5. Well thought out tactica instead of the studio plugging their own product

The giveaways were better in the old days too...

1. Skullz (even though you had to buy prohbitive amounts of stuff).
2. Free bitz!
3. Free kitz!
4. Ltd edition models!

I mean, granted, they still have battle reports (with tatcially ridiculous options) and golden demon coverage, with the odd army showcase, but these are all things that can be easily accessed through the internet, for free. What happened to all the value added content? I used to like the conversion section as well, until GW's pricing for bitz effectively killed all my interest in it... I mean, who needs $50 terminators?

Posted By keezus on 10/24/2006 7:39 AM
While this seems like a "cool" promotion, IMHO, this is another no-prize from GW. Other than the ability to combine the Space Marine battleforces, none of these prizes may be combined to build a suitable army in any of the commonly played points values (1500 or 1700/1850 or 2000 in Fantasy) without spending a buttload more money on additional models and the obvious omission of codex / army books. It is no small thing to have to (at least) purchase the armybooks for all the armies in order to make use of such a no-prize..

Yeah, you're right, that prize sucks because it doesn't give you an optimized 1850 pt. army.    Anyone who's not braindead can sell or trade stuff they don't want and obtain the stuff they need.  You should be able to walk away with 2 or 3 solid armies easily. 

I think your feelings for GW are overriding your rationality. It may not be a good enough reason to subscribe to WD, but how is a large amount of free stuff a "no-prize" to existing WD subs?  Christ, now we're complaining because GW is giving away stuff? 

Gorgon: OK. So let me get this straight.

Everyone generally agrees that White Dwarf is sub par and is in effect a glorified glossy catalogue with little real gaming content these days.

White Dwarf is $60 for a subscription.

What I am getting at is that:

1. Your chances of winning are astronomical, and should you win, your winnings are largely useless without a lengthy process of trying to convert said models into ones you need (up to 80% of your winnings, if you're an average gamer with 1-4 armies.)
2. Your chances of not winning are enormous, leaving you with a simmilarly useless product as it doesn't add to your gaming experience, and is not absorbent enough for toilet paper.

Of course, you could have saved yourself the trouble and spent $60 on guaranteed product.  Funny.

don't subscribe then
ta-da! problem solved!
but the tens of thousands of people who do will have a chance to win a cool prize.
don't be jealous that you won't have a chance to win, you don't want the magazine or product anyway, right?
geeze

Posted By gorgon on 10/24/2006 10:19 AM

Christ, now we're complaining because GW is giving away stuff? 

What?!? Are you crazy? GW is "giving away stuff" the same way state lotteries are giving out money; as in they're not giving away anything at all. It's a suckers bet. Just as the lottery is called the "poor tax", this is an idiot promo for anyone signing up soley in hopes of winning the "prize".

It may or may not be worth a sub. I don't anymore, and don't see myself restarting based on this giveaway.

What I was responding to was your assertion that the prize is a "no-prize" based on its usability. And that's what I think is silly. If someone handed me that much stuff, there's a TON that I could do with it. It IS a good prize...whether the cost of entry is worth it is a different question, and a completely irrelevant question for anyone already subscribing.

For the record, I think WD can be improved. But I also think the old WDs (after it became GW-only content) were never as good as people remember them. Also, something everyone overlooks is how the Web really killed a lot of the magazine's freshness. It used to be that you'd get your first look at new products in WD. Now pics of miniatures, detailed codex analysis, etc. appear all over the Web months ahead of time, making any info in the magazine a "meh" by the time it shows up.

This is great for people who still love White Dwarf, and for new people who
don't know what to think of the magazine.

Me, I'll stick to pitching quarters.

Posted By nyarlathotep667 on 10/24/2006 11:15 AM

Posted By gorgon on 10/24/2006 10:19 AM

Christ, now we're complaining because GW is giving away stuff? 

What?!? Are you slowed? GW is "giving away stuff" the same way state lotteries are giving out money; as in they're not giving away anything at all. It's a suckers bet. Just as the lottery is called the "poor tax", this is an idiot promo for anyone signing up soley in hopes of winning the "prize".

No, what's astoundingly, spectacularly, staggeringly, f***tastically slowed is complaining about a contest:

1) you don't have to enter if you don't like the cost of entry;

2) current subscribers automatically qualify for without any additional cost;

and 3) has a good prize awaiting the winner.

How is this worth any bandwidth? 

I sensed something in the warp while reading this thread, and I now know what it is.  This might be the day when Dakka jumped the shark.  October 24, 2006...write it down.  Because if this is what passes for hobby discussion, it's time to find a new forum. 

Umm. Maybe they are warning away people who get enthused easily.

Maybe they are expressing doubts and complaints about a product that they love in the hopes that it will someday get better?

Maybe they are complaining because it is the internet, and somewhere to rant at will. Last I checked, part of the joy of ranting is that you can do it whether or not you have something worthwhile to say. They actually do, which is besides the point.

/sick of people complaing that complaining shouldn't be done on discussion forums, that one shouldn't discuss negative facts on about a hobby on a hobby forum and just general all around self righteous indignation.

I will save myself $59 bucks and play the lottery instead. Here in MT, the odds are better and I win more.

Nope not falling for it.

A discussion is an investigation by reason or by argument. Some people are posting
fun, silly comments about GW (which could happen anywhere), but that's not to say
that we've "jumped the shark." Dakka jumped the shark ages ago and is only now
entering into its long, arduous death throes (Sorry, Russ.)

I have to agree with Nyarly, and not just because he's my tentacle daddy. This type
of promotion doesn't really promote the hobby, but lures the unsuspecting. The coolness
factor of it kind of fades when you think that the winner will probably sell that entire
collection off piecemeal on ebay.

They're looking to keep current subscribers by having them re-subscribe. Offer them a
chance to win something?

They're looking to gain new subscribers. Offer them a chance to win something?

I think more prizes at lesser value (10 subscribers win army deal of their choice, for example),
so something you can't buy off the racks (limited edition figure run for each new subscription
or renewal like they do with Games Day and different conventions and army deals).

Maybe every year they could release a new limited mini for each new subscription or renewal,
and therefore people would have something cool. Make the mini something new or different
from codices and army books that have yet to be updated. So maybe 2006 would be time
for the Dark Elf limited edition miniature, let's say.

But whatever it is, it's still valid to discuss the merits of this drawing. I still look at White
Dwarf in the shop and when my buddies pick it up. Something unique probably could
get me to subscribe again. But not a drawing.

Posted By Zoned on 10/24/2006 7:58 AM
While I agree WD isn't what it used to be, I still find it odd that people are slamming GW for trying to promote their magazine. I mean, if GW didn't make any effort to push WD, I'm sure everyone would jump on them for doing jack, but when they DO do something, everyone wants to jump on them anyway.

And what about promoting WD while putting actual content in it? That would be a refreshing idea.

Heck, for that prize, I'm sure GW could lure some good players into actually *writing* interesting articles, instead of getting a subscription for a lottery.

...Back to lurking mode.

Kotrin: he's like a sniper, but with words.

Kironor Dread, long time no see! It's nice to see you still mincing about Dakka after all these years. Makes me all nostalgic for the days of old.

As for you, gorgon:

It's surprising that one person could contain so much weepy melodrama. There's probably an important message in there somewhere between the A HOOO BLOO BLOO BLOO and the THE SHARK HAS BEEN JUMPED THUS I PROCLAIM (FART NOISES), but damned if I can figure it out. It's my fault, really. It's a failing of mine that my mind tends to replace the more lisping and prancing forms of doomsaying with delicious, high-society desserts . Therefore, to me your message reads:

Yes, you should find a new forum and I'll have the mangosteen slices, please.