Death From The Skies....or Greed

Ok first, I just want to say, I think 40k is awesome. I have been playing the game, painting the miniatures and reading the books since its rogue trader days. I have in the past owned beakies, squats,MK 1 Rhinos and Land raiders, and currently have three 2500 point armies. So my following rant has nothing to do with the game or my desire (hatred) to leave it. I will continue to play as long as possible.

However the recent email from GW regarding “Death from the Skies” has got me to thinking about price increases, the closing of battle bunkers and exclusive orders. It seems that GW is trying to increase profits, decrease overhead (liabilities) and remove the middle man. All makes great business sense and looks good in the financial report, but what's the long term effect?

Price Increases
In all actuality, the price increases don't affect me much. I have quite a few miniatures that have not been painted yet, I don't really care if my models are out of date, I don't mind scratch building, I actively seek low modeling / painting alternatives and I don't compete in tournaments, so I tend to buy very little over a year.

Also I look around and I see price increases in everything else; food, fuel, housing, so why not in my hobby. It only makes sense. However eventually the cost of the hobby maybe to much and I will find something new. Life is like that. As far as price increases go, I tend to agree with Shawn Gately at Blue Table Painting.

Closing of Battle Bunkers
I recently saw several posts that GW was closing its battle bunkers throughout the US. Since I have never visited a battle bunker or lived near a battle bunker, the news didn't affect me. I play at the local game stores and in the garages of fellow gamers. And as time goes on, I play less and less. I find that I am moving more to the hobby side and less to the game. Sadly, these closures meant nothing to me, till now.
 
Exclusive Orders
So now there is content only available from Games Workshop. Not the local hobby, game, or the local toy or book store, only Games Workshop. My question is how long until all stuff from Games Workshop becomes exclusive? I realize that there will always be some stuff stocked in the local stores, but what and how much?  I have already noticed that some stores stock only the bare minimums and have to order everything else.  So as a customer, why not order directly from GW, thus effectively cutting out the middle man. No price reductions for retailers, Good business model. ..maybe, but we still need a place to meet and play.. the local game store..

Wrap it up, Sherpa!
Personally, I got introduced to 40K at a convention hosted by a local game store. I played at a local game store and whenever possible I purchased from a local game store. I was supported by other players and in turn I got others into 40k. Originally, I only purchased citadel paints, hobby tools and miniatures, but now I am not as exclusive. Now as I spend more time in the games store, listening to players talk about other games, look at the expensive, limited selection of GW models, I begin to wonder about low cost alternatives, and whenever possible I share these with other players.

I have also noticed that many retailers are not pushing the GW range and instead suggesting alternatives; Dust, Warmachine, Malifaux, Mercs, Flames of War and Infinity.

40k players are already looking for alternative models for land raiders, rhinos, titans, etc. (it’s a big list).  And there are countless small model makers creating really cool and interesting alternatives. I would list them, but I don’t want to bring down the wrath of GW on them.
 
So to me the question is simple, sustainability VS  Profit?

Do you erode the community and exploit those who have purchased your products for today’s increased profits, by increasing prices, excluding retailers and closing places to play.

 Or

Give back and try to find ways to make your models affordable, accessible, substainable and profitable for retailers?

A good example of this is the GSL vs OGL,
In my local game store; Pathfinder (way to go, Paizo!), D&D 3.5,and  Fantasy Flight's Deathwatch rule.
4th edition books? 1/2 price...D&D encounters? whats that?


 
 And now the latest Exclusive release from Games Workshop..

Death from the Skies, our brand new book, is available to order exclusively from games-workshop.com today.

Death from the Skies contains everything you need to know about fighting aerial battles in the 41st Millennium. Comprised of detailed rules, background information, scenarios and stunning artwork, it features selected material from White Dwarf magazine, the Crusade of Fire supplement as well as exclusive new content, enabling you to fight out white-knuckle aerial battles.

Looks great and really cool, but I will pass for now.  I need to check into Mercs, and buy some Pathfinder pdfs..(Why to go Paizo!)