Warhammer 40.000

[Master_Pelle]

I have started to get interesting on playing Warhammer 40k and I have started painting my own space marine army (I will also paint my ork army too after I finish with space marines first).

I wondering how many of you are playing Warhammer 40k?

[N/A]

I played during 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of WH40K, and during the 5th and 6th editions of WHFB. Eldar, Space Marines, Dwarves, and Orcs. I stopped playing when I decided it had gotten too expensive, I had moved on to other games, and I found out just how vile the business practices of Games Workshop really are. I still have my Orc Warband for Mordheim, though.

These days, I'm into War Machine. I can't recommend it enough. The companion game, Hordes, is also excellent. Really, anything that Privateer Press makes. Their miniatures are cool (and all-metal), their rules are fast-paced, clean, and elegantly simple, and their whole design philosophy revolves around encouraging aggressive play.

[Cyroa]

I used to play quite a bit as well but stopped about 5-7 years ago when ran out of people to play with regularly. I played for the game; my figures were mostly unpainted as I have no artistic ability whatsoever. I enjoyed Tyranids, Eldar and Chaos generally. Necrons, Tau were coming out I think about the time I was fading out. (I might still have the pieces for some of the armies somewhere.)

[N/A]

Heh. My Space Marine army (which I didn't assemble until 4th-5th edition) was a custom chapter who specialized in hunting Tyranids.

[Ecalsneerg]

I used to play, but stopped when GW upped prices and decided it despised its older customer base.

[Master_Pelle]

It is true that their figure are expensive but at least you can customized them and and you know what kind of figures you like to buy.

I have collected figures from Dungeons & Dragons and Star wars from Wizard of the Coast. I realize that it become even more expensive when you tried collect specific figures because most of their packs contain random figures. And also because the plastic is pretty soft, it can have ugly shape or that it bend little strangely.

[N/A]

Two things drove me away from Games Workshop.

First, the rules system. It is needlessly cumbersome and complicated. They have made great leaps toward streamlining it in the last few editions, I'll give them credit for that. But you still have to make too many rolls and compare too many different numbers. It's not that I have trouble understanding it. I understand it just fine. It's just not as fun for me as some other, more "elegant" systems.

Second, their business practices.

The price increases were insane. When I was 16, a blister pack of 2 soldiers or 1 hero cost me $5. When I was 21, that same pack cost $17. To put this in perspective, In the same period of time, the minimum wage mandated by California state law only rose from $5.85/hour to $7.00/hour, and the average cost of a 12-ounce bottle of soda in any vending machine went from $1 to $1.25. So they can't tell me it was due to inflation (and expect me to keep a straight face).

My ex-girlfriend was the manager of a game/hobby store for several years, so I got to listen in on a lot of industry conversations between her and other store managers. I heard one horror story after another. The one that sticks out in my mind the most was this one:

A particular game store sells a lot of GW product. When I say "a lot," I mean they sell literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of Warhammer and WH40K miniatures every month. They run tournaments every weekend. They devote half their store to space for people to play. You would think GW would want to cultivate a good relationship with a retailer who devotes so much time and energy to moving so much of their product. You would be wrong, because you are not thinking like a greedy parasite.

No, instead, what happens is GW leases some property on the same street as this store, opens up a Games Workshop retail store and a GW warehouse a few blocks away, then suspends the store's account and refuses to sell them any more GW products. Apparently GW considers independent retailers to be nothing more than scouts for fertile markets.

And I'd take an independent game store over a Games Workshop store any day of the week. Most independent stores I've been to have a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. People showed up to socialize, "talk shop," and play games as much as they did to make purchases. But they did make purchases, so regularly you could set your watch by them. When a new supplement or expansion or miniature comes out for their favorite game line, they will be there.

Every GW store I've walked into may as well have just put up a sign reading "Buy It Or Get Out."

[Dr Archeville]

I was going to ask about the "vile business practices."

Good use of your Precognition, Shaen ;)

[Ecalsneerg]

It is true that their figure are expensive but at least you can customized them and and you know what kind of figures you like to buy.

I have collected figures from Dungeons & Dragons and Star wars from Wizard of the Coast. I realize that it become even more expensive when you tried collect specific figures because most of their packs contain random figures. And also because the plastic is pretty soft, it can have ugly shape or that it bend little strangely.

Difference being, Warhammer kinda sucks without figs. D&D... heck, we use a grid and pennies covered in paint. The miniatures game never appealed to me, although it still works out cheaper half the time even buying multiple packs to get that one specific figure.