What could Games Workshop produce if they fully embraced digital rules?

[Tetsugaku]

As part of my ongoing UX & design project “GW In The Digital World (http://www.tetsugaku.info/category/gw-in-the-digital-world/)“, I’d like to publish here a list of ideas I have for a digital service from Games Workshop.

Your feedback on these ideas is absolutely invaluable, I’d like to polish and update this page depending on your feedback. Please leave as much detailed feedback as you can, I’ll look and respond to any issues or ideas you raise.

Ideally - I'd like your comments on the original post (http://www.tetsugaku.info/what-could-games-workshop-produce-if-they-fully-embraced-digital-distribution-of-their-rules/), where you can see comments from other users but a discussion here is pretty great too.

Synopsis:

The march of technology isn’t slowing down, its speeding up. Although the appeal of Games Workshop products is often the fact that it is analogue, physical, some parts of their offerings could be dramatically updated to embrace the possibilities available to us.

I’m suggesting that GW would benefit from building an integrated online rules and army building system that would increase sales, increase player retention and fulfil the needs of their players.

Following a user centred approach I believe the following to be features suitable for the system:

Army Building


Build multiple lists (able to copy existing armies and then edit them)
Personalised Army Modules. Always take a squad of 5 scouts with a melt gun & a power fist? Make them a named module, add your own name & fluff, drag and drop the module into any army. Share the module with friends so they can use it in their army. Updating the module (say new load outs or fluff) updates every list that uses the module. You could build up a library of as many personalised, bespoke units as you wanted, every time you used them you could update the fluff a little more.
Uncommon Units. Suggestions for armies made of unpopular, therefore surprising units.
Search for Public lists using common tags. Look through other users lists by tag, e.g. “shooty” “assault” fluffy”. Add your own tags to your army.
Mark your army as public or private. Public armies can be rated on a scale of 1-5 for things like paint jobs, fluff, interestingness etc.
Is this in stock? Referring to the local store that has been set in your preferences, will let you know if there’s a box waiting for you at the local GW.
PDF export. A clear and well presented document with all important information on for tournament organisers or your opponent.
Weirdness Rating. How Unusual is your list? Will it surprise your next opponent? Compares your list to all others across the system & gives you a percentage or a rating.
Simple Interface. Configure your units with a large graphical touch (or mouse) interface. As you tap upgrades or options, they’re reflected graphically, points sub total updates etc.
Upload your own pictures. A default is supplied but for extra personalisation points you can upload your own images, these appear next to the unit in your list.
Forum & Sharing Friendly. Lists can be marked public so it’s easy to share a unique URL for a list that remains up to date however may changes you make to it.
Popularity charts. Just how many other people are playing armies using that unit? What’s the most popular way to config that unit?.
Allies Support. Bought access to multiple codexes? Write your allies in right there inside the army builder. Haven’t got access? See a list of codexes that can ally.


Supporting Features


Opponent finder. Find an opponent based on location (opt in in your profile), Decide venue, points etc. before hand and view each others list.
Micro Payment Article System. Access to older White Dwarf, Codex & Rulebook articles including scenarios, painting guides, battle reports etc. 50p an article. Monetises the huge back catalogue.
New Scenarios & extra missions. Purchased via micro payments, self contained documents you can use in your game. Extra missions would be similar to those recently launched in Imperial Armour Aeronautica. Complete campaigns could be sold in a lump (6 missions, £2.99?) or bought individually. Just like the DLC systems on gaming systems.
Tactical View. A ultra cut down gaming view for use on table. Small enough to display on a single screen so you can leave your iPad or laptop open next to the gaming table and see all relevant rules & stats at a glance.
Local Information. By setting your local store in your preferences, your news feed contains news & events from that store. In addition, independent gaming stores and local gaming clubs could be included in the list.
Famous Lists. Lists by famous GW staff & contributors along with the fluff and stories that go with them. Add the list to your own lists, copy it, adapt it. How about a Nightlords list put together by Adam Dembski-Bowden or a Chaos Cultist list with the fluff written by Dan Abnett? Want to add a Gaunt’s Ghosts Imperial Guard insertion team to your list, copy it straight from Dan’s.
One click purchase of all units in a list. Delivered to your local store (as set in your profile) or delivered to your door.
Where’s my nearest dealer? Next to the “buy me” button, utilising the HTML geo location functionality, calculates your location and tells you the nearest stockist.
Twitter & FB integration. Finished an army and want to tell someone? Hit share.
Regular freebies. Rewards for being a subscriber. Painting guides, fluff stories “From The Vault” WD articles.
Exclusive content. Subscriber exclusive content
Early Pre order (& delivery) opportunities More rewards for subscribing & being a member.
Cheaper event tickets. For example Games Day, painting events at GW Nottingham.
Easier to test out niche rules. Easy to write & publish a tiny mini codex – maybe something for the Demiurg – half the fluff and unit choices of a regular codex, half the price.
Leagues. Everything from running your own 2 man league to the national yearly leagues. Tools to incorporate missions, branching story lines, reminders of games you need to play, messaging opponents and maps presented in a similar way to mighty empires.
Actual FAQs. Ever get the feeling that the FAQs aren’t the ones you would ask?
Paint scheme modeller. Simple 3d tool that let’s you ‘paint‘ your own colour choices onto 3d renders of units. Build a library of units you have painted, export or print top, side, above, angled views so you can use them during painting.



Technical

Responsive HTML. A Single design that reflows content to fit mobiles, tablets, desktops, TVs, consoles etc.
“Retina” screen compatible. High definition art assets that look fantastic on the new tablets & laptops.
Linked to Flickr. New images automatically appear in the news feed.
Linked to You Tube. New videos from GW will automatically appear in the news feed. YouTube videos should have comments enabled by default.
Parental controls. Under 18? You can’t use the game match feature or in app purchases.
Moderated discussion forums. Quite a number of GW users don;t use forums, in fact only the dedicated do which is how they often don’t represent most GW customers.
Existing GW store accounts. Email all users and say – hello, you have access.


Payment?

Monthly. All you can eat, per game system (40K, Fantasy, LOTR). No charge when a new codex, or supporting book is released.
One off cost per book. (codex / army book / publication) Unlimited access until the next one is released.
Per book, per month.
Xbox Live Style. Free to use, paid to access premium features. Books & downloads charged per unit (just like games & DLC). Paid subscribers also get regular freebies, every month if not more.


General points

Digital is happening now. Not next week, or next year. Today. The question is being proactive or reactive. Fans of GW products have already created versions of most of the solutions listed above because GW left a vacuum.
This is not GW Books distributed on the internet. It’s a total paradigm shift. The current GW publishing model is the shape it is because you can’t update a codex you shipped 6 years ago, you can;t put a hyperlink inside a quick reference chart linking to a full rules explanation. Things can happen differently, in a more frictionless way, gamers can be happier and more empowered.
Piracy will happen. There again, it already does happen. A PDF of every new codex is available within hours of release. Some people will never pay for content, however if the barriers are low enough, most of them will.
Timely updates of content. Paying for a subscription or service should be rewarded by being respected, listened to and serviced on time. No waiting weeks for a change to a sentence. This also helps with piracy, old content would be out of date and not valid.
Low Barriers for Entry. If you make it cheap & easier than pirating, people will use the service (Spotify, itunes, Love Film, Netflix, Kindle, IOS, Xbox Live)
No separation of fluff and rules. GW Don’t see the rules & the fluff as separable, that’s why you can’t buy a cut down 40K rulebook (I know one comes in the 40K box set, but that also comes with a fluff book). There would not be a cheaper “Rules Only” option.


As I said - any feedback is great, I'd really like to polish this list some more.

Pleaseleave comments on the original post (http://www.tetsugaku.info/what-could-games-workshop-produce-if-they-fully-embraced-digital-distribution-of-their-rules/), where you can see comments from other users.

[Bean]

If you apply for a job at GW, feel free to list me as a reference. I would lie my *** off to get someone with these priorities onto their payroll.

[JxKxR]

Is it not to much? It's all fine and dandy but thinking of this from GWs point of view.

Is it maintainable. The "Is it in stock" while a great idea just doesn't seem like it would work. To much for a store clerk to handle. The GW stores have been running on less man power recently. They would have to keep perfect inventory of their stock and while that seems like it should be no problem it could be a hassle that they don't want to deal with. I also think you wiould have a nightmare with the computers but I don't know about that stuff.

Is the money there? What would it cost to do this? What would it cost to maintain it? Would GW have to make a whole department to run this thing? They did the thing with apple because it was cheap, quick, and easy. This doesn't sound cheap, it doesn't sound easy, and it doesn't sound quick. Just one of those is enough for it to get kicked off their desk but you have all three.

They are a game company and I don't think they would care to divert money and time into a project like this.

[Tetsugaku]

If you apply for a job at GW, feel free to list me as a reference. I would lie my *** off to get someone with these priorities onto their payroll.

This makes me happy :)

Favourite feature? Mine's still fully configured modules of troops with names & fluff by famous BL authors :)

[Tetsugaku]

Is it not to much? It's all fine and dandy but thinking of this from GWs point of view.


For the initial launch? Oh yes, one hell of a lot too much, but eventually, why not?



The "Is it in stock" while a great idea just doesn't seem like it would work. To much for a store clerk to handle


Everything is digital, GW Nottingham know the second someone buys a box of marines in Maryland.



I also think you wiould have a nightmare with the computers


Building the whole software? Yeah probably, and I do know my stuff, but it's not impossible, in fact you could get the core thing going for a few hundred grand in maybe 6 months.




This doesn't sound cheap, it doesn't sound easy, and it doesn't sound quick. Just one of those is enough for it to get kicked off their desk but you have all three.


But it is awesome. It's also the future if they like it or not.



They are a game company and I don't think they would care to divert money and time into a project like this.


If they don't embrace change, and the future, they will get left behind, it's happened to hundreds of other companies in the last ten years, it will happen to them as well.


Hugely appreciate your feedback, thanks for taking the time to write - anyone got more ideas and feedback?

[Mr Mystery]

Is it not to much? It's all fine and dandy but thinking of this from GWs point of view.

Is it maintainable. The "Is it in stock" while a great idea just doesn't seem like it would work. To much for a store clerk to handle. The GW stores have been running on less man power recently. They would have to keep perfect inventory of their stock and while that seems like it should be no problem it could be a hassle that they don't want to deal with. I also think you wiould have a nightmare with the computers but I don't know about that stuff.

Is the money there? What would it cost to do this? What would it cost to maintain it? Would GW have to make a whole department to run this thing? They did the thing with apple because it was cheap, quick, and easy. This doesn't sound cheap, it doesn't sound easy, and it doesn't sound quick. Just one of those is enough for it to get kicked off their desk but you have all three.

They are a game company and I don't think they would care to divert money and time into a project like this.

GW has a set stock level for each store, and an electonic system automatically sets your next incoming order to those levels.

However, you can order those things over the internets.Getting you into the store is about so much more than just selling something. Promote in store events, outside events, painting stuff, general hobby chit-chat. Get someone dropping in on a regular basis and you will sell more stuff. Plus the internet doesn't upsell anywhere near as well as even incompetent sales staff.

[dreadnaughtguy]

I think GW should look into going digital for codex and rule books.

A per month per codex fee design would allow them to not only know which codex have more customer support but would allow them to re-tool a given product line that doesn't work or have much of a following.

They should also look into the rapid prototype tech. If they could have a printer in each store that allowed you to buy a model with a specific set of war gear and they just hit print and made it for you...

The biggest thing they need to do is look at where techonology is and where it is headed and move the company in the direction in the direction that the market is already moving.

[Dalleron]

There is no reason GW can't produce digital rule books and codex's. The tech is clearly there as stated above. Is the demand there? All of us here would probably say yes, but are we the majority? I would think not.

And as GW has shown time and time again, they are all about the mighty $$$. Digital codex' would probably eat into that. To which you may reply that you could charge a subscription fee, yearly or monthly, that lets you have access to digital books for a discount. But that's a dirty word in GW's world.

[DarkLink]

A per month per codex fee design would allow them to not only know which codex have more customer support but would allow them to re-tool a given product line that doesn't work or have much of a following.


I would never 'rent' a codex. Either let me buy it for relatively cheap (aka not $80), or give it to me for free and make money of the model sales (or a little of both), but I'm not going to pay a monthly fee just to look at a codex.

[Tetsugaku]

I would never 'rent' a codex. Either let me buy it for relatively cheap (aka not $80), or give it to me for free and make money of the model sales (or a little of both), but I'm not going to pay a monthly fee just to look at a codex.

Could you go into some details why not? Do you use any digital subscription services like cable TV, Netflix, Spotify or Xbox live?

Hugely appreciate your feedback

[Tetsugaku]

There is no reason GW can't produce digital rule books and codex's. The tech is clearly there as stated above. Is the demand there? All of us here would probably say yes, but are we the majority? I would think not.

And as GW has shown time and time again, they are all about the mighty $$$. Digital codex' would probably eat into that. To which you may reply that you could charge a subscription fee, yearly or monthly, that lets you have access to digital books for a discount. But that's a dirty word in GW's world.

It certainly is going to cost Monet to develop yes, but there is the ongoing money for purchases and or membership to pay for that.

Think about this long term, this is a system and an approach for GW to use for the next ten years, who knows what tech we'll be using then and how much more common it will be?

[Mud Duck]

Could you go into some details why not? Do you use any digital subscription services like cable TV, Netflix, Spotify or Xbox live?

Hugely appreciate your feedback

I don't think that GW will go the route of 'rent a codex'. My thinking is like this, I i hit you up once every say 4 years for a new codex for 50 bucks, sure people are going to *****, but they are going to buy. Charge 5 bucks a month, and people are going to A. just write down the rules that they need for their army; B. Forget to renew, and not have to list/rules. and just get all pissy; C. ***** continuously about how GW is price gouging the little guy; D. Parents and relatives of children will not buy these items for birthdays, Christmas, etc. if there is a monthly fee. That I think is the big one right there.

[gendoikari87]

What could Games Workshop produce if they fully embraced digital rules?
A legitimate business model.

[Mr Mystery]

A legitimate business model.

Because being the outright market leader is such a poor position to be in?

I'm with Darklink in terms of 'rental' codecies. How would that affect those unable or unwilling to buy the platform necessary?

[gendoikari87]

Because being the outright market leader is such a poor position to be in?

I'm with Darklink in terms of 'rental' codecies. How would that affect those unable or unwilling to buy the platform necessary?

Replace "poor" with "ancient" and yes.

[Mr Mystery]

Replace "poor" with "ancient" and yes.

That....doesn't make any sense......GW are the dominant market force in their niche. Therefore, their business model remains successful? You don't fix what ain't broke, surely?

[Tetsugaku]

A legitimate business model.

What's wrong with their model?

Pounds for hours - they're a god damned bargain - cheeper than any console gaming I do, cheaper than Blu rays, cheaper than the cinema by 10,000% and even cheaper than IOS gaming, which is 69pence a damn game.

Why do people say GW is so expensive?

It's cheap! and the people who run it are all so bloody nice!

Seriously - what would you pay for this sort of thing and what do you think of the ideas?

i need feedback from all sorts of GW fans :)

[Tetsugaku]

There is no reason GW can't produce digital rule books and codex's. The tech is clearly there as stated above. Is the demand there? All of us here would probably say yes, but are we the majority? I would think not.

And as GW has shown time and time again, they are all about the mighty $$$. Digital codex' would probably eat into that. To which you may reply that you could charge a subscription fee, yearly or monthly, that lets you have access to digital books for a discount. But that's a dirty word in GW's world.

What would you pay and what payment model would you prefer from the list?

[Tetsugaku]

I'm with Darklink in terms of 'rental' codecies. How would that affect those unable or unwilling to buy the platform necessary?

It wouldn't the books are still valid (With FAQs and updates applied) - so no problem.

Where will we be in 5 years though? Certainly with more, cheaper, faster more ubiquitous smart phones and tablets, paying subscriptions to the things we like, be it codexes or Netflix - do you agree?

I would;t phase out printed codexes, not until they stopped selling, that won;t be long.

[Mr Mystery]

It wouldn't the books are still valid (With FAQs and updates applied) - so no problem.

Where will we be in 5 years though? Certainly with more, cheaper, faster more ubiquitous smart phones and tablets, paying subscriptions to the things we like, be it codexes or Netflix - do you agree?

I would;t phase out printed codexes, not until they stopped selling, that won;t be long.

Yes, and no. Yes on the tech front, lord knows what we'll have in 5 years time (possibility of holographic images and that).

But a book is a book, and unlike a Movie, it retains certain value after you've enjoyed it once, more so in the case of Codecies and rulebooks. I'm one of those people who buys every Codex and Army Book, regardless of whether I currently, or ever intend to play the army. Why? I like reading them. I like the way they look in my bookcase. I can reach in and read up whenever I want to. I only bin books when they've been superceded (no point keeping old codecies etc, as I'm not going to be using them again).

Now I do enjoy Netflix and Lovefilm (in fact I'm watching Dark Knights on Lovefilm as I type) but I don't see it happening for books. Download films save me money overall, as it means for £6.00 a month, I have access to a wide range of films and TV programmes whenever I want them. Compare that to spending say, £6.00 on a single DVD or Bluray. It's an obvious answer I'm sure all will agree, especially when it's a film I've been keen to watch, but wary of paying for the disk as it looks a bit ropey (like John Carter, that's a Netflix film if ever I've seen one!) Whereas my Codecies and Army Books....I *know* I'm going to get some kind of use out of them, guaranteed, because my Hobby is dear to me, and takes up a lot of my spare time. I personally wouldn't rent or hire one. I may however, should I invest in an iPad in the future, then buy a digital copy of all and sundry. Not quite the same as a book (and I like my tactiles!) but the automatic updates do appeal!

[Tetsugaku]

it retains certain value after you've enjoyed it once

Doesn't a song still have value? In the listening? Isn;t that why Spotify has done so well?




I can reach in and read up whenever I want to


You'd still be able to here, in fact in a much easier way - hyperlinks between codices, rulebooks, scenarios and army lists would make jumping around the system as enjoyable as doing it in Wikipedia (except much better written)




my Codecies and Army Books....I *know* I'm going to get some kind of use out of them, guaranteed, because my Hobby is dear to me, and takes up a lot of my spare time. I personally wouldn't rent or hire one. I may however, should I invest in an iPad in the future, then buy a digital copy of all and sundry. Not quite the same as a book (and I like my tactiles!) but the automatic updates do appeal!


I have, and forgive me for sounding like I'm showing off but you sound a kindred spirit - every 40K rulebook, every 40K book published since 1987, I have lost & the damned, slaves to darkness, I have all 12 Imperial Armour books - I am a very, very big print fan. Oh and I have 2,000 novels in paperback and hardback, an entire set of hardback Discworld novels even.

But - when I got an ipad3, with the fantastic screen, I fell in love with digital downloads of books. I'd still buy paper copies of novels but the reading experience is fantastic and combining all the advantages (linking between books, always up to date, added features, buy as you need etc.) I can see this thing being a real winner.

Basically I am beginning to realise that I am not selling this as well as I could, that in itself is a huge thing to learn because as I mentioned, I'm doing this to get better at my job and if I'm not getting the enthusiasm I feel, front he people I tell (about 20% of people "get it") then I am failing - must try harder

Describing a bleeding edge, future proofed web app with advanced social interaction and data manipulation is hard, I think I might need some graphics to go with it :)

[Mr Mystery]

It's just not for me. Sure, given time for tablet devices to become as common as smartphones, and it can be big business, but I'll stick with my paper books. I love the smell, the feel and to be honest, I didn't do much reading in my teens (school giving me crap books to read didn't help) but got back into it in a big way in my early 20's, and again, I like to have a physical copy of everything I've read because it looks impressive.

[Tetsugaku]

I like to have a physical copy of everything I've read because it looks impressive.

You should see my bookshelves.

On a slight aside - I gave away all of my CDs about a year ago - they had sat in a bag for 3 years anyway after I ripped them - now I don;t even listen to the MP3's, I listen to Spotify because I discover more music, I like listening to other people's playlists and I get more variety, this is just how I see GW going.

[gendoikari87]

That....doesn't make any sense......GW are the dominant market force in their niche. Therefore, their business model remains successful? You don't fix what ain't broke, surely?

yeah and the horse and carriage wasn't broke when the car came along. it's the 21st century people, time to go digital.

[Mr Mystery]

yeah and the horse and carriage wasn't broke when the car came along. it's the 21st century people, time to go digital.

Why? Why the pressing need? If they go purely digital for rules and that, they're just creating a barrier to entry. How are you meant to sell that in the stores? £45 and walk off with an internet code? No ta skip. It's a tactile hobby, so the digital age has less relevance to it.

[gendoikari87]

Why? Why the pressing need? If they go purely digital for rules and that, they're just creating a barrier to entry. How are you meant to sell that in the stores? £45 and walk off with an internet code? No ta skip. It's a tactile hobby, so the digital age has less relevance to it.

true but that doesn't mean you can't digitize along side it. To their credit they're starting to modernize.

[Dalleron]

I don't know if it's too late to comment on it, but it looks like GW has taken steps to get themselves a digital business plan, according to the stroy on the front page.

Also, I don't know what I would pay as a subscription fee for GW stuff. It would all depend on the cost and benefits.

[DarkLink]

Because being the outright market leader is such a poor position to be in?


Like Microsoft? There have been plenty of times when Microsoft has relied on its early advantages just to cling to its market share. Not that I'm a fan of Apple products, but they're the one's who've garnered the reputation for innovation.

GW's business position has been in a slow decline. There are more and more competitors gaining more and more of a following, and GW's been squandering chances to strengthen their product and community left and right. Fantasy has been on the downhill for years, and now 40k's rules have changed to adopt many of the aspects of Fantasy that I've heard people complain about.

And with the shift to digital media and the long term changes with 3D printing, GW is in danger of maneuvering itself into a corner. Not this year, not in the next five years, but in a decade or two GW is going to have to earn its market share again.



What's wrong with their model?


They don't support their customers.

40k is a niche product. You sell to a limited audience. Since it's a luxury item with a relative captive audience, the product is pretty inelastic and so GW just charges what they wan't.

However, they've almost completely dropped support for any sort of community building anything. They screw over armies in FAQs ('nidz), they take literally decades between some codices, and they just don't seem to care about their customer. Compare to almost every other gaming company out there, and it's a pretty sad picture. Many companies produce higher quality rules and release them for cheaper, often for free. The embrace digital media and take care to maintain quality rules.

So long as the perception is that GW doesn't care about the customer, GW will be vulnerable. GW needs to take advantage of the fact that it has the largest customer base and start actively working to satisfy their customers and draw in more people.

[DarkLink]

A book is something I want to buy, put on a shelf, and read it whenever I feel like it. Music is something I want to buy, put on my mp3 player, and listen to whenever I go work out. I don't want to have to whip out my credit card every time I want to go back and reread Mistborn, or go for a run.

Netflix or Pandora, on the other hand, don't give me a single small discreet object to enjoy for a set price. They instead provide access to a huge range of media, far more than I would ever want to buy outright. I don't want to buy every season of every TV show on Netflix, but I do want to be able to skim through them all and watch whatever looks interesting. The business model is works because it's a very different situation from renting a handful of books just to play a game of 40k.

I also strongly dislike the idea of having periodic small charges on my credit card, for security reasons. I'm cautious about what I buy with credit and debit cards, so every time I can reduce their use is a good thing to me. They're great for what they are, but if I can buy in person in cash then I don't have to worry about frequently checking my bank account to make sure everything is in proper order.

[Tetsugaku]

Netflix or Pandora, on the other hand, don't give me a single small discreet object to enjoy for a set price. They instead provide access to a huge range of media, far more than I would ever want to buy outright. I don't want to buy every season of every TV show on Netflix, but I do want to be able to skim through them all and watch whatever looks interesting. The business model is works because it's a very different situation from renting a handful of books just to play a game of 40k.

Why? This is exactly the model I'm suggesting - optionally pay £10 a month for access to everything or pay one off charges of £25 for a codex?



I also strongly dislike the idea of having periodic small charges on my credit card, for security reasons. I'm cautious about what I buy with credit and debit cards, so every time I can reduce their use is a good thing to me. They're great for what they are, but if I can buy in person in cash then I don't have to worry about frequently checking my bank account to make sure everything is in proper order.

You do? Life is too damn short my friend, donut worry so much. I actively avoid cash, make things a lot faster.

[gendoikari87]

I don't know if it's too late to comment on it, but it looks like GW has taken steps to get themselves a digital business plan, according to the stroy on the front page.

Also, I don't know what I would pay as a subscription fee for GW stuff. It would all depend on the cost and benefits.

it's limited but yes, they are on the right path. They're just getting there VERY slowly. Now if they could just bring down the price on plastic crack it'd be a great model, and grow the business. Or hell the industry.

[DarkLink]

Why? Why the pressing need? If they go purely digital for rules and that, they're just creating a barrier to entry. How are you meant to sell that in the stores? £45 and walk off with an internet code? No ta skip. It's a tactile hobby, so the digital age has less relevance to it.

I would fully expect them to continue to sell physical copies, so long as that remained profitable. I see no reason why they can't put up PDFs of each and every armylist. Buy the books to get the whole package, but you can buy just the rules, or both the rules and fluff, as an e-book. The more options they have, the fewer barriers to entry there are.


Why? This is exactly the model I'm suggesting - optionally pay £10 a month for access to everything or pay one off charges of £25 for a codex?

The difference between Netflix and what you're proposing the the scope of the content. Paying a small monthly fee gets me access to hundreds of tv shows, movies, documentaries, and all sorts of stuff. That's well worth the montly fee.

Paying a monthly fee to simply have access to a handful of book that I really only occasionally glance at, and mostly only use to write army lists to play 40k, does not provide even close to the degree of content required for me to want to pay a monthly fee for access.

On a more philosophical level, the idea that I'm buying temporary access to something, rather than actually buying the product itself, is completely unappealing. I want to buy the codex. I don't want to rent it. I want to buy it. Not rent. Buy. There's a difference. To me, it would feel exploitative of GW to rack up monthly fees when I should be able to buy their books and keep them to use as I please.



You do? Life is too damn short my friend, donut worry so much. I actively avoid cash, make things a lot faster.

'You only live once' is kind of like 'Carpe Diem' for stupid people. When most of the industrial world is in a recession because of a lack of sound fiscal behavior, I'm not going to start making poor financial decisions.

[Tetsugaku]

'You only live once' is kind of like 'Carpe Diem' for stupid people. When most of the industrial world is in a recession because of a lack of sound fiscal behavior, I'm not going to start making poor financial decisions.


Well that's not very nice - I might not agree with your ideas but I didn't call you stupid.

What is it about the Internet that makes people think its ok to talk like that?

[gendoikari87]

Well that's not very nice - I might not agree with your ideas but I didn't call you stupid.

What is it about the Internet that makes people think its ok to talk like that?

it's the high level of stupid you come into contact with. if you actually have a brain stupid people really piss you off more so on the internet. Not saying anyone here is stupid just making a general comment about the internet.

[DarkLink]

Well that's not very nice - I might not agree with your ideas but I didn't call you stupid.

What is it about the Internet that makes people think its ok to talk like that?

I wasn't calling you an idiot, I was actually quoting Jack Black: http://weknowmemes.com/2012/06/yolo-is-carpe-diem-for-stupid-people/ Not intended to insult anyone.

I was just too lazy to look up the name of the guy who said it and properly quote him.

[Tetsugaku]

Quoting jack black? The less said about that the better ;)

Anyway, that's the way it came across - must reply to your other points when I have a chance

[Tetsugaku]

I see no reason why they can't put up PDFs of each and every armylist


Because that totally misses all of the opportunities for building something new and better - a PDF is just a copy of the existing publishing model.




Paying a monthly fee to simply have access to a handful of book that I really only occasionally glance at, and mostly only use to write army lists to play 40k, does not provide even close to the degree of content required for me to want to pay a monthly fee for access.


Well then I suppose - don't pay? Personally I'd pay £10 a month for access to all the codexes & supporting books, no problem at all. I'd even sign up for a year long membership for £100. But if you don't want to - cool. Either pay £20 a codex for a physical copy of £20 for the electronic copy with the supporting tools mentioned.




On a more philosophical level, the idea that I'm buying temporary access to something, rather than actually buying the product itself, is completely unappealing. I want to buy the codex. I don't want to rent it. I want to buy it. Not rent. Buy. There's a difference. To me, it would feel exploitative of GW to rack up monthly fees when I should be able to buy their books and keep them to use as I please.


You don't own a copy when you rent a movie though? And that's far more expensive per hour of fun than this isn't it? You don't owns copy of TV shows you watch (if you pay for TV, I do), you don;t own a copy of songs on Spotify. Instead you pay for access to a whole lot more content, for a much smaller fee, for a limited time. How much would all GW rulebooks cost right now to buy? let's say 30 codexes and army books, 3 main rule books and around 10 supporting books. That's £900 of books, available for a tenner. Sounds like a bargain to me.





'You only live once' is kind of like 'Carpe Diem' for stupid people. When most of the industrial world is in a recession because of a lack of sound fiscal behavior, I'm not going to start making poor financial decisions.


What difference does cash or bank cards make to this? Make wise financial decisions (like, in a lot of circumstances, this one) but don't be funny about the new tech :) GW is a damn cheap hobby compared to every other one I've had.

[Tetsugaku]

Not this year, not in the next five years, but in a decade or two GW is going to have to earn its market share again


It's way sooner than that. They need to sort themselves out in the next 18 months.




They don't support their customers.


Yes, yes they do. They just don't cater to the loud mouthed forum user who is utterly unrepresentative of their core market.





However, they've almost completely dropped support for any sort of community building anything.


Not hey haven't - they just donut understand digital, because they can't control it, and they are control freaks because all they have is their brand. No brand means no money.

What they need to do is to embrace digital fully and go with the knocks, respond in a timely manner, stop turning comments off on their youtube videos for gods sake.




They screw over armies in FAQs ('nidz)


No they don't - they do what they think is best. It's their game. They don't want to screw anyone.





they just don't seem to care about their customer


On what basis to you make that statement?






So long as the perception is that GW doesn't care about the customer,


It's just a perception - it's not true. This is what they need to embrace the whole digital thing fully and openly and engage with people.

[Tetsugaku]

I don't know if it's too late to comment on it, but it looks like GW has taken steps to get themselves a digital business plan, according to the stroy on the front page.

Also, I don't know what I would pay as a subscription fee for GW stuff. It would all depend on the cost and benefits.

If it was the things listed above - what would it be worth to you?

[Tetsugaku]

Why? Why the pressing need? If they go purely digital for rules and that, they're just creating a barrier to entry. How are you meant to sell that in the stores? £45 and walk off with an internet code? No ta skip. It's a tactile hobby, so the digital age has less relevance to it.

What does the store have to do with it? This is entirely digital, you don;t need to go into a store.

If you live near one, if you still want to - you can go to one, buy a book, nothing changes.

If you don;t live near one, if you don't; want a book, if you're just damn busy, you can go digital.

A digital user can still play against a analogue user because the game - it hasn't changed at all.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Dude, what a lot of multipost. I could almost eat it for breakfast.

[Tetsugaku]

Dude, what a lot of multipost. I could almost eat it for breakfast.

Auto append stuff + I didn;t want to miss any important points.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Indeed.