Dflint
12-27-2012, 09:20 PM
Hello All!
*Not sure of appropriate place for this type of post, hope this works as most BOLS topics concern WH40K
I'm a frequent lurker on the BOLS forums and articles and, disregarding some of the more obvious trolling, I am often impressed by the quality of the criticisms levelled at GW's policies. However, I don't think that many people actually go through with contacting GW directly, instead, people hope/imagine that GW is going to sift through the BOLS comment section. Therefore, I am creating this thread to challenge people to actually write to Games Workshop. Take 10 minutes and craft a (decent) email and send it to customer service at Games Workshop: [email protected]
If you accept this challenge, I implore you to post a copy of your email (personal details removed of course) on this thread as both proof and inspiration to others (IF you get a reply, thats great and adding it would be awesome too!). I will post the body of my email below. You do not need to write a beautiful email, just write something. Also note, my email is far from perfect, it might have spelling mistakes or bad information but it still gets a message across!
-------------------
I am writing because I feel that Games Workshop is out of touch with the majority of its client base and are on an unsustainable economic path. When I began collecting Warhammer 40k models seven years ago, I felt that miniature prices were high but not overly so. However, over the last few years, Games Workshop has increased prices annually with no distinct increase in product quality.
I used to buy the new models released by your company and during this time bought and collected 3 armies totaling over 8000 points of units. Now however, with prices raised significantly I struggle to justify more than a single purchase every two months. My favorite army is Chaos Space Marines and I had every intention to pick up all of the newly released models. But, when I got to my local Games Workshop store and released that a single Heldrake would cost $100.57, I chose instead to only purchase the heldrake and avoid any of the other releases (Forgefiends, Mutilators, Warptalons).
Ten years ago, Games Workshop was the only major miniature gaming company and could perhaps afford to turn a blind eye to disillusionment. Now, however, there are plenty of alternative companies and many of them offer better rules, cheaper models, or a combination of both. Below, I’ve listed a few companies that I believe Games Workshop could learn a lesson from
• Privateer Press – Hosts a fully functioning forum on it’s website and listens to it’s customers when producing and updating rules.
o http://www.infinitythegame.com/infinity/en/
• Infinity – This game offers free rules on its website, I can’t remember the last time Games Workshop did something like this and to be frank, it would be much easier for me to convince my friends to start Infinity with a free rule set than it would be with Warhammer 40k’s $90.00 rulebook.
o http://www.infinitythegame.com/infinity/en/
• Reaper Kickstarter – This new company has a kickstarter package that includes 240 models for 100 dollars. Compare that to GW’s recent release of the White Council of 4 models for 90 dollars. Which do you feel is a better deal and which do you think a new wargamer would more readily buy?
o http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1513061270/reaper-miniatures-bones-an-evolution-of-gaming-min
To conclude, Games Workshop is pricing itself out of the market and appears to suffer from a feeling of “Too big to fail”. A tabletop wargaming company is not kept afloat merely by the quality of its miniatures nor by a perceived monopoly. It is kept strong by the community of people who collect and play it’s games and should Games Workshop continue to price itself higher and release unbalanced rules, the community will invest in new companies that are more innovative, more open, and easier on the wallet.
Sincerely,
*******
------------
TL, DR: Instead of just commenting, actually challenge yourself to write GW a letter!
*Not sure of appropriate place for this type of post, hope this works as most BOLS topics concern WH40K
I'm a frequent lurker on the BOLS forums and articles and, disregarding some of the more obvious trolling, I am often impressed by the quality of the criticisms levelled at GW's policies. However, I don't think that many people actually go through with contacting GW directly, instead, people hope/imagine that GW is going to sift through the BOLS comment section. Therefore, I am creating this thread to challenge people to actually write to Games Workshop. Take 10 minutes and craft a (decent) email and send it to customer service at Games Workshop: [email protected]
If you accept this challenge, I implore you to post a copy of your email (personal details removed of course) on this thread as both proof and inspiration to others (IF you get a reply, thats great and adding it would be awesome too!). I will post the body of my email below. You do not need to write a beautiful email, just write something. Also note, my email is far from perfect, it might have spelling mistakes or bad information but it still gets a message across!
-------------------
I am writing because I feel that Games Workshop is out of touch with the majority of its client base and are on an unsustainable economic path. When I began collecting Warhammer 40k models seven years ago, I felt that miniature prices were high but not overly so. However, over the last few years, Games Workshop has increased prices annually with no distinct increase in product quality.
I used to buy the new models released by your company and during this time bought and collected 3 armies totaling over 8000 points of units. Now however, with prices raised significantly I struggle to justify more than a single purchase every two months. My favorite army is Chaos Space Marines and I had every intention to pick up all of the newly released models. But, when I got to my local Games Workshop store and released that a single Heldrake would cost $100.57, I chose instead to only purchase the heldrake and avoid any of the other releases (Forgefiends, Mutilators, Warptalons).
Ten years ago, Games Workshop was the only major miniature gaming company and could perhaps afford to turn a blind eye to disillusionment. Now, however, there are plenty of alternative companies and many of them offer better rules, cheaper models, or a combination of both. Below, I’ve listed a few companies that I believe Games Workshop could learn a lesson from
• Privateer Press – Hosts a fully functioning forum on it’s website and listens to it’s customers when producing and updating rules.
o http://www.infinitythegame.com/infinity/en/
• Infinity – This game offers free rules on its website, I can’t remember the last time Games Workshop did something like this and to be frank, it would be much easier for me to convince my friends to start Infinity with a free rule set than it would be with Warhammer 40k’s $90.00 rulebook.
o http://www.infinitythegame.com/infinity/en/
• Reaper Kickstarter – This new company has a kickstarter package that includes 240 models for 100 dollars. Compare that to GW’s recent release of the White Council of 4 models for 90 dollars. Which do you feel is a better deal and which do you think a new wargamer would more readily buy?
o http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1513061270/reaper-miniatures-bones-an-evolution-of-gaming-min
To conclude, Games Workshop is pricing itself out of the market and appears to suffer from a feeling of “Too big to fail”. A tabletop wargaming company is not kept afloat merely by the quality of its miniatures nor by a perceived monopoly. It is kept strong by the community of people who collect and play it’s games and should Games Workshop continue to price itself higher and release unbalanced rules, the community will invest in new companies that are more innovative, more open, and easier on the wallet.
Sincerely,
*******
------------
TL, DR: Instead of just commenting, actually challenge yourself to write GW a letter!