Something Random I came up with while talking about upcoming releases

[Cruor Vault]

While discussing the upcoming GW release schedule and the asinine way they handle new stuff I came up with the following little story. While it deals mostly with Fantasy items, i'm sure you could swap out any of the terms with their 40K equivalents and it would work just as well. And yes, I am slightly bitter with they way things have been handled for the last few years! its been tough to swallow all the weird stuff they pull. I figured I should post this here for everyones amusement, anyone else care to share any amusing tales they have come up with to explain the insane policy GW is following of late? This particular gem was written after I learned that stores in my area would only be getting a single copy of each version of the rulebook on release day.

Enter a scene: A group of executives led by none other than Jervis himself are sitting around a large conference table.

Jervis: "Well chaps, it looks like everyone finally settled into 7th edition , we have done all we can to break it. Points to James for the Daemons army book . None of those poor *******s even saw that coming!"

(A round of applause as the executives congratulate themselves for breaking the game)

Jervis: "Now that 7th edition has taken the piss, we need to start working on 8th edition. Does anyone have any ideas on how we can totally screw with people?"

James: (raises hand ) "What bout if we made charge distances totally random? Completely bugger all the units movement value and just say, roll some bloody dice for it!"

Jervis: "ooh excellent! This way my kid doesn't have to memorize any more movement values, because we all know those are really hard to tell apart!"

(Executives give a knowing chuckle and glance over at Jervis's kid playing in the corner. Making freem noises with a Bolter marine and bang noises with a Lascannon guardsmen)

Random Executive #1: "What about if we did the same to the magic phase? Make it totally unrelated to the amount of wizards they have?"

Random Executive #2: "And we can make it so people who have armies built around multiple low level castings or bound spells are totally ****ed by saying if you fail to meet the casting value your wizard isn't able to cast anymore spells this turn!"

Jervis: "Looks like were on a roll here chaps!"

Random Executive #3: "Wait? wouldn't this kind of stuff really piss of a lot of people? Maybe we should just make 8th a reformatting of 7th with the changes made by the community produced FaQ's. You know, give them what they want and all that."

(Stunned silence, Jervis's kid starts crying.)

(Jervis looks down at the control panel in front of him and pushes the big red button. Executive #3's chair tilts backwards and he falls screaming (Note: use Wilhelm scream here) into a shaft. Flames erupt and the screaming continues for a while before slowly stopping)

Jervis: "Well, looks like Specialist games needs a new director, any takers?"

(other executives look down at their pads, pretend to take phone calls, or count ceiling tiles.)

Jervis: "really no one? I this because of what happened to the last three directors of the specialist games division? I keep telling you all, its an easy job to do. Just sit on the games everyone loves, and then every six months or so, cut the selection of available models by 20%, jack up the price by a few dollars on everything and let the site go down for three weeks!"

(Jervis's kid stops crying, picks up a Leman Russ, and makes a whooshing noise like a flamethrower as he crushes terminators with the tank.)

Jervis: "fine, we can deal with it next week at the quarterly price increase dart throw extravaganza."

Executive #2 (looking timid after the demise of Executive #3): You know, we could increase sales if we made the game size larger and encouraged people to buy huge units of infantry"

Jervis: "excellent idea! If we cut down the # of models in a box by 50% and then made that box cost 2/3 of the original size i bet we could make even more money!"

(executives clap wildly, it takes a few minutes for the hubub to die down.)

Jervis: "but what about the release? We all know we cant tell anyone about this until 6 weeks before it hit shelves, but what can we do to make the most money on release day?"

Executive #3 (from down in the shaft): "owwww, it hurts..."

Jervis: "Quiet you! Your supposed to be dead! For now, don't speak up unless you have something useful to say. After this meeting I will get the furnace checked so you can burn to death properly!"

Executive #1: "What about if we sold pointless overpriced templates for thins people probably already have? We could also make the rulebook pointlessly huge by copying all the back stories out of older books and pasting it randomly around the rules section of the new rulebook. Of course its going to be hardcover also! I mean, who doesn't want a huge weighty hardcover tome to carry with them when they go gaming?"

(Everyone at the table nods in agreement)

Jervis: "but what about pricing? We usually charge $50 for a hardback rulebook, but this one should be even larger. Lets make it $75 instead!"

Executive #2: "We could also make a cheap leather bound version to sell for even more! I bet we could sell a bunch of those!"

(Banging noises start to come from the shaft, it sounds like Executive #3 is trying to climb back up)

Jervis: "dammit all, why cant people ever just follow orders."

(Jervis pulls out a rather large Laspistol from his coat pocket, walks over to the shaft, aims down at the unseen executive and shoots. For some reason the sound is that of a Bolt Pistol in a wide open field. Another scream emanates from the shaft followed by a sound of something sliding down the shaft and a loud thump as it hits the bottom.)

Jervis (retaking his seat): "How about some more ideas for increasing profits on release day?"

Executive #1: "we can delay the boxed set for a few months, until most of the large conventions are over for the year. That way more people will buy both the Boxed set for the small rulebook and the hardcover version too!"

Jervis: "wasn't that obvious to everyone? Come on chaps, we need some really really amazing ideas here today!"

James (breaking his silence): "What about if we do what we did with Space hulk. Let all the store take pre-orders for the main book and then drastically cut the number of copies we send? That way more people will have to buy straight from us."

Jervis: "James, you are brilliant! We can make it even better, if the store isn't one of ours then we only send them one of each!"

(Wild applause breaks out, interrupted only by more thumping and some groans emanating from the shaft.)

Jervis: "Bloody hell..." (he gets up, walks to the shaft pulls out his Laspistol just as dramatically as the 1st time and fires 3 more shots. Just like last time, each shot sounds like a Bolt pistol echoing across an wide open field.)

Executive #1: "You know, we could also keep it a secret what armies are going to be in starter box until the last minute. It will totally build up excitement!"

Jervis (laying the smoking Laspistol on the table): "Sounds like a great idea! Alright guys, lets break for lunch. When we get back here I have some great ideas on how to make 40K 6th edition even more... (he trails off as Executive #3 claws his way back out of the shaft. They stand there looking at each other, a closeup of Executive #3's face reveals it to be none other than Andy Chambers himself!)

Jervis: "Dammit Chambers! I am the master now!" (Jervis pulls an enormous power sword from under the table and moves towards him slowly, Chambers grabs his own sword from under the table and they begin to chase each other while the music from Benny Hill plays.)

Chambers: "You can strike me down Johnson, but I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!

(Jervis swings at Chambers and appears to cut straight through him. Only for Chambers' clothes to collapse in an empty pile. Jervis kicks the pile in frustration and finds something solid within the pile. He picks it up. It is a copy of Starcraft 2 with a note on it.)

I told you!

Andy

[entendre_entendre]

That was awesome. Definitely made my day.

[CitizenZero]

Cute story. I find the pseudo-rationale which you depicted only slightly more ridiculous than that of the average internet poster inferring said rationale.

Who am I kidding, they are about the same.

[Cruor Vault]

Well, we internet posters are nothing without our Hyperbole.

[CitizenZero]

Well, we internet posters are nothing without our Hyperbole.Haha! Exactly, thats why I keep coming back! :)

[daboarder]

the really tragic thing about this is that its probably true.

[eagleboy7259]

5th edition 40k was a huge step in the right direction compared to what Chambers was doing when 4th rolled out before his exit from GW. I can't say the same for WFB because I have never touched that game and probably never will. Still the one problem with your story, you forgot to include the sue happy legal team which threatens to completely remove any player involvement within the hobby.

[Duke]

This is all anti-freedom propoganda! GW is a gift from on High and jervis is it's prophet. Curor, you should repent for your heresy. GW will make the trains run on time I tell you!

Lol... In all seriousness this cracked me up, I kept seeing Jervis as dr. Evil from Austin powers (and probably just as incompetent. Lol

so, if Jervis is vader and chambers is obi-wan who is Luke?

Duke

[Lane]

Total crap.

AFAIK none of the design team could be described as Executives.

Most of the designers play other games as well, just maybe they took some clues from what worked in other systems in an effort to improve the game.

While the design team may respond to demands of the suits (executives) I doubt they have any say in pricing or packaging of products. If anything they probably hate what GW has become but have not found a way to break out and make a competing game that GW will not crush.

--
Lane

[daboarder]

someone missed the point.
as for the serious note here, seeing as those designers are whats left of the ol'school I wouldn't be supprised if they we're on the board, afterall they started the damn thing.

[Commissar Lewis]

Well done, sir. This made me laugh and made my night. Thank you.

[Mike X]

Total crap.

AFAIK none of the design team could be described as Executives.

Most of the designers play other games as well, just maybe they took some clues from what worked in other systems in an effort to improve the game.

While the design team may respond to demands of the suits (executives) I doubt they have any say in pricing or packaging of products. If anything they probably hate what GW has become but have not found a way to break out and make a competing game that GW will not crush.

Uh... dude, seriously, total Debbie Downer moment. The story was really funny.

[plasticaddict]

LOL. Sounds like most upper managment meetings.

[fuzzbuket]

:D this rules :D

[Cruor Vault]

I needed a way to vent my frustration with GW over the handling of 8th edition Fantasy and 5th edition 40K. And as a film student and amateur writer I figured this would be the perfect outlet. My local game group has a few guys who are pretty good stand up comedians, so I took a few things they have said here and there and combined with a few of my own favorite quibbles, gripes, and internet jokes. The result was amazingly cathartic!

[eldargal]

Wasn't that funny, clever or accurate.


Everyone knows Chambers would go all Yoda and escape through a heating duct or something.

[Torcano]

Rather disappointing. It was decently amusing, but your valid points are entirely lost within the gross exaggerations and outright errors. Started out clever, then turned into a 12 year-old's interweb rant, complete with utter ignorance of economics.

One thing that seems far beyond the comprehension of 90% of posters on BoLS and continues to bother me every time I hear it: Complaints about the price of 8th edition.

You people have serious, serious misconceptions about the publishing industry. Most have displayed complete naivety about both the costs of publishing, and about the relative stability about the industry as a whole.

Let's be clear here, good old-fashioned paper publishing is currently in the worst shape it has ever been in before. The advent of the internet has crushed this industry, sales and profit margins are down while costs (especially shipping and printing) are way up.

The bottom line is that the costs of publishing ANY book have sky-rocketed in the last decade. Now you factor in that this book is "FULL-color" and *hardcover*. Anyone with any knowledge of the publishing business could tell you how important these two things are. Basically, a 500+ page book like this is rarely made any more because you have to price it near $100 to even turn a profit.

When you kids go to college you will find out what an overpriced book really is. Complaining about $75 for something you will use for *YEARS*, with a near endless amount of value considering the gaming you use it for, is just plain stupid.

When you pay $200 for a piece of sh*t textbook that you use less than 10 times, and is unusable next year because they release a "new" edition (with 1 more chapter), THEN you will have a right to complain.

It's truly staggering how these kids complain about this. The most expensive mainstream hobby in the world, and you complain about the RULEBOOK that is LESS than $100? Holy sh*t you really need a new hobby if you can't afford this.

[Cruor Vault]

Rather disappointing. It was decently amusing, but your valid points are entirely lost within the gross exaggerations and outright errors. Started out clever, then turned into a 12 year-old's interweb rant, complete with utter ignorance of economics.



As an accountant I feel I have a pretty good grasp here, otherwise I wouldn't be gainfully employed.


One thing that seems far beyond the comprehension of 90% of posters on BoLS and continues to bother me every time I hear it: Complaints about the price of 8th edition.

You people have serious, serious misconceptions about the publishing industry. Most have displayed complete naivety about both the costs of publishing, and about the relative stability about the industry as a whole.

Let's be clear here, good old-fashioned paper publishing is currently in the worst shape it has ever been in before. The advent of the internet has crushed this industry, sales and profit margins are down while costs (especially shipping and printing) are way up.



So what about print on demand services? Additionally, nobody asked for the 8th edition rulebook to be a 500+ page monster. Had GW deigned to release the small paperback version at the same time as the big book there would be far fewer complaints. I myself would have been perfectly happy purchasing the small book.


The bottom line is that the costs of publishing ANY book have sky-rocketed in the last decade. Now you factor in that this book is "FULL-color" and *hardcover*. Anyone with any knowledge of the publishing business could tell you how important these two things are. Basically, a 500+ page book like this is rarely made any more because you have to price it near $100 to even turn a profit.



Again, I direct you to print on demand services widely available in 1st world countries. Something GW already is involved in and uses to produce out of print books like Xenology for a comparable or lower price than when they were originally released.


When you kids go to college you will find out what an overpriced book really is. Complaining about $75 for something you will use for *YEARS*, with a near endless amount of value considering the gaming you use it for, is just plain stupid.



This is a pretty tired train of thought. Yes college books are overpriced, yes things have gotten out of hand. But that has little to do with the actual cost of manufacturing the books themselves increasing compared to the rate of change in the knowledge base. The problem with College texts is their incredibly short lifespan these days, many of those books are outdated even before they get published, the length of the editing and fact checking process means that books can sometimes be a full 2 years behind the times when they hit shelves. Meaning they get replaced often and don't have the lifespan to recoup their costs like a book thats going to be on the shelves for 4-5 years like a GW rulebook.


When you pay $200 for a piece of sh*t textbook that you use less than 10 times, and is unusable next year because they release a "new" edition (with 1 more chapter), THEN you will have a right to complain.



Been there, done that. Can I complain now?

Also, in nearly every course I have taken in my 5 years (and counting) of College education the instructor has told the class just how much the book is going to be needed, resulting in people grouping up to buy one copy between them or not even buying the text if its not going to be utilized frequently.


It's truly staggering how these kids complain about this. The most expensive mainstream hobby in the world, and you complain about the RULEBOOK that is LESS than $100? Holy sh*t you really need a new hobby if you can't afford this.

Warhammer is not the most expensive mainstream hobby in the world by a long shot. The vast majority of players spend less than a thousand dollars a year. Pretty much any hobby is going to be at least comparable to that if not significantly more.

The bottom line here is this was a thread about a funny story I wrote when I was angry. It wasn't intended as a jumping off point for a debate on GW publishing or financial policies. It was one guy writing something that made him laugh and wanting to share it with others.

Should you care to continue this debate I will be more than happy to discuss this with you, but in a different thread. This one is supposed to be amusing, not serious in any way.

[Duke]

Wow, some people need to get back to funny. I loved this story, made me laugh for days. Kudos for creative writing!

As far as those people saying it isn't realistic because of xyz thing... You orgot to mention that when "Andy chambers" was struck down he disappeared into thin air as he became one with the force. Lmao, I can't believe some people would take this so seriously.

Duke

[Herald of Nurgle]

Why is my post under attack by a Tyranid?

[Norseman]

Funny little story. Good Job.

And a GREAT job embarrassing Torcano for not really knowing anything other than what he has heard on other gripe threads.

Yes we know Pulp, paper and Publishing is in rough shape... Do you know why...Because the pricing is too low for companies to stay alive. I work in the industry and what you are saying Torcano is completely and totally false. The book is overpriced. They are doing a really good job at squeezing every little dollar out of this. Can you blame them...NO... They are in this business to make money and feed their families, but you can hate them for it, and complain incessantly.

[DarkLink]

The problem with College texts is their incredibly short lifespan these days, many of those books are outdated even before they get published, the length of the editing and fact checking process means that books can sometimes be a full 2 years behind the times when they hit shelves.

Of course, in the vast majority of my subjects as an engineering student, new editions are identical to the last, just with some HW problem numbers shifted around. The problems themselves are still the same.

Calculus, Statics, Dynamics, basic Mechanics of Materials, Fluid Mechanics and the like haven't changed in just about forever. I've yet to have a class where the teacher wouldn't allow an older version of the text (because all the content is exactly the same), they just warn you that the HW problem numbers are different, so you have to figure out what problems are being assigned on your own.

I don't know about other majors (I imagine Computer Majors would have new material on a regular basis), but in most of the engineering and sciences the basic principles have been around for so long that there is absolutely no need for new editions of the text, other than as an excuse to rip off students.




On a side note, happy birthday to me:D

[daboarder]

chemistry is exactly the same darklink, I dont even reallly bother with the text books now days, if I need one there is always the library but other than that our lecturers usually provide us with all the material needed. text books over here are really expensive, you could basically get 2 land raiders at australian prices for one textbook you would use for maybe 12 weeks
].

[MajorSoB]

EPIC!

Anything that rips on Jervis and his inbred spawn is awesome in my book. I would have envisioned his drooling child to be playing with naked Barbies in the corner rather than actual 40K models, and I would have seen him occasionally take a break to put some lead filled paint chip ( no doubt from GW paints) in his mouth.

OK, let's see a show of hands...who is really excited about 8th edition fantasy? Just when I didnt think they could make that game suck any more GW goes and outdoes themselves! Yeah, that's what I want, a set of rules that weigh as much as a phone book priced at the low, low price of $75 bucks. I can't wait to make that sale..." Yes your son wants to start fantasy, OK he will need the rule book,....yes that price is $75...umm, no its not mismarked and no I am not f-ing crazy....wait where are you going, so should I put this book on hold for you??? ( door slams shut, car starts and speeds off)"

[daboarder]

you think $75 is bad, the aussie dollar is sitting bout 90ish us cense and almost 1:2 against the pound and yet they still want to charge us $124 for it....yeah I can see the auzzie shipment sitting on the shelf for a long long time.

[DarkLink]

Heck, I won't even re-buy the 40k rulebook (I lost my AOBR version a while back), and that's way cheaper. I've got much better things to spend money on. Like, y'know, food.

[MajorSoB]

Rather disappointing. It was decently amusing, but your valid points are entirely lost within the gross exaggerations and outright errors. Started out clever, then turned into a 12 year-old's interweb rant, complete with utter ignorance of economics.

One thing that seems far beyond the comprehension of 90% of posters on BoLS and continues to bother me every time I hear it: Complaints about the price of 8th edition.

You people have serious, serious misconceptions about the publishing industry. Most have displayed complete naivety about both the costs of publishing, and about the relative stability about the industry as a whole.

Let's be clear here, good old-fashioned paper publishing is currently in the worst shape it has ever been in before. The advent of the internet has crushed this industry, sales and profit margins are down while costs (especially shipping and printing) are way up.

The bottom line is that the costs of publishing ANY book have sky-rocketed in the last decade. Now you factor in that this book is "FULL-color" and *hardcover*. Anyone with any knowledge of the publishing business could tell you how important these two things are. Basically, a 500+ page book like this is rarely made any more because you have to price it near $100 to even turn a profit.

When you kids go to college you will find out what an overpriced book really is. Complaining about $75 for something you will use for *YEARS*, with a near endless amount of value considering the gaming you use it for, is just plain stupid.

When you pay $200 for a piece of sh*t textbook that you use less than 10 times, and is unusable next year because they release a "new" edition (with 1 more chapter), THEN you will have a right to complain.

It's truly staggering how these kids complain about this. The most expensive mainstream hobby in the world, and you complain about the RULEBOOK that is LESS than $100? Holy sh*t you really need a new hobby if you can't afford this.

Basically you are full of crap.

1) I work in publishing and have for the past 20+ years.
2) That book would cost no more than $20 to produce, and with the printing industry being what it is MANY companies would publish at cost just to keep their presses running, making real cost on that book about $10 to $15.
3) TEXTBOOKS is your standard for what a book should be priced??? They are singularly the most overpriced publication not due to printing cost but due to the profit gouging that your professors insist on making for their crappy books that they write. By the way, I went to college too and I have two 4 year degrees, so while I feel your pain about buying and selling textbooks, your logic is completely irrelevant to what GW is charging for their rulebook.
4)Now let me confuse you with these things called FACTS. The real core of this book ( that which covers the actual rules not the fluff that bulked up the spine ) is probably 100 pages or less. Rather than sell a 100-200 page book for less that $40 which is a fair price to pay in today's economy, GW chose to gouge it supporter with this rulebook on steroids. Please tell me why? Most gamers just want the rules. New gamers will not spend $75 to get started, so the question is why did GW do this?
5) Last but certainly not least, fantasy sucks. Yes I own 2 fantasy armies and have played but the rule set has been cumbersome and unbalanced ever since I have played. It's a rock, paper, scissors game where if I have army x I beat army y but fall to army z. GW's "fix" if all the 8th editions rumors are true they certainly have changed the fantasy landscape but in my opinion not for the better, Nerfing magic doesnt seem to be a good fix but we all know that GW lacks the talent to write balanced army books that coincide with each other. Bottom line is I am less than enthused to buy the new set of rules ESPECIALLY at $75. Anyone want to buy a Tomb King or Dwarf army????
6) There is a difference between "turning profit" and raping your loyal customers!

[eldargal]

Then add staff costs, transportation costs, advertising costs, storage costs etc. etc. I contributed to a magazine selling 64 full colour A4 pages for five pounds, printing cost was around half that and we were lucky if we made a few pence profit by the time we got it in shops and such. One of my favourite magazines had to drop A4 full colour format because the price doubled in the space of a few months last year. Its really not as cheap and happy an industry as you make out.
Textbooks are hugely overpriced its true, but they aren't even full colour. Try finding a 500 page full colour 'coffee table' book for less than forty pounds.
Its true the rule section of this book amounts to around 180 pages, but the BRB isn't just the rules, it is the basis for the entire WFB fantasy hobby which includes background, painting and modelling. GW should sell a rules only book, but complaining that the BRB isn't it is just damned stupid.
Most gamers just want the rules? Care to show me the scientific polling done to support this claim? Given that the collectors edition has all but sold out in three days I'm going to say that in fact people want bigger and fancier fluff-filled rulebooks.
The BRB is not the entry point to the hobby, the starter set is and it is being released in a couple of months time. The starter set will have a rules only booklet which you will be able to get on eBay, but I do agree that GW should sell it seperately.
7th edition WFB does suck, but WFB has not always been so bad. Besides, most of the same arguments apply to 40k if you believe the whining on forums.

[Lane]

As an accountant I feel I have a pretty good grasp here, otherwise I wouldn't be gainfully employed.

Depends on the type of accounting. I know people with business/ accounting degrees who arecrap on economics but are great at book keeping and tax codes.



The problem with College texts is their incredibly short lifespan these days, many of those books are outdated even before they get published, the length of the editing and fact checking process means that books can sometimes be a full 2 years behind the times when they hit shelves. Meaning they get replaced often and don't have the lifespan to recoup their costs like a book thats going to be on the shelves for 4-5 years like a GW rulebook.




Some topics change rapidly and need to be updated. But that explanation does not work for subjects like basic Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, Any History subject over 20 years old (unless the professor wants to teach revisionist history or some peculiar bias), speech, most English literature. In fact most undergraduate classes are at such a basic level that the material does not change at any significant rate.

Then you have situations like a class I took where the text was written by the professor yet the only material he used from the book as about 50% of the homework assignments.

[Aldramelech]

Ahhh that made me chuckle......

Nicely done.

[CitizenZero]

Basically you are full of crap.

1) I work in publishing and have for the past 20+ years.
2) That book would cost no more than $20 to produce, and with the printing industry being what it is MANY companies would publish at cost just to keep their presses running, making real cost on that book about $10 to $15.
3) TEXTBOOKS is your standard for what a book should be priced??? They are singularly the most overpriced publication not due to printing cost but due to the profit gouging that your professors insist on making for their crappy books that they write. By the way, I went to college too and I have two 4 year degrees, so while I feel your pain about buying and selling textbooks, your logic is completely irrelevant to what GW is charging for their rulebook.
4)Now let me confuse you with these things called FACTS. The real core of this book ( that which covers the actual rules not the fluff that bulked up the spine ) is probably 100 pages or less. Rather than sell a 100-200 page book for less that $40 which is a fair price to pay in today's economy, GW chose to gouge it supporter with this rulebook on steroids. Please tell me why? Most gamers just want the rules. New gamers will not spend $75 to get started, so the question is why did GW do this?
5) Last but certainly not least, fantasy sucks. Yes I own 2 fantasy armies and have played but the rule set has been cumbersome and unbalanced ever since I have played. It's a rock, paper, scissors game where if I have army x I beat army y but fall to army z. GW's "fix" if all the 8th editions rumors are true they certainly have changed the fantasy landscape but in my opinion not for the better, Nerfing magic doesnt seem to be a good fix but we all know that GW lacks the talent to write balanced army books that coincide with each other. Bottom line is I am less than enthused to buy the new set of rules ESPECIALLY at $75. Anyone want to buy a Tomb King or Dwarf army????
6) There is a difference between "turning profit" and raping your loyal customers!I can't wait to play my Tomb Kings in 8th edition, what do you have for sale?

[Denzark]

This was actually quite amusing, inventive and witty for the internet. It raised a smile.

Torcano, I can't express myself to respond adequately to your patronising dribble without risking an infraction, save to say I saw more intelligent things in my boy's nappy (diaper for the yanks) when I changed it this morning.

[Aldramelech]

This was actually quite amusing, inventive and witty for the internet. It raised a smile.

Torcano, I can't express myself to respond adequately to your patronising dribble without risking an infraction, save to say I saw more intelligent things in my boy's nappy (diaper for the yanks) when I changed it this morning.

You change nappies???????????????;)

[Rusty Nail]

You change nappies???????????????;)

I have one of those "wife" servitors to do that for me - and if she ever ses this I am so dead!

[Denzark]

I wish I was so high to merit a wife servitor I seem to be in thrall to some sort of Cadian female Commissar - very little humour and I'm on permanent fatigue duties to escape the ultimate sanction!

[Aldramelech]

I wish I was so high to merit a wife servitor I seem to be in thrall to some sort of Cadian female Commissar - very little humour and I'm on permanent fatigue duties to escape the ultimate sanction!

Should have done what I did the one and only time I was asked to do it, Make a complete balls up of it on purpose, look all innocent and say "Whats wrong with it?"

Never got asked again.

Works for a whole range of stuff :D

[The Imperator]

making fun of the GW administrators HERESY:mad:

[The Imperator]

ATENTION: This thread has been deamed heritical by Games Workshops Holiest Inquisition and all posters will be arested and put on trial and then shot. And in order to make an example of you all we are raising prices another 40% have a nice day.

[Aldramelech]

ATENTION: This thread has been deamed heritical by Games Workshops Holiest Inquisition and all posters will be arested and put on trial and then shot. And in order to make an example of you all we are raising prices another 40% have a nice day.

Shoot all your customers and then raise prices 40%. Its sad when I say that I wouldnt find that unsurprising!:D

[HsojVvad]

Shoot all your customers and then raise prices 40%. Its sad when I say that I wouldnt find that unsurprising!:D

That is so true.

I found the original post funny and enjoyed reading it. No can you please do one for 40K and LotR please?

[Cruor Vault]

I would do one for 40K if GW would do something as stupid as they have for Fantasy to set me off again! I just spent $1K building a Vampire Counts army that looks like its going to be completely neutered in 8th. Maybe if they decide to merge the inquisition books together into one big book that will spark something!

As for LoTR.... I truly cannot stand Tolkien's work. I recognize it for being a monumentally important catalyst in the creation of the worlds I know and love today, but for the life of me I simply do not enjoy either the books or the movies. It took me three years and innumerable false starts to make it through the Fellowship and after that I stopped trying to read his books. As a result of this I have never laid eyes on the LoTR or WoTR rules sets, nor have I ever painted/assembled a model from those ranges.

[Torcano]

Never said it costs anywhere near the selling price to produce. Perhaps if you thought about it a little harder you'd realize that every product in the world works this way. Example: You go to a restaurant and pay let's say $5 for a coke. It costs them roughly 1 cent for this product. It's called Mark-Up. And it does reflect a need to not only cover the costs of production, but everything from shipping to renting out the store space in a mall.

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I was not comparing only the price of textbooks to the BRB. If you read a little more of my post you would see that my point was that if you go to college you will spend 100s on each textbook, and thousands over the course of your program. My comparison is regarding the entertainment, fun, enjoyment, duration and frequency of usage that you get from your purchase.

Frankly, it is astonishing how out of whack people's values are. If you worked out the hours you spent playing WH (and indirectly using the rules, fluff, etc) against the hours you spent reading a typical textbook...well its no comparison.

Perhaps you people are "pure gamers" and have no use for anything but rules. Well it's not GW's fault that you choose to not use the product fully. It is designed for the *hobby*, and many players would be just as pissed off about not having fluff, color pictures, and the like as you are that they are there.

But when you think about it, who do you think should get the priority out of these two groups? The answer is obvious, and here are the reasons:

1) If the "rules-only" group got their way, then the hobby people (target market) are screwed, unhappy, and betrayed. By including *everything*, there is no content lost.
2) GW caters to the hobby market for very, very good reasons. Well one reason: Money. This group is *willing* to pay more for more content. This is Business 101. You want to get the most money that each person is willing to spend. So the first release (e.g. hardcover novel) is the most expensive, then the 2nd targets those not willing to pay for first (paperback).
Also, this might be conjecture but you'd think this demographic is probably much more likely to spend more in general; proportionally they probably have more painted armies, more books, novels, FW items, etc.
3) There is a mini-book released at a later point with just rules. So not only could you just ignore the parts of BRB you don't like, but you could get the rules you want anyway. Nothing to complain about seemingly (until you ask the interweb)

Anyway, as I said before, if $75 (or $100 here in Canada) is too much for you to spend on the GW product you *will* 100% for sure get the most value out of, you aren't thinking straight--or are in the wrong hobby.