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

[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.