Jump to content

Battletomes, a bygone era?


Arkiham

Recommended Posts

On 9/21/2018 at 12:03 PM, Yokai said:

I hear you, OP. I pity the poor sod investing in Kharadron Overlords, only to find out most of the physical battletome has been invalidated by FAQs, rule reworks and whatnot. GW selling the old tome is borderline fraudulent.

This is actually an interesting point.

At what point does a product fall into the "defective/recall" category?

I had not considered it in quite this light before. Sure, we accept, begrudgingly, that there may be a typo here and there, or that there may be a tweak needed in a rule on occasion, but if there is that much in the product on the shelf that is not valid/wrong/defective (and I do believe that's an appropriate term in this case), how is it ok to continue to sell it?

If a computer came out with a processor that ran at half the advertised speed, had RAM that didn't seat properly, and three of its USB ports only accepted 1.0 devices but claimed to handle newer standards, they wouldn't keep selling it but just offer free fixes to those who knew where to go to get the fixes. Consumer protection agencies would demand a recall.

 

In this case, I think we may be too accepting.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 110
  • Created
  • Last Reply

If they must stick to physical Battletomes, perhaps smaller print runs might allow GeeDubz to reprint more often when considerable mistakes are made or when things need to be substantially changed (Codex Spess Wolves, or Battletome Kharadron). 

Not that I have any particular insight into that or anything. Just wondering.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The main problem with doing smaller print runs with a view to pushing out corrected editions is that it could stall sales of first editions as everyone "Waits for the updated version". Plus it could cause a lot of confusion if there are two printed copies and you've got to hunt around for the tiny "edition" notation to work out which is current. At least with longer gaps and typically a new format and cover art you know which is the current without question - then you just need the A4 sheet printout from the errata

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Sleboda said:

I do, and I understand the video game comparison.  I have seen others with similar views who also, like you, draw the line at physical goods (glad to see you express that, btw).

I just don't know why the principle doesn't cross over from physical to digital.

Regardless of the reasons we don't want to make a purchase for a certain item (price, color, usefulness, longevity, need, broad use, etc.) we are still saying "I wish to obtain a thing, but there is an element of it I find disagreeable or off-putting."  It still comes down to a choice to make the purchase or to not make the purchase.  Using my love of all things Metal \m/ as an example, I don't care if it's a CD (new In This Moment physical disc), an MP3 (same album, but obtained as a download), or a concert (an ephemeral experiencing of the same music) - the format of of the music does not free me from the moral obligation to refrain from taking it in a way that the product's 'maker' does not permit. I should not steal the disc, steal it digitally off of the 'net, or sneak into the venue to hear the concert. There are things about each format I like and don't like, and I have to decide if the pluses outweigh the negatives enough for the purchase of the thing.  In the case of the new ITM album, btw, I have it disc, own the MP3, and am going to the show here in Chicago in December. :)

The mention of CD got me thinking. CDs, for me, are an outdated last century thing. I don't want to keep adding to a large shelf of useless discs, for which I don't even have a method of playing anymore. Many I no longer want to listen to. I pay for a streaming service instead. Everything I'll ever need, up-to-date and takes up no physical space for a reasonable monthly fee. For those that like touchy feely you have these lovely made vinyl things in special packaging.

For books I Kindle or audio book, who are also trying to move you to a subscription model. Whilst the dead tree publishers churn out lovingly made bound volumes.

For AOS I'd love a model where I pay a one off fee each year for up-to-date rules for every faction. Say £50? That would carry across mobile and PC. It'd combine with the warscroll builder and produce a pdf complete set of rules for my current army I could print off. You like physical? Ok, the books still exist, with exclusive artwork and background.

Right now I have a large spreadsheet and various print outs of pages from books I've downloaded for free, even though I have the physical book I paid for. This feels wrong, but is the best option I have.  (Print outs are easy access, I can scribble on them and spill all the tea i want over them.)

Please GW, take the step into 2018. In return I'll give you even more money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, a74xhx said:

CDs, for me, are an outdated last century thing. I don't want to keep adding to a large shelf of useless discs, for which I don't even have a method of playing anymore. Many I no longer want to listen to. I pay for a streaming service instead

A bit off topic, but I wanted to comment.

 

I love CDs. I own about 1000 and buy about one per month on average. The art in the booklet, the notes, etc. are all nice. Plus, I'm able to discern the difference in audio quality between compressed and lossless formats, and CDs are just plain better than streaming.

Not judging you, just saying I really still prefer CDs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Sleboda said:

Plus, I'm able to discern the difference in audio quality between compressed and lossless formats, and CDs are just plain better than streaming.

Not judging you, just saying I really still prefer CDs.

I’m no audiophile myself, but shouldn’t you be avoiding CDs and sticking with vinyl then?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've argued for a high quality ring binder / sleeve folder and a print on demand option, so that you can easily update your physical copy but not worry about the warscrolls so much.

Make the battletome a background / fluff book and include the digital warscroll cards in the cost

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...