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Warhammer Community, your helpful friend * 


Rodiger

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It's really funny, that I kind of end up on the "GW apologetic" side lately on many of these matters, having just coming back to the hobby after a long hiatus being very, very gross (involving actual serious pouting, and stomping with feed) with GW for blowing-up my beloved Ulthuan (and the less but still somewhat meaningful little world around it : )).

I think the WarCom site is not bad for what it is (a corporate marketing tool). It has some plain "buy this" articles, some really community focused pieces (like the army on parade things, and others Baron Klatz mentioned above) and everything in between. Many of the articles still lead to a lot of community engagement.

Before the Lumineth were out, most of our discussions in the Lumineth thread derived from something posted on the WarCom site, and we had a lot of fun doing it. Speculating about what kind of units we get and how they look like - and the ever popular is there more???? Of course, for them the aim is that we all in the end buy their stuff, but the pieces  still also worked well as starting points for community engagement. 

The hobby streams they put up on Twitch are also less plain marketing for example. 

The part I can't agree with @Rodiger is where you say you want them to slow down or stop. Other people might be fine with the pacing or want even more. We have lots of posts asking for more information about what's next. If the pace is too fast for you - then just don't visit the site. Why should GW base their pacing specifically with what you feel is appropriate? Even the Hobby article you mentioned isn't that bad in my view. Besides money, time is also a big constraint for many people. You pay more when you stick with GW products, but you can just buy everything in one-go from the same source you are anyway buying already. Yes, most of the stuff you can get better and/or cheaper, or just make yourself. But for someone like me, who doesn't live in the UK, it involves a lot more effort to do so, and it might just be worth for me to buy it from them directly. They target a broad range of people and what looks really bad for you, might be better for other people (and both can be correct). 

And if not, the article still gives you a good intro into what you need for the hobby. If you have the time, you can easily use the information to check for alternatives. 

If you feel uneasy about mixing community content with "underhand" marketing, you can stick to sites like these here, right? You get all the information you need, without someone actively trying to sell you stuff. And in addition, even your niche needs are met. You can get your daily dose of misery from @JackStreicher for free, and read comments of some unnamed weirdo who segues any topic into the talking about Lumineth. WarCom clearly can't compete with that, even if they'd try. 

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Well it seems that a lot of people like Warhammer Community and I have rubbed some people up the wrong way. I don't really get these arguments saying they are a company with their own site to push sales so I should just accept that, and I shouldn't point the finger and say I've had enough of their sales drive.

My interaction with that site is on a Monday morning to see what is coming next week, that's it. Pre community that used to be revealed on the Saturday when they went up or the in the White Dwarf. That was enough for me, didn't need the week long hype. Google's algorithms do like to stick articles in my suggested news feed. I don't read anything else on there. But being the big dog, what they do is then talked about everywhere and you can't ignore it. It's like news sites and the U.S, I am not American,I don't live in the U.S, and I have absolutely no interest in their news, but news sites from every country stick U.S headlines on their front page, so you can't miss it even if you have no interest at all. 

That article is maybe the straw that broke the camel's back, I don't like the tone of how it is being all chummy and matey, but it is trying to sell absolute rip offs, just comes across as a sleazy conman. I'm guessing they have a lot of stock and the message came down they need to sell some of it off so get something on the website. Even if you are completely new to this hobby would you buy any of that. They want to sell things, fine, just don't write it like they are your friend. It's like seeing those 'reviews' on sites that have to have the 'paid advertisement' written into them.

Some of the comments have me wondering about what the actual audience of Warhammer Community is supposed to be. Due to the high prices, I'd say the main target of their advertising would be middle class well off men in 30's 40's, but their articles are written with teenagers in mind. Maybe it's just a scattergun approach. I have never felt any sense of community from that website, I've always felt like the target of a sales pitch. 

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Yeah the targets are everyone. Adult veterans that are meta competitors looking for articles on "who would win", lore hounds after the world building, podcasts & free stories, collectors wanting the newest centerpieces and painting tips, teens wanting what's new and cool with advice how they can play it in their games like turning a Warcry/Underworlds warband into a AoS army and vice-versa while any kids and parents use articles meant for them with fun sections or news on cheap boardgames they can nab at their local stores or Barnes and Noble.

The variety and fun comics are what keep me coming back every morning along with quick jumps to Facebook or Twitter for extra news I may have missed.

Edited by Baron Klatz
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16 minutes ago, LuminethMage said:

The part I can't agree with @Rodiger is where you say you want them to slow down or stop. Other people might be fine with the pacing or want even more. We have lots of posts asking for more information about what's next. If the pace is too fast for you - then just don't visit the site. Why should GW base their pacing specifically with what you feel is appropriate? Even the Hobby article you mentioned isn't that bad in my view. Besides money, time is also a big constraint for many people. You pay more when you stick with GW products, but you can just buy everything in one-go from the same source you are anyway buying already. Yes, most of the stuff you can get better and/or cheaper, or just make yourself. But for someone like me, who doesn't live in the UK, it involves a lot more effort to do so, and it might just be worth for me to buy it from them directly. They target a broad range of people and what looks really bad for you, might be better for other people (and both can be correct). 

I was writing my reply as you were writing yours, I did kind of address this in my post but to be specific, no GW have no right to just cater to my desires, and yes some people might like the high pace or releases, I remember a time when this wasn't the case though and I much preferred the slower release schedule. Also as I was trying to say, it's pretty hard to ignore, even if you don't visit the site. 

 

28 minutes ago, LuminethMage said:

But for someone like me, who doesn't live in the UK, it involves a lot more effort to do so, and it might just be worth for me to buy it from them directly.

I also don't live in the U.K, I think we live in the same country actually, I started off with none of this and found all of these things much much cheaper.  :)

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I agree with the OP, the tag "Warhammer Community" is a poor choice of words and would be better suited as the 'Warhammer Newsletter'.

There's only a few articles I'm really interested in: Sunday's Preorder Preview, Saturday Preview Shows, and on occasion something absolutely bizarre (a few Mind of Mengle come to mind)

I feel part of the issue may be GW Marketing are afraid to allow coverage of  an "Intermediate" hobby topic for fear it may scare off "Beginners".

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38 minutes ago, Fairbanks said:

I agree with the OP, the tag "Warhammer Community" is a poor choice of words and would be better suited as the 'Warhammer Newsletter'.

It's just a fancy name. I would suggest to ignore anything on internet, specialy all other "community-driven" sites appart from maybe some Age of Sigmar Reddits and TGA.

3 hours ago, Rodiger said:

 I much preferred the slower release schedule. Also as I was trying to say, it's pretty hard to ignore, even if you don't visit the site.

Didn't know that was a problem. Some friends just stepped back and waited for 6 months-2 years when they had some burnout.

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If you need your Hobby fix and the Forums are not enough:
Sorry, I have to preach something (for many of you it may not be new, but I had to think about it while reading some replies) :

My Hobby-Life changed for the better when I discovered "Warhammer Weekly" on Youtube. It is such a funny and informative show to stay up to date on news and hearing about new artists. The 2 Main Hosts Vince and Tom are super cool people and you can listen to them (and guests) nerding about Warhammer and Tabletop for 2+ Hours (sometimes even 6 Hours!) 😁 The various guests are also really nice people who are also well known in the AoS community (some have channels of their own. (HeyWoah, Doom and Darkness, AoS Coach, 2+tough etc.)
Really a big chunk of the creative and competitive AoS Community is found on Youtube for me - people realize their own visions in form of their channels and the involvement and investment shows.
Due to different Time Zones I am never able to catch these shows live - but there are always so many folks in the Life Chat it's engaging. 


I guess just watch some of their Videos or some Hobby-Cheating or Topic of the Week on Vince Venturella's Channel and find out if you like it. ;)

@Thomas Lyons and @Vincent Venturella just because I found you here - Thank you a thousand times and more that you share your Hobby-Passion with us. 🥰
 

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1 hour ago, Fairbanks said:

I agree with the OP, the tag "Warhammer Community" is a poor choice of words and would be better suited as the 'Warhammer Newsletter'.

They already have that when you subscribe to the community. They send you a newsletter on any big news on their platforms.

Which is why it very much is a community and justifies the name, even the article OP linked ends with places viewers can go to and give feedback. Which is exactly what a community does.

"How are you set up for your hobby needs? Share your building, painting, and gaming areas with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – and remember that the staff in your local Warhammer store will be only too happy to help you out."

7 minutes ago, Aloth_Corfiser said:

(some have channels of their own. (HeyWoah, Doom and Darkness, AoS Coach, 2+tough etc.)

Great shouts!

I also highly recommend Rerolling Ones and Dark Artisan for great battle reports and fun hobby discussions. :)

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4 hours ago, Rodiger said:

Well it seems that a lot of people like Warhammer Community and I have rubbed some people up the wrong way. I don't really get these arguments saying they are a company with their own site to push sales so I should just accept that, and I shouldn't point the finger and say I've had enough of their sales drive [...] I don't like the tone of how it is being all chummy and matey, but it is trying to sell absolute rip offs, just comes across as a sleazy conman. [...]. I have never felt any sense of community from that website, I've always felt like the target of a sales pitch. 

Yes, it does give me that vibe too. 

What I think puts me off is trying to blend the sense of “community” and hardcore marketing.  Is that truly necessary? Couldn’t they have a  true community site, in the sense that they just showcase people’s armies, have invited articles, and so on, without the cringey sales pitches they mixed in? 
 

I get it, some marketing “genius” told them that mixing it gets people off guard. And that their ads would likely just get skipped if they didn’t mix them with something else. Then just freaking have a section for new minis or pure ads that are clearly differentiated from the rest. 
 

I guess that a lot of us would prefer to interact with a different company, closer to some of the truly friendly local stores (yes, there are super pushy ones even too) and less of a corporate I just want to get my hands in your pocket one. The article that you cite is an example of this more ruthless approach, since it is well known that a lot of hobby products GW sells are obscenely overpriced and not always good quality (some of the shades I like a lot, though!). 
 

At the end of the day, GW and other big corporations seem to think that sites like war com boost sales, while people like you or me think they actually lower them. Because after some cringey promotion I am actually less likely to buy a GW product. Without wanting to get too much (is it a bit late, already?:P) into the “moral” part of this, I think ultimately this will change when we consumers become a bit more demanding. Because sadly some people at the wheel in these companies think being “manipulative” is fair play. I recommend phishing for fools by some top notch economists if you are interested in the topic.

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1 hour ago, Greybeard86 said:

At the end of the day, GW and other big corporations seem to think that sites like war com boost sales, while people like you or me think they actually lower them. Because after some cringey promotion I am actually less likely to buy a GW product. Without wanting to get too much (is it a bit late, already?:P) into the “moral” part of this, I think ultimately this will change when we consumers become a bit more demanding. 

But wargamers are endlessly demanding. We want bigger more detailed kits with simpler parts to put together at a cheaper price whilst at the same time allowing for a highly dynamic posing structure with thousands of bits whilst being simple and approachable. At the same time we don't want 10001 different variations of the same army, but we also want high representation of our niche armies through upgrade packs which we don't want. 

Wargamers are very demanding as customers, but we have no united voice as a community save for the lower prices which is a universal cry every customer market shouts out. Some of us like monopose high detail high dynamic models; some of us want to go back to one-post castings; some want fully dynamic optional parts out of our ears models. There's loads of calls in loads of directions with no organisation nor unification and, I suspect, fewer of us actually posting our desires to GW and instead to just message boards and the like.

 

 

As for the idea that marketing makes you want to own something less; eh; I think this more reflects the person than the marketing. Most of GW's marketing is either tongue-in-cheek 80s style (What is best in life Duncan) or just fairly casual in-lore/setting written stuff. The bulk of the marketing is "look at this photo of the new model". 

In the end if a war-com article makes you want to own GW models less chances are you're already disgruntled or have mentally moved on from GW as a brand/product and your mind is just looking for an "excuse" to push you over the edge. To make you take that leap or final choice. Whereas in reality it might be lots of little things and some totally out of GW's control - you changing as a person; having less time; not having a play group you gel-with well etc...

 

No company, except those left with no other choice, is going to market to its grumpy customers. They are going to focus on those newer; those excited; those fired up and on the edge of their seat. It's not that they don't like the grumpy people,its that grumpy people are inherently hard to please and sometimes determined not to be pleased ;)

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@Rodiger, You didn't rub me up the wrong way. I think your point is a fair one. GW used to be uncomfortably pushy when you went into their stores and it was a real put off. If too many feel the balance is too far on the pushy side then GW should take a look at it and address that. I personally don't think they are at that point yet.. 

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2 minutes ago, Greyshadow said:

@Rodiger, You didn't rub me up the wrong way. I think your point is a fair one. GW used to be uncomfortably pushy when you went into their stores and it was a real put off. If too many feel the balance is too far on the pushy side then GW should take a look at it and address that. I personally don't think they are at that point yet.. 

I've often heard that the staff hired in the USA, esp in the kirby era, were trained/selected more to be sales pushy. It's something UK customers tend to see less as many of our staff tend to be more recruited from actual gamers. So the UK gets more "hobby" focused staff. They are most certainly still sales staff, but they are less pushy with it and more encouraging/inviting. 

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@Rodiger, It sounds like you might not have as much of a problem with Warhammer Community if you were happier with the prices? Perhaps this thread has run its course and the discussion could continue in the price thread?

@Overread. I've found the current staff in Australia are just fantastic. Laid back, friendly, talented painters and super helpful.

Edited by Greyshadow
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30 minutes ago, Overread said:

But wargamers are endlessly demanding.

No sympathy for a multimilion corporation with lots of market power and a stellar balance sheet performance in the last years.

30 minutes ago, Overread said:

Whereas in reality it might be lots of little things and some totally out of GW's control - you changing as a person; having less time; not having a play group you gel-with well etc...

Absolutely not. I am having a blast putting together an army of OOP metal figures by GW. I am being critical of a marketing style that I find cringey worthy.

30 minutes ago, Overread said:

It's not that they don't like the grumpy people,its that grumpy people are inherently hard to please and sometimes determined not to be pleased

I mean, shall we address the elephant in the room? You go around the threads of people complaining telling them "it is not GW, it is you", and "maybe you should just go away". The winks, the subtle not so subtle hints at something being "wrong" with the complainers, those are not too far from the things that make some of us cringe when we read warcom. Wait! ;)

I think it comes down to expectations; the gut reactions of different publics participating in this thread are interesting in that sense.

Some people "expect" GW to use "fake comraderie" to sell, and don't get too annoyed by it. Of course it is an infomercial, it is a corporation putting out thinly disguissed ads! And these people don't understand the outrage, and may or may not read warcom without analyzing it.

Then there are those who dislike the "dishonesty" in marketing, who think that ads for overpriced mediocre hobby supplies masked into "helpful" advice to cope with the pandemic are a bit out of place. I honestly didn't think of it at first until I re read the OP, and now I agree, it is a bit cringey.

Finally, I suppose that some people might actually like warcom, and get excited by it, and buy as a result. Haven't really met anyone like that, but I am assuming they do exist (GW must be running at least focus groups?).

The third group might find offensive the comments of the first, the second does not get whatthe big deal is, and the first gets annoyed at both the lack of "empathy" and what they (we) think is consumers having a lazy / too permissive attitude with regards to company's behaviors. So yeah, perfect thread for some good old internet brawl. And ;)!

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Since 2016 Games Workshop have radically altered their approach to sales. Before that it was very much based around posters in stores, managers pushing new products and articles showing new releases in White Dwarf. However, there were also fewer new releases and more of a focus on getting new players into the game via store walk ins.

Since then it has been heavily based on online "hype" generation and direct engagement with a hard-core fan base. GW have adopted the "whale" business model where it is much more profitable to get their hard-core fans constantly consuming new releases rather than trying to attract new customers. Hence you now have a company that ensures they release new product almost every week of the year, promote that in advance with leaks and previews and then dominate social media with constant "articles" promoting the new releases.

This also makes it much harder for players to fall out of the hobby as even if they aren't playing or painting they will still see a lot of social media activity relating to warhammer. 

Lastly, this explains the reason why Age of Sigmar sees multiple new armies released each year. It is much easier to get the whales to spend £400 on a brand new range than getting existing fans of a particular army to buy one or two new kits for their existing 2k force.

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@Greybeard86 my point is more that a I see people who are not content with what/how GW is as a company/product/brand today and they focus on complaining about it. However whilst they might be demanding change they are going about it in a way that won't propagate actual change. It's most a cycle of negativity which, in itself, often reinforces the negative elements that they've identified. At worst they can take a small issue and repeat it so often it becomes a major issue; at least for them. 

The thing is often as not "making" a company change in a way you want it too isn't easy nor simple and its often not achieved by polls or "lets all not buy anything" campaigns. I can't suggest how to change GW save for working there/being on the stock board as a major holder. That said I know complaints on forums are very unlikely to result in any actual change. I've also noted that companies are like people and unless you can force them; negative approaches (do this or I leave as a customer) typically don't work at producing change. 

 

I don't want them to leave wargames, but I do suggest that perhaps people take a step back and consider if they are promoting ideas and pushing for actual change or if its just whining/complaining that is only reinforcing the elements that they don't enjoy. As a result perhaps a break is what they need more than to focus on something that's causing them problems. Of course there's also the internet aspect whereby people often come to complain far more than compliment - so someone can be really negative online yet in reality are having a blast building, painting and playing. 

 

 

 

@HollowHills I disagree that GW is focusing on the whales. They are pushing for new customers very hard; they've got several new "getting started" games at the cheap end - warcry, underworlds, killteam; meeting engagements. They've restarted their schools program; they've got loads of articles and videos predominantly focused not on experienced whales, but on beginners. If they were focusing on whales they'd be pushing out "kit bash" videos every week rather than "how to paint a marine in 3 easy steps". Sure the high turnover of releases does have an influence on those who can and willingly want to afford more models; but at the same time I think its just that GW can release a lot and have shifted from a pure "nothing for months then everything" pattern to a "something every week" approach. Plus with the return of multiple specialist games that also increases the release load and rate. I think its more that they can release and thus are; rather than that they are specifically targeting whales with this release pattern. 

Plus without purchasing data in detial its very hard for us to consider how much influence whales in the GW world really have on purchasing; we can guess that its a lot, but at the same time we forget that they are a rare thing; esp in a market where thereis a cap on how much you can build/paint in a given period of time. We could well be over-ascribing the influence much like people feel that tournaments are a big market; but when you actually step back you realise its a niche

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1 hour ago, Baron Klatz said:

Which is why it very much is a community and justifies the name, even the article OP linked ends with places viewers can go to and give feedback. Which is exactly what a community does.

"How are you set up for your hobby needs? Share your building, painting, and gaming areas with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – and remember that the staff in your local Warhammer store will be only too happy to help you out."

Sorry I don't agree that this builds community, it just sounds like all the other bland statements other large companies make about their social media, which the cynical part of me just believes they have them to drive up more revenue than actually caring what their customers do. 

The guys who work in the GW shops do a tremendous job and they should be classed as the community. It's a tough gig as they have to mix in the high pressure sales too, but once they are past that you can see the communities that revolve around the shops  

1 hour ago, Greyshadow said:

@Rodiger, It sounds like you might not have as much of a problem with Warhammer Community if you were happier with the prices? Perhaps this thread has run its course and the discussion could continue in the price thread?

That is a seperate but concurrent issue I have with GW in 2020. I'm not happy about price rises, but this would still be an issue even if they had lowered the prices. This post was never supposed to be about prices, I've said my views on that in other threads, this is just about what I thought about the style and purpose of Warhammer Community. :)

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45 minutes ago, Beastmaster said:

To be honest, from an official site of a commercial organization  I never expected anything different than a sales pitch. 
For discussion and true community there are other formats (like this forum). 

I have had lots of good communication on fora of Mount and Blade as well as, earlier, Baldur's Gate. Though granted, those are fora.

The Renaissance Troll blog, which is from the writer of the games in the Frostgrave rulesets, is quite diverse in interest and possible stuff or builds that are relevant. There are quite a few figures used that are competition to the Frostgrave line. Though granted, that's a person, not the company.

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5 minutes ago, JackStreicher said:

So what are we supposed to do then? Actually there is nothing we can do but to complain. We have no power whatsoever.

If you cannot effect change you either have to come to terms with how things are or perhaps venture outside the GW Bubble and try other things that might better fit your desires. Doing the latter might also require a person to put effort in locally to introduce others to a new game or approach so its not without effort. 

The thing is if you can't make GW change then you're left with either accepting that change or walking away from them. Accepting change doesn't mean you have to agree with it, it simply means you will tolerate some negative in exchange for the positives you get out of it. Perhaps also adjusting your behaviour to focus a bit more on the positive side and less on the negative. As I've said in other threads, if you focus on a negative aspect you can end up with it blinkering your view toward that end alone - a minor issue becomes a big one and can take away the fun from other areas. A self defeating cycle. Moving away from GW can break that cycle; but so too can be simply not focusing on the negative aspects.

That doesn't mean you never mention them again or ignore them; it simply means you no longer allow them to get in the way of your fun that you still get. 

Complaining/venting is therapeutic and good until it stops being a once in a while thing and starts being a regular thing; then it has a purely negative impact on the person.

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4 minutes ago, Overread said:

If you cannot effect change you either have to come to terms with how things are or perhaps venture outside the GW Bubble and try other things that might better fit your desires

That would change nothing. That would just be acceptance.
It's not about focussing on negative stuff imo complaining is the only form of protest we can partake in that might eventually change something or perhaps raise awareness for issues within the community. Smiling everything away or simply accepting it makes everything worse in the long run, always.

 

Edited by JackStreicher
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1 hour ago, Overread said:

 I think its more that they can release and thus are; rather than that they are specifically targeting whales with this release pattern. 

This seems to be the case to me. GW has reintroduced more cost-effective and low buy-in options like Warcry/Kill Team/etc as well as Start Collecting boxes and ETB stuff specifically to address a clear failing during the Kirby years, that there was no real option to engage with any part hobby (besides some limited modelling and painting) without dropping a grand or more at the outset. They want new blood.

The caveat though is that parallel to that we've also seen an increase in prices for kits and options outside those consciously lower cost options. It's obviously a way of making the hobby more approachable; AoS is affordable if you play Nighthaunt or Stormcast or stick to these kits but beyond that you're still going to pay £36.50 for five elves or what have you, and god help you if you want an army of giants. I would say that GW's introduction of more affordable options lets them roll up their sleeves and really double down on gouging the whales at the same time as providing a wider range of buy-in points. I think HollowHills is right that GW has a heightened awareness of these big spenders and is increasingly mining that seam, just not to the exclusion of other options.

And that's the strategy, right? They're pretty open about it. Bring people into the GW ecosystem with an SC box or a few ETB kits and then hit them hard with everything else. Or use their Kill Team/Warcry warband as the jumping off point for a much larger and more expensive 40k/AoS army. The idea isn't just to appeal to folks who'll immediately throw themselves at the new hotness to the tune of three figures* but start folks out at a low price point and build them up into either whales or at least consumers who'll spend a lot more in general.

* I'd count a sizeable chunk of tournament players as fitting that description, even if their value to GW is probably more as a marketing tool or visible sign of games being played/discussed.

Edited by sandlemad
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4 minutes ago, JackStreicher said:

That would change nothing. That would just be acceptance.
It's not about focussing on negative stuff Imo complaining is the only form of protest we can partake in that might eventually change something or even raise awareness for issues within the hobby. Smiling everything away or simply accepting it makes everything worse, always.

 

If you want to make change you have to find a way to encourage change to happen. Complaints on forums don't encourage change and whilst you might spread awareness of some issue, at the same time you have to manage your complaints so that you are spreading awareness rather than just complaining. There's a fine line between the two. 

I never said give up, I said if you can't make or have hope to effect change then consider other approaches or means. If you want GW to lower the exchange rate conversion so that Australia has a fairer price point compared to other markets complaining about being overpriced over and over in a community won't change that. It will have zero effect. Finding a means to consolidate your viewpoint; to gather significant numbers of gamers together in a united positive front that isn't just crying for cheaper prices; perhaps even finding out some of the reasons and perhaps seeing that there might be political elements which result in higher prices and thus how gamers could unit with other groups to put pressure on government to make legislative changes etc...

My point is you have to have a positive net-gain direction with your actions within a community if you want that community to thrive and for your own engagement to thrive and grow. I don't have the answers on how to effect change at GW; however I can equally say that having a net loss situation within your community isn't healthy for the individual. 

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I kind of feel that in many ways the Warhammer Community website goes about the whole community/marketing thing about as ethically as is possible for this kind of endeavour.

Corporations and their representatives can never really have a genuine relationship to their customers, where they engage with them as people and not in their role as customer. This is just due to the nature of corporations, which exist to make money. And every decision that is made by a corporation has to be view through this lense. So even if a corporation were to try to have a community engagement thing completely separate from their normal marketing efforts, it would still exist only in so far as it makes sense to them as a marketing tool. It would exist to promote interest in their product or enhance that product in some way (for tabletop games, a bigger or more connected community is desireable in itself since it makes it easier to find people to play with).

The most honest mode of interaction with a customer would be not to be deceptive about your intention of selling them things. This can still include showing you stuff that gets you excited about their product, and not just informing you that the product is available, of course. And I feel that's basically what's going on with the community website. You get a kind of showcase of what you can buy from GW and how you can interact with their products (conversions, lore stuff, painting tips...). The marketing effort is very thinly, if at all, veiled.

I think it's fair to gruble about having to put up with this kind of interaction, that mimics a fairly normal person-to-person interaction but is fundamentally different. Where you have to constantly remind yourself: This is a corporation that views me as a customer, not a normal person who just wants to show me a cool thing they think I would like. I really understand that kind of frustration. But I also have to admit that I prefer being fairly obviously marketed to over the illusion of a company driving a community engagement project for it's own sake. Authentic community can only really come from community members, not from an authority like GW. Even the GW community website was a 100% actually community driven effort just hosted by and endorsed by GW, the fact that they would still have the power to just get rid of it whenever they feel like it's not in their business interestes to have around anymore would make it inauthentic,. It would be an arguably more deceptive form of marketing, arguably more exploitative, too, because GW would be profiting of the free labour and creativity of the community that way.

This whole complex of problems seems, to me, to have very little to do with GW specifically. It's more of a problem inherent to the ways companies can interact with communities they create.

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