We often are critical of GW, myself included, when we feel that it is justified. However, I don’t think that we take the opportunity to recognize the good things they do.
Hey everyone, Reecius here to spread some good words about our favorite game manufacturer, good ‘Ole Gee Dubya!
It’s easy to only allow yourself to see the negative. I am guilty of it sometimes, too. We all have a great deal of emotional attachment to this hobby, our models, our friendships in the hobby, etc. It’s easy to let our emotions get the better of us at times. Plus, internet-land can be a bit negative by default, and when you immerse yourself in that negative feedback loop, it can keep you focused on the bad and blinded to the good.
Every now and then it’s good to take a step back and take account of what is good! Let’s look at the good:
- Models did NOT go up in price this year. Yeah, GW chose not to increase prices this go around.
- Bundles of models for sale that save you more than clicks! Yeah, that’s actual money saved on some of the bundle deals! And, when you order from us over at Frontline Gaming where we offer 20% off, you really see those savings stack up! (Hey, as a business owner, I have to plug our business where we can!)
- 7th edition shows a company that has listened to their customers. Is it perfect? No, but a LOT of little changes went in to make the game more balanced and clear some things up that were muddy. I see it as a significant improvement.
- They’re not afraid to take risks. GW followed their instincts and gave us a bold new edition that offered their players the power to control their own game as well as bring ALL of their models into play: Super Heavies, Forge World, etc. That is pretty ballsy, and I respect the moxy that that decision took.
- A modular expansion system. One of the problems any game faces that survives into maturity, is how to consistently grow? It’s not as easy as some may think, and GW’s new system of having Factions instead of a Codex system is just genius. It allows them expand their game and universe through different media and allows us to constantly add to our existing armies without having to wait for a new book. It also fixes the silly arguments over what is “official” or not. If it’s in your Faction, you can use it. Nice! Things like Formations, special characters in White Dwarf, or supplement books, etc. are super fun and keep us engaged.
- Amazing models. This often gets forgotten as we are so used to GW leading the pack in model design that it gets taken for granted. Now, there are some other companies that make stunning models, no doubt, but in terms of breadth of offerings, consistent quality of design, beauty of the product, and intricacy of the kits, GW is peerless in the tabletop gaming world and they keep getting better.
- Setting. Who can argue that the 40K universe is not one of the coolest SciFi settings for a minis game? It is just a huge, engaging, awesome universe for a game like this to exist in. While it may not be the most sophisticated SciFi universe; it isn’t trying to be. But it is fun, exciting and I have enjoyed exploring it for many, many years.
- Industry leading and innovating. Even in the depths of nerd rage and GW bashing, remember, that this industry is what it is in no small part to GW. They have helped to create the market, drive the recruitment of new hobbyists, and innovate. GW bolsters the entire industry and their success helps to bring more business to other companies in the industry.
- Excellent customer service. Seriously, GW kicks ass in the customer service department. I have never had an issue with that that has not been satisfactorily resolved in a friendly, professional manner.
- Community. This isn’t a direct result of GW’s efforts, but their product is what has brought us together and I have had a great number of fulfilling friendships, fun road trips all around the country, and some great memories as a result of this silly hobby of ours and for that, I am extremely grateful. It lead to us starting our gaming events that largely revolve around GW games, the Bay Area Open and the Las Vegas Open which have become really cool events that bring gamers from all over the world together and of which we are very proud.
While there are some things that still bug us all at times, I can honestly say that I have been more energized to play 40K than I have been in a very long time. I feel that the game has really hit a positive new stride with 7th ed, the new Faction system, and the game in general. The huge amount of freedom it allows does mean that players have to self-regulate the rules they are going to use in order to have a fun game, but, that is a small price to pay for the incredible amount of variety and freedom we now have.
What are you all thankful for?
Lastly, we have to plug our F.A.T. Mat Outrider Program, which gives you the chance to earn a free F.A.T. Mat! Follow the link for more details.
Also, if you are going to the NOVA Open you can purchase a F.A.T. Mat to be picked up at the event through their web-cart! It will save you money on shipping and help to support their event.
DRINKING THAT KOOLAID 🙂 I agree! This year has been a fantastic turn around for GW / WH40k. I am more excited about playing now than ever before. I like the diversity in lists, the growing tourney scene and the excitement of constant new releases.
Werd up, brudda!
Great to see someone taking the time to say this! Couldn’t agree more. Personally, I’m getting quite tired of the rabble of people constantly picking at GW and their practices. I understand some of the frustration, sure, but we take part in the hobby and community because we choose to, and we choose to be because it’s awesome! I think a lot of people forget that from time to time.
Yeah, the negativity can get old, I agree. We do love this after all, so it’s good to remember why.
I’m with you Reece. Its rare when GW does something that actually makes me mad. 90% of the time they do things right. I’ve loved just about everything they’ve put out over the last 2-3 years. Awesome new models, great expansions and supplements as well as a big sloppy wet kiss from Phil Kelly to his fans in the form of the Eldar codex. 😛
Glad you’re having fun, too!
One of the most interesting points I’ve seen raised by local gaming stores, is the surge of product purchases this year. One shop was pointing out he’s sold more GW stock this year already then all of last year.
I do think that the internet is always biased to the negative, it’s a nature of the beast. People rarely go online to talk about being content, or happy. They either point out mistakes, errors, or failings…and in rare cases something amazing that happened. But definitely to the negative aspect primarily.
I’ve been having a blast with 7th Edition. Especially the malestrom missions. I can definitely see how they can cause runaways in a tournament settings (I’m curious to see how the BAO turns out with your modified ruleset ), but for local games? It’s amazing. The games have become so freaking dynamic.
I also like/hope they keep doing exactly what they are doing with their codex revamps. Nerf the overly strong, buff the weak. Come to a mid ground, where you end up having to make smart decisions in your army builds…instead of “lets take six night scythes/venoms, three ravagers/annihilation barges, derp derp derp”.
Of course this screws every tournament player…which is exactly why all the screaming and crying is going on about the codex releases. Wait till dark eldar gets hit….the internet is going to need
http://www.monstersupplies.org/products/salt-made-from-tears-of-anger
If dark elder gets nerfed we riot!
Yeah, sales have picked up for us, too. Plus, I am really enjoying the game a lot and hope to see more of the crazy stuff reigned in a bit, as well. Not everything has been perfect, (and of course, never will) but I am really loving playing 40K right now.
I’m organizing my own convention to celebrate the GW hobby, even though I must rely on their competition and awesome supporters such as Reece here at Frontline Gaming. At heart I’m still a GW Outrider as I used to be in the 90’s. And it’s all just for fun, right? Go check out “AK Battle Brothers” on Facebook to see what we do up here in Alaska!
With digital releases here to stay it would be amazing if they started branching out a bit more again. With no printing cost seems like a living rulebook for Battle Fleet Gothic or Epic would be more viable. They already tie various styles of play into their supplements now, it would be awesome to see other versions of the game make it in as well.
I would love to see that, too, but it means they have to support the rules with models or watch companies like Chapter House make the models and profit on them.
Meh
The community thing for me is always the biggest. I can walk into a store in lots of different countries and get in a game. Not that I’m a world traveler or anything, but that has always been cool to me.
I totally agree!
I agree, they’ve definitely made the game more fun. A couple years ago every game I had was starting to look the same. Now I’m seeing a lot more variation. The thing I love the most is formations, since it feels like it is bringing themed lists back. Sure some of them can be really powerful, but overall I think they’re a great addition to both fluff players and tactical players. Keep up the good work GW.
I love Formations, too. I was wary of them at first, but, these Formations have been super fun for me.
Yep 7th has put a lot of fun back into the game & now it’s up to the players to make sure they keep it there.
Well done Reece on an nice article.
Thanks!
Blame it on the Knights! They are probably the single most influential/important model/unit/codex to come out circa end of 6th/beginning of 7th that helped to ease us into the super-heavy aspect of 7th. While there were many misteps in their venture (and still are), the Imperial Knight was not one of them. As a matter of fact, it was a gem and a stroke of genius for GW.
Now if only they would have done something like that to the Gorka/Morkanaut. I swear, I don’t know how many times GW is going to keep on shooting their own foot with lost opportunities.
Dude, you said it! WHY oh WHY is the Gorka naut not a Knight type model?! Gah, that would have been super fun and it would have sold like hot cakes.
Honestly, they should have just run with it, and let the gorkanaught carry a deff dread inside it, and made it into an assault vehicle.
Because Orks!
40k saved my sanity working off shift hours in a job I hated, for a awful turd of a human being. First in the form of the horus heresy series(and a multitude of others including all of Abnett’s books and a shameful amount of bolter porn) which gave me an escape during my breaks. Later it was the hobby, giving me both focus and distraction when I would get home at 1 in the morning. It has eaten a lot of my money but no more than I was spending on booze before I started my journey into the grim dark. Through this hobby I meet better people than I ever met at the bars (though not a lot of chicks) and I never worry about being arrested coming from a late night game. I love that lots of people don’t get it. The hobby is so involved that those of us that do enjoy it are instant friends most of the time. We, those nerdy few, who stick together for mutual enjoyment of gaming, have g-dub to thank for the experience. Reece, Frankie and the rest of our ‘community leaders’ are the glue that holds us together. It’s a wonderful mosaic and I am thankful to be a small part of it.
That’s awesome!
Hey man, thanks so much for the kind words! That was awesome of you to say, man. Glad you are enjoying the hobby!
It’s interesting to see 7th from the outside. I quit 40k after the Nid codex came out in January, and back then it seemed like the game was on the verge of a major collapse. Death star units were about to completely kill the game, and a lot of people were quitting.
So I’m sort of happy to see the game succeed, because I like it for the story and models… but at the same time I want it to succeed for the right reasons. And unfortunately I still think the game design studio is awful and has no idea what they are doing. I pretended for years that there was some master plan and that everything was balanced, but in the end there was just too much direct evidence that the game isn’t well-designed. Do we really think these rapid-fire codex releases are being properly tested?
It looks like this poor design has been almost completely counteracted by the tidal waves of new releases. There are so many rulebooks, so many combinations, and so many new units that players don’t have time to pick everything apart and settle on a new meta. Heck, you guys barely have enough time to decide how all the poorly written rules work!
While it’s good to see the game thriving and for lots of diverse armies to be on the table, there is also a dark side to this… when I see the meta shifting so rapidly, it makes me not want to buy back into the game. I don’t want to drop hundreds only to see the models I’ve bought become useless as soon as I’ve built them. And there are still plenty of people in my area who are angry for these reasons and looking to quit 40k and switch games.
Yeah, I agree. We all do better when GW is doing well. It allows games like DzC to take root, too. DzC is doing well, here, and we’re happy to see players enjoying both games.
The models do go up in prices but now instead of doing it annually they increase them when an army gets re-done, on the grounds that it takes them about 3 years to redo everyone. I’m still not coming back to the hobby.
Great article! I’ve had more fun in the hobby in these recent months than I’ve had in a long time. Hopefully GW remains responsive to its players and continues to improve.