Hello and welcome to a very special edition of 40k Stoat’s center. As many of you know, Prince Harry’s incendiary book has recently been released to the public. Buried beneath all of the drama about Megan and his time in the army there are some startling passages relating to Games Workshop that can be found. We will look into them and see what things we can glean. I have compiled some of the references I found in my quick skimming of the book and have included them along with my thoughts.
1. Chapter 3, Pg. 62 “William always sought to try and remain relevant to the wider public. I remember one of his attempts involved getting very involved with a particular miniatures game. He would ramble on for hours about things like ‘Space Marines’ and something called the ‘Imperium’. My father tried to get him to stop, going on at length about how it was ‘unbecoming’ but he was never successful.“
Wow! Who knew Prince William was a Space Marine player? I mean, I guess it is a little on-the-nose given his position. It does get me thinking though would we want him playing any other army? Would it be more concerning if he was a Chaos, or God forbid, a Tau player? I know I often coerced my younger brother into playing games with me, I wonder if Harry was also involved in the hobby in any way?
2. Chapter 5, Pg. 104 “It was around this time (2015) that a number of crises arose for the palace. The European Union Referendum Act of 2015 had just been introduced, but there were other distractions. I had just left the army to find William still obsessed with his absurd game (rambling at length about ‘free Razorbacks’ whatever that means). However, much of the attention of the Queen and her advisors was focused on the dismal product launch of a major UK based toy company. While this may seem trivial, there was concern the mood could contribute to a wider sense of disenchantment. Who knew at the time where this was all leading?
2015 would be the right time for the launch of Age of Sigmar. I wonder if they also saw the videos of people burning their minis? I do appreciate the Queen’s reserve about the whole debacle. AoS has grown into a great game but the rocky start seems to have permeated all levels of society. I think the link between the launch of AoS and the Brexit vote is criminally understudied.
3. Chapter 12, Pg. 235 “It was at this time I ran into William in the hallway. He looked distressed and I tried to ascertain the reason why. ‘The idiots removed AOC’ he said, looking distracted. ‘I know we got doctrines back and some point cost reductions but now we will just be a hoard army. How is that fluff?’ I tried to reassure him that many pro players believe that marines had been the big winners of the Arks of Omen release. However, it didn’t work. William grabbed me roughly and stared me straight in the eye. ‘Do you have any idea how expensive it would be for me to transition to a primaris army? You think even I have that kind of money? What am I supposed to do? No one will by my Razorbacks, and I can’t make such a big change before 10 edition starts and blows everything up again!’ And without saying another work he pushed me down and stormed out of the hall.”
It’s a little unfortunate to see how the price hikes have been hitting all levels of income. I am sure William could get a great endorsement deal (I hear Art of War is hiring). I imagine he hasn’t been to many tournaments but if they are as good at coaching as they claim that should only be a small problem. Well those are all the references I was able to find. But if anyone else ferrets out more be sure to let me know!
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
