Future of Specialist Games

[Black_Omega]

Might just be coincidence but I heard two things at Gamesday. The first was when i heard someone ask a member of staff about heroquest or one of those games like that. He refused to say anything but "Space Hulk went VERY well". Something like 25000 copies in the UK of which 14000 went on the first day. Second thing I heard was the removal of the specialist games by the end of this year, so they could be doing a limited release of an old game every year.

Quote link.

If true it will be the death of SG cause new players won't be able to get into the game.

[David Wasilewski]

Any more news/gossip that is new?

I e mailed GW asking them but they have just ignored me - pretty rude really, even if they don't want to tell me (which is fine) they should have the courtesy to at least respond?

Several friends and I have just bought scores of blisters to finish off Araby, Demon and Vampire Counts collections, ensuring we have at least 4 K of every army you can buy (just in case!)

Dave

[Erik M]

There's one way that could work. Almost as Space Hulk now, but closer to Epic40'000 back in the days.

One game box to start off with (as always) and then themed boxes (like the Ravaging Chaos box) in plastic.

Doing supplementary boxes with plastic mean that it's far broader than the same in pewter.

[yetischool]

I've always thought it would be nice to see them sold to Forgeworld....I mean, they have better sculptors there, and and attitude more in line with the "not for power gaming" crowd that is attracted more to specialist games in the first place.....

But isn't this kind of a moot point? I mean, the rumor was that they're axing the specialist games, but really, aside from whining that they haven't released blood bowl special characters, what do they with SG anyway?

[horizon]

That's a months old rumour.

[David Wasilewski]

"What do they do with specialist games anyway"

At least you can still buy the stuff - I want to buy an Araby army next year but it will take me 6 months to save the dosh to buy it all in one go - I'm not risking buying it in dribs and drabs, only to find that I can't finish the army because they have stopped selling it! Araby isn't an army you ever see on e bay.

Long term, if you cant buy the stuff, warmaster will die as the few remaining packs of miniatures become more and more concentrated in the hands of obsessive collecters/gamers like us. There will be no 'new blood' if no one can buy minis.

Just my view anyway

Dave

[eastern barbarian]

hopefully other manufacturers will step in- yo ucan buy most of armies from pendraken, kallistra, eureka etc. only problem is for skaven players, only GW seems to be doing them (suppose its because you can't copyright orks or historical human figures, while yo ucan do it with skaven.. maybe release them as ratfolk or ratmen?

[Carrington]

I think there are pendraken and Kallistra Ratmen.
Slightly beefier than the GW Skaven, but respectable stormvermin.

As to warmaster dying, I doubt it -- Warmaster Ancients has a respectable independent following, and it is unlikely that WMF armies would sit unused.

Or, for that matter, they migrate to use in Impetus Fantasy.

It would, however, probably increase the attractiveness of 6mm fantasy.

[hello_dave]

Just noticed this topic and thought it worth joining, Hello!

Is there any mileage in lots of people all emailing them asking the same question (i.e. do you plan to carry on supporting SG, at least as you are currently or shall I take my gaming dollar elsewhere, I'm sure there's a few people like the above poster wanting to start something but unwilling to commit for fear of ending up with half an army)?

I doubt it will achieve anything, sadly.
I don't think the status quo will be maintained forever and it's surely only a matter of time before either the lines get pulled or some miracle happens and new support appears.

I know which I'd bet on (if I were a betting man), again sadly

[Lex]

Is there any mileage in lots of people all emailing them asking the same question (i.e. do you plan to carry on supporting SG, at least as you are currently or shall I take my gaming dollar elsewhere,

Over the last years several initiatives like that have been started, but we all know that even a normal Email (or letter) that does not order stuff in it seldom gets more then a glance.

IF someone would REALY like to shake the show up, then figure out who the major shareholder(s) are, and start mailing THEM

[Stomm]

Well that's easy enough to sort out. You can download full sets of company annual returns and share ownership schedules from Company's House.

Of course the only real way you can possibly get GW to change its SG policy is to become a major shareholder. I'm sure that is every GS player out there bought some GW shares, say 50-100 of them, then taken together it would form if not a majority, then certainly a large enough a group of shareholders to cause ripples at the AGM.

[David Wasilewski]

All quiet on the Western Front then........?

The amount our group has spent on Warmaster in the last 3 months based on this rumour is probably enough to have delayed the executioner's axe (if it was ever going to fall anyway?). Actually, this is probably a cunning market ploy by GW. I have dropped over £500 finishing off my Tomb Kings (unpainted) and buying a large Araby army - just in case.

Dave

[eastern barbarian]

Since they pretty much dropped all support for WM anyway, I cant see how its going to affect us really if they would drop it altogether.. maybe difficulty in obtaining models, but then perhaps somebody would step in and for many armies you can already get lots of alternative models of good quality.