Latest financials from Granny.

[JT-Y]

I loved Mordheim and could do happily play it again, but these days I find it too complicated, not least because of all the extra's I had access to via Fanatic; I think I'd find it very hard to play the basic version, but too involved to use all the extra goodies.
3rd ed remains the best edition as the scope for collecting armies, playing competitive leagues and tourneys, and for huge sweeping narrative campaigns was (and is) immense, and 6th the best for both big battles and Warhammer skirmish.

But all these things are what they don't want to do any longer. It's all about subscribing to the latest release and competing in the arms race, and if the units are too expensive you aren't thinking about it right because look, the Delf core units can be assembled as one of three list options, and the rest as two potential units, and what do you mean you don't see why you should pay extra for that false economy because you still need to buy just as many models and don't care for all the leftover bits?, you just aren't the right sort of customer, fix your bad attitude or get out.

[/rant]

I recently concocted a set of rules for playing with Chaos Warbands for the club and a summer gaming thing for a few of the stores in the region to use, it's attached below for anyone interested, and prints perfectly as an A5 booklet. It requires 8th ed rules, but will work with any. Based on a set of skirmish rules from Warhammer World, but expanded to be more fun.

Download from here.

There is also this linkwhich is worth a look, but don't tell Granny about the resources.



edit: 'Oldhammer' encapsulates both older editions of WFB, notably 3rd, and Rogue Trader 40k. Interestingly it has taken off centred around regular events held in Foundry's premises in Nottingham, since Dave Ansell's two sons took over the direct running of Foundry and Dave himself has started showing an interest again.
It will be quite interesting in the future to see the ex-Citadel moulds Foundry have possession of.

Such strong desire for a return to the gaming habits of twenty years ago shouldn't be overlooked by GW, not when their competitors are flourishing by making more than a passing nod to such habits.
In recent years GW games have become as WRG once was before it died (8th ed killed WRG, I always suspected that WFB would go the same route. Interestingly WRG 6th and 7th are still popular 40 years on), and GW was the cure to that particular malaise.

[bound for glory]

well, since granny won't make blood bowl figures anymore, they won't get another dime off me. i don't even buy gw paint.

[Hegel]

GW´s latest Warhammer Fantasy edition was the reason for starting Blood Bowl, not only for my but for our whole gaming group, now more than ten players. We even tried to fix stuff before with bits and pieces of 6th, 7th and 8th edition of WHFB but failed because there was no acceptance for these house rules. Now, I never regretted starting Blood Bowl and I won´t stop it, no matter what GW will come up with in the future. I´d like to give Mordheim a try, though... and will have a look at this Oldhammer stuff...

Thanks JT-Y for these excellent postings !

[Thadrin]

My long rambly angry blog on thr subject.
http://Thenirolledaone.blogspot.com

[Vanguard]

<snip>Redundant stuff thatnks to Thad's ninja edit. </snip>
Oh, and Thadrin +1. Would love to see what could be achieved if they had some gamers in the boardroom.
Kinda wonder what would happen if the stores dropped their corporate exclusivity and started stocking other products as they did originally. Sure, it'd hurt their core products but by all accounts that's where the problems are. If the stores were spun off as an independent entity, I reckon they'd have a fighting chance.

[Thadrin]

Also...quote from the Dakkadakka.com thread on the subject, with regards to Granny's head cheese.

Dear Sweet jeebus, is that what kirby actually looks like? It's like somone sucked out Dara O'Brien's soul and filled the hollowed out shell with the burning profit-lust of a thousand dead stockbrokers.

[Gronlokk]

I haven't really followed events for quite a while, so I seem to have missed a couple of GW's missteps. Could someone tell me what the "catastrophic failures of their Games Day events" and "the Finecast fiasco" were about (both quotes are from the link Thadrin posted)?

Thanks a lot!

[Digger Goreman]

Sadly the wealthy lose all sight of humanity.... As disposable income has shifted to the 1%, so gamers and their families seek economically appropriate alternatives, or drop out....

Good riddance to bad rubbish... greedy granny will not be missed....

[JT-Y]

GD has been down on ticket sales for a couple of years due to the event being a bit shit.

Finecast is a stopgap between metal and plastic figures. They went to resin for metal figures until everything can be replaced with plastic figures.
But the casting quality is woefully bad and the prices jumped up leading to a shocking amount of returns.
They hid the loss on returns until the following quarter which took it into the next financial year. Very bad choice.

[Thadrin]

For the lowdown on the Games Days:
http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2013/10/ ... ays-7.html
http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2013/11/ ... W-7.5.html

First hand accounts I read the other day. I'd heard stuff about the UK one. I've not been to one in 20 years.

[Steam Ball]

Finecast is a stopgap between metal and plastic figures. They went to resin for metal figures until everything can be replaced with plastic figures.
But the casting quality is woefully bad and the prices jumped up leading to a shocking amount of returns.

For very wide definitions of "resin" and "casting". So wide FC managed to taint proper products made by other companies. Which is the sad part, their screw up also affected others that were & are doing things right.

[Darkson]

Thads, please don't post links like that again - 1 hour down and still not finished reading...

[Thadrin]

It's good stuff isn't it?
Bloke knows what he's talking about.

[Heff]

The very fact they have a "Games day Codex" speaks volumes. I am so glad I have never been. Though my favourite games workshop moment was when they asked my ex girlfriend "Do you game" If looks could maim the guy would have left in a box.

[lawquoter]

It's good stuff isn't it?
Bloke knows what he's talking about.

Brilliant series of articles. I thought it was fascinating to interpret GW moves as an indication that the GW HQ sees table top gaming as dead.