Well, they've done it again. Games Workshop has made yet another customer unfriendly move by killing off their Black Industries division which takes WFRP and the new 40k rpg down with it. I owned most of the WFRP line and would have most likely bought into the 40k game, but noooooo... it wasn't making enough money for GW. Oh, it was profitable and even considered very successful for rpg lines, but it wasn't profitable enough for the likes of the bean counters running GW.
For me, this is the straw that broke the camel's back. It was bad enough that their minis were way overpriced. It was worse when they decided to stop online stores from selling their games. Then they killed off their forums because they didn't want to actually hear from their customers anymore. Now they kill off their rpg's just because their novel lines are more profitable? Well, fuck Games Workshop, fuck their minis, and fuck their novels. Until the day comes that the company is sold to someone who gives a rat's ass about gamers, I won't be buying another thing that puts a nickel into their pockets. No more minis (I've owned 40k, 40k Epic, Space Hulk, Warhammer Quest, Advanced Heroquest, Warmaster, and BattleFleet Gothic), no more computer games (I've owned Dawn of War, Space Hulk, Chaos Gate, Final Liberation, etc.), and no more novels (I've owned more than I can count.). Plus, I plan on getting rid of the GW games that I still have.
Yes, I know that this will have no effect on the company or its policies, but I will not support a company that so consistently pisses all over it customers.
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I just sent this email to the manager of my local GW store:
Hello [Name removed],
First, I want to thank you and your staff for your help in the past few months as I’ve considered getting into the hobby of Warhammer. You’ve all been really great, and I sincerely apologize for what I am about to say.
As you may have heard, Games Workshop has closed down Black Industries, the subsidiary in charge of the Warhammer roleplaying games, because they were not successful enough. Not because they weren’t successful, mind you– they were quite successful– but because they weren’t successful enough.
Games Worshop, as a company, has a level of hubris and disdain for the gamers which are their bread and butter unrivaled since the latter days of TSR. As a result, I am now boycotting all Games Workshop products.
You’re probably wondering why I’m sending you this letter, when you obviously have no involvement in the decision or the management of the company. I felt that if I just sent an email to their corporate headquarters, it would be lost in the shuffle. This way, I’m hoping my loss as a customer will be a bit more meaningful.
I apologize for putting you in the position of receiving this letter, and you may do with it as you please (including ignore it, if that is what you wish).
Good for you. I’ve never actually seen a GW store and at least half of the gamestores I’ve been to in the past ten years have dropped their games due to GW’s draconian retail policies.
Just when I thought Games Workshop was starting to become a respectable and responsible company they pull some shit like this. Like many others I’ve decided to drop GW completely off my list. They finally started to sculpt minis with decent proportions, their prices seem to have stabilized and they even re-released Talisman. And now this…
I took a long hiatus from thier products after they pulled Warhammer Quest and Blood Bowl, but they sucked me back in with their beautiful Mordheim and Lord of the Rings sculpts (best stuff they have done in years). I guess its time to complete my WFRP collection and start looking for some online support. I wonder if Liber Fanatica is still actively publishing onling material.
This move reminds me of the last days of TSR, when novels writen about the game world were considered more important than the games themselves.
I always had a problem with GW regarding their copyright enforcement. This just drives another nail in their coffin.
Trask
Hi guys,
I was sorely disappointed by the canceling of the w40k role-playing game. I was particularly looking forward to rouge trader. Doesn’t seem to make fiscal sense to me to kill something off that IS making money. There has been a market for w40k RPG for a long time. I stopped buying GW stuff a long time ago due to the cost and time commitment (and anal copyright enforcement). The RPG would have captured my money again for GW. Clearly they don’t want my money.
I created the Alternity and d20 versions of w40k years ago to fill this exact niche (electric-rain.net). Of course I was recently told to shut the whole thing down due to “copyright” infringement. Though it’s still available via the way back machine and Google cache. I think a comparison to TSR is apt. I don’t expect GW to last much longer before Hasbro or someone else gobbles them up.
I must admit I only heard about the RPG after it was cancelled, thanks Nexus Dude. I have been playing Warhammer for almost 20 years and 40K since it was called Rogue Trader lo those many years ago. Lately I have just been annoyed at buying a new race rule book every couple of years and being told that I can’t use that mini as a stand in (I use an old Dwarf Sorcerer as a rune preist) because proxies aren’t allowed in tourneys.
WFRP and Dark Heresy aren’t dead in the water. GW has franchised out the IP rights to a 3rd party, who will continue to publish & support the games.
http://www.zombler.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=385
You know, I just end up shoplifting from them. That even things out for me…