Games Workshop Pricing Feedback Thread

[Shamutanti]

And models becoming larger for no viable reason every time a new book is released is what troubles me. The only reason why wraiths, spiders, and tomb blades are as large as they are, is because: a) they can wow you with their size, and b) they can charge you more for models with low point costs. Has anyone tried calculating how much an army containing 18 wraiths and 3 spiders would cost? It almost gave me a heart attack, that's for sure!

It's the same thing with fantasy. Why did they make the Griffon so large? Because they can! They inflated it so that it could enter a higher price bracket, and instead of $35 they ask $50 for it - it's $15 of sheer profit more per purchase. Sure, it makes for a cool centerpiece, but army cost has sky-rocketed lately through such shenanigans. I suppose that's in line with their business strategy, I mean, most of their customers never play the game in the end... I wonder why?

What slayed me lately, though, was the price of the Demigryphs - compare a box of 3 Demigryph knights to a box of VC Black Knights... both coming from the same company... Why are the DG's so expensive? Because they come on larger bases and are classified as MC, the models themselves are barely larger than standard cavalry.

Then there's the stealth FC increase occuring with every new book released (compare TK characters to Empire characters)... Looks like GW doesn't need the yearly price increase anymore to gouge their customers!

Am I the only one who notices these latest schemes?

So you would rather the models were smaller, so they would be cheaper to buy?

Nah, I'll have my models big and gaudy please. Large is best.

[-DE-]

So you would rather the models were smaller, so they would be cheaper to buy?

Nah, I'll have my models big and gaudy please. Large is best.

Here, take this "GW's perfect customer" badge and wear it with pride

[EmperorNorton]

So you would rather the models were smaller, so they would be cheaper to buy?

Nah, I'll have my models big and gaudy please. Large is best.

I'd rather the models were of an appropriate size, not huge simply for the sake of being huge.
The Griffon is a prime example of that. Previous incarnations of the same monster suddenly look like quails in comparison.
The price issue is one thing, because I find it quite obvious myself that these things are done bigger and bigger so they can ask for more money. But storing and transporting these huge "miniatures" also becomes a problem. For gaming purposes they are highly impractical. But why should GW care about that...

[-DE-]

Yeah, that's another thing. Compare the volume (as in the space it occupies) of a 3rd or 4th edition of 40K / 5th or 6th edition of WFB army with the volume of a modern army. I have no idea how people transport their armies to the store or club without a car (which is not a problem in the US, but can be in Europe). Even then, you need multiple cases to house a single 2000 pt army. Sure, the VC phantom throne thingy looks awesome on the table or the shelf, but how do you transport it without damaging it? How do you place it inside a case in such a way as to allow other models to fit there too? Then there's models such as the Griffon or the Flyrant that posses enormous wings which make it tricky to cut the foam to make them fit.

It's not a matter of price per se, but still, it forces you to invest in additional carry cases.

[Shamutanti]

Here, take this "GW's perfect customer" badge and wear it with pride

w00t!

In terms of transport I simply stock up on the Xmas cases each year to prepare for upcoming armies n' what not.

I'm a sucker for the big things though and always will be. I've always thought the steam tank is too small and the Stegadon never impressed me. But these last 2-3 years of big shinys for both 40k and Fantasy have been awesome for -my-hobby.

[AlexHolker]

So you would rather the models were smaller, so they would be cheaper to buy?

Nah, I'll have my models big and gaudy please. Large is best.

I'm not against large models per se, but I don't care for the ones GW chooses to make. Basically, I want protagonist material. When it comes to dragons, for example, I'm far more interested in this or this than this.

[-DE-]

I have nothing against big models, as a matter of fact, I love 'em! I bought a Confrontation Tarascus simply because it was huge and awesome and unlike anything I had so far. It's good that GW is coming out with large kits such as the VC Throne, the TK Sphinx, or the Arachnarok, or even the Stormraven. It's not good, however, that GW is coming out with low-point units that are artificially enlarged in model size simply to make them more expensive to buy. Take the Wraiths - they could've kept the old size, fit 5 into the box, and sold them for $40 or so. Instead, they asked the CAD guys to blow them up, and put 3 to a box for $50. 15 smaller wraiths (which has no bearing on their effectiveness as a unit) for $120, or 15 larger ones for $250. Same unit, twice the price, and twice the profit. See what my gripe is?

[Shamutanti]

I understand why you want them smaller and the price to match their points - that makes absolute sense. But > I < would much rather larger scale models, regardless of their points or in-game effectiveness, because for me it's about the look, the pose and the style over the playing content (even though amusingly I'm far more of a gamer than I am a painter :P)

And honestly, if there's more people in the hobby who like things the same as me than people who like things like yourself, then GW is more likely to lean towards those spenders.

I plan on adding between 6 and 10 wraiths to my growing Necron force - but if they looked naff, I wouldn't of bothered (although the old ones were SO bad I couldn't see them NOT making an improvement - I mean the artwork for them is fricking awesome).

[-DE-]

I understand why you want them smaller and the price to match their points - that makes absolute sense. But > I < would much rather larger scale models, regardless of their points or in-game effectiveness, because for me it's about the look, the pose and the style over the playing content (even though amusingly I'm far more of a gamer than I am a painter :P)

And honestly, if there's more people in the hobby who like things the same as me than people who like things like yourself, then GW is more likely to lean towards those spenders.

I plan on adding between 6 and 10 wraiths to my growing Necron force - but if they looked naff, I wouldn't of bothered (although the old ones were SO bad I couldn't see them NOT making an improvement - I mean the artwork for them is fricking awesome).

Your liking larger models does not change the fact that it drives the cost of the army up, which, in turn, drives potential players off. Large, expensive kits should be the exception, something you treat yourself to once in a while, and not the norm. There are already fewer and fewer people willing to invest in a WH/40K army due to their absurd cost (compared to the competition) and this size creep is only going to make it worse.

[loveless]

I don't mind model-size creep so long as it isn't accompanied by army-size creep.

WHFB puts out giant monsters and wagons while still asking for $50 USD worth of expensive wound counters on every infantry unit. I'd rather spend $50 on a griffon than $50 on halberdiers to fill out ranks - primarily because the griffon might actually do something in the game, while the halberdiers are just going to get removed as casualties get taken (while the front two ranks might get to attack at some point). Also, I'd rather build and paint the griffon than paint state troops, but then I find state troops to be ridiculously over-detailed for the points per model.

40K, in my opinion, can handle a larger cost ($$$) per model than WHFB due to none of the models just acting as wound counters. We do, instead, have to deal with nearly compulsory transports at this point which drive up the cost, but eventually those models pile out and actively participate. I take far less issue with spending $50 on 5 terminators than I do with spending $41.25 on 10 Greatswords - primarily because 5 terminators can be scary in their own right while 10 Greatswords are typically a laughable unit size in all but the smallest of WHFB matches. While the wraiths are certainly on the pricey side, they're huge and effective, which makes me not mind the price. 3 wraiths can be a useful unit in nearly any army size...meanwhile monstrous cavalry/infantry in WHFB typically want more than the 3 models that come in a box (maybe this has changed lately, but I seem to recall a lot of 4-6 unit sizes).

The short version, I suppose, is that I find the massive stuff to work better in 40K, and pricing as a whole to be better in 40K due to the way that game is played. Outside of Finecast, there isn't a lot that goes overboard on price. I might argue that no vehicle should pass the $60 mark, and I might also prefer to see the average battletank going down to $40-45 instead of $45-50, but I'm not feeling cheated anywhere just yet.

Fantasy is a different story - though I've preached the Fantasy Pricing Gospel According to Loveless more than enough times in this forum already.

[f2k]

They arent "schemes", they are charging what the market will bear.

Hardly.

The unit-sales has been dropping steadily for some years now. Seems that Games Workshop is now way past the optimal point and are charging too much to sustain their marked.

So you would rather the models were smaller, so they would be cheaper to buy?

Nah, I'll have my models big and gaudy please. Large is best.

I, like most of us I guess, like large and impressive models. But the fact remains that 40K and Fantasy are both well past their 28 mm. skirmish scale heydays. At the army-size it plays now you’d be much better off with 15 mm. and you might even get away with 6 mm. for an Apocalypse game (though why you wouldn’t be playing Epic then...?).

The average army-size is simply way too big to support 28 mm. figures, both as an army on a standard 4’ x’ 6’ table (particularly when playing with horde-armies) and as price tag.

[Megamix472]

I know that the overheads have gone up and GW have to make a profit, but sometimes I do think they do try their luck sometimes. Don't get me wrong they release top quality models but it is getting so much more expensive to do this hobby

[Lord Dan]

I know that the overheads have gone up and GW have to make a profit, but sometimes I do think they do try their luck sometimes.

I'm not sure it's just overhead. I imagine with the price rises over the last couple of years their sales must be way down, so to compensate they raise prices. Next quarter when they see sales down they raise prices again. As you can imagine this is a losing strategy.

[Inquisitor Kallus]

They arent "schemes", they are charging what the market will bear.

Its called a 'pricing scheme'


noun
1. a plan, design, or program of action to be followed; project.

[New Cult King]

Well colour me pleased: http://www.thecombatcompany.com.au/a...hammer-40k.asp

These guys have a pretty hefty discount on the new Necron stuff, making them almost palatable in Aussie Dollars. I might have to get some now

[codeslingerMalthius]

So I got the email blast from GW about empire stuff on the website. So following the link I see on their page that they want $41 USD for the engineer on the mechanical steed. Um, I am fairly sure that when I bought it two years ago it was $20ish (it was a class "F" or "J" item or whatever the highest blister price point was) which was still a lot, but to double in price in two years? How do they reckon an older model should go up that much?
Or is my memory just misfiring again?

[ColShaw]

So I got the email blast from GW about empire stuff on the website. So following the link I see on their page that they want $41 USD for the engineer on the mechanical steed. Um, I am fairly sure that when I bought it two years ago it was $20ish (it was a class "F" or "J" item or whatever the highest blister price point was) which was still a lot, but to double in price in two years? How do they reckon an older model should go up that much?
Or is my memory just misfiring again?

Ah, but back then it was lousy, old-fashioned metal. Now it's the moon-landing-material FineCast!

Bought myself 2 more platoons of Flames of War yesterday, along with some non-GW spraypaint. Feeling good about my hobby dollars and where they're going.

[linikratyo]

Has anyone heard rumours btw of a GW price rise this year?

[codeslingerMalthius]

Ah, but back then it was lousy, old-fashioned metal. Now it's the moon-landing-material FineCast!

Damn you metal with your lower cost! *shakes fist*

edit: stinkin markup langauge

[AlexHolker]

Has anyone heard rumours btw of a GW price rise this year?

Not specifically. Everyone expected one anyway, because GW price hikes are as predictable as the tides, but it doesn't seem to have happened yet.