Less confirmed rumors = more excited?

[Gork or Possibly Mork]

Im indifferent to more or less rumours as far as excitement goes.

I do like to be surprized though and I'd rather not know nearly the whole contents of the book before release but at the same time i do like hearing a few snippets.

Hearing rumours doesn't effect what i will buy whatsoever.

Im not the kind of person to buy an army just because it's the new kid on the block just because it might be good in game or looks cool.

I have the same three armies i did in 6th ed when i started. I buy what i like for them to build various list and not much more.

[amysrevenge]

I'm pretty new here so only really saw rumor threads for TK onwards. The TK thread got me well excited and ment that when the book came I had a good idea of what I wanted to buy so I didn't waste any money.

But...

GW would love for you to "waste" your money buying their stuff. They want you to buy up everything on release day, and maybe regret it later (what do they care, they got the money). They don't want you to figure out ahead of time exactly what you need and only buy that.

[starlight]

The reduction in the rumor stream has reduced Warhammer's presence in my mind. I didn't even know storm of magic was a thing until a week after its release. I just don't pay as much attention anymore.

I wasn't aware that it was out 'at all' until I read about it here...

What Malisteen said. I don't go to the store on release days anyway because it's loud, crowded and keeps me from browsing. Actually I only go to the store to buy stuff that I know exists, I don't go there to check out the new whatever. That's what the internet is for .

Pretty much the only times I go into a GW store (when I'm near one) is during the work/school day...specifically to avoid the obnoxious crowds...which means I'm never there on Release Day... Funny that...

[drear]

i find it very exciting.
i didnt know about ogres until white dwarf images leaked on here last week.

but genrally you have an idea of whats to come.
my store will tell me ..' well this isnt in stock..' or ' maybe wait till next week to buy...'

and there is always a good discussion about what could be /whats coming/ what we saw on various websites.

and as far as black boxes are concerned, its not such a big deal. i find it far more exciting to buy somthing , sit in the store on release day and look through it with like minds , shouting ' omg lookat this!'

when the SOM stuff came out, we'd seen a few pictures, but not the kits up close.
a guy opened the manticore and we sat for ages just looking at it, excited.


if getting solid rumours 4 months ahead of a release is what you want out of a hobby..play xbox games. that way you can watch the trailer, watch the designer interviews etc.

really having such generous previews in the past is more of a gift than manditory.
i dont moan because any other company doesnt show me their new product weeks in advance of teh release.

as for pissing on us..gw seems to be producing more stuff and faster than ever before recently, cheer up or go away <:

[starlight]

i dont moan because any other company doesnt show me their new product weeks in advance of teh release.

Didn't you just say that video game companies started showing their product months in advance...? Car companies, movie and book distributors, and many others all drum up excitement by letting their customers know well in advance...

...or do you think Harry Potter would do as well if no one knew when it was showing and you had to head down to the book store/cinema every Friday just in case it was out...?

The issue is that GW needs to find a balance...which they have yet to do...

[R-Love]

I agree.

I think GW has it spot on with the way they handle rumors
and tbh they do it the same has many other companies do when it comes to release date products. I run a shoe store so that is where this knowledge comes from but Jordan/Nike doesn't release photos of their release date shoes until they are good and ready, and if you are caught taking pictures, displaying, showing shoes, or selling them prior to a release date you can get your nike license yanked.

Same with Wizards of the coast, they release the information when they are good and ready not when the public decides they should get it.

I know it sucks for those that like rumors but GW really isn't doing anything unusual or negative really.

They'll refuse to let you sell shoes if you show them early. Shoes. Is there really any way seeing a shoe a couple weeks early is going to make any bloody difference at all? Seriously, shoes?

...or do you think Harry Potter would do as well if no one knew when it was showing and you had to head down to the book store/cinema every Friday just in case it was out...?

In the case of Harry Potter? Actually yes, I'm pretty sure it would. But then, I have a feeling that by this point could Rowling get her toilet paper published and sell millions of copies.

[EmperorNorton]

In the case of Harry Potter? Actually yes, I'm pretty sure it would. But then, I have a feeling that by this point could Rowling get her toilet paper published and sell millions of copies.

Strange. I thought she had done that already seven times.

[Voss]

Same with Wizards of the coast, they release the information when they are good and ready not when the public decides they should get it.

WotC lists products literally months in advance. Usually at least 6. (Can't check their site at work, but amazon has Feywild for november and Vile Darkness for december... bit different than 'Ogres for september, necrons probably october or november and... uh.. probably something for that other month', isn't it? )

Details come over time, but they usually run detailed previews with actual excerpts from a book for about 2 months before the release of the book.
They aren't going to just spring Players Handbook 4 (or whatever their current plans are) on people and put it up unannounced for sale next week.

In fact, given that GenCon is this weekend, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they announce most of next year's releases this weekend. I will in fact be very surprised if I don't know what next year's campaign setting is by Sunday (assuming I care enough to check) or indeed, if the PH 4 is coming out in 2012 or not.

But then, WotC is actually willing to spend money on this strange concept known as marketing.


Or take another example: the star wars old republic MMO. The marketing for that is going crazy, preorders are up, and are breaking sales records even though their isn't an official release date or monthly fee announced. But the game itself was announced around 3 years ago. The company actually sharing whats going on is certainly not hurting sales... in fact at the rates the preorders are going, they may break even on the development costs before the game even comes out. (Still need more to make the kind of profit they want, of course, but its getting to the point that it cannot be an abject failure in terms of money spent, minor failure financially is still possible, a failure as a game is, but really bioware, EA and lucas can go have 'we've got their money' party already)

[starlight]

Now, now...

I think eventually even Potter-heads would get fed up with being jerked around...eventually... But the publishing industry is smart enough to understand that most customers will happily hand over sacks of cash for the newest, shiniest whatever...which is something GW might want to try to understand...

Work 'with' the customer and they will happily hand you sacks of cash and tell all their friends to do the same... Annoy your customers for long enough and they'll take their sacks of cash and friends elsewhere...

[malisteen]

"Strange. I thought she had done that already seven times."

Eh, maybe once or twice. The series didn't end well, but it was pretty good for kid's fantasy series in the middle there.

[AlphariusOmegon20]

WotC lists products literally months in advance. Usually at least 6. (Can't check their site at work, but amazon has Feywild for november and Vile Darkness for december... bit different than 'Ogres for september, necrons probably october or november and... uh.. probably something for that other month', isn't it? )

Details come over time, but they usually run detailed previews with actual excerpts from a book for about 2 months before the release of the book.
They aren't going to just spring Players Handbook 4 (or whatever their current plans are) on people and put it up unannounced for sale next week.

In fact, given that GenCon is this weekend, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they announce most of next year's releases this weekend. I will in fact be very surprised if I don't know what next year's campaign setting is by Sunday (assuming I care enough to check) or indeed, if the PH 4 is coming out in 2012 or not.

But then, WotC is actually willing to spend money on this strange concept known as marketing.


Or take another example: the star wars old republic MMO. The marketing for that is going crazy, preorders are up, and are breaking sales records even though their isn't an official release date or monthly fee announced. But the game itself was announced around 3 years ago. The company actually sharing whats going on is certainly not hurting sales... in fact at the rates the preorders are going, they may break even on the development costs before the game even comes out. (Still need more to make the kind of profit they want, of course, but its getting to the point that it cannot be an abject failure in terms of money spent, minor failure financially is still possible, a failure as a game is, but really bioware, EA and lucas can go have 'we've got their money' party already)

WoTC also has had to deal with a drop off of popularity, due to long time players that stopped playing when TSR no longer owned D&D. A lot never came back, because the game lost it's flavor, compared to what we remember growing up with it.

3.5 wasn't necessarily a change for the better in a lot of people's eyes.

[Voss]

WoTC also has had to deal with a drop off of popularity, due to long time players that stopped playing when TSR no longer owned D&D. A lot never came back, because the game lost it's flavor, compared to what we remember growing up with it.

3.5 wasn't necessarily a change for the better in a lot of people's eyes.

Um. Ok. I personally found 2nd edition D&D to be a complete waste of time, when all it really did was condense first edition material into a handful of books (at least initially). But I don't really know why I shared that, since it is not really relevant to the the discussion of product lead time, marketing and rumours.

[AlphariusOmegon20]

Um. Ok. I personally found 2nd edition D&D to be a complete waste of time, when all it really did was condense first edition material into a handful of books (at least initially). But I don't really know why I shared that, since it is not really relevant to the the discussion of product lead time, marketing and rumours.

Actually it's quite relevent.

TSR was widely notorious for not letting people know what was being released next. It wasn't that they clamped down on rumors or what not, they just didn't tell anyone to begin with. That changed when WoTC came in.

Which makes me highly suspicious about how GW has been over the years until recently. I personally believe that the story of how much they wished to clamp down on leaks is/was a lie and it was GW themselves that leaked a lot of the rumors we've seen over the years.

I also personally believe that the current clamp down is only temporary, and they will resume "leaking" releases in the future.

It's not like leaking info intentionally is a new thing. Many businesses do it, as well as politicians.

It's a rather old trick from a rather old playbook.

[fruitystu]

The less I know, the more I enjoy the release.

I think a big part of it is the reduced 'ZOMG BORKEN!' drivel that used to go round with every, single bloody rumour, which lead to me tuning out anyways until I had the product in my hands.

And the rumour mill sometimes got it so, so wrong. I used to work for GW, and at one point, was sat posting about 4th Edition, with a pre-released copy of the book right in frikking front of me, being told I was wrong, lying etc, by some interweb buttholes who decided they had seen the book, when they clearly hadn't.

[grimkeeper]

In a word ,No, Its saved me a packet. As others have said ,i dont want to know everything. Im greatful for the Rumers that we do get no matter how vauge, it all adds to the excitment and gets the creative juices flowing. No call for a lynching if some are wide of the mark .

[Shimmergloom]

if getting solid rumours 4 months ahead of a release is what you want out of a hobby..play xbox games. that way you can watch the trailer, watch the designer interviews etc.

Thanks, it's what everyone is already doing. Because microsoft can put out a machine that every person I know has had break on them and yet people are willing to re-buy it. And why?

Because game developers know how to market their products and drum up excitement so that people are willing to shell out $$$ months in advance(even a year or more sometimes) to reserve games.

[BBWags]

I really enjoy rumors and I miss the volume of rumors we used to have. Then again, I do tend to run to being obsessive about such things :-) in the end, some people like spontonaety (sp) and complete surprises while others will drool and obsess over a new release for six months beforehand if given the option. My opinion is that the latter far outweighs the former and so more rumors would help rather than hinder GW's sales. Then again, maybe GW's own marketing and demographic research indicates something else.

I think the biggest downfall, however, is something that has been mentioned a few times already: saving up money. If I have a vague idea that wood elves are coming out early next year, but no confirmation and very little idea what the release might look like, any number of shiny baubles (computer games, mtg cards, or even stopping for fast food on the way home from work) which present themselves in the meantime will likely take precedence and eat my cash. But if I know when the release date is and have a decent idea what's coming, I'll start saving now and nothing except GW is going to get that money. So, at least in my case and for people like me, every one wins! We get drool worthy candy in the meantime and they get a bucket-full if cash at release time.

[fruitystu]

Subjective opinion incoming!

When the last Nid Codex was released, due to problems with the printing, very few people actually saw the product before the release date. And the Store I was working in had an incredible weekend. We sold out completely on the Gribbly nasties, as we sold them purely on aesthetics and 'groovy' factor of the models.

The games we had that weekend were equally awesome, as nobody really knew what the Nids were capable of, the book not having been rubbished online for several weeks.

Clearly this is very anecdotal, and hardly representative, but I think it's worth considering!

[Barry "the blade"]

Well as a fallow up to when I started the thread.... In the end I continued to keep track of the rumor thread, and still purchased a battalion + a box of bulls. I'll be happily buying the book asap as well despite being informed on it's contents.

[Avian]

I had no interest in the TK or Storm of Magic things that were just dumped on us, but all these Ogre rumours has me really interested in the new book.

Stupid GW.