If you're buying less, why?

[Karak Norn Clansman]

Price increases, that's the answer. Whilst I've begun to buy some not-too-cheap stuff from other manufacturers, I'd still spontaneously buy Warhammer, Lotr and even 40k and Specialist Games miniatures if it wasn't for the damnably high price levels of GW's products. The larger armies of today's 8th edition are just fine, mainly because wargames look better with more miniatures, but the price increases have in retrospect been a serious dampener on both my and my friends' purchases.

Nowadays we rarely buy something spontaneously, but instead almost always plan our purchases and order them from a Swedish retailer webstore. This seem a serious long-term problem for Games Workshop, since we cannot be the only ones who have ceased with spontaneous purchases. Once I bought the then-newly released Balin and Khazād Guards box almost on impulse, along with some Lotr Dwarf warrior blisters, but such buying is unheard of these days.

[Moralein]

I really don't know!

I've got more models than I could possibly ever paint. I'm not a fan of plastic and FC seems to be a rubbish material. I haven't played in years, but love the way a fully painted army looks. I've completed my dwarves and Orc/goblins. Almost finished my Dark Elves, Imperial Guard and Edar. I've still got Chaos 40k, Tyranids, Wood Elves, Bretonnians and BFG stuff to paint. Not to mention some Babylon 5 stuff that I picked up at some point!

Price isn't a huge turn off, but I just don't seem to have a passion for it anymore. Models don't seem to make me feel I have to have it. The fluff has gone downhill year after year. About the only thing I find does get me going is Forgeworld stuff. I love their models and their books and don't mind buying either, even if it's just to paint something.

Just feel WH and 40k have lost their way, maybe I'm getting too old, but it seems dumbed down.

[Little Joe]

I voted to click something because it is a bit of all and none of it. The real reason is competition, that is actually better. I will just compare to large scale (fantasy) battles here.

I like(d) the background, but it got childish and skulled to death. It has been stagnant for so long it might as well be dead. Solution: Warhammer Forge' next book, Warthrone by Avatars of War and Kings of War by Mantic Games.

I like most miniatures, I like the look of large armies but it gets repetitive and is a lot of work. Solution: Support fewer armies and make them huge with Avatars of War's upcoming miniatures, add the odd GW thing. Hell, get the best model around and use that. An example here, AoW have just finished their dwarf army project and I will support it with a lot of money when I see the sculpts. I have faith in them being better then GW's stuff and even slightly cheaper. Not much so price cannot be just it, it needs to be price for quality if you want to be the best. GW only has that edge with a few kits these days. I can get better monsters all around, better heroes for sure and units are no longer safe. That leaves some whacky units of which some are just to whacky, simply not fit for duty or blatantly against former fluff. For the small low point stuff prices are just outrageous, here Mantic can offer some nice deals (I personally do not like the style but they get better).

The rules are too much sale orientated, fluff is for sales and new fluff makes me cringe. They want me to pay for pages I have many times at a price level that is ridiculous for about 10 new pages and points that prefer new units. I still like the novels for easy trash reading but can only take so much in fluff abuse, there is just no longer a master of the story and all falls apart. This makes me sad mostly. I heard about a Mantic ebook and will read it for sure along with the rules. See new mass fantasy rules named above for an easy solution.

I cannot complain about specialist games as there is actually more going on with Mordheim on the webs as ever with GW, I am aware of better Blood Bowl miniatures and in general there are so many great games out there in this segment I cannot really say it hurts. Well done GW, but no game + no miniatures = no sales.

As an adult it feels wrong, GW tells untruths, produces rubbish, is restricting and abusive with finecast and plastic character pricing. Now I can choose, guess what the solution is.
EDIT: Even a kid should feel wronged, somehow they manage.

[Bunnahabhain]

My answers in order.

Prefer other companies rules
GW rules for systems they'll actually support have got worse and worse. I've simply been having less fun playing GW games thanks to their poor rules, and don't feel like re-writing them from scratch.

Price rises Enough said.

All the rest Much smaller factors, but relevant.

[librerian_samae]

Price increases, things I would normally grab if they looked cool are just too much. etc.

[canberraguy]

Partly price, but more that I have been playing and collecting for 17 years and so have heaps (and I mean heaps) of stuff. Just don't have the desire to buy everything anymore

[Grimtuff]

Too many reasons.

Even though it's not the main one, but prices. Although I can afford GW's products I refuse to buy them on principle from the other additional factors. Having said that, their prices are far to high for the kind of game the company expects you to play. In the last year I've spent more on PP stuff than GW (almost zero) even though PP's prices are on par, if not more expensive than GW.

Because it's all down to attitude. The verbal fanfap that came with Finecast, the lack of QA that came with it and GW corporate's refusal to acknowledge such problems exist. Their embargo to Australia which just smacks of a big company throwing their weight around. How dare their customers buy the product cheap than what they're being gouged for in their own country? The "annual price rise". So much so it you can pretty much set your watch to it (PP knows too well, note how they have their sale at just around the same time).
If you have to raise prices don't be so uppity about it. GW either does not even tell you (like this year) or will be "hey, sucks to be you!" about it. Other companies know they're stepping on their fan's toes by doing such a thing as raising prices and apologise for doing so.
The fact that any other company in this world would be dead in the water with this kind of bad PR and an abusive relationship with their fanbase, yet GW has it's White Knights to valiantly defend them on every forum across the land. If GW changed their "up their own ****" attitude I might consider coming back to them. There is a certain cult of personality that permeates through the company that infects right down to the core at retail. Some of the staff are great. Some are jebends that put many Internet White Knights to shame. It saddens me to see a company I once loved and got me into this hobby that I participate in today to have fallen so far from grace.
We've seen what Mantic have done with support from the fanbase (how many of these people just pledged something to stick it to GW?). They are the GW of days gone by, and this is what makes people want to buy into their game, this is also coupled with from what I have witnessed anecdotally, is simply gamer apathy. Most gamers will simply not get into another game as GW's ones are the ones that everyone plays, so will take the pummelling from GW long after they've stopped using the lube as they simply refuse to break off. This is obviously where Mantic come in, as let's face it they've seen this too.
It's obvious Mantic's models can be used in GW's games. So, hate GW and their prices but like 40k and WHFB? Mantic's got ya covered! Too many people I've tried to get into other games but they refuse to break away from GW's teat as they supposedly "cannot afford it". Then why buy GW's products? Go figure.
But I'm going off at a tangent here. If GW actually acknowledged they're not the only player in town and dropped prices and also changed their attitude toward their fanbase, instead of focussing on the current "churn and burn" policy of get a kid in and have them have 1 big spend, then another at birthday or Christmas and that's it. Get in with you vets. These are your advertising, and they'll tell newer gamers to go elsewhere. GW prices their models as for a skirmish game, but their games are far larger than that.

GW, your attitude towards your long term fans stinks. Change this and you'll get a lot more people spending money.

Phew, rant over.

[Commissar Merces]

Too many reasons.

Even though it's not the main one, but prices. Although I can afford GW's products I refuse to buy them on principle from the other additional factors. Having said that, their prices are far to high for the kind of game the company expects you to play. In the last year I've spent more on PP stuff than GW (almost zero) even though PP's prices are on par, if not more expensive than GW.

Because it's all down to attitude. The verbal fanfap that came with Finecast, the lack of QA that came with it and GW corporate's refusal to acknowledge such problems exist. Their embargo to Australia which just smacks of a big company throwing their weight around. How dare their customers buy the product cheap than what they're being gouged for in their own country? The "annual price rise". So much so it you can pretty much set your watch to it (PP knows too well, note how they have their sale at just around the same time).
If you have to raise prices don't be so uppity about it. GW either does not even tell you (like this year) or will be "hey, sucks to be you!" about it. Other companies know they're stepping on their fan's toes by doing such a thing as raising prices and apologise for doing so.
The fact that any other company in this world would be dead in the water with this kind of bad PR and an abusive relationship with their fanbase, yet GW has it's White Knights to valiantly defend them on every forum across the land. If GW changed their "up their own ****" attitude I might consider coming back to them. There is a certain cult of personality that permeates through the company that infects right down to the core at retail. Some of the staff are great. Some are jebends that put many Internet White Knights to shame. It saddens me to see a company I once loved and got me into this hobby that I participate in today to have fallen so far from grace.
We've seen what Mantic have done with support from the fanbase (how many of these people just pledged something to stick it to GW?). They are the GW of days gone by, and this is what makes people want to buy into their game, this is also coupled with from what I have witnessed anecdotally, is simply gamer apathy. Most gamers will simply not get into another game as GW's ones are the ones that everyone plays, so will take the pummelling from GW long after they've stopped using the lube as they simply refuse to break off. This is obviously where Mantic come in, as let's face it they've seen this too.
It's obvious Mantic's models can be used in GW's games. So, hate GW and their prices but like 40k and WHFB? Mantic's got ya covered! Too many people I've tried to get into other games but they refuse to break away from GW's teat as they supposedly "cannot afford it". Then why buy GW's products? Go figure.
But I'm going off at a tangent here. If GW actually acknowledged they're not the only player in town and dropped prices and also changed their attitude toward their fanbase, instead of focussing on the current "churn and burn" policy of get a kid in and have them have 1 big spend, then another at birthday or Christmas and that's it. Get in with you vets. These are your advertising, and they'll tell newer gamers to go elsewhere. GW prices their models as for a skirmish game, but their games are far larger than that.

GW, your attitude towards your long term fans stinks. Change this and you'll get a lot more people spending money.

Phew, rant over.

I just wanted to say, I agree with all your points. I only play 40k (sold my fantasy armies because they got too expansive to expand). I will only play GW games as I find their universe the best, but it wasn't the game that got me into it in the first place. It was the story, the background, and the experience. Ward has trashed all that for the most part, but GW stores (with the exception of a couple) have really ruined the experience. Managers are like used car salesmen who constantly pester you. My store manager didn't even know how to play any of the GW games when he became a manager and has done nothing to cultivate the community where I live. Believe me, the community is here as we have over 160 players ish that go to tournaments, but the GW under this guys leadership has just failed.

My final breaking point came when I visited the store and the Memphis Corporate guy was there berating him for bad sales (understandable) yet when he was asked "why haven't you been doing well?" all the store manager could say is nobody comes to my events anymore (which he has only ever had two and one was opening day). The Memphis guy then told him that selling more things will get people into the store more to do events, leading to sales instead of encouraging new events that could be run to get people into the store in the first place. Yes, they had this conversation in front of
me and other costumers. It was extremely uncomfortable.

Since then, I have refused to go back (and will not go back) to my GW until that manager is fired because he doesn't know how to run a store. Now that I have discovered other online retailers and pledged my support to help my local indi run a campaign, I no longer need GW. While I still will occationally buy their products (only one purchase in three months and that was $20) I will now buy online so that they don't get full retail value for their product. Sure their prices are "recommended sales," but I take comfort in knowing they aren't making more money off me than necessary.

[Artinam]

Price increases and the growing pile of unpainted miniatures in my house .

[Vos]

My lead mountain, combined with the fact that the price increases makes impulse buying of new armies seem excessive, even for a professional with a very good job.
e.g. my mate is a consultant doctor and he won't buy a new warhammer army as it will cost in the region of £500. He says he'd rather pay someone else to paint up one of his old armies and use that.

Vos

[Fawful]

Price rises, 100 euro“s for battleforces that were 80 euro 2 years ago is ridiculous. Finecast is another reason, hate the material since it“s to fragile for my taste. That and I still have enough models that I need to paint. As such I mainly get (metal) stuff from ebay when it“s cheaper.

[JWhex]

Finecast and price increases have put the cost/quality point at a level where I am hugely cutting back on my purchases. I spend only a tiny fraction now of what I used to spend because of the over pricing. I am just making do with the armies I own even though I definitely would consider new armies if the price was a better value. I have not bought any finecast but would consider buying them second hand or at a really steep discount. It is more effecient to just buy plastic models and convert them.

[TheMav80]

I would need multiple choices, but...

1) I play Tau in 40K mainly. They have not had anything new in years, so I have had no reason to buy anything. In Fantasy my main army is Lizardmen and they did have a fairly recent update, but...

2) The price rises. I cannot bring myself to pay the prices GW is asking for most of their miniatures. I actually think their big kits (at least in Fantasy) are good deals. I bought an Engine of the Gods, for example. They are large nice kits and usually cost quite a few points game wise.

If the entry price were lower I would probably have more small projects going on than I do now. Instead I buy small starter armies for WarmaHordes, Dystopian Wars, Malifaux, and Infinity and feel my money is better spent.

[Whitwort Stormbringer]

I voted Prefer other companies' models as my primary reason. I played GW games for a long time, I liked the background and rules just fine but right now I'm just enjoying a change of pace. I didn't vote "other companies' rules" because if I like the minis and background enough, I'll probably play the rules that go along with them as long as they're relatively fun. Either that, or I've done a few conversions to GW's LotR SBG system, so I guess in a sense I'm almost more likely to go back to GW rules even when buying other companies' figures if I don't like the rules that go with those figures.

In fact, I've been out of the GW loop for long enough that I don't think I even could vote for several of the others. I buy GW only sporadically so the price increase hasn't really hit me - it's one thing if you're a regular customer but when it's occasional models it doesn't sting so badly. Price definitely factors into my buying habits, but it's more that I don't have the time or money for mass-battle games (at least in 28mm scale), rather than GW's prices in particular. I pretty much play skirmish games now, and at least for me I'm more willing to shell out a higher price per figure if I know I'm buying fewer figures for a force. If there was a 40K skirmish game and I had opponents, I might buy more Citadel models.

I haven't kept up with any of the new rules, and last left off with WH 6th ed. and 40K 4th ed., so I don't know how the rules currently are (and by extension I haven't read much GW fluff in the past few years).

I'm still a huge fan of LotR SBG and was glad to see them turn their attention back, however briefly, to this system. I'm guessing with the upcoming Hobbit movies I'll start buying more GW miniatures again, at least for a time. I also really enjoy some of the specialist games, but to be honest like someone else said I'm just as happy that GW isn't meddling with them because most are getting pretty good support from the fans and a lot of them received enough content back when GW was actively supporting them to keep players happy for a while anyways.

[MajorWesJanson]

Haven't voted as you left off the two reasons I don't buy as much now:

1) I don't have as much spare cash as I used to (this isn't the same reason as rising prices, as previously I could have just raised my spending slightly to keep pace).
2) Already have a substantial collection and don't need much else for my armies.

This. And more a focus on FW models now.

[steeledcascade]

Cost is the main reason, Although the rising amount of models you need for fantasy is also a concern. Hence the rise in unit fillers in my army! Also I think other companies have closed the gap and in many cases surpassed Gw in quality of models. Finecast whilst excellent in principal, I have found great variation in the quality of the castings. Rant over.

[paddyalexander]

I'd like to be clear that the amount of money I can spend on wargaming has not changed (it may have even increased slightly) over the last 8 years or so. However out side of picking up some gw terrain in a clear out sale, buying some Dark Eldar stuff for a friend on christmass a while ago and the occassional pot of paint none of that money is being spent on gwPLC products.

The funny thing is I like alot of things about their products. I nearly jumped back into 40k when the new IG Codex was released, but the problems I have with the rules and the companies practices are still there and untill they fix those problems or produce a product that is so awesome that those issues can be overlooked I will remain someone who wants to be their customer but can't be.

[GenerationTerrorist]

Price increases everywhere else in life means that the spare bit left over each month is getting smaller and smaller.
Allied to the price increases with GW products, the above means I can't buy as much as I used to.

Simple economics, really.

[mdauben]

I'm currently going through a "not Warhammer" phase, and its hard to point at one reason why. Rules, model count, lack of SG support are all part of it. I guess the biggest thing it just the desire to do something different. Even though GW revised and redoes much of their line on a regular basis (ex. 40K 6e), the rules and style of their core games (rules and minis) don't change all that much. So, I've been dabbling with different games, different genres and different mini aesthetics.

[Scaryscarymushroom]

Interesting that Generation Terrorist and PaddyAlexander have posts with exact opposite pretenses, and yet they arrive at the same outcome: buying less.

From the sounds of things, the quality of the 6th edition 40k book is reason to stop buying their books at any rate. I'm happy to continue with the source material that I have for 3-5th.