What does complaining really accomplish?

This is a question I find myself trying to answer in the last couple of years when it is related to Games Workshop. Of course people cry about price raises, finecast or any other ills in the hobby GW gets blamed for. In this post I’m going to tackle a couple of myths and give hope to the standard bearers of the GW hobby.

GW cost too much?! Does it really? I find if you do all aspect of the hobby you get more than enough value out of GW minis. A Tactical Squad comes in at $38 bucks and I could complain that it is $3.80 a mini. I look at the fact that it is going to take me 20 min to 30 min to build and clean one SM, then another hour or two to paint it. Then I game with it another 4 hours a week. So for $38 dollars in one year I get 106 hours of enjoyment out of it. How the hell is that too expensive? I’m I missing something? Ever think about getting a job that pays you a salary that will allow you to buy minis? The hobby is a luxury not a right!

There is a double standard or high standard that GW is held to, while other companies can do no wrong. Privateer Press has come out with another press release (http://privateerpress.com/an-important-announcement-concerning-new-steps-toward-product-fulfillment) saying that they are going to delay releases again. This is due to the “high” demand for their product. This is the third time in the last two years PP has done this. To me this smells of poor planning and not enough liquid capital to increase production but they’re given a pass because they are viewed as the golden child. If GW was to do this, the sky would be falling and rumors of Hasbro buying GW would surface, again. This is a perfect example of the double standard GW faces.

The internet trolls are in “rage” mode. These groups of basement dwellers have taken over the internet and spreading the lies that GW is evil. They high jack threads and try to bury anything good GW does with lies and baseless facts. These booger eaters would have you believe that they all have business degrees or a law degree. When in fact they’re the troll that sits in the corner of the store and leers at your gaming group and wishes he could be a member. He sits there avoiding eye contact and fights back the feelings that this is like high school all over again. His silent stares are interrupted by a phone call from his mom who wants to make sure he will be ready at 5 pm when she comes to pick him up. The other type of internet troll on the internet is just being that guy for the sake of being that guy.

I say stick with GW because they have been there with you over the years. I have tons of fond memories and a great group of friends that I have made over my 20+ years of playing GW games. Trolls may call me a fanboy but I’m the true definition of a GW hobbyist.

-Kyle