Sunday, January 22, 2012

SinSynn dinna trust GW no more

Hey folks, SinSynn here.

There was a time, it seems quite long ago now, when GW would make an announcement for some upcoming thingy or another, and I'd be all like, 'Oooh- cool. this is gonna be da awesome.'

Heh.
Remember those days?

Nowadays, of course, whenever GW makes an announcement, they're usually pretty awful.
Or laughably bad.

Case in point:
*What were you thinking, GW?*


When Dread Fleet dropped, it pretty much killed any positive vibes I had remaining for GW.
Nobody asked for Dread Fleet, and I don't know anyone that purchased it, or even cared about it's release.
Personally, I wanted Blood Bowl. I was kinda surprised when it wasn't Blood Bowl, actually.
Blood Bowl would've been big, I think.
I mean, it seemed like a no-brainer to me. But then again, I have no brains, so...

Instead we got...well, whatever.
No one cares.

The reason I got kinda miffed wasn't all Dread Fleet's fault, however.
No, it was a culmination of things, and Dread Fleet was just the capper. The straw that broke the Xeno's back.

Years of looking in from the outside as the Imperials got spiffy new Codexes, while I STILL HAVE my 4th edition Tau book.
Price increases, Finecast, blah, blah, blah.

Then all these other new systems start gaining momentum, and they show me you don't HAVE to wait YEARS to get an army update, or a new figure for the collection.

Wait- they let you get free stuffs, right off their website?

For the love of- I paid good money for Army Builder!
These other cats built me a fancy flash webpage to design my army in...and it's FREE!

Sigh.

Hey, does anybody else get the feeling that GW is making Imperial Armour books part of the main system in an attempt to appear like they're...doing something?

Companies like Privateer Press, Spartan, Battlefront, Corvus Belli and a host of others are churning out new material, expansions and models at quite a clip.
In all honesty, they're making GW look really antiquated and sad.

When GW announced that the Imperial Armor books were getting integrated into the main game, and would be 'tournament legal,' I totally made this face:

*That EXACT face, in fact*


Part of me was like, 'Oh, I see what you did there, GW.'
This was GW's method of emulating the new guys, in a way.
'Oh, look- we can adds new stuffs! We can be all edgy and hip, too!'

Sigh.
It's like watching some old dude try to talk 'street' while they lecture you...about like, nutrition, or something.
It's just...sad.

-_-

I'm sure folks in Europe are kinda amped about IA books being table ready now (Ha! There's a stamp, sucka! No more 'opponent's approval required!'), but here in the US, well...

We don't really have access to Forge World stuffs.
You can't pick it off a shelf in a GW store here.

Let's just gloss over the fact that Forge World stuff is expensive, as are the Imperial Armour books.
Or that they're mostly pretty lame, competitively.
No surprise the most recent one has the first decent list in years- Eldar Corsairs.
After all, the books ARE available here now, and GW wants them to sell.

Ultimately, the whole 'Imperial Armour is Approved' thing is almost a good idea.
If Forge World stuffs was made in plastic, readily available and reasonably priced, or if Imperial Armour books were actually really good.
But...they're not, so...

Waddaya wanna bet that the next IA book is totally OP, though?
;)

So just a lil' while ago I read that GW is preparing to make an announcement about their line of paints.
It's gonna be exciting, they say.

Excuse me while I make this face:

*Not quite as cool as this guy does it, but whatevs...I try*


Like I said, a long (long, long...really long...super, crazy, stupid long) time ago, I woulda been a like, 'Oooh!'
Now I'm like, 'Oh, gee...price increase is coming. What favorite color of mine will they kill off and replace with something worse? How bad is it gonna be this time?'

I'm not sure if my somewhat reticent attitude towards GW in recent times is a result of being won over by a few of these up 'n' coming mini games companies (Battlefront and Corvus Belli- I heart you), or what.
Maybe I've just been treated like a 3 dollar hooker by GW for too long (my Tau Codex sure is old, you rotten sons of-).

I suspect it's a combination of both things.
*shrug*
Waddayagonnado?

Damn, I really used to dig GW, and now, well...
I kinda think they're lame.
I'm not even gonna front, and pretend like I'm happy about it, or anything, cuz I'm not.
I'm not a hater, out to wish doom upon them- I love my Tau. I love 40k, too.
It's the company, and their dumb-ass method of...whatever the hell it is they're doing.

Does anyone understand whatever it is they're doing?
The lack of marketing, the seemingly counter-intuitive decisions, the blatant disregard for...pretty much everything- from the internet, to modern methods of generating anything but scorn.
That they seem pretty good at.

Ugh...Riffing 'bout GW gives me ageda.
:P

Now if you'll excuse me, I hafta go find the Vellejo substitutes for my (formerly) favorite GW colors, washes and stuffs.
I'm not even gonna hang around for this most recent GW round of baloney, thanks.

Here ya go, GW...dedicated to you:


*Time to convince Lo' to add a 'multimedia explosion' label*


Sorry for the complaining, folks...it's just that every time I see that GW's gonna actually do something, or release something, or whatever...I just get all annoyed and whatnot now.
I feel like I've been waiting outside in the cold and rain for a bunch of years, just waiting for a friggin' army book update.
Worse yet, I have this feeling that when I finally do get one, it's gonna be 'meh.'

Sigh, GW.
Just...sigh.


Until next time, folks- exit with catchphrase!

-SinSynn

24 comments:

  1. You might not hate the announcement on paint. I got a "sneak preview" and I actually like what they told ME. Whether that's what ends up being the announcement or not is different entirely.

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  2. Well that's a familiar tale being told the world over now isn't it? Seems sad to me on the one hand, while actually comforting on the other. I mean at least now I know I'm not the only one thinking WTF are you doing GW!!! Luckily this is the Golden Age of Gaming and there are way better games out there now so I don't need them anymore.

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    Replies
    1. My Tau are sad.
      Shadowsun is lonely.

      I mean, fer real, though- what the heck IS this company doing?

      Years between army books is just so passe now. Seriously.

      How awful is White Dwarf?
      Let's not discuss it.

      Not using the internet for anything but retail sales?
      0_o

      Their version of 'corporate hype speech' is just so bad, it's almost painful to see.

      What can I do but shake my head, lament what 'could have been,' and go play a game that's actually somewhat balanced and well-written?

      Better plan on Vellejo colors for my Infinity models!
      ;)

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    2. I have to be honest. My most often go to paint range is Vallejo. I just think they're awesome. They don't play nice though with Citadel washes, but for that matter neither do Reaper or P3 paints. Vallejo paints do require a slightly different approach to painting though, so be prepared to start learning again if you're used to GW's thick gloopy paints.

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    3. http://miniaturewargameconversions.blogspot.com/2011/04/los-lowdown-paint-comparison-gw-vs.html

      check it out.

      Delete
    4. I prefer the model colour range as the matte finish is more my thang. If I want something to look shiny I can do that post painting with mediums. Besides Vallejo Model colours range of colours blows all other ranges out of the water for depth and range. I still have to have some Tamiya paints to hand like smoke though. Reapers colours that I've seen are definitely more towards the 'fantasy' scale of things as opposed to realistic tones. I just like the way Vallejo paints play with mediums and blend. However, I think we might need to all have a rethink when the new army painter range is launched as a few more painters have added themselves as converts since I last looked and one of them is Mike McVey!

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    5. I was sure I mentioned that I love the Model Color line, personally- those subtle, subdued, washed out colors rock my world....

      But I compared GameColor because it's the same "formulation" as GW's colors....

      Delete
  3. Reaper. You want Reaper. Vallejo, while awesome, lack an agitator to keep the pigment from settling on the bottom. Reaper offers a great line of colors AND dropper bottles with agitators to keep your paint looking Da awesome.

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    Replies
    1. I'm not so keen of Reaper paints when thinned though. They can sometimes give patchy results. Have to be very careful when watering them down. I have so many paints though its unreal. I have every Vallejo, Citadel, Tamiya, P3 paints. I also have a fair few Reaper paints. Although I'm hearing nothing but good things about the new Army Painter paints from a lot of the professional painters who had a sneaky peak at them.

      Delete
    2. Well I'll hafta do something soon, because I need to re-up on paint.
      I used up my stash getting my FoW army on the table.

      Hmm...I've heard of these Reaper paints, and I've seen the new Army painter stuffs, too.
      Methinks some research is called for!

      ...to the HoP search engine!
      ...
      Dammit, it seems stuck on the 'C word.'
      :P

      Delete
  4. wait... when and where did GW announce the forgeworld integration?

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    Replies
    1. With the release of the last IA book, Lauby.
      New stamp, don'tcha know.
      It says 'Approved' now.

      http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2011/11/40k-editorial-guess-who-just-fixed-game.html

      Delete
    2. well, imperial armour apocalypse 2nd ed, anyways.

      Looks like I missed a boat. Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand you'd need a micrometer to measure the amount of a fuck I give about using forge world units because using the cool toys is a huge draw (and they're mostly awful) . But making this even quasi-official makes it feel like adding in a huge level of 'Gotcha!' for players who don't have the apocalypse books or the money for the really nasty stuff. It's an arms-race, really - and that's a bunch of shit.

      That statement of 'officiality" is about the most limp wristed thing I've seen in a loooong time. I've seen more convincing statements of purpose on penis enlargement pills.

      I've always had a nice level of respect for BigRed - but "forgeworld fixes the game" is about as specious as a claim can get without actually being a lie.

      Delete
  5. Good article... I'm one of those Eldar players (Ok, it is ONE of my armies) who gets continually annoyed by the codex clearly having been written for another edition of the game... Seems to me that a really big FAQ update ala the Dark Angels/BT or even a WD "mini codex" (again) for them would make them a really playable army that I don't feel I'm fighting an uphill battle no matter what I decide to bring...

    On the IA stuff... The current (IA2) one with the "For 40K" stuff looks pretty good... Honestly, I'm just happy to get new toys out onto the field at this point. Things get pretty stagnant with the glacial release schedule coming from Nottingham... That and some serious balance issues in competitive play... Of course, with the traditional (is it their "official" one still/again) stance being "40K is not a competitive game" we might be breaking the game trying to make it so :-)...

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    Replies
    1. That new Eldar Corsair list DOES look good, I must admit.

      I want new toys for my Tau.
      You're right on the money calling their release schedule 'glacial.'
      I kinda think some intermittent IA books can help offset that, but they come out...what?
      Once every 3 years or so?

      Ugh....
      Sigh.

      Delete
  6. The beauty of it all is ironically, Blood Bowl. We've recently kicked it off again over the past year or so and brought /many/ new players to the fold. The awesome thing is that a few of them have multiple teams, sets of dice, even fields to play on, but none have given a dime to GW. There's so many third parties out there offering 'fantasy football' and the living rulebook is free.

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    Replies
    1. See?
      Missed opportunity for GW.
      No chance of forming a Dread Fleet league, then?
      -_-

      Lol.

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  7. I dunno SinSynn, maybe you should be glad your tau book hasn't been re-released.

    so most of the stuff you currently own becomes the antiquated overpriced stuff, and you've got to drop several Benjamins to 'update' your army to be decent. I'm still a bit disgusted at having to buy more new stuff to make my Daemonhunters good.

    and I don't even want to talk about the screwing up the WitchHunters got.

    but now I can sell off most of my IG stuff (cuz I can't induct them anymore), and buy 15mm men and tanks of AWESOMENESS.

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    1. As I predicted, my cell phone bill remains unpaid...cuz I just HAD to have some Marders...
      ...and maybe some Nebelwerfers.

      Soon I'm gonna need...more room for my FoW stuffs (it's getting pretty bad- the Crazy Lady is starting to suspect something).

      Oh, god...the shame.

      It's only a matter of time before I'm standing in front of the Hobby shop with my Tyranids in a box marked 'Free to Good Home.'

      It's been well over a year since GW has gotten money from me.
      The Battlefront guys are putting down payments on condos right about now, though.
      The Corvus Belli guys should probably start shopping soon.

      ...The Crazy Lady saw the Infinity starter set, and said 'Oh, great, a different color box. It's starting again.'

      Damn her eyes....

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  8. Well they say Crudface is writing the new tau book. After what he did to Tyranids I'm scared when ever he comes near a xenos book. Hopefully he can do better with this one since it has shooting and weapons.

    http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2010/11/30/eac3002d-6d0a-4cf5-a98a-2b4ab123ef6e.jpg

    I've started rotating out my paint supply with vallejo paints. I've been buying a lot more of 3rd party conversions and such. I've bought maybe 1 or 2 boxes since the most recent price hike, and yet I've managed almost 3k of a new army.

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    Replies
    1. Please, Gravemind- don't remind me of the Cruddace/Tau rumor.
      When I first read it, I ran out to the ledge, and half of the local fire department had to talk me down.
      It took hours.

      Also- sigh.
      Time to find a new line of paints, cuz I'm really not gonna do this with GW anymore.
      And besides, I've been hearing good stuffs about other paint lines for a while now- time to check 'em out!

      Delete
  9. Dreadfleet was a joke.. there were certainly other IPs, polished ones, they could have released, like Warhammer Quest, Bloodbowl, Man-O-War, etc.

    As for approving IA for regular games - it's a smart financial move. The rules are already written, the models already made - by just rubbing stamping the rules, they've done zero work for increased profits that both tournament players and hobbyists will eat up. I'm just surprised it wasn't a bigger announcement.

    I was pretty disillusioned with GW after Failcast, the price hikes and the embargoes, but after playing some Privateer Press, I'm all but totally done with them. Playing PP is like night and day, and the company seems to actually care about their fans.

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  10. Oh, man...they coulda re-done Epic. In plastic.
    Skirmish games are pretty popular now- they could've re-introduced Mordheim and/or Necromunda. Both of those games are gateways to the larger systems....
    Dread Fleet?
    Really GW?
    *facepalm*

    The IA thing was kinda under the radar, and that is a tad curious. And no ret-con of the older IA books?
    No stamp for them?
    Odd.
    It'll be curious to see how the big tournaments handle this one- like Adepticon and Nova.


    One of the problems GW faces in the long term is defectors, I think.
    Also- new folks can join the hobby now and NOT have to play GW games.
    These other systems and companies have grown to the point where they're not just ALTERNATIVES now.
    I met many gamers at FoW tournaments who've never played a GW game, and the FoW community where I play is quite large now.

    As a GW defector myself, I too am struck at just how damn GREEN the grass is on the other side of the fence!
    I mean, it's really, really green.
    Once you see it- how can you go back to...that lame, brown grass?
    Sigh....
    I wonder myself....

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