Hey guys. I really love this hobby. I'm not interested in Fantasy or 40k, i just have a passion for all things Tolkien. But we can't deny that the game has dwindled considerably. I would very much love to see a resurgence in popularity and some more new models. I was talking to a GW employee who told me that there are big plans for the months leading up to the release of The Hobbit films. This is very pleasing, and i hope it will see a deal of substantial improvement and increased interest in the hobby once more.

So what are your thoughts? Do you see a resurgence really happening? Will our beloved hobby rise back to prominence?

- Kyle

Probably, but how long it lasts after the second hobbit movie.....Well, that's another matter.

As I dont live in a country with a GW I dont know, but with the last release there was quite a few members joining and I have heard people say that LOTR got a bit more popular. Wasn't huge but yet again, wasn't a huge release either.

My local GW emplyees think there could be an explosion of 'LotR' fans, by December, but, I think it won't last 5 years.

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"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

I think they need to get an new release or more to get the people back who quit because of the price increase.
so they wont get that much MORE fans.
but I hope so they will.

martijn

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"tonight you will taste man flesh!"
saruman the white

I agree, we'll see a lot of people join in with The Hobbit, and then get chased out when you pay 20 euro's for 6 models (in 4-5 years, that is), and the hard core will die out about 20-30 years after that because of lack of attention from GW in any way whatsoever after the milking cow has stopped giving milk.

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"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

I cannot see anything like the interest in LOTR SBG for TH SBG owing to the sheer cost of getting started. Ten years or more on, there is less and less interest in creativity and skills (modelling, painting, assembling an army, designing scenarios) compared to 'out of the box' games such as computer games and boardgames. There is also a lot less disposable income compared to 2001/2.

The Hobbit will make or break GW; I fear the latter.

I have been reading a lot of posts on O-R, Beasts Of War and other hobby sites where there has been much debate about GW's many price increases, and how they seem to get away with doing this because they are the biggest and self-professedly the best in the industry. I bought some more LOTR minis earlier this year before one of the earlier price increases but that is probably going to be the end of it for me. I may get some Hobbit minis when they are released but nothing remotely on the scale of what I have purchased over the past 7 or 8 years (all discounted, some by almost 50%).

I find it fascinating to compare GW's activities (those that we can see and measure) with those of smaller companies that have gone out on a limb and gotten a lot of fans involved. Mantic have a fantastic Kickstarter campaign that has shattered all the goals they have set more or less as fast as Ronnie and Co can come up with new ones. And they are offering deals and rewards for investing in the rapid expansion of the ranges for Kings of War. Mike McVey has taken Sedition Wars to Kickstarter and he has shown off some very tasty minis there. Look at Hawk Wargames - the models and concepts shown for Dropship Commander are fabulous, a lot of it the work of one person who laboured long hours for 2 and a half years.
I applaud them all and wish them good luck. I may be sorely tempted to try out these and some other genres and minis, for example using Plastic Soldier Company's rapidly expanding range of 15mm kits to get into either Flames of War or Victory Decision or some similar WW2 gaming (going back to my earlier wargaming experiences, with Airfix and Britains toy soldiers, metal 1:32 scale cannons that fired plastic shells... ah, those were the days.)

I love Middle-earth. I love a lot of what Peter Jackson and Co have created, and many of the GW minis were good or even great quality. But my finances are finite, and so is my patience. GW has gone too far for my liking. Their quality is no better than companies like Gripping Beast, Perry Miniatures, FireForge, or Warlord, yet these companies offer many more minis per box and offer more discounts (directly or via resellers).

Will there be a Middle-earth hobby resurgence? I believe that late 2012, through to late 2014 will be good for Hobbit related sales as there will be 2 films in the cinemas and associated DVD and Blu-ray releases following later. But by 2015, I forecast a drop in levels of interest, simply because the piggyback effect of riding on the success of the films and all the associated publicity (shops full of toys, books, pictures on magazine front pages, television interviews with cast and crew) will be over.

Sorry to sound so gloomy but I see only Price Rises in our future.

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Published ebooks:
Instrument of the Empire
A Note of Defiance
Phantom Ships, Ghost Flotilla
More to come!

Nicely put, I think Dorthonion has said it all really. Myself, well ive got three armies, two of which I want to bring to a nice WOTR size then im off to SAGA games by gripping beast. Seriously the price of this hobby is getting ridiculous, whereas before id swear by gw minis and no others, now im really starting to appreciate other minis by other companies. Theres some awesome alternatives out there!

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All Hail The Lord of Light, R'hllor, for the night is dark and full of terrors!

GW is just killing me with their unreasonable price increases and I for one have stood by them against many in the past. I can no longer justify their actions to others. I am in the process of setting up a Women Free Gaming Event and was intending to use LOTR to get other women into the hobby -- specifically LOTR, but now I may introduce them to historical miniatures wargaming instead.

Shall we see a resurgence? Probably yes due to the new movie and the fact that GW is making huge waves in the U.S. market. If they keep on increasing their prices at this crazy rate, they will lose their customer base quickly. The US customers do have options such as Perry Miniatures, Warlord Games, Wargame Factory...

I for one have already stopped purchasing GW due to disgust more than anything. By the way, I spent $2000 last year just on LOTR. I love the game, but my patience have limitations. I am opting to support different hobby companies that care about their customers.

I'm sick as well. GW is certainly not the best on the market (there are better 1/72 mini's) all-round, though some units are very, very nice. But 20 euros for 12 men is simply not viable. I can get 144 or more historical for that price, so where I used to buy one or two boxes every two months, my last miniature purchase through GW has been in December, and I'm switching to historics (finishing Napoleonic's, starting WW2, 80 years war, cossack rebellion, and republican Rome), simply because I don't enjoy using the mini's when I have such enormous pain in my wallet.

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"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

I have recruited many people into the game by making them by off of ebay. I dont like GW's prices, but i love their game and their miniatures. I have completed 95% of my LOTR collection and so don't need to buy mass amounts of models now. Ebay is still fine for me so I really dont mind. I can see how its hard for total noobs to get into it, but most people are introduced to the game by friend's and so if their friend's can guide them into buying the correct ebay products, I don't see how that is wrong.

Try finding Vault Wardens on eBay .

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"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

yes sure you wont find evrything on ebay but for a small price you can get a good base army and then buying minis once in a while, its a way smaller problem.
I sure can handle some metal minis, but only the plastic minis have gone too pricy.

martijn

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"tonight you will taste man flesh!"
saruman the white

Yup, the metals were too pricy anyway .

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"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

I'm not convinced there will be a resurge to be honest. First of all I think the masses will compare the Hobbit films to the LOTR ones and, because the standard was so high with the latter, I don't think it will be able to match up to it (just a feeling, as I haven't watched any trailers e.t.c to form a more accurate opinion on the Hobbit) so there won't be the same level of interest for one thing. Also 10+ years ago the economic situation was significantly brighter and prices were more accessible. Now if someone new walks in to GW they will just laugh at being asked for £13.50 or whatever it is for 12 plastic models, especially if they're struggling to find work, like a lot of people at the moment. Failing that the poor finecast models will probably do the trick. Don't get me wrong I hope it does bring in new people or old people back but I have a feeling the Hobbit could be an excuse for yet another price hike too, scaring off the would-be gamers. I won't be buying any Hobbit stuff anyway I shouldn't think, I won't buy finecast that much is certain.

I think we will see a surge. Obviously not as much as 10 years ago. I think that the Hobbit will be MUCH bigger than LotR. 1. We've been waiting, and more people have become fans since LotR, they're still some of the most popular movies ever. 2. PJ seems to be going all out on this. The budget is MUCH higher, so he can hopefully make the most of it and make it that much better.

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"Leave Sauron to me."
If you're in the Raleigh, NC area, let me know.

You mean £15, 200% of the price about 3 years ago.

People will come, but only on special occasion, just enough to make GW think its all right to bumb 12 models up to £16.50 next year.

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"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

I know this has properly been asked a thousand times before but why has the LOTR stuff gone up by so much I used to play and stopped when a box of 24 plastics was £15 not for financial reasons just got a bit bored. I come back and the price has doubled for LOTR and has increased noticeable with the other ranges, I don't mind with them so much as it's not that big and rising costs and inflation will play there part. So why has LOTR increased so much????????

The price always goes up, although plastics only caught that condition a few years ago, metal had it for longer. Only 2 boxes of 24 infantry ever costed less than £15 though (Goblins and WoLA), the rest of them started at that price. They go up for a variety of reasons, increase in price of materials, loss of money, to increase profits, increase VAT, laour costs and tools etc, and the gradual increase accross the board.

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"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.