Which just proves his point.

Something which everyone should consider is, where will you draw the line? GW plastics now are fast becoming uneconomical. Finecast was uneconomical from the start.

Take the example of the typical 24 plastic model box using the prices cited by several people.

£12 for 24 models = 50p per model.

£15 for 24 = 63p per model.

£17.50 for 24 = 73p per model. Getting expensive but still reasonable.

But now?

£13.50 for 12 = £1.13 per model. Thats a VERY steep increase per model. Oh, and to get the same number of models as before, you'd have to pay £27.

And I don't even want to imagien how much worse it is now for 40K and Warhammer. I'm glad I have a 3000 pt collection of Space Marines, otherwise I would have just quit and sold them.

_________________
My (more regularly updated) painting blog:
https://www.facebook.com/Pindergorn/

That's the issue. To us old-timers it's bad, but GW is all about growth, and a new player won't know that is was cheaper six months ago.
The models are still cheaper than the other systems, and with SBG not needing a £250 investment into an army it will still sell strong

Also you never know, we may eventually see a battleforce type box again

_________________
++ THE VANUS TEMPLE ++
Contact for commissions!

Is that a hint?

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

Its still not a healthy way to run a business or encourage customer loyalty. How long before even those new players get fed up with the excessive price rises and shrinking boxes? I really don't think LOTR has a worthwhile future if GW continues with this attitude of luring new people in, milking them for all they're worth then when they cotton on to just how badly they're being treated, booting them out the door and welcoming the next generation of useful idiots.

_________________
My (more regularly updated) painting blog:
https://www.facebook.com/Pindergorn/

Prices go up. That's life, and there's no getting around that. As time goes on, goods are worth more. GW raises prices, and has done so for many years. Could they have lost customers because of this? Sure. Does it matter that they lost customers because of this? Not really. GW has a thriving fanbase, bigger than any other miniature game, the biggest market share, and stores that make selling their products easy. You could argue that GW is pricing itself out of the market; which might be true, if the model prices weren't on par with their competitors and that people are still willing to pay their prices.

All I know is that GW is still very affordable to me, and I don't make a lot of money. I don't buy much, but I do feel fairly compensated for what I do buy.

I take it you don't play 2,000+ WOTR armies then.

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

No, but that's because I don't really have the time to paint up an army that size, nor the want. However, even still, I'm not sure if a couple a cents more a figure will really hurt me if I enjoy my hobby. I mean, golf clubs cost hundreds of dollars each. I'm glad I'm not a golfer .

Look, clearly there are people willing to pay those prices and from the above comparisons they are still low compared to some of the other prices GW can get for their figs. Further, a hobby is a hobby and if you really want figs that match a movie then...

So their only genuine problem is comparisons:
1. People can compare to similar offerings in other ranges.
2. People 'index' prices based on the first one they see.

Their strategy of focusing on younger and so first-time wargamers looks pretty intelligent now, right? I think they know exactly what they are doing (leaving aside the long-run sustainability of this in the age of the internet, where GW can't control how people first see wargaming) and I wouldn't really so much argue with their strategy as just note that that's probably it for the likes of me. I was never their target market though.

I like this rumour they are shifting WOTR to Specialist Games though....

_________________
http://www.roughwotr.blogspot.com

@Blackknight1239, Golf is a game for rich people in the first place, and by the way this hobby is heading GW will only be a company for rich people as well.

@Others, Lotr SBG is dead as a game for new comers when GW stopped producing their Sourcebooks, unless something has changed that I don't know about. And these sourcebooks provided rules for the other half of the miniature range not found in the One Rulebook. The new pricing doesn't promote SBG, it just forces players back to that game because WOTR is unmanageable financially now.

To Hellfury and King Ondoher, thank you for your posts that I enjoyed reading.

So think GW is smart much pushing away their already existing fanbase to trade in for new fresher blood (relying that they're daft in the head about the purchasing prices)? I don't find that smart. I agree with the point made that vets would continue buying and stock piling if prices were kept reasonable; and disagree with the point of GW doesn't get much business from vets anymore because of their high backlog. I also disagree with the remark "prices go up, people complain about it for a while and then continue on buying as normal as nothing much changed." News flash: people have long memories and everyone has their breaking point, mine being the switch to finecast and their 30% hike in prices. It was one thing when it was a 10% hike one year, it was manageable, but now 30-35% hikes twice a year, sorry I'm out. I'll just enjoy my current backlog and searching for future deals at a discount price like most others who have a budget planned out. Good luck to you 1% rich people finding other 1% rich people to play a game with in the distant future.

_________________
My Lotr backlog: 305/952[][][][][][][][][][]32% completed
Painting Lineup: Mumakil x2, Rohan Heroes x8, Haradrim, SKoDA

Except it's gone up by a lot more than just a few cents.

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

Honestly, I wouldn't have as much a problem with the price increase if their was competition.

That is the problem with buying licenses. It allows GW to charge these prices for a license like LOTR because no-one else is able to produce miniatures from the film "look" like they do. Since they only need to compete with themselves, well.... Not like we can really do anything when they increase the prices. They know the collectors will still come back. And someone has to pay the ones to put on ebay.

If only the license they held could be held by a few other miniature companies then they'd have to compete with quality AND price.

It's funny how when WOTR came out and got lots of support (as would any new game deserve) people claimed that SBG would die. Now when SBG gets some support (12 is a box is much more convient than 24, and price increases have always gone up) people claim that WOTR would die. Newcommers (which are the biggest source of income for GW) do not remember old prices, so it is not as difficult for them to accept it than older gamers.

viewtopic.php?p=262254#p262254

Apparently something has changed that you don't know about.


The facts also agree with you and disagree with that remark.

While I am no expert in such things, what I have gathered from discussion about them is that GW's regular earnings reports over the past several years show that their income from miniatures has stayed relatively constant while their prices have gone up. So if their prices were at one level 6 years ago and they made X dollars, and now they have doubled their prices and are still making X dollars, that shows that they are only selling half of what they used to. Either some people are quitting entirely, or a lot more people are radically cutting back on what they buy. Either way, it is not a healthy situation for GW.

But newcomers will learn fast just how badly they're getting screwed.

_________________
My (more regularly updated) painting blog:
https://www.facebook.com/Pindergorn/

Math says it's gone up 40p. That, I think, is somethink like .80 cents CDN. To me, that's not terrible.

See, the problem I have with people saying that "GW is pricing themselves out of the market" or "GW is making the game only for rich people" is twofold:

-The world is in a recession, and still climb out, save for a few very well managed economies. Luxury goods (ie, stuff that isn't food, shelter and clothing) goes up with everything else. So, to act suprised and angry to a common practice at the time seems, well, silly to me.

-Second, GW keeps prices really close to their competitors. Seriously. Check out Warmachine. Most infantry units are priced between 4.60 and 5.80 CDN. Infinity is similar. They range about $7 CDN per model. So, I do find it hard to say that GW is expensive, when ALL miniature wargaming is expensive. Especially in games like ours.

But, I don't know. I've never been one to complain about price raises. Just reavaluate whether I still buy the game or not, and LotR is still, like, ultra cheap for a playable force. I mean, better then ebay-bought Warhams.

I laughed at that. GW has the only lisence to sell lotr figures,(from the movies) they ARE the market.....

I personally won't stop, even after the price rises. I will just buy less often as it will take more money to get what I want. I am fine to slowly build up an army over a year. And besides, then maybe I'll paint the army before I go off and buy another.....And yes, GW is releasing a new bunch of rule-books which is why all the other books were pulled.

I, ultimately have to agree with theavenger- no, I won't probably stop buying things, just buy them much less frequently. Ah, the joys of inflation...

_________________
"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”

Welp. I missed this, if I'd known I would have picked up that box of corsairs I wanted.

I'd be absolutely fine with this if they were new minis, retooled minis, or something, but price hike this big for the same old minis? Awful. I pity WotR players who'll still need their troops in multiples of 8; £27 for 3 companies is harsh.

This isn't going to drive me out of the game, but I'm sure as hell not starting any more armies (which is a shame, because I had 2 planned) and I'm really glad I bought my orcs when I did. If I'd seen this coming, I'd have stocked up.

_________________
Talaan-u rûk-ir tor Urûk
Nauru-ir agh kragoru nûrsu grishûrz
Nork-ulu furtun agh goð
Mordor-ob bot-tuk

viewtopic.php?p=262254#p262254

Apparently something has changed that you don't know about.
[quote]
LOL, I know perfect timing eh, news hits two hours after I posted a comment just to make me look silly.

I don't know what GW's earnings are last year, but I make a bet that the only reason why they sold much was because everyone was scrambling for metal figs, including myself, to avoid finecast and price rises, + the event that people we're buying into the newly introduced finecast models. Now that event is nearly over with, I want to see how GW fairs with their new price range and finecast models.

_________________
My Lotr backlog: 305/952[][][][][][][][][][]32% completed
Painting Lineup: Mumakil x2, Rohan Heroes x8, Haradrim, SKoDA

That's why GW are enforcing a "no leaks" policy .



Quite right. I lasted GW-only for two price rises (the standard start-of-the-year one for 2011 and this one), and am now going to go mainly ebay for my dwarf army. It's just, there are no dwarves on ebay .

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