Well thought out video, the gist is - get with the times. I appreciate how professional HE was if not the video (geez guys lay the camera on a desk - lol)
If GW were with it, they would respond with a video of their own, maybe accepting some suggestions and refuting others, while providing the logic for doing so.
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
GW's Expanding Worlds blog post REBUTTAL
Labels:
rant
Really? What the hell! These are great games that they've practically left to die through;
- Selling models made from the same crappy molds from years and years ago. This is especially apparent in Epic figures (which are small and the tiniest problem with the mold really ruins the entire model), but I've seen it in recent models purchased for Blood Bowl (I bought an undead team booster), Necromunda (the enforcers packs I bought are covered in flash and mold lines), and as such have refused to buy any more specialist games minis from GW ever!
- Lack of updates to the rules. None of the specialist games have had GW based rules upgrades for years. Andy Hall had done a good job of setting up a community for the fans to help with keeping the rules up to date - only for GW to go and ruin it by shutting down the original site, giving Andy a huge headache trying to backup all the content on the old forums (not sure he even managed it) and again making all of us wonder why we support you at all!
- Treating the fans who have kept these games alive like garbage! First they leave the rules to the fans, then when the fans do a great job (eg. the latest version of blood bowl) they whine and remove all the awesome fluff and pictures that are their IP? All because they can't be arsed to make models for a single new team? (Slann - I'm sorry but there's NO valid reason not to allow Chaos Pact and Underworld teams, they sell models suitable for those teams already!!) To what end - how did that help Games Workshop? All it did was piss off all the blood bowl community so that we now prefer to purchase miniatures from other companies (and in fact, many folks I know refuse to purchase any GW blood bowl minis - myself included!) - great business model there!
- Ridiculous prices. I downloaded the old "Bommerz over da Sulpher River" PDF board game that Andy Chambers originally wrote. I've even gone so far as to print out the board tiles on stickers to make my own board. Then I went to look into buying 4 fighta-bombers and 2 thunderbolts in Epic scale to use. Fighta-bomberz are $24 CAD for 3 tiny little models (all three would be about as much metal as a single 28mm mini) and I would need to buy 2 to get 4 models. Then the thunderbolts are $30CAD for 4 tiny models - which would leave me with an extra. So even if I decided screw the fluff and used thunderbolts for the players and fighta-bomberz for the interceptors we're talking $54 CAD for 7 tiny little planes. That's over $7 for each tiny plane - NO THANKS!
Games Workshop - get your head out of your ass! If you want to push your specialist games, treat the gamers with some respect or I can promise we will continue to find better/cheaper alternative models. This coming from a blog titled GWpertinent!! Don't make me change my blog name!!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Mantic Games = FAIL
The original name for this post when I originally planned it was going to be Mantic Games = WIN, I would like to explain the series of events that has changed all that, and soured me on Mantic forever. Even if you don't want to read my rant - please check the bottom of the post, as I have a bonus for someone making a donation to a very impressive Storm Wardens project.
I as many other gamers I'm sure - was quite impressed with Mantic when they first burst onto the scene. I liked their elf figures quite a bit and thought when I had the cash, I would use them to build a large Melnibonean themed army (based on the Elric novels by Michael Moorcock).
I signed up for their newsletter and would check out their blog and website to keep up to date on new figures and developments. It was at this time I noticed their "Speed Building Challenge" - essentially, beat their time to assemble a box of Mantic figures (10 figures) to win yourself a warhost (a boxed special costing about 30 pounds or approximately $60 USD. It includes a quite large number of figures and I decided this prize was tempting enough to order a box of spearmen to try and beat the best time posted (at the time, 11:33) especially when I noticed their free worldwide shipping offer.
It's not an easy challenge and I failed by at least two minutes in my first attempt, but this only motivated me more! Around three weeks later I ordered a second box of spearmen and tried again. This time I was successful, beating the time by more than 10 seconds! Was I ever excited, I encoded the video as best I could to reduce the file size and sent Mantic an email. At the same time my excitement led me to buy a special deal they had online, which included some elven models that would not be in the warhost box. This was near the end of March.
Here is a link to my video - be warned it is boring as I have no video editing skills. It is also quite large at 1.5gb :\
I tried to be patient knowing they are a smaller company, but after two weeks had passed with no response, I sent another email. Another week, another email. Another week, another email. Finally after a month I received a response from Mantic. I don't plan to post the contents of the emails as that is unnecessary, but regardless I was given the impression my entry would be reviewed, currently this is late april. Throughout the entire discussion I always asked if there was any problem with the video or anything I could do. Never have I been asked to do anything or told there was any problems with the video.
I waited for more than a month before I sent another email explaining my disappointment in hearing nothing. Another week, another email. Finally I received another response, promising me a prize and asking for the video link again. At this point it has been more than two months since I submitted my initial email. I waited expectantly hoping to come home one day to a box in the mail. No dice.
ANOTHER month passed with no response regarding the contest. During that time I tried to keep in touch regarding something other than the contest - as I saw the person I had been corresponding with had participated in a tournament with poor results. I had just come back from a blood bowl tournament where I ended second from last and thought perhaps some gaming discussion might keep me in his memory. It didn't. I emailed again about the contest after the month had passed and received no response. I waited another week and sent another email. I still have not heard anything back about the contest since I was last promised a prize on June 8th, 2010.
It has been 112 days that this ordeal has been going on. Nearly a third of a year!!! Over a $60 prize. I have had enough. Today I noticed that Mantic has altered their site. The challenges pages are gone (they used to be in the "Mantic" tab). They can still be found through google (http://www.manticgames.com/Hobby/Mantic-Challenges/Speed-building-Challenge.html)
My wasted effort amounts to the below.
The first person to donate at minimum half that amount ($40 USD is acceptable) to the Storm Wardens project (use any of the links to your personal favourite storm wardens participating blog I've linked below) and forwards me their paypal receipt email (my address is in my blogger profile & I will confirm with the guys at Santa Cruz Warhammer before shipping - this is for charity, please don't try any scams) will receive all of my Mantic figures FOR FREE! (I will also include my 6 mantic points stickers) In addition this will enter you to win possibly the coolest space marine army ever made!
Please be aware this donation must be made by Sunday July 18th at 7pm PST.
Also please be respectful and post a comment here if you have made a donation with the intention of getting these models - I would hate for multiple people to donate expecting a bonus. I will also try to update this post as soon as possible upon hearing someone has taken me up on this offer.
Donations can be made at any of the blogs listed below
http://stormwardens.blogspot.com
http://santacruzwarhammer.blogspot.com
http://miksminis.blogspot.com
http://fromthewarp.blogspot.com
http://warhammer40kbloodangels.blogspot.com
http://davetaylorminiatures.blogspot.com
http://www.misterjustin.com
http://dulanisminis.blogspot.com
http://40khobbyblog.blogspot.com
http://wynnstudiomodels.blogspot.com
I as many other gamers I'm sure - was quite impressed with Mantic when they first burst onto the scene. I liked their elf figures quite a bit and thought when I had the cash, I would use them to build a large Melnibonean themed army (based on the Elric novels by Michael Moorcock).
I signed up for their newsletter and would check out their blog and website to keep up to date on new figures and developments. It was at this time I noticed their "Speed Building Challenge" - essentially, beat their time to assemble a box of Mantic figures (10 figures) to win yourself a warhost (a boxed special costing about 30 pounds or approximately $60 USD. It includes a quite large number of figures and I decided this prize was tempting enough to order a box of spearmen to try and beat the best time posted (at the time, 11:33) especially when I noticed their free worldwide shipping offer.
It's not an easy challenge and I failed by at least two minutes in my first attempt, but this only motivated me more! Around three weeks later I ordered a second box of spearmen and tried again. This time I was successful, beating the time by more than 10 seconds! Was I ever excited, I encoded the video as best I could to reduce the file size and sent Mantic an email. At the same time my excitement led me to buy a special deal they had online, which included some elven models that would not be in the warhost box. This was near the end of March.
Here is a link to my video - be warned it is boring as I have no video editing skills. It is also quite large at 1.5gb :\
I tried to be patient knowing they are a smaller company, but after two weeks had passed with no response, I sent another email. Another week, another email. Another week, another email. Finally after a month I received a response from Mantic. I don't plan to post the contents of the emails as that is unnecessary, but regardless I was given the impression my entry would be reviewed, currently this is late april. Throughout the entire discussion I always asked if there was any problem with the video or anything I could do. Never have I been asked to do anything or told there was any problems with the video.
I waited for more than a month before I sent another email explaining my disappointment in hearing nothing. Another week, another email. Finally I received another response, promising me a prize and asking for the video link again. At this point it has been more than two months since I submitted my initial email. I waited expectantly hoping to come home one day to a box in the mail. No dice.
ANOTHER month passed with no response regarding the contest. During that time I tried to keep in touch regarding something other than the contest - as I saw the person I had been corresponding with had participated in a tournament with poor results. I had just come back from a blood bowl tournament where I ended second from last and thought perhaps some gaming discussion might keep me in his memory. It didn't. I emailed again about the contest after the month had passed and received no response. I waited another week and sent another email. I still have not heard anything back about the contest since I was last promised a prize on June 8th, 2010.
It has been 112 days that this ordeal has been going on. Nearly a third of a year!!! Over a $60 prize. I have had enough. Today I noticed that Mantic has altered their site. The challenges pages are gone (they used to be in the "Mantic" tab). They can still be found through google (http://www.manticgames.com/Hobby/Mantic-Challenges/Speed-building-Challenge.html)
My wasted effort amounts to the below.
- Feb 24, 2010 - I took advantage of their free worldwide shipping and spent $16.26 USD for a box of 10 spearmen.
- Mar 19, 2010 - I took advantage of their free worldwide shipping and spent $15.65 USD for a box of 10 spearmen.
- Mar 26, 2010 - Mantic had a special deal, which I ordered for $49.99 USD which got me 20 spearmen with command, 10 scouts and 5 metal characters (still taking advantage of free worldwide shipping)
Total = $81.9 USD
Please be aware this donation must be made by Sunday July 18th at 7pm PST.
Also please be respectful and post a comment here if you have made a donation with the intention of getting these models - I would hate for multiple people to donate expecting a bonus. I will also try to update this post as soon as possible upon hearing someone has taken me up on this offer.
Donations can be made at any of the blogs listed below
http://stormwardens.blogspot.com
http://santacruzwarhammer.blogspot.com
http://miksminis.blogspot.com
http://fromthewarp.blogspot.com
http://warhammer40kbloodangels.blogspot.com
http://davetaylorminiatures.blogspot.com
http://www.misterjustin.com
http://dulanisminis.blogspot.com
http://40khobbyblog.blogspot.com
http://wynnstudiomodels.blogspot.com
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