RE:A Question (hmmm that question)

>  Now, a question that some may wish to answer off list.  I have seen
>  comments about Games Workshop and their games.  I have never seen any
>  of their products where I live, but it is clear that a LOT of folk
>  either absolutely adore them, or utterly despise them.  Whats the
deal?
>   Just curious.
It goes back a long way into gaming history. When RPG gaming was really
just 
started in the UK, GW were a small chain of shops that sold everybodies
games 
- Avalon Hill, TSR etc etc etc. They also did a very good games magazine

(white Dwarf as was) and did a lot to maintain the growth of the hobby.

Over time, things changed. GW started developing their own games or
licencing 
other people's stuff for manufacturing and sale by themself. They did
their 
own figures for these games too. White Dwarf started to cover more
material 
on these games and less on the 'competitions'.

Eventually, one dark day, GW decided they weren't going to deal with
other 
people's games any more. White Dwarf only covered their products and you
had 
to go elsewhere if you wanted something else. The problem was that GW
had 
been doing such a good job, a lot of the 'somewhere elses' didn't exist
any 
more. This didn't happen overnight or anything, but neveretheless a lot
of 
people feel GW 'abandoned' the gaming community in favour of doing and 
marketing it's own thing.

So, there are GW, doing their own thing and making and selling games.
But the 
way they do it is interesting, from a business point of view. The whole
thing 
- GW, the codex's, whatever - is designed to feedback on itself. A new
WD 
comes out with some new rules. Those new rules are an advantage to play.
But 
to if you play them, you might want to buy this new figure that goes
with the 
rules. If you don't, someone else might. You don't want to be at a 
disadvantage do you?

Then there's the basic thing - cost. GW charge more for their stuff than

anyone else. Their stuff is good, but the quality doesn't justify the
extra 
cost. The problem with this is because they produce their own magazines
and 
don't sell anyone elses stuff, you could carry on gaming thinking what
you 
are paying *is* the going rate for what you get. The consumer isn't
presented 
with any choice of manufacturer.
What the general gist of all this is subjectively, some people feel GW
is 
exploiting their consumers.
 
I personally don't have anything against GW - I've played a lot of great

games over time that I bought from their shops when they sold other
people's 
stuff. I play a couple of their games too. I *know* their stuff is
overpriced 
but at least I am making an informed choice when I buy it. A lot of
people 
don't feel that way. A lot of people feel GW really should think more of
the 
people who were the ones who helped them when they were small. My
opinion of 
that is that we all got something out of the relationship - they got
cash, we 
got games - so I don't see GW 'owes' us anything.

The fact of the matter remains though that GW's actions within the UK
gaming 
'community' probably didn't help it much.  GW did what a commercial 
organisation will generally always do - put it's profits first.