Indomitus Made to Order - GW Gets it Right!

After all of the insanity this weekend with the Indomitus box selling out in minutes we've finally gotten a response from Games Workshop, and quite frankly it is the best possible outcome and some of the best customer service I've ever seen from GW. If you go back to my article from yesterday, I'd indicated:

"Given the slim to possible negative margin on the set, I find it unlikely that Games Workshop will end up making more of them - though if they do it would be a really favorable gesture on their part in an effort to improve relations with their customers."

Today on Warhammer Community, there is an announcement revealing that Indomitus will now be "made to order." I can honestly say I'm glad I was wrong in my pessimistic view of their making more sets, but I'll certainly stand by the second half of that statement as the goodwill on web already seems to be spreading.

The Perils of a Loss Leader Strategy - More Things I Think I Think About Indomitus

It is still radio silence from Games Workshop on the fiasco that was yesterday's Indomitus launch, though the speculation and posturing on social media obviously continues unabated. Comments seem to fall into a few distinct camps, but there is the prevailing concept that Games Workshop made a huge amount of money yesterday with Indomitus selling out in minutes. While no doubt they had a banner sales day, in order for a company like Games Workshop to make money, they have to bring in more revenue than they spend on producing and marketing their product.  Based on their typical pricing model, I find it hard to believe that the new box is a real profit machine on its own. In fact, I firmly believe Indomitus was designed as a "loss leader" to bring new players into the stores, and from this perspective it likely failed miserably.

What I Think I Think About the Indomitus Fiasco

Wargaming can be an expensive hobby. I wrote an article on this a couple of years ago examining the cost of several different gaming systems, and suffice it to say Warhammer products frequently occupy the upper regions of that cost band. While Games Workshop can continue to charge a premium for their products because they own the IP, there are an increasing number of entities trying to create miniatures suitable for 40K and Age of Sigmar. The rise (and slow improvements in quality) of 3D printing is another avenue many seem to be exploring. The problem is that you can't use these at any official Games Workshop event. As a successful company, GW seems to be trying to combat this trend by at least offering entry level sets at a discount - providing substantial value for the dollar and then charging prices with higher margins for the more specialist and advanced units. The new mega-boxed set for 9th Edition was to follow this strategy - a box with the new rulebook, 61 exclusive easy to build miniatures, and a host of other goodies for the (relatively) low price of $199. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, in this case, just about everything...

Armies on Parade - Wrecked Goliath (And How!)

As mentioned in previous blog entries, I'm really trying to put together a great Armies on Parade entry this year. To that end I've been planning out the uprising of my Genestealer Cult and how to turn that into a fun and dynamic board. I'm not ready to go into the full details at this point, but I do have one of my set pieces finished. As part of the board is going to be set in a mining area (complete with tectonic fragdrill), I wanted to include at least one Goliath. I'm still finishing up a Goliath transport for my cult, which will likely make its appearance on that level - but to add some drama to the board (and as I needed a few Goliath wheels for another project - keep watching this space), I decided to build up a wrecked Goliath on a disused heavy equipment lift platform. However, just having a derelict vehicle on the platform didn't seem to be quite enough... so I took it one step further.

The Cult Goes Ballistic - the Deathstrike Missile Launcher

The industrious cultists down at the motor pool have managed to stea... errrr, requisition a brand new unit for my Astra Militarum Brood Brothers detachment - the Deathstrike Missile Launcher. This particular unit sort of appears to have taken eighth edition off, as it only fires once per game and "blast" type weapons were a bit underwhelming in that edition. However, with the new ninth edition blast rules, Games Workshop promises that "your favourite ICBM is getting EVEN DEADLIER." I'd already had one going just because I loved the look of the vehicle and figured it would go well with my Master of Ordnance.

Mid-Year Status Report

It's hard to believe that we're just past the midpoint of 2020. I honestly don't think that anyone could have predicted the twists and turns the world has taken this year, with COVID-19 completely upending plans and economies across the globe. Many companies were shut down completely for several months, including Games Workshop. Most of these are starting to open back up now with precautions in place, but I expect the pandemic will continue to impact us for at least the rest of the year. Back in January I posted a 2019 retrospective and some of my plans/goals for 2020, and I figured now would be a good time to see how I'm progressing.

To Paint or Not to Paint, That is the Question!

With the 9th edition of Warhammer 40K set to drop a mere few weeks from now, the rumor and leak mills have been running overtime. One of the changes to match scoring leaked in recent posts is the fact that a player can receive 10 "bonus points" for having a "battle ready" painted army. Granted the other mission scoring elements are in the 15 to 45 point range, so the 10 points for having a painted army is likely only going to serve as a tiebreaker in some rare instances. Though its impact is minimal, the move appears to be more than a bit controversial for a variety of reasons. That being said, I personally think this is a net positive for the game and the hobby as a whole.