GW sanctioned events require players to have only 100% GW models right down to the bases it seems. Is that even possible with their stock levels though?
Games Workshop is notorious for trying to keep a closed market on anything Warhammer which is in some ways understandable, but the tabletop hobby overall may be bigger than just the Warhammer one.
Lately, it seems between raising prices, and model shortages, players are almost forced to go to other second-hand companies just by necessity.
Is the Standard too High: GW Models Required at Events
In case you haven’t heard, Games Workshop has cracked down and requires players to use GW models exclusively at their events in England. Here in the states, they will ask you before you go on stream if your models are all from GW.. right down to the bases.
We understand the actual GW miniature part…but the whole base thing is something new altogether.
Games Workshop Needs to Step up Production
If Games Workshop is going to press their thumbs on people’s backs about using ONLY their products, then should they have everything available for players to purchase in the first place?
What I am saying is, this means we should never see an Out of Stock item online for more than a few days.
Not being able to keep up with production also has the side effect of raising prices on the secondary market as well, making items extremely expensive for players starting the hobby. Which in turn drives them to seek alternatives to GW’s models in the first place.
Dark Eldar units were going for premium prices on other sites for the longest time because no one could get their hands on them from GW. Good luck trying to find Tzaangors right now for 40k as well.
There’s been an alarming theme to armies in 8th edition that most hobbyists have noticed and commented on lately. Armies seem to usually have one or two insanely good units that armies will max out on. We saw this with all kinds of Dark Eldar things, Tankbustas for Orks, Stormravens (at the start of 8th), and the list can go on. because of this, everyone wanted them and we saw the market get sucked dry in just a few days.
If you’ve been following the meta even remotely close, you have also probably had to deal with an unnecessarily long waiting period to get the models you wanted to be restocked again.
You would think that when GW is about to release a codex, they would double down on production to get ready for the massive influx of sales, but that doesn’t seem to be the case at all.
As soon as a codex gets into people’s hands and they realize what works in that army, the minis disappear from the market almost instantly.
Other Companies Don’t Have This Issue
There are hundreds of other gaming companies like Wizards of the Coast and a whole slew of video game producers that don’t have any problem getting the physical product to people on release day.
Hobbyists have resorted to making alternate versions of the units they wanted by kitbashing bits together. Not because they want to, but because they have to. But what about the hobbyist that just wants to buy whole kits? In a lot of cases, they go to other manufacturers to purchase similar looking models.
What will be the next thing that GW tries to control? Paint testing to see if their models have only Citadel paint on them?
Should players be able to hobby and make their models the way they want them to look without getting shunned by GW if they end up on stream, or at GW sponsored event?
What do you think about GW requiring their models at their events (or even their sponsored events)? Do you think this is fair even when no one can get their hands on models in a lot of case? Or heck even just fair in general?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
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About the Author: Rob Baer
