Games Workshop leaves hobbyists guessing about their free miniature as there are no instructions, labeling, or anything really…
Obviously, free minis are pretty awesome, but if Games Workshop is using it to try and get people into a new faction or recruit new players, it would be nice to actually give them some info about the products.
This also leads us back to our idea for better codex releases, which just gives you a free mini if you want to spend the $55 on a codex, (you can read more about that by clicking here).
Games Workshop Leaves Hobbyists Guessing About Their Free Miniature
Recently with the new free Leagues of Votann miniature folks could pick up at their local Warhammer Store, there was nothing with the sprue other than the box it came in. we could see where that would leave new hobbyists scratching their heads because as if you don’t follow the hobby too closely, how are you going to know even what faction it’s for, much less how to build it, etc.
Can someone please point me to the right direction? Got this one for free benefit at my last visit at WH Shop! What legion or army is it?
These pics come from the ‘Eavier Metal Facebook, and as you can see, there isn’t even a label or handwritten note of what it is! As we said, this isn’t a huge problem if it’s a mini you’re already familiar with, but if you don’t know what it is, then it would be nice to have a little bit of something to help.
Again, free minis are cool, but if you aren’t just doing this as lip service for veteran players, some instructions for the contents (including labeling) seem like a pretty reasonable thing to include.
Plus, why squander the opportunity to market to new hobbyists with an informational insert about the hobby, and how to take their next steps?
This seems like a huge bungle by the internal retail team at Games Workshop for something that should be a very easy win. It also leads us back to our idea on how Games Workshop could use free minis to spice up codex releases.
Making Warhammer 40k Codex Releases Better
First, they could give out the rules for free online. Just like they do with the initial rules and FAQs, there would just be a section for codex rules. Let’s face it, every codex book’s rules are DOA on releases, as every single one is updated significantly within 30 days.
Games Workshop could release a “codex” that is half lore (which it already basically is), and the other half would be dedicated painting guides, army showcases, and a battle report featuring the studio army!
To make more hobbyists actually want to buy a book (and not just use the free resources out there), they could all come with one little sprue (with a full model on it just like the one above) for the faction- just like they already do for the bigger miniature of the month releases now.
This would let you try out a miniature for the faction, see if you like painting them, work on your paint scheme, and just give you that little extra value that makes you feel good!
It would basically cost Games Workshop nothing as they already make digital painting guides and a sprue for the miniature of the month! Heck, just a few years back, they sold printed painting guides and still produce the same thing in almost every issue of White Dwarf as well.
More importantly, it would make buying codex or Battletome books feel good again. As we said, at this point, there are so many resources to get the rules for free; the $55 codex structure just seems old and outdated and, if anything, stops new people from getting into the game and existing hobbyists from trying out new armies!
Have you had issues building any of the models so far? Would you like a free sprue with the codex?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Joined: 2019
Socials: @paschbass
Bio: Dark Eldar Dracon and Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the third edition in 1998. He also loves camping because you can only paint so much! He joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the main daily writer since 2020.
Maybe one day, he’ll finish converting all his Ad Mech models and turn into a true tech enjoyer, complete with sad and happy robot noises!
