8 ways for Games Workshop to Survive Their Downturn and Beyond.

A week or so ago it was announced that Games Workshop's profits had dropped by 3.4 Million compared to the previous year. For me, this was a long time coming. Week after week I'd be harping on at my friends and colleagues that Games Workshop was on the brink of disaster, that if did didn't change it's practices then it wouldn't be long before their entire company went bust. The arrival of this news only served to prove my arguments, and whilst I have to say I was smugly pleased to see I was right, the death of Games Workshop is not news that I would relish.

For a long time I'd been planning to write a “Rise and Fall of Games Workshop”, but looking back at this point comes across as a little counter productive. With that in mind, I've decided to put together a list of eight ideas that, I think, Games Workshop would be smart to adopt if it wants to survive, and thrive, in the years to come.

1. IP above all else.

One of the reasons I still have a fondness for Warhammer 40000 is my love of the setting. It's morally ambiguous tone, It's Gothic visuals, it's juxtaposition of fantasy and sci-fi. It's what got me interested in the first place, it's what kept me around years later. It's what Game's Workshop's foundations are built on.

Lets face facts, the rules and game play of Warhammer were never really that good. They were serviceable, and they did the job, but people put up with them because it meant they get to play with cool models on the table. There are better tabletop games out there, but the reason they still lead the industry is because of the fictional background behind the products.

Right now if you want to experience the background setting you have the source books, a couple of good video games that only really scratch the surface, and it's back catalog of novels, most of which now days only exist to serve as adverts for whichever army is coming out next. Oh and a really terrible CGI movie. Once upon a time it used to publish a monthly comic and anthology that explored areas of the setting that we didn't get to see on the tabletop. That kind of thinking needs to be brought back.

Games Workshop needs to treat the IP as it's primary product and it's tabletop games as an extension of that IP, not the other way around. We need a return to ongoing comic book series, more interesting, diverse books, maybe some animated shorts. You need an example of this at work? Transformers. While the toys are the core product, Hasbro doesn't treat them as though they have to be the center of the franchise. They're not selling you the toys, they're selling you the Transformers universe. They give the freedom to their writers and creative teams, unbounded by the idea that it all has to come back to selling toys, and they make millions of of it. Games Workshop would do well to approach a practice like this.

2. Welcome newcomers, reward long term fans.

Games Workshop's biggest problems is cost. Nowadays getting a working army will cost you well over £100. They've been focusing on short term gain, squeezing their existing fanbase for everything they have by increasing costs and insisting on new updates. For a newcomer, there is no gateway, no way to try things out before you dedicate your time and money to the hobby. If you're going to go in, you have to go all in, or not at all.

It wasn't always like this. Not too long ago Games Workshop had a whole range of games that required only a box of models and some scenery. Necromunda, Mordheim, Space Hulk, Hero Quest, Inquisitor. These all worked perfectly as quick, cheap options for somebody who wanted to get into the hobby but didn't have the time or funds for the bigger games. Then Games Workshop dropped all the support and hunkered down on their bigger, more expensive products.

If they want to draw the fans back in, they need to bring these small games back. Maybe even have a bit of cross over with the bigger ones. After you've gotten used to Necromunda you could maybe use your hive gang as a starting point for an Imperial army. The opportunities these smaller games bring will reach that area of the market that the larger games can't: Younger players with only a little disposable income, and older players who don't have the time or finances for the bigger ones. You only have to look at the success of Warmachine to see that the audience is there. Why not tap into it?

3. Diversify your audience.

It's the topic on everyone's lips at the moment, the fact that the geek spectrum is no longer the straight white male dominated one that it once was. From comic books to video games, people are calling out creators for better representation, and Games Workshop is no exception. Like it or not, it's almost certainly a relevant criticism that Games Workshop's products are tailored for the straight white male. Be it the armies on the boards, or the characters in the books, it's very rare that we see them deviate from gruff, stubbled, white men, and while we do see the occasional female characters, they'll commonly be designed with the male gaze in mind.

Fact of the matter is, both on the tabletop and in it's spin offs, we should be seeing more black characters, Asian characters, women of different builds and physiques, and heck no doubt you can spend a line or two noting that one or two characters just happen to be gay. I don't care if you think Games Workshop shouldn't have to do this, or the setting doesn't need it, but put simply it won't do them any harm to branch out. The game or the setting aren't going to change just because the next Commissar released is a suitably dressed woman or there's going to be a pair of special assassins that happen to be lovers as well as partners.

Heck, it's the crazy diverse elements that made Warhammer so unique in the first place, so why not embrace it?

4. Get yourselves out there.

One of the most shocking things about Games Workshop's business practices is how little effort they put in to getting their name out there. They have their own magazine, their own yearly convention, and their own stores, so why try harder?

Games Workshop should be out there with the best of them at San Diego and New York Comic Con. Tables front and center saying, “Hey guy's come and have a look at all this cool stuff we make!”. They should be out there at PAX, courting the interest of developers who might think “Man this stuff is popular, why don't they have another video game in development?” As I mentioned earlier, there are whole audiences that Games Workshop just isn't reaching with it's current business practices, and relying on their existing fans isn't going to work if they keep flailing as they are. 

Wizards of the Coast have made as many stupid decisions as Games Workshop over the years, but they've kept on trucking by exploring different avenues, courting new audiences, evolving the existing one. Both companies accommodate the same niche, but Wizards differ because they're not so rigidly dependent on the fans they already have. Sure they may make a bad decision that will turn some fans away, but you can bet they've got another idea coming round to try and win some new ones over.

5. Shut up about Space Marines already.

The Adeptus Astartes are Games Workshop's poster boys. They're a brilliant piece of visual design, the armour, the helmet, the bolter and the chainsword. Taken as they are Space Marines are a wonderful example of Warhammer's strengths. The problem is, this is the only strength that Games Workshop seem to be willing to advertise. A few years back, after Yahtzee's Space Marine review, he wrote an article explaining why he thinks that the Warhammer 40000 setting is rubbish, childish and stupid.

If you're a fan of the game, you know that Yahtzee's complaints are unfounded because he has only experienced the bare, superficial parts of the setting, but who can blame him? All that many non fans get to experience of Games Workshop's products are surface level stuff. The over the top violence, the extreme to the point of parody grim darkness, the hulking square jawed heroes, the comically exaggerated villains. Few people get to find out that the setting is capable of subtle satire, as seen in Sandy Mitchell's Comissar Cain series, or very relateable human drama, as seen in Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts.

Yet Games Workshop seem content to just ram Space Marines down our throat at every available opportunity, every game and comic MUST have their beloved Space Marines in it. As I mentioned earlier, this all come down to treating their spin offs like adverts. Their Ultramarines film had absolutely nothing in it to set it apart from any other “soldiers in space,” story. If you took away all the Warhammer iconography and replaced them with generic sci-fi visuals, there would be nothing vaguely Warhammer about it.

There is more to Warhammer 40000 than Space Marines. There is more to Games Workshop's products than childish violence, but until they start making this clear then people like Yahtzee are going to carry on dismissing it outright.

6. Forget your hangups. Get into Hollywood.

The World of Warcraft film is almost upon us. I understand how popular the game is, but it breaks my heart that Warhammer 40000 didn't get there first. I'm not going to harp on about Warcraft being far too much of a generic fantasy setting, because that would be hypocritical since Warhammer 40000 itself takes most of it's setting from Dune wholesale. That being said, I don't feel like we really need a Warcraft film, I don't see it bringing anything to the table that hasn't already been done. Warhammer 40000 on the other hand, has elements that I have yet to see rendered on the big screen. Chainswords, Titans, the aforementioned melding of fantasy and sci-fi, a lack of morally good (but not unsympathetic) characters, the visual disconnect of the armies styles, all things I don't think I've seen another movie do, or at least not often.

But what does this have to do with saving Games Workshop? Well, a film, or at the very least a TV series would remind everyone that they are still relevant, that they still have a following, and naturally it would reach out to new audiences. The current problem is that Games Workshop are hesitant to do anything that is not handled in house, which is a gripe they're going to need to let go of if they want to get further.

It could be terrible, if they focus too much on the Space Marines and the violence then it'll get panned into the stone age. It could be incredible, I've always said that the Warhammer 40000 setting has the potential to do something on par with Blade Runner. Fail or no, it would give Games Workshop the chance to prove they can go toe to toe with something like Warcraft.

7. Embrace your competitor's products.

At present Games Workshop's main competition comes in the form of Wizards of the Coast, with Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, and other miniature manufacturers like Privateer Press. As blasphemous as it sounds, I think Games Workshop should stop being an exclusive store. I think they should peddle their rivals products as much as their own. 

It may sound odd, but when you think about it, it's a no brainer. These manufactures need distributors, and Games Workshop is going to get a cut from these sales. In the UK, it's difficult enough to find Warmachine miniatures, if Games Workshop suddenly starts selling them they're going to start making money from an existing fanbase that they didn't previously have access to. You let them play the games in store, D&D, M:TG, Hordes, and you've got a whole different audience now being exposed to your products. You might catch the eye of a D&D player who didn't previously give any thought to your products, for example.

And finally

8. Remember that the aim of a business is to make money, but the point of a business is to provide a service.

You're not The Wolf of Wall Street and you never will be. Many many people have defended Games Workshop and other companies with similar practices through the argument that “Businesses exist to make money,”. I hate to break it to you, but this is not true. A man does not become a fruit seller because he thinks he thinks he'll make millions from peoples apple desires, he does it because he sees a service that is not currently being provided or thinks he can do better.

We work because we need money, and do the job we do either because we have to, or we want to. Big corporations are always in a position where they can choose what they want to do, and if they want to put their own earnings in front of the service they are providing their customers then that is wrong. It's this kind of thinking that leads to the much loathed DRM of the video game industry and the much mocked blockbuster action movies that most are now turning away from. It's this kind of business practice that gets EA voted worst company in America, and it's this kind of business practice that meant that Arnold Schwarzenegger's career comeback never materialized.

 

If Games Workshop wants to succeed, they need to stop thinking how they can squeeze every last penny out of their customers and instead focus on providing a product that people will want to buy. All the points above filter down into this final one, they need to respect their customers, value all demographics as a potential audience, and prove to people that they can trust their product.

We all want Games Workshop to succeed. It has made many mistakes, lost it's way perhaps, but now is the time to learn from those mistakes. Now is the time to get back on the ladder and start climbing, because one day, one far off day, Games Workshop might develop a community I want to be a part of again.

Snooping Around

Sometimes you just want to do the thing.

World's Biggest Liar 2013

So I came in third place this year. It was quite a departure and a risk that I took, so I'm glad it worked out, but I can't say I'm not a little disappointed I didn't take 1^st. My opponents were clearly worthy however, and third is nothing to be sniffed at. Some recent reportage below.

The Independent

Times and Star

Whitehaven News

Leeds Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble was great. In many respects it was much better than NYCC for checking out small and independent projects. I talked to quite a few people and picked up a lot of interesting stuff. I even got to meet Kate Beaton of Hark a Vagrant fame, and she did an awesome Macbeth sketch for me which I may show some time in the future. I'll probably be writing a little more about what I picked up at the con some time in the future.

Looking at a few of the projects on display got me thinking about a few projects of my own. Watch this space.

There are also a few other things that I want to talk about over the coming weeks, so I'll keep you posted on coming developments.

Art Trades Roundup 2013: Things and That Other Thing

So as I went through on the last entry, I've been pretty much demoralized about art trades over the last three years of trying them. I suppose I had this idea in my head that they'd all be fun and timely and make me loads of interesting friends and contacts. Alas, it wasn't to be, my arts been getting better, but it's still a long way to go, so I can understand why a lot of people may want to give me the brush off.

But whatever, I still got some cool art, which I'm going to run through for you now. All artists are credited and I recommend checking out their cool galleries. All characters depicted belong to me unless otherwise stated. If any of the artists object to having their work featured here then contact me immediately. Big thank you to all those involved.

First up is a scenic piece of my characters Danya and Bracken by Sharpiekan. This wasn't part of a trade itself, they just wanted a bit of practice and wanted to take some requests. I was pretty happy with what they ended up with either way.

Next up is Alrianna by Sonten. I really liked what they came up with for this one and managed to stick to the design pretty closely. I'd love to do an art trade with them again.

This drawing of Nero by Intissaria is actually for a trade we did last year. Better late than never, I thought it came out beautifully and managed to capture the characters personality better than I ever could. Nero belongs to my friend Jamie.

Psychoticking's side of the trade of Bastillion. I really like the dynamic angle of this piece, again really capturing the mood and personality of the character. No mean feat when he's masked.

This is another trade for something I'd done last year. To be fair I have to take a bit of responsibility for this one, since I was in a 'not doing anything until I get something in return' phase. Hellyacross finally made good with it though, with this pretty darn solid drawing of Lerissa, my friend Simon's character.

A slightly anime influenced take on Sofia by Monoklo. I think it works really well though, and can imagine a colourful cartoon version of her flying around the galaxy in her Spelljammer.

Another one of Jamie's characters. This time his invoker Cardia. I like how Wildjenmonster took the original idea and just ran with it, without making the character look overdesigned.

Finally a work in progress of Clchriskl's side of the trade of Trust and Megi. Still no sign of a finished version but I have been in touch and hope to hear back soon. I like what's been done so far anyway. Trust and Megi both belong to my friend Jonathan.

And that is that. I really like what I ended up with, but art trades can be a tiresome process with little returns. Like I said, I'm not sure if I have any plans for further trades in the future, most of my art from now on will be working on my weakest areas, that's in between writing projects too. On a happier note I'd like to say a thanks again to all the artists I worked with and hope you all have a bright and prosperous future.

See you fools soon.

...

Just a quick bit of news before we start this next part. My internet hardware is switching over tomorrow and I'm a little skeptical that it'll all run smoothly, so I just thought I'd update you on a few things in case it doesn't.

I'll be participating in the WorldsBiggest Liar 2013 at The Bridge Inn to defend my title on the 21^st November. Tickets are sold out but if you're going to be in attendance I'll see you there. Good luck to all others fellow liars, I hope you're bringing your A-game this year because I know I am.

I'll also be in attendance for LeedsThought Bubble on the 23^rd – 24^th. It's my first year going there so I'm not sure what to expect. Either way hope to have a grand old time there anyway and hope to meet some cool and interesting people.

I'm still trying to get my first book published, sending off another bunch of submissions this weekend. I've also finished the first draft of my second novel, so we'll see if that goes anywhere also.

All other updates will be going through my deviantart, or one of my three tumblr pages (last one is NSFW, don't click on it Mum).

That is all, regular writings may continue.

Art Trades Roundup 2013: Nothing but a bunch of Yeah Yeah Yeah's.

Several years ago I decided that I would dedicate a chunk of the towards doing art trades. Being hardly the greatest of artists I wanted to get in all the practice I could and step outside my comfort zone, and at the same time see other people's own takes on my designs to better develop them and identify my own flaws.

For the most part this is what I got out of it, and certainly I've had some great experiences. For the third year running however, there has been a portion of the tradees who would never respond back. I would keep up my end of the bargain, always, and try my best. There were some who did get back to me who advised for a variety of reasons why they couldn't finish their end of the trade, and for that I am thankful that they contacted me. There was also people who never got back in touch, and while it's frustrating that this happened, I understand there are some things in life more important than an art trade.

I'd just like a bit of acknowledgment sometimes, you know?

Ultimately I've come to the conclusion that art trades only seem to be worthwhile for artists who have been long time friends online or artist's who are commission worthy enough that they can pick or choose their trades. As a result of this, I think It'll be unlikely I'll be returning to trades in the future.

Anyway, enough moaning. Here's the first half of the roundup, featuring my end of the trades. Characters all belong to their respective requesters unless stated otherwise.

Garnet for Sonten.

Character from Sonten's webcomic. I really like doing characters of different skin tones and Sonten's style was different enough that I felt like I wasn't just covering old ground. I've only had a chance to check out a little bit of their comic but It's interesting to say the least and well worth checking out.

Daniel for PsychoticKing.

A simple everyday person. I wasn't sure what to do with the background and I think I could have probably tried harder with that. Overall though I was pretty pleased.

Blastoise girl for CG-Crayon .

Humanised Pokemon character. I wanted to emphasize the strength of the water Pokemon's final state but I don't think I pulled the muscles off very well. This pretty much led into me doing a lot of muscle practice with I still working on at the moment. CG-Crayon hasn't done his side yet but he did have a pretty big backlog last I checked so who knows. The character is his creation but as you all know the Pokemon elements belong to Nintendo.

Red for Intissaria.

Another simple character for Intissaria who I did some work with last year. Again, no response on their end but they did make good on their last trade after a lengthy hiatus, and I know they've been dealing with some issues of late so I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

Bruce Banner for Wildjenmonster.

I can't say no to the chance to work on a Mark Ruffalo. Natuarally the character belongs to Marvel and Mr Ruffalo's image is his own.

Magician for Monoklo.

Quick nondescript character for Monoklo. This was another one of my attempts at trying something a little more dynamic. Because I suck at perspective I went for a pretty standard profile, which ended up making it a little less dynamic than I had planned. Still satisfied with it overall but it didn't archive what I intended.

Amelia and Cillian for Clchriskl.

Some nice romantic stuff. I was a little worried about doing this because it seems like an eternity since I've drawn something that wasn't f/f or m/m. In the end it turned out exactly as I wanted it and I'm really satisfied with what I did with the background. Clchriskl still has yet to get back to me with their end, they last posted a WIP months ago, but at the very least they've responded to my messages so hopefully something will turn up shortly.

And that's the end of part 1. I really wanted to do more trades this year but it was hard finding people that were interested in doing any. I even got turned down because someone said they didn't think my art was good enough to warrant a trade. Fair enough but wow don't worry about my feelings. Part 2 wrapping up all the artwork I got in return will be coming up shortly.

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Andavia - A Campaign in one Session.

 

It'd been a good long while since we'd played some dnd. Earlier this year we'd attempted to restart but ultimately failed to have a schedule that we could all meet. As a result our weekly dnd sessions fell into a hiatus, one that we'd failed to resume. Finally, by mostly taking the rest of my friends by surprise, I'd managed to get them to agree to a single session campaign.

I'd actually had the whole thing worked out for a while now, it was actually supposed to fall in between The Sand and the Dead it Left in it's Wake and Bleaker'sGambit, but it turned out we didn't need to fill in the time. As a result I re-worked it as a quick introduction for a group of first time players, which also never came about. In the end it served as something quick to get the group together again.

The premise was pretty straightforward; The group were lost in an enchanted forest and come across a Wizard's Tower. Said wizard agrees to help them out of the forest if in return they recover his spell book from a feral elf girl that had stolen it. Knowing what the group was usually like I said that the forest was protected by a magical spell that would prevent them from leaving and only by finding the book would the wizard undo the spell. They would probably just have tortured the wizard into showing them the way out otherwise.

The session played out a little like an old episode of Knightmare. I'd brought along some Rory's Story Cubes for some added random events. If you haven't seen these then you should really check them out, they're great for some ad-hoc campaigns. The group's first stop was the haunted ruins. The ruins themselves were dotted with slabs on the floor, some of which were booby trapped, some of which weren't. Entering a room resulted in me rolling a story cube to decide what was within and, to be honest, worked out extremely well.

For example in one room I rolled a dice and it came up with a shield, thus I decided that they would find a stone shield which may become useful later. Another room I rolled some cogs, telling the group that the room contained the mechanism for a portcullis. Putting two and two together the team could deduce that the shield was part of a locking mechanism for the ruin's exit and sure enough they figured this out when confronted with a statue of a knight.

Another thing I introduced for the use with the Story Cubes was the periodic appearance of ghostly fire. Putting ones hand in the fire would result in the roll of the dice, sometimes they'd get something useful, sometimes not so much. It was a pretty good way of preventing myself and the team from writing ourselves into a corner.

After an encounter with the elf girl and failing to hit her with a throwing knife the group come across an orc village. Earlier I'd told the team that they had infinite coin as they wouldn't be encountering anyone to buy things off. Thinking themselves clever, they used this to bribe their way into the orc village. Fair enough, shortly after they encountered the tribe's well spoken chief, who told them that they'd need to do something for his people in return for info on where the wild elf lives. Again they attempted to bribe with infinite coin, only to be told that the coin was now worthless as the economy had just been flooded with the stuff. Rule one: never try to outsmart the DM.

So instead the group had to find another way to appease the orcs. Option one was to find out why a nearby tribe had turned hostile. Option two was to fix a mechanical well that had dried up. Option three was to steal an artifact from another rival tribe. With Nazrin being an artificer, it made sense that they'd pick option two.

It turned out that the well wasn't actually a well, it was an ancient complex of stone outhouses. Cue the group joking about how the orcs had been drinking out of toilets and me repeating “It's fine! It's clean! They haven't been used in thousands of years! You can practically drink out of them!”. The area was scattered with clues and options to fix the mechanism, but most of the group missed these. Fortunately there was another brazier of 'ghostly fire' nearby, which they used to randomly obtain some 'strange gel', which they could then use to fix the mechanism and get the toilets working again.

They return to the village only to find the chief being threatened by a mysterious Inquisitor, also on the trail of the girl. The orc agreed to reveal her location, and the humans left. Choosing to stick around, the chief told the team that he gave the humans the long way round, and then tells the team how to get to her quicker.

The group make their way to a river, and notice the feral elf girl again. Kenzi fails to hit her with another dagger and she runs away. This was a little important since they were supposed to have tried to hurt or capture her by now, with a successful hit being met with a random spell being cast to counter it, showing that she was impervious to damage. Without witnessing this, things would make a little less sense later on, which you will see.

The group lasso a rope across the river and climb over. Using my story cubes once again, I determine that a sea monster lurches from the depths, prompting a quick combat encounter. Finally across, and making their way upstream, I roll the cubes again and they find themselves face to face with a traveling minstrel who they promptly murder rather than deal with his riddles.

Finally at the summit, they find the elf girl's cave and climb their way up to confront her. The group doesn't use their time particularly well here, with only Damon managing to gain a little of her trust. Running out of time, the Inquisitor and his cronies arrive and take her hostage. He explains that she is a new kind of wild mage who can cast spells just by touching the wording, making her very dangerous to be in possession of the wizard's book.

The Inquisitor explains the damage equals random spell conundrum, and states he has a special gun that will kill her outright. The group has no problem with this no matter how hard I try to pull their heart strings. The girl, mute though she is, tries to convey that the Inquisitor does not know the full picture.

They still decide to let him pull the trigger, leading to catastrophic results. The girl creates a black hole that consumes everyone, with only Damon passing a strength check to hold onto something. At this point, had Damon not managed to hold on, or gain a little of the girls trust, then it would have been game over. Yes I am that uncompromising. Fortunately Damon manages to plead with the girl, who casts a white hole that farts Nazrin and Kenzi back into existence.

Finally realising the extent of her powers, they manage to negotiate the spell book out of her hands. They return to the wizard who gives them a reward and undoes the spell to get them out of the forest. Thanks for playing.

What Worked:

This was one of the tightest run sessions I'd ever done. None of the solutions seemed restrictive or railroaded, nor too obvious or too obscure. Both I as the DM and the players made the most of the humour derived from flooding the orc's economy and the toilet complex. the Story Cubes were a fucking godsend and added an extra dynamic to the game that made it feel that little bit more fresh and that little more unpredictable. As with my previous campaign, I made use of the Lords of Magic soundtrack, which seems to have a piece of music for every environment.

What Didn't:

I'd say the only weak part of the session was the climax. I hadn't done enough earlier on to clue the group into the elf girl's power set or give them a reason to want to dislike the Inquisitor. Once again I'd created a scenario where I wanted the team to empathize and they failed to do so. Lesson learned I guess, don't get too attached to characters if you're going to give the players the opportunity to murder them.

Final Thoughts:

A quick fun session that proves that you can keep a dnd campaign at only one session long and still include everything you want to. Certainly likely that we'll be using this format again for future games.

I'm Sorry

To all the people that I ridiculed and made out I was the smart and better one. To all the people that I made out that didn’t matter. To the people I was overenthusiastic about. To the people I was kind of creepy to. And most of all to the people when I was just plain wrong.

I’m sorry.