Somehow I'm lucky enough to be an official member of Adult Swim Bunker Gaming Club. But I can't take credit for the genius they are generating. Those props go to Jeff, Gerrit and Jake.
Let's talk about their genius. It's a genius that could have serious (read: positive) effect on the future of Games Workshop.
At first ASB was a mostly Specialist Games guild. Super sweet. Everyone loves Specialist Games. But things evolved. ASB sponsored a 400-point 40k Combat Patrol Tournament. Huge turnout. Old guys playing 40k with little kids. Genius.
And now small core-game battles are the talk of the bunker. Another Gen X'er and I gushed over how much fun they are the other day. We're both suddenly excited about 40k again. And we're double excited about Fantasy.
Now comes the best part: an ASB-sponsored, 750-point Warhammer Doubles in July. Grab 750 points of your favorite army. Team up with a buddy. Pool your dice pool. Go for the Plastic (gamers don't need Gold). I played a practice game tonight. People watched and paid very careful attention. People are talking. People are excited.
Suddenly, you can buy a Battalion box -- and voila -- an army! (Seriously, you can do this with Warriors of Chaos). A $95 Fantasy army. That's just sick and wrong (a.k.a. awesome). Now GW games are becoming more like Magic the Gathering. You can afford to make new armies (decks) all the time. I can actually AFFORD to build an ENTIRELY new army for this doubles tournament. And if I like it, guess what? I'll add to it.
GW Brass, take note! This is what the hobby needs! More small points games. More small points tournaments. More fun!!! ASB is on to something here. They are knocking down the accessibility barrier for tournament and organized play. They are taking all the cool things about Specialist Games and applying them to Core Games. And it's working.
Old guys like me are playing 40k. And young guys like the dudes watching Jeff and me play today are getting psyched about Fantasy. Suddenly, the competitive side of the hobby doesn't seem as intimidating.
"My $100 army didn't perform well? Oh well. I'll tune it a little more, maybe add a $20 general, or a $25 regiment or a $30 monster." Or: "That army doesn't seem to match my playing style. Maybe I'll try a different army? I can carve $100 out of next month's budget for another battalion."
It's okay, GW Brass. I know there are problems with this small-battle model. If people cast aside armies like old toothpicks, selling them on eBay or -- egads -- GIVING them away, GW can't make money selling NEW minis to people. Well guess what? It happens already.
Gee-Dub, you're being super cool about it by hosting the official Bizarre Bazaar this weekend (trade or sell your stuff live and in person at a GW shop, no whispering required). But listen Baltimore Brass, what if you made this a normal part of your repertoire but, uh, I dunno, took a little off the top?
Sound silly? Maybe. But think of the possibilities:
Sell used armies, take a commission, pay the seller in store credit. Sound like a lot of work for little return? Don't be too sure.
Let's say I buy an army for roughly $300. I play with it awhile and when I'm ready to sell it, I'm thinking I'll try and get $150 for it. GW employees put it on a list of armies people are selling/trading. (That way you don't take up store space displaying half-painted armies). The list is kept on a clipboard behind the counter. Someone buys the army. They pay GW at the cash register. GW takes 15% off the top of that $150. The rest goes on a gift card for me (the seller). I come in the shop: "Hey man, your army sold -- here's $132.50 on a gift card -- pick something out." I buy more stuff (gift cards are only good for new stuff -- not consignment). Guess what, Gee-Dub? You just made money -- again -- from miniatures you already sold once. And you captured some income from the ol' backroom trading machinations that already happen. AND you took some cashola eBay was gonna take if the seller sold that stuff online. AND you'll probably make even more money when I buy new stuff ("I might as well spend an extra $20 or $30..." I'll say to myself). AND you encouraged the seller and the buyer to STAY involved in the hobby. (I think that's a win-win. Or maybe it's a win-win-win? I dunno. Anyways, it's a lot of wins.)
Maybe I'm blowing smoke. Maybe the idea isn't so good. Or maybe some of you awesome managers and regional managers (and you guys ARE awesome) have already thought of ideas like this, but you'd literally have to move CONTINENTS (and a small island nation off the coast of mainland Europe) to be able to do it.
But pass it up the line to whoever is hanging at the top of the hierarchy (is there a GW God-Emperor?) Cuz we don't just want a chance to buy cheap armies (they are everywhere online but a lot of us avoid them). We want to be able to support GW -- the company that supplies us with fun and an awesome community!
Friendly neighborhood managers, do you want to further influence Da Big Bosses? Point toward our fantasy-foisting neighbor Wizards of the Coast.
Wizards makes a mint off of almost COMPLETELY CONTROLLING the economy for reselling Magic the Gathering Online cards. First, they sell the virtual (as in little electrons flying through cyberspace) cards in random booster packs (already sick and wrong). Then people trade them online (actually kinda cool).
But people don't trade them for other cards... people trade them for Event Tickets! What's an Event Ticket? Well it's a ticket for participating in online community events. But they have evolved into a currency COMPLETELY OWNED (PWNED??) by Wizards.
So if I want to buy a particular card, I buy an event ticket and trade it to a seller (or their bot). Some cards are only 0.10 event ticket or whatever. Then I get credit with that seller for future sales. Yeah yeah, lots of trading, blah blah blah. But before I can do any of that trading, I give my money DIRECTLY to Wizards.
So let's review. Wizards makes money EVERY TIME someone sells or resells virtual trading cards that don't even exist in the real world. They control their trademark, their product and the entire economy of said product. HOLY SHIZZOLY!
What if you could do this GW?! (Yes, I'm serious, make you're on Gee-Dub-Bay). It would be frickin' awesome!! GW makes more money. Stockholders are happy. Gamers get used stuff guilt-free -- and best of all -- more fast, friendly, SMALL games! People see the small games (inspired by the hard work of ASB founders), realize it's not so hard to become involved, and decide to try out a new game. The community grows!!
Omigod. That's so many wins I think I'm gonna hurl.
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