Re: [Epic] Games Workshop's "New Sales Plan"

From: Spatula <shupes_at_...>
Date: Wed, 12 Mar 1997 09:51:29 -0500

> From: Peter Ramos <pramos1_at_...>
>
> Since the appearance of info on the new game many have suggested that
> the changes will be due to an effort by GW to attract 40k players. If
> this is true (as it seems to be) I believe GW has made another collosal
> blunder. For those of you that know 40k gamers (my area is infested with
> them), have you asked them if they will purchase the game? I have and
> many haven't even heard of the new game let alone are interested in
> purchasing it. For those who have seen it their apathy is as marked as
> that of the people on this list-theres absolutely no interest in the new
> game.

        If we were really apathetic here we wouldn't be talking about
it at all (and that's clearly not the case). A few weeks ago me & a
friend went to the local gaming store (the Game Parlor in Chantilly,
VA - really nice place) to play some Epic and hopefully meet some new
players. I did run into 1 40k guy who was interested in the new Epic,
and did not like the current version at all (he said it seemed like
work just to read through the rules, which I thought was silly but there
you go). Presumably there are more just like him...

        The Epic players I did meet weren't interested in the current
version at all anymore, and weren't going to play until the new version
came out. Seemed pretty stupid to me, why stop playing just because
a new version has been announced but hasn't been released yet? But again,
there you go, Epic players who are planning on getting into E40k.

        From what I've seen, everytime GW releases a new version of
one of their games, they alienate X current players but manage to
attract Y new players, and Y is always > X. There are too many people
out there willing to buy whatever GW produces, and there are also
too many people who think GW games are fun and don't mind buying
a new rules set.

        For the record, I probably will be getting E40k providing
I can find it for at least a 30% discount. I've decided not to judge
it as a new flavor-lacking version of Epic, but rather a whole new
game that could be fun. While I don't like a lot of the things I've
heard, a lot of it sounds really interesting.

> Like I said before, irrespective of what you think about the new game,
> its perception as perceived by the potential buying public is so bad as
> to make it a very poor investment by regular small shops.

        Around you, maybe. And the US in general is not GW's most
lucrative market anyway, from what I've been told. Apparently sales
in Europe are much greater, so its perception over there is much
more important to GW.

> The future? I'm afaid if the current trend holds you could expect epic
> to go out of print in the next two years because I dont think they'll
> try another edition since that would not be profitable.

        Well, I doubt it, but we'll see.

Scott
shupes_at_...
Received on Wed Mar 12 1997 - 14:51:29 UTC