Why isn't Warmaster more common ?

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Lazarus
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Why isn't Warmaster more common ?

Post by Lazarus »

I only happened upon Warmaster by accident on ebay, someone was listing Dark Elf Warmaster minis under the Warhammer sub-group, and it took a little digging to find it on the GW site. Neither of the two GW stores nearby stock it, nor do any of the other miscellaneous stores that stock the usual Warhammer, 40K, LOTR lines. It would seem that Warmaster should be a natural extension, and easy to build up a presentable army both in size requirements as well as cost. So why isn't it more available ?
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Post by Dragonkin »

None of the specialist games are generally being stocked in GW stores (including their models), so this would include Warmaster, Epic, Necromunda, Mordheim, BFG, Inquisitor and Blood Bowl.
I think the main reason for this is simply space - most GW stores I've seen struggle to even have space for the three main games.
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Post by Ansob. »

Dragonkin wrote:None of the specialist games are generally being stocked in GW stores (including their models), so this would include Warmaster, Epic, Necromunda, Mordheim, BFG, Inquisitor and Blood Bowl.
I think the main reason for this is simply space - most GW stores I've seen struggle to even have space for the three main games.


Pishwash - there're only two main games. The third one is some rip-off licence game based on some movie, and its rules are awful. Relegate LotR to the online store, I say, and replace the space it takes with Specialist stuff!
(I actually like some of the LotR rules, but never mind.)
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Post by Dragonkin »

I think that their licence agreement probably included something saying that they have to have the main LotR stuff in the stores... much harder to sell something when you have to get it through mail order, after all.
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Post by Mielkith »

Yes, part of the problem is space, then there is the fact the SG do not bring in enough money to justify that space (in GW eyes).

http://forums.specialist-games.com/mord ... ms=Stocked

The stuff in green is worthlooking through it has some answers. The topic crops up occasionally on the Mordheim forums (probably on the rest of them, but I never look through it).

In my local GW they stock the box set of the game (two of each kind) and a few of the annuals. I have been lucky comapred to alot of people out there (Austrlia and New Zealand have no SG open to them at all).

Strangely enough Warmaster is not the most popular of the SG range despite it being an obviouse and needed extension. (The most popular being Mordheim)
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Post by The liger »

I find it unfortunate that Warmaster isn't more popular, as I love the game and all it's aspects (except maybe models). I have no one to play against so I haven't bought an army. However, it is a great game.

Also, LotR stuff at my local GW looks to be selling quite well. It's the sort of younger gamers who have seen the films and have been inspired, who go into the shops and ask their parents if they could buy this £20 set. If these were replaced by SG, these buyers wouldn't buy on the spur of the moment, and also the SG wouldn't sell as much either, therefore losing money. Also, if people want to buy specialist games, it is likely that they won't mind buying by mail.
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Post by Asperon thorn »

If you are looking to getting into Warmaster, I may suggest Battle of Five Armies, which is a Warmaster spin off with "the Hobbit" setting. It is brand new so the models are good, and they revamped the warmaster rules a little (streamlining) The box is a pretty good deal based on how much you get, scenery, etc.

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Post by Seanzala »

I agree with ANSOB on this one. Replace LOTR with Inquisitor and some of the other Spec games. I prefer Inquisitor to the others as it focused on the fluff and scenarios rather than fighting to win.

@Mielkith, one of the reasons that Specialist Games don't sell as well is marketing. In my local GW, the only reference to them is on the bottom shelf, beneath all the 40K codexes with the miscellanious books like Liber Chaotica the remaining Black Library books. You won't see them unless you know they are there. Also, they only crop up in White Dwarf once every couple of years, maybe once every 8 months in the case of Mordheim. More publicity means more people will buy.
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Post by Fr0 »

Never tried it. There are a couple reasons I wouldnt want to play it. 1.) Too many models. I have 400 as is, and they aren't painted. Like I'd paint 4,000 :?

2.) Intimidating. New rules = poo. I still know how to play Mordheim and 40K. (To a lesser extent, I believe a new book has come out)

3.) Demand is low. Unfortunately it's hard to get WHFB players around here, let alone Warmaster, Gooka Morka etc...

Fr0

*edit* I don't know why the hell they came out with LOTR. I mean, the mini's are decent but I hear the game is shat. It took up the roles of the specialist games it seems.
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Post by Dallamarr »

*edit* I don't know why the hell they came out with LOTR. I mean, the mini's are decent but I hear the game is shat. It took up the roles of the specialist games it seems.


very simple, cash money

hugely successful movies + lots of 7-10 years olds loving it = toy sales


get them young, get them playing, move them to warhammer!


the specialist games got dumped to mail order for a lot of reasons, but the main one is sales or lack there of
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Post by Alkkrision »

Myeh, thing is about Specialist Games, once you start playing them, I've found that the majority of people are hooked, and want to try more and more of them out.

I'll agree, yes Lord of the Rings is bringing a lot of new players to GW, grabbing them while they're young and trying to move them onto Warhammer is a good move. But then again, surely LotR has had it's day by now, most, if not all, movie thingys are usually dead by now. What makes Lord of the Rings so special?

Anyway, Warmaster is something I wouldn't mind trying out, though painting such small models would be an absolute pain for me, I'd get bored so quickly of doing that, plus there's that much to paint, it'd cost a small fortune for such small models.
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Post by Iraduur nightfrost »

I also think it is all about scale. If you look at GWs and other companie's ranges of miniatures you will notice an increase in size so more details can be added. This also allows more dynamic posing.
A very important factor of the whole hobby is the optical and aesthetical part of it. You can way better identify with your "heroes" if you can clearly recognize their faces and stuff. Therefore you can more easily establish an appeal or feeling for your miniatures. This supports the army choice etc.

Warmaster has a scale where the single mini is of no concern at all. Which is why epic very soon came up with titans and knights etc. so some detailed minis could again dominate the field of battle.

Think about, it is all about size and scale.
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Post by Shadowblade the ultimate »

I dont understand why everybody is having a go at LOTR. I play both LOTR and WHFB and the latter isnt much greater. Though i do know nothing about specialist games do they just have smaller models and different rules?
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Post by Alkkrision »

Shadowblade: There's loads of specialist games out there, warmaster just being one of them. On the one hand there's the ones with tiny models (Epic, Warmaster), there's the ones with normal sized (Mordheim, Necromunda, Bloodbowl), larger models (Inquisitor), and others (Gothic, and Gorka Morka as far as I'm aware). They're not so much entirely different, but they're more specific (so Gothic for example is set in the 40k universe, but it's based in space, battling above planets.)
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Post by Neves »

Indeed I must agree that LOTR is just a way of pulling more attention to WH and 40K. I like the models (haven't played the game) though it smells too much commercialised imo.

GW is just trying to get more people involved (which is not a bad thing) but they constantly rise prices, so eventually people are going to quit for that, even if it is based on a popular movie/book.

The feeling I get from GW on a whole is more that of a selling company rather than that of a hobby company.
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