Tau are definately here, Next month's White Dwarf

[jhobin]

Rumors are pointing to no Kroot in the codex, that they are coming out with some allies supplement.

Almost doesn't seem the same codex without them. Guess I'll have to paint more firewarriors or make that unit of tauminator's I've been thinking about.

[MM3791]

Rumors are pointing to no Kroot in the codex, that they are coming out with some allies supplement.

Almost doesn't seem the same codex without them. Guess I'll have to paint more firewarriors or make that unit of tauminator's I've been thinking about.

First off, you're referring to rumors. Second, you seem to have misread them, they say that additional kroot units will not make it, such as the rumored kroot headhunters and hawks. Existing kroot will most likely definately be in the new codex.

[jhobin]

Nothings a 100% until codex is in hand I understand that.

I was referring to:

http://natfka.blogspot.com/2013/03/tau-rules-from-codex-and-white-dwarf.html

[MM3791]

Nothings a 100% until codex is in hand I understand that.

I was referring to:

http://natfka.blogspot.com/2013/03/tau-rules-from-codex-and-white-dwarf.html

The last sentence reads "that would be very strange as GW generally never removes units from books" which I find to be true, even if the legendary allies supplement turns out to be real.

I'm so confident, that I'll give you $10 BG store credit if kroot are actually removed.

[Sir_Prometheus]

$85 for the Riptide suit won't be that big of a deal imo, as GW seems to almost always base the monetary value of a kit by points cost.

Mur.  Dreadknight almost never is less than 200 pts.  Starts at 135, yes, but no one uses them naked. 

Also, I hate that GW thinks "pricing them by the points" is a reasonable scenario.

  Crisis Suits right now are 24.75 if you can find them anywhere (they're no longer available, obviously).  They've been that price for a long time.  After the new models come out I'd imagine you'll get better sculpts and be forced to buy 3 of them.  It could be better, but it's not much of a price "increase."

Unfortunately, they don't appear to be new sculpts. Which is a real problem, because the old Crisis suits have an actual real design flaw: the ankles snap of wicked easy.  Really, half the reason to buy the forge world models is just that they have intelligently engineered ankles. 

Rumors are pointing to no Kroot in the codex, that they are coming out with some allies supplement.

Almost doesn't seem the same codex without them. Guess I'll have to paint more firewarriors or make that unit of tauminator's I've been thinking about.

I highly doubt this.  GW seems to have a fairly firm policy of not invalidating old models, it's like the only thing I agree with.  They probably just didn't get promoted in the White Dwarf. 

Rumour is for new Kroot HQs, even.

[Sir_Prometheus]

Here's where I'm at with a $85 riptide.  It's not that I don't have $85 to spend....but we're bumping at the point where I'm just straight up offended that they think that's reasonable.  I know the costs are no where near that high, and I know they're passing on very little of that margin to the retailer.  It's like e-books costing the same as the physical book...it just ticks me off.

I have one Storm Raven, bought it when they were $66 (two lousy years ago).  It's alright, I might be motivated to use another, but at $85 I'll just never do it.  Plus the fact they're hard as hell to transport, I'd have to buy a whole new battle foam tray..we've passed a tippin point where my interest level is utterly gone. 

Now, the riptide looks cool as hell, and what I hear of the rules are great.  If they were $65, I'd probably take a quick look at the rules, and buy two without even blinking. 

But at $85, I'm going to buy 1,and I'm only going to buy it cuz of sheer awesome.  And then I'm going to play with for a few months.  ANd then I might buy a second one, if it's working great.  But I probably won't, cuz I'll have settled a 1 riptide list I like by then.

[the_trooper]

I highly doubt this.  GW seems to have a fairly firm policy of not invalidating old models, it's like the only thing I agree with.  They probably just didn't get promoted in the White Dwarf. 

Just invalidating entire armies instead. 

[PhoenixFire]

i dont pretend to even begin to understand GWs pricing strategy of how much it costs them to make a model vs stores cost vs MSRP.

is the cost based on...

amount of plastic used?

intricacy of the model and a higher cost to make the mold?

roll four d20s and add the results?

I don't know how much bigger the Riptide is vs a Dreadknight but i would assume a good deal if it's $30 more.

But what can we do, GW has us over a barrel because they come out with cool stuff and we want to buy it.

All i know is if a giant Crisis suit is $85 i'm going to be terrified of the cost of a plastic Warhound Titan if those Apoc rumors this summer come to fruition.

[andalucien]

If GW is like any other company that manufactures luxury items, none of those factors probably enter into it much.  It's more like

- What's the price point that maximizes our profit?

So, that would involve a lot of multiplying the profit margin on the item at a certain price by the number of people you would expect would buy it at that price.

We'll see if GW has guessed right that a lot of people will buy the riptide at $85.

[PhoenixFire]

If GW is like any other company that manufactures luxury items, none of those factors probably enter into it much.  It's more like

- What's the price point that maximizes our profit?

So, that would involve a lot of multiplying the profit margin on the item at a certain price by the number of people you would expect would buy it at that price.

We'll see if GW has guessed right that a lot of people will buy the riptide at $85.

That may indeed be GWs thinking behind their pricing scheme but all i know is if they are going to consistently raise prices between 10 and 20% like they did last June when i have children old enough to play someday they are never going to be able to afford this hobby.

[Sir_Prometheus]

- What's the price point that maximizes our profit?

This would be logical.  Supply vs demand, along with demand that is price elastic, or inelastic.

These are very basic MBA (or lower) type questions. I would assume that even a company as full of screw-up as GW would have the answers to these questions.  Except that my gut check tells me that no, they're way off.  'Cuz like I said, I'd probably buy 2 at $65, I'd only buy 1 at $85.

[Chase]

I just had an interesting conversation with my GW rep about pricing, the recent issues with their fill rate (how often they have what I want when I want it), the new Tau, and their new 8 page legal document that is being sent out to me later today which is supposedly designed snuff out as much online selling as possible.

In the past their reasons for price increases have included:

1) To help cover the costs of new molds
2) To help convert the old molds over to handle Finecast
3) To train people how to use Finecast
4) The increasing cost of business
5) To develop new models

So it's all sort of bullshit, but that's what the tell me.

The fill rate issues are apparently due to a change in (or elimination of?) the Tennessee production facility.  I guess they were able to make a certain amount of most things on site in Tennessee and are now not able to going forward.  It's taking them some time to adjust quantities at their other production sites to cover.  I'm told the product shortage is temporary, so let's hope that's true.  It's one of the COLOSSAL upsides GW has over the other "big" miniature skirmish / wargame companies so I really hope they don't lose it.

When asked about the new Tau he spoke pretty frankly about it.  He said he knows what I've seen and that it's not some crazy internet fake story stuff.  He said he's already got his Riptide preordered and looks forward to breaking out his Tau.  He said White Dwarf orders go live next Monday (for sale the weekend after).  He doesn't know anything about the rules yet and said he's also looking forward to the WD for some info.  Pretty ridiculous that even the reps have to wait for WD before they know anything.

Maybe the most interesting part of the convo was about their new terms.  Apparently they are restricting "all online sales."  No bitz, no models, no nothing.  Supposedly there's stuff in there directed at the US distributors they use and how GW can / will tell them to "blacklist" any retailer that is found selling their stuff online.  When I asked him how it might effect some of the bigger online sellers of bitz and sealed product he said he didn't know for sure (because some of them only display names / text and require emails / phone calls).  It certainly effects Battleground's not-so-long-term plans a bit, but if GW is somehow able to stop all online selling, that'd be nice.  I have no idea how they'll handle it, but maybe Simon will get an email so he can translate the legal speak for me / us.

[Sir_Prometheus]

He said he's already got his Riptide preordered and looks forward to breaking out his Tau

Well, THAT's sales guy bullshit.  I say that as a sales guy.  I mean, it could be true, I probably would too if I had a discount, but c'mon.

Anyway, thanks for giving us the "peek inside" Chase, but it just sounds like marketing noise to me.

As far as online sales go...some people have established online business that GW is probably very aware who they are, but generally speaking, there's no special reason for an online name to in anyway match the brick&mortar location buying the product. 

It's just a bunch of fighting against the tide.  They should probably focus on providing what their customers want at a reasonable price rather than throwing around their weight on the market and trying to bully channel partners.

[PhoenixFire]

I just had an interesting conversation with my GW rep about pricing, the recent issues with their fill rate (how often they have what I want when I want it), the new Tau, and their new 8 page legal document that is being sent out to me later today which is supposedly designed snuff out as much online selling as possible.

In the past their reasons for price increases have included:

1) To help cover the costs of new molds
2) To help convert the old molds over to handle Finecast
3) To train people how to use Finecast
4) The increasing cost of business
5) To develop new models

So it's all sort of bullshit, but that's what the tell me.

The fill rate issues are apparently due to a change in (or elimination of?) the Tennessee production facility.  I guess they were able to make a certain amount of most things on site in Tennessee and are now not able to going forward.  It's taking them some time to adjust quantities at their other production sites to cover.  I'm told the product shortage is temporary, so let's hope that's true.  It's one of the COLOSSAL upsides GW has over the other "big" miniature skirmish / wargame companies so I really hope they don't lose it.

When asked about the new Tau he spoke pretty frankly about it.  He said he knows what I've seen and that it's not some crazy internet fake story stuff.  He said he's already got his Riptide preordered and looks forward to breaking out his Tau.  He said White Dwarf orders go live next Monday (for sale the weekend after).  He doesn't know anything about the rules yet and said he's also looking forward to the WD for some info.  Pretty ridiculous that even the reps have to wait for WD before they know anything.

Maybe the most interesting part of the convo was about their new terms.  Apparently they are restricting "all online sales."  No bitz, no models, no nothing.  Supposedly there's stuff in there directed at the US distributors they use and how GW can / will tell them to "blacklist" any retailer that is found selling their stuff online.  When I asked him how it might effect some of the bigger online sellers of bitz and sealed product he said he didn't know for sure (because some of them only display names / text and require emails / phone calls).  It certainly effects Battleground's not-so-long-term plans a bit, but if GW is somehow able to stop all online selling, that'd be nice.  I have no idea how they'll handle it, but maybe Simon will get an email so he can translate the legal speak for me / us.

Interesting stuff in there chase. I had seen a couple news tidbits about how GW was trying to stop all "bitz" sales online but if they try to shut down all online sales from the various companies that's pretty huge.

I don't see how they could possibly stop an Ebay type store selling bits however, and if BG or any other store ran an Ebay bitz store under another name good luck trying to prove where the bitz came from GW.

2) To help convert the old molds over to handle Finecast
3) To train people how to use Finecast

This is horsecrap however, finecast is just a money grab IMO. They keep converting more and more models to finecast instead of fixing the damn quality control problems with it. The bubbles and warping is absolutely ridiculous and yet they charge more money for it.

Make it all plastic for the love of god

[Grand Master Steve]

.Maybe the most interesting part of the convo was about their new terms.  Apparently they are restricting "all online sales."  No bitz, no models, no nothing.  Supposedly there's stuff in there directed at the US distributors they use and how GW can / will tell them to "blacklist" any retailer that is found selling their stuff online.  When I asked him how it might effect some of the bigger online sellers of bitz and sealed product he said he didn't know for sure (because some of them only display names / text and require emails / phone calls).  It certainly effects Battleground's not-so-long-term plans a bit, but if GW is somehow able to stop all online selling, that'd be nice.  I have no idea how they'll handle it, but maybe Simon will get an email so he can translate the legal speak for me / us.

wait what? no bits any where? How the Hell am I supposed to make conversions when GW direct doesnt sell individual bits?! What a load of crap. GW is really pushing the card that they are were the biggest game in town. All i want is some specific bits to make a cool looking tech marine and if i dont make that happen soon I wont be able to oder them? Wow F.U GW. You guys at least better sell the individual bits