A GW price change is coming ( https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/05/21/heads-up-price-adjustment-new-releases/), and I feel for the Warhammer Community team right now, especially judging by Facebook. There’s a lot of tension between people defending GW and people infuriated by the rise, so I think it may be time for a Kipper Waffle.

The problem really is that this is the sort of situation that frankly doesn’t have any right or wrong sides. Its all about people, passionate about a hobby, in a difficult world wide situation, and a little understanding on both sides of the divide can only help.

Lets start off by saying that no one really likes a price rise. I certainly don’t. I’d love to see everything cheaper so I can buy more minis! I rarely use sweeping generalisations, but I’m pretty certain on this one!

Its also a horrible time for many to see a price rise. No time is good, but with rising unemployment, furloughing and dealing with lockdown consequences, our hobby supplies are in more demand, acting as an important psychological escape from being trapped at home for many.

Finding out that you’ll have to pay more for something important to you at the same time that you are losing lots of hobby funds is hard.

On the flip side, of course GW can charge what they like for their products. They have taken a massive loss financially with the pandemic themselves. Shut stores, international production costs, shipping, safely handling warehouses, new ways of working to keep employees safe.

To their absolute credit, I haven’t felt for a moment over the whole affair to date that they haven’t really tried to keep their staff safe. But that has an impact.

I’m not exactly crying in my beer at their misfortunes given their last few years financial performance! But they are a business. If cost rises, then profits drop unless prices go up. And we’ve proved, as a hobby community, that we will generally moan a bit and pay anyway.

What I hate to see is the division amongst ourselves as a hobby community. We have some people ranting and raving that this will kill GW, that no will ever buy their products, and anyone defending a prices rise are mindless lickspittles kissing GW’s boots.

We have others complaining about the entitled whining of moaners that we’d be better off if they left the hobby anyway.

We all love these games. We are all passionate about the hobby. We’re all stressed, and upset. The hobby isn't better off if people leave it. People who feel they can’t afford a hobby that’s important to them aren’t entitled idiots, but frustrated people.

People who love the hard work and effort GW put into the community, and understand the rising costs aren’t lickspittles, either. They are passionate fans, who might be slightly more fortunate and more able to absorb the costs, or been through GW rises over the years before!

If we try to understand what everyone is going through, and refrain from lashing out, we’ll all be a lot better off. Comments like “it doesn’t matter to me, I can afford it” show an epic lack of empathy at a difficult time.

There are ways of looking at this positively. There are loads of games and paints and minis out there from other manufacturers! Try them! Support smaller hobby companies! Explore ebay! Work with others to split big boxes.

Lets try to keep people in the hobby - keep people enthused for painting and playing. And its always worth remembering that despite its prominence, GW doesn’t make up the whole hobby. There’s vast ranges of other things to try.

I think that’s the end of my hobby waffle. If even one person reaches out to someone angry and annoyed on either side with understanding instead of a rant because of it, I’ll be a very happy kipper.