This year, we have two new players! Joe Kool and Big Matt are in the game now, and a few of us got new units as well. We've been officially gaming in the Iron Kingdoms for a little more than two years now, and this is our third narrative campaign. Warmachine is fast paced, fun and despite what I said in the above paragraph, it's actually easy on the wallet as far as these things go. Our local gaming scene isn't very receptive to it, but it's becoming increasingly apparent that we really don't have much to do with the gaming store here. We tried, but we have as many players as the college game club and are much tighter knit.
We got the local game store to stock Flames of War and spent nearly a thousand dollars in one purchase for the club for our campaign last year. Now, they have a nice section in the store for that game, but only a few of the "gamers at large" in town have made purchases and the gaming club hasn't bit into it at all. Their loss, really.
I think this is the reason that the shop owner didn't appear very interested in either stocking Warmachine, but as the Gate Keepers know he didn't even seem interested in making a specialist order for us - even when I gave him a list of what we wanted...which with tax would amount to almost a four hundred dollar order. Two weeks later, when he told me he hadn't even looked at it (a week before the campaign was to start!) it weighed heavy on me and the club made a decision. More on that later.
I went home and ordered the items online in five minutes flat from Miniature Market. The minis were here in the middle of last week, about four days after I ordered them.
Big Matt's got an army! After considering joining one of the games for a long time, he's in a much better place now with his Scyrah Myrmidons. He'll be playing Lord Arcanist Ossyan, with Hypnos and some Mage Hunters, including a Commander and Assassin. The new campaign is building our collections up - this time it will be 25 pts as standard, and Big Matt got his in one go.
Joe Kool expanded his Drake MacBain theme list as well. Armed with Gorman Di Wulfe, Orin Midwinter, two units of Steelhead Halberdiers and another Nomad, we'll all be dodging Jackhammers and combined melee attacks this campaign!
Skim is reigning champion with his Kreoss list, and to expand his force he added the Fire of Salvation and a set of Wracks. He's the guy to beat, and with that nasty character warjack it will be hard to decide which to shoot first - those cursed Cinerators or the big 'jack!
For myself, well...I have a lot of miniatures. I only needed two pieces to have a 50 point Lt. Caine list, so I got a third Hunter (probably the most hated of any unit in our little piece of the Iron Kingdoms, even if I always lose) and a Journeyman Warcaster to help Caine with his focus problems. I love to Teleport.
So we're set, which brings me to an issue the club has decided upon. From now on, most of our purchases will be collective ones based on the campaign rotation. Every campaign, I'll be taking orders from the club and will handle all the shopping myself. For a long time I talked about supporting the local game store, but the truth is most of the club members don't really care for the place. They don't even like to go in there because of the "vibe". It's only open two hours a day during the week (and only four days at that) and even though it's open on Saturday, on Sunday they are closed - which means when we have needed something on Game Day they have never been available.
So after the order debacle, I was really powerless to defend that position. Especially after it became apparent that the savings created by not going full retail, over time, would be truly immense. I hate it that it seems I'm diggin' on them, because I genuinely like some of them. Yet, none of their players game with us - and they mostly stock only Games Workshop. I have vowed none of us will have to pay their exorbitant retail prices again. So other than Flames of War, they have nothing to offer the club now. I will continue to get White Dwarf, Wargames Illustrated and paint/hobby supplies there, but that's because I consider the owner of the store to be at least a good, long held acquaintance if not a friend.
The club has spoken however, and I will uphold the decision. We'll be saving a lot more money, time and hassle from now on. Just talk to me on Game Day, and I'll make sure you get what you want for less than retail price (in almost every case) and still have time to work on it before the campaign starts.
It's a sad decision to make, because I genuinely enjoy supporting the local scene - but we're not part of the local scene, and never really have been. I've tried to change that, but our schedules and the store's hours simply do no jive. We've tried to (as a group) to find a time when we could do some cool things there for...well...at least ten years. I've personally been shopping there since 1998, and played in only TWO events in these fifteen some-odd years - one was Warhammer 40,000 back in 2001 and one was the Worldwake draft a few years ago.
Yet, I am the sole member of our club that has ever participated in a store event, or even attempted to. We simply don't need them, and only pay more for our materials by ordering things through them - when they can (and will) get what we want. I'm still waiting on a Stuka I placed an order for last September, when I could have gotten one easily for under fifteen bucks literally at any time since then.
Since our long marriage to Games Workshop is on the rocks (due to their continual and ridiculous price increases) we've looked for and found alternatives. It's a hard call to have to make, but it's done.
The kicker is, I think the club will only notice the savings.