Every so often a thread emerges on the site saying something like - “lets pester GW into giving us a new range of models/army book!” and an enthusiastic new member will espouse how if we all band together GW can’t possibly ignore us forever. Older members like myself have seen a fair few of these threads come and go our response always seems to be “Yes, they can ignore us, they always do.” :s
Pondering this recently I came to the conclusion that we our approaching from the wrong angle. The reason GW won’t re-release Chaos Dwarfs is simple - supply and demand. They don’t believe there is a market for us and therefore won’t supply us. Well we’ve tried convincing the supplier, but maybe we need to take their role and do a bit of the marketing ourselves. In short - we need to raise awareness, of what we do and why Chaos Dwarfs are so great.
Think about it - at the moment we are a tiny minority of the market. If Chaos Dwarfs were the most prominent force on the internet and a common site at events, even GW would realise we were marketable. We already have the best website and webzine of any Warhammer army. We already managed to blitz the poll for the next race to be added to the bloodbowl videogame. We can do so much more to raise awareness:
- If you post on another forum, put a link to the site in your signature.
- If you have an army blog, post it on as many sites as possible. Or else post a BfSp thread saying something like “look how I built a 2,000pt army for under £40!” (if that doesn’t get people interested nothing will ;))
- Spread Word of Hashut far and wide - it is already recieving wider aclaim, let’s push it as much as possible
- If you have a ‘Xander style’ avatar or cool chaos dwarf mini you are proud of, use it as your avatar for other sites. People will be interested and will notice that there seem to be a lot of chaos dwarf fans around the internet.
- Submit pictures of your chaos dwarfs for White Dwarf or anything else where peoples armies are shown to the wider community.
- Take your army to as many events, clubs and gamesnights as possible, especially events like Gamesday and GW Tournaments. Also don’t forget to wear your Chaos Dwarfs online t-shirt. If the event doesn’t allow our list then useyour models as counts-as.
These are just a few ways you can help the cause. Every little bit brings us one step closer to a new army book. Post pictures, links and screenshots here to encourage others
I disagree. I don’t think it’s down to the current collectors of Chaos Dwarfs at all.
Did they know there would be a demand for Tomb Kings? Or Ogre Kingdoms? No, they didn’t. They took it for granted that if they did it right the army would sell.
The same will be true for Chaos Dwarfs. The current collectors would probably be about 5% or less of the actual customers.
I always find it odd when people think Chaos Dwarfs will be a tiny army only a few people will collect when it’s released (not that you said that).
IMO It’s all down to fitting it into schedules and gathering the immense amount of time, effort and money needed to release a whole new army. It’s why we will only ever see one completely new army ever other edition IMO.
That said, I don’t think promotion of CDO is ever a bad thing!
For Tomb Kings, at least, they already existed before they existed, if you follow me. The Undead used to be one army, with two distinct flavours and before 6th Edition came out (when Vampire Counts were first released) there was a Tomb Kings list in White Dwarf. Then, in Ravening Hordes, there was no sign of the old unified Undead army. So they weren’t a new army at all.
Ogre Kingdoms were new though, I’ll give you that. Obviously GW aren’t going to just do a surprise army like that again though - they’re clearly phasing the Chaos Dwarfs back into the background to test the waters, which our MO fits in perfectly with.
The same will be true for Chaos Dwarfs. The current collectors would probably be about 5% or less of the actual customers.
Grimstonefire
That's my point exactly, whilst a few of us writing emails saying "please do our army soon" isn't going to sway anyone, a strong push at encouraging awareness keeps chaos dwarfs at the front of everybodies' minds. Imagine you are a GW manager, you turn up at events and see all these cool chaos dwarf models (there are several people here who would be capable of winning best army at any event, and there is definately some 'most sporting' material amongst us.) Then you go into a store, and notice someone working on their chaos dwarf conversions. You might start to think - wait a moment, these guys seem quite popular! likewise we know several designers moitor a forum or two (Gav Thorpe with Druchii.net for example) imagine them browsing and seeing all these people with funky CDO avatars and links to awesome converted armies. It might get the spark of inspiration going
I concur about the constant threads saying “let’s tell GW we exist”. Of course, that’s just because I keep reading them, lol. Still, the idea has merit and I think the fact that you’ve actually made some very good suggestions will mean it’s more likely to be carried out. Still, i do think that GSF is right to some extent as well. Perhaps if we go with both methods, we’ll make them aware of the SUPPORT at least Maybe get us back into tournies or soemthing. Who knows. It shouldn’t harm us at least.
They make what they want, equal what the player/user desires.
The customer had to buy and to play towards their rules or they are out of game/lost, cause they aren´t a member of their community. And to be a real/full member a their community ist what many (especially the younger) gamers want. So especially the youngsters will buy in case of doubt a new army or a “classic” one.
Nonetheless we should try to convince them as AGPO suggests.
In the past, when my unit has been on tour, we made a sheet of stickers that we distributed to all our guys. The mission was to stick them EVERYWHERE! Pub toilet doors, girls bedrooms, restaurants, macdonalds, shops, petrol stations, road signs, everything. It always made you smile when you saw one because you knew one of your boys had been there (unless it was the girls bedroom!!). Anyway, If people go into the toilet at an event, say-gamesday for instance, and there is an eyecatching and proffesional looking sticker on the wall saying something like CDO Member Was Here - www.chaos-dwarfs.com- it may help raise awareness, and if not, it will bring a smile to the face of any other CDO member at the event. Stick them in your GWs, Stick them in your local gaming club hall- anywhere. Now, Who will design the stickers {artisan contest anyone}
Problem with that is, it makes us known, bu GW are unlikely to liek the idea of stickers upon their property without permission.
Hashut's Blessing
no one does - that's what makes it funny! as long as it's done surruptitiously, they just appear in the strangest of places, the under side of shelves, the back of shutters etc. The toilet door thing is always good! It's like a challenge. There's no point putting them on the window, you have to put them where they will be seen, but where they wont be peeled off. Lamp posts and stuff. I've even put them on peoples bags as they have walked past me.
Use this as your guide not who is posting where, collectivity it makes for just a little bit of work if we all chip in and do our part it will keep raising the bar higher and higher.
Get those shirts out! Maybe we should start making flyers and start posting them everywhere we can think of, gaming clubs especially.Get another podcast out, print out copies and hand them out at conventions. Mail them to Jervis and Phil (great AGPO idea there).
Start championing every other warhammer site, helping them helps us particularly the Chas Star. Help out the Dogs of War! they know our pain, basically promotion everywhere
The list is endless. If last year’s political election in the US taught us anything its “Yes We can!” and I didn’t even vote for teh guy!
btw hammerhand i have seen your name a lot in the public rest rooms!!!
Kera foehunter
You must be getting me mixed up with my twin brother hammerhead. ahem. btw, what is a lovely pirate lady such as yourself doing in the male rest rooms? :P
Maybe get us back into tournies or soemthing. Who knows. It shouldn’t harm us at least.
come together:
