XLBS: Anarchy Stencils & 40K Coverage The Return!
October 6, 2013 by brennon
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I am soooo glad that ‘Happy Sunnnnnday’ is still around! I was worried (true story) that the troubles would dampen the Sunnnnday spirt. It is the Waaaagghh call of Beasts of War!
Based on the comments from the announcement, I would not try a fund raiser for 40K anytime soon. Just my two cents. However, donations of actual minis for certain armies might go over a bit better. It might be semantics, but words matter. I will say it here, if you guys pick say Lizardmen to do a show on I will send you my army to use. I think you would find people willing to do that but not giving money to support 40k/Fantasy. (Hopefully that sounded clear)
In fact, that might be the way to go, in looking for show support. See if the community will donate/loan (at the owners cost or some such thing) models for certain shows and game systems.
I couldn’t have said it better myself
I would not do a fundraiser for anything with “40K” on it. You’re just setting yourself up for the next letter from GW.
Quite the opposite, I would recommend paying for the GW stuff out of your own pocket, and instead do a fundraiser for the new studio, etc.. (in the end, money is fungible, no?).
Have a look at the fundraiser done by MiniWarGaming
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/miniwargaming-s-new-studio
Of course, they had DvDs and their own miniatures-range to pitch in, but there are also more “intangible” rewards like “owning” a battle-report or things like life-time membership to their “backstage club”.
Long story short: Fundraiser… go for it. But keep GW terminology out of it.
I’m not sure about asking about getting funds to buy GW stuff for you guys to review, I really want to support you guys, but I don’t want to spend a penny on GW products. Especially after all that is happened, its kind of like being shot, then tracking down the guy who shot you and buy him a new bullet
Fair enough guys 🙂
Beside what happened i would not found any GW-related show because i am not interested, but i give you an idea, why you don’t make the show, about one army as you said during the show, including the cost? Something like 40k on a budget, in which you also buy stuff from ebay, and with a monthly fixed amount you try to get on with a 40k army. That could be at least funny for me to watch 😉
good idea, like it, then maybe once you have covered a season and completed an army maybe auction it off on the site or ebay?
ahahah, who would every buy metallic drybrushed/washed rhino from @warzan after being completely smashed on the last tournament? 😛
No, really, that’s a very good idea, and guys, if you think this will piss off GW and you’re hoping for them to be more supportive in the future….i will not hold my breath….
Season could include how to recondition minis BOW buy from auction sites in preparation for a new paint job.
I like the idea! It’s a good way to try and get some of the investment back!
Instead of going the eBay way, maybe you could sell tickets for a chance to win the army afterwards.
You hit it bang on the head with this; purchase an army via ebay. That way GW does not get the financial support, but the thriving re-sell of GW products does. I wonder if GW lawyers are as keen to go head to head with ebay??
I’m also willing to donate figures to support such a venture; I have imperial guard and space marines that I have not used for years. Perhaps a good starting point would be to gain miniatures bought from ebay and show the process to clean/ repaint the minis to your specs.
also, I got my airbrush/ compressor on Friday. It costs £75 but what it can do is amazing.. Big kudos for the vlogs last week 🙂
I like the idea of showing poeple how to get started for a small cost.
I’m also pretty sure other companies would be glad to get some free advertisment in exchange of miniatures you could use as proxies for GW over-priced products.
Maybe this way, you could continue enjoying the game without actually giving money to a company that already kicked you in the nuts…
Don’t get me wrong, I love 40k but, more and more, I’m trying to build my own ork models from scratch or convert them from other companies’ products. I’m also trying to find proxies for my next IG models…
For the IG try http://www.madrobotminiatures.com/zencart/ or http://victoriaminiatures.highwire.com/ for proxy infantry they do full figs as well as parts there are ofc other company’s that also do this but though’s 2 spring to mind right off the bat
The fundraising will be cool if you later do some kind of give away or something along those lines. Also you could call people that already buy it and give it to you for the unboxing, batreps or similar and said “This was brought to us by the awesome X!” or something like that, same for Batreps. And Templars Crusader could help you with the Space Marine week :P.
I use a harder and steenbeck airbrush, the infinity, expensive but fantastic, airbrushing is so much easier when you are not fighting the airbrush itself.
Not sure kickstarter is the tool for funding a series, not because it is in any way ‘cap in hand’ , but simply because I’m not sure its suitable for the project, but I do think some form of crowdfunding for the general support of BoW could work, its finding suitable rewards to sell it (to kickstarter as much as anyone) that would be the biggest headache.
Miniwargaming did something like that when they shut the store, probably worth asking them the steps they took to get it approved.
I like the ideas for the new series, and wish you guys all the best in making it work. I think the numbers of views and comments on your vids on youtube and the comments here suggest there is certainly a market for your stuff whatever happens, so although it is much easier to say from the outside, I wouldnt worry too much.
As someone who wouldn’t watch any of the content, I’m not sure I’d donate anything to a 40K fundraiser. A more generic fundraiser for BoW would be more likely to get my money but you probably could do it in a way that rewards people. Things like having auctions or raffles for signed product donated by some of the companies you work with, VIP behind the scenes trips to BoW studios, painting tutorial session with Romain, and so on.
I would be more than happy to support a generic “studio development” fundraiser, whether via Kickstarter or other means. To my mind, the current Backstage fee already pays for itself many times over. So shut up and take my money!
I think the army on a budget idea is good – I bought a lot of my sons army from eBay and with some dettol and a toothbrush they were almost as good as new and some of the paint jobs were clearly done with a trowel rather than a brush – I have done the same with infinity recently – as I have had my pay frozen for the last 3 years every penny counts – but if you go for the fundraiser then at the end give the army as a prize to one of the fundraisers.
Good luck in the move
Or what about donations of unwanted minis ?
I think raffles are a way to do it. People donate their money to fund your ‘Eldar’ season for 40k. Each £1 is a raffle ticket that contributes towards the content / army building. At the end of it, you do a draw and someone gets that army.
Of course, if you don’t get your target, it helps illustrate folk aren’t that much interest in that army season.
I have Eldar to send you too! (Hint hint, pick me pick me)…oh wait, I want Sisters.
The fundraiser idea sounds a heck of a lot like the fundraisers done by Watch it Played with their whole ‘exclusive producer’ thing.
It’s a good idea in general but I have to admit I’m with everyone else. There’s no way i’d back a fundraiser for anything GW related.
Whilst the current situation the guys have been put into leaves me with a bad taste in the mouth towards GW, longer term though I think ignoring the behemoth that is GW would be detrimental.
I think the donations idea has merit but the wrinkles need to be ironed out a bit – i.e. people who are “anti” GW don’t want their donations going to GW. So as @jester suggested, maybe a “studio” fund for generic donations, and a “project x” fund for whatever is required.
An idea could be to set up a “projects in the pipeline” page on the website, and people can see what you need – i.e. “For our upcoming Eldar project we need the following units…. ” People could then donate items or towards items on the list for example – this can go for any system not just GW.
The problem with ebay purchase idea is you’re not going to be getting the latest armies to review, unbox or build. Excuse the analogy but its like turning up to fashion show to see last seasons outfits 😀
Anyway, all I can say is best of luck guys! I hope it all goes to plan
I agree for the unboxing but i think they were looking for a new show on 40k, not one about the new release..
“The problem with ebay purchase idea is you’re not going to be getting the latest armies to review, unbox or build. Excuse the analogy but its like turning up to fashion show to see last seasons outfits ”
A starter force does not need to follow the latest gizmo’s or gadgets released by GW. To begin with you need your staple troops and HQ’s all readily available from ebay. Plus, once you are comfortable with your basic force, this is when you bulk up with the niceties. Most of my SM Are 10+ years old and I see no difference between these and recently released troops. I even have a squad of original plastic SM:- small, minimal details, but lent authenticity to the idea that all forces can be used, no matter how old they are.
I’m sure there are plenty of others who would be happy to donate towards a 40k show, especially when it is the content they want to see. Obviously wont be for everyone, but they don’t have to watch it do they. Will be happy to myself, so roll it on.
Any idea on a budget for the project?
I think the donate unwanted minis might be a good way to go, i think i speak for everybody when i say i have loads of half finished projects and impulse buys that i’m never going to get around to.
Maybe a have a day where everyone who donated to the army can come up and play at the end of the season of episodes or something along those lines.
I’m a bit numb about the whole GW bit at the moment so I think I would be less than enthusiastic about throwing money their way.
Happy to throw some your way for other projects but not for GW.
Maybe it’s all a bit too soon.
I like the ebay idea from @shimond or how about a 40k army made up of figures from other manufacturers
Best wishes, fine fellows. I’ll be waiting for you to get back up and running.
I’d be interested in hearing about setting up a GW army, but I won’t be doing that myself, so it’s not really my thing. But I would also say “play to your strengths” and if you want to do 40k because you like it, then that’s valid. Also, apparently GW players have a tonne of money, so you should be able to capitalize on that. How about ‘Barmy Armies’ or ‘Roster Coach’.
I’ve put up a Facebook post to my friends on your behalf, I have no idea if it will mean any new members or not.
I have to agree with many of the comments. If you said any other games system I would happily chip in but the GW systems are so old, tired and expensive that I am never going to invest in an army for them.
Its not that I wouldn’t help with games I didn’t play, like I really enjoyed your flames of war content even though I don’t play it (although now I have watched the videos I am very temped). I would donate if you did a fundraiser to go over to America or even if you wanted a new kitchen or something because I think you guys are great and do a great job for this community. But yeah, GW not so much I don’t want to be a part of funding their legal department and their attacks on the wider wargamming community.
Felt a little sentimental myself at the end there, but that could just be the depression setting in as I’m back to work tomorrow after 2 weeks holiday.
Hope the move goes well guys and see you all once you’re settled in elsewhere.
i would support a “studio development” fundraiser as @jester says even on kickstarter, but a pure this is for ‘GW’ season……………Hmmmm No!
Im gonna go ahead and donate some ever month + keep my subscription, it will be well worth it imo … couple of pounds every month i can afford
I would really, really, really love it if this 40k funding worked for you and that those who love the system here respond to it in enough numbers to make it viable, but I could not in good conscious support this content financially on its own. I would be a complete hypocrite if I did given my views and attitudes about the hobby. I’m not trying to be objectionable, a jerk or score points – just honest.
However, I would be more then happy to pledge in a crowdfunding venture that encompasses and supports BoW as a whole and therefore trust you to distribute funds and efforts as you deem fit for the whole community (including 40k stuff). I would wear a BoW t-shirt with pride, pledge for dice, coasters, tutorials from Romain -whatever, even just a pledge with no reward other than giving you guys more resources at this crucial time.
If this means you could free up some existing backstage revenue to fund this 40k stuff specifically then that’s fine my be. My subs go towards coverage of all systems, whether I enjoy them or not – and it is with this understanding that we support you.
I know it may feel uncomfortable to ask for help – and the fact that you do feel so does you great credit (more than I can say) but please don’t feel bad. It is not wrong to ask for help – besides you have helped many people through your efforts (myself included). I have learnt myself the hard way that it is never weak or needy to ask for help – it takes strength and courage to do what you’re doing, and when the chips are down and the s*** starts flying you soon know who your friends are.
I’m lucky to have some free time at the moment (relatively) as a primary teacher moonlighting currently in forestry work. I’m not a web wiz or a rules eagle – I’m recently returned to the hobby really (only been active again for a few years after a big break) but if there’s anything I can do to help here in deepest, darkest Kernow – just say the word.
Thank you also for these weekenders guys – so reassuring to see and hear after recent events. You really are the good guys of wargaming!
Ben
Couldn’t agree more. I would be happy to throw an extra couple of quid a month your way and trust you to disperse it appropriately. I would also buy branded mugs, t-shirts, paint, brushes etc… A ‘Happy Sunday!’ t-shirt has got to be on the cards right?
How about setting up a two tier backstage system, whereby people who want to chip in an extra couple of quid every month can do so and you don’t risk loosing any existing members because if they don’t want to pay extra then they can just stick at the current level.
You could have my money if you allowed Darrel to do the ‘daily tips’, those were priceless and just made my Saturday nights after a few beers.
If you guys do go to Nottingham maybe you could do a painting workshop with Romain as I am sure some people would pay for that. As mentioned Raffle’s, KS, donations of cash or mini’s, BoW T-shirts/ Jumpers all could be sued not just for GW stuff but to help fund even more coverage of other things oh yeah before I forget I vote for the name Warzan Heresy for the 40k show
As i have stopped supporting GW with my money, i dont want to put any money into GW stuff atm. It might change if the attitude of the company changes, but for now i put my money into different games. So as many have said, I probably wont put any money in a 40K fundraiser. But to support BoW i would listen to any good suggestions..
Hey guys, Ive said in a couple of places now, you have my support for what you do but I would hesitate to want to fund GW. Not only for the hassle they have put you and Wayland Games through but for some of the other fairly obnoxious business tricks they have got up to over the years (and for leaving me with 2 armies they froze out of games systems when they “Refreshed” them). If you want to use my backstage sub to fund this then that’s what its there for, you guys are the creators and I wont complain or withdraw my sub over it but I don’t see this being a popular suggestion judging by the response to the friday announcement. As someone has said you cant ignore them but I would prefer to see more stuff on the smaller games out there things being developed out on the fringes like DarkRealms Seeds of War stuff like that.
Anyway good luck and its cool whatever you decide.
Also, since you are gonna build an army for 40k… why don’t do it with alternative miniatures ? For example we have tons of SM and CSM alternatives, now there is 3 huge different options comming for making all female imperial guard armies from Raging Heroes ( i heard a lot of wargamer ladies that love this line and i’m a backer myself ). Don’t forget all the mantic stuff.. i’m really interested in making a ork army using their marauders from Warpath and Deadzone since they look a lot more “smart” but heavy.
Hey maybe you could do that thing you talked about advancing the lore of 40k into the new “Hey you worshiping tech?! That’s crazy, we are coming with the new hot stuff!” and get an updated look into 40k along with an updated lore. You said go big or go home, that’s going big for real, at least for me :P.
And i’m sure many companies will send you their stuff for showcasing.
Yeah, inheritance needs some love
Never give up and never surrender!
Any 40K content would need to be targeted at 40K players to make it worthwhile and most of those will be more likely to be interested if it uses the official minis. A separate series exploring alternative ways of putting together a 40K army might have merit but I think doing what BoW wants to do and using proxies for it would be counter-productive.
Colour me (or three colour me) interested in paying for a painting seminar with Romain.
If that were the case the Raging Heroes kickstarter wouldn’t have got 2,748 backers and $700k plus any extra money from Paypal and all that they have being selling, same goes for all the other bits companies and others that produce complete miniatures.
It wouldn’t be counter productive at all if the approach it from “Here they are tons of other options and different price range”. So you can get something cheaper, better and more customizable and many people will jump to it.
The Raging Heroes kickstarter features miniatures with their own fluff. Of course lots of people are buying them as 40k proxies but to my mind if you are going to cover Raging Heroes, then cover Raging Heroes. To cover RH as 40k proxies is kind of doing a disservice to RH and ignoring the fluff they are working on.
It’s basically a choice about whether to cover 40k or not to cover 40k, but if you are going to cover 40k then do it properly.
We’ll I’ve taken the plunge and become a Backstager precisely because you are going to be covering 40k again. Having said that, I don’t want you guys bankrupting yourselves to do it. I’m sure that there is lots of interesting content you could do with very little outlay.
How about trying to do an occasional series where you get 40k players to bring their armies into the studio to talk about them? I’m sure there are loads of people who would jump at the chance of showing off their painting or discussing their tactics. There are also many very talented bloggers and youtubers in the 40k community who might agree to be interviewed.
That sounds quite fun, people would be queued up show their shiny bits.
I have never played 40k. I have had friends try and get me to give it a try, but the pure expense of it is a joke. And after hearing all of the issues over GW in the past year of being into Miniature gaming. I wouldn’t feel right to give money in support of GW, but I would be fine to be giving money to you for other projects. I have enjoyed a lot of stuff you have done. Really hoping for Deadzone and Mars Attack Training videos like your current Dreadball Academy series. Maybe some packing up videos of the studio similar to when you were going through the last move. Best of luck and looking forward to the future of BoW.
And when you have your new studios set up, let us backstagers come and have a look, we will come by plain, boat and car!
Plane even lol
It will be interesting to first see what percentage of backstage members that are your core supporters will be interested in supporting this, I do understand what one can hope from GW coverage, increased numbers and this is good for the company, but what percentage of the core supporters are willing to give money to GW one way or the other to support this.
I for on one am quite reserved in giving them more money, essentially encouraging their behavior, on the other hand, I would love to see BOW tap on the potential player base of 40k.
I would indeed recommend keeping away and fund raiser mentioning GW since they adore you so much and their legal trigger finger is quite happy.
Kickstarter – BoW Games Day – London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Dublin – Summer 2014
– Big gaming tables with massive wars for players and a Dreadball Tournament .
– Golden Ticket Intro tutorials sessions for 40K, Infinity, Dropzone, Flames of War
A fine selection of snacks. Local clubs actively recruiting new members and providing the encouragement people need to get playing.
You could even boast numbers with Risk, Monopoly, Connect4 and Buckaroo Championships to help get people in the doors.
Start on Kickstarter to get the seed fund and then move onto Eventbrite to sell tickets to everyone else.
——
Regarding raising funds in the short term give me the option to double the price of my subscription for six months to help get you through to the next phase. I only want BoW to continue strong in return.
The kickstarter event idea sounds awesome and i like the idea of people being able to willingly increase the price they pay for backstage, im sure many would be happy to 🙂
The trick here will be how to support the hobby without supporting the company. Someone mentioned building an army on a budget as part of the 40K coverage. Using ebay or other company’s miniatures, etc.
The tour at grumpy con was def my highlight of my gaming year. Still have the pic you guys printed us. Gonna miss you guys being in Essex. Good luck to you and I’ll continue support your great channel, it’s the icing on the cake.
I don’t think an actual fundraiser would be greatly received, not so much from the beasts of war community, but from the wider community.
I think something that may work is some sort of auction. Get Romain to paint something up all gorgeous and put it up on Miniature Bids (community integration all the way!) and then use the proceeds to buy the new minis.
I’ll echo the others that buying the new miniatures from auctions sites is a good way to go. Also, I think you’ll be surprised by how many people will be willing to donate actual models to the cause for these shows.
Just my thoughts.
I became a backstage member to support all systems. My gut instinct is that a fundraiser would elevate GW over your other reports and you kinda would have too , as not to upset the people who paid into a GW fundraiser. They would expect enough coverage to represent their money spent- and rightfully so.
Why not an infinity fundraiser? Bushido? DZC? To elevate one game above others is not the BOW I have come to admire and support!
But OFC it’s your decision and you have earned the right to follow your vision.
The simple answer to that is they don’t need to. As they said in the video, companies other than GW help out if it gets them coverage so no need to raise any money specifically for that.
I would not mind if you included in any fundraiser where we pledge for the next model or models that Romain would paint next! Kind if like a group commission that would make for a great giveaway some day or sold later for charity. 😉
Oh dear… Whatever you do, please don’t make me paint a dreadnought again ! 🙁
Haha, the community at large want to crack the whip on Roman. You have my sympathy sir.
I haven’t played 40K in years. I’ve sold some of my old stuff but would be happy to donate the rest to you. Some of it was brought on ebay (most actually) and is still in the state it was in when I got it (very varied). Some I have stripped and re-painted. Some is new in the box. I have Marines, Eldar and a small amount of Guard.
Once you’re done with it you can sell it on ebay (or a different mini-selling site) to raise some funds to buy new GW releases if you like. I would be far happier to give you this stuff (and see it go to a good home) than see it gather dust in a cupboard.
Am happy to support BOW in anyway I can for the price of half a pint each month donated extra for GW,Infinity,Bolt action or any games, doesn’t mean am gonny watch all the content but for the sake of the community as a whole am happy to donate.
I’m not a fan, or a player of 40k, so I wouldn’t be interested in supporting a fundraising program for it. But, that being said, what could be done is an annual KICKSTARTER for BoW, and some of that fund would not only help the studio, but also with the Warhammer stuff.
What about the ability to sponsor a unit/model? Maybe it’s really just the same thing but hearing Tac Sargent “Cassius” moving up the field is kind of fun from where I sit!
‘How to paint Citidal miniatures is £30 and Anarchy are having huge success with HD stencil’s so there is money in painting, painting is generic and there are no editions in painting.
For Kickstarter propose a Beginners to Advanced painting series for min’s, vehicles, tables, you’ve done much of this content already but the continuity for someone getting started isn’t great especially regarding the inside knowledge on paints and brush technique, this’ll work well for stretch goals.
Once produced you’d put it on the BoW site as ‘free bait’, the backer is supporting the project as they want a free high quality painting tutorial resource that’ll help get people into the hobby.
You could go as far as to start developing a Hobby Mooc (Massive Open Online Course). They are causing merry hell in the training industry with Khan Academy and Stanford University opening up learning to everyone online with high quality online courses. The model building hobby has a greater reach than the Wargames business and currently its only serviced with ‘one off’ dvd’s, unrelated youtube videos with no feedback nor interactive learning.
https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/stanford-medicine
I am happy to donate some money to see 40K stuff done by you guys. But, from what I see there is not that many people thinking the same.
Probably more than you think who want to support, the majority are keeping below the backlash radar. For now.
I just love seeing others calling for the return of Darrell, what an enjoyable character to watch. There was always a sense and often stated intent towards Anarchy from him I loved so much, and Andy as well.
Realy excited to hear about you starting a club. If your in the mood to do a club invite wed be more than happy to attend..
So, any idea when we will return to the regular schedule?
I would not feel good about a fundraiser for 40k.
A general fundraiser or and a more expensive backstage account is no problem for me.
If you would want it, you can have all my GW stuff. Books, mini,…. (mostly ork and some dark angels from DV), I’m done with them anyway and I’m glad to help.
All you have to do is come, get it and drink a pint with me. I live in Belgium so you don’t have to fly or scream like a girl when you land! 😉
If you cover Games Day, why not Crisis in Antwerp? Last year it was 2 hangers big. I would love to meet you guys.
Only way I could see a 40k fundraiser working is as a sort of catch and release thing – eg you say which units you want to buy – a person buys a specific unit for you from the list – you use the models for the show, paint them, etc. – at the end of the show you post the models to those who bought them for you along with a little certificate saying thanks etc.
Other than that, a lot of the merchandise ideas people have stated above can be done online nower days so you don’t need to hold any stock, just open a spread shirt store for example 😉
If it was going work like that, id personally let BOW keep the item, so that they could maybe ebay it at the end of the series to raise more money for BOW. So as a follower, we have provided them with content, then with more revenue to spend on even more content!!
I think the above suggestion of originally paying for the army piece by piece and making the cost PART of the atual experiance/series.
And in turn Id definately be keen to bid on the completed army or sections of the completed army, assuming it wasnt an Army I already had. (Blood Angels)
As for what? Id be thinking avoid Space Marines, Id love to see Tau, Orcs Eldar or Dark Eldar.
Hell why not show some love to the Sisters of Battle?
Id agree with avoiding space marines, been done to death, and no-one wants to see any centurions…
Maybe a Daemon army, they offer so much variety when it comes to painting.
Personally I would donate for content that was of interest to me, but I do appreciate some of the others apprehension at supporting a company that has caused this situation in the first place. But I do have to disagree with you guys on one things though, that being that all you can offer is your eternal thanks and your name in lights (personally I’m not that bothered about getting anything in return – the content would be enough). I think that there are loads of potential things that you could offer from the army itself (as others have mentioned), joining you on trips to manufacturers, meeting industry bods, playing the army at tournaments and reporting back etc etc. Basically loads that would require little financial investment from you guys.
If you did go with multiple rewards for helping with the fundraising then you would need to have some sort of structured approach to keep it all in check. Something like Kickstarter would take a lot of the hassle away, it doesn’t have to be Kickstarter I just use this as a good example of the infrastructure that you would need to support something like this.
Personally speaking donating models would probably be a bit too much of a faff for me (and possibly for you guys to administer) and if I were thinking of starting a new army I would be unlikely to buy something and then send it to you guys before knowing if I wanted to go ahead with the army or not.
You should absolutely to a fundraiser for this, its a great idea. What better way to judge whether the wider community want it or not. On some level you have to feather your own nest, its great to connect with the community but some people can be very vocal on what you should and shouldn’t do.
I like GW games and miniatures but it doesn’t end there. A manufacture of ‘stuff’ does not make a community its shows like yours and forums across the internet that do , your site is richer for including there stuff and everyone else’s. Keep up the good work, keep the content coming and keep it varied .
Ok here goes, you guys got my cup&muffin money, but after paypal and exchange rate its more like 2 cups and 2or3 muffins…. LOL Warren has found that he’s likein’ 15mm but news flash there’s boat loads more you haven’t even talked about, and 15mm and 6mm communities already in place and the UK has so many manufactures(sucking my wallet dry trust me). BoW can be a great thing and there are so many games out there it would take you guys several lifetimes to cover everything…
Paypal is always going to add taxes. At the moment I’m paying 4,66 euro. For what I get, I think that a cheap price, and I wouldn’t mind paying something more if I consider that these guys are doing this as a job or parttime job, I’m not sure. They moved from Ireland to Engeland, I don’t know if this is a hugh step, as I’m from Belgium, but I think it is. Bottom line, they are doing a great efford and they deserve our support, which is optional by the way.
As said so many times before in these last few days, they want to cover everything, GW being the biggest company, they want to cover them. Now I admire BoW for taking the highroad and keep trying to be neutral, giving us all the info they can. I don’t know if I would do the same, but I got great respect for them doing it anyway.
I loggin three times a day and there is always something new. And maybe they regret not bringing us that ‘boatload’ because they don’t have time but at least they try.
ok… what I was trying to is that BoW was moving to an area where there are already in place game companies and support and community out the wazu….. so getting things reaching out to ALL those other companies and gamers gives you more base followers…. or something to that effect
you could ‘kickstart’ a level of access to BOW , not just mention them , but get the guy in , maybe ask if they have a army of the week they can show off , that way you discuss the codex it comes from , how it plays with those who know….
Why don’t you do it in a way that White Dwarf does and have a ‘tale of four gamers’. That way you start small (battle force) and build monthly with hobby advice and battle reports. At least you would be keeping it real as in what the viewers can afford to buy, cover several armies at the same time and could even expand into a massive online campaign if your audience join and report their own battle reports. “The battle for Waylands World”.
Hello Guys. Thanks for the weekender, You guys are the best on both sides of the pond. Now down to brass tacks, Would I support GW fundraiser ? or a BoW general fund to do what youall think is right, fundraiser ? I love 40K { I’m Sorry } from when it came out with Rogue Trader in the mid 80s, to today? Am I happy with them and there Tactics, HELL NO !!! But it is as you say, they are the Big Boys on the Bloc. So reading all of the posts over, about Them { GW } it would probably be better to give to a General Fund, For your use rent, light, food, travel, models, and any thing youall need to keep going for the good of the show, and the community at large. Than you can use some of the fund to do GW stuff as needed.
Now, I love the ideal of having BoW T-shirts { all sizes 5xl tall ( I’m a big boy ) to sell. I now this is a part of the business rabbit hole youall didn’t want to go down, but it just mite help. Get your name out there , not just word of mouth, but real advertising. Than just maybe when GW is at all of these events around the world. And see that Bow is bigger than they thought, { a True BoW nation or world } they just mite come the table and be just a little bite more accommodating, to you and the Community { I know its a pipe dream but? }.
The ideal to have say Romain paint some awesome stuff to sell or auction off great. Have maybe donations of mini’s to go to Romain to paint than donate them to a needed kid somewhere who just can’t make the high cost of said GW. Spread the hobby around. Another Ideal is to have an Event once or twice a year, to get gamers together just to play games. I know, God, this is a huge thing to do and again we are probably going down that dam rabbit hole again that youall just didn’t want. the cost is , I don’t know , maybe way out there beyond you. But if you ask they will come to help . Other gamers , other game companies { better than GW }, Gaming clubs from around the area, and maybe the world! BoW nation must I say it over and over.
Thank you Beasts of War , Guys , and the Hobby Community for every thing. Good luck , God’s speed, Keep up the good fight, and Never Ever Surrender. Danny from USA
Liked the final weekender in this studio. Got a bit sentimental myself looking at it. :(. But I wont worry for the future. I’ve been in and out of work myself lately. Don’t know if it’s the same thing but I find that you just have to pick yourself up and get back on the bike.
Here’s looking forward to another 5 years of quality gaming coverage.
I don’t suppose you could get someone like Blue Table Painting to help out? A bit of a long-shot I suppose but if you featured an army for a mini-series with the option for someone to buy that army at the end of it that could work. More advertisement for BTP and you get the army.
As others have said I think funding a show with all the negative GW sentiment around would be difficult. I’m looking forward to whatever you manage to produce, I know it will be cracking!
I’m a LARPer…
and so am I 🙂
I think miniatures donation is going to be hard to administar. Plus, there’s the risk that people donate minis, and then want to see them on the video. I mean, you could have a thing like a “wedding registry”.
Likewise, the catch and release. Or buy and you guys paint then send it back would get you access to loads of models, but If you are building an army with a particular colour scheme etc, that’s not going to work. Not to mention I imagine you’d want those models for possible future videos (imagine if the flames of war stuff had gone back to the buyers before you got the tournament invite!).
I see two options. One is that you sell more products, as mentioned. The problem I guess, is things like editing and other costs, to make say a romain painting dvd. You could auction some stuff (40k/flames of war games against warren, hell if I lived in the UK I’d pay a bit for a friendly with warren. Just to see the ridiculous scenario he came up with).
The other option, is that you allow people to “over-pay” for their subscription(I guess you do that with the backstager donations). Or you allow people to donate to a particular cause. The issue there, is that it might limit where your money can be used, and prevent cool ideas you guys have from having sufficient “funding”.
One last idea, is to do a series on making a 40k army without any GW models 😉
Make an inheritence army with bits from puppetswar etc, and see if you can get them on board. Hell, even if it’s a mix and match of different companies, you can bet people will see it on youtube and buy their stuff, so it’s pretty good promotional material for them.
Lastly, run your own tournament. Hell, a fund raising tournament for flames of war. All the people who got into it from your FOWFTW can come along for a friendly tournament. Or Dropzone Commander 😉
Personally, I’d only really be interesting in content for my 40k faction. Otherwise it’s just going to be more videos of space marines, and space marine stuff. Boring for me, but potentially a good traffic source. But the incentives for me to donate are pretty low. But if it was for chaos marines (esp Alpha Legion or NIGHT LORDS) then I’d be much more likely to. I’d definitely chip in for more DZC coverage though!
Hi guys,
I am really sorry to hear about the bad news and I saw the anouncement. What I don´t understand is why you guys are struggeling to bring GW products on the screen. They don´t want your support, so what´s the point.
Are you afraid lossing watchers if you don´t cover GW?
My suggestion:
You can spread the information about new things, but you don´t need to show the models. The web is full of them. The link to GW´s website under the video and that´s it.
You can still talk about the codices, about pro´s and con´s. Tactical stuff you can show by using the minis you already have.
That´s not perfect but it´s better then to support GW´s mony-printing-machine. I for myself have some Tau and Dark Angels and it hurts maybe not to be able to finish them, but I don´t spend e penny for them anymore.
e-bay rules 🙂
So before you break a leg think about it. Is GW necessary? Sure it´s the biggest company, but a company with a bad attitude. With all the positive things they do for the industry (getting people into gaming, minis, etc.). They have a bad influense, too.
Who knows long they continue to exist, anyway. The direction they have been taken the company in the last three years can lead to an quick end.
I’m much more interested in supporting Beasts of War rather than supporting you to do just one thing in special. So if you start a fund raiser to build up let’s say … the club in Ireland, I think the positive feedback would be even bigger.
Personally I might help to fund many kinds of series, just not a GW one. I just don’t have that much interest anymore in their current game developments. I fondly look back at the games I had around the start of the millenium when I got into the hobby. Currently all the rewritten rules, increasingly expensive mini’s and the decline of Specialist Games take a lot of the fun out of it for me.
Perhaps for a wider audience and a large group of GW fans a fundraiser might be worth it. But in general I think the deal has to be more enticing than just giving back a good show. As a funder I would like something more tangible than my name on the credits.
Perhaps you could include funders in some way in the process of making the show, either inviting them on the set (obviousy this would only work for people in the area) or having them assist in some other way.
Hmmm… How about instead of sending money having each supporter buy, assemble and paint a (group of) miniatures and sending those over when done to create an army? You could have a pre-show discussing the background and desired paint scheme for the army.
On the other hand, what will you do with all those armies when they are done? Assuming you would cover each big GW release. Eventually those would take a lot of shelf space. Perhaps you could give back the army to the supporters using some kind of lottery system.
These are just some first thoughts that come to mind. I haven’t yet thought about feasibility.
p.s. That Last Supper reenactment looks awesome!
Tale of four gamers format is a great idea. Was the only decent content in White Dwarf for many years. It enables minor, realistic buys and modelling/painting time and gives you four chances of a participant being available to do an update/report. Four factions…..lots more people interested…then perhaps auction/raffle the armies so its cost neutral at least….
Do it as part of your new club? Do it in parallel with Templars gaming group and have a big battle at Grumpy Con between the two clubs…..
Also like the idea of not limiting to GW models. Selecting appropriate models from any range should be the way to go. Its more ‘real world’ and removes some of the limitations GW seem to brainwash into new players. So lets enjoy the 40k universe and the game that probably got most of us into scifi gaming on our own terms.
I like the suggestion above of fundraisers being entered in a draw to win the used army.
But personally I feel Games Workshop have made it clear they don’t want the publicity from BOW. As big as 40K is in our hobby there are better games produced by friendlier companies far more deserving of your and our support. So stick them in a corner and give them a damn good ignoring.
I would donate but would not be happy about putting the money back to GW. I have SW willing to throw in if needed. I would feel better about my self if I was paying for a new studio even though I know it is going on models 🙂 smoke and mirrors.
How about when you get set up you invite some pro painters down to do a show that are part of the BOW fan base not mentioning any names ehem! Tommy soule. Charge for tickets for guys to come and get some painting lessons. On camera painting lessons. People will get to see how the pro does it and also how the novice interprets the instruction. This could also work with anything modelling wise, converting, terrain, weathering, metallics, non metallics etc. the possibilities are endless. You could make a series out of that. Have the participants bring a model they wish to complete and you have saved money on supplying a model. Space marine non metallic day…. Bring your own mini. Id be up for that.
I quite like the adverts.
I could be wrong (I usually am) but reading the comments in this topic it’s evident that there’s not much love for GW and 40k. But could this be because many of those who are fans no longer frequent the site as much due to lack of coverage.
I admit to only playing 40k and no other table top game. Partly down to time constraints and lack of interest in any other game in my little club. After watching Warrens video in regards to GW I have hope we will see a return of some 40k articles. I have even reinstated my Backstage membership partly to support BoW and in anticipation what’s to come. I wouldn’t be interested though in funding 40k specific though. I wouldn’t mind if my Backstage pass cost was increased by say a £1 a month though.
I also wonder if approaching GW and suggesting things like free advertisement in exchange for kits and codexes would be viable. Of course you want to keep your editorial independence whilst GW won’t want to see you guys being negative about the products either. I would like to think a compromise could be reached. Not always GWs attitude I know but just a suggestion.
Remember to love your hobby everyone.
Everyone has an opinion on GW right now, love ’em or hate ’em but lets move forward not get bogged down with it.
I have GW product I haven’t even opened as my interest waned years ago.
Maybe by setting aside my personal feeling on GW and seeing some fresh content might reinvigorate my passion for a game I once loved, and maybe force me to open those boxes.
Note I said passion for the game, not the company.
I play FOW and Warmachine right now and BoW have done great coverage of those systems.
For BoW to provide quality coverage of GW systems they will need funds and though people don’t want to feed GW directly, supporting BoW with the endeavor seems reasonable.
Doesn’t it?
Great episode guys. As for extra funding for 40k I’d be up for it. Anything that helps create content that in turn will attract new followers to the site seems like a win to me. Perhaps you could give away some of the stuff at the end as a comp prize. Keep up the good work!
T shirts with Darrell sporting his golden angel outfit should bring in some really fat cash.