Churn and Burn

My thoughts on the sometimes questionable effects of commercialised wargaming have surfaced from time to time on this blog. Most recently, in a post disagreeing with Richard Clarke, I was keen to emphasise that at the heart of our hobby was the concept of a bunch of amateur individuals, essentially creating the hobby for themselves, with or without the help of the bigger commercial companies.

Richard's article was inspired by his despairing reaction to gamer's accusations of 'commercialism' when new editions of rules (and their various supplements) are produced, a process judged by some to have more to do with wringing more money out of punters than enhancing anyone's gaming experience. Certainly, relatively small (and well-intentioned) companies like the Two Fat Lardies are hardly the ones to blame here. But the issue is real when one considers a company the size of Games Workshop.

WW2 gaming has been much on my mind recently, and I have been taking an interest in Flames of War and Battlefront Miniatures - FoW is, after all, the biggest WW2 miniatures game out there. And, as most of you will know, the process of churn and burn (as it is sometimes called) is often prominent with that company and set of rules. New editions of the rules, new editions of the various army and campaign books, new points systems, the sudden dropping of models and periods which aren't profitable for new ones that are - most of you will be familiar with this process. 

Although Battlefront and Warlord Games are not (unlike GW) publicly-owned companies quoted on any stock exchange, they do have shareholders - for example, I understand Hornby have a 25% stake in Warlord Games. This seems to be a crucial factor. At that point, profit really does become the bottom line. Shareholder dividends are the top priority. As I understand it, this is a legal requirement.

I have serious doubts about the relationship of such companies to the amateur hobby I joined back in the early 70s. I think they are best regarded with suspicion. That may seem a bit harsh, as there are certainly many likeable hobby enthusiasts working in prominent positions in such companies. But churn and burn is a fact - how long before the next edition of Bolt Action?

This post was inspired by the video linked below. It comes from the Sci/Fi-Fantasy end of miniature gaming, but it seems very relevant to me. Eloquent, fun to watch and informative.

That's about it for now. 'Til next time!