Monday the 16th - The End of the World?

[me_in_japan]

it is not my personal responsibility to ensure that Ikeda-san's shop is a success. No offence to the guy - I think he's very nice and all, and nuff respec' to him for making a go of it, but any store that needs to rely on the "sympathy purchases" of its customers is not doing it right. Offer me minis that I want at a price that I deem reasonable, and I will absolutely buy from him. The same applies to GW, altho at least Ikeda is currently filed under "nice bloke, should help out if possible" in my head. GW would be found under the swearyword section...

This "we have a responsibilty to ensure the hobby thrives in Japan" stuff is a bit irksome to me. Why, exactly, do we have this responsibility? If the goods are overpriced and difficult to find, it doesnt matter how hard we try, its gonna be nigh on impossible to promote the hobby. And, for that matter, why does "the hobby" = GW games? Why can we not all become Malifaux proselytisers? Warmachine? Heck, Infinity? What's in it for us to promote a company that has shafted us again and again and again?

You wanna support the hobby in Japan? Teach Japanese gamers how to buy Warmachine stuff from Wayland.

e.g.

J-gamer - I dunno. Those eldar are nice and all, but theyre quite expensive. I think this wargaming may not be for me.
You - Take a look at this website. You can buy all these monsters and steam engines for about 10k yen, and you'll be all set.
J-gamer - cool. I'll check it out.

Hobby: Promoted.

An alternative would be to persuade Ikeda to order a bunch of stock from Wayland (or direct from PP, if he can do it), pop up the prices a wee bitty, and sell em to us and J-gamers that way. I would certainly consider a small markup reasonable for the convenience of walking into a store and walking out with the mini there and then. He'd need to have it in stock, mind, cos otherwise there's no incentive for me not to just order it myself.

but for the life of the hobby in Japan guys like ikeda need to be on the same footing as other 40k Dealers...

agreed. Clearly GW disagree, as theyve made it clear that they think the best way to do business is to charge people in japan double what they charge people in europe. How is that an equal footing, exactly?

[Spevna]

it is not my personal responsibility to ensure that Ikeda-san's shop is a success. No offence to the guy - I think he's very nice and all, and nuff respec' to him for making a go of it, but any store that needs to rely on the "sympathy purchases" of its customers is not doing it right. Offer me minis that I want at a price that I deem reasonable, and I will absolutely buy from him. The same applies to GW, altho at least Ikeda is currently filed under "nice bloke, should help out if possible" in my head. GW would be found under the swearyword section...

This "we have a responsibilty to ensure the hobby thrives in Japan" stuff is a bit irksome to me. Why, exactly, do we have this responsibility? If the goods are overpriced and difficult to find, it doesnt matter how hard we try, its gonna be nigh on impossible to promote the hobby. And, for that matter, why does "the hobby" = GW games? Why can we not all become Malifaux proselytisers? Warmachine? Heck, Infinity? What's in it for us to promote a company that has shafted us again and again and again?

You wanna support the hobby in Japan? Teach Japanese gamers how to buy Warmachine stuff from Wayland.

e.g.

J-gamer - I dunno. Those eldar are nice and all, but theyre quite expensive. I think this wargaming may not be for me.
You - Take a look at this website. You can buy all these monsters and steam engines for about 10k yen, and you'll be all set.
J-gamer - cool. I'll check it out.

Hobby: Promoted.

An alternative would be to persuade Ikeda to order a bunch of stock from Wayland (or direct from PP, if he can do it), pop up the prices a wee bitty, and sell em to us and J-gamers that way. I would certainly consider a small markup reasonable for the convenience of walking into a store and walking out with the mini there and then. He'd need to have it in stock, mind, cos otherwise there's no incentive for me not to just order it myself.

but for the life of the hobby in Japan guys like ikeda need to be on the same footing as other 40k Dealers...

agreed. Clearly GW disagree, as theyve made it clear that they think the best way to do business is to charge people in japan double what they charge people in europe. How is that an equal footing, exactly?

I agree 100% with everything in the above post.

I have a group of friends I enjoy gaming with. It really makes zero difference to me if other people get involved in "the hobby". I game so that I can spend time doing something fun with people I like. While I have met lots of cool people via gaming, I was equally happy when I was playing against just M-I-J over a few beers in his kitchen.

GW raising their prices gives us a better opportunity to promote the hobby as now people will be more willing to try out new stuff rather than what they see in WD.

[Mike the Pike]

Did you make this Spev?

[The Other Dave]

I, too, agree with MiJ. Heck, witness the incredible popularity of PP games all across Japan - the low-cost entry point, nice models, and (above all, for the non-English-speaking gamer) clear, well-written rules means it's taken off entirely without patronizing gaijin intervention. I think local gamers are doing quite well enough spreading the PP game love in Japan without us foreigners presuming to tell them what they should be playing, you know? I mean, we (meaning foreign gamers in Japan) are, frankly, too small and insular a community to do much in the way of bringing new gamers into wargaming anyway. We do really well at giving other foreigners who come to Japan and already play a venue to continue doing so, plus a very little bit of bringing new foreigners into wargaming, and essentially none of bringing new Japanese players into the hobby. Every Japanese gamer I know entered wargaming either via the models and auto-didactically, or through a Japanese friend - not to presume to say that my experience is universal, of course, but I have been involved with gaming here for more than 10 years.

Also agreeing with Spevna that "the hobby" != "GW Wargames". We're blessed to live in a time when we can pick and choose between a number of high-quality rulesets and miniature ranges based on both quality and preference, and to have a large and open-minded enough pool of players (here in the greater Nagoya area, anyway) that we can get in a couple games a year of even very minor games. We don't need to play 40K to keep miniatures wargaming alive - in both possible senses of that statement. Miniatures wargaming doesn't need 40K to stay around, and isn't in any danger of going away at any rate.

[Konrad]

well I have come full circle not I am going 40k Radio talked me back in to GW products again... I will not buy every thing from Ikeda san and I suggest we all do the same... as Mike the pike said it was fun while it lasted.. but paying what most of the Japanese pay is not as bad as all that... I will surely not buy what I once would have... but for the life of the hobby in Japan guys like ikeda need to be on the same footing as other 40k Dealers...

I knew the Admiral would not be able to hold out
From DakkaDakka
Ouze on GW: "I'd like to be like, hey baby, you're a freak but you just got too much crazy going on, and I don't hook up with bunny boilers. But then Necrons are going to come out, and I'm going to be like damn girl, and then next thing you know, it's angry sex time again.

I haven't been into Ikeda's shop yet. I imagine I'll pick up a brick of dice or something. But as I spend like maybe 5000yen a year on game stuff and most of that is paint and dullcote and odds and bobs of plastruct. I have enough Orks to keep me happily building Squats for the next 5 years. He won't be getting much business from me as cool as I think it is for him to try and start a game store.
Is he selling only GW stuff or does he carry other products? I do wish him well.
http://banesto.shop6.makeshop.jp/
Just on a lark, I checked to see if Gamestore Banesto was still in business. This guy has been around for, at least 7-8 years in Kurokawa. I dropped in there years ago. A nice guy, named Masayuki runs it. I bought a brick of dice I should mention I did not buy any of the 6000円 Dungeons and Dragons books. I did pick up a Cheapass dinosaur game (about １２００円）　They went for 3 bucks a pop back home at our FLGS.
Maybe Ikeda san can pull it off too.

[Admiral-Badruck]

I get it that you some of you could care less if 40k grows in Japan... I am happy to play other games but I love 40k and I love seeing what people come up with in there armies I can play games with Jus and Prime and MIJ as well as Spevna and MTP but I would like to play new players that have a new insight into the game I also like to see fun new armies painted in new and unique ways... and I unlike some Gaijin players I rather enjoy a game with the Japanese players. So for me I think it would be nice to see 40k grow in Japan I would also like to see FB grow... I may actually start my own shop in Ogaki some day not sure when but I really would like to do it some day and even though the GW models seem pricey they really are not that expensive..I mean really name one hobby where you can buy the stuff make it pretty and sell it for more than you bought it for.

[Mike the Pike]

@The Madmiral: Restoring Old Cars, Pottery, Knitting, Baking... Just to name a few

[me_in_japan]

@ the madmiral - painting (pictures, I mean)

and I unlike some Gaijin players I rather enjoy a game with the Japanese players.

nobody said that they didnt. Personally, I play Japanese gamers at Warmahordes quite a lot, and at 40k a bit. Its not our fault that most of the Japanese gamers prefer Warmahordes to 40k. You should play more Warmahordes - then youd see what we're talking about (yeah, yeah, in the post, I know...)

[Admiral-Badruck]

I see like theses hobbies right...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raXanYjTF18 MIJ happy little clouds... little fluffy things
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au_c7aXeMOg here you go Mike the Mixer

I think I will keep playing man toys

[me_in_japan]

dude, that bob chappy knows what he's doing. There's always something to be learned from a decent artist, especially one who works in other mediums (well, I find this anyway, but then Im a pretty dang inexperienced artist.)

also, that bob dude has an ACE voice. totally the bloke that you want to be talking you under as you go in for surgery or something.