Post by eathotlead on Dec 14, 2018 17:09:15 GMT
First, in response to the OP, I also feel key players leaving is a bad sign. As far as the rest...
After reading most - but admittedly not every page - of this long thread, I agree with a lot of the observations. The one thing I think was under-emphasized was PP's destruction (for the most part) of their own forum community. The resulting diaspora and reliance on scattered social media has been depressing. With the apparently necessary dissolution of the Press Gang (which weakened local communities), it seems to me that co-removal of their online community was a double whammy that hurt. A lot. I've used the metaphor* before, but when you have customers in your store, your chance of making a sale is just plain better. You don't drive them elsewhere, then wonder why sales are down.
Further, the atrophy of fluff down to a trickle gives guys like me far less to get excited about. I'd definitely pay a reasonable subscription fee to access regular online fluff. I'll happily read other faction or IK stuff if I know I'll see my beloved Khador or Merc stories on a rotation. The once-reliable fiction drove my excitement to buy new dude-manz. "Oh my God, Gorten took down the Deathjack?! Puh-lease put his epic iteration on the horizon, boxed with new Rhulfolk! I'll take the lot!" Painting, converting, discussing, and occasionally playing was like participating in a novel as it unfolded.
And this may be even more specific to me, but shifting to Lock-n-Load on the distant West Coast as the premier PP event (when it was once drive-able GenCon) cut me out of the loop further. On the old forums, I used to eagerly post pics of new releases in the glass cases and see others doing the same. Very exciting! But spending hundreds on a flight before even reaching the events and products made it all a non-starter for me. Again, YMMV.
...You can see how the developments above intersect, as well. Local community shrunk, active central online community not really an alternative, fiction at a trickle, premier event inaccessible. Not good for ol' eathotlead.
Obviously, the above is just a personal history and my own observations. I honestly don't know whether I represent a significant demographic. I only play rarely (at charity events) but I don't even want to count how much money I've dumped into PP purely as someone seeking immersion, community, and hobby opportunities.
(*Actually it's almost literal here.)
After reading most - but admittedly not every page - of this long thread, I agree with a lot of the observations. The one thing I think was under-emphasized was PP's destruction (for the most part) of their own forum community. The resulting diaspora and reliance on scattered social media has been depressing. With the apparently necessary dissolution of the Press Gang (which weakened local communities), it seems to me that co-removal of their online community was a double whammy that hurt. A lot. I've used the metaphor* before, but when you have customers in your store, your chance of making a sale is just plain better. You don't drive them elsewhere, then wonder why sales are down.
Further, the atrophy of fluff down to a trickle gives guys like me far less to get excited about. I'd definitely pay a reasonable subscription fee to access regular online fluff. I'll happily read other faction or IK stuff if I know I'll see my beloved Khador or Merc stories on a rotation. The once-reliable fiction drove my excitement to buy new dude-manz. "Oh my God, Gorten took down the Deathjack?! Puh-lease put his epic iteration on the horizon, boxed with new Rhulfolk! I'll take the lot!" Painting, converting, discussing, and occasionally playing was like participating in a novel as it unfolded.
And this may be even more specific to me, but shifting to Lock-n-Load on the distant West Coast as the premier PP event (when it was once drive-able GenCon) cut me out of the loop further. On the old forums, I used to eagerly post pics of new releases in the glass cases and see others doing the same. Very exciting! But spending hundreds on a flight before even reaching the events and products made it all a non-starter for me. Again, YMMV.
...You can see how the developments above intersect, as well. Local community shrunk, active central online community not really an alternative, fiction at a trickle, premier event inaccessible. Not good for ol' eathotlead.
Obviously, the above is just a personal history and my own observations. I honestly don't know whether I represent a significant demographic. I only play rarely (at charity events) but I don't even want to count how much money I've dumped into PP purely as someone seeking immersion, community, and hobby opportunities.
(*Actually it's almost literal here.)