So, the Horus Heresy has ended. Were I given more time (along with a working laptop and a workplace which actually has a staff number which meets requirements) there would likely be a few thoughts on that. It's coming, hopefully, but for the moment there is something more pressing to discuss.
With the end of the Horus Heresy itself, Games Workshop has announced that there will be a full series following the Siege of Terra. The number is estimated to be eight books in total, perhaps with a number of short stories surrounding them as well. In of itself, this seems like a questionable decision. Three books, perhaps four and an anthology, seems like all that would be needed to fully cover the Siege. While there is some room for the space-based conflict, stretching it out further seems like it could repeat some of the Heresy's more egregious mistakes. With that being said, judgment will be reserved on this until I at least see the first of these books. For a lot of people, that has suddenly been made much, much more difficult.
You see, scalpers are a problem with every franchise, but Games Workshop and Black Library have been largely successful in escaping them. While certain special editions will run out after a few hours, you can still find others on store shelves weeks or even months after their release, ready for purchase. This made it easier to get around the usual issue of people uploading products onto eBay at three times their buying price, or purchasing them in bulk. While those could be found, they were typically limited only to highly-praised and well-known series of works by Aaron Dembski-Bowden. Or both, given that probably goes without saying. However, it was steadily becoming worse, and this latest collector's edition finally opened the floodgates
The Solar War was the straw which broke the camel's back, and it was understandable why. It was a follow-up to a hugely popular series, had a few excellent bonuses, and one of the best covers to date. As such, within hours, every scalper, nutter, and guy looking to exploit the limited run for all it was worth rushed the website. Crashing the page several times, every book was rapidly pillaged and claimed by the scum of the earth, leading to copies appearing on eBay at six times the selling price.
You might be saying at this point that this was bound to happen sooner or later, and that Black Library should have been prepared for this. To a point, I would agree. Those running the publisher could have kept an eye on how this trend tended to play out with other media, or even companies such as Nintendo's mini-consoles. They didn't even need to pay that close attention to them, just to read the headlines and outrage. With that being said, the sheer scale of this spike was nevertheless ridiculous. It jumped from the most popular books disappearing in a few days with the odd dozen showing up online, to The Solar War disappearing in a few hours due to scumbags buying them in bulk.
In previous years, at least the Tom Kirby helmed years, that was where this likely would have ended. Games Workshop was outfoxed, but made all the money they wanted, and this hobby became a little more toxic as a result. Thankfully this wasn't the case. Within a day of outrage from this particular debacle flooding social media, Warhammer Community (a Games Workshop page you should seriously pay attention to, along with a couple of great podcasts) had a post-following up on the announcement. It can be read in full here, but within the first few paragraphs the writers quickly addressed their mistakes:
"Before we get to that though, We’ve also got some important news on the limited edition of The Solar War to share with you… read on!
Last weekend saw The Solar War, the first book in the new Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra megaseries (like a miniseries, but approximately 1000% more epic), released as a lavish limited edition. We’re aware that there were some issues with the release on the Black Library site, and we wanted to let you know about the steps we’re taking to make sure future limited edition releases run more smoothly.
From Book 2 onwards, the limited editions will be available exclusively on the Games Workshop webstore – and they’ll be limited to one per order, to ensure everyone gets the best chance to get their hands on a copy. In addition, there are some copies of the limited edition left over after the website issues – and there will be a second chance to get your hands on them in May, when the hardback, eBook and MP3 audiobook formats are also released."
While it doesn't outright cite their error or the issues behind it, it does admit to the fact that they were aware of the problem itself. The very fact that this limitation has been imposed to one per order is a step toward fixing this error, and it is a rapid solution. They cannot instantly reverse or alter the damage done, but they can shore up their defences for next time. This act is a clear indication of a desire to do better, and I think that is something that Games Workshop isn't credited often enough for doing. Ever since Kevin Rountree took control, the company has seen a massive shift toward boosting PR and being far more proactive in fixing problems. The fact that this was put through mere days after the fiasco, and promoted ahead of their major hype-building article, makes it evident that they desired to avoid future failings.
Another definite area to bring up here is that the company admits that there is always some wiggle-room when it comes to these products. The means that, intentionally or not, they can withhold some to allow for others to pick them up should they miss the initial rush. By keeping some in reserve like this - or even forcing the website to delay for updates - it can more easily avoid efforts to limit widespread sales to customers. Even if scalpers seek to grab them all at once, that will cause them problems. After all, being forced to buy them one at a time - and account for far higher postage costs - will always create issues for bastards more concerned with money than the product itself.
So, overall, while it is a failing on Games Workshop's part, I can't help but applaud the response. Rather than giving me reason to drag them over the coals thanks to this, it's one more reason to be thankful that the entire franchise has encountered a new golden age.
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