Dear Games Workshop,

Recently, the legal department of Games Workshop demanded the removal of content from a variety of gaming websites. One such site was BoardGameGeek (BGG), of which I am a member. I am extremely disappointed by this action, as it hampers my ability to play, enjoy, and promote GW games. As a result, I and other BGG users will find it difficult to support GW or their games in the future. I have adopted this letter as a common statement of our opinion on this matter, though it is no way an official statement of BGG or its owners.

Even to a company of GW's stature, BGG should be considered a significant online community. There are currently almost 300,000 registered users at BGG and the site receives over 1 million unique visitors every month. During the recent rerelease of Space Hulk, the site's front page (showing recent user threads and contributions) was overwhelmed by Space Hulk related news, images, and conversation. As a result, BGG's Space Hulk page is now the third ranked site in Space Hulk Google results, trailing only Wikipedia and GW itself. Over 2700 users have taken the time to register their ownership of the new Space Hulk release in the site's database.

In the particular case of BoardGameGeek, the recent legal action resulted in the removal of hundreds of user-created files. The vast majority of them consisted of player aids, rules summaries, collected Q&A's, variants, and similar items - tools that encouraged users to purchase and enjoy GW products. Beyond just supporting GW titles, these files reflected BGG users' love of developing a community around their favorite games - many spend as much time discussing such games and creating supporting material for them as they do actually playing. For the BGG community, as in broader social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, the chance to talk with friends about their interests is just as important as what is actually being talked about. The recent legal action undermines this community, discouraging users from investing their time and money in GW games, regardless of their quality.

It would be tempting to dismiss the concerns of BGG's users as inconsequential. Space Hulk is, after all, only a tiny fraction of GW's business in comparison with Warhammer and Warhammer 40K, which enjoy a smaller presence on the site. But such reasoning is short-sighted. Compared to most gaming sites, BGG's demographic is considerably older - many began gaming with Games Workshop's earliest releases, as well as those from TSR, Avalon Hill, and others. Most are educated professionals and thus no longer have the time to paint armies of miniatures. Many, however, are parents or soon-to-be parents of the young adults that GW relies upon to fill the ranks of the hobby. Hobby gaming has become a multi-generational activity, as evidenced by the numerous family gaming pictures and conversations at BGG. Twenty years ago, parents knew nothing of hobby gaming and were happy to support any activity that got kids away from the video game console. But the future will see increasingly knowledgeable adults that steer young people into activities where they are encouraged to contribute to communities like BGG. GW's recent legal actions only demonstrate their ignorance of how consumers' expectations of producers are changing.

I hope Games Workshop will reconsider its position. Specifically, I would appreciate a more detailed, genuine dialogue with BGG's owners and users. The site and its users appreciate a publisher's need to protect its business interests - by all means, user contributions that harm GW or create genuine legal issues for it should be removed. At the same time, sweeping, indiscriminate demands that nullify hundreds of hours of fans' efforts indicate a publisher's disdain for its current and future customers that they cannot and will not continue to support.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME HERE

Hi Games Workshop,

Some twenty or so years ago, my friends and I played the early versions
of WFB, 40K, and Blood Bowl. We enjoyed the games greatly, despite the
fact that (as middle-class 12 year olds) we had little money with which
to purchase all the books and figures we wanted. As your product line
evolved to require more and more rulebooks, codices, and expensive
figures, we stopped playing, as we lacked the money to participate.

I purchased my first new GW game since then just a few months ago, when
Space Hulk became intensely popular at BoardGameGeek.com, my regular
gaming community. Despite the game's price tag and my prior experience
with GW products, I was impressed enough with the reviews that I
purchased not one, but two copies of Space Hulk. I have enjoyed the game
very much and have even picked up a brush to paint minis again for the
first time since I was a teenager. I had even been considering the
possibility of creating a small 40K army or Mordheim band to play with.
My son, I thought, might enjoy playing with them when he got a little
older, and mini painting would be a nice hobby for him.

Recently, your company's legal department sent a sweeping takedown order
to BoardGameGeek, demanding the removal of a variety of user-made files,
many of which were merely summaries of your existing rules/FAQ's or
which were created without the use of any GW assets. While GW may
consider this to be routine legal policy, I find it extraordinarily
disappointing. I enjoy games not just for the experience of playing
them, but also for the chance to participate in a community of players
that talk about and support the games they love. Your company's actions
undermine this community and thus my enjoyment of your titles. The fact
that the overwhelming majority of the affected files only support, not
hamper, your sales makes this action all the more senseless and
destructive.

I have no interest in supporting a company that shows so little love for
their product that they discourage an active player community out of a
thoughtless, short-sighted policy of threatened litigation over every
perceived transgression. Nor would I encourage my kids to participate in
a hobby that supports this behavior, especially when it is so expensive
in the first place. There are numerous other gaming opportunities in the
industry today - I will make sure that we support those in the future.

Twenty years ago, I mowed lawns to buy a couple of $8 blister packs.
Today, my household has a six-figure combined income and two young
children. Your old customers, whom you seem so ready to dismiss, are now
the ones that could be developing a new generation of GW customers and
even reentering the hobby themselves. Your actions concerning the files
at BoardGameGeek matter greatly to me, and to you as well. I hope you
will reconsider your position.

Sincerely,
Todd Pytel

To Games Workshop,

I have been a huge fan of your gaming products for the last 25 years or so and I am the owner of many of your games including, Warhammer, Bloodbowl, Lord of the Rings, Mighty Empires, Talisman, Battlefleet Gothic and my personal favorite, Man O War. I own thousands and thousands of dollars of miniatures for these games that I have purchased and painted over the years. I have actively promoted your products to both interested family and friends, as well as to complete strangers at gaming conventions where I have run many, many games of yours.

Your products have always been appealing and something that greatly interested me (even if a bit pricey) and more often the dilemma I faced was not IF I wanted to buy something you manufactured, but WHICH of the many items could I get with my limited discrectionary funds. Typically I would travel to my local gaming store and buy several boxed miniatures each week and this was something I've done for years. I currently am purchasing your Lord of the Rings miniatures but to give you a more extreme example, I purchased over 50,000 points worth of Man O War ships when the game was in print.

I also have eagerly looked forward to each issue of White Dwarf (my collection is complete all the way back to issue 45) with its monthly collection of amazing photos, new product information, strategy guides, painting guides and battle reports to see what new thing you could tempt me with. Reading about your products and the fantastic events your games inspired always gave me great pleasure and kept the fire of the hobby burning bright within me.

Until yesterday.

Recent actions by your companies' overzealous legal dept have now made me question IF I want to buy your products ever again. I am an avid member of Boardgamegeek (BGG) and the blanket "Cease and Desist" order that was sent demanding the removal of a large number and variety of user made files is deeply concerning to me. Many of these files were simply rule summaries or player aids to HELP people get more enjoyment out of your games and they in no way, threatened the sale (or future sale) of any related products. There will always be those that abuse your copyrighted material, but at BGG, people attempting to profit from any unauthorized duplication were always dealt with harshly by the majority of the active community of gamers. Having player made scenarios, campaigns, player aids, rule summaries, and other files removed from all your games to thwart the actions of an extremely small minority of people is questionable at best and extremly self destructive at worst. The fact that the vast majority of the affected files promote and support your games makes the actions requested by your company even more short sighted and destructive.

In case you are unaware, BGG is probably the world's largest database of game information, has tens of thousands of members and your products receive a lot of support and free publicity through the community of like minded gamers that come to the site.

While your Legal Dept. may consider their actions as necessary and part of company policy, I find it to be extremely disappointing that a large company that relies heavily on the goodwill of it's fanbase allowed such a heavy handed, misguided and ill-conceived policy to be implemented without any kind of discussion with the owners of BGG. It would have been very easy to allow BGG to address your companies concerns in a public forum where an equitable solution could have been reached. Instead, I'm afraid that all that has been done is that you have stirred up the emotions (and closed the wallets) of a great number of fans whose reach and influence goes far beyond the BGG community. These people shop online, frequent their local gaming stores, buy products at your own Game's Workshop stores and promote your products at local gaming conventions. I find it unfathomable that someone actually thought that this would be a good idea to "solve" your copyright concerns.

As for my reaction to this news, let me use the words of another BGG user that summed up his feelings much more succinctly than I could:

"I have no interest in supporting a company that shows so little love for their product that they discourage an active player community out of a thoughtless, short-sighted policy of threatened litigation over ever perceived transgression. Nor would I encourage my kids to participate in a hobby that supports this behavior, especially when it is so expensive in the first place. There are numerous other gaming opportunities in the industry today - I will make sure that we support those in the future."

I could not have said that better myself.

I think that your companies policies about the internet are about 15 years behind the times and you don't recognize the value of an online fanbase. I would think that a company that relies on the disrectionary spending of it's customers would take a more nurturing approach to a perceived problem than to treat them all as potential thieves and apply draconian measures to stop them.

I have defended you in year's past in other debates about your policies and pricing, but surprisingly (even to me), I find I cannot do so anymore. Fortunately, there are many alternatives to your products by other manufacturer's that don't treat their customers dismissively and I know that many others are feeling the same as I. My hard earned dollars will not only go elsewhere, I can also say that they will most likely go farther as well.

I am saddened to say that I will not be purchasing, promoting your products or recruiting new gamers for your games anytime in the future as long as these ill-conceived policies and destructive corporate attitudes are in place.

I think that you have lost sight of what the real goal is - a loyal customer base, as you've strayed off the path of being an appreciated and respected gaming company and headed down the road of detached corporate entity. Everyone knows you are in business to make a profit, but the history of questionable business decisions over the past few years (culminating with this one) are doing more to hurt your bottom line than any copyright infringement issues you may think you have.

I truly hope that you reconsider your position on these matters as I think you have produced some of the best games ever made.

Sincerely,

Scott Di Bartolo
Modesto, CA.

Hello Games Workshop,

I am writing to you today as a prospective customer. I have never really been a miniatures wargamer, but in recent months have come into contact with some of your products and been deeply impressed - specifically, the roleplaying games set in your universe, and the board game Chaos In The Old World.

These two things lead me to spend some time online reading and learning about your impressive catalog of products, and in mid-October, decide to take the leap into miniatures gaming - I spent hours on research, made a large wishlist of products of yours that I wanted for Christmas, and even spent the time to break it down by price and availability. I figured that by this time next year I would be a full blown minis gamer - and why not? I have the free time, the money, and a decent community of Warhammer players here in the town where I live.

But then I saw your cease and desist efforts at Boardgamegeek.com, and other locations on the internet and was shocked! One of the reasons why I had a desire to get into minis gaming was because I knew there was a wealth of resources, such custom reference sheets, rules FAQ's, homebrewed maps, and other items posted there (and a number of other websites) to support my entry into be a neat new gaming hobby.

The idea that you would consider this sort of free marketing and community support a violation of your "intellectual property" is not only ridiculous, but, at least in my case personally, it has harmed your future business. I am not going to argue with you about the ethics of what you've done, nor will I try to convince you your choices were wrong. You are a business, and you will make whatever decisions you will make. But know this: because of your choice to restrict access to the additional online resources I would otherwise have had access to, I have decided not pursue minis gaming at this time. I cannot see getting into a complex and time consuming hobby without the support of those resources.

You have lost yourself a customer, permanently. Shame on you, Games Workshop. I had money to spend. Pity none of it will be yours.

Regards,

Matthew Scrivner
Tucson, AZ USA

To Whom It May Concern,

I am a Games Workshop customer, and have been for many years, now. I had a great run with my Warhammer Fantasy Battle Undead (later Vampire Counts) army, as well as my WH40k Squats army (for the short time it lasted). I have also run several local leagues for Blood Bowl, Necromunda, and Mordheim.

Recently, I have also enjoyed a number of GW-licensed products (including the Warhammer RPG, Chaos in the Old World Board Game, and the new Living Card Game) which were produced by Fantasy Flight Games.

I am not by any stretch your biggest customer, but I have been a reliable customer for well over twenty years, and have spent several thousand dollars over that period of time. I have also, by running leagues, encouraged a number of my friends to invest in GW products as well.

However, your recent actions towards fan-created materials on Boardgamegeek.com and other sites (see http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/48933 and http://www.geekdo.com/thread/467048) are troublesome. For the last several years, many of these (now removed) resources have been nearly critical in the running of my leagues. They’ve provided a wealth of non-official ideas, variants, scenarios, and so on.

It is beginning to seem as though you have lost sight of the fact that gaming is a niche industry that is driven by hobbyists and enthusiasts.

To that end, I am joining the rising number of voices who are participating in a boycott of your products (and those products based on GW-licensed products), and I will be encouraging my friends to do the same. I have no beef with Fantasy Flight Games, and will continue to purchase their (non-GW-licensed) product.

I will be watching BoardGameGeek (and other sites) for signs of a change or reversal in your policy. Should that change come, I will end my boycott.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

Eric Franklin

To Whom It May Concern -

Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta once noted that, "Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."

I was disappointed to learn of the cease & desist letter targeting your fans at Boardgamegeek.com. Not only does it extinguish the candles that may be lighting a passion for your products in others, but it generates a stiff breeze enough to blow out many candles creating a dark mood surrounding your company.

The main difference between a hobby and an eccentricity is that a hobby is meant to be shared and enjoyed with and by others.

The actions of your company directly extinguish the shared sense of enjoyment found from playing your games. Ultimately, that's what Games Workshop's bottom line is about. A product line without the community support that fans have so willingly given to Games Workshop over the years is one that you should be honored to have. After all, it's people coming together at local game stores, and tables in homes around the world that sell Games Workshop games.

When these people aren't competing they're socializing and sharing their passion online. The most significant hub for this activity is Boardgamegeek.com and swiping the fruits of that shared sense of community and hobby from gamers does nothing to further your bottom line. Hundreds of gamers, as I write this are furiously debating how best to protest your actions.

I understand your veracity in defending your Intellectual Property. I do not, however, understand the broad stroke approach to invalidating the hard work, high quality, and love that your fans have poured into after market support for games. Many of these games have not received an any attention from Games Workshop (or your legal department) in some cases 20 years or more.

In conclusion, I'd ask that Games Workshop take the following steps:
1. Re-evaluate your fan-developed derivative works policy.
2. Put that policy in writing some place with adequate promotion.
3. Reconsider the broad stroke cease & desist crusade currently underway.
4. Develop an honest attempt at outreach to the community you quickly alienated to develop a working relation so fans can continue to share within acceptable boundaries, while respecting fan's wishes to extend the life of your games through their creations.
5. Send an open letter to the community of gamers, at large, who support your products looking for input on how to be a more customer focused organization.

Thank you for your time in reading my missive. I hope that you will find the criticisms herein constructive and that, in the future, you will not be so quick to extinguish the collective candles of your fans in a puff of legal hegemony.

Dear GW UK,

I've recently bought a couple of rather costy roleplaying hardbacks relating to GW's Warhammer 40K IP. I planned on supporting that product line by purchasing GW army books and blisters of the actual WH 40K game.

However, as a life long customer of games released by "Wizards of the Coast" and "Fantasy Flight Games", participating in online fan communities focused on their games has become an indispensable part of my hobby experience.

I have noticed your release of a handful of cease and desist notices to these fan based websites (DarkReign and BoardGameGeek, to mention two). I will hence abstain from purchasing your products.

Thank you for help me saving money and giving it to companies which support their fans. I spend a regular hundred quid a month on gaming product, and I am sure these companies will appreciate what you did for them.

Yours faithfully,

Stefan Koller