Medieval. Knights. In. Space. It was this iconic concept which inspired me, aged 12, to start collecting the Black Templars- and I've had a soft spot for these Dressing-Gown garbed Space Marines ever since.
The Black Templars weren't my first 40k miniatures- I actually started my journey in the 40k universe with some Imperial guard models- but as I got more familiar with the lore, it was the Black Templars that ended up catching my imagination.
As a fan of fantasy, who had started playing The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game in 2009, they were the obvious choice when my group of friends were sucked into the Games Workshop vortex of Warhammer 40,000. Deep in the days of 5th edition 40k, whilst my friends were picking up Tau, Orks and Tyranids, I was drawn to one of the older Codices in the store, and for a whopping £15, the Black Templar codex was mine.
Not having much money- my force ended up being a very dysfunctional mix of models, and there was always something janky about playing the Templars in 5th edition, but there was always to satisfaction of my superhuman warriors going toe to toe in melee in a way that marines simply didn't usually do in 5th edition.
Then 6th edition came along. The Black Templars were thrown a bone of being able to take some of the new Space Marine flyers, and included in the allies matrix. Then, suddenly, they were no more. It was announced that the Templars were being folded into the Space Marine codex, and would lose the majority of their rules which made them unique. Whilst I still loved the lore, playing them just wasn't the same, and my interest gradually moved on. As time rolled on to 7th edition, my interest in 40k, and wargaming in general, was waning- and eventually, I sold my 40k models, before taking a 3 year hiatus from the hobby.
The new releases should appeal to me then. In fact, I would argue that I'm perhaps the target audience for Games Workshop. I'm in the Black Templar 'fan base', which their releases seem to be appealing to, with classic artwork, an emphasis on reviving the rules (I see your vows GW...) and bringing the unique feel back- I should be excited. And when the first teaser was dropped, I did have a moment of excitement- a range revival into the much better proportioned Primaris scale- with the classic Black Templar units given the fantastic modern sculpts. However, I've struggled to find the same enthusiasm as the models were slowly revealed. It's not that I don't like the models- I think some of them are fantastic, especially Helbrecht and the Castellan.
The issue for me then is a feeling that the new releases don't represent value to me. When I look at the boxset, it doesn't seem worth £125 to me.
And, it seems people agree. A boxset which Games Workshop clearly thought was going to be very popular, is still available to order- and it didn't appear that they needed to print any additional copies at all. To be clear- I don't think this indicates a failure for the boxset. I'm sure that Games Workshop sold a lot of copies. What this does indicate, to me, is how much of an issue FOMO and scalping boxsets is on Games Workshop's normal releases.
Why does this lack value then? First of all, yes, in my opinion it is too expensive. 13 miniatures, one book and some cards is not much for £125. Warhammer is an expensive hobby though, so the price isn't entirely a surprise- especially as the individual components will likely add up to more than this when they're eventually released individually. What makes it seem expensive is the comparison to other products Games Workshop makes- you can the Age of Sigmar: Dominion boxset for the exact same price at time of writing. There are, of course, some legitimate reasons for this: some Multi-option kits, a limited Codex cover run, smaller quantities of sales expected and a premium to get it early comes to mind. Value is also, of course, subjective, and for some this is good value for the money. What sort of hobbyist buys a box like this then? I would argue that it is the hardcore of fans, who play regular, semi-competitive to competitive club, or tournament games that are going to want a box like this. For the more casual gamer, the painters/hobbyists, or those with less time on their hands- this box doesn't feel needed. I don't need the rules right this moment. I don't need the models right now. Would I like a codex cover with classic art- I guess. Would I like to buy another codex so that I can access the rest of the rules that the Black Templar supplement will be missing- not really. This to me then seems to be the issue- this boxset doesn't seem to know it's audience. They have marketed this release to old school fans, but these are more likely to be the people who won't get caught up in the FOMO, who won't mind about getting rules now, who are more likely to not pick up models as soon as they come out. On the other hand, the gamers who want the latest army and models, or a new wargamer, aren't going to care about the limited edition codex cover- and will wait for the cheaper Combat Patrol box.
Was this a misjudgement from Games Workshop then? I don't think so. I'm sure the long term sales for the new range will be a success for Games Workshop- and this will certainly help the Black Templars gain new fans. Will this lead Games Workshop to move back to limited releases with more FOMO? I hope not, but it would be hard for a marketing team to look at this and not think that this demonstrates the FOMO is needed to sell the volume they want to on these limited box releases.
Will I be getting any of the new models then? The answer is probably not, or at least, not right now. Playing a full game of 40k takes too much time, too much space, and isn't something I massively enjoy compared with a smaller game. Would I get a box of Crusaders or Sword Brethren if they gave them Kill Team rules in a White Dwarf- probably, and I hope they do this. What is most likely though is I get 1 model, the new Castellan, purely to paint, and due to the nostalgia I have for the Black Templars. But for my current hobby, I'm far more interested in my 6mm Templar force- they take up less space, cost a lot less money, and ultimately, I can choose to get the new models when I want- they're going to be around for a while, and if I want to get back into a 28mm army game, it doesn't need to be with the limited boxset released a month or so before the rest of the range.
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