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I feel the need to make something abundantly clear before i go on: I hate Games Workshop. I hate what they have become, i hate the vast majority of decisions they have made over the past seven years when it comes to things like prices and the content of their boxes and i hate their greedy money grubbing attitude. I cant stand what they have become over the time that i have spent in this hobby. This is why i have been pushing the alternate Games Workshop model line. These companies deserve your money more than GW do, they respect you as a customer with decent prices, models per box and customer service. All of these things are found wanting in GW.
I believe that everytime a person buys a alternate model instead of a GW model because of the alternate model posts on this blog that that is a small victory. Its a victory because that person has saved themselves money, a company that deserved that money got it and that GW was in some small way punished for their pricing. But i dont believe that the ends justify the means, that this blog should try and divert sales from GW using any method, no mater the cost. In other words i feel that a line must be drawn, one that shouldn't be crossed and that line, for me, is promoting recasters. Laws should be respected, and what GW is doing doesnt, in my view, merit the breaking of laws, which recasters are undeniably doing.
"So", you ask, "Why if this is your view have you allowed these posts to remain up so long, why has it taken you until now to remove them?". A very good question, one that has several answers. Firstly i understand where Jayden, my co-author here on this blog and the author of the recaster posts, is coming from in writing these posts. He is of the same view as my when it comes to GW, except that he still likes their models (Jayden stated his view more articulately than that in his post "Why GW doesn't Deserve my Money"). I understand that view and was willing to let the post remain regardless of my discomfort felt due to their presence.
Secondly i try to be my own harshest critic, i look at every major choice i make and poke holes in that choice, which i will then try to defend so that the end choice is as good as i can make it. There are some mental gymnastics involved. Recently i was looking over the choices i made in regards to this blog and came to the conclusion that i needed to draw a line somewhere in regards to my anti GW stance (all this is explained in a above paragraph).
Thirdly i wanted an outside opinion on the recaster posts. I wanted to know if i was being to harsh or if i was drawing the line in the wrong spot. I seeked the opinion of some of my most trusted and valued friends and the response was universal: I should remove the posts. The reasons given came down to a moral aspect, that it was immoral to promote people who ripped off other peoples work for their own profit, regardless of motives. Not all of my friends said those exact words but i felt that was what their reasoning came down to.
Fourthly we have had a few complaints about the subject. Links to our blog are not allowed on the forum Dakka Dakka due to the recaster posts. I want to make it clear that i feel no ill will towards the fine folks at Dakka and i completely understand why they made this choice. Their forum stood to be shut down by order of GW if they were seen to be allowing links to blogs that promoted recasters. We have had a few other complaints and everytime one is made i talk with the person making the complaint in order to resolve the issue. In fact it was one such complaint that lead to me deciding that no new recaster post would be published.
The final reason is my own growing discomfort with recasters. Regardless of their motives they still are taking other peoples product, remaking it, selling it for a cheaper price and profiting from it. Its a selfish exercise even if the reasons are selfless. Its also illegal and morally grey if not flat out wrong.
I know that people are still going to be angry/disappointed at this decision. The two posts in question are some of the most viewed on this blog. But i want this blog to be known for things other than recaster posts. I also acknowledge that people may think less of me due to the removal of the posts or my stance on GW. To these people i say that i understand, but hopefully you will now understand why i removed the posts, as always i will be more than willing to debate with you in the comments section.
And finally to everyone who read this post and understands my reasons and is happy with the end result i say thank you, its you people who i write my posts for and will contine to do so. Thank you and until next time.
Rex
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