To Bask in Glory, or to Bend your Head in Shame

This post is a bit of a result of a discussion I had with some buddies in my online community `friends group`. You know, people you tend to bump into on all the forums all over the Net, like Tabletop News, Lead Adventure, The Miniatures Page, SCN, and my local club TSA to name but a few.

It came about when we we`re talking about ordering online, especcially in a wargames backwater country like Belgium, where availibility of manufacturers and ranges is to cry for. IF we are lucky enough to have a store nearby, we can be VERY glad if they have something else then Games Workshop or Flames of War...

Being one of the `pioneers` in the online ordering field in my group (heck, after let`s say the almost 10 years that eBay and online shopping has nested in decently, most still ask me to order for them as you get to know the inn`s and out`s, learn to `virtually` know people and the likes) and the recent development at Wargames Factory (if you haven`t heard, it`s all over the internet at the moment so i`m not recounting the tale here) someone uttered an idea to praise and shame your online `connections` a bit. It`ll probably don`t make a rats ass difference, but it might steer people to order with peeps you like, or for them to do so at own risk with those you personally have issues with...


Those that I Praise my Words for



1. Maelstrom Games: Standard 5% - 10% discounts on the RRP, regular extra 12.5% - 17.5% discount voucher actions, a money back system that adds an extra 1% of your order value in a basket to be used later on, AND free shipping... me like this fella a lot, and have been ordering from him for a couple of years now, never with any problems.

2. Caliver Books. I read a lot. Finding books in english on obscure miliatry subjects ain`t that easy in a dutch / french languaged country. David recently provides me with lecture ;)

3. DVD.co.uk: the current SciFi feeding on television overhere is: Battlestar Galactica season 3, Atlantis season 4, and Enterprise season 3. Nothing more recent. So a uk based, low shipping rate is the salvation for me personally. Very speedy shipping times. Then again, i`m starting to suspect them to already have my parcel ready with the new releases before I even order, forsight et all hehehe. And they have all the classic Who in the range.

Bow thy Head in Shame



1. Black Tree Designs! And I`m not the only one here, in the States people are even considering mass filing lawsuits against them it seems. Ordered a BIG Saracen order back in may, received a first batch of about 10% of the order in august... and then so far zippo. Nil replies, nil merchandise, nil chance to recuperate money after so long.

2. Robert The Black. Small scale in house Star Trek model builder on SCN. Placed an order in september, went dead on the Net afterwards due to personal issues and not being able to cope with his own success. Still has my benefit of the doubt.

3. Big Pat. States based new owner of most of the Future Legend molds, he asked me in january last year for my FL Norway and Steamrunner, so he could refresh the molds. Woudl be compensated with a few extra casts, which I said didn`t matter that much. Still, one year one and nothing came back, before august I had 3 replies he pc went broke and 4 that he would `go to the post office and sent the tracking number onwards`. Of course, this didn`t happen, and after august not even replies came back...

And on the lines at current is Wargames Factory. I don`t know the inn`s and out`s, nor is it my business, but I did place the large War of Spanish Succession preorder in november, and hope to see something of it one day...


Ciao Ciao for now...