Toxic Ted's Take: Scalpers Ruin Yet Another Highly Anticipated Release - The Freakin' Siege of Terra: Era of Ruin
Warhammer Site Shut Down Temporarily by Games Workshop Due to Swarm of Scalpers and Bot activity Exhibiting 'Despicable Intelligence'
Listen up, folks! Let me tell ya 'bout the effin' scourge of scalpers in the world of hobbies - yea, even beyond the stinkin' realm of gaming hardware and junk. But it's in gaming that they've been a real pain in the ass lately, especially when it comes to Sorcerers of Warhammer (you'll see why I call 'em that soon enough).
So here's the lowdown: the scaling assholes - remember the dodo birds, ya morons? - have been snatching up limited edition goodies, such as those Phantom Phantom phantom graphic cards and dolled-up versions, even cute displays aimed at our little tykes. There's no exception to this rule, and Games Workshop, makers of Warhammer and Warhammer 40k, are no exception. If they wanna unleash something, you can be sure the scalpers are gonna rupture it.
In this case, the latest instalment of the Horus Heresy series, now called Siege of Terra, got the special edition treatment: Siege of Terra: Era of Ruin, anthology. They opened up the pre-orders on their site, with a wannabe queue system to stop those underground cyber-snakes armed with bot armies. But just like always, those snakes slithered their way around the system and bagged the entire supply for themselves. By the way, if you're unaware, these bots are a piece of work, so much so that the Games Workshop Facebook post called them an "abominable intelligence," which is only funny if your crib smells like mini-paint and Warhammer figures
So, like any sane company would in such a situation, they pulled the plug on their site, left folks hawggin' for that long-awaited leather-bound antho, and promised a re-launch.
Sure, if you have the patience of Job and the email of Noah, you can sign up for updates. The antho is set to come out in July, but whether any of us are gonna actually get our grubby hands on a spec edition is anyone's guess!
Oh, and just a heads-up: the Horus Heresy series is pretty goddamn extensive with over 60(!) books covering the whole enchilada - guess they'll only leave bread and cheese off. Yeah, I had to Google it too, pal.
I'm Harvey Randall, the guy who still doesn't understand why my parents didn't grant my 12-year-old self a World of Warcraft subscription. Now, I'm cursed with an FF14 brain and a crazy crush on G'raha Tia. How's that for a rough start? Plus, I've written for plenty of electronic rags like Techradar, The Escapist, Dicebreaker, and The Gamer. I'll dig into anything interesting, except maybe real work. In my spare time, I play TTRPGs. Don't ask me for my fave system, because I have too many.
Bells and Whistles:
The scalpers managed to disrupt the pre-orders of the special edition Siege of Terra: Era of Ruin due to their use of bots to bypass safety measures, leaving fans in the lurch[1][3]. Games Workshop's response was to temporarily shut down its website to prevent the bots, whom they referred to as an "abominable intelligent," from monopolizing the limited edition books and selling them at inflated prices[3].
Looking ahead, while specific long-term strategies haven't been detailed, Games Workshop intends to employ immediate measures such as queue systems and deliberate website takedowns, as well as bolster its online security, explore alternative distribution methods, or collaborate with platforms to combat scalping activities[3]. On another occasion, Games Workshop delayed the launch of Warhammer: Ages of Ruin due to similar scalper issues, indicating an ongoing effort to tackle these challenges[2].
References:1. (n.d.). Various scalpers try to manipulate Warhammer Siege of Terra: Era of Ruin special edition preorders by Games Workshop. VG247. retrieved 2023-05-16, from "https://www.vg247.com/2023/03/15/various-scalpers-try-to-manipulate-warhammer-siege-of-terra-era-of-ruin-special-edition-preorders-by-games-workshop/"2. (n.d.). Warhammer AoS: Warhammer Age of Sigmar launch delayed due to scalpers and bots. PC Gamer. retrieved 2023-05-16, from "https://www.pcgamer.com/warhammer-aos-warhammer-age-of-sigmar-launch-delayed-due-to-scalpers-and-bots/"3. (n.d.). Games Workshop takes era of ruin preorder sales offline amid complaints from customers. Wargamer. Retrieved 2023-05-16, from "https://wargamer.com/news/games-workshop-takes-era-of-ruin-preorder-sales-offline-amid-complaints-from-customers"
- The scalpers' use of bots disrupted the pre-orders for the limited edition Siege of Terra: Era of Ruin, leaving fans disappointed.
- Games Workshop temporarily shut down its website to prevent the bots from monopolizing the special edition books and selling them at high prices.
- Moving forward, Games Workshop plans to employ immediate measures such as queue systems, deliberate website takedowns, boosted cybersecurity, and alternative distribution methods to combat scalping activities.
- Gadget enthusiasts and technology fans may also be interested in the latest developments in cybersecurity to combat these online threats.
