[KICKSTARTER] Mantic's Star Saga

[robh]

Holy crap is this underwhelming

Indeed, but the fanbois are loving it.
I guess everyone is expecting the stretch goals to make it something worth having....which currently is patently isn't even at half that price. Those board sections are dreadful.

There will need to be a good number of decent resin figures (or bucketfuls of the Mars Attacks/Dungeon Saga plastic crap) to make it worthwhile as judging by Dungeon Saga the rules and gameplay will not be up to the forthcoming Osprey Rogue Stars quality.
This is in the same price bracket as the Human Interface Kickstarter ffs.

[palaeomerus]

The box illo and tiles are pretty um...non enticing. It's like really bad placeholder stuff.

Did they not have any art crew ready to push this?

I dunno. I never thought I'd turn down a Star Crusade/Kill-Team/Space Hulk kind of thing but...

It need a few coats of polish.

[palaeomerus]

While the idea sounds good...I've never been more unimpressed with a product than when I received Dungeon Saga.  I sold it the next day on eBay.  As such, I don't see myself going anywhere near this.

Mantic is home of some wonderful ideas, and some poor execution on those ideas (often promoted as "cheaper than GW!" etc.).  

I liked Dungeon Saga though they didn't proff their books and cards well. I had a couple of my resin figs broken and they replaced them. Other than that I guess I resent Epic Mortibris being a box-top promotion or $10.

Tiles and dungeon furniture were nice, the doors were okay. This thing though...lop-sided sci-fi doors? Tiles that look more like diagrams?  A green blah box that I.C.E. would ahve turned down back in their earliest Rolemaster days? Nnnn. Not feeling it.

The figs in DS turned out mostly good except the demons tended to be ankle-bent and the spears were a mess. Mars Attacks figs turned out a bit nicer as board game pieces with the exception of the burning cows joke piece.

I guess my biggest beef with mantic is they raised their prices out of the cheap and cheerful category to where I no longer order a box of skellies when I have no idea what else to do with myself. Their metals start at $10. They stopped making most of the metal dwarves i thought looked good. They want $30 for 3 meh ogres? Nah I'll do Reaper and get them in bones for $15.

And since Mantic's stuff seems to go clearance within 3 months I wonder why they bothered trying to go to a higher price point unless they need to do it to pay overhead, which is possibly an ominous sign that they are over extended.

I have no idea what's up with Walking Dead as I neither watch the TV show or read the comic and don't care about the IP much, certainly not enough to buy a board/table top game of them. But I hear they had gone to a figure nesting packaging like most current CMON games have. That seems like a good idea.

I'm sad that Mars Attacks looks to be dead already. I'm glad I bought a lot of it.

I still think it should have been a late fifties setting with lots of crazy stuff like a weaponized GE power-loader suit, Ontos style vehicles, one of those flying chariot style vehicles...

[CptJake]

I liked Dungeon Saga though they didn't proff their books and cards well.

 

[palaeomerus]

The difference being I paid a couple hundred bucks for their typos. Mine are free.

[beefcake]

I liked Dungeon Saga though they didn't proff their books and cards well.

That's putting it lightly!
"turn to page xx" 

[Tactalvanic]

Ok. I tried, really tried to be positive, and looked.

Sigh. its just a bit to.. meh.

They don't seem to have bothered much, and to be honest I can't be either.

[robh]

The scenery pack is the only bit that people seem genuinely excited about.

Mantic themselves admit the rules are still in Alpha phase and are asking for ideas on how to develop it. So it is the DS kickstarter all over again, promises will be made on game content, formats and rules that will be ignored when it comes to the final version.
The board designs are being rubbished to the point that people believe they are just placeholders and Mantic have the actual art that they will release as a Stretch Goal later on.

Seem to be a lot of people (DS backers) very wary of falling for Mantic's promises again.

I think when the new Doom Boardgame ( https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/7/28/the-invasion-is-imminent-1/  ) comes out backers of Star Saga are going to feel well let down.

[Dentatus]

Renders instead of actual miniatures, Alpha-phase rules, underwhelming artwork, poor track record with previous projects, un-proofed rules, (turn to page xxx. really?) what ever happened to offering a finished, polished product to consumers?

[Belligerentparrot]

Renders instead of actual miniatures, Alpha-phase rules, underwhelming artwork, poor track record with previous projects, un-proofed rules, (turn to page xxx. really?) what ever happened to offering a finished, polished product to consumers?

Brilliantly put! I couldn't agree more.

I really don't understand those who praise Mantic by complaining about GW's cynical approach to customers. 

[rwwin]

The difference being I paid a couple hundred bucks for their typos. Mine are free.

   That one made my day.

Renders instead of actual miniatures, Alpha-phase rules, underwhelming artwork, poor track record with previous projects, un-proofed rules, (turn to page xxx. really?) what ever happened to offering a finished, polished product to consumers?

I agree with you wholeheartedly, but 1,600 backers pledging $174,000 (at current count) seem to think what's on offer is good enough.  As long as people support Mantic's business model, the model won't change.

[Dentatus]

  That one made my day.


I agree with you wholeheartedly, but 1,600 backers pledging $174,000 (at current count) seem to think what's on offer is good enough.  As long as people support Mantic's business model, the model won't change.

Sure, you can fool some of the people some of the time. I mean, I don't wish ill on anyone, but sh*t has has a way of catching up to you. You can only pull stunts like that for so long. Then you find yourself languishing in obscurity - and possibly bankruptcy court.
But I digress...

If actual product is made, I'll might pick up a couple character figs on eBay some day.

[rwwin]

I said the same thing to myself two kickstarters ago but they're still drawing in the crowds,  albeit smaller and smaller each time.

Either way, if they can make the game they promise, I'll pick it up at retail, but won't be backing the campaign.

[Malebolgia]

Changed my Early Bird pledge to a $1 pledge. It just doesn't do a lot for me.

[Gibby]

So they're basically bringing computer gaming's worst Early Access stunts to the tabletop world? Alpha rules asking customers' for ideas and input?! If you've got a game, great! Work on it, be passionate about it, bring us something worth putting money into and getting excited for. Don't come to us asking for money for something you haven't even finished drafting yet!