The LAF Games Workshop Discussion Thread

[nic-e]

you've also got to remember that GW know gamers better than gamer think.

They know that if they launch EVERYTHING , a whole bunch of gamers will blow their load and then have to explain to their unpainted miniatures that "it's never happened before, i've just been so excited" and then the game will stagnate as everyone settles into playing the same lists over and over and they have to have huge gaps between new small releases.

SO it's far better for the game if things are staggered. A few months here and a couple of gangs , a campaign, a new setting ect ect, it means that people who want to invest in necromunda as a long term game or project will always have something to look forward to while they work on their current project, and they can afford to go all in as time goes on, not get put off by £700 of new releases.


Games workshop know you, they know deep down we all want to be teased. they've got their back to us and they're taking their bra off slowly, rather than giving it away for 20p behind the local co-op.

[boneio]

Except people like me who want to play newcromunda but because the gangs I like aren't out yet, I'm not bothering. Doesn't mean I won't commit in future of course, but I would have thought releasing six core gangs followed by a more steady drip feed would make more sense.

[stone-cold-lead]

To release "everything" at once would be both impossible and stupid af.

Palladium had a bloody good go at doing that with the Robotech Kickstarter, and yes, it proved to be impossible and stupid af.


On the issue of some people wanting/expecting all the main gangs to be released at once we have to realise that GW don't necessarily have the resources we think they do. They don't have a limitless pot of funds, they don't have a vast army of designers working on projects and they don't have vast manufacturing capabilities. Necromunda is a side thing in comparison to their two core games. Design, production and manufacturing likely have to fit around the bigger things they're working on with the AoS and 40K. They've also got Shadespire and Blood Bowl on the go as well, although one of those is perhaps getting a bit more of a push at the moment. It might not be perfect for all of us but in the long run it's likely to help keep a game alive for longer.

Not so interesting story perhaps but I was looking for Shadow War Armageddon pics the other month and came across a forum post somewhere where someone mentioned that their gaming group had moved on from SWA and no one played in their area anymore. It read like SWA was years old yet it was a post made just a few months after the release of the rule set. It may have been a little stop gap game with little support but people moved on from it pretty damned quick even before the release of Necromunda to tempt them.

[Andrew Rae]

Also, Specialist Games is a skunkworks who also have to make products for Bloodbowl and Adeptus Titanicus. I’m sure they’d prefer to release things faster, but probably can’t. They’ve already said some Bloodbowl teams are being done freelance by their in-house sculptors, presumably in their spare time.

[stone-cold-lead]

Also, Specialist Games is a skunkworks who also have to make products for Bloodbowl and Adeptus Titanicus. I’m sure they’d prefer to release things faster, but probably can’t. They’ve already said some Bloodbowl teams are being done freelance by their in-house sculptors, presumably in their spare time.

But GW have millions of Pounds and can fart out plastic sets and games at will! 

Get your tin hat ready for when Adeptus Titanicus is released. I reckon there'll be a hell of a shit storm when it turns out to not be what some people expect it to be. As in it'll be Adeptus Titanicus not a full blown epic scale re-release. The fans can be their own worst enemy at times.

[boneio]

we have to realise that GW don't necessarily have the resources we think they do.

We know they don't. I don't think it's hearsay that they're over-capacity on manufacturing let alone design.

Doesn't mean they couldn't prepare all the gangs in advance and *then* release more than just two at once. The point, I suppose, is that they don't have to. They will know what works for them. Probably.

Re. Adeptus Titanicus, I concur. I'm sure it'll be a hit but I want epic not just titans so, as with all these things, there's no way GW can please all the people all the time!
But just being back in a situation where GW are doing more games than I have time/money/desire for is a good thing, I think.

[Arlequín]

A fair chunk of the market can only run to one purchase a month and presented with two or more choices means at leaat one option doesn't get bought each month. Trickle releases one per month and each one gets bought by the faithful.

Pre-Xmas is the time to release multiple options.

[stone-cold-lead]

They will know what works for them. Probably.

Which is likely why we're getting things released the way they are. 

[Braxandur]

I'm happy with the staggerd release. People can complain about i what they want, but GW actually put together a download making it possible to use the old gangs...  so you don't really have to wait if you don't want to..

Bringing everything out in one go would kill the franchise withing a year. Games keep on being interesting as long as expenasions come out...  realeasing everything is once would be stupid...

[nic-e]

Indeed.
How many of those wonderful skirmish systems that have been launched on kickstarter in the last few years have mqnaged to stay on shelves?

Very very few, mostly because they gave it all away up front and didn't account for the magpie personality of most tabletop gamers.


On another note, The free warscrolls for the fireslayers are interesting. The leader of their warband is so powerful he's been given his own warscroll separate from the unit itself. If you wanted to dip your toe into AOS you could easily do it with a shadespire box and the skirmish book.

[Hobgoblin]

While the near-naked dwarf look will never grow on me, I fear, it looks as if the Shadespire skaven will be quite a pleasant surprise. From that one photo, they look like very dynamic versions of the Island of Blood ones (which are great): scruffy, ragged and (relatively) non-steroidal. I'm sure there'll be one or two with knives on their helmets or whatever, but the ones shown fighting the dwarfs look really good:

[beefcake]

Wow. Looking at those dwarfs makes me want to break out singing YMCA. They are just missing the sailor.

On another note. I wonder if the release of that other skirmish game (orks and scouts, I forget the name) was brought out before necromunda because they knew people would lap it up as a necromunda stand in.

[Kommando_J]

Fair point about the plastic kits but it doesnt change the fact lots of people are pissed about the staggered release of the books, the get you by list is a decent idea but it still doesnt change the fact that it's goig to cost a fellow a fair chunk of change to have all six house gangs in the newcromunda style.

[stone-cold-lead]

Wow. Looking at those dwarfs makes me want to break out singing YMCA. They are just missing the sailor.

On another note. I wonder if the release of that other skirmish game (orks and scouts, I forget the name) was brought out before necromunda because they knew people would lap it up as a necromunda stand in.

Shadow War Armageddon was definitely a stop gap release and a bit of a messed up release at that. The boxed version being discovered to be a very limited release only upon it appearing in the web store and a book release not ready to go or possibly even planned prior to that. Certainly a hiccup in GWs pretty stellar performance over the last couple of years and probably indicative of their manufacturing capability issues. I read on TGA Community that the AoS Nurgle releases this year were due last year for example!

[stone-cold-lead]

Fair point about the plastic kits but it doesnt change the fact lots of people are pissed about the staggered release of the books, the get you by list is a decent idea but it still doesnt change the fact that it's goig to cost a fellow a fair chunk of change to have all six house gangs in the newcromunda style.

I can see the frustration with the gang war supplements. If each was nothing more than rules for a specific gang then whatever, but yeah when they also contain universal rules it must be a bit annoying. At least they're not essential rules for gameplay. I'd imagine that a compendium will be released at some point down the line to cash in on the 'waiters' and those late to the game.