4Ground going out business… and having a sale

[Harry Faversham]

Spot on about lobbing out for expensive MDF that then needs fettling! Cobbled up about 20 of these for a fiver's worth of cork tiles. Granted, they'll never win any prizes, but they're perfectly OK for wargaming with.

 

[wkeyser]

Hey Poiter50
Take a look at the Kickstater page and tell me where the roman tower was in it. Figures, rules, counters, play mat. That is what the kickstater was about the buildings where for the most part add-ons.  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/250544710/the-legends-of-fabled-realms/description

The really sad part is that it was a really innovative and really fun set of rules, the figures where not that interesting mostly pretty average orcs, elves, medieval humans etc.  But the movement and interaction of the fighters was really interesting.

[Daeothar]

Hey Poiter50
Take a look at the Kickstater page and tell me where the roman tower was in it. Figures, rules, counters, play mat. That is what the kickstater was about the buildings where for the most part add-ons.  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/250544710/the-legends-of-fabled-realms/description

The really sad part is that it was a really innovative and really fun set of rules, the figures where not that interesting mostly pretty average orcs, elves, medieval humans etc.  But the movement and interaction of the fighters was really interesting.

Do you know if the minis were ever released for general sale?

I've always liked several of the crusader/inquisition type faction minis...

[wkeyser]

Nope the minis where not released, however they had literally hundreds done and showed pictures of them on the kickstater page.

Some of the backers are asking for stl files but I dont think those scumbags will do that nor will they give us some of the figures that we have paid for but hey thems the breaks.

[Daeothar]

That's a shame, because at this moment in time, those are the only items from theirs I'd be interested in...

[manic _miner]

 Looks like the KS was a total dud.I was wondering what had happened to the miniatures for this the other Week.

 A real shame for anyone who pledged to it.

 I can also see why they are asking for stl files and pdf's too.

[wkeyser]

Just had another thought for those of you thinking of ordering from 4Ground. I would be very wary of sending money to them knowing that they are closing their doors I would be afraid they would do the same thing as they did with the kickstater, just keep the money.

[Grumpy Gnome]

I was unaware of the Fabled Realms KS fiasco until now. I vaguely recalled the KS but was not interested in backing it at the time and promptly forgot about it. Reading about it now really disappoints me. I hate that kind of behavior.

[nozza_uk]

Shame to hear of their problems, I wasn't aware of the Fabled Realms KS issues either.

If I buy a mdf kit, I wanted it to be prepainted as a time saver and there are cheaper alternatives to 4Ground like Warcradle & Antenocitis Workshop.

I've only ever bought 4Ground kits when they have either been on sale or discounted at shows. There's a lot of nice stuff on they're website, but even with the discounts my wallet is staying in my pocket.

[Elbows]

While I used to be a big 4Ground proponent (if you could put in the time to build them, as they were "too much" for a lot of simple gaming), I have been less than impressed as the years went on.  The KS debacle, the increase in 3rd party MDF, a new crappy website and...I don't know if it bears mentioning but over the past 8-9 years the prices on their kits went up substantially, almost double in some cases.

Kits I had previously purchased for $35-40 are now around $75-80...so it was a red flag to me that stuff was going poorly.  They also announced just recently (within a month of two) that they were going to do another price increase.

So a failed Kickstarter that never delivered to most (or any?) of its backers, a bankruptcy, and rapidly increasing prices - while competitors in the same market stayed at the same price more or less (TT Combat, Sarissa Precision, etc.) just leads me to think 4Ground was simply poor with business/business decisions.  I never like seeing a gaming company fail, but this seems more of their own doing than external forces.

[Spinal Tap]

With the current world situation regarding price increases across the board, businesses failing, unreliable shipping etc., perhaps we will see a renaissance of buying local for miniatures and DIY terrain.

From a global perspective being unable to buy high quality finished toys is a minor point.

I know it's lovely to purchase flash stuff (I'm as guilty as many others) but maybe we need to just enjoy the hobby, the creativity and the people it brings us into contact with a bit more than buying the next big thing.

[NotifyGrout]

For minis? We're a long way off from all digital print-at-home. Bones and Wizkids pre-primed for D&D/Pathfinder are cheap, an easy way to support a local game store _{(especially in the US since we don't have the gaming club culture the UK has, lucky rassem frassem )}, and they're durable.

Once resin printers are cheaper, easier to operate, near-foolproof in printing, and have a completely odor-free resin, then maybe. Or if FDM printers can get as good at tiny bits as resin printers.

For terrain, we will start to see MDF makers close up shop unfortunately, unless they diversify into 3D printed products as well.

Outside of that, it'll be down to:
1) Boutique stuff like Dwarven Forge (especially since it can be bought pre-painted) for the rich nerds
2) Very inexpensively priced MDF like TTCombat and Warcradle (at their price points they are competitive, once you factor in materials and, more importantly, time)
3) 3D printed stuff
4) Of course, scratch-built at home, though even that will end up like film photography- more of an art form than a common practice

[Mammoth miniatures]

I remember their massive display for their miniature game at salute 2016 - I really liked the 40mm mock up minis they were using. Then the KS launched and it was all 28mm which seemed a bit like false advertising, given that they'd been using those big chunky sculpts in all the promo material.

Glad i steered clear in the end cus boy oh boy did it go poorly.

[Mammoth miniatures]

Once resin printers are cheaper, easier to operate, near-foolproof in printing, and have a completely odor-free resin, then maybe. Or if FDM printers can get as good at tiny bits as resin printers.

On the resin front I'd say we're already there. A mars2 will set you back less than a low end laptop, and the water washable resin makes it very easy to process your finished prints. The software kicking around for slicing is all very basic and easy to learn, and there are so many sites to buy pre supported,pre sliced minis now. Actual printer set up is barely harder than with a laser printer.

I have one in my office and it's easier to run than a cricut machine - hell, i'd say it's easier to set up and run than most peoples phone.

[DeRuyter]

On the resin front I'd say we're already there. A mars2 will set you back less than a low end laptop, and the water washable resin makes it very easy to process your finished prints. The software kicking around for slicing is all very basic and easy to learn, and there are so many sites to buy pre supported,pre sliced minis now. Actual printer set up is barely harder than with a laser printer.

I have one in my office and it's easier to run than a cricut machine - hell, i'd say it's easier to set up and run than most peoples phone.

On most points I agree with you. I have never understood the smell issue. I have been using Anycubic Eco resin and frankly the IPA smells far worse! Although it is a bit like adding a second hobby to support the first one.    It is easy to get set up and hundreds of YT videos will show the way. However dialing in your settings is still a bit fiddley.

More and more files for historical gaming are becoming available, some by professional artists and some by other gamers, ranging from free to overpriced. No matter how much you pay for a file the advantage is you now have as many figures as you need. Need another 24 figure unit, fine 4 hours later it is ready to prime. I have not purchased a single physical mini since I got my printer last year (about 250USD for printer and wash&cure station). I have bought loads of files though and by doing so I am still supporting individual artists.