Robotech/Macross game at Cyphan Convention

[kalamadea]

Oh, I'm fully aware of the battletech unseen thing, I've spent quite a lot on ebay over the years getting some of my own, both the ld plastics and the metals. As I said, I got into miniatures with Battletech just so I could play with the Macross models, and I was working at a FLGS when catalyst rereleased the box set. The minis certainly weren't the same quality as you'd expect from GW or Privateer Press, but for the price they were simply amazing and FAR superior than the cardboard standees that FASA/FanPro had used for years. And like most so-so minis, they look pretty darn good if you just take the time to give them a proper coat of paint. Even though the game really hadn't changed any, the new box set got a LOT of people back into the game, and a surprising amount of new players into it as well, newer high school and college age gamers that had only heard about the game from the veterans but never seen it. The game was the same, but the production quality, visual design and layout was leaps and bounds ahead of what FASA and FanPro had been doing, and with the minis in the box (even cheapy ones) it took off for quite a few months. Palladium COULD do the same with their Robotech game and it COULD potentially be a wonderful and popular game, but they won't because it's Palladium. Thats why I said they may surprise everyone . They won't, but there's always that far out possibility.

But even so, Battletech didn't have the staying power and after a few months became just another box in everyone's closet, occasionally brought out again for a week or 2 and then back in the closet. The people that play Battletech regularly are a very, very small amount of the gaming industry, and even Heavy Gear which has been around for years but has really taken off is in a similar category: great game but there's just so many other great games it has to compete with, especially when playing at a shop where you tend to bring the game you know you'll have opponents for. The people that play it week in and week out are the small groups playing at somebodys house, a small niche market which, as I said, may not thrive but could definitely be sustainable and profitable enough to keep going (like Battletech and Heavy Gear have been)

[Elbows]

I agree with both sides.  I think also you have very much a chicken/egg issue here.  Let's say HG/Palladium managed to develop some beautifully sculpted 3D plastics (like many new companies are doing right now), and released an excellent range of models (a box of 3-5 battlepods for $25 etc.) in a battle-tech scale etc...you could very well see an overwhelmingly positive response from old and new gamers alike, battletech veterans, and 40K new guys. 

However...as the poster above aid, the chances of that are slim.  I suspect we'll see a mediocre line of white metal minis half-assed, with poor rules (or no rules, as they've hinted at using models for simply enhancing their RPG)...and it will go un-noticed, and then they'll use that as an excuse "well, we released models and no one bought them!".   It's basically a no win situation unless some young, motivated people get behind it from the get go.

It would be very simple though for Bandai to simply re-release old 1/200 kits...that's about the most likely outcome.  We shall see. 

[mpennock]

Watched the first 3 episodes of macross. It's good stuff. Lots of shooty kill kill with giant robots, little angst and no singing so far.

And the two best mecha pilots in the entire series haven't even been introduced yet....

[Elbows]

But, be advised with 36 episodes, there are probably 6-7 which are entirely teenage soap opera.

[Michka]

Watched the first 3 episodes of macross. It's good stuff. Lots of shooty kill kill with giant robots, little angst and no singing so far.

I've seen those first three episodes at least a hundred times. When Robotech just came out we could only get the first three episodes on video tape. The rest of the series wasn't being shown here in our town, so we shelled out $20 a tape, and each tape had only one 30 minute episode on it. 

Anime fandom has come a long way baby!!!   

[mpennock]

That roy fokker bloke is pretty cool. Flys drunk, chases the birds and has a pirate theme. He is my current fave.

Roy definitely has the cool factor. My previous reference to 'best' pilot was in terms of skill, not coolness. 

When the studio first pitched the show idea that eventually became Macross, it was supposed to be a parody of the then-current batch of mecha shows. Most of that changed in pre-production, but there are still a few vestiges to be found; such as the most eye-poppingly skilled mecha pilot in the series not being the main character (or his mentor).

[Elbows]

Never watched Gundam...though I saw one episode I think, called MS 08th team or something, and it looks rather gritty/realistic - not the white shining laser-sword super knights that I typically see in the models.  I tried to watch VOTOMs for a bit, but it was pretty bad (despite having cool mecha).

I agree with you on Battletech.  I was a big battletech kid for a while too, but I did always find it amusing that the most popular Battletech mecha were all of the stolen designs: Robotech/Macross/VOTOMs/Dougram basically provided the entire 3025 books/mechs.  The homebrew mechs from FASA were quite horrible by comparison.

You've seen the Dougram boxed set on HLJ right?  I'm not entirely sure of the scale, but it's a boxed set of 10 old school Battletech mechs as well.  Let's see if any of my old Battletech comes back, looks like a Griffon...Battlemaster...Thunderbolt...Goliath...possibly a Wolverine?  Shame it says discontinued.  It was only $68 for like 8-10 mechs.  1/144th scale, which is pretty popular for Macross too.

The Atlas of course was basically just a VOTOMs armored suit, so I'm not sure what scale would work with 1/100 mechs...as the 1/48 VOTOMs is slightly larger than 1/200.  Perhaps 1/35 scale?

[mpennock]

I did always find it amusing that the most popular Battletech mecha were all of the stolen designs: Robotech/Macross/VOTOMs/Dougram basically provided the entire 3025 books/mechs.

They weren't really stolen. FASA had a perfectly legitimate agreement with TCI to use the images of the models that TCI imported.

As for Gundam, some of it is pretty good, some of it is dreadful, and some of it is downright silly. Gundam is one of the three pillars of anime fandom (the other two being Macross and Space Battleship Yamato) and there is a lot of it out there. They launch a new series every couple years and not all of them are set in the same universe. Michka and I are partial to the Universal Century stories, which are fairly gritty 'real robot' war stories. The UC stuff includes the original series (available shortened into three movies), Zeta Gundam, Double Zeta Gundam, Gundam 0080, 08th MS Team and a number of others. I would start with one of the shorter series like 08th Team or 0080 to see if you like them - just be aware that they assume that you know the basics of the backstory, so if that sort of thing bothers you it would be best to start with the original series (or the first compilation movie). Otherwise, I'll leave it to Michka to give a better review - he's a bit more of a Gundam geek than I am.

Did I mention that the 1/144 scale Universal Century kits work great in miniatures games?

[Elbows]

Perhaps stolen is a strong term...but let's be honest - all of the good stuff came from other designers. 

I'll have to try Gundam some time.

[Booboo]

Michka, some great looking stuff.

I had some other links saved from other Robotech projects. thought some might enjoy.


http://boyntonartstudio.weebly.com/index.html

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=147276

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=132819

http://www.miniwargaming.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=47764

and some new generation

https://plus.google.com/photos/111810242921855890858/albums/5207146602291766497?banner=pwa


 
Can't wait to see more of your stuff.

[mpennock]

Perhaps stolen is a strong term...but let's be honest - all of the good stuff came from other designers.

No argument there. 

and some new generation

https://plus.google.com/photos/111810242921855890858/albums/5207146602291766497?banner=pwa

Earlier in the thread I mentioned that I might dig out the pictures of my old Mospeada/New Generation project, and now Booboo has saved me the trouble by finding the link to one of my playtest games..... 

[Roebeast45]

I don't know if you all have seen the Japanese version of Battletech but it's interesting to see so many of the Macross and Dougram designs re-interpreted.

http://jubei.ceyah.org:8081/~jandrese/jbt/

[Booboo]

  Booboo has saved me the trouble by finding the link to one of my playtest games..... 

Glad to bump into you here, I found these a few months back and was awed by them.  Great stuff.  Did you sculpt the cyclone armors?

[mpennock]

Glad to bump into you here, I found these a few months back and was awed by them.  Great stuff.  Did you sculpt the cyclone armors?

Yes, I did. In retrospect I probably should have tried to cast them, but those were the first three figures I ever sculpted from the dolly up and I wasn't sure how they'd turn out.

[Booboo]

Yes, I did. In retrospect I probably should have tried to cast them, but those were the first three figures I ever sculpted from the dolly up and I wasn't sure how they'd turn out.

A cartoony look, but fitting, and I like the character in them more than the 3d print I got form shapeways.  And sadly, that model was removed after I ordered my first test figure.  Looks like I'll be having to sculpt some as well.