The LAF Games Workshop Discussion Thread

[Shub-Nullgurath]

Dunno if you guys have noticed, but Laurence John Blanche (yes, THAT John Blanche) is on Facebook. And he's posting some amazing art and miniatures:

[Cubs]

Yeah, he posts on the Oldhammer sites every now and then. He paints his miniatures the way he paints his pictures; you can just imagine a cloud of flies around them.

[Shub-Nullgurath]

Yeah, he posts on the Oldhammer sites every now and then. He paints his miniatures the way he paints his pictures; you can just imagine a cloud of flies around them.

He really loves red.

[Too Bo Coo]

Dunno if you guys have noticed, but Laurence John Blanche (yes, THAT John Blanche) is on Facebook. And he's posting some amazing art and miniatures:

He sent me a friend request... wonder how long that's been floating around???

[Tactalvanic]

To be honest my main suspicion of the 'board-game" push by GW and its possible marked success was partially if not mostly because the miniatures are effectively counters and markers, are a bit 3D - rather than discs of cardboard or plastic - or lower quality minis often found in other games. Bringing boardgames into the coven of the GW hobby looking for something a bit different to their normal fair?

I think possibly also because of other companies to, marketing much higher quality boardgames, have influenced that market to, and raised the bare regards what some people expect in the box.

Certainly its unlikely that they are impressed with the rules that GW create for them sometimes...

So, if true, it looks like AT re-vamp/issue will have to be able to stand up as a rules set of quality to have a chance, even maybe giving people options to use proxy units...?

[Major_Gilbear]

I understood that AT is actually being handled by FW, and that GW are only providing the plastic ruins terrain.

Therefore, the "starter set" just being the rulebook, counters, and terrain doesn't seem too far-fetched. The intention I suppose is that players can get the generic starter bundle and then add whatever Knights and Titans are in the first releases to it as they want. I also suspect that FW will do various launch-day bundles, for example the starter plus two Reavers and two Warlords for £200 (or whatever).

There are currently no plans for anything other than Chaos and Imperial Knights and Titans, although some vehicles, fliers, and troops may be added to the game via future expansions if the game does well enough.

At the 8mm scale, the intention is to shrink and re-detail the digital files that were originally used for the Reaver, Warlord, and Knights. That's partially why the 8mm was chosen - at 6mm the details became too small and the parts became too delicate. As somebody who had a some FW Epic, I can attest to how ridiculously delicate most of the models were, and therefore have *some* sympathy for the apparent reasons behind the game's scale-change.

Knights are supposed to be about the size of GW's current crop of plastic infantry models (maybe Terminator-sized?), and the Reaver is supposed to be about the size of a Deadnought. I guess that would make a Warlord about the size of one of the bigger FW Dreads/AdMech Robots.

Given the projected sizes of the Titans, and using the FW Dreadnoughts as a price-guide (even down to Legion-themed bodies, and separate weapons), I can see a Reaver costing around £45, and a Warlord around £60. I'd hope it's cheaper, but as the game is supposed to be about 3-4 models a side I can't see it personally - it may even be slightly more expensive. I guess that's the other reason they won't be putting models in the starter-set.

[Hobgoblin]

Yeah, he posts on the Oldhammer sites every now and then. He paints his miniatures the way he paints his pictures; you can just imagine a cloud of flies around them.

One of the things I've read about John Blanche's miniatures is that he tends to use much thicker paint than most people would and quite literally treats the miniatures more like a 2D picture. However he does it, I love it - both the more intricate things he used to do and the freer, more "painterly" recent stuff. With both his and Aly Morrison's stuff, there's an amazing inventiveness that's quite above and beyond the (considerable) technical ability.

[Andrew Rae]

I'm getting the feeling GW is trying to move further into the board game market. Their break with Fantasy Flight might have something to do with it. It would make sense. Sell AT as a "board game" with tokens and make the miniatures a options for the wargamers, double your target audience with the board gamers who don't do miniatures. This is total speculation on my part though.

I don't think it's that. It's just that a box with multiple FW resin 8mm titan/knight models would be a massively expensive single purchase. That doesn't look good at first glance. So they'll sell the rules in a box with other bits and pieces (but not stand-in titan tokens), and the models separately. It'll still be massively expensive to get into, but without the knockout sticker price upfront.

[nic-e]

I don't think it's that. It's just that a box with multiple FW resin 8mm titan/knight models would be a massively expensive single purchase. That doesn't look good at first glance. So they'll sell the rules in a box with other bits and pieces (but not stand-in titan tokens), and the models separately. It'll still be massively expensive to get into, but without the knockout sticker price upfront.

Plus alarge part of the game is meant to be tweaking your titan loud outs, and it's easier to just buy your titans in bits that pay for a box of titans you might not use.

[beefcake]

However if they did them on plastic sprues that would allow for a wide range of weapons etc to go on it (unless they are doing adeptus titanicus in 28mm!)

[zemjw]

unless they are doing adeptus titanicus in 28mm!

They do - link. It's 5 titans, so probably just a starter set for a single player

Single Titans are available to expand your force if required

[Tactalvanic]

They do - link. It's 5 titans, so probably just a starter set for a single player

Single Titans are available to expand your force if required

Aahhh... now 8mm sounds so much more cost effective and affordable.

Do they do a GW gaming mat for the 28mm version?

[YPU]

Do they do a GW gaming mat for the 28mm version?

Just buy 12 of the realms of battle boards, they snap together.

[beefcake]

They do - link. It's 5 titans, so probably just a starter set for a single player

Single Titans are available to expand your force if required

Yep. Remember that from a few months gone. Was more specifically referring to the upcoming game though. I bet some people out there will be using the rules for 28mm scale battles though. Madness. (may as well just make up a giant Genestealer suit and pretend to be a tyranid titan.

[thenamelessdead]

Made my first GW purchase for years yesterday in the shape of the new WD. It appears to have been restored to magazine status rather than mini-catalogue, so that's good to see. Shame it's £6 but this is not only a GW problem.

What prompted my buying WD is the coverage of Blood Bowl. I am happy that they decided to keep the tried, tested and much vaunted rule set and it is pleasing that they will be expanding the teams, not just doing a one-off game as I had feared. The only downside is the scheduling of Death Zone but in the grand scheme of things I don't think this will put many people off. When you consider that the old boxed game was being flogged for a ludicrous £50 a few years ago even after the range had been allowed to die the new box isn't badly priced, although still at the limit of what is acceptable as is usual with GW. If I had anyone to play BB with these days I might consider buying this even though I already have plenty of the 3rd ed stuff.

Can't believe I am saying this but is the GW corpse stirring? They seem to be making a surprising number of good decisions lately, with the exception of the awful AoS.