The end and new beginnings of Dredd

[n815e]

My experience with Mongoose has been so universally negative, I didn't invest in the miniatures line until Warlord took over distribution and casting.

[Rhelyk]

Not to break LAF's usual friendly demeanour but I'm sure the blame rests on Matt's shoulders. I can't believe so many have been duped for so long by such a weasel of a man. I hope he goes the way of Tony Riedy.

I think that's a bit harsh, Matt is a nice guy and a good games designer, he's just utterly bad at keeping those games around. Whereas Tony Reidy it always seamed like well meaning total-incompetence to me, Matt struck me as well meaning ineptitude. Reidy/Defiance were so bull headed and blind to reality they let it lead them to ruin, blaming everyone but themselves, and take everybody elses money along the way. At least Matt/Mongoose would get the games/figures out, and they'be often be pretty great games, but the production value was not what was promised (often because Matt would overhype it) and they never seemed to have the expansions and new releases planned out to keep the games active and alive, but he/they at least have the sense drop a game before it lead them to complete ruin. Matt can MAKE a game, he just can't make one that lasts.

I still hold B5 to be the greatest space combat game of all time (any of the 4 editions/revisions ) and Mongoose does great licensed stuff, they just never keep it around for more than a few years then let it slip away and bounce around from license to license to license and their original stuff was never very good. Their production was always way more ambitious than they could handle, everything from warped covers on cheap chinese printed books to poorly cast B5 wars ships to the mediocre SST plastics to those horrendous Battlefield Evolution pre-painted abominations that nearly put them under. Because they deal with licensed stuff they tie their own hands with how much potential for expansion they have (if they plan for the expansions at all), then are surprised they aren't making money off the line when all the players own everything they need to play and aren't buying. Then it's "Well, the game isn't selling and the license is expensive, better drop this game too!"

Dropping Dredd is just par for the course with mongoose

[Andrew May]

Oh he's a great games designer and I'm sure he's pleasant to talk to in person. Let's just say that Matt isn't exactly good at actually paying anyone for anything.

[jetengine]

Can Mongoose stop buying IP's ? They ruin them for other companies...

[Inso]

Can Mongoose stop buying IP's ? They ruin them for other companies...

How do they ruin them? By the slap dash approach to the standard of the miniatures they release?

I'd say that was a good thing... then at least if you get the lisence and put out a coherent range of miniatures to go with it, you will quickly win over all the previous nay-sayers and possibly get a cheaper license due to the perceived reduction in demand

[Sir_Theo]

I'd live someone to do a proper Dredd figures range without the 'quirkiness'  of the Mongoose figs.  As it is I have a mixture of Foundry and Citadel Judges with a mix of other ranges mixed in.

Speaking of Mongoose and Warlord why ever happened to victory at Sea? Weren't Warlord going to publish that?

[dieselmonkey]

I'd live someone to do a proper Dredd figures range without the 'quirkiness'  of the Mongoose figs.

I'd love someone do actually do a gameable JD range, rather than a painter's range. Y'know, a bunch of generic judges to go alongside the personailites, a whole load of random perps, some Citi-Def, and a range of civs. There's only so many games you can play with Dredd and Anderson against the Dark Judges/Angel Gang/insert supervillain here.

What I really want is Necromunda in MC-1, not Herohammer.

[Andrew May]

I'd love someone do actually do a gameable JD range, rather than a painter's range. Y'know, a bunch of generic judges to go alongside the personailites, a whole load of random perps, some Citi-Def, and a range of civs. There's only so many games you can play with Dredd and Anderson against the Dark Judges/Angel Gang/insert supervillain here.

What I really want is Necromunda in MC-1, not Herohammer.

That said, given GW's recent amazing output (genstealer cult/admech etc) I think GW getting behind it again would the best thing since sliced bread.

[dieselmonkey]

That said, given GW's recent amazing output (genstealer cult/admech etc) I think GW getting behind it again would the best thing since sliced bread.

Agreed, a modular plastic range alongside a bunch of posed hero models from GW would be fantastic.

[robh]

My money would be on someone like CMON taking it on as a jelloplastic mini heavy boardgame with 37mm figures.

[Andrew May]

Agreed, a modular plastic range alongside a bunch of posed hero models from GW would be fantastic.

As one of their recent "board game" packages complete with card/plastic terrain element, they could keep releasing expansion after expansion.

I'd literally just start a direct debit and wait by the letterbox with a paint set and dice.

[white knight]

You know, I was contemplating selling my (unpainted) Judge Dredd collection, which has most of the Mongoose stuff from the kickstarter and some Foundry and other assorted models. So this seems like a good time then?

[dieselmonkey]

You know, I was contemplating selling my (unpainted) Judge Dredd collection, which has most of the Mongoose stuff from the kickstarter and some Foundry and other assorted models. So this seems like a good time then?

I was thinking the same thing.

Of course I've got to wait for my remaining KS models to turn up first...

[Andrew May]

I was thinking the same thing.

Of course I've got to wait for my remaining KS models to turn up first...

ROFL good luck with that, it's only taken 4yrs.

[Ulfhednar]

Hi, new to forum, found it searching for info on the Dredd stuff.

I've been intending to buy these figures for ages (to skirmish wargame rather than skirmish roleplay), realised it was going OOP too late, only caught the last bit of the Warlord sale and picked up a few things they still had on several orders. I then wasn't able to get enough of the other stuff for it to seem worthwhile (though I have caught up a bit now), so I cancelled one of the Warlord orders I'd made that they hadn't dispatched, for the Expansion Rulebook and Angel Gang box set. They sent them anyway, then caught up with my cancellation email, refunded but very generously let me keep them :-) In the email telling me this happy news, Warlord said:

"As our license on Judge Dredd has almost reached its end, we are currently planning the future for its range and game and re-negotiating our agreements with the brand owners. This may mean that we may decide to modify the way the models will be available.

Please stay tuned on our website pages and newsletter for imminent news on Judge Dredd developments!" (He included the exclamation mark, not me)!

I've been trying to work out what that might mean cuz obviously if this is them permanently OOP, it dictates whether the figures are worth paying over the odds for while there are still new / good condition examples about. But it doesn't sound like the end of World for the game & range. And it may not be in Warlords, or I think more likely Mongoose's hands, the Licence owner may be beginning to realise the very big potential Dredd has (as the Yanks indulge their Super Hero fetish and they run out of steam with it cuz their super heroes are stupid, unlike Dredd), and mean to do something really proper with it.

Eg, they're making proper inroads into America now, that film wasn't box office popular but it has gone cult, and they've got into 1/12th scale Dredd figures (Mezco & ThreeA) and now 1/6th scale too (ThreeA). Interestingly Mezco appear to have recently lost their Dredd license too (even as they were releasing their Lawmaster and it seems with plans to do more), it seems to ThreeA (who were previously running alongside them), and ThreeA are the cool art-house version of the 2, very limited / exclusive punk comic type stuff (their 1/6 scale Dredd has already shot up approx £80 on £155 list and it's not even released till mid next year). So stuff is happening and like it's being rationalised to be bigger rather than dying away.

I wouldn't be surprised if Warlord end up with it all, or Wargames Foundry got involved (it would be perfect for them). If they don't, I'd keep on eye on their range in case that suddenly gets dropped as the license holder concentrates everything. Or indeed as others have said Games Workshop. I'm sure someone will start manufacturing (at least some of) these again, there's too many quality miniatures (like the new ABC Warriors) they've already done that have never been properly on sale, and there's obviously still too much demand for the range.

Btw, if like me you're looking for troops to bolster East Meg forces (and aren't a Dredd cannon purist), Konflikt 47 hvy Soviet infantry have a nice star moulded onto their fronts and I think would work well. And Sally 4th stock Pulp Fiction figures, and their Weird Menace Radon Zombies would work great as something, maybe cloned troops for the Soviets or just as invading aliens :-)