Resisting the Siren's song

[kristof65]

Ok, thanks Kim. For those of you who want to read it for yourselves, translate.google.com was the only place I found that could translate from Danish to English.

 

Second - I don't know if the hilarity is the kid's(?) writing style, or the translation, or some combo of both. But I do like the fact that he thinks women should dress like vikings...

[Lars Porsenna]

Eh. Seems to be a take-off from the original http://www.realultimatepower.net/

 

And Ninja can totally take vikings, because vikings are just another type of pirate!

 

Damon.

[Nanite]

Does anyone else find it odd that there are only two products on Advance Order on the GW website right now for all of their game systems?

 

And 1 is terrain and the other is a re-packing of a fantasy product.

 

To be fair, there are at least some new tiles in the Planetary Empires kit, but for the most part I agree with you. I've heard that Space Wolves aren't due until October. That leaves something like 6-8 weeks of no new releases and no new hype. Very Un-GW.

 

I'm miffed that the nice impressive Hive City tile that's front and center on the box isn't included.

 

It has to be ordered separatly. Jerks.

[sethohman]

Eh. Seems to be a take-off from the original http://www.realultimatepower.net/

 

And Ninja can totally take vikings, because vikings are just another type of pirate!

 

Damon.

 

Not sure on that. According to Ultimate Warrior, Spartan is greater than Ninja, due to the shield. But, Pirate is greater than Knight. Knight is similar to spartan - warrior with shield, etc. So Pirate beats Knights, Knight = Spartan, Spartan beats Ninja. It therefore shows that Pirate beats Ninja.

 

Take that!

 

And, to keep on topic, yes - I agree that ordering that tile seperate sucks. I am about done with GW. I already have sowrn off their new IG stuff - amazing what they charge for the lightweight fast attack tank. Yeah, it has options, but come on. They charge it because they can.

[Erion]

To be brutally honest, nobody in my gaming group is really talking about anything produced by GW right now, unless you count the nostalgia for Battlefleet Gothic and Man-o-War brought on by trying out the Uncharted Seas rules. We're mostly talking about Warmachine MkII and Retribution of Scyrah, Uncharted Seas, and Heavy Gear (which has come back from the precipice it was on in 2006 with quite a vengeance). I wanted to be excited about the forthcoming Space Wolves, but I can't get a good froth on about them.

 

Privateer is basically throwing pictures of all kinds of new goodies like candy at a parade. Since late june they've revealed nearly everything coming for the Retribution, some new stuff for existing Hordes and Warmachine factions, a Grind Boardgame and some secret Next Big Thing will be revealed at GenCon on Friday. Uncharted seas is slowly gaining hold locally, so much so that the normally somewhat reticent FLGS owner is investiagting a trade account with Spartan Games. Dream Pod 9 has been announcing and hitting release dates for both models and books for over two years, with a handful or more new models releasing every month.

 

Meanwhile, the "giants" of the industry sit in their ivory tower and withhold information about upcoming releases because they don't like the way people have been talking about them.

 

I've asked this question many times before: Why is it that so many "businesses" in the Gaming industry appear to be under the control of crack-addicted monkeys making decisions by flinging poo at signs hung on a wall?

 

Tell me Games workshop: Why exactly is it that I, as a long-term consumer of your products, should not be able to plan my spending a few weeks in advance for products that you plan to release.? I know for a fact that Privateer is releasing the Retribution Faction Book, a warcaster, the Heavy Warjack Box, one of the Light Warjacks a solo and a unit box for the Retribution on September 9th. I know it's coming, and I'm squirreling away funds to be able to get all of them the day that they hit the shelves. DP9 has announced book releases and re-prints into October, along with Miniature releases at least into September (Black Talons and Liberati look hot). But GW won't tell me anything that's coming out more than a week or two from now. Especially in an economy like this one, where even someone like me (who used to spend quite liberally on my gaming pursuits) is limiting his choices to one or two systems at a time, why do you not want to have your shiny new baubles attracting my attention? I'll be committed to the Retribution order inside of a week or so, and then it'll be too late.

[robertsjf]

GW is The Hobby, we'll do what we want!

[Lars Porsenna]

Not sure on that. According to Ultimate Warrior, Spartan is greater than Ninja, due to the shield. But, Pirate is greater than Knight. Knight is similar to spartan - warrior with shield, etc. So Pirate beats Knights, Knight = Spartan, Spartan beats Ninja. It therefore shows that Pirate beats Ninja.

 

WRONG!

 

As realutimatepower clearly describes, Ninja are mammals. Now I don't recall what Utlimatewarror says, but if we're considering spartans, they are clearly lizards. Don't believe me, just check out every movie Spartans have been in. Clearly lizards. And as everyone knows, lizards are cold blooded, and therefore must wear diapers like a baby. Since ninja are mammals and flip out ALL THE TIME, they are clearly superior.

 

To keep this on-topic, I just bought a box of Khorne Berzerkers today for only a little over $28! I'm gonna flog some stuff on ebay and go back for the $30 box of Striking Scorpions!

 

Damon.

[Lars Porsenna]

To be brutally honest, nobody in my gaming group is really talking about anything produced by GW right now, unless you count the nostalgia for Battlefleet Gothic and Man-o-War brought on by trying out the Uncharted Seas rules. We're mostly talking about Warmachine MkII and Retribution of Scyrah, Uncharted Seas, and Heavy Gear (which has come back from the precipice it was on in 2006 with quite a vengeance). I wanted to be excited about the forthcoming Space Wolves, but I can't get a good froth on about them.

 

Privateer is basically throwing pictures of all kinds of new goodies like candy at a parade. Since late june they've revealed nearly everything coming for the Retribution, some new stuff for existing Hordes and Warmachine factions, a Grind Boardgame and some secret Next Big Thing will be revealed at GenCon on Friday. Uncharted seas is slowly gaining hold locally, so much so that the normally somewhat reticent FLGS owner is investiagting a trade account with Spartan Games. Dream Pod 9 has been announcing and hitting release dates for both models and books for over two years, with a handful or more new models releasing every month.

 

Meh. See the problem I have here is that anything by Privateer Press looks like crap. Oh, the game might be good, but the minis look for the most part stupid IMHO. AND the few times I went out to look at Warmachine fluff, nothing really grabbed me, not like 40K. As for DP9, I rode that train twice so far. Do I go for the 3rd time? Will they drop everything again to do movie effects or someting (like laast time?). Again, meh. IMHO there really isn't anything around that can challenge GW because either they are too "esoteric" or the fluff just isn't as evocative (and no matter what, fluff is what keeps me in the game; why do you think I still fantatically buy Battletech stuff?)

 

Damon.

[Erion]

I think the Warmachine Background is 100 times more interesting than 40k (oddly, I just had a similar discussion with one of my close friends). At least what's in the rule books and No Quarter vs. What's in the 40k rulebooks and White Dwarf. I have found the vast majority of the 40k novelized fiction to be harmful to my higher brain functions. The Horus Heresy stuff has been the exception, and that isn't Warhammer 40k. It's Warhammer 31k. (Privateer doesn't publish fiction for the Iron Kingdoms. At Least not yet.)

 

I liken the situation with Heavy Gear to what happened with CAV (happened around the same time, too). Promises were made, the people involved became distracted by shiny objects and lost sight of the core of what they were supposed to do. The difference is that Heavy Gear realized what was going on and recovered with revised and streamlined rules that still have the flavor of the original, higher quality new and resculpted figures than they had when they started, and a revitalized team and work ethic that has since published six rulebooks and expansions. It's been more than two years since Heavy Gear Blitz! was first published, and they aren't showing any signs of slowing down. They're even going back and resculpting models that were on the schedule before the movie distraction and making sure they get done (Antelop Jeeps, for example). My feelings on what ended up happening with CAV are well known and documented in that specific forum, and I won't open old wounds (and throw the discussion even further off-topic) here.

 

I was never a big fan of Battletech, so I can't say one way or the other there. I do know that some of the old BT grognards around here are all a-twitter that they're going to be seeing some of the original Robtech-style mechs back in the game, but they've told me I still can't have a LAM Wasp, so what's the point?

[Nanite]

I don't get why GW doesn't do a single new metal mini a month. Could be anything, doesn't even have to be for a game. They have a rabid fanbase that will buy almost anything they put out, and they still under-market.

[kristof65]

I'm with you Nanite - I don't understand them either.

 

I find both Warmachine and Warhammer's fluff pretty "bleh" - 40k's is ok, but only because the galaxy is so large that a group of like minded friends can spin their own thing within the 40k fluff, which is what my old group did.

[MikeD]

I think the Warmachine Background is 100 times more interesting than 40k (oddly, I just had a similar discussion with one of my close friends).

I really have to agree with you, Erion. Admittedly 40K has a market presense and fan base that Warmachine still can't touch. However, in terms of rules quality, sculpt quality, and yes "fluff" quality Warmachine has 40K beat all to heck.

 

I have found the vast majority of the 40k novelized fiction to be harmful to my higher brain functions.

I admit I have given up on 40K fiction after trying it out a while back. With isolated exceptions it's hardly worth the paper its printed on.

 

I liken the situation with Heavy Gear to what happened with CAV (happened around the same time, too).

Eh, I was more a fan of Lighting Strike (DP9's space-based mecha combat game) which is I think which they dropped for a while. It is currently back on sale but its been years since it recieved a new rules or miniatures release.

 

I was never a big fan of Battletech, so I can't say one way or the other there.

I used to belong to a couple of gaming groups that were heavily into "classic" BattleTech and I have hundreds of old BT miniatures, but I lost much of my own interest when the publishers focus moved to ChickyTech and the horrid new novel storyline.

 

Really, when it comes down most if not all game based fiction is pretty weak compared to "real" scifi or fantasy novels. It exists only as an appendage to the original game and most of it would never see a book store shelf without that built in fan base if it had to compete on its own in the mainstream speculative fiction market.

[Lars Porsenna]

I was never a big fan of Battletech, so I can't say one way or the other there.

I used to belong to a couple of gaming groups that were heavily into "classic" BattleTech and I have hundreds of old BT miniatures, but I lost much of my own interest when the publishers focus moved to ChickyTech and the horrid new novel storyline.

 

2 things:

 

1). The current publishers have never focused on "Clickytech." CBT has been in constant publication with only perhaps a year or so hiatus. They are barred from writing any DA era books.

 

2). THe Mechwarror books were good -- very good -- for genre fiction about halfway into the series. If you have no interest in Battletech fiction in general, then it should be no surprise, but if you are, I'd go from "The Scorpion's Jar" on, and re-evaluate.

 

Damon.

[Erion]

Eh, I was more a fan of Lighting Strike (DP9's space-based mecha combat game) which is I think which they dropped for a while. It is currently back on sale but its been years since it recieved a new rules or miniatures release.

 

Hang in there. It's on the back burner, but they're supposed to be working on an update for Jovian Chronicles/Lightning Strike. New Models, too. I have no idea when, though. One thing they seem to have learned is if they don't have an achievable date to talk about, they don't talk about dates. Most of the time they don't commit to something until it is all but done.

[MikeD]

1). The current publishers have never focused on "Clickytech." CBT has been in constant publication with only perhaps a year or so hiatus. They are barred from writing any DA era books.

No matter how you want to phrase it, the storyline and focus of the game moved away from CBT and the into the crummy ClickyTech miniatures and the horrid Dark Age stories. Sure the old CTB stuff is mostly still in print AFAIK, but nothing new is being added to that era. I admit I have not really kept up with the game for a while, but since the "Phoenix" resculpts, I don't think there has been many (any?) truly new CBT miniatures released for years, has there?

 

2). THe Mechwarror books were good -- very good -- for genre fiction about halfway into the series. If you have no interest in Battletech fiction in general, then it should be no surprise, but if you are, I'd go from "The Scorpion's Jar" on, and re-evaluate.

I enjoyed the old CBT fiction for what it was, fluff and back story for a game I enjoyed. Some of the books were better than others but none of it was really great fiction and I never would have read more than the first book or two if it wasn't for the game tie-in. As far as the current Dark Ages storyline, I sampled a couple of them and it would not matter how well written they were, I hated how they butchered the storyline and characters in "my" BattleTech universe and cut myself off from anything post 3067.

 

Hang in there. It's on the back burner, but they're supposed to be working on an update for Jovian Chronicles/Lightning Strike. New Models, too. I have no idea when, though. One thing they seem to have learned is if they don't have an achievable date to talk about, they don't talk about dates. Most of the time they don't commit to something until it is all but done.

They first said that several years ago, IIRC. Still, I'll cross my fingers that they do revitalize the line (although I won't hold my breath!). A revised rulebook would be sweet, and there are still some gaping holes in the miniatures lines, expesiallly for the second tier powers (Mars, Venus and Mercury).