CAV:SO where's the planes boss?

[topcyde]

I was wondering if the new CAV mini's are still going to be N scale? There's no aircraftin the store. I thought there were aircraft in CAV at least the only guy I ever played it with (he had several different taskforces and no one to play) had aircraft and they weren't from battletech because that's what I usually played. My interest rises from, that I'd like to teach my son tabletop gaming and rage is a much better system for a 7 year old than BT. I wasn't into CAV before because I only met one other guy that played we were both in a transient occupation, only working together for 4 months before transferring. I have enough game systems that i have to teach to half the people I game with I didn't want to have one I had to teach to everyone. Now my son is old enough to understand tactics I figure I can get a game partner for at least another 5 to 8 years before he realizes that girls are interesting. I figure if I do a good enough job making him a big enough nerd I can get 10+ before he actually gets a girlfriend. That a long enough time to get a good ROI into a new game. So, where's the planes?

[Brother Jim]

Check the Robot Supply Depot section of the online store. The N scale aircraft models say True Scale, except the Kraken and Dragonfly. But the two packs of aircraft are perfectly usable and a less expensive way to get aircraft.

[topcyde]

Does that mean there's going to be a change in scale for CAV:SO? If so to what?

[Sergeant_Crunch]

The problem right now is that nobody knows what is going on with CAV as a property, let alone CAV:SO.

[topcyde]

So the presently installed customer base has no clue about the future of the product line and the company is content with that? Wow what an ignorant way to run an entirely fan based product line. If my customers didn't know 100 percent that I would be delivering product for the next ten years I wouldn't have a single order ever come in starting tomorrow.

[Brother Jim]

Like the Sarge said, we don't know what's going on with CAV:SO, but the first edition and both JOR's (Journals of Recognition-kinda like a BattleTech TRO) are available online (as purchasable hard copies) and CAV2 should be available as PDF's online for free.

 

The smaller vehicle models were the original releases.

 

Reaper has always been this way about CAV.

[topcyde]

So the new figs are n scale and the old ones are smaller?

[Sergeant_Crunch]

For aircraft and vehicles yes. CAV and infantry have always been N scale.

 

WRT to business practices, the long time CAV fans have come to accept that CAV is not Reaper's primary focus. The fantasy figures have always been their bread and butter that receives the updates and development. Even Warlord takes something of a back seat to the non-game specific figures.

[topcyde]

I admit that it was buying metal minis for tabletop rpg's several years ago is what got me interested in reaper, then building a warlord army. Thats when I ran into the only guy I knew who played cav. They have created two very marketable product lines though with warlord and cav. Its a shame they're not willing to invest in marketing them stronger. Especially in the day when you have social media to help generate some real fanatics for your product.

[Sergeant_Crunch]

The biggest reason is that the numbers didn't work out to do so on the business side of things for one reason or another. As a current business student, I can respect that. May not like it, but I can respect it.

[topcyde]

Being involved in the daily operations at the top of a multi million dollar a month business, I don't respect it. Now I'll tell you I hate salesmen... with. a. passion. In manufacturing those idiot elfs are everywhere. However I have seen in the last few years the necessity of product marketing. I've learned to spend a gob of money and make barely spit back on it but deliver your product like no one else does. In short order you're making more than you know what to do with.

Investing in the latest and greatest technologies, constantly tweaking processes and focusing on turn around and through put are the keys to making any product.

I got a text from the owner when I got back from lunch today saying a new project needed to be done for a customer. We designed, programmed, machined and shipped before fedex showed up this afternoon. Easy. Don't accept that business school bullcrap. Innovate. Do what no one else is doing. Find your own way of doing what needs done. If the numbers don't add up then you're probably using a sinclair calculator. Get a better tool, don't be one.

[Sergeant_Crunch]

Since I don't have access to their data I don't really have much other choice than to believe that Reaper, a company that has been successful in its field, understands its strategy. Not discounting what you're saying, and I understand the power of marketing, but my understanding is that they made the decision that they get more in return for focusing on their core business and innovating there (Legendary Encounters then Bones) than they would by trying to market a game that has now had two failed iterations and distribution/store owners won't touch.

[smokingwreckage]

Investing in the latest and greatest technologies, constantly tweaking processes and focusing on turn around and through put are the keys to making any product.

 

But capital position and risk are the overriding factors in ownership and investment.

[Sergeant_Crunch]

I used to argue that with a marketing campaign CAV would sell like hotcakes. I pretty much gave up hope for further meaningful development of CAV as a game when they announced CAV:SO and partnered with a guy that didn't get his own line of games published. CAV has had a history of development woes since the announcement of CAV2 (my preferred version). Warlord had a lot of issues as well. When you get down to it, Reaper does not have the skill to bring published games to market in a timely, efficient manner. I'd rather they stick to making the figures and I'll use them how I like. They know how to do that well and stay in business and I can buy the figures as long as they are.

 

I think what I was unsuccessfully trying to say earlier is that at least they consider the ramifications of doing one thing over another. A lot of defunct game companies didn't.

[topcyde]

Oh you guys are right. I am well aware a company that is a 20 year game player in this industry is practically ancient. Which means theyre doing alot right.

I am curious as to why they are so gun shy about pushing their own game product and instead just relent to manufacture product for other game companies. I just believe after watching what Jobs did to consumers with the iphone sealed my opinion of broad sweeping public ignorance and how important it is to drive the consumer market. Then looking at companies like Paizo and privateer press tells me that the industry is not dead either.

I think they just need to hire a few marketing people, but getting owners to bring in indirect labor has been the repeated nightmare of my career. One thing they could do is bring someone in they pay a crap salary to but sling a decent production commision on and a good size budget. You put someone with even a modicum of ambition in that situation and watch exponential growth. I've seen some pretty big idiots make that work. I got one here. No salary, all commission clears 1/4+ a year.