The product has left China. It was loaded, processed, cleared customs, and we have an estimated arrival of July 24th. This is welcome news indeed. This represents the last of everything needed to fulfill completely the KS for EVERYONE.
Project Update #66: Post GenCon and Pre-Production
Posted by MERCS Miniatures Like
GenCon
GenCon was a huge success. Recon and Conflict were very well received. We had in-booth demos for tabletop, Conflict, and Recon. They were packed the entire con.
Sales portion
Demo portion
A special thanks to Chris Doughman, Johnny Grogan, Aidil Timas, and Dan Tobin from www.snap2cover.com for helping out. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Recon
Conflict
Recon
Things are moving forward quite well. We are intending to send files and minis to production at the end of September. They have made some assurances as far as how many molds can be created in a month…and I will be able to see if their estimates are accurate at the end of October.
I am in the middle of mission creation and 2.0 lore writing. Keith is sharpening character art (used in Recon and 2.0). Tom is finishing the last of the sculpts.
Next update will be about pledge manager and show some of the polished character art. We might also have one or two of the special characters to show as well.
Pledge Manager
It is basically ready. We are doing some internal testing and making sure everything works and costs are calculated correctly for the various zones. We expect it to go live very, very soon.
This PM will be open for a while. Stretch goals will be able to be unlocked through the PM. You will have the capacity to change address and update anything you wish at any time.
Conflict
We had some early copies of Conflict for GenCon. The rest come in about 18-20 days. By that time, we’ll have some info on address through the PM, and will send them out.
Tabletop 2.0
As mentioned above, I am still writing lore about the individual MERCS and the factions. We now expect 2.0 to be delivered with Recon in January.
Things we Love
Our friends over at Mantic Games are running a brand new Kickstarter project to make Dungeon Saga - a classic adventure board game where mighty heroes battle evil monsters in a tight and twisting fantasy dungeon!
Dungeon Saga: The Dwarf King’s Quest is the dungeon adventure board game for 1-5 players, ages 13 and up, written by Jake Thornton and produced by Mantic Games.
Pop on over to the Dungeon Saga Kickstarter page to find out more. Dungeon Saga is now funding on Kickstarter. It closes Sunday, August 31st
Pledge manager is live - if you backed Dreadball Xtreme it's the same pledge manager so you can log in using that link rather than wait for an email.
Of note each of the add ons includes an additional international shipping fee - this is something they just slipped in there with no mention of it - it's being questioned in the comments no response yet though. For example the all in Mission Pack add on now costs $125 rather than $100 due to $25 added shipping fees. So if your add on is more expensive than you thought that's why. I just confirmed the basic order as I don't want any add ons after how they have handled European Myth shipping.
Project Update #67: Recon Pledge Manager
Posted by MERCS Miniatures ♥ Like
It is finally time. Thanks for your patience. Emails will begin to go out tonight and continue over the next few days.
What’s now?
1. You should receive an from the fantastic folks at PledgeManager.com very soon! When you receive your email, you will need to click on the link and just follow the simple instructions to get started.
2. Once you are in your order, you just need to confirm the shipping address where you’d like to receive your rewards and confirm your order. If you would like to add additional goodies into your order, you can do that to. If the process isn't clear once you're in, take a look at this overview to see how easy it is to confirm your order: PledgeManager - Quick Overview
3. Once all orders have been confirmed, we will work to create your rewards. Details will follow over the next few months about fulfillment. We'll most likely be using a fulfillment service for the Recon KS.
4. Once the rewards are completed, we will begin delivering rewards.
What is PledgeManager?
PledgeManager is a specialized fulfillment tool that will help us get your rewards to you as efficiently as possible. PledgeManager is intended to improve your experience for the period after Kickstarter but before reward delivery. It offers you the ability to review centralized information on your PledgeManager projects through a single sign-on. You can change your shipping address up to the moment of reward shipment, and even track the progress and delivery of projects you’ve backed that are loaded in PledgeManager.
Why PledgeManager? Can’t you just get my information through Kickstarter?
It’s true. Kickstarter does offer a survey tool that we could use after our project ends. However, it’s fairly limited in functionality and we feel it ultimately doesn’t meet your or our needs. With PledgeManager, not only can you update your shipping address and track the project delivery, but you can also select the detailed reward options for your reward level, and add more rewards that you may have missed. For us, using PledgeManager means accurate and detailed orders for our manufacturers, cleaner shipping and handling charges (especially for international backers), and knowing that the address we’re shipping your rewards to is the right one. Not to mention it gives you, our awesome backers, complete control and visibility into your order and shipping information at any time!
If you have any concerns with using PledgeManager, feel free to reach out to us directly and we can work out your order details. Just be aware that it takes more time to address people one-on-one (and that's a lot of 1's and 0's to sift through) so please be patient if you'd like to manage your order in this way.
I was going to load up via the pledge manager, but after how they handled shipping to non-US backers, and distribution at GenCon, I think I"d rather just wait for retail release.
I'm, ah, kinda' pissed with the self-righteous and full of themselves attitude... glad I didn't back mercs now, despite being pretty seriously tempted.
Bad customer relations has been a serious factor in at least a couple companies losing my business now.
Adding extra shipping costs after the project funded,
Unacceptable
(although they could for post KS additions)
if they can't proceed without the extra cash they would need to ask (not demand) the extra cash and offer full refunds for those that did not want to proceed
Good lord! I'm glad that I suddenly cut back to just the base pledge during the campaign, otherwise I'd be facing a 20-25% increase across the board!
It's actually at least comprehensible for the mission packs - they're bulky and contain cardboard tiles, but they're having a laugh if they're saying it costs an extra $2 to ship a couple of plastic 28mm models in an extremely bulky order.
Alpharius wrote: I went in for a minimum "Pledge Manager Invite" only pledge and...
...I don't think I'll be increasing it!
You and me both. I guess I'll save my money for the SoB pledge manager instead.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh well, it looks to me like the extra charges might well be intentional, and it seems like it was "always there plan" for people to have to pay shipping on extra things purchased in the PM with funds that weren't part of the original pledge.
Which makes total sense! I mean, there's a massive difference between money pledged during the campaign (which they lose 10% on between KS and Amazon fees) that unlocks stretch goals, and money pledged during the pledge manager (which they lose 3-5% on from Paypal/CC fees) that unlocks stretch goals. Completely different things!
And I must compliment them on the great job they did during the campaign explaining the difference between these two options, so that everyone pledged as early as possible and drove the total even higher. Christ.
The pledge manager is set up wrong and is being fixed - you only pay extra international shipping on items added above your pledge total - which makes more sense but it would still have been good if they had let people know that during the KS.
Project Update #68: Recon Pledge Manager International Shipping
Posted by MERCS Miniatures ♥ Like
First, the PM is NOT working as intended in regards to overfunded pledges. It is is not differentiating between what backers have bought (dedicated money in the KS for) and are buying (added afterwards in the PM).
We are working towards a solution. My best advice is to be patient and DO NOT check out yet. You have plenty of time. Relax, this will get this sorted.
Second, if you purchase add-ons post-KS funding (directly from the PM), you will have to pay shipping.
Third, the Recon PM will become an open PM next week. Those people who want to get in on Recon who missed the KS will have a chance to buy in. PM backers will have to pay for shipping for each add-on...which is why that element was in place. It also provides a bit of a bonus for those KS backers as you won't have to pay for shipping for things paid for during the KS.
Lastly, as you can see the PM is much smoother than the first in function. We are confident the international shipping will be fixed shortly. However, we are working with another group so they will be the ones working on it...thus the call for patience.
New update posted - looks like you can add stuff WITHOUT additional shipping up until Sept 12, or something like that. The idea was not to screw KS backers, but rather to open things up for new backers, who could add to the campaign total and help with unlocking SG's, but would have to pay a little extra in shipping.
Megacon's communication style is full of self-inflicted wounds, and this looks like yet another one. HOWEVER. Their final solution seems entirely reasonable to everybody. I'll be adding to my pledge, for sure...
They had a post the day following the pledge manager going live that there was an error in the calculation on the PM and that it was being fixed, and by the next day it was fixed. Certainly the new PM, which is third party, is to be faulted but their reaction to it seems to be in line with what could be done. People who paid for the erroneously calculated extra shipping can have it as a credit for other stuff or get a refund.
Ahtman wrote: Certainly the new PM, which is third party, is to be faulted
Nah not really.
The onus is on Mercs to do a final test of any PM they decide to go with to ensure the data is fully accurate and it is working correctly.
It wouldnt take an hour to whip through a domestic US test pledge, a Euro test pledge and a RoW test pledge and check the results and check the prices of the products and shipping.
If they released the Pm without a single test then that beggers belief and really would show a level of incompetence that I would rather walk away from.
Ahtman wrote: Certainly the new PM, which is third party, is to be faulted
Nah not really.
The onus is on Mercs to do a final test of any PM they decide to go with to ensure the data is fully accurate and it is working correctly.
It wouldnt take an hour to whip through a domestic US test pledge, a Euro test pledge and a RoW test pledge and check the results and check the prices of the products and shipping.
Which is why there has never been a single patch to software ever in the history of computers. No one could possibly miss something, right?
Barring that, I was referring to their response to the problem, which was being complained about. We know they aren't a big enough company to have someone on 24/7 to respond to issues and it was even pointed out in the comments on KS that people should wait till they are awake instead of wanting to hear something at 2am EST. Once they were there and saw the problem and responded to it. I'm not sure how they could have done much differently: they told the backers what was going on, what they were doing to fix, and got it fixed within a day. They are giving refunds to people who want them and credit for those who would rather go that route.
Sining wrote: They're pretty much not faultless at all
I don't think anyone has said they are faultless, and I know I sure haven't said they are faultless. I agree that the problems with the Pledge Manager shouldn't have happened in the first place, but they responded to it as well as any small company could. My only point of contention is relation to this incident. I don't blame the international backers of Myth for not being happy with how it worked out.
Ahtman wrote: Which is why there has never been a single patch to software ever in the history of computers. No one could possibly miss something, right?
The PRIMARY PURPOSE of the pledge manager is to show the correct prices for the relevent products and it FAILS in its PRIMARY PURPOSE which would have been detected with a SINGLE HOUR of TESTING.
In the big scheme of things it is like a company that sells mobile phones apologizing because whenever you press the '3' button it shows a '4'.
MangoMadness wrote: The PRIMARY PURPOSE of the pledge manager is to show the correct prices for the relevent products and it FAILS in its PRIMARY PURPOSE which would have been detected with a SINGLE HOUR of TESTING.
You have no idea if that is actually true as you weren't involved in it in any way, shape, or form with the creation, advertising, management, or promotion of the PM software and support. It is speculation, pure and simple. The product did show the prices for the items, where it was messing up was when it was calculating shipping costs for international.
MangoMadness wrote: In the big scheme of things it is like a company that sells mobile phones apologizing because whenever you press the '3' button it shows a '4'.
Besides the fact it isn't actually like that at all, cell phones have had issues and had to be patched to fix them. They are on iPhone 5 and it still gets updates because issues are found, same with Android.
highlord tamburlaine wrote: I was surprised at all the new figures that magically entered into the mix at ten bucks a pop.
I'm going to have to think long and hard if I want to add anything to my order.
Can we add stuff more than once? I owe Barzam an expansion or two, and I'm not sure how many sets of drones I want.
I would be more tempted by the $10 models available in the PM if there was some place where I could see the models. It would be nice if they put together an update that showed all the KS minis that are now for sale in the PM. Of course factoring in all of the mnis I'm already getting with this, on top of everything else that I still need to paint I probably wouldn't have pulled the trigger on any of them anyway.
I was a bit disappointed that the location minis, drones, doors, etc. were only unlocked as add ons and not included in the box set. I would have preferred to get more stuff that made the core game more fun to play than extra factions that will likely gather dust for a few years before I get around to painting them or playing them.
Yeah it's all the extra mercs you could have purchased individually through the PM.. so if each faction currently has 6 - 7 models in it but the two starter sets (and indeed the mission packs) only have 5 models per faction then there were always going to be a few models you would have had to purchased to complete a faction.
So "All The Mercs" .. which adds up to ~24 models.. really should have been called "All The Rest Of The Mercs"
They have somewhat listed it out,..... 39 figures for $220
Seems a bit steep,.... And it is really geared toward tabletop players who want the complete 10 man groups to go along with the TT cards and the 2.0 rule book that came in the larger pledge.
In fact they stated that player boards for Recon for these models would not be available until a later date,..... So while it could be extra content for the boardgame down the road, it really isn't today.
Everyone at the Agent level or higher will automatically get the Texico Marshal sculpt!
We set the next goal at 200k in the Pledge Manager. On the previous update, someone in the comments suggested that the next Stretch Goal unlock a female Hunter model. We thought that this was a great idea. Here is the concept.
This particular character is rather dear to Kenny's heart. Since she is a Myth crossover miniature, backers at the Myth level (and higher) will receive this model if we hit our goal!
Yeah, well,... They don't have to offer them at all in a PM, so I look at these as just extra gravy. You have to admit that the first one was pretty sweet @ $100k - a whole new mission pack, new faction, 5 new Player minis and two special employee minis,.... More tiles, etc.
And the goals then reduced to every 50k,..... I'm not sure that it will go much further than that, if it even gets there at this point as most of the really interested folks have already locked in their PM,....... Though you never know. (You can continue to unlock and add things at any point up until they close the PM - somewhere in the middle of Nov
I do really like the art of this EIC faction,... I'm interested to see the individual poses:
yamato wrote: Yeah, well,... They don't have to offer them at all in a PM, so I look at these as just extra gravy. You have to admit that the first one was pretty sweet @ $100k - a whole new mission pack, new faction, 5 new Player minis and two special employee minis,.... More tiles, etc.
And we as backers do not need to update our pledges, it simply is a continuation of the kickstarter outside of the kickstarter.
In any case, it is a comment of how much their stretch goal gaps make no sense 100k 7 minis box ectr, 50k one model, either as some people suggest they use kickstarter to make more money than it is needed for the project, or they really lower the stretch goals and use the big gaps to even out the actual costs.
I see 5 player boards and 2 special minis but not 5 player minis and two special minis in that picture. Are we referencing something else?
Automatically Appended Next Post:
PsychoticStorm wrote: either as some people suggest they use kickstarter to make more money than it is needed for the project
Because all other Kickstarters tell people to stop giving once they hit the amount they seeking? Every Kickstarter wants more than is needed becuase it allows you to do more, expand the line, and be better prepared for the unexpected. I've never seen a single one say "We only asked for $5k and we reached $5k so no one give us anymore".
Ahtman wrote: I see 5 player boards and 2 special minis but not 5 player minis and two special minis in that picture. Are we referencing something else?
I am assuming the 5 player boards is a typo and mean 5 miniatures.
PsychoticStorm wrote: either as some people suggest they use kickstarter to make more money than it is needed for the project
Because all other Kickstarters tell people to stop giving once they hit the amount they seeking? Every Kickstarter wants more than is needed becuase it allows you to do more, expand the line, and be better prepared for the unexpected. I've never seen a single one say "We only asked for $5k and we reached $5k so no one give us anymore".
As I said what people suggested is that the streatch goals are overcosted for what they are to deliver, not that they would refuse people to give them money.
I got the add on expansions, the collateral damage discs, a few sets of drones, and the big mech to lead them into battle against those pesky humans.
I figure all that plastic right there will be more than adequate for any near future tabletop scenario I decide to play, if I can't make heads or tails out of Recon's rules.
I like the overall look and feel, but not sure if I 'trust' them to get the material or the rules 'right'.
Plus, you know, the whole gaming budget...
When does this pledge manager close?
I'm sure they'll give us a warning, but I need to check the schedule - and the finances.
Winter Christmas is coming!
I'm pretty much in the same boat as you... I gave them $10 in this campaign with the intent that I could add more in the pledge manager. When the pledge manager first came out I thought about uping to the $200 level plus the $100 addon but since then I've gone back and fourth. Right now I'm leaning more towards the just leave it at $10 options...
I actually think, based on playing this at both Adepticon and GenCon that MERCS is going to get a lot more "right" in regards to the rules than MYTH did.
IMO, what MYTH is trying to be is actually a pretty innovative way to write boardgame rules; I simply think it was too much Brian's "baby" and didn't see enough input outside of his own group (where, of course Brian could explain things--these things are the areas where it didn't seem to translate well in the MYTH rulebook.)
RECON has, IMHO, seen a lot of growth in rules clarity in those 4 months from Adepticon to GenCon, so to me it indicates that they're either getting better/more playtesters involved, or simply that they're willing to make more changes to improve the game than they were with MYTH.
Now, don't get me wrong. It could suffer from the same problems, but my experience tells me they're working quite hard to get this one "right" and that they've learned a lot from MYTH in general.
I actually think Shotten is one of the most innovative game designers working today, so I really think if they get the Rules "right" here, its going to be a huge home run.
At worst, You have a bunch of awesome minis that you can use for Infinity, or even the MERCS table top game, which is actually very fun.
Just the pledge for the games and the stretch goals is going to net you a hell of a lot of figures.
At the very least you'll have a bunch of security guard/ law enforcement types and civilians which can probably find their way into a variety of modren/ near future/ scifi tabletop games. You're looking at around 18 or so civvies/ non combative figures with the stretch goals, and at least another 14 with the expansion bundle, nevermind all the other goodies you get..
I know there were threads on Board Game Geek from game testers who were outside of MegaCon's immediate circle claiming things were a lot more intuitive, and they were actively trying to play as thick headed as possible in order to make sure the rules really clicked, without any guidance from the MCG guys. Those threads were what made me a lot more confident in backing Recon in the first place.
I felt pretty burned by Myth, not only in rules, but their weird/bad attitude... if it'd just been the former, I'd have been a lot less hesitant to go in, but the combination wasn't gonna' do it.
Regarding the minis, they need to be pretty damn good for me to want to clean all that restic for minis without a game I care about.
I know there were threads on Board Game Geek from game testers who were outside of MegaCon's immediate circle claiming things were a lot more intuitive, and they were actively trying to play as thick headed as possible in order to make sure the rules really clicked, without any guidance from the MCG guys. Those threads were what made me a lot more confident in backing Recon in the first place.
This is where I am.
@Spiraling - I think a lot of the "weird' attitude came from a few things:
1. Just based on interaction I had with them over the course of a few cons, I think MYTH was Brian's "baby" and they didn't get a lot of outside playtesting first. I think he was overly protective of the rules, as such.
2. Keith had just had a baby during fulfillment, so I think that added to a lot of his stress.
3. It was their first KS and first boardgame overall. And there were 3 people in the company at the time. I'm giving them some "growing pains" benefits of the doubt.
Brian, Keith, and Kenny are all really nice, genuine guys. I don't think any of the abrasiveness from Brian is ever intended; its just sort of his personality because he's a little out there. Smart and likeable, but out there.
I think Recon is going to be a big success, but thats honest to goodness speculation on my part based on playing the game as a third party at two conventions.
I think Recon is going to be a big success, but thats honest to goodness speculation on my part based on playing the game as a third party at two conventions.
You mentioned you saw the rules evolving between conventions. I played it at Pax East, but didn't get a chance to check it out at GenCon. I remember thinking the Breach and Clear seemed a little convoluted, but overall it was a great start. What changes to gameplay did you see at GenCon?
Alpharius wrote: "Restic" might be the final nail in the coffin for me here...
Is it confirmed that they're using "restic"? I thought part of the reason for the kickstarter was to help fund making all of the MERCS team figures in plastic. I never paid much attention to what material they were using but I got the impression it would be better than restic.
I thought they said hard plastic for mercs and the same as Myth for the non mercs.
Megacon, for me, has an intriguing art direction, sculpts that try to get close to that art direction, but are hit and miss (hit on Myth miss or Recon) and they try with the rules, some are more innovative than they should be other not, but overall not bad.
The only thing I really do not like on their company is the ego they show, maybe unintended, maybe because of confidence in themselves, but the recon Kickstarter showed a company that I could hardly recognize.
I really hope their Recon (and Myth) experience will put some humility in their heads and help them evolve in a nice company with great staying power.
I also hope their sculptor gets the convey the concept art feeling better at least with their later sculpts.
I also hope their sculptor gets the convey the concept art feeling better at least with their later sculpts.
You're just spoiled by Infinity
Please do not take it that way, I am not expecting the same level of detail as Infinity, far from it it would detract from the visual appeal the concepts have, Myth had a great transition between art and sculpts, maybe because all sculpts are new, Recon maybe because some sculpts are reused? (and are old) does not seem to have that same transition.
Re: PM closing,.... They indicated the middle of November in one of the updates.
Re: restic / plastic,.... The last update that mentioned this was that they intended to make the OpFor and employees with the same material as the myth figures, but they intended to use an upgraded plastic material for the MERC team member figures.
No real details there,.... But it's what Tom (sculptor) said.
1. How did they "screw" their international Myth backers?
2. How do they deal with customs? Do they ship from EU or will I have to pay 25% sales tax+customs fees on top the price?
3. Am I correct in assuming an international pledge including shipping was $140 during the campaign and $180 now? $180 is probably too much to swallow even without customs fees...
4. Do you actually get all the Stretch Goal minis free with $140+ pledge or are they paid addons? Seems like a HUGE pile of minis if it's the first. Is there a complete list/picture of all the content including Stretch Goals?
5. How much of the KS content and Stretch Goals will be included in the retail version?
1 Essentially they send us both shipments on the second wave while US backers got their game first and after they got it they released it in the wild. of course in the meantime it was found out how awful the rulebook was but they did not include an updated version to our pledge at least as a consolation.
2 They ship to their distributor and he sends them so no customs fees
3-4 No idea really sorry for that.
5 As irrational as it may sound they include nothing, same with Myth, the kickstarter may be a nice deal for the backers, but does not upgrade the core product one bit, which frankly in both cases could have used an upgrade and become a more desirable product.
I just have no idea what, if anything, I want to add.
My KS gut tells me to only add the KS exclusive stuff, but as much as I like the Office, I'm having trouble caring about the Dwight Schrutte mini.
I do like the greens of the Die Hard guys, though.
For some reason, I thought it was mid-December.
I kept my add-ons simple:
All In Add-On Mission Packs (simply a no brainer value wise)
Collateral Damage Discs, Location Minis, Drone Minis (can never have too many terrain bits).
I hit a KS tipping point with exclusive minis that I'll probably never get around to painting or playing with them, so no real reason to bother. I tend not even to get them for flipping on eBay anymore.
PsychoticStorm wrote: Funny I cared not at all for most of their exclusive, (most of) the homage characters look so out of place it hurts
Dunno, most of them are cop/security types so... eh. MUCH more concerned with how awful the sculpts seem to be coming along based on greens. Monkey faces, all. Carl Winslow pointing his gun...straight up for some reason? Guy from the office, super monkey face. Tango or Cash, incredible 80's sculpting homage.
I don't know how you can make an Ed-209 have a monkey face, but I'm sure we're about to find out.
Yes, it was the only one I ordered! The most recent photo we have is just of the (completed, I think) render, so hopefully the material won't cause too much detail loss.
I still think that making the big-mech Kickstarter exclusive was a misstep - you wouldn't want to run into one every mission, but I think it'll make a nicely dramatic final confrontation vs. just simply fighting opposing MERCS. Although with...12+ factions in the game, and your group only being able to play as one at a time, I might be glad of the enemy variety!
Bioptic wrote: Yes, it was the only one I ordered! The most recent photo we have is just of the (completed, I think) render, so hopefully the material won't cause too much detail loss.
I still think that making the big-mech Kickstarter exclusive was a misstep - you wouldn't want to run into one every mission, but I think it'll make a nicely dramatic final confrontation vs. just simply fighting opposing MERCS. Although with...12+ factions in the game, and your group only being able to play as one at a time, I might be glad of the enemy variety!
Bad: Delayed production by the manufacturer (assuming Panda) due to no place to store completed games????? Yep, that is true,... sad but true.
The dock worker strike that has already been resolved has caused a back log at the LA port that they say will take months to clear,.... even more ships are anchored off shore waiting to get in. Worse yet,.... most of the shipping containers on that side of the planet are taken up by this process, and warehouses in China are bulging with goods that should have already shipped out.
So it seems, that while everything has been in the cooker, ready to go for some time; they can't push the big red button on the production line due to the back log of products that cant ship out to the US,....... who knows how long that will take?????
Good: MCG have been flooding KS with updates of all of the production sculpts,.... a big bonus is the new bases which replicate the normal TT bases, but with integrated markings (scribed lines) to indicate facing. They have been putting up an update each day.
First was the FCC House 9:
Images are from the factory, and not the best, but you get the idea:
Housemaster, Housemember, Engineer, Spy
Boomer, Saboteur, Bedouin, Shock Trooper
Liaison, Pack Rat
Everyone will get the Sabotuer. If you added the Silent Operative Expansion or the all-in mission pack add on, it will include:
Housemaster
Pack Rat
Chem Engineer
Spy
Shock Trooper (Boomer)
The others were only obtained if you added them on through the pledge manager.
Well, these Mercs are a mixed lot of quality, but at least there are a lot of them. They couldn't change the foot on rock to be foot on box of staplers or something? Did they bring the rocks with them, just to awkwardly pose on?
ArtIsGreat wrote: Well, these Mercs are a mixed lot of quality, but at least there are a lot of them. They couldn't change the foot on rock to be foot on box of staplers or something? Did they bring the rocks with them, just to awkwardly pose on?
They'll be the same figures used in the TT game, so I can believe the rock being building rubble better than I can see a box of staplers in the middle of the tundra. As long as the minis don't lose too much definition from the metals, I'll be pretty happy. Current project is painting up the starter sets and so far they've been great to work with.
ArtIsGreat wrote: Well, these Mercs are a mixed lot of quality, but at least there are a lot of them. They couldn't change the foot on rock to be foot on box of staplers or something? Did they bring the rocks with them, just to awkwardly pose on?
They'll be the same figures used in the TT game, so I can believe the rock being building rubble better than I can see a box of staplers in the middle of the tundra. As long as the minis don't lose too much definition from the metals, I'll be pretty happy. Current project is painting up the starter sets and so far they've been great to work with.
Ah yes, this was funding for plastic versions. I'm changing my complaint to: Why didn't they fix the godawful ugly ones? EU and sedafu are pretty derpy in metal, now we have them in all new derpy plastic? Also, Housemaster for Christ's sake, Housemaster.
Anyone know which House 4 guys come with the expansion for them? I know there are tons of extra guys. I like the heavy, sapper, and survivalist, so based on the fact that I like them, I'm sure none of them are included in the box.
Anyone else looking forward to Lockdown besides myself? I wish they'd make some corpse pile tokens, to give the appropriate 80s action movie piles of bodies clogging the hallway.
Especially as someone eventually will have to come up with a Die Hard John Mclaine mode, with the lone cop stuck in a building under siege. You'll need those corpses littering the halls!
So, I'm ashamed to say that I have only just started to work on my Myth stuff and I'm really not enjoying the style or quality of the plastic miniatures. I will keep the game for when my kids are ready to move on from SDE but I am now regretting backing Recon.
So, er, before I put it on fleabay does anyone (preferably in the UK) wanna buy an OpFor pledge level with all the Mission Packs? I'd probably keep the 2 (?) Myth hero models but everything else is up for grabs.
Just an FYI - the MERCS hero figures are supposed to be different than the MYTH figures (and all the others in Recon); so you might wait to see what the final product looks like,...
still, the other NPC's (security forces, employees, special characters) are supposedly made in a similar fashion as the myth ones,.... I guess it all remains to be seen.
Sefadu:
Medic, Demo, Heavy, Shock Trooper
Gunner, Engineer, Berserker, Sniper
Leader, Pathfinder
Everyone gets the sniper,.... if you bought the mission pack or the "All-In Mission Packs" add-on, they you get:
Leader
Pathfinder
Gunner
Engineer
Berserker
the others were only available through individual add-on or via the "All Your MERCS are Belong to Us" add-on in the PM.
I just finished painting up EU, CCC and Kemvar...working on Kaizei Waza now. To me, there's a cartoon like quality to the sculpts and I say that as a good thing. Once I started thinking of the game more like a modern take on the 80's cartoons I enjoyed as a kid, I started to appreciate the sculpts that much more.
I know that these pics are bad,..... but I'm concerned that the plastic that is being used is not holding the detail that is in the existing pewter models (granted,.... that perhaps they can't hold the same detail),...
but the details look "soft" on these. I hope that some of this is due to the poor pictures :/
That's a fair point. Detail is pretty deep on the pewter minis, so I'm hoping the softness is more a measure of the pictures than the material loss. I prefer pewter and have all the starter sets, so crossing fingers the plastic ones to fill out each faction won't stand out too much.
They said the pictures were not good from the start, so there is hoping to that, the material is known and Myth holds good detail.
I still think the sculpts do not represent the artwork style as good as myth does, they feel in between, they either needed to be more "cartoony" to be like the artwork, or more realistic/ detailed.
In case anyone missed the update here's the relevant bits
TL: DR - Probably shipping in July although even that's vague and the tabletop rules are delayed to Q4 - so next year then
We are close to the end now! You have until the end of June to alter your mailing address. All addresses in place July 1 are the addresses being used. To change your address you need to access the pledge manager.
DO NOT email us to change your address. The system in place allows you to update your own address. We ARE responsible for shipping packages to the address on record. We are NOT responsible if that address is wrong.
Each package should have an itemized list of what is in the box. We’ll put out an update when the fulfillment group receives the product and when they begin to mail stuff out.
MERCS Tabletop 2.0
We know that the book and cards will NOT be in the Recon shipment. Hopefully, by the end of the update you see why. If you want the short version: card and idea redesign led to a large rewrite of the book and it not going to print in time to be included in the Recon shipment. ..................
............Closing
We remained quiet because we were hoping to get 2.0 to the printer in time for the Recon shipping. We were not able to do this. We are getting final feedback on the cards and the rule book is in editing.
We felt it was important for MERCS table top players, both present and future, to get you the best 2.0 we could. We hope you understand. It really is a better game because we have taken extra time with it. We aren't just giving you 1.0 with a face lift. In my opinion, 2.0 is a better game in every way.
We expect it to go to the printer shortly after Gencon and be shipped in 4th quarter. There will be another chance to update your address before table top 2.0 is mailed out.
They really need to manage their projects better and communicate better rather than clamming up when something goes wrong even Myth Journeyman has gone silent with just a PM some time in the summer comment recently.
I've noticed that many creative types (ie, project creators) feel the need to put a lot of energy into their updates while at the same time tap dancing around set-backs. The net effect is (what seems like) months between updates and a wall of text that opens up more questions than it answers.
Fairly frequent, short, declarative sentences and facts are all that's needed to keep people engaged and not going into rage mode.
Everything is there to try the game out if you have the desire to do a little printing. All they have held back is the Waza team, and more of the mission cards. (and I guess the back sides of the tiles),... but still, every game card, player board, full punch board items, etc is all there,.... there are even dice templates.
not bad!
I don't have the time my self to do all that,.....
One of the lessons we learned from Myth 1 was things change about every week and to tell the backers what is happening hurts you immensely more than just dealing with the facts and delivering the product. And for the most part this has been true. Regardless of how you feel about our communication, the backlash and anger was much worse with the first Myth KS. Reminding people that they aren't getting something every week tends to be taken poorly. We have tried to do an update per month. We haven't always succeeded so we thank you for your patience.
In the past I have CAPITALIZED words so that skim readers can get the jest of what an update quickly. I didn't intend it to be confrontational, but I have read that some feel it is rude. That is not my intention. I simply want to communicate what I need to say quickly and without a lot of platitudes. And for readers to not miss things I feel are important. Sorry, I didn't mean to come across as rude or insulting. I am very much a "just the facts" kinda person.
Rumors
However, rumors have grown and with good reason. Rumors of a lost shipment, rumors of cash flow issues, rumors of us not even finishing the game. I will address what I can then deal with the facts as I know them.
It has been rumored that our shipment has been lost? This is not true. See Fact 1 below.
It has been rumored that we are experiencing cash flow issues so we need the money from the next KS to push out the previous one? Also not true. We manage our monies quite closely and keep a significant amount in the bank as a reserve. I understand this rumor started in response to an update I did detailing the need to get Emergence Event here. That had more to do with how we pay production and shipping. We pay production up to 50% front and 50% after we have the product in house or at fulfillment. Recon's producer was really pushing hard for us to pay the full payment so they could "expedite" Recon. We weren't going to pay the back 50% for Recon when we had not even got Emergence Event in house. And I can tell you it was a good thing we didn't. See Fact 1 below.
There is even a rumor that Recon doesn't exist? It does. We have a large amount of payment receipts that could prove it, but we would rather just get the product to you. However, it has to be up to our standards and of the quality you were promised. See Fact 1 and Fact 2 below.
Facts
I can tell you there have been issues, major issues. And those issues have pushed Recon back further than we would have hoped. We haven't shared the problems until now because the solution was very much a moving target.
Fact 1: With Recon we are using a new printer/miniature maker based off a recommendation. We received samples from them and selected the hardness of plastic and delivered everything as we would normally. The early samples came back perfect and we were off to the races. We are a careful group and periodically ask for production minis. The printer delayed sending them and really tried to avoid it all together, all the while pushing us for payment. This was the first red flag.
Finally, they sent us "production minis" in June. Now, you should know, these are actual miniatures like the ones you would have received in the games. Long story short, they were not the same plastic we had agreed on. We told them in no uncertain terms that this was unacceptable and we feel they kept this from us until they thought we wouldn't have the time or courage to have them redo it. They were wrong. The minis you would have received were inferior in every way. We would rather be more late than give you something that was not what we promised. It doesn't matter that everything was done. They were going to have to redo them.
We haven't said anything to the backers because we didn't even know if we were going to convince them they had to redo them. But as I mentioned above, they still haven't been paid the last 50% of their money. That kind of money makes people pause and make better decisions.
In the end, we proved we had agreed upon a different plastic and they agreed to redo them. This is the major reason for the delay. They are in the process of printing the minis in the correct plastic now.
Fact 2: After the issues with the minis and much twisting and turning, we were able to get a production copy of the game. We were already in full rage mode from the quality of the minis and in negotiation with them on what would be done when it arrived. In addition to the minis, there were many inconsistencies with the color in the sample they had sent us. I thought Keith was going to flip out.
So in a matter of 6 weeks we learned that the product we were on the cusp of shipping to you was full of quality issues. We put the breaks on it. There was a moment right before Gencon that I thought I was going to be writing an update to explain that we were going to have to start over.
We had numerous conversation with them in July and August in regards to the product they sent us. Once again, I feel they listened because we still owed them 50% of the money.
In the end, Keith was able to identify why the issues were happening. He has made an extraordinary effort to fix these issues across the board, going through every file again in detail to fix something that really shouldn't have been an issue. They are reprinting the files with issues.
Just as a precaution, we also commissioned color proofs from a printer in the US so they can match the colors.
Why wait to explain all this?
We chose to wait until we had a solution and saw proof the changes were being made. They are. We have the production minis in hand now and they are using the correct plastic. We have seen the digital proofs and the issues are resolved.
The next step is, once again, to get a complete production sample of the game. It is on the way. When we get it, we'll do the unboxing as promised.
It would have been a catastrophe to explain to you all the issues and how much we are working to correct them if I had to come back to you and say the corrections failed and we have to start over.
What does this mean?
It means that Recon is looking to ship to you in November. So this is a rumor that appears to be correct.
We want to apologize for all the delays with Recon. We have been able to ignore the rumors because we knew the facts and now you do too. We simply couldn't stand the idea of you all opening a product that was inferior to what we intended and promised. We pride ourselves on the quality of our components. We have built our reputation on the quality of our miniatures and our games. What you were set to receive before we halted it, would have harmed us much more than a few rumors and a further delay. How much more angry would a backer be if they got the game and it was messed up?
It has got to be right. It has got to be what we promised. It is not your responsibility to get it right, it is ours. You have trusted us with your money for a quality product. Keith is contemplating putting a video up on the differences in the miniatures just to show how bad it was. We feel quality trumps timeliness. We pray you are okay with the choices we have made on your behalf.
I wonder what company they're working with - or do we already know?
Assembling is my favorite part, despite how obtuse and obnoxious parts may be sometimes.
Board gamers are going to flip out for sure. Especially since these were all supposed to come assembled.
I'm pretty sure they said there would always be some assembly. If you go back and find the update where Tom assembles the Kemvar Heavy prototype, they talk about how much easier it will be to assemble the minis than the metals. Assuming the part count is pretty similar to the metal line, assembly shouldn't be too big a deal other than FCC, it's usually just pop an arm and backpack on. I would hope they reduced the part count on FCC though.
PsychoticStorm wrote: Sigh unacembled minis in a boardgame and the expansions do not seem to hold assembled models inside....
I know that's a big deal for boardgamers, but you're on a wargaming site here, we're not that bothered by it!
I am more interested in the longevity of the game, its a boardgame and it should be geared towards this direction, I see two major issues the models are unassembled, more importantly not glued to the base (this is the biggest issue) and the models to not seem to fit inside the boxes assembled.
Maybe I'm just weird, but I would think you'd want to actually display the figures, no? I can see why you'd want space for the figures, but if like me, you plan on painting them, then you wouldn't want to just toss them back in the box.
Your assumptions are erroneous, I think; PsychoticStorm is suggesting that most boardgamers won't be wanting to paint or assemble the miniatures. He's probably correct; after all, who paints meeples? Even those photos of painted Imperial Assault or Descent minis are a minority. Being unable to fit the assembled contents back in the box means it's harder to transport the thing to your friends' board game night.
On the other hand, I think games like this, Sedition Wars, GW's Execution Force and upcoming Betrayal at Calth and perhaps also Imperial Assault are aiming at a slightly different market; these are boardgames for wargamers. The quality of the miniatures is a large part of the draw, and wargamers are used to having to assemble their playing pieces before use. Time will tell if there's a market for this sort of thing.
I like the idea of boardgames for wargamers (as well as hobbyists in general). Looking at most of the junk I support on Kickstarter seems to confirm that as well. Whether they stay a boutique niche, at least with the Kickstarter model these kinds of games can continue to be created.
Unlike Barzam, I'd like to put things back in the box, as I don't have space to display them. I'm thinking multiple coats of varnish and sealers should do the trick. Then again, with the all in modules I should have all sorts of boxes to store things in. A couple of boxes may end up pulling strictly tile duty while one of the main boxes houses the bulk of the figures.
Of course if I have my way I'll find some spare Mantic VHS cases laying around that I can use to transport my team around, since more than likely I'll be playing against Barzam anyways.
I think you all are missing the blue cardboard insert in the box?
I think there should be plenty of room for the few minis in the boxes,.... Now, of course, those stretch goals are not all going to fit in the base boxes I don't think,... But I could be wrong
I am not referring to the big box, but the module boxes.
Kickstarter (and FFG really) has brought in an interesting situation in boardgames, now people want miniatures over Meeples but they still want the out of the box experience, if the reactions from Essen for HINT were an indication, Boardgames still are not happy to assemble their gaming pieces.
The minis surely fit in the expansion boxes,.... Tom even tests it out towards the end of the video. Those boxes only have to hold one tile, some instructions, a few cards and the minis,.... And none of them are larger than the standard 30mm round bases. There should be no issues storing all the expansions plus the other 5 team members in there if you've added them all.
Unassembled miniatures are a deal-killer for many boardgamers, although Shadows of Brimstone might be evidence otherwise. I know Super Dungeon Explore switched to pre-assembled, and even Reaper Miniatures Bones chose to go pre-assembled, even though Bones doesn't come with a boardgame!
Mini's look "snap together" more than "assembly", which I'd like to see in more games. I detest mold lines, and have been skipping on various miniature boardgames partially because of this. Doesn't help that I have two boxes of Bones not painted yet...
Anyone else notice the FFG boxes in the background?
Most important is that games are produced and in the Chinese customs queue:
We have been informed that Assassination Protocol and Counter Threat have been pushed into Chinese customs. When they are loaded onto the boats bound for EU fulfillment and US fulfillment, we will get those boat names for you. This will allow you to track the boats yourselves.
You have about 5 weeks to check and update your address.
There is a physical book,... It's already been printed (in fact, they point in out in the warehouse tour). I'm not sure if it's going to the fulfillment center or it they are sending it directly to backers,.... My guess is that it might be going with the stretch goal shipment early next year,.... But with those silly tax rules,... They might be motivated to move them early ????
That's good to know. Frankly, I'd prefer they give an option to not ship it or donate it to a library or something. I got the e-book, read it and enjoyed it; at this point, don't really see much use for a physical copy (for me at least).
Personally I would rather they had not included in the kickstarter, or if they had to shove it in, only as a pdf, in either case I forgot it even existed.
When the containers get through customs and we have boat names, you’ll get an immediate update so you can track it.
Our printer in China is shipping out those copies in China, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. If you are in these areas, you’ll be getting Recon very, very soon.
A separate container is going to our partner in Australia. They are shipping out Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
If you are in these area, you’ll be getting your copies of Recon fairly soon (before EU and the Americas).
A little peak at the new Table Top game rule book layout:
Assembly videos with a few of the more difficult ones to assemble,... you can get a pretty good look at these minis here:
Waza Daimyo
EU Leader
CCC Incinerator
and then the full painted versions of the GCC:
Tribunal
Cheif
Agent
Judge
Heavy
Booster
Breacher
Sniper
Recorder
Camera Drone
Base Game Shipping update:
The base games from the China production facility are shipping.
Recon games are in Australia. They must clear customs, but then they are shipping as well.
North America still travelling. (Ship is out in the Pacific - due in Long Beach on 12/23)
EU Recon still travelling. (next stop for this ship is in Saudi on 12/22 on the way to the Suez)
Then from the Unilateral Mandate mission pack ($750k SG):
- Tribunal - Demo - Recorder - Breacher - Chief
So the Judge that you get is not the picture above (but the alternate sculpt).
If you wanted the standard Judge sculpt or any of the others, you would have needed to add them a la carte in the PM (or added the "All you MERCS are belong to us" add on.
That's good news that the Recorder is included. She's definitely my favorite of the bunch. I hope those extra figures will eventually be released to retail in some form or another. Plastic , metal, don't care. I'd just like to having another chance to get them. EIC is really growing on me and I'd like another opportunity to get them.
Speaking of EIC, does anyone know if their sniper is being included with the other ones? The graphics on the KS page were never updated to include them.
No, just the ones that I listed. You had the ability to add individual models in the PM,... So you could have picked each one that you wanted,... You had to first select the faction, and then the model from a drop down one at a time,... Or, if you picked the "All your MERCS are belong to us" add-on, then you would get every model that was not included in the $120 or higher pledge.
Most US backers have received the base games, and unfortunately quality took a bit of a hit compared to MYTH. Some minis generally agreed to be good (EU Inc) and some mostly though disappointing (Keizai Waza). For the price, I'm very satisfied, speaking as a novice level painter. I mean, the quality of my finished minis will be limited much more by my skills than by the actual mini. I think the big question is how things look on Wave 2 delivery, hopefully March if they get it out the factory door before Chinese New Year. Wave 2 will be a much bigger package, particularly if you bought the module package. Hopefully the quality is there for "tabletop" levels.
One thing is clear though: the people who spent an extra $200 or whatever for last individual models are likely to be angry with model quality, given that they paid like $6/figure.
MERCS was hoping this would be a jumpstart for their tabletop game to shift to plastic, and their manufacturer really screwed them. It'll be interesting to see how things go from here.
Oh, and the game itself is pretty fun so far, for whatever that's worth.
Detail-wise the minis are very close to the metals (Kaizei Waza guns aside). The assembly is much easier than the metals. The biggest problem is removing flash from minis. They are fairly hard and can take a slight scraping, but there are a few mold lines that can't be reached or cleaned up properly due to the material. If you are looking for them as gaming pieces, then by all means, they are great, but they definitely won't ever be display pieces. Underneath it all though, the game is excellent.
Bit of a thread resurrection, but I got Wave 2 yesterday. Once again, a stupid amount of stuff - between this, Zombicide Black Plague Wave 2 last week and Deadzone Infestation (hopefully) any day, my storage situation is rapidly approaching the tipping point.
It consisted of one big box that contained two smaller boxes (a stretch goals box and the box for the "All In" add-on, that I bought for some reason [I'm a moron]), a bag (the Myth related stretch goals), and then whatever other extras you bought separately in loose plastic bags.
Why did I get so much. Why, why. Also, what made them think 9 boxed expansions (2 in the stretch goals and 7 in the "All In"), not to mention two core games, was a reasonable amount of launch product to create? Good lord.
So far I've only looked at the extras I bought, since they were sitting there loose on top. The ED-209 goes together pretty well. The location minis are neat, although the material makes them look a bit more soft and organic than you generally want your computer servers to look. The drones look good, although I'm not sure how I feel about non-transparent flight stands. The sculpted location disks are definitely unique - they need a good amount of assembly and are pretty bendy. I haven't tried dunking them in hot water yet, but we'll see how that works. Honestly most of this stuff could probably use the old hot water treatment.
At this point I think I may just try painting as much of it as I can stand as practice for my Infinity models.
ubik2000 wrote: Bit of a thread resurrection, but I got Wave 2 yesterday. Once again, a stupid amount of stuff - between this, Zombicide Black Plague Wave 2 last week and Deadzone Infestation (hopefully) any day, my storage situation is rapidly approaching the tipping point.
It consisted of one big box that contained two smaller boxes (a stretch goals box and the box for the "All In" add-on, that I bought for some reason [I'm a moron]), a bag (the Myth related stretch goals), and then whatever other extras you bought separately in loose plastic bags.
Why did I get so much. Why, why. Also, what made them think 9 boxed expansions (2 in the stretch goals and 7 in the "All In"), not to mention two core games, was a reasonable amount of launch product to create? Good lord.
So far I've only looked at the extras I bought, since they were sitting there loose on top. The ED-209 goes together pretty well. The location minis are neat, although the material makes them look a bit more soft and organic than you generally want your computer servers to look. The drones look good, although I'm not sure how I feel about non-transparent flight stands. The sculpted location disks are definitely unique - they need a good amount of assembly and are pretty bendy. I haven't tried dunking them in hot water yet, but we'll see how that works. Honestly most of this stuff could probably use the old hot water treatment.
At this point I think I may just try painting as much of it as I can stand as practice for my Infinity models.
Yeah it's definitely a lot of stuff and I have similar regret for backing as big as I did just on the grounds of adding a lot to the pile of unpainted stuff to do. The models are ok, not terrible but definitely softer detail than I would have liked. I think I'll just paint some with a base coat and wash and leave it at that as picking out the details is probably going to be a pain. I do like the variety of the NPCs and the drones are cool. I wish they had labelled things better. I need to print out the instructions from the updates to match everything up and get them assembled. I like the idea of Recon, now I just have to see if my kids can pick it up as easily as they did Z:BP as that will determine how much it gets played. I was tempted to get the location disks but given the feedback I've seen about their warpedness I'm glad I skipped them.
I like the boards in the base games so even if Recon isn't popular in my house I'll find a way to repurpose them.
I got mine as well but I didn't go overboard on the add-ons, though I did forget to get the ED-209 which I wanted, but I was short cardboard doors but then it turns out the packing/shipping company screwed up and everyone is short doors.
Well be thankful you got the stupid amount of stuff lol. I was on the fence and passed one some items. I regret missing the robocop parody mini... really regret that one :(
I got my second wave stuff, but I won't have time to clean it and assemble it properly for a while. ED 209 fits together without glue, and looks sharp. The drones look like they'll be fun. The novel sure looks high quality, but I won't have a chance to read it for a while.
I won't have funds until late November, but I'll be interested if anyone still wants to sell some plastic minis at that time.
Stuff is great so far. I noticed some of the print and play board units haven't even been made yet (besides the gcc and eic metal starters). Anyone know if these can be purchased yet?
Anyone know if any metal minis or sculpts are going oop?
So after unpacking assembling and checking I can honestly say this mess is a massive disappointment, I think Ill do a post mortem in a separate thread.
while on it has anybody received the promised plastic bullet tokens?
Seriously you are happy with the bendy models were the face and other details are somewhere out there because the detail is so shallow and soft you cannot make them out? no cardboard was ripped apart and no powdery stuff was on the tiles instead of the varnish?
Are you ok with models advertised as been single or at best two pieces been at least 3-5 pieces most of them tiny?
Are you happy with the excessive flash that cannot be scraped, but needs to be cut and the moldlines than need the same treatment?
For boardgame pieces, sure, I didn't mind what I got.
Would I have been pissed if they were supposed to be tabletop quality? Yeah, and despite this being an update to the actual Mercs tabletop game, it was a board game first and foremost, and the part that drew me in.
Did things go wrong? Big time. Did they learn from it? Hopefully, judging by the steps they've been taking with the Journeymen expansions.
As it stands I can't think of any other board game i own that tries to attempt what Recon does.
I was happy with what I got as well. They assembled much quicker than the metals and once painted, there is very little difference. Here are some comparison shots of what is generally considered the worst faction (keizai waza).
They indeed are, the rifles look like a cardboard cutout, deprived of detail ad look at the side by side comparison, the loss of detail, especially on the fingers and the soft detail in contrast with the sharp detail.
i painted those up and took the photos against my metals specifically to take the side by side comparison as they're the worst Faction from a casting standpoint. If you're trying to make the point that pvc can't hold the same detail level as metal, then you win. Personally I think the loss is minimal, especially for a board game and not noticeable on the table, but ymmv.
Perhaps their quality wouldn't sting so much if their price had reflected that quality?
All I ordered were the drones and ED 209, and I'm happy with what I got. If I see a box of the new plastics on sale, I'll probably still buy them. During the campaign, they were asking too much for an unproven product, and this kind of disappointment for some backers was inevitable.
I know the Resin>metal>plastic and that in plastic there are many levels of quality, I think that the loss of detail is their fault making detail for metal casting and not PVC casting, moreover the quality is not even close to what they promised and the plastic models are almost as bendy as the ones they showed in the video and said they would not accept such quality.
I think the detail is quite good on alot of the models. I wasnt expecting top quiality minis, I was expecting functional easy to paint models and that is what i received.
Is some of the detail poor? sure, on some models but overall I am pretty happy with the amount i received for the
$$$ value I pledged.
I was missing the free lost margin raiders and 4 card doors but with the pain I had with Myth errors im not going to bother reporting it, it just isnt worth the effort.
I was expecting something at least in line with their myth models and closer to Myth (and their promises, remember secfor Myth level, Mercs higher level details and plastic) and not what was delivered.
I do not consider them cheap enouph to be successful for the company at 3-4$ per model in KS price meaning even more expensive at retail, I do not see how this will be anything but a failure for the company.
But more than anything else I am disappointed by the wasted opportunity this would have been for the company.
I guess Myth will have to become their flagship product now.
I am not referring to specific Myth models but the quality of Myth models, I will agree the fantasy setting of Myth works better for their cartoony style, but this in a soft excuse if they had put their mind into this they could have delivered a sci fi cartoony look that would work.
But I digress, the Myth models have better sculpting quality, casting quality and are casted in a far better plastic, their initial offer said the non critical models (secfor, targets) would be done in that level of quality and the mercs would be done in far greater detail and quality all models are done in inferior quality and material to Myth.
even from the same shipment the Myth models are of far greater detail and quality than the mercs recon models
Just look at the gun its a cardboard with something stuck on it, sc fi needs sharper detail and detail in general, the really soft plastic does not help too.
the hunter on the other hand has clearly defined detail and sharpness, maybe helped by the material he is casted with.
Have you tried expressing your outrage through 'official channels'?
Maybe asking for a refund, or replacements for any really badly cast models?
I'll admit that MEGACON has kind of a mixed reputation when it comes to customer service - sometimes being nice and accommodating (as they should be!) and sometimes going completely loony bonkers on people, while being near 100% tone deaf...
Might be worth a shot?
If nothing else, at least you'll get to vent your spleen in the right direction.
I think Alpharius is right. Megacon has done well for me, and Nikki is really good about trying to take care of issues since she's joined up officially.
Give them a shot.
I will admit that Merc guy needs a bit of cleaning, but in the realm of board games that would get a pass.
I too pine for the promised quality, which hopefully the next Myth set can deliver because jackal men and giant fat alligator people.
Oh you are mistaken, its not a rank lamenting wasted money or the quest for a money back.
And Nikki does extremely well job in keeping everybody happy after the fallout.
You see I might be the minority here, but I usually back things because I am interested in the initiative the company puts forward and I genuinely want the project and the company behind it to succeed.
its a frustration of failed opportunity and wasted potential for megacon, the promises they did not keep and the mess they delivered impacts their name and the mercs franchise that I would rather like to see it succeed rather than fail.
So no for me the models and the entire product is not good and should not be considered good, acceptable boardgame level miniatures come preassembled and yes while CMON and FFG have spoiled us with their minis, some of the models provided do not stand even for the mid tier and what megacon promised was top tier, that severely impacts them and the future of mercs.
While I didn't back the KS, I did wait with baited breath for the 2.0 minis game. I grabbed 4 starters at Gencon, already owning the rulebook.
Looking at your picks, then my minis, I agree the guns are pretty horrible. I own the Kenzi Waza also and yea, flat and hardly detailed. The other 3 factions look alright.
They are not amazing minis, but for the price, I cant say I'm disappointed. 35$ a starter for premarked bases, resin figs, and a ruleset I personally feel is far better then infinity. (Granted infinitys minis blow most out of the water but)
Ill spend 35$ on full faction boxes all day for a game
How many figures were in the faction boxes? Did they include any of the figures that were part of the all your mecs deal (the figures form the pledge manager that weren't included in any of the boxed expansion sets for Recon)?
So the average backer payed 43,3$ to get the full 10 models squad (sight unseen) and only the high pledges got the stat cards (but hey they got two npc sculpts that megacon thought are insignificant enouph to put in the base game box) while one waiting for this to finish and see the actual models pays 35$...
Yes, backers are truly honoured in this company, on other news the champion of megacon kickstarter debacles, the one saving grace and extremely competent employ of the company, their community (and disaster) manager, the one who always managed to sooth the spirits and make things work, was of course let go, because hey why keep the competent employee.
When did this happen? Why would she be let go? I swear she was the glue that seemed to be keeping things running at times... sad to hear if this is the case.
highlord tamburlaine wrote: When did this happen? Why would she be let go? I swear she was the glue that seemed to be keeping things running at times... sad to hear if this is the case.
According to the KS comments Nikki was let go last week. No official word from Megacon regarding it but a lot of backers who had been corresponding with Nikki to get issues resolved were told that she had been let go. It's a real shame and this whole KS experience with Recon has been a rather massive disappointment for me which is a real bummer because I was excited for the game.
Me too, I do enjoy the aesthetic and the fluff, but between the Kickstarter and how long it is taking for Mercedes 2.0 to become easily available, I and my group who wanted to try it have all but given up.
NH Gunsmith wrote: Me too, I do enjoy the aesthetic and the fluff, but between the Kickstarter and how long it is taking for Mercedes 2.0 to become easily available, I and my group who wanted to try it have all but given up.
You mean the minis game? The rulebook for it went up for sale over a month ago. Has all stats in it. The cards came a week or two later. Then I think Gencon was release of 2.0 faction boxes
highlord tamburlaine wrote: Nikki is really good about trying to take care of issues since she's joined up officially.
I dunno about that.
She was friendly and seemed to try and solve problems but *something* wasnt happening correctly, whether it was their computer system or interface between warehouse and admin computer systems. I tried to change my address over 5 times (for Myth) with parcels being sent to old addresses time after time with my correct address never updating.
In the end I distrusted them so much that i contacted the Australian distrubutor (for mercs) and warned them about a possible incorrect address and supplied them with my correct address. It was no surprise that Mercs still hadn't been able to update my address (despite multiple email confirmations that it had been done).
I really dont know why they were never able to update my addy, I even suggested they put through a dummy order to see what address spat out in the warehouse but it seems I was ignored in that regard.
Let me put some rumors to rest straight away, we are not selling. And to put you at ease or cause you untold consternation, we intend to make games for quite some
time.
You are aware that Nikki is gone, but Greg and Tom are as well. Tom came to us three weeks ago having taken another job. It floored us. Took us completely by surprise. We pay well, but he got an offer we couldn't match. It was a very good offer. However, every sculpt required for Journeyman and Dark Frontier was done before he left.
At the same time, we are nearing the end of our transition to Kable. They will have a direct link to our store. They will complete individual, store, and distribution orders at much cheaper shipping rates than we can provide currently. With our store fulfillment being done elsewhere, we didn't need the building or the overhead. We also didn't have enough work to keep Greg or Nikki..
That is the long-story-short of it. Turn and face the strange.
Posted on their Myth journeyman project only because???????
So they lost their sculptor and they outsourced to Kable (a packaging and distribution company), leaving out the two warehouse workers one of them doubling as their community manager (and been far better than any of the 3 owners).
highlord tamburlaine wrote: To be fair, Tom (while having done a large chunk of the sculpts) wasn't their only sculptor.
His style will certainly be missed. Very curious to see what sorts of ripples and effects this causes down the line with their product.
Same here!
I mean, they'll probably be OK, and match it well enough, but this does place a few more question marks on the inevitable MYTH: MASTER (or is that LEGEND?) Kickstarter that is surely planned for...2017/8?
