lord_blackfang wrote: You know that gak was made up later to explain the blooper, right?
In the revised fourth draft of A New Hope in 1976, the description for "Kessel Run" is put as follows:
"It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs!"
Ben reacts to Solo's stupid attempt to impress them with obvious misinformation.
So it implies that the puzzling speech of Han Solo is "misinformation" and not truth, and it has nothing to do with the nature of the Kessel Run in any respect. Han means nothing other than impressing Obi-Wan and Luke with pure boasting. Indeed, even in the final version of the script, the parentheses attached to Han's line state that he is "obviously lying."
In the revised fourth draft of A New Hope in 1976, the description for "Kessel Run" is put as follows:
"It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs!"
Ben reacts to Solo's stupid attempt to impress them with obvious misinformation.
So it implies that the puzzling speech of Han Solo is "misinformation" and not truth, and it has nothing to do with the nature of the Kessel Run in any respect. Han means nothing other than impressing Obi-Wan and Luke with pure boasting. Indeed, even in the final version of the script, the parentheses attached to Han's line state that he is "obviously lying."
"Obviously lying" isn't the same as "speaking complete gobbledygook".
Ah, my least favourite line in Star Wars! I mean, the Parsec is a unit of distance, not time, so that's like saying 'I can run from here to Texas in 12 miles!'
Oh, but of course, this is not the plot hole we're looking for...
Not one to be left out, the Marauders are getting themselves a hulking mech suit as well… the Stuntbot!
An older variant of the ‘Strider’ template, the Bot is piloted by a highly trained Goblin. Their small stature and dextrous fingers more suited to the controls of these machines. Armed with powerful but crude weaponry, it is a brave soldier who takes one of these machines on one on one.
As is tradition with all things Marauder-y, the Stuntbot is armed to the teeth, with a close combat Buzzsaw, a Range 4 AP2 Single Shot Thermal Cannon and an auxiliary flamer. Because why not?
Unlike the Strider, the Stuntbot is a premium resin kit. It comes with many finely detailed components, our favorite of which is the hatch. Yes, you can lift the hatch up revealing the Goblin pilot inside!
I like the "clunkiness" and the big feet. Looks to be on a massive base too. Mantic have made one-off figures in resin for Kickstarter pledges before. Also aren't a few bits (enforcer biker sniper girl and Forge father iron ancestor arms) meant to be resin?
decker_cky wrote: Is the stuntbot actual resin then? The strider is 'premium
plastic', and the stuntbot is 'premium resin'. I didn't know Mantic did actual resin.
Striders are restic because they expect high enough demand, on account of the same kit covering 3 armies.
The Stuntbot and Iron Ancestor are resin, as they're expected to be a low demand kit. Possibly the enforcer scout bike too?
They explained it during the survey period, it's why the Striders were suddenly 2 for 1 while the others weren't.
Mantic have always made resin... the quality of the stuff used for vehicle parts is a bit variable though. Not antenociti quality, closer to ramshackle tbh. It varies.
Current resin minis in their line are the upgrade sets for the FF and Marauder Warpath vehicles.
I also own a unit of resin forgefather stormrage veterans... they are gorgeous models that make me wonder why Mantic doesn't cast more of the expensive models in resin instead of metal or hybrid restic. The sculpts are so amazing before restic mushes them up a bit.
highlord tamburlaine wrote: I wonder if we might see them switch to restic for retail at some point further down the line.
I wonder that too. It might only be for a single army, but I get the impression that there are many Ork fans out there, since businesses like Kromlech cater to them almost exclusively. And we keep being told that "the Marauders starter was the first to sell out" at various events, which would seem to attest to that popularity.
I really like the Stuntbot's design: bulky but functional, straightforward rather than garish. And after modding the hell out of them, the Marauders have grown on me anyway. I'm glad I ordered one of these.
Now, since Asterians piloting Striders would be stupid, I'm really looking forward to seeing what sort of resin Mech they'll eventually get. Don't prove me wrong, Mantic.
Asterian Cyphers represent the height of Asterian technological elegance, moving with alien grace while dealing out death on enemy battlefields. But I'm here to tell you, larger Asterian Mechs royally suck. As brilliant, sophisticated, and ancient as the Asterians are, they are mentally incapable of designing large Mechs that work. Their last attempt looked like a ballerina with submachine guns. It had a void shield tutu.
So Asterians, like the Reb and Plague factions that they are so similar to, prefer to steal Enforcer Striders and re-purpose them with graceful yet deadly Asterian weaponry, like big stonking flamethrowers and cartoonishly large chainsaws.
Paradigm wrote: Yeah, I'm not too fussed by the Asterian fluff, it adds a bit of character if there's a risk to the operator (otherwise, playing them in-character you'd not care about any kind of defence as there's always another drone available).
Or it would require Mantic stepping up and trying something new, like a new way to make their IP compelling, or a different angle for a player to take, or anything that isn't painfully stupid.
Besides, there can still be some serious stakes for an immortal drone operator without his life being on the line. Maybe if he screws this last chance up, they'll bump him down to creche-warden for one of the 'uplifted' races the Asterians barely tolerate in their role as plumbers and drainage-sweeps for the next 10,000 years. And forcibly remove his reproduction rights. Then assign his lifesoul mate to his High Creche bully, B'iif. And you just know B'iif's gonna wear that one smirk of his for a whole stellar lifetime over it.
Psychological damage is much more acceptable than death, although I'd prefer it to follow more from the unique mentality of space elves rather than derpy technology. Perhaps they upload a copy of their minds into the drones then go into stasis until the drone returns for memory reintegration, thus allowing this race of delicate philosophers to avoid the stiucky ethical dilemmas inherent in a divergence of self. Then if a drone is destroyed, or worse--damaged beyond the capacity for reintegration, the trauma of the existential crises inherent in loss of self or memory death could put a space-elf pilot out of action for as long as it takes him to pack up his easel and lute and contemplate the circular waterfalls of the great Mist Ring of Starbreit until he finds his oneness. Which can be quite some time. Truly, his suffering would be beyond anything the lesser races experience as death.
Or, just make them pay for the damaged drones.
Something that doesn't just turn the drones into power armor by telephone.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
pretre wrote: Even with an overload cutout circuit or something similar, the depth of control involved will leave a lasting scar on the individual in other ways. I imagine there's a lot of doing evil for the greater good kind of thing that tends to wear on the 'pilots'.
This sounds like it could lead to something far, far more interest than dead pilots. Or even crippled pilots. The mental damage, and the societal pollution such damage would cause for a race focused on mental pursuits and telepathic/emotional contact, would make for some great or chilling stories.
Paradigm wrote: Yeah, I'm not too fussed by the Asterian fluff, it adds a bit of character if there's a risk to the operator (otherwise, playing them in-character you'd not care about any kind of defence as there's always another drone available).
Or it would require Mantic stepping up and trying something new, like a new way to make their IP compelling, or a different angle for a player to take, or anything that isn't painfully stupid.
Besides, there can still be some serious stakes for an immortal drone operator without his life being on the line. Maybe if he screws this last chance up, they'll bump him down to creche-warden for one of the 'uplifted' races the Asterians barely tolerate in their role as plumbers and drainage-sweeps for the next 10,000 years. And forcibly remove his reproduction rights. Then assign his lifesoul mate to his High Creche bully, B'iif. And you just know B'iif's gonna wear that one smirk of his for a whole stellar lifetime over it.
Psychological damage is much more acceptable than death, although I'd prefer it to follow more from the unique mentality of space elves rather than derpy technology. Perhaps they upload a copy of their minds into the drones then go into stasis until the drone returns for memory reintegration, thus allowing this race of delicate philosophers to avoid the stiucky ethical dilemmas inherent in a divergence of self. Then if a drone is destroyed, or worse--damaged beyond the capacity for reintegration, the trauma of the existential crises inherent in loss of self or memory death could put a space-elf pilot out of action for as long as it takes him to pack up his easel and lute and contemplate the circular waterfalls of the great Mist Ring of Starbreit until he finds his oneness. Which can be quite some time. Truly, his suffering would be beyond anything the lesser races experience as death.
Or, just make them pay for the damaged drones.
Something that doesn't just turn the drones into power armor by telephone.
I'd say it's different enough, and the key thing was distancing them from Eldar, which this does rather nicely. I agree that there's all sorts of psychological damage that could occur, but that's what I figure it meant in the story by 'may not be fit for combat again'. Not so much a physical injury as a mental trauma that left them basically 'shell-shocked' on a long-term basis. It's a lot more than just 'plug in here, 50/50 you die'.
pretre wrote: Even with an overload cutout circuit or something similar, the depth of control involved will leave a lasting scar on the individual in other ways. I imagine there's a lot of doing evil for the greater good kind of thing that tends to wear on the 'pilots'.
This sounds like it could lead to something far, far more interest than dead pilots. Or even crippled pilots. The mental damage, and the societal pollution such damage would cause for a race focused on mental pursuits and telepathic/emotional contact, would make for some great or chilling stories.
Wow, feels like I should be in a GW thread, but price rise on the battlegrounds. They were 174.99 the other day(Friday), but I checked today and it's now 199.99. Might just be the conversion price from £ to $, but it's a typical tactic to change price right after a major sale (25% off in USA).
I think everyone got the 25% that was in a country that was no longer viable to take the cup or whatever it is, as per the newsletter. I've noticed the prices fluctuate too, i'm 'thinking it's a pounds to dollars thing though.
Thraxas Of Turai wrote: I like the "clunkiness" and the big feet. Looks to be on a massive base too. Mantic have made one-off figures in resin for Kickstarter pledges before. Also aren't a few bits (enforcer biker sniper girl and Forge father iron ancestor arms) meant to be resin?
During the interview section of the latest Beasts of War video, Ronnie doesn't quite answer when we can expect to see Warpath 3.0, or whether Deadzone 1.5 will precede it.
But he does let slip that "hard plastic Veer-myn" are being considered.
We all knew Veer-myn were being touted as possible villains for another Deadzone release, but this "hard plastic" comment would suggest that they are next in line.
(Probably ahead of Corp, Zz'or, Ada Lorena bumpkins, etc.)
The point I got form it, is that Beta is soon as possible (not sure when), and if it's good, then roll on WP. If not, then it goes back into dev and DZ KS2 comes.
The point I got is that Ronnie still wants the massive armies multibased in 28mm idea, but if enough of us argue against it during the beta testing it'll be kicked back for reworking and Deadzone 1.5 will come first with the Veermyn etc
In the latest Beasts of War Weekender, upon being asked by Warren what the next franchise collaboration could be, Ronnie says:
"I can tell you that I'm going to America in August, and again in September/October, and I'm going to be visiting L.A. and New York, and we're going to be having some discussions with people..."
Could this franchise be BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT? Please let it be so! I want my dream of 28mm Terran Marines to become a reality!
sukura636 wrote: The point I got form it, is that Beta is soon as possible (not sure when), and if it's good, then roll on WP. If not, then it goes back into dev and DZ KS2 comes.
Yes, that's a more accurate summation than I offered. Thank you.
Now, you being a Pathfinder and all (I think? Apologies if I remember incorrectly), would you care to offer any insider's comment on "hard plastic Veer-myn" plans? They seem like a shoe-in, whether the next big KS thing is Warpath or Deadzone.
Cosmic wrote: In the latest Beasts of War Weekender, upon being asked by Warren what the next franchise collaboration could be, Ronnie says:
"I can tell you that I'm going to America in August, and again in September/October, and I'm going to be visiting L.A. and New York, and we're going to be having some discussions with people..."
Could this franchise be BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT? Please let it be so! I want my dream of 28mm Terran Marines to become a reality!
Funny enough reading that all I could think of is 'Escape from...'
august is GEN CON, september/dragon con is Dragon CON.
however I'd love to see mantic set itself up as the go to for limited run 28 mm gaming figures. I've been wanting a company to do this for a while now. =/
Lol, When Ronnie says he was visiting New York and LA, allwhat popped into my head was the escape from new york and escape from La films.Would be a pretty good fit for the deadzone play style with the city streets. But highly unlikely :(
I know as much about it as you do. I do know that because of the Enforcer/zombie success, wheels are in motion for HP troops for major factions. I had a joking conversation about a Veermyn sprue (what would it contain) with one of the staff - was sort of obvious they were one step ahead.
Cosmic wrote: In the latest Beasts of War Weekender, upon being asked by Warren what the next franchise collaboration could be, Ronnie says:
"I can tell you that I'm going to America in August, and again in September/October, and I'm going to be visiting L.A. and New York, and we're going to be having some discussions with people..."
Could this franchise be BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT? Please let it be so! I want my dream of 28mm Terran Marines to become a reality!
Remember when people were guessing what the next license would be, and then Mantic revealed that there actually wasn't a new license on the docket?
Can't say I'm surprised that Ronnie's visiting the States for talks now. As a businessman he'd be crazy not to, after the retail order success of Mars Attacks. Unless it bombs with customers, necessitating the possible "re-think" he mentioned, which he's not expecting (and neither am I.) My hope is that Mantic will be smart and continue to offer some cross-compatibility between their house owned and licensed lines. I'm only in Mars Attacks for new Deadzone forces.
I think we're lucky Mantic didn't hit on pre-assembled "boardgame plastic" miniature games earlier. As a modeller, I'd rather assemble my own figures, and the Deadzone / Warpath line suits me to a tee (yes, even with PVC to work with.* At least I get to work with it to my own satisfaction.) I don't have anything against pre-assembled games like Mars Attacks and Dreadball Xtreme - I backed both of them - but I wouldn't want Warpath or Deadzone to switch over to that format (like Dreadball has with Xtreme), and I don't think they will. "Hard plastic Veer-myn" is not exactly a step towards the casual boardgaming market.
Aside from gripes about PVC, I think Mantic's evolution as a company has given us the best of both worlds. Had they hit on the pre-assembled / boardgame plastic recipe for broader market success five or so years ago, Mantic might have become another FFG, and maybe we wouldn't have Deadzone and Warpath as we know them today. As it is, they're going to have a tiered line of products that build from easy, entry-level games requiring no modeling skill (Mars Attacks, DBX) to games requiring more skill and commitment (DB, DZ, WP, etc.)
*I've now cleaned and assembled over half of my 1st wave Deadzone batch, so I'm well aware of the problems of working with PVC and the insane time it takes to do it to a high standard. Having been willing to put in that time and effort, though, I've gotten good results, and I happen to like the sculpts well enough that the extra trouble is worth it for me. There really aren't any other power armor soldiers on the market that I like quite as much as the Enforcers, for example, or space Beastmen that I find sculpted with as much animation as Mantic's Yndij, or reptilian aliens I find as just plain cool as the Teratons in the entire GW line, or anyone else's. (But McVey's Strain are hands down the best Space Zombies out there. Of course, they're cast in PVC too, and require the same work to look good.) I don't make any Pollyanna claims that PVC is an ideal material, and particularly for those looking to get gaming quickly, I recognize the material's drawbacks. I will say that as someone with young children and perfectionist but klutzy tendencies, I do like the fact that reasonably thick PVC is fairly resilient, and won't break when it falls off a shelf. I've even had breakage with HIPS that way. As for high quality resin miniatures, they are wonderful, but they also make me quite nervous. Except for larger pieces like the Stuntbot, I can't see gaming with resin minis in my house until the kiddies are older. And now I've written a PVC disclaimer that's about as long as the post itself.
A line of multipose hard plastic Starcraft minis for use with the Deadzone ruleset... I man can dream. Three unique factions, cross compatible with Deadzone and Mars Attacks factions, possible large scale version using Warpath rules. I think my life would be complete!
I think I'm with you on what you have to say, Vermonter. Interesting thoughts on the entry level/experienced game choices. Yes, I too really don't mind PVC, and I also really like Enforcers, too. I think that I would take PVC over metal any day.
I was a bit dissapointed when Ronnie said he'd be in the US in Oct. He'd floated the idea once on the KoW Australia FB group of coming to PAXAUS in Oct. but business is business.
.Mikes. wrote: I was a bit dissapointed when Ronnie said he'd be in the US in Oct. He'd floated the idea once on the KoW Australia FB group of coming to PAXAUS in Oct. but business is business.
Come to he US for gaming con and avoid crazed fans okay.
Go to Australlia for gaming con and try to avoid the plethora of biting things that have the taste for human flesh , we want Ronnie to live to finalize game systems and put out great things. You can have all the GW executives, we have no further use for them. I think we'd each chip in a little for their air fair too
I rember seeing an advert from Mantic and it was in relation to a fantasy product and it mentioned that a dark shadow was brewing in the east and for some reason that got me thinking of Lord of the Rings! Though I can't remember where I saw it!
overtyrant wrote: I rember seeing an advert from Mantic and it was in relation to a fantasy product and it mentioned that a dark shadow was brewing in the east and for some reason that got me thinking of Lord of the Rings! Though I can't remember where I saw it!
It's an advertisement for their upcoming Dwarf King's Quest kickstarter.
Go to Australlia for gaming con and try to avoid the plethora of biting things that have the taste for human flesh , we want Ronnie to live to finalize game systems and put out great things.
But how can Ronnie produce realist war games if he doesn't know what it's like to risk death before you've even brushed your teeth?
He'll be fine. We'll protect him from all the drop bears and spring snakes.
Yonan wrote: A line of multipose hard plastic Starcraft minis for use with the Deadzone ruleset... I man can dream. Three unique factions, cross compatible with Deadzone and Mars Attacks factions, possible large scale version using Warpath rules. I think my life would be complete!
My life for Aiur!
Right there with you that a man can dream.
WOTC had miniatures being worked up, I believe, for their Alternity: StarCraft tabletop RPG of about 15 years ago.
Some prototypes used to show up on ebay from time to time.
Would be cool to see SC minis
Compel wrote: It could be a typo - They've done it before. It might be worth emailing them to check.
For what it's worth, there's no price change in the UK prices.
Now if only they'd grow up and let ROW people purchase in UKP if they prefer instead of USD. The exchange rate that they use between the currencies is pretty bad, and prevents me from ordering anything direct from them.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Cosmic wrote: In the latest Beasts of War Weekender, upon being asked by Warren what the next franchise collaboration could be, Ronnie says:
"I can tell you that I'm going to America in August, and again in September/October, and I'm going to be visiting L.A. and New York, and we're going to be having some discussions with people..."
Could this franchise be BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT? Please let it be so! I want my dream of 28mm Terran Marines to become a reality!
The sci-fi Mantic Orks do a decent job of that thought right? Sure, a little more "militaristic" rather than savage, but I like that aspect. As for fantasy... yeah, GW only there I think. I loved the feth out of my Black Ork in Warhammer Online but the blocky tabletop models are bleh sadly. Would love some more dynammicaly poseable multi part ones just for funsies.
Yonan wrote: A line of multipose hard plastic Starcraft minis for use with the Deadzone ruleset... I man can dream. Three unique factions, cross compatible with Deadzone and Mars Attacks factions, possible large scale version using Warpath rules. I think my life would be complete!
Even if Mantic did team up with Blizzard, this would never happen. Any Starcraft game Mantic produced would be pre-assembled, boardgame plastic. The mass-market board game money would be too good to cater to modelers / wargamers. With pre-orders for Mars Attacks through roof, I doubt we'll see them make any license tie-in that won't follow the same production recipe.
I wouldn't put it past Blizzard to try to out-do GW on their home ground after the rocky start they had together with Warcraft 1. I know that would be enough reason for me to do it ; p Surely a board game release wouldn't have the long term profitability of a full featured wargame either though?
Yonan wrote: I wouldn't put it past Blizzard to try to out-do GW on their home ground after the rocky start they had together with Warcraft 1. I know that would be enough reason for me to do it ; p Surely a board game release wouldn't have the long term profitability of a full featured wargame either though?
A wargame require long term commitment to release schedules with (expensive in ABS) new units and rules that need to be kept in stock, and would be sold in your FLGS, if it sells miniature wargames, with a small potential market.
A boardgame would be a single product, with possible expansion boxes if it goes well, discrete numbers of units in the box, and sit on the shelf of every department store you can think of just down the aisle from the Battle.net/WoW game time cards, with a massive potential audience.
All the money is in the second option, and there's not the remotest doubt about it.
As it is, Activision already worked on and canceled a minis/boardgame, this was discussed in the Robotech thread comparing bad management practises
paulson games wrote: I have some friends that are full time sculptors that have worked on projects in a similar management situation and they found it to be a complete nightmare. One of my friends was sculpting stuff for starcraft and it had to pass through managers at topps before it went to blizzard, then it might end up back at toops before heading back to the sculptor, sometimes topps would boot it back to blizzard a couple times before the sculptor would get notice of what changes were needed. On his end the sculpt could be done in 2-3 days time and look amazing, but with all the ping ponging back and forth between managers it'd be weeks or even months before a single sculpt met final approval. It ends up disrupting any sort of schedule you might hope to stick to and if you are working primarily as a freelancer it ties up massive amounts of time for no additional pay as you don't want to take on other work that might conflict with it and you are stuck on a holding pattern for long periods of time which quickly eats into your ability to make money.
ermany left the footballing world and an entire nation in shock yesterday as they destroyed Brazil 7-1. That's a massive Goal Difference of 6! So, for the next sixty minutes only, we're going to launch our biggest discount code yet – a maximum 30% off!
Starting at 6:30pm BST and finishing at 7:30pm BST, get 30% off on the webstore with the code SHOCK30* as we gear up for Netherlands vs Argentina.
* Can only be used by countries not in the World Cup. Sorry Germany Cannot be used on pre-orders.
Thanks to SS for the contact for Stewart. I sent an email yesterday afternoon (so around midnight or so Mantic time) to change my address for my shipment for Deadzone Wave 2. Woke up to an email from Stewart noting he had made the change to my shipping info.
Kudos where they are due. Excellent customer service.
Well that was a surprise.. got a fedex shipping email today.. and it says my ruined quadrant is going to arrive tomorrow.. 1 day from the UK to Philly? and free shipping? neat-o!
9 pounds worth of buildings I won't have time to build! Way too many mechs to paint at the moment
Necros wrote:Well that was a surprise.. got a fedex shipping email today.. and it says my ruined quadrant is going to arrive tomorrow.. 1 day from the UK to Philly? and free shipping? neat-o!
I've gotten similar from them before. The times for delivery are all crazy and it will be updated.
CptJake wrote:Any word on when Wave2 for DeadZone will ship so that I know when to expect my ruin sprues?
Last I heard was still July. I think most people are banking on ass-end of July.
Quick heads up - There will be some small price increases for Euro and USD prices *only* on August 1st.
Exchange rates are the problem, the dollar has collapsed in value vs the pound so it all needs reviewing due to the bulk of Mantic's running costs being in GBP.
Blame Obama, or whatever.
I'm personally hoping this means I can get a Mantic KS in GBP for once rather than having to pay currency exchange fees.
A deadzone kickstarter update also mentioned more 'juicy' news including ship dates for wave 2 and such, coming next week. This week they just previewed some of the wave 2 deck, which will include the mercs, named characters, peacekeepers, and so on. The most interesting thing i saw was that the pathfinder didn't have a 'works for' suggesting to me that she'll just be a regular option for the enforcers moving forward. If i'm reading it right, i like it, gives the enforcers a bit more opening speed and she can shoot almost as well as the sniper (but no ap).
I guess what i was getting at is that i always wanted the recon 'merc' to be a standard part of the enforcer list, and now he kind of is, in spirit.
This will also give enforcer players another way to go about things, the holo-sight tag rifle doesn't have ap1 but on an aimed shot it rolls as many dice as the sniper (unless i'm missing something) giving the pathfinders a bit more punch against lighter targets when compared to standard rifle enforcers who are much better at just suppressing the hell out of everything.
A 9 point trooper for the Enforcers makes things a lot easier when it comes to list building.
She's also a source of Scout for the faction which is exceptionally good when you consider their mission deck. Makes a turn 1 win possible with the dominate mission to control 3 objectives.
1/8 games will be autowin for enforcers, another 1/8 will be very easy wins for enforcers unless the opponent can contest in second turn, and the rest of the objective missions just got a whole lot easier for the faction.
I can't see myself taking any non-pathfinder troops if I play the faction.
I'll probably remove the ponytail from mine, too much of a "lookitsagurl" thing... if she's shaved her head to get into the enforcer helmet shes not going to be rocking a ponytail that prevents her from wearing it and can be grabbed in melee.
Recon unit will make a nice proxy for the new trooper, but I'll probably convert regular corporation troops to represent pathfinders rather than buying loads of the resin bike+pathfinder sets.
Maybe corp legs/arms and enforcer torso, bare head with space goggles, something like that... ah, who am I kidding, I'll just use an already painted Rebs human and call it a day.
I'll have one of the resin ladies and two recon n-whatevers, that should be sufficient for me, excited to start working pathfinders into my lists, and to have a solid excuse to convert and paint the mercs now.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Pony is definitely getting the axe, bald and pony is just awkward.
I wish they gave us a stat card image for Howlett. He'll likely be replacing my Iron Man Energy Gauntlet sergeant, and I'd like to know how his stats play.
Yeah, the Pathfinder is definitely a nice troop option, though I hope they realize the possible major abuse and have preemptively nipped it in the bud.
But even so, a 9-point trooper in the force opens up so many possibilities for the Enforcer list (especially with access to Peacekeepers and the Captain itself). And that it also comes with a strong attack means that it is a nice compliment to the rest of the force. Also, it is nice to have something to use Recon for when playing in a campaign (less likely to see mercs there).
timetowaste85 wrote: I wish they gave us a stat card image for Howlett. He'll likely be replacing my Iron Man Energy Gauntlet sergeant, and I'd like to know how his stats play.
I have a sneak peak of most of the cards:
5+ Shoot, 4+ Fight, 3+ Survive, 2 Armor, 2-1 Command
Tough, Brawler, Rampage (doesn't have Discipline for some reason)
AP2 Melee, regular Pistol, Jump Pack
Other than the fact that I think he should be very tough (seriously, it's wolverine!!), I'm happy with that. Point cost? I didn't see that in the listing. I'm hoping for 15, up to 20 is acceptable in my force.
Sarge is 15 he has to be at least 20 to get brawler +1 to survive and fight, and maybe arguably rampage. I'm not sure about v.tough, 3+ survive is pretty spectacular as it is.
This image of the Iron Ancestor with the Deadzone resin bits was posted on Deadzone the podcast. I hadn't seen it before, but in truth, I didn't bother to scroll back through all the posts here, so I could be wrong. In which case, .
scarletsquig wrote: Quick heads up - There will be some small price increases for Euro and USD prices *only* on August 1st.
Exchange rates are the problem, the dollar has collapsed in value vs the pound so it all needs reviewing due to the bulk of Mantic's running costs being in GBP.
I'm personally hoping this means I can get a Mantic KS in GBP for once rather than having to pay currency exchange fees.
I'm assuming that all of their manufacturing costs much be paid in US$, since there's no realistic reason otherwise why ROW can't pay in pounds instead of dollars. Their UKP>USD exchange rate was always a bit sketchy anyway, this will just make it worse and further ensure I don't ever buy anything direct (aside from KS items).
I can't see them ever shutting out all of those sweet, sweet dollars in order to run a KS in pounds. Especially since China loves dollars.
^ Other than the tooling costs there are still wages, rent and taxes etc. that all need paying in GBP. So, unless they're directly funding something new its GBP they need to expand their local operations and infrastructure (probably the best thing they could do at this point in time).
Interview with Ronnie after a sexy candlelit dinner and a bottle of wine:
So the most important thing I got from that was a dual rulebook release for warpath including a skirmishier sized game for 40 something models, and a mass combat with lots and lots. Cool.
Yep, 2 separate rulebooks and army lists for Warpath. Should hopefully ship as a bonus freebie with DZ wave 2 if we're lucky.
Individual casualty removal and skirmish mechanics for the 40k-sized game. A polished version of Warpath 2.0 which is likely to fix up the current rules to remove some of the annoying things about it (the weird activation, 7+ to hit for most shooting etc.).
Element-based (5 models = 1 game unit) rules for the mass battle game which will allow for gigantic battles to be played very quickly. Movement trays here most likely.
All models compatible with both versions of the game. Play whichever one you want.
Could probably even play the mass battle version with a different scale of models, as some people have already done with KoW (it works great with any sub-28mm scale of models you throw at it, with an optional inches to cm conversion).
Its a good approach since it puts the two different versions of the game out there and lets the players decide which one is the most popular (rather than people with opinions on the internet, or Mantic's own playtesters).
The previous plan was to have large point value games of Deadzone cover the "large skirmish game" territory, but I think anyone who has played that game knows that it just isn't suited to anything over 20 models at most.
I've seen a 6mm 40k conversion game, i bet KoW works even better, sounds kind of fun, a wee travel sized game to take with you places.
I just hope if they produce the movement trays for the mass battle game themselves... they do something cool and scifi friendly, like a clear plastic X with base slots at all of the corners and in the middle, with maybe a couple of different formation types that may or may not matter. Hmm.... i wonder if they leave the integrated bases and would expect you to mount them into the movement trays.... should be interesting times ahead in any case.
GrimDork wrote: So the most important thing I got from that was a dual rulebook release for warpath including a skirmishier sized game for 40 something models, and a mass combat with lots and lots. Cool.
It now sounds obvious, but this is actually a damn clever solution to keep people happy and interested. Offer both versions of the rules and support both, and you've actually managed to please all of the people, all of the time
Paradigm wrote: It now sounds obvious, but this is actually a damn clever solution to keep people happy and interested. Offer both versions of the rules and support both, and you've actually managed to please all of the people, all of the time
Except where people want to use the 'multibasing' aspect of the large game to create dioramas and can't then easily remove individual figures, meaning they have to buy the same figures twice if they want to play both versions.
But in general it is probably is the best solution.
Vermonter wrote: This image of the Iron Ancestor with the Deadzone resin bits was posted on Deadzone the podcast. I hadn't seen it before, but in truth, I didn't bother to scroll back through all the posts here, so I could be wrong. In which case, .
I'll admit it - the Iron Ancestor/not-Squats are what have me most excited here.
Paradigm wrote: It now sounds obvious, but this is actually a damn clever solution to keep people happy and interested. Offer both versions of the rules and support both, and you've actually managed to please all of the people, all of the time
Except where people want to use the 'multibasing' aspect of the large game to create dioramas and can't then easily remove individual figures, meaning they have to buy the same figures twice if they want to play both versions.
But in general it is probably is the best solution.
Unless they enforce a very strict basing mechanic (unlikely given how loose KOW is in that regard) it shouldn't be too hard to make removable single-model figures as part of multibases. People have been making dioramas with removable minis for gaming for years.
Paradigm wrote: It now sounds obvious, but this is actually a damn clever solution to keep people happy and interested. Offer both versions of the rules and support both, and you've actually managed to please all of the people, all of the time
Except where people want to use the 'multibasing' aspect of the large game to create dioramas and can't then easily remove individual figures, meaning they have to buy the same figures twice if they want to play both versions.
But in general it is probably is the best solution.
Unless they enforce a very strict basing mechanic (unlikely given how loose KOW is in that regard) it shouldn't be too hard to make removable single-model figures as part of multibases. People have been making dioramas with removable minis for gaming for years.
Personally when I hear that they will make movement trays for Sci-fi mass battle games I think we will see something along the lines of the War of the Ring movement trays except in different shapes of course..
In many ways the 2 sets of rules is the way 40k should have handled their latest giant vehicles binge rather than going crazy and having titans in 1000 point games.
GW is a bit too sluggish to support 2 sets of rules tailored to different game sizes though, whereas Mantic just plain writes the army lists, puts them out immediately for free and then updates as needed. No need for them to be bound into printing a hardback book every time they want to put out a small rules update.
scarletsquig wrote: In many ways the 2 sets of rules is the way 40k should have handled their latest giant vehicles binge rather than going crazy and having titans in 1000 point games.
VERY good point there!
A 'skirmish' level 40K game would have been a good idea - and still is.
I still hope GW smartens up and releases one.
Until then - Mantic, I guess?
Probably more likely, and may more successful, once they've got more of the line in 'hard plastic'.
100% hard plastic Warpath KS coming later this year as far as I know. Maybe early 2015. Whenever they're ready.
Highly likely we'll see a 100% hard plastic Enforcer army box released pre-KS too, once the DZ stuff is out there will be the following units for it in hard plastic:
Strike Team
Assault Team
Suppression Team
Shooty Peacekeepers
Assault Peacekeepers
Defender Peacekeepers
And also these in hard plastic with restic arms, or as restic minis:
It's looking very much like a complete army with a range of support and character options. Plague and Forgefathers will be very doable as armies too.
One interesting thing is that Nexus Psi has a section showing a 3d design and lots of background for the Wyvern light dropship used by the Enforcers.
So, might see that being made in the Kickstarter, it seems that Enforcers use aircraft rather than ground vehicles to go in, kill stuff and get out, possibly something closer to a 40k valykrie/stormtooper force rather than the more ground-based space marines. Everything has jump packs.
Did you mean peacekeepers in your first chunk of units, SS?
I agree with another point... the way they're doing enforcers with full function jump packs.. it would be silly to give them tanks that could barely keep up, drop ships make loads more sense for sure.
Are you sure they're planning for 100% hard plastic and not just for the troopers with some restic specialists? Obviously hard plastic is what they ought to do, just curious if it's been said.
I can't rule out the odd restic character or upgrade set, but all signs point to them seriously gearing up the sprue production now that they've gotten excellent results from the sprues produced for deadzone. 100% was what I heard and that's the current rumour status.
100% hard plastic was Mantics aim last time I heard. Deadzone has given us restic characters for each of the main races, apart from the Corp so the feeling is that there won't need to be many heroes tooled in the kickstarter, just infantry and tanks. Interestingly, the Forgeguard sprue has a hero on it so what few heroes are made might be hard plastic.
I think the space marine captain box is fairly popular, hard plastic hero with bits enough for 2-3 of them or something like that. The first thing i request, once the kickstarter is running, and the main thing i won't shut up about until they threaten to kick me out.... is a hard plastic weapon/accessory sprue. I've got the eisenkern stormtrooper accessory sprue set, and it's lovely, but a more scifi-friendly set would be amazing.
Mantic kickstarter prices for hard plastic tanks... squeeee.
The Enforcer faction especially: hard plastic weapon sprue that includes energy blade trios and giant riot shields? Hmmm, what game-players would buy those by the truckloads....Mantic could make a veritable fortune off of those, if they play their cards right. Here's a tip, guys: make the left arms come without hands and have the hands attached to the shield:weapons, and have the shoulder pads separate too: you'll make a killing.
scarletsquig wrote: ^ Other than the tooling costs there are still wages, rent and taxes etc. that all need paying in GBP. So, unless they're directly funding something new its GBP they need to expand their local operations and infrastructure (probably the best thing they could do at this point in time).
I agree with you that those costs are paid in GBP. But you know as well as I do that Americans don't like to spend "funny money", and that a GBP Kickstarter from Mantic would bring in far, far less.
Remember - I'm the one bitching that I can't buy stuff from their webstore in GBP. If they're not willing to let ROW pay in a choice of currencies (like so many other European stores do) then they're not going to run a KS in pounds.
Interview with Ronnie after a sexy candlelit dinner and a bottle of wine:
I'll save that for tonight...
scarletsquig wrote: Yep, 2 separate rulebooks and army lists for Warpath. Should hopefully ship as a bonus freebie with DZ wave 2 if we're lucky.
Individual casualty removal and skirmish mechanics for the 40k-sized game. A polished version of Warpath 2.0 which is likely to fix up the current rules to remove some of the annoying things about it (the weird activation, 7+ to hit for most shooting etc.).
Element-based (5 models = 1 game unit) rules for the mass battle game which will allow for gigantic battles to be played very quickly. Movement trays here most likely.
All models compatible with both versions of the game. Play whichever one you want.
Its a good approach since it puts the two different versions of the game out there and lets the players decide which one is the most popular (rather than people with opinions on the internet, or Mantic's own playtesters).
That does seem like a good idea. So... why not give the two versions separate names then to avoid confusion? I guess there's still time for that - but having them with the same name would be a bad idea...
Paradigm wrote: It now sounds obvious, but this is actually a damn clever solution to keep people happy and interested. Offer both versions of the rules and support both, and you've actually managed to please all of the people, all of the time
Except where people want to use the 'multibasing' aspect of the large game to create dioramas and can't then easily remove individual figures, meaning they have to buy the same figures twice if they want to play both versions.
But in general it is probably is the best solution.
Well, that's a really specific complaint - and not one that could ever be solved if people are that intent on making multibased dioramas. Then again, it's just as true for KoW or any other games that allow multibasing where people may want to use the figures elsewhere as well. It's why my "20-25mm square" KoW figures are instead individually based on 25mm rounds (the rounds are just a strong, personal choice) and then blu-taced onto regiment bases. Lets me use them in KoW as well as anything else from LotR SBG to Advanced HeroQuest to SBH to Pathfinder (except Warhammer, but I don't care about WHFB anymore).
Do we know how much US prices are going up? If it's more than a dollar or two, this could be a pretty serious problem for Mantic. Most of the FLGSs I've been to recently have had problems moving Mantic products and have stopped reordering stock for non-boardgame items. Mantic's prices seem to put them at a disadvantage against WGF/historicals (numbers) or DFG (quality).
Perhaps I'm more price-sensitive than most gamers, but it really feels like Mantic are not the "buy bigger armies" company anymore.
scarletsquig wrote: Yep, 2 separate rulebooks and army lists for Warpath. Should hopefully ship as a bonus freebie with DZ wave 2 if we're lucky. Individual casualty removal and skirmish mechanics for the 40k-sized game. A polished version of Warpath 2.0 which is likely to fix up the current rules to remove some of the annoying things about it (the weird activation, 7+ to hit for most shooting etc.). Element-based (5 models = 1 game unit) rules for the mass battle game which will allow for gigantic battles to be played very quickly. Movement trays here most likely. All models compatible with both versions of the game. Play whichever one you want.
Its a good approach since it puts the two different versions of the game out there and lets the players decide which one is the most popular (rather than people with opinions on the internet, or Mantic's own playtesters).
That does seem like a good idea. So... why not give the two versions separate names then to avoid confusion? I guess there's still time for that - but having them with the same name would be a bad idea...
They could always do what Spartan Games has been hinting at doing for Firestorm, with Firestorm: Armada as the spaceship game, Firestorm: Invasion (iirc) as the 6mm, and then another Firestorm:Suffix name for their 15mm and 28mm (From what I recall of an old announcement). Maybe Warpath: Engagement for the skirmish-scale, and Warpath: Onslaught for the mass-battle version?
On a related note, I am incredibly psyched that they're doing this. I am a huuuuge fan of the mass-battle rules, but given the support for the skirmish rules as well I was disappointed about the idea of one group being left out. This idea sounds like the perfect fix, and I'm really glad it looks like it will continue a trend of Mantic promoting cross-compatibility with models in their ranges.
Plus, this is a ripe opportunity for them to basically pick up the ball Spartan Games dropped. When SG announced the Firestorm anthology of games, I was incredibly excited, but since then we've seen next to nothing released over the span of several years as they focus on F:A and DW. I don't blame them for that and it's their perogative, but not seeing much done with Firestorm* saddens me, especially after all the talk about how you could create campaigns linking different Firestorm games together (Play a 28mm game to knock out a defense battery, which gives a player a boost in an Armada game, which winning grants a troop bonus in the Invasion 6mm game, which might allow for a flanking maneuver if you also win a 15mm game, etc). Mantic could totally incorporate these ideas into their Warpaths (And even Deadzone perhaps), and I think it would draw in a lot of people who may have been hoping for multiple compatible games for linked campaigns.
Plus, if Mantic eventually shifts into hard plastic scifi ships, I think they could make a killing if they look nice enough. I know a big roadblock to getting more people in my area to play F:A is the pricetag on a starter box, and paying $40 for two hard plastic fleets instead of one resin one would probably make bank. Even moreso if the models were modular/interchangeable and offered players multiple build options from one kit...
*I still hate that they dropped the 28mm ground model rules for Uncharted Seas, and that Dystopian Legions has been getting very sparse love compared to Dystopian Wars.
They could always do what Spartan Games has been hinting at doing for Firestorm, with Firestorm: Armada as the spaceship game, Firestorm: Invasion (iirc) as the 6mm, and then another Firestorm:Suffix name for their 15mm and 28mm (From what I recall of an old announcement). Maybe Warpath: Engagement for the skirmish-scale, and Warpath: Onslaught for the mass-battle version?
That would probably do it.
I'd certainly be down for a good cross-game-compatable campaign system, as well. I think Dystopian Legions really dropped the ball by going with 35mm or 40mm or whatever it was. I was down to buy a bunch of their figures to use in "other games" until we found out that the sizes were that far out of whack.
Hard plastic spaceships are too good of an idea. If Mantic tried that, the entire Chinese factory might explode. Remember the rule of Conservation of Mantic: the brighter the idea, the harder the almost.
Eh, probably not going to happen anytime soon, if at all.
Hawk Wargames will get there first at any rate since they have some sprues already for DZC and might launch their new spaceship game with a similar approach. That will have linked games of space combat and DZC. If you're not so keen on Spartan at the moment then Hawk is probably the one to follow rather than waiting on Mantic to start to consider looking at the genre.
I never got into any of Spartan's games, it always felt like there was a new one coming out every 6 months leaving me wondering what the support and game balance was going to be like. Mantic risks the same thing, Jake is good but there's rather a lot on his plate currently, I don't expect Deadzone to be balanced within the year and its possible that Dreadball might not handle having 25 teams too well despite being quite good currently. Then there's Mars Attacks, DBX and DKQ on top of that...
Well, that's a really specific complaint - and not one that could ever be solved if people are that intent on making multibased dioramas.
Yep. The idea of possible mini dioramas (guys hunkering down behind space-sandbags, medics trying to patch up comrades whilst being protected by others etc)was the only real thing drawing me towards Warpath, but I don't expect it to be a major concern for others. And of course I could still do that, but if I made a fully diorama'd Warpath+ army, and everyone in my local group played Warpath- exclusively then I'd be... disappointed I guess.
But as I said, it's probably the best way overall.
A lot more metal than I remembered in that list of 2nd shipment items, but I guess that just means better value for Kickstarter backers. I have not added anything to my strike team pledge, so am I just waiting on the Enforcers come October?
BobtheInquisitor wrote: The update states that there is a link to the new pdf in my 'inbox'. I don't see any such link in my email or on kickstarter. Where is this link?
Should be in your kickstarter messages. Guess it might depend on pledge level though...
BobtheInquisitor wrote: The update states that there is a link to the new pdf in my 'inbox'. I don't see any such link in my email or on kickstarter. Where is this link?
Should be in your kickstarter messages. Guess it might depend on pledge level though...
Oh. They didn't mention pledge level... Would some kind soul please share the gist of the Asterian and Forgefather background.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: The update states that there is a link to the new pdf in my 'inbox'. I don't see any such link in my email or on kickstarter. Where is this link?
Should be in your kickstarter messages. Guess it might depend on pledge level though...
Oh. They didn't mention pledge level... Would some kind soul please share the gist of the Asterian and Forgefather background.
You could always message them as well. I believe the actual pledge levels listed whether you got electronic versions of the book or not, but don't remember.
Forge fathers are meticulous and slowly, yet aggressively expanding. Brokkrs are a wayward clan who decided to drop honour for profit, and payed the price. They're essential as pioneers, but shunned. They make a good scapegoat if they are caught sneaking.
Asterians are striving to maintain balance in all things, and not interested in intervening with other races unless they need to. They have a strong disdain for humanity, who they see as doing the opposite, especially since they hit the death arc. Some asterians believe that humanity should be left to be consumed by the plague.
I just got my ruined quadrant yesterday (would have been friday if Fedex wasn't dumb). Can't wait to start building, lots of great stuff in that box.. 9 pounds o' plastic!
JoeRugby wrote: Are the peacekeeper rules in the incursion book?
No not that I can see they will be on the cards the rulebook just covers some specific rules like the shields.
The zombies above aren't the new ones they are made from the old KoW zombies and Corporation troops (the new ones are in the backgorund of the picture) and at a guess the Peacekeepers are resin or prints.
JoeRugby wrote: Are the peacekeeper rules in the incursion book?
No not that I can see they will be on the cards the rulebook just covers some specific rules like the shields.
The zombies above aren't the new ones they are made from the old KoW zombies and Corporation troops (the new ones are in the backgorund of the picture) and at a guess the Peacekeepers are resin or prints.
The Peacekeepers continue to look awesomely epic, I hope there's a possibility for running 3-4 in a 70-point list (ie. I hope there's a Peacekeeper sergeant option)
Forge fathers are meticulous and slowly, yet aggressively expanding. Brokkrs are a wayward clan who decided to drop honour for profit, and payed the price. They're essential as pioneers, but shunned. They make a good scapegoat if they are caught sneaking.
Asterians are striving to maintain balance in all things, and not interested in intervening with other races unless they need to. They have a strong disdain for humanity, who they see as doing the opposite, especially since they hit the death arc. Some asterians believe that humanity should be left to be consumed by the plague.
Further, the Brokkrs are the Forge Fathers plausible deniability weapon when it comes to confrontation with the GCPS. While they know they're militarily superior by some margin, they recognise the violent desperation in humanity would leave the Forge Fathers with the bloodiest of Pyrrhic victories at best, hence they do their best to avoid causing open conflict while acting as trade partners. If Brokkrs are ever caught doing what they're sent to do, they can be dismissed as rogue elements beyond the control of the clans.
Also the reason the Asterians enter the deadzones is containment - long ago in a barely remembered past it was the Asterians who battled and eventually contained the plague within the death arc, and they're terrified of the thing breaking loose again due to human interference. Where the plague came from is still unknown.
Kind of wish they'd show off the dead figures, and at least mention the ai deck, but at least most all of its coming soon.
Wonder if they'd be down with bringing dz orders to gencon, if they have the hard pstic forge guard on time, seems like it *might* save them some of the shipping cost? I may have to ask since mars attacks has no chce oof it now from the sound of it.
Automatically Appended Next Post: @ntr, another thing I'm concerned with being sight unseen... but then they were technically free so meh.
IMO, any and all Kickstarters with any delays should do something like this.
I have to say - THIS is one of the best things I've ever seen from a Kickstarter company, ever. The only thing approaching it is Battle Systems giving us the name of the ship their stuff is on along with a website link to track the ship on it's journey across the ocean (partway between Columbo, Sri Lanka and Suez, Egypt atm).
And it looks like end of August/start of September for my stuff to arrive. A bit disappointing since I was hoping to see it soon, but I'll live. Peacekeeprs arriving in Oct/Nov will either not mean anything (if I haven't played the game yet by then) or I'll finallyvend up with a squad or two of Terminators painted...
For the non-KS public, is this compendium going to be avaialble generally?
If so, can you explain what it covers? For example, does it include Nexus Psi, Contagion and/or any other campaign stuff?
Thank you for any info you can share.
For the non-KS public, is this compendium going to be avaialble generally?
If so, can you explain what it covers? For example, does it include Nexus Psi, Contagion and/or any other campaign stuff?
Thank you for any info you can share.
Compendium is this
Deadzone Nexus Psi, Deadzone: Incursion and Deadzone: Contagion in an exclusive Slipcase
If the peacekeepers end up looking like that and end up being styrene like the undead/elves/dwarves I will definitely be won back as a Mantic customer. They look fantastic.
Read through the incursion book - I'm really getting into the warpath setting. I love the dystopian corporate ruled empire which whilst not unique in sci-fi is not overdone and provides plenty ground for further official and unofficial development. The take forge fathers and asterians and their relationship with humans is great and definitely provides fertile ground for all sorts of gaming and reading goodness. The first sphere reminds me of the city in Fifth Element which is always nice and I can easily see a Zorg (Gary Oldman) existing there. The battlesystems terrain looks like it would fit perfectly in the high-tech cities too >:-)
Is the map in Incursion the first map of the Warpath setting? I don't recall seeing one in previous deadzone or Dreadball books.
Is the map in Incursion the first map of the Warpath setting?
I can't speak for Dreadball, but it is for DZ and WP.
I just finished reading through it also..... OK, OK, I just finished looking at all the Peacekeeper photos. I love the helmet variations. I can't be the only person hope a dropship is in the not too distant future?
IMO, any and all Kickstarters with any delays should do something like this.
I have to say - THIS is one of the best things I've ever seen from a Kickstarter company, ever. The only thing approaching it is Battle Systems giving us the name of the ship their stuff is on along with a website link to track the ship on it's journey across the ocean (partway between Columbo, Sri Lanka and Suez, Egypt atm).
Kingdom Death published a similar list in their last update (last week?), I wonder if the idea was independently arrived at or if KD inspired them *shrugs*
privateer4hire wrote: Triszin said: "Compendium is this Deadzone Nexus Psi, Deadzone: Incursion and Deadzone: Contagion in an exclusive Slipcase"
Cool. Thank you.
Anybody know if the slipcase-less version of Compendium will be available for general sale?
That would just be the 3 books bought individually, which will definitely be on general sale! The current Kickstarter Compendium is those 3 softcover books inside a slipcase.
IMO, any and all Kickstarters with any delays should do something like this.
I have to say - THIS is one of the best things I've ever seen from a Kickstarter company, ever. The only thing approaching it is Battle Systems giving us the name of the ship their stuff is on along with a website link to track the ship on it's journey across the ocean (partway between Columbo, Sri Lanka and Suez, Egypt atm).
Kingdom Death published a similar list in their last update (last week?), I wonder if the idea was independently arrived at or if KD inspired them *shrugs*
Prodos did it for Mutant Chronicles a fair while ago too, it's certainly useful for the more complex KS where they don't do weekly updates like Mierce
IMO, any and all Kickstarters with any delays should do something like this.
I have to say - THIS is one of the best things I've ever seen from a Kickstarter company, ever. The only thing approaching it is Battle Systems giving us the name of the ship their stuff is on along with a website link to track the ship on it's journey across the ocean (partway between Columbo, Sri Lanka and Suez, Egypt atm).
Kingdom Death published a similar list in their last update (last week?), I wonder if the idea was independently arrived at or if KD inspired them *shrugs*
Prodos did it for Mutant Chronicles a fair while ago too, it's certainly useful for the more complex KS where they don't do weekly updates like Mierce
I hope this is the sign of a trend catching on then
I may get sucked into this game. I'm starting Infinity currently and need terrain... may as well get a new game system with the terrain.
Plus, with the cube movement system some of my board game friends may start this up. They seriously cannot figure out how to move a model using a tape measure... they want to hold it backwards or they try to get so painstakingly precise that games take forever. X Wing was the easiest game hook people on, and I think Deadzone may only be a small step further.
sukura636 wrote: So since the Kickstarter control has gone down well - is there anything missing that you like to see on future versions?
My main suggestion would be sort it...somehow. Right now it's not by status, not by material, not by name, etc. It looks like it's sorted by a category that isn't included on the table (e.g. - Booster, Mercenaries, Miscellaneous, etc.) which makes it somewhat annoying to look at with status and such all jumbled up. My suggestion would be to do it via status with the stuff that's "done" at the bottom (as it's the least interesting to someone trying to track progress) and the stuff furthest away in a given wave at the top. Thus when a backer wants to see "how much longer?" the things that are still an issue are right there at the top and the question is swiftly answered. If they care to look up something specific, the browser's find function will get them there quickly enough.
The other thing I would do, which they likely planned to do anyway, is color code anything that has changed since the last time they updated. Obviously there's no updates right this second since it's the first posting, but when they do update tagging the changed rows in yellow or something so people can spot at a glance what progress is being made week-to-week. Along those lines, a "Date Last Updated" right at the top would be an excellent idea. Thus we know if we're looking at the most up-to-date information from an hour ago or data that's a week or two old. If we're going for accountability, that's a key piece too.
All in all I appreciate the attempt at transparency rather than trying to hide behind claims of convoluted processes that could not be comprehended by mortals.
Paradigm wrote: The Peacekeepers continue to look awesomely epic, I hope there's a possibility for running 3-4 in a 70-point list (ie. I hope there's a Peacekeeper sergeant option)
The cheapest is the Peacekeeper with a Wristblade at 18 points. There's no sergeant.
18 isn't horrific, and on the basis you're having 3 max in a normal game (and one other Enforcer) then even a 1-1 command stat gets you done in two turns.
No idea on the stats, but I can see myself running:
Peacekeeper
Peacekeeper
Special Weapon Peacekeeper
Sniper
comes in at around 64-70, and would be pretty awesome.
Perhaps I'm more price-sensitive than most gamers, but it really feels like Mantic are not the "buy bigger armies" company anymore.
They've been quietly drifting away from that for awhile now. I expect the Warpath thing to take them even further away.
Well, it seems Napoleon the Pig can longer be discerned from the farmer.
Alright, that's a bit of hyperbole, but it sure is depressing that Mantic is finally going to put out kits worth buying only to raise their prices until the kits aren't worth buying.
Seems a bit of a massive stretch given that it's only the US dollar price going up, and only because that nation is slowly and inexorably collapsing in on itself.
All I have to say is "Hi Americans, welcome to the world the rest of us live in, enjoy your stay"
It's definitely been a few pages since that was busted out!
And seriously, is Mantic "Almost" because Ronnie didn't personally fly over here and fix the US economy? The dollar is becoming worth less than toilet paper because it's certainly being printed faster than toilet paper is being made. Everybody's making adjustments, and Mantic being a UK company, isn't raising their MSRP. Unless somehow they should lower them in order to keep US retail parity? IIRC they actually lowered prices and put more figures in a box about a year ago. But, y'know, ALMOST
sukura636 wrote: Plus, also good to remember that Mantic is Ltd, not Plc. SO that cash isn't going to shareholders, but, rather back into the company.
That's simply not how it all works. In all probability Mantic does pay a dividend because that's a more tax efficient way for Ronnie to pay himself some of his money.
sukura636 wrote: Plus, also good to remember that Mantic is Ltd, not Plc. SO that cash isn't going to shareholders, but, rather back into the company.
That's simply not how it all works. In all probability Mantic does pay a dividend because that's a more tax efficient way for Ronnie to pay himself some of his money.
True, but I don't think he triggers a price rise to make sure he gets enough. (Yes I know I'm grossly over-simplifying complex economics)
I may get sucked into this game. I'm starting Infinity currently and need terrain... may as well get a new game system with the terrain.
Plus, with the cube movement system some of my board game friends may start this up. They seriously cannot figure out how to move a model using a tape measure... they want to hold it backwards or they try to get so painstakingly precise that games take forever. X Wing was the easiest game hook people on, and I think Deadzone may only be a small step further.
The terrain I have will be doing double duty with Infinity, I'm actually thinking about picking up some additional Infinity stuff that I can use in deadzone. So far I only have Pan-O stuff but I really like the Morat designs and they'd be great stand in models for the Rebs.
the cube system seemed a bit odd at first glance but after having some time to wrap my head around it I really like it now as it eliminates all the movement shenanigans. One of my friends constantly fudges his movements and is constantly taking an extra half inch or inch when it suits him (usually front to back measuring), whenever we call him on it he's like my bad I don't know how that happened. (like he hasn't figured out how to measure after 50+ games) Yet he harps on everyone else if they are even a single mm over, really frustrating to game with as he basically cheating IMO. Fittingly he's really against the idea of the cube, likely due to the fact it removes his ability to fudge things. I think the concept is great and keeps the game nice and simple.
I do think the cube mechanics are one of the best bits of Deadzone, elegant, simple and with plenty of room for more conventional positioning given the ability to choose exactly where you place the models.
That terrain does look very nice and versatile. Any word yet if it's going to be available 'battlezone-style' as a stand-alone, as I have no interest in the game itself?
It will be released as a separate terrain pack, almost certainly, same goes for the martians and soldiers.
One interesting thing from people who got to have a look at the production minis is that there is apparently almost zero mould lines, to the point where removing the very few shallow ones that do exist is not necessary.
Looking at the bases on the minis in those pics seems to support this, you'd expect a line down the middle of the base on all of them... you can just about see that on some of them, but not on most of them.
really looking forward to getting hold of it now, with the narrative missions similar to space hulk where you play a mini-campaign using the models in the box it should be a lot of fun.. and simplified Deadzone rules means I don't really need to learn how to play, and it could act as a great lead-in game for Deadzone... play MA to learn the basics, then play Deadzone with the cards etc.
the cube system seemed a bit odd at first glance but after having some time to wrap my head around it I really like it now as it eliminates all the movement shenanigans. One of my friends constantly fudges his movements and is constantly taking an extra half inch or inch when it suits him (usually front to back measuring), whenever we call him on it he's like my bad I don't know how that happened. (like he hasn't figured out how to measure after 50+ games) Yet he harps on everyone else if they are even a single mm over, really frustrating to game with as he basically cheating IMO. Fittingly he's really against the idea of the cube, likely due to the fact it removes his ability to fudge things. I think the concept is great and keeps the game nice and simple.
Paradigm wrote: I do think the cube mechanics are one of the best bits of Deadzone, elegant, simple and with plenty of room for more conventional positioning given the ability to choose exactly where you place the models.
As well as all of the above, I've found the cube system to be on the "nerdy enough to be fun" side of a demarcation line, on the other side of which is the way too nerdy to consider "Tape measures? Are you serious?" to my non-wargaming friends.
Paradigm wrote: That terrain does look very nice and versatile. Any word yet if it's going to be available 'battlezone-style' as a stand-alone, as I have no interest in the game itself?
Can't imagine why it wouldn't! But no actual word, no.
$75 or £50 as far as I know. The US price increase might change things though, since at current exchange rates, £50 = $85.30.*
Bit cheaper than Deadzone due to no rubber mat, although it does come with about double the amount of minis in the box.
* This is why Mantic is having to increase US prices, a few months ago, £50 was just about $75 exactly, now its over $85.. Mantic don't have the profit margins to be able to ignore massive currency fluctuations such as the dollar losing 20% of its value in a short space of time.
Not sure what's happening over in America right now with the money (If I had to hazard a guess, its a deliberate currency trashing for the sake of making the national debt easier to pay off, at the expense of the short term economy since the US is not an exporter nation) but it seems to be headed in the same direction as the Euro after several countries using it defaulted on their debts.
Edit: Pre-orders just went up, along with lots of new pics. Mars Attacks box set is $80 so it's actually a better deal than it should be by $5 for US customers.
Really liking the boardgame format of the game, means I can get games up and running in a short space of time when I probably wouldn't have considered starting on a new system..
Yeah, I think I'd have been happier with Deadzone in this sort of material, it would have made it so much easier to get started with rather than spending ages prepping restic first.
No restic to deal with, or assembly, or much in the way of flash from the looks of it.
Was unable to go in for the KS, but have just pre-ordered the main box set. Really like the look of this - those US soldiers look great as do the Martians.
It's definitely been a few pages since that was busted out!
And seriously, is Mantic "Almost" because Ronnie didn't personally fly over here and fix the US economy? The dollar is becoming worth less than toilet paper because it's certainly being printed faster than toilet paper is being made. Everybody's making adjustments, and Mantic being a UK company, isn't raising their MSRP. Unless somehow they should lower them in order to keep US retail parity? IIRC they actually lowered prices and put more figures in a box about a year ago. But, y'know, ALMOST
Ok. I apologize. I did not know the dollar had tanked and I went too far. I admit it upsets me when I see my purchasing power decrease and my dwindling hobby budget affording less and less plastic crack.
The thing about catchphrases is that it's fun to use them.
I am heavily invested in DeadZone and though I initially went very big into the Mars Attacks KS, I recently had to cancel my order/pledge due to a change in personal circumstances (and Mantic were FANTASTIC to deal with on this).
I really regret it. I would much rather have all the Mars Attacks stuff I had chosen than the Dead Zone stuff. I like the theme better and the figures won't be nearly as frustrating as some of the crap I got so far from Dead Zone.
Kudos to Mantic for pulling this off an having it come out as nicely as it appears to have.
Ahh, Mars Attack looks soo good. But I have no money left to spend on it. Would have gone in with the KS but just got Deadzone as a gift for my brother and I thought it was really similar. Now I am torn. Oh well I still hope it rocks. As for the price increase it is totally justifiable but it is really not great news for the US economy... great.
I backed out of the kickstarter when I realised my completionist mentality was going to bankrupt me on a game I was never going to play.
That terrain is gorgeous and I really like how the civilian heroes turned out. Also, I need a set of flaming cows. I don't know why I do, but now that I've seen them, I need a set of flaming cows
Quite glad i got the cows... and well, everything i got. What we've seen so far is looking great, and the pre-colored plastic is really going to take the pressure off of me to paint this immediately. I intend to, it will look much much better painted... but it'll play just fine in the initial colors too, giving more time to finish up deadzone stuff and so on.
On DZ: Incursion, the rules for multimat/player games were awful short, but that might be a good thing really... what did you guys think about them? I've only played two small games so my own frame of reference is pretty limited to make a solid judgement.
We've played multi-mat and multiplayer w/o whatever rules Incursion includes.
I am not a fan. Unless you've got scads of terrain, whoever tries to cross no-man's land is gonna be one dead customer.
It encourages turtling (may as well stay here and shoot/blaze away) unless Incursion does something about that.
Mostly they are guidelines, deployment zones and such. The bigger boards may require a bucketload of terrain. I've been getting into found/scratchbuilt terrain lately so this won't serve as a problem for me... but significant terrain density may be an issue for a lot of deadzoners, similar to how it is for a lot of (especially those starting out) infinity players.
Sorry for the stupid question but was the Mars Attacks stuff supposed to come prepainted like D&D minis or is it just in the colored by faction plastic and preassembled?
This is looking like a great project for Mantic, hopefully the sales will match the quality of the delivery. I did not back this and do not think that I will purchase it, but if I can resist a flying saucer and big stompy robot or two is an entirely different matter.
If they match this quality with Dreadball: Extreme (the same material is it not?) we should have a lot of very happy backers.
privateer4hire wrote: We've played multi-mat and multiplayer w/o whatever rules Incursion includes.
I am not a fan. Unless you've got scads of terrain, whoever tries to cross no-man's land is gonna be one dead customer.
It encourages turtling (may as well stay here and shoot/blaze away) unless Incursion does something about that.
All Incursion does is provide new deployment diagrams.
Are you using one mat's worth of terrain and just spreading it out thin?
6s2Hit and Games Hub Edinburgh will be attending Claymore 2014, run by South East Scotland Wargames club (SESWC)
Scotland’s premier wargames show, which will be held on Saturday 2nd August, 2014, at the Granton Campus of Edinburgh College, 350 West Granton Road, Edinburgh EH5 1QE. Doors will open to the public at 10.00am.
Features Demonstration and Participation Games: As per usual at Claymore there will be a good selection of demonstration and participation games. Some 30+ traders and its outstanding Bring & Buy tables.
6s2Hit is happy to announce that Ronnie Renton of Mantic games will be attending Claymore2014 with us. Ronnie will be bringing along the very first copy of Mars attacks made to play on our participation table, this will be its first uk wargames show this new game is being demoed at so don't miss out on a chance to play the game with its! As well as this we hope to have some sneak peek of Mantics up and coming projects. And don’t be shy to ask Ronnie any questions or to sing any of the Mantic products you buy at 6s2Hits trading stand.
As always 6s2Hit 6'ers team as well as some of Mantics pathfinders will be running participation games. Mantics mars attacks, Dread Ball, Dead-zone and Kings of war. Warlord games, Bolt action demonstration offered by 6s2Hit's Homeguard radio podcast team. And a selection of skirmish games from Warmachine & hordes, Dust Tactics, Urban war.
Furthermore for all you Manic fans unable to atend Clamore please come join us and Ronnie Renton who will be giving a FREE seminar on Sunday from 11am at Edinburgh games Hub
highlord tamburlaine wrote:Not sure if this has been posted. Painted photos of the dead bodies, civilians, and FLAMING COWS.
Those dead bodies are awesome and the cows look fun!
The people beneath are awful though, especially the blonde lass. Looks like the same sculptor as did the Sharlot(sp?) Air Spirit for Kings of War, which was pretty poor itself.
I'm seeing some pretty epic mould lines on the production figures in the baggies too...
Overall though, I think it looks fairly promising!
The Shaarylot model is one of my favourite sculpts for KoW, it's really nicely done, with subtle detail that would have gotten mushed out if it was a restic mini.
Something of note for any gamer is the release of the two urban mats, one straight road, one junction:
Very good quality mats and no logos.
Can see those and the terrain being useful for quite a few modern games as well.
I'll probably pick up the upgrade pack and Attack from Space at retail, left them out of my KS pledge at the last minute, but thankfully they're pretty much exactly the same price at retail so I didn't miss out on any huge bargain there.
Agreed on the mats in terms of use for a myriad of other games, could be quite a money spinner for Mantic. The quality and price tends to blow most of the specialist game mat companies away.
For those doubting the KS business model the fact that the campaigns for Deadzone and Mars Attacks (except the boxed game?) upgraded the original crummy paper mat is a good thing. It makes me a bit sad to imagine playing Deadzone on a paper mat with a short shelf life due to the rigours of gaming.
Just saw those on the newsletter, and they look very cool. I'm assuming those are starters plus boosters, though, as otherwise they're a fair bit pricier even with the free book.
Starters plus a bit more, yes. You get relevant new characters (and Helfather in the big deal) and what looks to be the equivalent of one booster. I think.
Not a fan of the Asterians, but the new Forgefathers are looking cool.
A little disappointed with the terrain in the Mars Attacks set... The little scatter pieces are ace, but the walls have the same 'clip-together and looks like it' issue as the scifi stuff.
@Paradigm, I initially though that the £39.99 sets were priced a bit off but if a starter is £19.99, a booster £14.99 and a metal character is £6.49 then you save a bit and get the campaign book thrown in free too.
Still not as cheap as I usually view Mantic as though. The Nexus Psi collection saved £25 on retail. These are not as good as that collection, think I will wait for my FLOR to get them in.
insaniak wrote: Not a fan of the Asterians, but the new Forgefathers are looking cool.
A little disappointed with the terrain in the Mars Attacks set... The little scatter pieces are ace, but the walls have the same 'clip-together and looks like it' issue as the scifi stuff.
Asterians- Is it the paintjob or just the models in general you don't like?
Thraxas Of Turai wrote: @Paradigm, I initially though that the £39.99 sets were priced a bit off but if a starter is £19.99, a booster £14.99 and a metal character is £6.49 then you save a bit and get the campaign book thrown in free too.
Still not as cheap as I usually view Mantic as though. The Nexus Psi collection saved £25 on retail. These are not as good as that collection, think I will wait for my FLOR to get them in.
Oh yes, it's still a good deal. I think I'll just wait until I can get the started on their own, and build up from there if I like how either faction plays.
Love the Asterians, but there in Restic so I won't touch them, Really like the fact that the Forge Father suits are Sprued Plastic but really dislike the models so I won't be getting them either!
scarletsquig wrote: Something of note for any gamer is the release of the two urban mats, one straight road, one junction:
Very good quality mats and no logos.
Can see those and the terrain being useful for quite a few modern games as well.
Which mats are included in the KS add-ons? I think I only saw one kind of design?
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Thraxas Of Turai wrote: @Paradigm, I initially though that the £39.99 sets were priced a bit off but if a starter is £19.99, a booster £14.99 and a metal character is £6.49 then you save a bit and get the campaign book thrown in free too.
Still not as cheap as I usually view Mantic as though. The Nexus Psi collection saved £25 on retail. These are not as good as that collection, think I will wait for my FLOR to get them in.
Mantic's slowly moving away from their "cheap/affordable" ethos. All the more reason to recycle my superior looking, non-restic, Jes Goodwin-sculpted Eldar into Asterians. Or use Asterian stats for the Eldar, more to the point...
Thraxas Of Turai wrote: @Paradigm, I initially though that the £39.99 sets were priced a bit off but if a starter is £19.99, a booster £14.99 and a metal character is £6.49 then you save a bit and get the campaign book thrown in free too.
Still not as cheap as I usually view Mantic as though. The Nexus Psi collection saved £25 on retail. These are not as good as that collection, think I will wait for my FLOR to get them in.
Mantic's slowly moving away from their "cheap/affordable" ethos. All the more reason to recycle my superior looking, non-restic, Jes Goodwin-sculpted Eldar into Asterians. Or use Asterian stats for the Eldar, more to the point...
Yup, with the price of that (admittedly resin) stuntbot there are some Killa Kans from the Sanctus Reach Stormclaw boxed set out there with my name on them. Using GW minis as proxies for Deadzone because they are cheaper? What is happening here?
Also Titan Games have got a Strider "out in the wild"
@Azazel - I've been using Eldar for Asterians for a while now, just cobbled together what I had and painted up a few more bits.
I'm using 2nd edition rangers and storm guardians for flux rifle cyphers and cypher primes and a warlock for a commander.
Haven't won a game with them yet but haven't failed as hard as I did with Rebs either... at least they actually kill things and score VPs, I feel like I can do things with the faction whereas Rebs were just a complete disaster (The Kraaw nerf was the last straw, and the recent survey drone nerf* is even worse).
As for Forgefathers, anyone with even a handful of old squat models should be over the moon right now!
And about the Mars Attacks mats - I really cannot remember, think the choice of mat was something you had to specify in the survey, straight road or junction.
The two separate mats was something that was done after backers requested it.
*They now die extremely easily to any blaze away attack, they used to be immune to them.
privateer4hire wrote: Killa Kans are $46.25 for 3.
$34.99 for Stuntbot ($27.99 on discount).
Didn't realize there was that much difference.
Could be wrong, but isn't a Killa Kan only half the size of a Stuntbot? I would have thought a Deff Dread would be a fairer price comparison given they're much closer in size
privateer4hire wrote: Killa Kans are $46.25 for 3.
$34.99 for Stuntbot ($27.99 on discount).
Didn't realize there was that much difference.
Maybe the Ork Dreadnought (whatever it is called now) will be a better comparison, but we cannot really tell until we have some scale shots. (Totally ninjad by NTRabbit on that) That said it is your game,with a hard plastic 3 kan kit surely you can just make 2 bigger ones out of it quite easily? As Azazel and Squig point out, it is your hobby and if you are using proxies you can pretty much do anything within reason.
@Scarletsquig They nerfed the drones too? The Rebs definitely need some of their rules/points cost sorting.
privateer4hire wrote: Killa Kans are $46.25 for 3.
$34.99 for Stuntbot ($27.99 on discount).
Didn't realize there was that much difference.
Could be wrong, but isn't a Killa Kan only half the size of a Stuntbot? I would have thought a Deff Dread would be a fairer price comparison given they're much closer in size
Dunno. That would be easier to stomach if it were true. If stuntbots are roughly equiv to Killa Kans though it's kind of disappointing.
Well I don't actually possess any of the above, but the Stuntbot goes on a 60mm base and looks to be about 65-70mm tall, and what I read about them says Killa Kans are 45mm tall and fit on 40 but usually put on 60mm bases, and the Deff Dread is 75mm tall on a 60mm base.
Probably have to wait for someone to put the three of them in a lineup to be sure
scarletsquig wrote: @Azazel - I've been using Eldar for Asterians for a while now, just cobbled together what I had and painted up a few more bits.
I'm using 2nd edition rangers and storm guardians for flux rifle cyphers and cypher primes and a warlock for a commander.
Haven't won a game with them yet but haven't failed as hard as I did with Rebs either... at least they actually kill things and score VPs, I feel like I can do things with the faction whereas Rebs were just a complete disaster (The Kraaw nerf was the last straw, and the recent survey drone nerf* is even worse).
I've got bugger-all of my Eldar painted, going back to many, many Rogue Trader figures that have been sitting around in boxes since I bought them. I'm hoping that DZ will give me a proper excuse to paint some up, and I might even end up playing some 40k with them afterwards...
As for Forgefathers, anyone with even a handful of old squat models should be over the moon right now!
I've only got a handful of my old Squats left, though I like the FFs in general as well. Well, these new ones, not the Fantasy-goggle ones.
And about the Mars Attacks mats - I really cannot remember, think the choice of mat was something you had to specify in the survey, straight road or junction.
The two separate mats was something that was done after backers requested it.
Good to hear. Thanks for the info.
*They now die extremely easily to any blaze away attack, they used to be immune to them.
I hope all these changes and revisions to the rules are somewhere easily accessible. And printed - not in random spots on Thornton's blog.
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NTRabbit wrote: Well I don't actually possess any of the above, but the Stuntbot goes on a 60mm base and looks to be about 65-70mm tall, and what I read about them says Killa Kans are 45mm tall and fit on 40 but usually put on 60mm bases, and the Deff Dread is 75mm tall on a 60mm base.
Probably have to wait for someone to put the three of them in a lineup to be sure
Having just checked my assembled Kans upstairs, they are 50mm, 55mm and 60mm tall to the top of the hatch, with about another 4-8mm for the shoulders and spikes on the shoulders, and the exhausts on the tallest (60mm) of the Kans hit 80mm tall. So I'm sure Kans will work just fine.
Having just checked my assembled Kans upstairs, they are 50mm, 55mm and 60mm tall to the top of the hatch, with about another 4-8mm for the shoulders and spikes on the shoulders, and the exhausts on the tallest (60mm) of the Kans hit 80mm tall. So I'm sure Kans will work just fine.
Oh I'm sure they'll work plenty fine, I mean a well kitted Ork player should be able to play Deadzone Marauders without ever buying from Mantic, I just think it's worth standing the Stuntbot between a Killa Kan and a Deff Dread to get a fair idea of how it compares in height and volume to the two before making any price/value comparisons.
The Mars Attacks stuff looks terrible. I don't mind the Asterians, something seems off about them but I can't place my finger on it. The non power suited Forgefathers are nice. The power suits are ridiculously square, like a bad pound shop toy.
Zond wrote: The Mars Attacks stuff looks terrible. I don't mind the Asterians, something seems off about them but I can't place my finger on it. The non power suited Forgefathers are nice. The power suits are ridiculously square, like a bad pound shop toy.
Whilst I agree that they look squarish (sort of the point) I'm not getting the comparison - never seen a pound shop toy like that. What do you mean?
Stuntbot seems high, i guess it's cause of the premium resin thing? It's probably only fair to compare it's price to a resin kan/dredd or resin dreadnought, but not a contemptor as those are way too big. 35 for a resin dread probably isn't too bad, but then there's a reason i stay away from resin models.
The strider though... 20 bucks, 16 at normal discount sites... with the melee/ranged option, 3 sets of cockpit/pilot potential... i could see them selling the crap out of those!
Well... only if you're dead set on defending the thing. May as well compare it to the thing that it's closest to, which is either a Kan or whatever it is that Ork Dreads are now called. Deff Dredd or whatever.
Strider could be okay, but then again... Contemptors!
Well i'm just saying if it's made of resin it's going to be more expensive. I probably won't buy one for that after the fact, just like i've never ever ordered a single thing from forgeworld because i can't justify the cost, even if they do look nice.
$27 for a resin Stuntbot is too rich for my blood, but the $20 KS price was just fine; I saw this resin price hike coming and added one to my pledge at the last minute.
Given the popularity of Orks, though, I think Mantic ought to put the Stuntbots out in PVC like the Striders anyway.
There are a lot of different walker types out there, and the very pretty Contemptors are but one.
I'm planning on putting all of them in a lineup photo so that people can compare size between all of them. I'll be starting with the Striders, Stuntbot, Iron Ancestor, Wraithlord, Venerable Dreadnought, Castellax, Cyriss Heavy Vector, Martian Stompy Robot and NorAm Raptor + Lynx + Wolverine that I already have/have on order. Then I have a list of others to add like the Killa Kan and Deff Dread, a Puppetswar Enforcer, Contemptor, etc
I can't imagine this will be useful enough to make up for the time spent, but it's this idea see, I had it and now I have to do it, because that's what happens right
The stuntbots are resin because of low projected sales and will have low sales because they're resin.
Still, that's one of the other advantages of playing Mantic, its totally fine to just get a Killa Kan box instead if you want, nobody is going to mind, not even Mantic themselves.
I skipped the Stuntbot as some day I will have a few Trollforged dreadnoughts to fit the part (need to get my monies worth some how and the dread is coming along nicely)
Both the bots were on sale today at Warlord Games Open Day, also had the final version of MA on demo , good quality IMO, there's the slightest of mould line on some figures but only generally on big open areas like trousers, faces were fine etc, and you only noticed because your looking for them. Scenery is good as well and seems very much like hard plastic despite being sprueless. Box is good quality as well with thick card as opposed to thin, and the box insert nicely seperates bits. Definitely looking forward to it.
scarletsquig wrote: The stuntbots are resin because of low projected sales and will have low sales because they're resin.
Still, that's one of the other advantages of playing Mantic, its totally fine to just get a Killa Kan box instead if you want, nobody is going to mind, not even Mantic themselves.
I get and agree with the self-fulfilling prophecy thing. I'm just not sure that I agree with Mantic's original assessment of "low projected sales" for the stuntbot. I could be wrong, as I'm not really a big-time Ork fan, but my perception is that the Marauders are selling very well for Mantic.
As for substituting miniatures from other lines to play games they weren't intended for, that's what any creative and / or sane gamer generally does, in my opinion. I intend to Sedition Wars away the awkward Plague models. And you're right; it's nice that Mantic currently don't pretend otherwise. Hope that attitude lasts as they grow bigger and more successful.
I suppose the low projected sales thing could just come from the fact that deff dreddz and kills kans exist. Going plastic to match them too expensive/risky but they can't just not make a model for it, so go for resin.
Compel wrote: I suppose the low projected sales thing could just come from the fact that deff dreddz and kills kans exist. Going plastic to match them too expensive/risky but they can't just not make a model for it, so go for resin.
Compel wrote: I suppose the low projected sales thing could just come from the fact that deff dreddz and kills kans exist. Going plastic to match them too expensive/risky but they can't just not make a model for it, so go for resin.
If they had had enough people locking it in during the DZ pledge manager it would have been plastic (or at worst restic), but just not enough people were prepared to lock it in before they had to decide
(so rather than projected low sales it was actual low sales that doomed it to be expensive)
Compel wrote: I suppose the low projected sales thing could just come from the fact that deff dreddz and kills kans exist. Going plastic to match them too expensive/risky but they can't just not make a model for it, so go for resin.
If they had had enough people locking it in during the DZ pledge manager it would have been plastic (or at worst restic), but just not enough people were prepared to lock it in before they had to decide
(so rather than projected low sales it was actual low sales that doomed it to be expensive)
If the stretch goals were more reflective of the cost then this would be less of an issue.
sukura636 wrote: And the strider services 3/4 factions, whereas the stuntbot services only one.
Yeah, making the Strider cross-faction was a smart move on Mantic's part. The only thing I regret about it is the Plague's use of Striders. I know it fits them since some of them retain enough intelligence to pilot them, but what I want from the Plague are big, hulking monsters. I'd rather have seen get a biological monster counterpart to the mechanical Mechs of the other factions. (More the route Sedition Wars has gone, minus the biotech.)
sukura636 wrote: And the strider services 3/4 factions, whereas the stuntbot services only one.
Yeah, making the Strider cross-faction was a smart move on Mantic's part. The only thing I regret about it is the Plague's use of Striders. I know it fits them since some of them retain enough intelligence to pilot them, but what I want from the Plague are big, hulking monsters. I'd rather have seen get a biological monster counterpart to the mechanical Mechs of the other factions. (More the route Sedition Wars has gone, minus the biotech.)
The current Plague Teraton is a stage 2 or 3 as I recall reading, so a Plague Stage 1 Teraton for the Plague tank equivalent in Warpath, make it happen!
sukura636 wrote: And the strider services 3/4 factions, whereas the stuntbot services only one.
There's a joke in there
I'd really like to see a stage 2 dog
Given that the stage 1s are a finite number, just the people directly at the site of the outbreak it'll be interesting to see how the big bad stage 1s translate to warpath.
Count me as another one who wanted a biological equivalent to a Strider.
I like my Plague Teraton well enough, but I would love to see what a Stage 1 Teraton could be like. It ought to be something big enough to be able to peel open a Strider to snack on the pilot!
I like my Plague Teraton well enough, but I would love to see what a Stage 1 Teraton could be like. It ought to be something big enough to be able to peel open a Strider to snack on the pilot!
Thats your stage 1
He'll eat up any of the striders if he can get into contact.
scarletsquig wrote: The stuntbots are resin because of low projected sales and will have low sales because they're resin.
Still, that's one of the other advantages of playing Mantic, its totally fine to just get a Killa Kan box instead if you want, nobody is going to mind, not even Mantic themselves.
Spoiler:
At this point, Mantic is happy just to have people playing their games, which in turn promotes their models - whether you're using their models or not.
scarletsquig wrote: The stuntbots are resin because of low projected sales and will have low sales because they're resin.
Still, that's one of the other advantages of playing Mantic, its totally fine to just get a Killa Kan box instead if you want, nobody is going to mind, not even Mantic themselves.
Spoiler:
At this point, Mantic is happy just to have people playing their games, which in turn promotes their models - whether you're using their models or not.
Yep.
The business plan revolves around the next generation of sales. Sure you're using GW miniatures now because that's what you've already got, but what happens when you want a new army? Mantic hopes you'll get it from them. What about when you introduce someone to wargaming? Do you point them in the direction of GW or towards Mantic whose minis are much cheaper?
The business plan revolves around the next generation of sales. Sure you're using GW miniatures now because that's what you've already got, but what happens when you want a new army? Mantic hopes you'll get it from them. What about when you introduce someone to wargaming? Do you point them in the direction of GW or towards Mantic whose minis are much cheaper?
If they want me to do that, they're going to have to step up in terms of quality. Quite a bit. I honestly can't recommend Mantic right now as they seem dead-set on this restic thing and I don't want anyone that I may actually like (ok if I don't like them maybe I'll refer them) to deal with the restic hell that I did. One thing I'll hand to GW, and I'm hardly a fanboy, is that the hard plastic is generally of high quality and easy to prep; Mantic's restic monstrosities take hours to clean the mold lines and bend parts back into shape, etc. Mantic's actual plastics (men at arms aside) are generally of decent quality and cost but the restic and/or resin is near GW prices per miniature.
At this point, Mantic is happy just to have people playing their games, which in turn promotes their models - whether you're using their models or not.
Yep.
The business plan revolves around the next generation of sales. Sure you're using GW miniatures now because that's what you've already got, but what happens when you want a new army? Mantic hopes you'll get it from them. What about when you introduce someone to wargaming? Do you point them in the direction of GW or towards Mantic whose minis are much cheaper?
Even people like myself who predominantly use their existing GW models have bought a bunch of the Mantic models, simply through exposure to the brand and sculpts. Though Mantic needs to watch out with their own price rises, because there are other third parties out there with far superior sculpts for not a lot more than their own product. - and if you're already using a mix of figures, then adding others into that mix isn't going to bother you...
If they want me to do that, they're going to have to step up in terms of quality. Quite a bit. I honestly can't recommend Mantic right now as they seem dead-set on this restic thing and I don't want anyone that I may actually like (ok if I don't like them maybe I'll refer them) to deal with the restic hell that I did. One thing I'll hand to GW, and I'm hardly a fanboy, is that the hard plastic is generally of high quality and easy to prep; Mantic's restic monstrosities take hours to clean the mold lines and bend parts back into shape, etc. Mantic's actual plastics (men at arms aside) are generally of decent quality and cost but the restic and/or resin is near GW prices per miniature.
It really depends. Their first-wave undead cavalry are restic, but are good quality - unlike the gak they've been putting out via Kickstarter for the past few years. Other figures, like the Ogres are fine if you only want, say, three or six - but quickly become a nightmare due to being over-detailed sculpts which in turn become an absolute fething nightmare to clean in restic. (Not to mention limited parts, knocked knees and pigeon toes!)
But yes. I've been playing KoW for a while now (not as often as I'd like) and I've bought a gakload of WHFB plastics (new) and classic metals (secondhand) to play KoW with. Far more than I've spent on Mantic's own toy soldiers. Clearly, if I'm buying GW models to play Mantic's game (as opposed to just recycling my old figures) then there's an issue with price or quality. Or both.
TwilightSparkles wrote: Both the bots were on sale today at Warlord Games Open Day, also had the final version of MA on demo , good quality IMO, there's the slightest of mould line on some figures but only generally on big open areas like trousers, faces were fine etc, and you only noticed because your looking for them. Scenery is good as well and seems very much like hard plastic despite being sprueless. Box is good quality as well with thick card as opposed to thin, and the box insert nicely seperates bits. Definitely looking forward to it.
Thanks for the quick review, sounds promising. Small/easy mould lines will be a pleasure after the Deadzone KS ; p
Sunavva. I painted up a multi-species DB team for use as Rebs (no rules changes just reskinning) and submitted them to IronWatch a couple months back.
Funny to see DB leaching into these 2nd wave cards. Maybe it will encourage folks to look at buying those MVPs
Nexus Psi has a once-per-campaign mission to save a dread ball MVP from the plague, the stats are for the MVP to interact with the plague as you try to exfiltrate him.
Sorry if this has been mentioned in the past few pages, but does anyone know when Mars Attacks is due to start shipping?
Ronnie spoke of it in the BoW interview video as though it is all packed up and ready, but I wonder is the assumption still for arrival next month some time?
Some interesting stuff there. The Peacekeepers look awesome in both model and rules, the Pathfinder give a nice cheaper trooper option, and the mechs look great too. Some of the mercs look pretty good too.
I mean, the Parsec is a unit of distance, not time, so that's like saying 'I can run from here to Texas in 12 miles!' 
, we want Ronnie to live to finalize game systems and put out great things. You can have all the 
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