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Well, it's only fair. And potentially QI.

The Good:

- Privateer Press field tests - Whether people like the changes or not, nobody can say Privateer has been secretive or cryptic about what they're doing with Warmachine Mk2. It also looks like they're listening to the fans when it came to the results of said testing, which can only mean good things. Even after the field test was done, they released the complete rules and cards in PDF to keep customer interest and maintain end-of-year sales, a move which has only positive effects for both sides of the equation.

- Wargames Factory - These guys are steaming ahead in terms of quality, the difference between their Vikings and last year's Imperial Romans is staggering. On a broader front, the 28mm historical plastics avalanche has produced numerous companies producing oodles of miniatures for almost all the major eras (Ancient, medieval, pike & shot, ACW, Napoleonic).


My memory is notoriously hazy, so please, chip in

- Mantic Games - Apparently set on producing complete ranges of fantasy armies in plastic, with great quality right off the bat.

Otherworld Games. I just can't praise their new line of old-school role play miniatures enough. All hail the pig-faced Orcs and streaking Bugbears. (I'm gonna buy a bunch of 'em and paint 'em shiny pink down there, like dogs. Because I'm not right in the head...) Anyway, their prices are kinda high, but for that level of quality, It's all good.

Ok, from the top:

1. Infinity, take a look at the range, awesome metal crack! Not to mention a great game background and fluff!

2. Hasslefree....awesome off the wall miniatures, great detail and awesome customer service!

3. Loving the stuff coming out of Tales of War right now, some great alternative universe miniatures, also see Tale Revision as well.

4. Enigma miniatures range, again, great detail and serves as a painters dream.

5. MERCS miniatures, just released the Yellow Jackets, while some of the sculpting is a bit iffy, I have high hopes for this range of miniatures.

I'm sure theres lots more but I have forgotten!

It was a year full of surprises lets hope I remember all of them:

1- Biggest surprise was when I found the skirmish game " Songs of blades and heroes" from Ganesha... In short this is a fast play fantasy skirmish game ( best miniature rules in Origins 2008) that got me back in fantasy... Here you can use ANY miniature from ANY company outhere and you can even play in diferent scales if you want to... I choosed 28mm and basicly I can use my uraken gobbos from confrontation against some alkemy frogs warbands... its bloody brilliant since theres not those silly things like you can only use our minis...

2- Mercs miniatures got some really nice CCC squad and even made discounts for the costumers that bought the first miniatures they released... good sharp sculpting and casting.

3- Battlefoam really catched my interest and they really listen to clients needs, a good example of how things should be handled and they will get my money when waylands gets some boxes.

4- Soda pop was a breeze of fresh air in the scifi miniatures market, lovely style, professional presentation site & concept art and above all had the pleasure to experience TOP service since i messed up my shipping address and they were always proactive sending me mails trying to solve the problem... 5 stars.

5- Infinity Yujings are getting better and better its almost unbelievable the constant quality on their miniatures

6- Very happy with Fenris games bases and accessories these are my top resin base suplier, good product, well priced and geronimo is always PMing me telling me when the things I want are available... for example I needed one base in 60mm and he casted it in the weekend just for me andwarned me by mails... superb!

7- Barrulle.com & maelstorm always there for me with tons of options for my modelling.

8- Red box games for some of the best muscled barbarians ever... sharp stuff amazing concepts and super sculpting.

What I didnt like in 2009

1- Kraken games ignoring my mails and questions.
2- The weird state of helldorado
3- Rackham making only crap stuff.
4- Olleys armies had to sell ranges and close for a period of time.

thats all I recall for now

Personally it was my re-discovery of 1:72 scale WWII models. Triggered off by the nice 20mm figs released by Valiant, and then discovering that 1:72 scale vehicle kits from the likes of Italieri are around £5 or so, or less in some cases. Couple that with the discovery that at that scale camoflage is a doddle to paint, and I'm a happy bunny. Couple that to Mongoose' Battlefield Evolution: World at War rules and also TooFatLardies' I Ain't Been Shot Mum, and my favourite wargaming genre/period of the moment has been discovered!

This year I have liked (to the extent of purchase) Malifaux from Wyrd Miniatures, and lots of Uncharted Seas from Spartan Games (and today Firestorm Armada). AT-43 Army Boxes are starting to restore my (badly battered) faith in Rackham to the extent I am getting the Red Blok box for Christmas. Also the new wave of 28mm historical plastics from Perry Miniatures started a desire to get into Napoleonics and I have begun by baby steps a venture into that period and genre.

This year I have also developed a love for board games. Thanks largely to the D6G podcast. Games/purchases of Battlelore, Starcraft, Tannhauser, Carcassone, Warhammer Invasion (technically FFG not GW!) and Munchkins have been enjoyed!

And most recently the launch of the indie-sci-fi and fantasy gaming magazine "The Ancible" (http://www.the-ancible.com) has put the icing on the cake. At last a magazine that I am eager to read after having got thoroughly bored with the boring propaganda of No Quarter and WD.

2009 for me was definitely the year I put to bed my lingering regard for the "big" companies (I class PP in with GW now, mainly based on the price of their product in the UK. I appreciate in the US it is a darn sight better company to its customers than GW is. Also I claseed Rackham as a "big company" in that for a while they were relatively large on the scene - although much less so now...) and threw myself wholeheartedly into bed with the small "indies".

Now, as to the "bad stuff". You know what, while I have seen plenty of stuff that doesn't interest me featured on Tabletop Gaming News, Meeples and Miniatures and other gaming news sites/podcasts, it just doesn't register like the bad stuff produced by the big companies. Maybe because there's less hype? So while there has been plenty of naff independent stuff (or at least uninteresting to me) released by independent companies, and a whole ton of stuff that is good, amazing even, but just "not my bag", it's not thrust under my nose in the same way so really doesn't register enough to bother me, or for me to even remember it here!

Besides the Warmachine MK2 field test; release of the "final" Warmachine MK2 rules, and the Hordes MK2 field test that was moved up, I'm very stoked about Pulp City. Pulp Monsters have been cranking out new models and using the community for testing and making even more model rules and fluff, which is really cool.

On the "Bad" front, I'm going to have to put Privateer's Retribution warjacks, they just ping the weirdness meter far too severely to come across as "elven" to me.

Micro Art Studio: I definitely like their bases.
http://www.shop.microartstudio.com/

Agamemnon2 wrote:On the "Bad" front, I'm going to have to put Privateer's Retribution warjacks, they just ping the weirdness meter far too severely to come across as "elven" to me.

urhg, and then some. No matter what PP says about it being the intention that the models shouldn't fit into the steampunkish feel of the Iron Kingdoms, I still feel they really dropped the ball on those Retribution 'jacks. They just don't look good at all.

And I can only agree with NAVARRO on the whole Helldorado thing. That game has so much potential that was completely missed out on by Asmodée. I mean, why release the rules in SPANISH (no offence) before releasing them in english? It maketh no sense to me, and I think they lost out on a lot of people with that decision.

In table top games:

The Good:

Uncharted Seas by Spartan Games. Fast fun system that can be had for an outlay well under $100.00 New fleets and rules updates were a winner.

Firestorm Armada by Spartan Games. Technically not out yet but should be great. Figures look outstanding and if the rules are similar to Uncharted Seas I'm all in.

Malifaux by Wyrrd Games. What a great system. Very unique and the figs are good as well. Love the game play and hope releases keep up with the energy.


The Mediocre:

Helldorado. Production ceases on one of my favorite ranges but with Cipher picking it up I'm excited for English rules and the start up of more support and figures.

Infinity. I play and have a huge combined army. This is one that for me the figs get crappier and look very repetitive with just a weapon swap. The release of a second rule book is still just talk but there is too much online support material for my taste at this time. Publish it already. I still don't have a lot of "fun" playing the system.

The Bad
Alkemy by Kraken games ... no rule book and no releases for 1 whole year. WHile a fun system the writing is on the wall for this group.

Rackham. They need to dump confrontation Age of Ragnarok which is a loser of a system IMO and focus on AT43. This truly should have happened 12 months ago. Regardless, I'll hold my AT43 army with a hope that it will get a lift after they shut down Conf in early 2010 (rumor but with a lot of substance).

Reaper picked up the RPG license for Pathfinder, and those are some very nice minis that have started to roll out.

The beta test for Warmachine meant that it was actually a slow year for the game IMO. I only bought what I needed to upgrade my units to maximum size and a few odds and ends. I think Hordes suffered in this grey area too. However 2010 will start with a far better base for both Warmachine and Hordes.

Uncharted seas caught my eye with its 'Elric-esque' Dragon fleet, enought to buy a starter set.

Helldorado continues to fail to live up to its potential - English rulebook please!

I was almost tempted to get into Malifaux but the game's awfully expensive for models I may never use. I do like the Pigs and Bayou goblins though.

Lots of companies seem to be getting into the cheap plastic game which is good.

Good
Malifaux releases some really imaginative stuff. If I break from GW in 2010, these guys, along with Infinity will do quite well.

Bad
PP releases goofy, bizarre stuff for "Elves" that is made of utter and complete FAIL at a price point that GW would envy.

OK
PP goes to v2 for Warmachine, with a major rebalance, and nobody breaks out any torches or pitchforks. Apparently, PP can do no wrong, so lubing up a little before bending the Customer over makes them like the experience...

meh
Uncharted Seas releases, and I just can't get it. I like (and own plenty) BFG and Pirates CSG, but just can't make the step to yet another naval game.

JohnHwangDD wrote:
PP goes to v2 for Warmachine, with a major rebalance, and nobody breaks out any torches or pitchforks. Apparently, PP can do no wrong, so lubing up a little before bending the Customer over makes them like the experience...

Unfortunately, its beyond your understanding, but we'll try one more time.

PP tends not to antagonize its fan base, and has built up goodwill with its customers that they are willing, for a time, to give them the benefit of the doubt that GW will never, ever get again. Doesnt mean it will be forever, but unlike GW, they actually have and do, listen to tehir fanbase.

Instead of telling them to go play golf and stop turning their game into a sport or something else of that nature.

That's just the "lubing up" I was talking about.

At some point, the reality of PP charging more per model than GW is going to have consequences, but good on PP for getting away with what GW can't do!

meh
Uncharted Seas releases, and I just can't get it. I like (and own plenty) BFG and Pirates CSG, but just can't make the step to yet another naval game.

Have you played US or just the figs are meh? I love it...most fun I've had in a game in a long time.

The Good
For me, the general level of quality and availability in all periods continued to improve.

Hard plastics are now available from at least five different companies not including GW, in 28mm, 54mm and 20mm or 1/72 scale. The range is still small but it includes Ancients, ACW, Napoleonic, Colonials, Zombies, Fantasy, and WW2. Whilst we can never hope for every possible army to be catered for, it shouldn’t take more than two or three years before the core armies are done for each genre.

Metals continued to shine with a string of quality releases from Corvus Belli (Infinity), Pig Iron (SF 28mm and heads,) Hasslefree and Heresy (individual character figures). Plus many more I haven’t had time to notice.

I discovered the fun of rapid terrain building, and cardboard models, thanks to www.toposolitario.com. I rediscovered the fun of modifying historical kits and figures for 40K.

Rules were less buoyant, the only big(gish) commercial release I noticed being Trafalgar (Warhammer Historical) which seems to have given a fillip to the Age Of Sail genre. Constant rules changes and too much choice are arguably a bad thing, however I was pleased to see continuing progress in the area of free rules, with some pretty decent SF sets being released.

(Obligatory GW H8-Speech -- there’s no reason to use GW models for 40K, and there’s no reason to use 40K as your rules, even if you have plenty of 40K models, when you see the amount and quality of alternatives around now.)

The Bad
The year’s main downer for me was the continued failure of Ravenstar to put out the long promised Cold Navy range of spaceship models in resin. They have sat on the moulds for nearly two years now. Cold Navy was an excellent, well-designed and coherent range of ships which in my view was as good as or better than any other generic ships on the market.

JohnHwangDD wrote:OK
PP goes to v2 for Warmachine, with a major rebalance, and nobody breaks out any torches or pitchforks. Apparently, PP can do no wrong, so lubing up a little before bending the Customer over makes them like the experience...

(emphasis mine)

Friend, you are so delusional as to make Amy Winehouse look like a paragon of virtue. Did you somehow miss the Cryx players throwing wobblers when the initial field test cards came out? Did you miss the people who were bitching about how units lost their abilities (like Temple Flame Guard no longer blowing up, I understand)? Do you even read the Privateer forums, friend?

And what the hell gives you, friend, the gall to equate Privateer customers with goddamn rape victims?!? What the hell is wrong with you? You really think Warmachine players haven't done basic math? How about you stop kicking those strawmen for once, or alternatively shut the hell up.

But no, you act like everyone who plays Warmachine waves around this ludicrous claim that their game is somehow cheaper than GW's, as if that's the only reason why anyone would ever prefer another game. Hell, Warmachine could cost twice as much as it does now and I'd still prefer it to 40k because it's simply a better game, something your worm-addled mind cannot even accept as a possible motivation. No, everything's about cost in the JohnHwang-universe. What a cold and dismal place it must be.

I don't know whether to spit in your face or to pity you, friend. Thanks for gaking all over my thread, though. That was real decent of you.

What's this?

PP = Rape?

Not a happy comparison. Let's activate our hyperbole deflectors.

Did someone mention the Perrys plastics specifically? 100 Years War, Nappies + ACW, plus other Nappies from Victrix and Warlord's ECW, not to mention Wargames Factory and Mantis (and PP starting to make plastic figs) signaled the dawn of a new age of miniatures.

Malifaux is a sweet game with sweet models. Kudos to Wyrd for building up their fanbase with figs first (for a long time) before coming up with interesting rules.

Warlord's new edition came out, yes?

PP rebalances Warmachine and includes their fanbase in the process.

Wargames Factory invites the public to inform their design specs.

The future's so bright, I've gotta wear shades.

jgemrich wrote:

meh
Uncharted Seas releases, and I just can't get it. I like (and own plenty) BFG and Pirates CSG, but just can't make the step to yet another naval game.

Have you played US or just the figs are meh?

I've played US, and I think the ships are OK, but their detailing doesn't quite work for me. My main reason for this being "meh" is that I already have enough Naval and won't spend for another, new system.
____

Agamemnon2 wrote:

JohnHwangDD wrote:OK
PP goes to v2 for Warmachine, with a major rebalance, and nobody breaks out any torches or pitchforks. Apparently, PP can do no wrong, so lubing up a little before bending the Customer over makes them like the experience...

Friend, you are so delusional

Do you even read the Privateer forums, friend?

And what the hell gives you, friend, the gall to equate Privateer customers with goddamn rape victims?!? What the hell is wrong with you?

But no, you act like everyone who plays Warmachine waves around this ludicrous claim that their game is somehow cheaper than GW's, as if that's the only reason why anyone would ever prefer another game. Hell, Warmachine could cost twice as much as it does now and I'd still prefer it to 40k because it's simply a better game, something your worm-addled mind cannot even accept as a possible motivation. No, everything's about cost in the JohnHwang-universe. What a cold and dismal place it must be.

I don't know whether to spit in your face or to pity you, friend. Thanks for gaking all over my thread, though. That was real decent of you.

Dude, excuse me, but this is an open thread and people can post their thoughts. And dude, I'm sorry that I'm not sold on PP. But, dude, I do take offense at you calling me "delusional" and then going on with your aggressive post. If you're going to react like a tool (see highlights in red), please don't fake around by calling me "friend". Anyhow, dude, I'll respond to substantive bits.

First, dude, I don't read the PP forums. I read the PP forum on Dakka, and by and large, everything I saw here is overwhelmingly positive. I guess I should blame Malfred and the other guys who like PP for painting an unrealistically postitive light on what PP has done? Sorry, dude, if you think that balance wasn't met and a inaccurate impression was given, maybe you should take that up elsewhere. But I'm not trawling PP's forum to look for rants, dude. I get enough of that here.

As for "rape victims", *you* put that in there, dude, not me. Metaphorically, every time GW raises prices, there's noise about GW screwing the customer. But apparently, when the shoe's on the other foot (i.e. PP), it's suddenly time to cry "rape victims". So, dude, that's 100% all on you. I won't have anything on this bit - it's all you. Dude, when you get right down to it, all GW/PP buying is consensual. That's right, dude, people choose to accept the prices that GW or PP charge. It's not like GW or PP march into your home and force their customers in any way. But nice job of raising the emotion to deflect attention away from PP charging high prices. Bravo, dude.

Warmachine got in on the basis of their models being cheaper than GW, and now they charge more. That's a fact, but not the only reason. But price and cost relative to GW is bandied around a LOT by PP's defenders (I would call them "fanbois", but that term is apparently reserved for when somebody defends GW). God forbid that I should pay attention to what PP's defenders have actually said.

And, dude, I didn't know it was "your thread". I didn't see any freakin' rules saying that all posters must lurve PP in their post, and hate GW. You want to blame this thread for going downhill, dude, you go look in the mirror. I really think you overreacted in a big way here, dude. Particularly the "spit in the face" bit. That's really uncalled for.
____

@KK: For the record, in no way should any reasonable person presume that I'm equating anybody to a rape victim. IMO, Aga has completely lost it here and is reading in things that were never intended, or reasonably to be expected from a normal, Dakka reading of my comment. I believe referencing a metaphorical "screwing" with respect to price isn't uncommon on forums. If you think that there was something grossly amiss in how I worded it, please PM me and/or edit accordingly - thanks. (also, I miss the pretty girl in your mod post )

JohnHwangDD wrote:
Dude, excuse me, but this is an open thread and people can post their thoughts.

Nuh uh!

Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote:

JohnHwangDD wrote:
Dude, excuse me, but this is an open thread and people can post their thoughts.

Nuh uh!

Really?

Dang.

Still like Malifaux, tho.

For me. 2009 is still 1000% meh for everything.

The Bad:
1) There is still little to no base for anything non-GW in my area that isn't a three ring circus of "that guy".

2) Companies are still playing "Follow The Leader" with GW and a) charging too much - in a global recession b) making games that aren't really any better (and usually worse) than Warhammer -Really? c) Making dumb decisions - Helldorado and Rackham I'm looking at you.

3) There is still no real online or at large gaming communities that arent a three ring circus of "That Guy" or a general cess pit of pre-pubescent flaming.

Bottom-line: I'm still painting and not doing much else.

JohnHwangDD wrote:That's just the "lubing up" I was talking about.

At some point, the reality of PP charging more per model than GW is going to have consequences, but good on PP for getting away with what GW can't do!

Apparantly, you have little reading comprension in the other thread. Price is only one small part of the problem with GW.

Yes PP is expensive. However, I can, unlike GW, order Warmachine and Hordes online in cart form with little issue, at the best discounts I can find. Where as GW makes it impossible, unless of course, I want to order out of the US.

"lubbing up" has the indication you'll take it no matter what. Thats not the case with PP. The have earned good will, and folks will eventually decide if the listening to fans, the good will and tight rules is offset by the price.

GW? No good will left. So they dont get an inch. You seem to equate the two as "equal" on just price alone, where as its not the case at all if you look at the complete package.

Yeah. I mean, it's just terrible that we don't have a site like The Warstore that you can just email with the GW stuff that you want and they send you an invoice allowing you to complete the transaction in a relatively quick timeframe with great customer service.

wait.

wut?

@carmachu: IMO, you misunderstand. I get great discounts on stuff, GW and otherwise, and I'm pretty happy about it. If I ordered internationally (someone can insert Maelstrom link), there would be carts and the whole nine yards along with the discount. Honestly, when I'm spending money, there's never been a problem with someone making it easy for me to do so. Funny how the free market makes this happen.

If people aren't "taking it", then PP would be going out of business. But PP is still selling stuff, so people are accepting the price increases with a smile (good will).

The big difference is indeed "goodwill", which is largely attributable to preconceived notions of GW=Evil, PP=Good. IMO, much of the difference is that the fans don't listen to GW, rather than GW not listening to the fans. You see this all the time with the rants over Jervis' WD column and similar. In the mean time, GW continues to sell big numbers so clearly, their customer base is doing OK, too.

And really, I don't know why you PP guys are so touchy. The fact is that PP is charging more per model than GW, and PP fans are happy to pay it. That's not an attack on anybody. Nor is it any kind of slam against PP. It's a statement of reality that is easily verified. So there's no reason for you guys to get all upset when I point it out.

But the emotional depth that it creates is puzzling and interesting. *Why* does me pointing this out make you so mad?

I don't know how much Helldorado's fate can be put into the bad decision column, as I understand it, their publisher decided to withdraw from the gaming industry, leaving the writers and artists standing on air. Whether that decision to withdraw was a bad one is impossible to gauge without knowing a lot more about Asmodee's finances. As for their decision to release the game primarily in French (mentioned upthread), I suppose that gave them an edge on their domestic market, which is an important first step for an upstart game. Also, writing a game for a non-native language is bound to be a lot harder than your native one, unless you're a trained translator.

Another good thing nobody's brought up yet is the resin guys. MaxMini, Microart Studio, Chapterhouse. All great products, all year long. I think at least MAS has been going at it for a while, but it seems to me 2009 is the year they've moved up into the limelights. To me of a particular note is MAS's expanding Discworld line, amazing sculpts there.

Also, Battlefoam. Going places pretty darn fast this year. I remember the forum's first reaction to their custom cut foam was a bit "meh". People weren't quite sure if paying for those trays was worth it, but looks like the overall response has turned a fair bit as the deluge of bags and product has landed.

--

That's all for this part of the recap, and now for some light comedy entertainment. Cue Yakkety Sax.

JohnHwangDD wrote:But the emotional depth that it creates is puzzling and interesting. *Why* does me pointing this out make you so mad?

[-- I retract the previous bit. It was unfair of me considering JDD does in fact post a lot of good posts in a lot of threads --]

For one thing. It's irrelevant, for reasons outlined below, and pointless reiteration of the same thing you've been saying for what has to be several years by now. People get fed up because they see you going through the motions time and again, with all the tedious inevitability of a season of Survivor. And that's the rabble-rousing bit of it. You must be pretty clued in by now about what sort of reaction your confrontational posts result in, and you do it anyway. It's not about communication anymore, it's about creating discord.

And here's the fun part. I don't even play Warmachine, though I am a Privateer Press customer. The only WM product I've bought all year is a box of Steelhead Halberdiers (horrible models to put together). The point still stands. Whether or not I accept their prices has nothing to do with preconceived notions and everything to do with value for money. I pay more, I get more. Based on my posting history on this site, it should be bloody obvious to anyone I'm about the last person to heap unreserved praise on anyone. Or have I been insufficiently cynical? Should I have protested louder every time someone releases a model I dislike in order to avoid the mantle of sycophant?

Also, an idea for you: If you think Warmachine players are touchy and combative, stop antagonizing them needlessly. It's hardly rocket science.

I was hoping that with the rise of multi-game podcasts (like D6G and Meeplesandminiatures) and TGN getting really established 2009 would be year that we stopped being tribal about our gaming systems.

Sadly I was wrong. What is it about gaming systems and the internet that gets people all defensive about *their* game?

Personally I play many games. GW and PP among them. for various periods I have played some in preference to others. I would never consider myself a*fan* of any one particular system over another even though a do have personal preference and don't shy away from pointing out my perceived flaws in rules systems and models. I can also objectively criticise what I view as unethical or bad business practice from a position of reasonable knowledge being an accountant. Again though that just makes me an observer.

Why the hate about fans of other systems? If we are going to mock fanboix of systems/companies we don't particularly rate highly the very least we owe is to do it with good humour?

Surely PP fans can take a little light mockery about the "play like you gotta pair" attitude (say). Surely GW fans can take a little liight mockery about the "kiddie-kay" ruleset (say). Why do we get so invested in one company's offering that we feel personally affronted when anyone else happens to point out their perceived flaws?

Personally my current favourite game is Battlefield Evolution World at War. But I'm not going to get bent out of shape by (heck, I'd probably even agree with) anyone who took a pop at Mongoose' shenanikins over the original BfE plastic models, or their simplistic cover rules...

Just because you may criticise the game I am currently playing, doesn't mean you are criticising me!