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From TTGN:

http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2009/12/24/32394

Can anyone confirm or deny?

And, if it is confirmed, what's he up to next?

I'm calling it a troll-post until confirmed. There have been one or two pot stirrers around, so I'll assume they're at it again until something official comes out.

Even if Mr. Bey does leave, that's fine. Palo is still working on the Krygs and perhaps Mr. Bey will come up with something just as uber as AT-43. Either way, it may be a good thing.

Yes sadly Jean Bey has officially left Rackham. He posted a farewell on the Sentinel forum for AT-43, as well as in other places, and Table Top News has posted his final message as news. I wish him the best! And he will be missed in the AT-43 communtiy, but AT-43 will continue to be developed. I've seen a glimpse of the full 2010 release schedule and it looks to have some goodies for almost all existing armies, as well as continuing releases for both the Oni and Cogs, and yes, Paolo is working on the Kryggs!

I wonder if he was pushed. Its normal after take overs for old senior management to have to go. As Jean was so central to the IP vision he had to be jept on at least until now.

It is sad to lose part of your own creative control to someone else, its like being divorced from a piece of your own mind.

Yes sadly I wonder that myself. Your assessment seems to be pretty spot on. Jean has been absent from the Sentinel boards for about half a year, and I doubt that was voluntary, but I really can't do more than speculate myself. I know we will all sorely miss him, especially since AT-43 remains my favorite game. I wish him the best and can only hope he continues to use his creative ideas in the miniature/hobby industry somewhere!

Well, considering he killed my favorite version of Confrontation (3.5) in favour of the PPP stuff... I can't say I'm broken up about it. I love the art designers from Rackham... not necessarily the direction the rule-sets have gone.

Achilles wrote:Well, considering he killed my favorite version of Confrontation (3.5) in favour of the PPP stuff... I can't say I'm broken up about it. I love the art designers from Rackham... not necessarily the direction the rule-sets have gone.

Have to agree with Achilles on this one.

Though maybe he was 'forced' to go in that direction back then, given Rackham's state at that time?

Anyway, here's wishing him the best...

Nah, they killed the metal line right after they launched AT43... and well before they were put into protection because of their cash-flow.

Remember the press release he wrote talking about how PPP was the will of the people and the future of the industry? Hi-Larious.

Keep in mind that I reported what a Sentinel told me of their conversations with Jean Bey at GenCon this year - that he had pretty much been locked out of all decision-making at RE. They've known about this for some time, I suspect - the Sentinel who shared the information me wanted to be cautious about what we said, precisely, because according to him the Sentinels were keeping the news quiet as if it got out, RE would know where it came from and they were "looking for a reason to fire him."

I hope that he went out on his own steam, instead. In any case, this should come as a surprise to no one.

All I really care about is what this portends for AT-43, and I don't think it's going to be anything bad. Jean Bey's name doesn't appear on the Oni Army Book and it doesn't seem to have suffered for it. Paolo Parente is still doing the sculpting and his work isn't going to change as a result of this. RE is being helmed by actual businesspeople who, for all the evils of business, ultimately are going to know better how to run a company than a creative artist. That's pretty much always how it goes in entertainment where the creators aren't the people making the deals because knowing how to make the deals is an entirely different kind of knowledge and experience. And perhaps that's how it should be, to a point.

Over on TTWN people are discussing in the comments on this announcement the degree to which Jean Bey was responsible for the original Confrontation. Some people want to lay the credit to him, others want to lay it to a whole team. I don't play fantasy minis games so I have no idea who did what, but it seems to me that Jean Bey and Paolo Parente were equally at the helm of all the AT-43 Army Books I own, with Jean Bey taking a lead role in the beginning of editing the work...so he would be a part of a team who created AT-43, not "the" creator.

If that's the case, then I don't think this really affects AT-43 that much, and that's all I really care about. I want them to get to the frakking transports from Frostbite eventually...they would be quite awesome, I think.

i wouldnt call foul Cairnius. It is policy in just about every business to rpelace senior management after a take over, especially if the takeover was after a period of instability.

jeab Bey lasted as long as he did because he was both the technical men and the business leader. he had the product technology in his head, and new Rckham needed to pick his brains.

If GW were to be taken over tomorrow (I wish) the bean counters would be out in a week, senior studio staff would last a few months longer while their thoughts were extracted and the creative helm passed to other hands.

This is standard take over policy worldwide, Jean Bey is not particualry targeted or hard done by, the same would have happened had anyone taken over. If he wanted to avoid this fate Rackham needed to have stayed solvent while in its original hands.

Fair point, Orlanth.

I'm interested in this game, in a mild sort of way, but all this chatter about instability, secrecy and lack of communication puts me right off.

No calling of a foul was intented, Orlanth.

Da Boss, AT-43 is worth looking into if you have friends with armies. It's a different kind of game than a 40K or Fow or WM/Hordes, def. sort of a boardgame/traditional ttw hybrid. Since trying to play with "regular" terrain rather than the 2D tiles and posters and some 3D elements AT-43 officially supports, I'm beginning to lean back towards using the official stuff as the game is designed around them.

Basically, AT-43 gives you more interesting, basic play mechanics than 40K IMHO, shooting rules that make more sense than 40K's again IMHO, quicker games with easier setup and breakdown, and much cheaper startup costs, about $400 less than your average 40K army. Plus there's no building or painting anything. If any of that sounds interesting, check the game out. ~$55 for Red Blok, Oni, or Cogs Army Boxes at Miniature Market or The War Store.

Heh. I'm already playing 40K, Fantasy, WOTR, Hordes and some specialist games, but I do like the sounds of AT-43 as a quick and easy game. I enjoyed D'n'D minis for the same reason, but then the miniatures got so terrible I had to quit. AT-43 looks to have better quality control on the minis. I do like the "straight out of the box completely playable" aspect though.

Here's the thing with AT-43 minis quality...I don't know of many other things in what I've experienced in wargaming that could be more subjective.

I think of the minis as "functional." They serve their purpose. The mans look like the mans they are supposed to look like, the vehicles look what they're supposed to look like, and I can play the game with them.

I rankled at the idea of someone calling them "tabletop standard painting" because traditionally, for me, that means solid basecoating plus a little inking/shading or highlighting, and a titch of detail work. Then again, "tabletop standard" can also be a very subjective measure. For many 40K tournaments its a bare three-color minimum. I don't consider that "tabletop" quality at all, but then again I used to be the guy who refused to field anything other than fully-painted models on the table when I played at a club.

Took me three years to abandon that policy so I could actually try other armies and models whenever I felt like building them...

The painting has certainly gotten better over the years. I think the Karmans are far and above any of the other lines when it comes to painting. They have a lot more tiny detail work, lots of tampography work, better shading...they're just better than anything else, IMHO. It's why I went ahead and started collecting them even though I can't imagine ever playing as them (mostly because both my ready opponents play Karmans).

The vehicles, in general, are very cool. I wouldn't say they're up to my tabletop standards, but they're far and above a lot of other peoples'.

In the end, it truly is all about "playable right out of the box," and it took me trying to finish my FoW army painting and basing and just getting bored out of my skull, and not wanting to even face the idea of building and painting the 20+ Space Marine models and vehicles to field a proper 1,850 competitive list, that made me give AT-43 another hard look while this time being well aware of every shortcoming and issue the game had.

I decided that being able to put six full armies on display and play as whichever faction I wanted was worth putting up with said shortcomings. I tried to start a second army for 40K, Orks, and got so bored with building Shoota Boyz that I just stopped. I should probably just sell it all...most of it was gifts so that's all pure profit to me.

Well, I dont really care qho comes and goes in a company all I ask is that they continue delivering a product that I found satisfying for a price I am willing to pay. Having say that, I also dont believe that Mr. Bey was the heart and soul of the company as I cannot imagine 1 single developer doing all design, it is more like a group of people doing it... thats my opinion anyway...

the schedule for the year is apparently released and it seems that, at least AT43 is continuing.... they need to improve in many areas but if the laid off/quiting of Mr. Bey is for the best of the product... then so be it