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So I contacted all the local GW’s in the area (5) and not one had stock of necromunda in store.

Is this game already dead?

Yes, I am playing it. It is with Blood Bowl the most inexpensive specialist game. You also need only to paint a dozen or so figures to start having fun. So what´s not to like?
But the target demographic of GW has been brainwashed to accept games like AoS and 8th 40K which feature rulesets that were conceptualised on soiled handkerchiefs. Necromunda´s target audience on the other hand is mostly made of vets from the 90s like myself who still have fond memories of playing the first version of Necromunda. Vets usually don´t hang out in smelly GW stores to play games. This type of environment was only created by GW to sucker in noobs into the hobby and deprive them of their parents´ hard earned cash.

I recently received the van saar gang as a gift and was shocked I coud not pick up more necromunda gear at the local GW (5 in the area).

If I cannot pick up stock for a product, I tend to assume the opposite of the game failing in that it is selling very well, perhaps greater than expectations.

Gw only stocks the main box instore with all the other gangs and gear webstore exclusives due to shelf space

GW has long had a policy of many things being direct order only or not holding huge volumes of stock in local stores. Which makes sense. They have a large product load and making excess to fill all the stores and 3rd parties and fullfil online orders is a vast amount of production; esp if some stuff just won't shift fast or won't sell strongly in some regions as opposed to others.

Heck their stores are already chock full and there's around 600 or so products from 40K and AoS that are direct order only already.


Instead of asking if you can get models locally from stock held and determining if the game is doing well based on that; its better to ask what the player scene is locally and ask how many they've got playing and if there are games you can get involved with. That gives you a far better measure as to what is and isn't being played locally and thus what might be doing well or poorly at the local level.

Accepting that sometimes a game is make or break on just one person being the driving force behind organising games and setting up matches and getting people involved.



GW long ago made the choice that instead of stocking everything at the local level they would stock some at the local level and rely on store orders and internet to pick up the slack. And in today's world that works out pretty well and normal for most stores.

Pancakey wrote:
So I contacted all the local GW’s in the area (5) and not one had stock of necromunda in store.

Is this game already dead?

No. Look at the GW and FW websites? Necromunda still for sale. And, more stuff in the works. Click on Warhammer Community. Yup, still posting current Necromunda articles, including upcoming products.

Try talking to someone who works at the GW store. I did. They will tell you the company wants them to use their limited shelf space to stock products that introduce customers to their core games (40k, Aos, Hobbit), to encourage further sales. GW don't see Necromunda as a one-and-done purchase. They know a gamer who decides to build even a modest 40K army will spend more money than buying into all of Necromunda.

Specialist Games are NOT core games. That's what make them "special." Necromunda is alive and well. I was there at the beginning, over a quarter-century ago. It's never had more product available, more products in the works, or a brighter future. I guess it bears repeating: For Necromunda, THESE are The Good Old Days.

So, two polls saying "Is this game dead" with an actual question that is confusingly the exact opposite. And in both cases the answer seems to be "it's just you, mate".

Did you try asking those GW stores if anyone played Necromunda, rather than asking if they stocked it? Even if they're not playing in those stores, the staff may well know where the local games are.

This game doesnt need gw stores. It would suck playing in there against random people and the power gamers anyway. This is a game better off played at home with trustworthy friends and a few beers.

 Thargrim wrote:
This game doesnt need gw stores. It would suck playing in there against random people and the power gamers anyway. This is a game better off played at home with trustworthy friends and a few beers.

I totally feel you on that.

If the game was selling like crazy though, it would be in stock. It used to be in stock at every GW store. FLGS have some in stock right now , Just not GW. Seems weird so I figured I would ask dakka.

Your premise is probably in error - it can sell "like crazy" despite not being in stores. The reason is probably that given the limited space available in any shop, the priority is given to the things that make the most profit per square foot. Space taken up by Necromunda is probably more profitably occupied by Kill Team, Age of Sigmar or 40k. That doesn't mean Necromunda is a failure.

Not playing and would never play.

ValentineGames wrote:
Not playing and would never play.

OK, I'll bite. Why not?

I must agree with what many has said above. GW stores and. Living games is not comparable! Games like Necromunda and Blood Bowl has lived on for many years without any support from GW and at the moment we're seeing constant releasres for Necromunda regardless of what they put in their stores.

 Gobbla wrote:

ValentineGames wrote:
Not playing and would never play.

OK, I'll bite. Why not?

Personally I think the entire release has been an absolute shambles from start to finish.
When it first came out as just the box game and the rules for 3D that was fine and that should of been it. Done and dusted.
2 books. All the gangs included. Simple. And it all should of been in 1 box.
With rules separate on release.

Instead we've had I think 4 or 5 books now??? At £20 each and all pretty much necessary.
A new one coming out or has come out that spits in your face if you bought all those books (and honestly will this now be the only book you need with rules?????? I doubt it since allot still exists that's not been touched)
WD lists that took forever to come on the website. So if you missed your precious magazine you had to wait ages.
It's taken all till now to release rules on its own (which is a huge deal when you cannot afford the starter)
I've been flummoxed by the monopose nature of the plastics for a game that should be very individual in terms of gangs per player.
The Cawdor, Van Saar and Delaque gang models are appalling.

And of course the nearest place to potentially play is a tiny GW with barely enough room to fart only open 3.5 days of the week

I then compare that to blood bowl which seems to have gone allot smoother and I'm just confused...

I havent played the new one yet as I was waiting for the Delaque gang(what I played back in day) and I said I wouldn't buy into the game until they were out. Now I have my gang and am working on building/painting it. I love the models and they look great!

They did totally screw the pooch with how they handled the release. 6 gangs and 13months. it's not like they were doing a splash release of all the gangs then waiting 6mo to regularly release them.

Honestly I can understand why they've done the release as they have.

GW designed it so that each time they released something the game was in a complete state. With the exception of pets and unique models for mercenaries, each time a book came out it completed a block of the release. This meant that if Necromunda the core box failed to sell well, GW could just end further future support without any problems and the game would be in a complete and functional state for players.

They repeated this several times over; expanding the game, but each time leaving it in a functional state.


This has several bonuses for GW:
1) IT means they are not leaving 3rd parties with big hints on what's to come for each gang and giving them a head start on flooding the market before GW can do so. Whilst we gamers might not like this approach it makes full sense for GW who are well aware that there are many companies who live right off their back by producing alternate sculpts.

2) It means GW could end support without leaving the game in a half-baked state and thus earning hate from their customers and also supporting 3rd parties even more so.


I do agree that it means if you bought all the books you're in a bit of a mess right now. It was a costly way of going about it and there might have been better approaches including free rules supplements. Speed also came into play which might also have been a factor in the staggered release; GW putting more money into it to speed up its release because of its high sales rate.
That said right now its in a fantastic place; you've got all the core gangs with muti-build models in high detail plastic; optional weapons from FW in resin; mercenaries and some of the pets from FW as well as some faction heroes. In addition there's two complete books out there now and the game is selling strongly so there's a decent chance of getting local games or getting them setup.

While I can agree that they released it in "blocks", it never was very functional. We've only just now, 1 year after release, got somewhat quality rules (still some flaws). The entire past year has been a trainwreck when it comes to rules.

Oh - and I completely agree now it is better than ever. If you want to play Necromunda, there is not better time than now (thanks to much of the trainwreck has been fixed in new books).

Necromunda a dead game?

Is this a joke?

Johanxp wrote:
Necromunda a dead game?

Is this a joke?

Nah, just a normal gak post from a gak poster.

ValentineGames wrote:

 Gobbla wrote:

ValentineGames wrote:
Not playing and would never play.

OK, I'll bite. Why not?

Personally I think the entire release has been an absolute shambles from start to finish.
When it first came out as just the box game and the rules for 3D that was fine and that should of been it. Done and dusted.
2 books. All the gangs included. Simple. And it all should of been in 1 box.
With rules separate on release.

Instead we've had I think 4 or 5 books now??? At £20 each and all pretty much necessary.
A new one coming out or has come out that spits in your face if you bought all those books (and honestly will this now be the only book you need with rules?????? I doubt it since allot still exists that's not been touched)
WD lists that took forever to come on the website. So if you missed your precious magazine you had to wait ages.
It's taken all till now to release rules on its own (which is a huge deal when you cannot afford the starter)
I've been flummoxed by the monopose nature of the plastics for a game that should be very individual in terms of gangs per player.
The Cawdor, Van Saar and Delaque gang models are appalling.

And of course the nearest place to potentially play is a tiny GW with barely enough room to fart only open 3.5 days of the week

I then compare that to blood bowl which seems to have gone allot smoother and I'm just confused...

Thanks for not assuming I was trolling, and for writing a cogent response.

I haven't loved everything they've done. But, they have rebuilt the original game. I have loved playing the game in multiple campaigns over the last year. My concerns are more for the future, than the past. The old Outlanders expansion was a mixed bag. If they go down that path, I hope they use some restraint. Of late, they seem to want to cater to the "Must have it all, must have now!" modern gamers who want all the bells and whistles, and want to field META busting armies. I hope they can resist.

Again, thoughtful post!

My 7 month going on 8 month campaign says no. Personally i have all the currently released bounty hunters, Escher and Goliath gangs painted up. My Orlocks and van Saars just arrived in the post yesterday.

Not for a while( House Delaque has just been released ) but one gets the feeling that Kill Team will eventually take over the reins from both Necromunda and Shadow War: Armageddon.

I personally have little interest in Necromunda, but if GW released a Necromunda expansion for Kill Team then I would definitely take the plunge...

The dice are out of print, though.

It's not very popular here, mostly old timers who feel nostalgic about the previous Necromunda.

Kill Team, ironically, is even less popular than NM. Shadespire, on the other hand...

It is selling very well.

Evidence:

1. Many Necro products on the GW website released in the last year are out of stock= It is selling well.

2. That GW released the compilation books recently = It is selling well.

3. That a slipcase edition of the above exists- It is selling well.

4. GW indicates more products for it are imminent in the coming year= It is selling well.

Gw launched it a bit sloppy, and the Gang War books editors were dead on asleep at the wheel...but the product is selling.

And if the product is selling, it's fair to assume that somebody....somewhere.... is playin'....

You just never see it played or discussed anywhere...
But I'm sure that's not any indication of anything.

Well, it’s not a game suited to tournament type play. It’s one you play at a club, or with a gaming circle at home.

As for discussed?

Huv ye heard o’ a thing called......Facebook.



Because that’s where it’s at for SG discussion in general. Fewer inane questions. Easier to find other local players etc.

I have indeed heard of Facebook...and don't use it.

And what does it matter if not suited to tourna-....oh wait.
Dakka

I've been interested in it but man you have to buy two kinda expensive books for a relatively small selection of models. The rules would cost more than a gang box to start with!

ValentineGames wrote:

 Gobbla wrote:

ValentineGames wrote:
Not playing and would never play.

OK, I'll bite. Why not?

Personally I think the entire release has been an absolute shambles from start to finish.
When it first came out as just the box game and the rules for 3D that was fine and that should of been it. Done and dusted.
2 books. All the gangs included. Simple. And it all should of been in 1 box.
With rules separate on release. ...

I enjoy your material and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
I say this as somebody who thinks GW have really done some smart moves over the past 2-4 years.
I've enjoyed most of their boxed games and appreciate the streamlining of 40k (removing templates and cross-referencing STR/T alone is a blessing).
However, they have really milked the Necromunda community on this game's release model.