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So just a quick question in case I've missed anything. The game Runewars was cancelled by FFG, normally cancelled games get pretty quickly discounted by online retailers.

I've checked my big three sites Miniatures Market, The WarStore and Games Kastle, but there hasn't been any change in price. Is anyone getting rid of this stuff yet?

I'm not really interested in playing, but some of the monsters looked like they'd be decent for RPGs if they could be obtained for a cheap enough price.

Where did you learn of its cancellation?
Not seeing anything on BGG and FFG are notoriously tight-lipped about discontinuing games.
The sign is usually a huge deep discount sale on FFG's site around Christmas each year.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2019/1/11/the-land-endures/

This?

I was already dumping my runewars before this. Still got some more to go.

But this is the cancelling of organized play.

 Sazzlefrats wrote:
I was already dumping my runewars before this. Still got some more to go.

But this is the cancelling of organized play.

When FFG cancels organized play it tends to be a good indicator that they aren't offering support anymore overall.

Yeah, that's just the precursor to cutting the line entirely. They may be holding off if they have some stock they need to shift, but it's a dead game.

I dunno, for Christmas I bought myself a box of Rune Golems for 15 bucks on Amazon, to use as part of a Dwarven skirmish force. Probably the only RW figures I will ever get though, as I instantly fell in love with them when they came out in the boxed set.

 Jjohnso11 wrote:
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2019/1/11/the-land-endures/

This?

Oh, yep that would do it.

If retailers judge that a game has a small but hardcore following they may decide to hold off on discounts to reduce their losses as much as possible. There's also the possibility some are holding out the undoubtedly forlorn hope that FFG don't officially cancel the game (which they technically haven't done yet, but for all practical considerations it's now a dead game).

They're cheap cheap in my flgs.

It also depends how much stock the retailers are holding. It might be that they are not holding all that much and that as a result they are more willing to hold onto it at a regular retail price rather than steeply discount or even take a loss just to get rid of it.

Another aspect is that the retailers might not be aware of the games condition. They might be carrying a wide range of products and wargames tend to slow sell anyway so it might be that they are not aware of the games steady demise like the fans are. Esp if their loyal customers for the range are still buying every so often.

The game apparently is still being sold, but not in our local store. They put their stock up at 40% off some time last year (around Thanksgiving, I think).

Elementgames has 30% on a lot of Runewars units.

Say what you will about GW, you know that you'll be able to play 40k and AoS for a while yet.

 Nurglitch wrote:
Say what you will about GW, you know that you'll be able to play 40k and AoS for a while yet.

True, but FFG's record with miniatures game is very, very iffy. X-Wing is the only long running one. I'd be wary of picking up Legions or Armada.

FFG sounds like they've got a bit of the same issue Spartan Games used to have - ergo able to make a really big splash with a new game; but unable to sustain growth and sales medium to long term. The only difference being that FFG Dumps the game fast, whilst Spartan kept them around - kept limping them on and eventually killed themselves (though they did retire some games)

In the past GW would allow their side games 18 months of support good or bad; With runewars, I am not sure what audience they were trying to go after.
I am sure they hoped to cash in on the disgruntled WHFB block unit players, but the ones I know didn't care for the rules set and the miniatures are nothing special.
No matter how evil GW gets, they always have awesome sculpts most of the time. Even in the discounted bin, I am not sure I would pick it up..

Honestly the FF website doesn't help either. GW have photos of actual models, 360 views and multiple angles as well as painted to a good standard.

I've seen a lot of miniatures companies which might have 1 photo if you are lucky; or might have a tiny "here's all that's in the box squint to see" approach. Many have 3D renders not actual models or they might only show 1 model from 1 angle - often without paint.


Personally I find good photos sell a model. GW has a great showing; Privateer Press does well, Hawk Wargames also does really well for showing off all their ships (which has carried over now to the Tabletop Combat website).

I glanced at Runewars and they've got the "here's all that's in the box" but not really a whole lot on show. If you're going to sell models you've got to have more than one photo and ideally multiple angles and a good paint job.

I was able to buy some for 60 to 75% off last year. Wait for the Black Friday sales, and I suspect you'll see Runewars as the clearance bait on many sites.

 Genoside07 wrote:
In the past GW would allow their side games 18 months of support good or bad; With runewars, I am not sure what audience they were trying to go after.
I am sure they hoped to cash in on the disgruntled WHFB block unit players, but the ones I know didn't care for the rules set and the miniatures are nothing special.
No matter how evil GW gets, they always have awesome sculpts most of the time. Even in the discounted bin, I am not sure I would pick it up..

In the 90s, when Necromunda and Mordheim came out, you got a complete game right there. Even if GW did nothing else with them, you could take the rules and go and do your thing (which people did and still do, with those games and Epic and others). Even with the new Necromunda where the other gangs were released later on with their rules, you could at least take the Escher and Goliath and do what you wanted with those. With FFG's games, you don't even get complete factions on release (or for months afterwards). And with the way the rules are structured, it's much harder to take the rules and add your own elements to them even if you wanted to. Official support isn't just a nice bonus with their games, it's sadly mandatory, so when that slips, the games are dead.