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Empire1 wrote:

Im looking forward to some good things coming from this game company its got a cool "Underground" fan base right now and is set to do well for a certain gamer fan base...

Yeah, that worked out great the last time. The "Underground" fan base got buried.

Saint Anuman wrote:anyone know when the next announcment is due from Rackham?

Sometime in November. I haven't seen anything specific beyond that.

Alpharius wrote:

Saint Anuman wrote:anyone know when the next announcment is due from Rackham?

Sometime in November. I haven't seen anything specific beyond that.

Actually, it's going to be this week they announce it. Last I heard from my contacts, it should be tomorrow.

Rackham will probably announce in French first, and then in English a few days later.

If it truly is a huge/awesome/exciting announcement, we'll probably hear about it here double quick.

I'm hoping it isn't just a blurb about a new distributor for English speaking countries, a loose summary of some upcoming organized play promises and a pep talk about how dedicated and fantastic a company Rackham cleary is(n't).

JohnHwangDD wrote:

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:The problem for a publisher who launches a skirmish ruleset and figures is that by their nature skirmish games do not need a lot of figures.

Indeed. I feel that the scaling up of gaming throughout a games life in close to inevitable.

At this point, GW made the decision to upscale the game, which meant streamlining some rules, rewriting others, and yet more being dropped altogether. Rinse and repeat a few times, and you pretty much end up where we are now in terms of Game Scale.

GW arguably tried it with Necromunda and Mordheim (and GorkaMorka) and we know how that went.

So, Rackham appear to be following GW's scaling footsteps, but are stumbling somewhat along the way. Will PP do the same? In theory, they will have to (bigger collection - bigger games - faster rules etc) but whether they simply make a scaled up game possible as an alternative remains to be seen.

If a game company wants to last more than 5 years, they need to scale up the games, or players stop buying and the games collapse & die. That is the nature of any skirmish game. GW has proved this time and again with every skirmish game they have ever created. And it's not just GW. Ogre Miniatures. Heavy Gear. VOR / VOID. And so on.

GW upscaled WFB and 40k long enough ago, had enough non-skirmish board gaming, and kept prices down during the transition allowing them to weather the storm from RT to 2E. They let 2E build up as larger gaming so that 3E was pretty much inevitable, and that transition was still very painful. But once that die was cast, starting with 4E, GW had a solid foundation for *extremely* large games, up to effectively unlimited size Apocalypse games. As of 5E, it's amazing how well the rules work to support Apocalyse-scale games of 10k+ per side. Those are unthinkable game sizes under 2E, much less RT rules. And GW invested in the infrastructure to support minimal-labor / "lights out" mass production with plastics, hence, no pre-paints.

GW seems to have tried pretty hard to relaunch skirmish gaming several times over (AT, TL, Epic, BFG, Nec, Gork, SH, =I=, E:Armag, Nec:Under, Mord, Warbands, Kill Team, etc.) but it's just not working. So instead, GW has downscaled WFB and 40k with BfM, BfSP, AoBR. And those seem to have done quite well.

PP is going to collapse, I think. Based on the GW 3E / Rackahm backlash, the WM/H mass battle conversion is going to see the biggest backlash ever.

Depends entirely on how PP handle it. Unlike GW, they have a sort of hindsight, so much as they can look at how older, larger companies handled it. There is a clear demand for Skirmish scale games, and there is a market for more detailed rules. However, PP could do what GW and Rackham didn't, and release the upscaled rules *without* making the original ones unavailable. Ergo, newbs can enjoy the Skirmish as is, then gradually scale up, and Vets can pop down a peg or two to enjoy the added depth. Absolutely no idea if this is cost effective myself, (perhaps it isn't, which is why GW and Rackham didn't do so?) but they still have an opportunity not present to GW, and one that Rackham sadly did not take.

I think the PP transition will be interesting to watch. Expectations from the former GW players will be high, so it'll be a very tough job for PP.

BrookM wrote:FFG are a bunch of bastards in my books, still nothing on a reprint of Dark Heresy.

Ummm FFG have printed DH - I bought my copy like two weeks ago. Also several of their other books are being released or were rereleased already......

Alpharius wrote:Rackham will probably announce in French first, and then in English a few days later.

If it truly is a huge/awesome/exciting announcement, we'll probably hear about it here double quick.

I'm hoping it isn't just a blurb about a new distributor for English speaking countries, a loose summary of some upcoming organized play promises and a pep talk about how dedicated and fantastic a company Rackham cleary is(n't).

As soon as it's announced(anywhere, he didn't say anything contradicting that), I can talk about it. Oh, and it's not just a pep talk about organized play and all that "state of the system" jazz. It majorly affects the entire company and its future.

Damn you Platuan4th, you've got me a bit excited about this now!

Alpharius wrote:Damn you Platuan4th, you've got me a bit excited about this now!

Lol, that's my job. I'm bursting to tell you guys, I was hyped when I read Jean Bey's E-mail to us.

Shouldnt be long... I'm itching to know all about it

Here's the bulk of the news in French.

Edit: English Translation

Dear Partners

Thanks to the support of d’ENTREPRENEUR VENTURES, one of the leading French actors in the field of investment, we are pleased to announce the creation of the company RACKHAM ENTERTAINMENT. RACKHAM ENTERTAINMENT was acquired on October 28, 2008, including all assets and production means of RACKHAM SA. RACKHAM ENTERTAINMENT will continue to count on the unique expertise of the RACKHAM SA Design Studio.

RACKHAM ENTERTAINMENT plans to continue development of the existing game universes AT-43 and CONFRONTATION, as well as new game universes included by acquisition of license.

The Design Studio has already conceived the innovative designs for CONFRONTATION and AT-43 for the next 12 months. We are pleased to announce to you that RACKHAM ENTERTAINMENT will be able to market many exceptional innovations within a very short amount of time. These exceptional innovations will be available in monthly intervals, and will be released simultaneously worldwide. This is sure to delight even the most demanding players.

Thus, RACKHAM ENTERTAINMENT is able to announce the imminent arrival of Wave-07. This Wave will be followed by Wave-09 (December 2008) which will be accompanied by a highly anticipated supplement to AT-43: Operation Frostbite.

RACKHAM ENTERTAINMENT, and its partner ASMODÉE, are now working in unison to ensure stores receive a regular distribution of these innovations as well as marketing and promotion support in France, Belgium, and Germany.

For this reason, in the next couple of weeks ASMODÉE and RACKHAM ENTERTAINMENT will begin to develop various marketing operations, including the establishment of organized play.

RACKHAM ENTERTAINMENT SAS
Lucas Velimirovic

Awesome news for Europe who are behind on releases next a letter to the sentinals was promised by Jean the founder of the games so Im hoping to see more news for the USA!

This is good news. When I first bought the C:AoR starter set, I was underwhelmed by everything but the rules. Those spearmen are made to break. However, the Undead that have been previewed in the latest issue of Cry Havoc! are pretty cool, especially the ones with the bat-wings for arms. Hopefully they will get their act completely together.

So Rackham Entertainment now has Confrontation, AT-43 and Hell Dorado...

interesting...

Not to mention a giant stack of boardgames that sell pretty well... (Dungeon Twister, Cash and Guns, Formula De)

Didnt see this one coming... but not disappointing... and perhaps this will boost the translation of Hell Dorado in english finally

And maybe, just maybe, a boost in their unpainted metal miniatures again... or the other route, Hell Dorado in prepainted plastics...

Hmmm, was thinking of getting in to Hell Dorado. Might hold back now, don't want to get stung again on the model front. Very nice metals at the moment, would be terrible if they suddenly decided to group everything together and make pre-painted models instead.

So Rackham SA didnt manage o get out of trouble and so sold its passive to the new Rackham entertainment... Only thing that tells me is that probably sales were poor

Its good news for those that embraced PPP caor because this anouncement the only thing that promises is a better distribution of the current models... heck and looking at wave 9 this makes me wonder how low can PPP get.
And a better support of sentinel program.

Also its kind of vague about asmoodee partnership.

Sorry I dont see any revolution here and I honestly fear that its just the continuation of PPP business model under a diferent name and maybe better organized.

Meh

What in that announcement should be considered awesome and/or exciting news?

Is there more to come?

Is Formual De available in the US at the moment? A friend got a copy and we've had some fun games (It's a good balance between 'casual' and 'serious' and good for a bunch of players) but I thought it was considered OOP, at least in the US.

Rackhan doing the PPP battle game thing to Helldorado would be very disappointing. In one way it's good to see Rackham are on the up but I would never buy a metal minis game from them after the C3 debacle.

Well, you and me both at this point, still.

I'm hoping that there's more to come from the "Big News Announcement" because as of right now, this is rather unimpressive.

Alpharius wrote:What in that announcement should be considered awesome and/or exciting news?

Is there more to come?

It means that after spending a year protected under some crazy french bankruptcy laws that they proved themselves to be a viable company by showing increased sales and growth and investors who see the money to be made in the universes they made up and the successes that could be made by investing in a good thing. With future items like boardgames video and novels this means this isn't going away and one mans growing pains are now absorbed by a bigger group who have the money to grow this company to the next level so it seems that the naysayers are wrong and rackham in its worlds of fantasy and sci fie are going to be able to grow and give the other games some competition for the gaming fan base and give newbies getting into tabletop gaming another choice..
Ive always thought they provided a option to gamers when getting into table top gaming, do you want to game or would you also like a hobby??? That's a personal thing and its great to have a choice with the rackham line of pre-paints ... Its always good to have anything that gets people away from computer games and out into the real world and socializing with real people just a though dont laugh to hard at me ...LOL

NAVARRO wrote:So Rackham SA didnt manage o get out of trouble and so sold its passive to the new Rackham entertainment... Only thing that tells me is that probably sales were poor

Actually, Rackham doesn't exist anymore, technically. Rakham Entertainment is a joint company of old Asmodee and Rackham. Jean Bey is no longer CEO, but is now in charge of Design, Organized, Play, and the Sentinel program. That means dedicated support for tournaments, as well as the Sentinels actually having what we need to run demos, leagues, and campaigns.

American version here


RACKHAM ENTERTAINMENT, and its american partners, will work in unison to ensure the
North American stores will receive on a regular basis these new releases as well as marketing
and promotion tools. For this reason, in the next couple of weeks North American Distributors
and RACKHAM ENTERTAINMENT will start developing various marketing operations,
including the establishment of organized play.

Emphasis mine.

IMO, it sounds like a bankruptcy shell game. Rackham is moving the IP to a separate licensing company so that, "if" (haha, *when*) they go under, the IP is protected from creditors.

It'll be interesting to hear the truth from Rackham and FFG employees in a few years.

Platuan4th wrote:

NAVARRO wrote:So Rackham SA didnt manage o get out of trouble and so sold its passive to the new Rackham entertainment... Only thing that tells me is that probably sales were poor

Actually, Rackham doesn't exist anymore, technically. Rakham Entertainment is a joint company of old Asmodee and Rackham. Jean Bey is no longer CEO, but is now in charge of Design, Organized, Play, and the Sentinel program. That means dedicated support for tournaments, as well as the Sentinels actually having what we need to run demos, leagues, and campaigns.

I understand that you as a Sentinel must be very happy with these news, since Sentinel program was dead for a couple years?
But you have to at least agree a bit that it doesnt mean a lot to those interested in things like C3, hybrid,cad, metal... rather than new PPP's games... Unless you know something about those trashed R products your not telling

NAVARRO wrote:
I understand that you as a Sentinel must be very happy with these news, since Sentinel program was dead for a couple years?
But you have to at least agree a bit that it doesnt mean a lot to those interested in things like C3, hybrid,cad, metal... rather than new PPP's games... Unless you know something about those trashed R products your not telling

No, but I do know that I forgot to mention something: This is the Investors letter. There will be another "Customer" letter later this week or next week. Don't know if they'll wait until Jean Bey gets back from the US or not to release it.

JohnHwangDD wrote:IMO, it sounds like a bankruptcy shell game. Rackham is moving the IP to a separate licensing company so that, "if" (haha, *when*) they go under, the IP is protected from creditors.

Target Games?

JohnHwangDD wrote:IMO, it sounds like a bankruptcy shell game. Rackham is moving the IP to a separate licensing company so that, "if" (haha, *when*) they go under, the IP is protected from creditors.

Acquiring a new partner and investing firm, disbanding your company, then forming a whole new company is a shell game now?

Well, is it bankruptcy? Have creditors gone unpaid, or has Rackham successfully traded out of its bad position and put together a viable new structure?

It would be entirely legitimate for Rackham to sell its assets to a new company if by doing so it got the cash needed to pay off its creditors.

Platuan4th wrote:

NAVARRO wrote:
I understand that you as a Sentinel must be very happy with these news, since Sentinel program was dead for a couple years?
But you have to at least agree a bit that it doesnt mean a lot to those interested in things like C3, hybrid,cad, metal... rather than new PPP's games... Unless you know something about those trashed R products your not telling

No, but I do know that I forgot to mention something: This is the Investors letter. There will be another "Customer" letter later this week or next week. Don't know if they'll wait until Jean Bey gets back from the US or not to release it.

No worries mate, if I was a Sentinel or a fan of PPP's I guess I would apreciate this letter also.
Just hope on customer letter rackham clarifies whats going to happen to Legends range.