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AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 Goliath wrote:

 Yodhrin wrote:
Oh FFS, I was planning to start an Imperial Fleet for BFG next month. Seriously, is Tom Kirby on a personal mission to piss on the fond memories of anyone over twelve years old or something? :/

EDIT: Righto, just rang up myself, according to the mail order chappie, they are discontinuing some models which are both A: in need of new moulds being made because the old ones are knackered, and B: don't sell particularly well. They are NOT axing the whole range, and they are NOT getting rid of the free rules on the website.

Also, if anyone was specifically after a Repulsive Grand Cruiser, they have two left in the warehouse as of 11am GMT that they'll let you order over the phone if you have a credit card.

So, it's still crappy news, but its slightly less crappy than it could be.

I like that this post has been consistently ignored.

Just thought I'd bring it to your attention.

I'll believe it when I see it, others have said they are gone for good...

http://epicaddiction.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/fw-specialist-games-going-too/

Quick update guys,

I just rang Forgeworld and they are also stopping production of any new specialist games miniatures – this means that all BFG, EPIC, AI ranges are now no longer in production and once the remaining stocks go they will not be replaced.

Has been confirmed by multiple Tactical Command Forum members here: http://www.tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=24999

I run Epic Addiction. Just be aware that some FW staffer will know more than others, and although I stand by what I heard from them, the staffer I talked to may not have had the whole truth. On the other hand the staffer Yodhrin talked to might also be in the same place.

Well that's a bloody travesty.

The blanket approach to specialist games is bloody stupid; there's a lot more potential money in re-releasing BFG and Epic in particular; they appeal to what 40k gamers want, and the rulesets are fairly concise; they'd likely generate more money for GW than the bloody Hobbit if they took it seriously.

But no, march on into oblivion dear sir, march on.

And if you are going to charge $50 for 10 minis, at least give us a game that can be played with 10 minis!

It is the lack of warning that angers me, once again GW stinks like a fetid donkey's arse at communication.

Time to go to the GW site and download all the PDFs before they are gone.

Well that blows, I always hated how quickly GW abandoned their spin-offs and then left them to fester in a corner. They took a sales dip and off to the dark corner of the webstore they went. But the main limiter was that Specialist Games stuff was fething expensive and usually woefully incomplete. Epic was home to vehicles that cost as much as a full Land Raider kit, Necromunda was missing loads of minis, etc.

The writing has been on the wall for a while, but it is sad to see GW killing off some of their best work.

Oh well, at least I have my Epic and Necromunda stuff, not that I've played either in years. Just another one of those moves that will have me placing my money elsewhere I suppose.

Have they actually been selling the blood bowl game?

Not really bothered.

I can play dwarf kings hold, dreadball and now deadzone whenever I like.

Just because GW is axing all of it's specialist/ cool stuff, doesn't mean there aren't other companies releasing loads of new stuff.

Mantic and Spartan are probably the most prolific alternatives for the specialist gaming style of releases, along with all the numerous skirmish and board games out there.

The only one I'll really miss is mordheim, excellent setting.

I mean, take something like necromunda... 4 plastic gang kits, then a plastic terrain set.

One month's worth of releases away from the current "release some stupid giant monster/flyer every month" and back towards the good old days would have GW drowning in cash.

But they just won't do it. Space Hulk was the last time they ever did something like that.. and it made them a ton of cash. Can't have profit and huge sales in the company, can we? Oh, no.

Squig, get Mantic working on a BFG replacement in the WarPath universe. I know you're not affiliated with them, but Mantic does this weird thing called "listening to customers" and I'd say you're fairly well known to them.

Yeah, I know, Firestorm Armada, but the rules and models outside of the Rense System Navy really didn't grab me.

Well, looks like I better stock up on BFG stuff so I can get my fleet together.

Another cut then? Cutting the fat and almost reaching the bone now... WD is probably next.

 scarletsquig wrote:


I mean, take something like necromunda... 4 plastic gang kits, then a plastic terrain set.

One month's worth of releases away from the current "release some stupid giant monster/flyer every month" and back towards the good old days would have GW drowning in cash.

But they just won't do it. Space Hulk was the last time they ever did something like that.. and it made them a ton of cash. Can't have profit and huge sales in the company, can we? Oh, no.

The strategy departement at GW is filled with a bunch of clowns. If they released necromunda with 4 plastic gangs, theyd make ton of money. Hell most of these kits could be used in 40k as well, so it wouldn't only be for necromunda (most gang could be used as conscript in a IG army, Scavvies or cultist could be used as cultist in a chaos army). Same thing for Mordeheim.

At least, dead zone and sprawl ganger (man I'm pumped for this game) are coming out soon, so i'll get my fix of campaign based skirmish games.

Have to admit I'm not surprised this has happened, Specialist Games seemed to have been the Redheaded stepchild of GW since I started 40K back in 2003.

Had they bothered investing in it and pushing the various games then they could've been onto a money maker.

I mean Mordhiem, Necromunda and Blood Bowl are still hugely popular....hell Blood Bowl from what I hear still has packed out tournaments for it.

What are these 'tournaments' of which you speak?

Games Workshop needs no 'tournaments', nor events of any kind!

So does this kill that rumor that there was going to be a new specialist boxed game released in the mix this summer? Supposedly Blood Bowl?

GW has really been waging a war against its own fanbase these last 2-3 months. I can't fathom what else they have planned. I suspect complete bans on gaming in-store.

 d-usa wrote:
Time to go to the GW site and download all the PDFs before they are gone.

I did so months ago. Saw this coming.

hokieseas wrote:
So does this kill that rumor that there was going to be a new specialist boxed game released in the mix this summer? Supposedly Blood Bowl?

Not necessarily. It could very well end up being completely scaled back to a new starter set and a handful of faction.

Not likely, though.

hokieseas wrote:
So does this kill that rumor that there was going to be a new specialist boxed game released in the mix this summer? Supposedly Blood Bowl?

No, it just means it won't be supported. But we thought that anyway.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
It is the lack of warning that angers me, once again GW stinks like a fetid donkey's arse at communication.

That's what really pisses me off, I had recently bought $150 worth of Aeronautica Imperialis spread across 2 factions to play intro games and was wanting to expand to a couple of full squadrons, within minutes of me reading this thread half the models I would have bought are now "out of stock" and a couple have vanished from the site completely. If they'd at least told us they were going away soon so I could have finished off my squadrons, that would have been annoying but at least I wouldn't be angry and left with incomplete squadrons.

Well, I just spent 70 quid on finish off my battlefleet gothic fleets tonight cause of this.

Darnit!

 Kilkrazy wrote:
They barely were. This is just the end point of a process of not so benign neglect that started 10 years ago or more.

This is it really... I think bullet in the head for games that were dragging themselves along the ground with a few fingers, breathing in ragged and gasping breaths. The fan communities for most of those games will continue regardless I think however.

Real question now - Mantic's Deadzone, the game being designed by one of the rule-writers for Necromunda no less (Jake Thornton). They've made pains to say their game isn't Necromunda, but there are certainly similarities in the concept.

So, the timing of the Deadzone KS is coincidence? Personally I would be inclined to say not..

 Harriticus wrote:
I can't fathom what else they have planned.

Anything that is remotely cool.

GW has become a medium for shifting plastic really which is not a bad thing in itself, but they are taking it to extremes. If they could get away without publishing rulebooks, I think they'd cut those too.

 Flashman wrote:

 Harriticus wrote:
I can't fathom what else they have planned.

Anything that is remotely cool.

GW has become a medium for shifting plastic really which is not a bad thing in itself, but they are taking it to extremes. If they could get away without publishing rulebooks, I think they'd cut those too.

I'm pretty sure they make a pretty penny off their rulebooks and codices as well.

I am hardly surprised by this, for years GW have been trying to kill off their Specialist games, by overpricing and just sheer neglect. These were the last bastion of the once loyal fan base of "hobby gamers"

What annoys me more is that GW will still slavishly hold the IP's and woe beside anyone who tries to produce anything remotely like any of these now defunct games.

To rub salt in the wound I am now certain that there will be a limited edition Bloodbowl at some exhorbitant price, late this year. One off sale with a splash article in WD and then no support or anything new afterwards.

Followed next year by Mordheim or a deluxe BFG with a (yes I mean one model battleship) for each of the major races played out on a lovely velvet star map ---

For me at least this is just spitting in the face of the many who have lined ther coffers over far too many years.

The only non-overpriced Specialist thing was the 12 Mordheim Villagers for $40, which I nabbed immediately. $3-something per metal model is less than most other companies now. Really sad about this, but it finally gave me the impetus to grab the redesigned Epic Eldar Revenant Titans i've been wanting, plus the aforementioned Mordheim Villagers, plus the Drunk Dwarfs and a few other odds and ends.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
I suppose this is a bad time to mention I have a box of unopened, shrink wrapped Orlocks up on ebay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121102116336?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Yeah, probably a bad time.

Damnit, I sold an Escher gang only last month! Still have some Spyrers, though....

I sold my 10 Arbites about 6 months back. If only I would have waited...

I started wargaming actively 2 or 3 years ago, but long before then i use to paint BFG with my Dad when i was like 6. and I'm sure i played a game or two but never really remembered. Those faint memories of my horribly painted fleet are part of the reason i started 40k a few years ago and I've been thinking about grabbing BFG for those feelings of nostalgia ever since. Sad to see something like BFG go, especially since I've seen some amazing work with the models.

Ah GW... you've done it again. Well, it's off to those Russian and Chinese dealers to get some casts

Wow, that sucks. Some of my favorite early gaming experiences were in Mordheim, Necromunda, and Inquisitor :/