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Another article posted on the AR website...

Rules spotlight: Medusa

August 21, 2015 08:38

Hi folks, welcome back to the second entry in our series of model spotlights. This week, we are still on the topic of Medusa, but from a different angle: her rules.

Never engage micon 1 on 1.

Unless you want to see most of your cohort in a pit.

 Piston Honda wrote:
Never engage micon 1 on 1.

Unless you want to see most of your cohort in a pit.

Ha ha. Tell me about it. The sort-of-battle-report I posted a few pages back has a pretty standard example of how operates with a little favor in his pocket. I went from feeling fat and sassy after Noxius dealt him some solid damage to saying "oh " as Micon proceeded to pushed him halfway across the arena and chucked him into a pit. Not fun.

Arena Rex

8 mins ·
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We're pleased to announce the opening of applications for the Arena Rex Emissary program. If you are excited about Arena Rex and want to help demo games, host events, and build a local group of players, this is a great opportunity to help do just that. You can get more details about the program by applying here.
http://arenarex.com/pages/emissary-application

So... IDK since it's out of context- do they have any volunteer rewards system?

I mean, I like the game, and would be happy to promote it a bit, but wouldn't have a ton of incentive without, well, some sort of incentive.

They've only started this up today so no idea yet,

I guess the better it (and they) do the better the chance of incentives

The only incentive you need for any game (especially in its infancy) is having a group you play regularly with.

Otherwise if you feel like you need compensation perhaps it feels like work and not the game for you.

 Piston Honda wrote:
The only incentive you need for any game (especially in its infancy) is having a group you play regularly with.

Otherwise if you feel like you need compensation perhaps it feels like work and not the game for you.

Interesting. While I don't ever need compensation for showing my friends new stuff, if I'm doing it beyond simply my friends, it is nice to have some acknowledgement.

If I joined this program, a special Emissary Ludi patch, or something like that, would be cool

I can see them chucking a gak your way, that is typical for any demo team, press gangers, flight attendants, etc.



I would rather have a hat though.

Yeah, not asking for pay or w/e, but some sort of perk would be nice. As w/ cincy, I've got friends I can show new games to w/o needing to coordinate with a store, try to organize an event, plan in advance enough that said event gets some attention, and/or regularly make a game night... vs. "Hey, wanna' come by and try this new game?"

No, it isn't as vibrant as a larger club, but there are plenty of games that have gotten volunteer support already, where I can have a game night without working.

I also run my own business, so if I'm going around drumming up visibility for something without compensation, you can be damn sure it'll be the thing I care about that I made.

Arena Rex

http://arenarex.com/collections/starter-sets

We're very happy to announce the release of our Ludus Starter Sets!!!

Getting into Arena Rex is now easier than ever. Each starter comes with 3 miniatures, a rulebook, and a tactics card to remind you of your Ludus' unique benefits.

Now's the time to jump in or spread the word!

I won't lie; I'm a bit off put by the fact that the starters provide models at less cost than we were able go get them through the KS.

Great deal for new players, though.

Wow! That is certainly not expensive... Not much more than two miniatures purchased separately, and you can an extra mini, the rule book and accessories! Is there a retailer in Europe for this?

Hello there,

I'm Nick, one of the creators of Arena Rex. It's quite fun for me to read these threads. I thought I'd stop lurking and say hi. Let me know if you have any questions, thoughts or insults.

Thanks for being interested in our game, it means a lot. It was a long road from KS to where we are now, we're very pleased to have survived the process relatively unscathed.

Well, those starter sets look pretty good. Not sure how I'd feel if I'd gotten a bit from each but, fortunately enough, I have 2 from 1 set and none of the others. Definitely eyeing the Legio set.

I'm not sure if the painting/photography has gotten worse, or if there's just no wow-factor of the first paintings, but the gallery pics aren't quite as exciting...

And hi, Nick- while you're here, are the volunteer positions strictly volunteer/without compensation, or are there some sort of perks like freebies or whatever?

 rrg_nickp wrote:
Hello there,

I'm Nick, one of the creators of Arena Rex. It's quite fun for me to read these threads. I thought I'd stop lurking and say hi. Let me know if you have any questions, thoughts or insults.

Thanks for being interested in our game, it means a lot. It was a long road from KS to where we are now, we're very pleased to have survived the process relatively unscathed.

Thanks - all looks great - will you be looking for a European distrubutor in due course?

 rrg_nickp wrote:
Hello there,

I'm Nick, one of the creators of Arena Rex. It's quite fun for me to read these threads. I thought I'd stop lurking and say hi. Let me know if you have any questions, thoughts or insults.

Thanks for being interested in our game, it means a lot. It was a long road from KS to where we are now, we're very pleased to have survived the process relatively unscathed.

I got (almost) everything and love the minis (and what little actual gameplay I've manage to bully the locals into).

I think the chance to pick and choose what you wanted during the KS makes up for the new starters looking a bit cheaper, and certainly to grow the game having an affordable starter will help a lot (and the quality of the minis will help sell things)

I'm also very happy with the shopping experience in store with sthena so I'm saving to pick up the gorgon herself (even though I tremble at the thought of trying to paint that veil)

extra brownie points as (some/all) of you listen to the Game Classy podcast

@spiralingcadaver - Yes, our emissaries will be compensated with credit for demoing the game. We are grateful.

@MrMorden - That's a tricky question, one that we are asked often. Can I flip it back on you first? We'd be genuinely interested to hear why European distribution is important to those who are requesting it. I imagine it has something to do with taxes and shipping costs, I just want to be sure there isn't another element we are missing.

@Orlando - First, thanks so much for your support of our game. Second, Game Classy is excellent.

Thanks for the responses, Nick- well, gotta' keep finishing the guys I'd be demoing, but you can count me in!

 rrg_nickp wrote:
@spiralingcadaver - Yes, our emissaries will be compensated with credit for demoing the game. We are grateful.

@MrMorden - That's a tricky question, one that we are asked often. Can I flip it back on you first? We'd be genuinely interested to hear why European distribution is important to those who are requesting it. I imagine it has something to do with taxes and shipping costs, I just want to be sure there isn't another element we are missing.

@Orlando - First, thanks so much for your support of our game. Second, Game Classy is excellent.

Many European countries have crazy sales tax, I know in the UK they have 20%. In Sweden it's 25%. This is calculated on the price of the product + shipping. On top of that there's a small fee for customs administration, I think 2,5%. So instead of $50, a starter set would cost me (50+17.95)*(0.25+0.025)= $87... Obviously this isn't really an option so I can't buy your product unless you get a distributor over here, or i can get someone in the U.S. to send it privately to avoid sales tax.

In the UK we get charged a handling fee on top of the customs fee which isnt cheap.

I would love to play this game but it just adds too much on top ordering anything from the US :(

Edit: ignore my location flag its always the wrong country on my tablet

Yep - we get charged about £10 handling fee plus 20% sales tax so it does all make things a bit expensive!

Thanks for doing the math on the tax. It's helpful.

Quite honestly we aren't sure when (or if) we'll be able to work through an international distributor.

May I ask, if working through an international distributor is not feasible, what type of promotion could we run on our webstore to make getting into Arena Rex easier? We get a lot of international orders and traffic, naturally we want to cater to everyone.
I very much dislike the idea of someone wanting to play our game and missing out.

Eager to hear what everyone thinks.

 Mymearan wrote:

 rrg_nickp wrote:
@spiralingcadaver - Yes, our emissaries will be compensated with credit for demoing the game. We are grateful.

@MrMorden - That's a tricky question, one that we are asked often. Can I flip it back on you first? We'd be genuinely interested to hear why European distribution is important to those who are requesting it. I imagine it has something to do with taxes and shipping costs, I just want to be sure there isn't another element we are missing.

@Orlando - First, thanks so much for your support of our game. Second, Game Classy is excellent.

Many European countries have crazy sales tax, I know in the UK they have 20%. In Sweden it's 25%. This is calculated on the price of the product + shipping. On top of that there's a small fee for customs administration, I think 2,5%. So instead of $50, a starter set would cost me (50+17.95)*(0.25+0.025)= $87... Obviously this isn't really an option so I can't buy your product unless you get a distributor over here, or i can get someone in the U.S. to send it privately to avoid sales tax.

Yep, basically this. If I buy from outside the EU I have tu pay shipping (which right now is stupid expensive from the US), and then, when it arrives, customs fees (anything from 5 to 50 euros, it's a tad random), and then, 21% VAT from the total of the cost of the stuff, I bought, shipping costs and customs fees.

Which basically means nowadays that I just don't buy from outside the EU.

@nick: Thanks for dropping in over here - nice to see you're a Dakkaite.

As far as questions go...

What are RRG's plans regarding the official AR forums? They have the potential to be a great resource but unfortunately have more or less become a ghost-town. When I started posting my arena build and painting updates a year or so ago I would get a handful of responses, but nowadays it feels like there are a grand total of three of us who bother checking in. I'd love to see it growing again.

What does the near future look like for the game? I know you guys like to keep details under wraps, but an idea of the basic road-map going forward would help those of us who are devotees sell the game to others. How many more releases do you anticipate for 2015? What do you see as your "optimal" release schedule? How many factions will there eventually be? What other ideas do you have for "minor" ludi? That sort of thing...

The starter packs were a great idea. Do you plan on releasing new gladiators that way, or will future starters be retroactively grouped together?

How do you plan to handle future sculpting? Will you contract sort of piecemeal, as with the KS minis, or will you have a more focused group of sculptors?

And I have to ask: Any news on Hroka and Caho-Ta?

Cheers!

 rrg_nickp wrote:
Thanks for doing the math on the tax. It's helpful.

Quite honestly we aren't sure when (or if) we'll be able to work through an international distributor.

May I ask, if working through an international distributor is not feasible, what type of promotion could we run on our webstore to make getting into Arena Rex easier? We get a lot of international orders and traffic, naturally we want to cater to everyone.
I very much dislike the idea of someone wanting to play our game and missing out.

Eager to hear what everyone thinks.

To be honest I just wouldn't order from the US, your individual minis are right on the bracket for the UK so its not even worth trying to buy them one at a time.

I'm not having a go at you guys its not your fault its just not a great time for purchasing stuff from outside of the EU at the moment for us.

If I want minis from the US I usually go to a big online store like www.waylandgames.co.uk or www.elementgames.co.uk which I have asked both if they can get hold of your game/minis

 rrg_nickp wrote:
Thanks for doing the math on the tax. It's helpful.

Quite honestly we aren't sure when (or if) we'll be able to work through an international distributor.

May I ask, if working through an international distributor is not feasible, what type of promotion could we run on our webstore to make getting into Arena Rex easier? We get a lot of international orders and traffic, naturally we want to cater to everyone.
I very much dislike the idea of someone wanting to play our game and missing out.

Eager to hear what everyone thinks.

Aside from lowering prices for international customers, which obviously isn't realistic, I'm afraid there's not much you can do. There's no way to avoid the import costs without the sender declaring an incorrect (low) value on the package, which is illegal... as it is I would love to play your game but it's simply too expensive outside the US. Like GiraffeX I usually buy from Element Games in the UK if I want stuff that isn't available in Sweden, they've got a reputation for being fast, well-stocked, very helpful and cheap.

I'm going to see if the wife will let me free up some Maliafaux funds, but as a hack historian, this game is very appealing to me.
Anyone ever play "Gladius" for the old X-Box? I've always wanted a gladiator mini game.
Make some minotaurs and I'm in!

 Gomez wrote:
@nick: Thanks for dropping in over here - nice to see you're a Dakkaite.

As far as questions go...

What are RRG's plans regarding the official AR forums? They have the potential to be a great resource but unfortunately have more or less become a ghost-town. When I started posting my arena build and painting updates a year or so ago I would get a handful of responses, but nowadays it feels like there are a grand total of three of us who bother checking in. I'd love to see it growing again.

What does the near future look like for the game? I know you guys like to keep details under wraps, but an idea of the basic road-map going forward would help those of us who are devotees sell the game to others. How many more releases do you anticipate for 2015? What do you see as your "optimal" release schedule? How many factions will there eventually be? What other ideas do you have for "minor" ludi? That sort of thing...

The starter packs were a great idea. Do you plan on releasing new gladiators that way, or will future starters be retroactively grouped together?

How do you plan to handle future sculpting? Will you contract sort of piecemeal, as with the KS minis, or will you have a more focused group of sculptors?

And I have to ask: Any news on Hroka and Caho-Ta?

Cheers!

Hey Gomez,

Forums: Walker wants to update the forums and have a relaunch of sorts. I'm into that idea. We're both going to be more active, maybe we can do some unofficial updates and long-form rambling in there. Until this point we've been so focused on finishing KS fulfillment (which was quite the endeavor) and opening the webstore.

The Near Future of Arena Rex: I can say we have two more minis planned for release this year. One you may have seen art for, one you definitely haven't. We're still finalizing the timing of next year's releases. It's too early to say what will be "optimal" timing from a business perspective, which is the most boring perspective by the way. I'm happy to say we'll be filling out the ranks of the smaller Ludi. Our development process is continuous and purposeful, we're always working on new character concepts and scheduling time with our favorite sculptors. There will eventually be more ludi. There's one in particular we've been thinking about a lot lately. We have a pretty firm direction for another minor ludi as well, but not a concept yet. I'd rather not say much more about that right now, though it would only require the release of one more mini. I could go on in this section forever, but I'd say too much. Thanks for the frustratingly good questions.

Starters: We currently plan to have a single starter per ludus. I'm not sure if that was your question.

Sculptors: We definitely have our favorites. As new releases are made available you'll see who we've developed good (great) working relationships with.

Hroka and Caho-Ta: The saga continues. Last we heard we'd see updates in August. I'd very much like to see them completed soon.

Thanks again.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
@Mymerean - Thanks. I appreciate it. We'll never be able to get the formula just right for every potential player, but we can still think hard on it.

@MWHistorian - I played Gladius on Xbox when it came out. Arena Rex is partially inspired by my vague recollection of that experience. Good times.

@nick: Thanks a ton for the responses and the insight. Your commitment to quality and long term perspective are what make me extremely happy to have been a KS backer.

(And if that "one mini" is Anum, I might pee myself a little - I'm looking forward to him that much.)