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Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Must say, this thread isn't going the way I thought it would, but in a really, really, really cool and positive way!
Chuffed to see Celtos is still more-or-less about (anyone know if they've printed a rulebook not in that font?), not to mention stuff like Flintloque (I'm a sucker for Napoleonics).
At the moment, I don't even know if Brigade Models are printing new Celtos rulebooks, or just sitting on a pile they got from I=Kore. They sell the models, but they've done nothing, AFAIK, to work on the range since acquiring it.
I've got a PDF copy of the rules in Arial (and all the art is horribly low-res to the point of unrecognizability), but I don't think that ever made it to print. That and a playtest copy of the Sidhe army book.
A lot fo the games in the OP are from the late 90s and early 2000s, when GW had real market dominance. The problem was that even by 2nd edition, GW could roll out 7+ factions with deep model ranges, with top shelf models, and rules that were at least average for the time.
Most of those games failed to really provide more than one or two things to complete. Confrontation had beautfil models and a huge range, but the rules were wonky and poorly translated. They than threw away the model range for pre-paints, and nobody has heard from them since.
Mongoose built a great game with Starship troopers, but the models were "okay," and focused on the movie look, which wasn't always popular. However, there were two factions, and it was tied to a "second tier" license that ended up strangling the game.
Void, and the other direct 40 competitors, just went to the way of HD-DVD. They just couldn't beat GW on grimdark gothic. the models were mostly "fine."
the thing is, at the same time that games like Starship Troopers, Confrontation, and Warzone collapsed, PP dropped Warmachine, which is the longest lasting #2. They showed up with rock solid rules (for the time), solid models, and a nice range at launch. They also had a hook: competitive gaming, at a time when GW really didn't see the merits in it.
So.. I think you can chalk most games that fail to simply not bringing anything new or improved int eh core areas: model quality, rules quality, model range, model scale, game size, or marketing. You can't just be another 28mm sci-fi game (sorry Gates of Antares), but you absolutely can be a successful steampunk/horror/western 32mm skirmish game (Malifaux, part of the upper middle class of tabletop wargaming).
Mongoose built a great game with Starship troopers, but the models were "okay," and focused on the movie look, which wasn't always popular. However, there were two factions, and it was tied to a "second tier" license that ended up strangling the game.
We didn't get the movie look "Light Infantry" or the "Exo-Suits"(which were closer to the actual book's designs, two different suit designs the "Cougar" and the "Grizzly") until the game was basically dead.
It certainly did not help that the dropships, fighters, turrets, fortified compound, etc parts that were all part of the Mobile Infantry army lists never really materialized. We saw prototypes of them but then...poof.
I think RiTides found a bunch of the rebadged Cougar/Grizzly suits and used them for a Terminator proxy army some years ago, but the models just became a letdown past the initial plastic offerings. A lot of the characters(especially the SICON Officers in longcoats) that came out looked like the sculptors just retweaked GW sculpts.
ScarletRose wrote: I think the issue with Rackham was a failure to catch the English speaking market. Confrontation wasn't well translated and when they tried to spin the setting into an RPG it wasn't great.
I think if they had just stuck to their absolutely beautiful metal miniatures they'd have been ok.
The pre-paints was the nail in the coffin for them IMO. Their sci-fi line AT-43 wasn't bad for the vehicles (since they were hard plastic) but the infantry was bendy and kind of poor quality.
Rackham had terrible customer service, which compounded their problems. They shipped models in English language boxes with only the French rules inside, and when people complained, they told them they could buy the rulebooks from their website (for about 10 Euros and 20 Euros shipping).
Mongoose also produced some models for SST that were real head scratchers. For example, they made an electrified fence thingie and a missile that both sold for $25 or more. The fence, unlike the defensive barricade GW and 3rd parties make nowadays, looked like something a starting hobbyist would build from popsicle sticks and floral wire for about $5.
The missile model, while okay looking, represented a missile in-flight (no exaggeration) for the game. Mongoose had provided a printed card missile with the game so I'm guessing not many players took the plunge for a unit that only lasted a fraction of a turn (their purpose was to blow up, after all).
Automatically Appended Next Post: On Void 1.1, I was one of the demo guys.
Every month---again not an exaggeration---they would send me probably $80 worth of metal minis and a scenario. I was expected to paint up the new stuff and do x number of demos at the LGS. I did that happily for a few months until i got burned out on the quick turnaround. I always wondered how they could afford to send such generous demo kits every month.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/09/10 15:29:56
Spartan Games was headed by Niel who had some serious medical issues about a year ago or so (from what I gather) and which are still ongoing. If you've got a smaller company and either can't or don't want to delegate tasks that can certainly hit things hard. If someone can't pull their weight and if others can't step in it can lead to a whole host of problems; generally the worst if those who are sick are in the upper levels of the company -ergo those running and the most skilled/critical workers (ergo those hard to replace at short notice or for limited pay).
Bigger companies can generally soak this kind of problem more easily as there tends to be more staff around to either take the load or more potential finance to hire short-term help.
From what I recall, Mongoose lost the Babylon 5 license through no fault of theirs. Without a show on the air, Warner Bros. just decided to pull all of the Babylon 5 licenses when they came up for renewal.
J. Michael Straczynski owns Babylon 5, as best I understand it, entirely, through his Babylonian Productions label and it was he who put the license high enough for Mongoose to throw in the towel. It's a shame as I'd have loved to have seen a land based mini wargame and that would have been all open design terrain with the exception of the original race aesthetics.
ScarletRose wrote: I think the issue with Rackham was a failure to catch the English speaking market. Confrontation wasn't well translated and when they tried to spin the setting into an RPG it wasn't great.
I think if they had just stuck to their absolutely beautiful metal miniatures they'd have been ok.
The pre-paints was the nail in the coffin for them IMO. Their sci-fi line AT-43 wasn't bad for the vehicles (since they were hard plastic) but the infantry was bendy and kind of poor quality.
Rackham had terrible customer service, which compounded their problems. They shipped models in English language boxes with only the French rules inside, and when people complained, they told them they could buy the rulebooks from their website (for about 10 Euros and 20 Euros shipping).
Rackham also had a version of the Spartan problem: lack of focus, and too many product lines. there were armies/races for Confrontation that technically existed but were essentially unsupported, and their release dates were made of moonbeams and pixie dust. Instead of releases for army X, another month would roll on with nought but another goblin subfaction (in the form of 4 or 5 models). And that was well before the Ragnarok disaster.
In general, though, I wouldn't say it has been a matter of GW or other competition. Largely it comes from internal failures (even some that aren't strictly errors in business, like embezzlement or illness), sometimes misreading the market (Rackham) or finding some way to kill the golden goose. I honestly think privateer is on the verge of the latter, what with kicking their community out, and being suddenly sublimely indifferent to criticism of their design choices, on the basis that sometimes it is delivered in a mean fashion. Spiraling prices and must have units don't help either.
I'd honestly like to see some new companies rise, but truthfully I'm not sure if I want to see fresh ideas or a return to some traditional ones. I'd love to see a real swords and sorcery game, no WackyTech, guns, or random BDSM elements. Which honestly crop up a lot.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/09/10 18:13:09
Not sure if this applies, but figured I would offer my own experiences.
Proxie Models was started about 7 years ago when I got a severance package and purchased some derelict plastic injection equipment. I figured there might be a market for some cheaper generic substitutes.
So what happened? Where are they?
Well, a lot of things. Actually this might be a long post...........
Kick starter began about the same time, so new companies popped up with no need for much capital investment. The concept did not really fit with my style of not wanting to take too much risk. And if I was reluctant to risk my money, I was absolutely loathe to risk money from a stranger who trusted me. Looking back, this was a really big mistake. Kingdom Death and CMON started about the same time, and both are filthy rich and rolling in millions.
I placed all my equipment in my workshop that I had used to restore muscle cars for the past 20 years. It seemed perfect, no rent and right out back of the house. But now that the tons of stuff is all there, I have to cope with the realities of zoning laws and insurance. Everything I am doing is legal, but this is the limit to what I can do. It has proven impossible to get insurance for a business at my residence, and the zoning forbids any employees. So I planted my seed in a very small pot and it is root bound and can not grow. Ever. Literally every single things has to be done by me.
I also over estimated the appeal of making things to the local community. Finding people who like to listen to music is easy. Finding people who want to make music is a lot harder. Same goes for miniatures. In spite of the very vibrant local gaming community there has not been anyone who really jumped up and said, " Wow, this is neat. I want to be a part of this." So no partners to rely on.
Sales. I know this makes little sense, but I started making bases and still sell them every day. (Except for Aug 4th, for some odd reason) Each of these has to be produced, packaged, and shipped by me. I also took on some contract work and producing those products takes a lot of time. Throw in trying to post once in a while on the internet and it leaves little time to design and make new molds. There is also the fairly typical ADHD behavior of people like me. I would get super motivated to create something and then lose interest before it was done. I have so many files stored on the hard drive it is embarrassing. But it matches the pile of unpainted armies and model cars. Being forced to step away from a project for sometimes months at a time really ruins any chance of finishing it. I forget what I was doing and where I was at.
Real life jobs also take up time. For almost all of the past 7 years I also was working a part time to full time job. When you realize there are over 200 kick starters a month in the tabletop gaming category it really takes some massive confidence to go all in on things. Life is a series of calculating risk and reward. A lot of companies chose poorly and crashed and burned. If you are in a position where your personal assets are protected it makes it a lot easier to gamble. Hence kickstarter and bank loans you can file chapter 11 on and walk away from if things go bad. It takes a LOT more nerve to put your assets on the line. Knowing your family will lose the house if things do not go well requires more guts than I can muster. So playing in the shallow end means never getting big but also never drowning.
Distribution is another issue that a company has to carefully weigh. The store gets 40%, and the distributer gets 20%. They also want free shipping, so figure another 5%. This means I have to sell almost 3 times as many items via distribution to break even with selling direct to customers. The best way to think about this is to figure you make $15 per hour and work 40 hours per week. So your boss cuts your pay to $5 per hour but allows you to work 120 hours per week. You are still making the same amount of money but putting in a bit more effort. A distributer will increase sales, so figure you are now allowed to work 160 hours per week at $5 per hour. So you are actually making more money but working a lot more hours. When faced with a serious labor shortage this model is very tough. When your business model is based on profiting from wage discrepancies between countries it is just more money.
Which brings us to labor and the introduction of Chinese mass manufacturing to the market. This is a deal breaker for a lot of companies and industries. Live in the rust belt you can see the impact this has. If you think the hobby games industry is going to remain a cottage industry, I admire your optimism. But I personally do not think this Genie is ever going back in the bottle. There will always be a place for extremely niche products. However, the big boys are going to take the lion's share.
This works both ways, as the initial startup costs to have a run of products made in China can be a major investment. I think this might explain the demise of several of the companies in the OP. It must have cost a fortune to have all those pre-paints made in China. But if you combine kick starter and Chinese manufacturing it is really a no lose situation. You have all the money in advance and know how many sales to expect.
Last week I got my Massive Darkness kickstarter in the mail. It was a real shock to me as it was the first CMON product I had ever purchased. The quality and quantity are stunning, and it really made me glad I stayed in the shallow end of the pool. They have raised the bar to an extent I never thought possible. It has also changed the direction of my efforts if and when I find time. ( I also pledged more money for their stuff. ) The only real risk I see for them is flooding the market and stealing customers from themselves. They are really looking strong as a company. They are going to be getting a lot of my money if they keep this up.
So those are a couple of things I deal with and perhaps some of the other companies deal with them also. Proxie Models is actually in pretty good shape and I am very happy to have all the tools and equipment I have packed away over the years. I can tinker as I want and if things frustrate me just close the door and go find regular work with no loss. Not sure how these other folks made out, but after being in the trenches I wish them all the best of luck. It is a fun but challenging vocation.
Best advice I got- " Stay in your lane." If you know you are driving a Pinto, don't try to get out there and run with the Mustangs.
Nick Ellingworth wrote: Others have covered most of this so I'll chime in on Flintloque which hasn't been talked about yet.
Flintloque was the first my non GW wargame that I bought into (probably in the mid 90's) although I never knew anyone else with an interest in it.
To be honest the miniatures were pretty terrible, even for the 90's.
Flintloque is definitely a game with a niche audience. I can't imagine there are many people interested in fantasy Napoleonic skirmish gaming. Luckily the latest version of the rules has a nice if simple solitaire system so if I can't find a willing human opponent I can still get plenty of use from my small collection.
I do agree about some of the sculpts being pretty poor but I also think that a lot of them aren't helped by iffy paint jobs in photos of the studio minis. For the most part though I like the Flintloque range, it's got a lot of character and a sense of humour.
As others have said, traction seems to be a significant driver.
I bought Star Ship Troopers, Void, and a few others. *My* main issue was - nobody else did locally. So I ended up buying two starter armies and failing to encourage friends to give it a go. it didn't help that I didn't know the rules off pat - so the blind never really persuaded the blind.
SST never really followed through. Thoroughly enjoyed the game - but it never really expanded. Was underwhelmed by the missile, the exosuits and the "new" race, tho if the big bugs ever show up on ebay I'll still take a punt.
AT-43 was also good, but it was dying on its feet when I bought in. When my FLGS was selling stock off cheap I didn't have the cash, so I still only have the starter set.
From what I recall, Mongoose lost the Babylon 5 license through no fault of theirs. Without a show on the air, Warner Bros. just decided to pull all of the Babylon 5 licenses when they came up for renewal.
J. Michael Straczynski owns Babylon 5, as best I understand it, entirely, through his Babylonian Productions label and it was he who put the license high enough for Mongoose to throw in the towel. It's a shame as I'd have loved to have seen a land based mini wargame and that would have been all open design terrain with the exception of the original race aesthetics.
Not quite.
There are TWO (2) sets of 'rights' to that property, which also complicates things enormously.
The Movie rights, which JMS retains through Babylonian productions.
The Television/other rights, which belong to Warner Bros.
I'm OVER 50 (and so far over everyone's BS, too).
Old enough to know better, young enough to not give a ****.
That is not dead which can eternal lie ...
... and yet, with strange aeons, even death may die.
2017/09/10 23:02:14
Subject: Re:Where did it go wrong for them? Discussion about closed miniatures companies
Actually I was thinking of the company that originally produced Babylon 5 Wars, Agents of Gaming.
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
2017/09/11 01:53:53
Subject: Re:Where did it go wrong for them? Discussion about closed miniatures companies
Warzone was well liked in my area in the ninetees but their biggest issue was distribution, everyone wanted to play but getting what you wanted was difficult. Also internet was in its infancy, so getting information was a hassle.
Here's some other companies, if people could fill in the blanks
Pinnacle (Rail Wars) - I know that Rail Wars was turned into the Savage Worlds RPG, but I don't know why Rail Wars was dropped and they got out of minis games.
West End Games (Star Wars Miniature Game) - Lost the Star Wars license, shortly thereafter went belly up.
Iron Crown Enterprises (Silent Death) - I think they went belly up, but don't know why.
FASA (Battletech, Star Trek Simulator, Interceptor, Crimson Skies, etc.) - folded, rights were sold off to successor companies
Wizkids (Mageknight, Pirates of the Spanish Main, Heroclix, etc.) - A FASA successor company, they went dark/dormant for a time, and have slowly been coming back
Avalon Hill (Axis & Allies, other wargame/board games) - they were absorbed by WotC and their assets cannibalized
It never ends well
2017/09/11 05:59:01
Subject: Where did it go wrong for them? Discussion about closed miniatures companies
IIRC, Wizkids was owned by Topps, who shut them down when the pre-painted miniature market started to slow down. A bunch of fans (possibly ex-developers@) bought the name in order to keep producing Heroclix.
2017/09/11 06:09:11
Subject: Where did it go wrong for them? Discussion about closed miniatures companies
Game companies are niche small businesses. Almost all small businesses fail within 5 years. Heck most are lucky to survive the first year.
Any company lasts longer than that means it's got either:
a) professional management (rarely); and/or
b) stupidly ardent fans dumping vast sums of disposable income.
Also, I'd add:
- GeekChic (the failed game table maker)
- Cipher Studios (i.e. Helldorado / Anima Tactics)
Warzone was well liked in my area in the ninetees but their biggest issue was distribution, everyone wanted to play but getting what you wanted was difficult. Also internet was in its infancy, so getting information was a hassle.
Agreed Warzone 1e and 2e was good but poorly supported. The birth of command points and alternating units. Very fun.
kenofyork wrote: Not sure if this applies, but figured I would offer my own experiences.
Proxie Models was started about 7 years ago when I got a severance package and purchased some derelict plastic injection equipment. I figured there might be a market for some cheaper generic substitutes.
So what happened? Where are they?
Well, a lot of things. Actually this might be a long post...........
Kick starter began about the same time, so new companies popped up with no need for much capital investment. The concept did not really fit with my style of not wanting to take too much risk. And if I was reluctant to risk my money, I was absolutely loathe to risk money from a stranger who trusted me. Looking back, this was a really big mistake. Kingdom Death and CMON started about the same time, and both are filthy rich and rolling in millions.
I placed all my equipment in my workshop that I had used to restore muscle cars for the past 20 years. It seemed perfect, no rent and right out back of the house. But now that the tons of stuff is all there, I have to cope with the realities of zoning laws and insurance. Everything I am doing is legal, but this is the limit to what I can do. It has proven impossible to get insurance for a business at my residence, and the zoning forbids any employees. So I planted my seed in a very small pot and it is root bound and can not grow. Ever. Literally every single things has to be done by me.
I also over estimated the appeal of making things to the local community. Finding people who like to listen to music is easy. Finding people who want to make music is a lot harder. Same goes for miniatures. In spite of the very vibrant local gaming community there has not been anyone who really jumped up and said, " Wow, this is neat. I want to be a part of this." So no partners to rely on.
Sales. I know this makes little sense, but I started making bases and still sell them every day. (Except for Aug 4th, for some odd reason) Each of these has to be produced, packaged, and shipped by me. I also took on some contract work and producing those products takes a lot of time. Throw in trying to post once in a while on the internet and it leaves little time to design and make new molds. There is also the fairly typical ADHD behavior of people like me. I would get super motivated to create something and then lose interest before it was done. I have so many files stored on the hard drive it is embarrassing. But it matches the pile of unpainted armies and model cars. Being forced to step away from a project for sometimes months at a time really ruins any chance of finishing it. I forget what I was doing and where I was at.
Real life jobs also take up time. For almost all of the past 7 years I also was working a part time to full time job. When you realize there are over 200 kick starters a month in the tabletop gaming category it really takes some massive confidence to go all in on things. Life is a series of calculating risk and reward. A lot of companies chose poorly and crashed and burned. If you are in a position where your personal assets are protected it makes it a lot easier to gamble. Hence kickstarter and bank loans you can file chapter 11 on and walk away from if things go bad. It takes a LOT more nerve to put your assets on the line. Knowing your family will lose the house if things do not go well requires more guts than I can muster. So playing in the shallow end means never getting big but also never drowning.
Distribution is another issue that a company has to carefully weigh. The store gets 40%, and the distributer gets 20%. They also want free shipping, so figure another 5%. This means I have to sell almost 3 times as many items via distribution to break even with selling direct to customers. The best way to think about this is to figure you make $15 per hour and work 40 hours per week. So your boss cuts your pay to $5 per hour but allows you to work 120 hours per week. You are still making the same amount of money but putting in a bit more effort. A distributer will increase sales, so figure you are now allowed to work 160 hours per week at $5 per hour. So you are actually making more money but working a lot more hours. When faced with a serious labor shortage this model is very tough. When your business model is based on profiting from wage discrepancies between countries it is just more money.
Which brings us to labor and the introduction of Chinese mass manufacturing to the market. This is a deal breaker for a lot of companies and industries. Live in the rust belt you can see the impact this has. If you think the hobby games industry is going to remain a cottage industry, I admire your optimism. But I personally do not think this Genie is ever going back in the bottle. There will always be a place for extremely niche products. However, the big boys are going to take the lion's share.
This works both ways, as the initial startup costs to have a run of products made in China can be a major investment. I think this might explain the demise of several of the companies in the OP. It must have cost a fortune to have all those pre-paints made in China. But if you combine kick starter and Chinese manufacturing it is really a no lose situation. You have all the money in advance and know how many sales to expect.
Last week I got my Massive Darkness kickstarter in the mail. It was a real shock to me as it was the first CMON product I had ever purchased. The quality and quantity are stunning, and it really made me glad I stayed in the shallow end of the pool. They have raised the bar to an extent I never thought possible. It has also changed the direction of my efforts if and when I find time. ( I also pledged more money for their stuff. ) The only real risk I see for them is flooding the market and stealing customers from themselves. They are really looking strong as a company. They are going to be getting a lot of my money if they keep this up.
So those are a couple of things I deal with and perhaps some of the other companies deal with them also. Proxie Models is actually in pretty good shape and I am very happy to have all the tools and equipment I have packed away over the years. I can tinker as I want and if things frustrate me just close the door and go find regular work with no loss. Not sure how these other folks made out, but after being in the trenches I wish them all the best of luck. It is a fun but challenging vocation.
Best advice I got- " Stay in your lane." If you know you are driving a Pinto, don't try to get out there and run with the Mustangs.
Im really not trying to be mean but if mono pose board game minis are stunning I hate to say your a little out of touch. Yes cmon makes "neat" models, but mono pose. Thats like 90s for GW.
2017/09/11 07:14:35
Subject: Where did it go wrong for them? Discussion about closed miniatures companies
Have they? For characters, sure, for good or for ill (good for aesthetics, ill for the game), but there are tons of stuff coming out that has all sorts of options.
I mean the Plague Marines that are about to come out a filled to the gills with both bile and weapon options.
@KenofYork, thanks for the account. Your terrain is awesome and I recommend it to anyone! I'll post some painted stuff soon.
I loved Cell 1999, anyone know what happened there? Nearly every line mentioned so far is still around from someone, Rebel Minis has a lot of the old Starship Troopers and Judge Dredd stuff, Scotia Grendel has Void, and there was some Irish company that had 1st generation Warzone (Prince August? am I remembering right?). But 1999 just disappeared.
I think the issue here is that the market can only support so many "lifestyle" games. I'm guessing here that we're talking "lifestyle games" not "miniature companies". As someone following KS, I'm seeing *many* new miniature manufacturers enter the market, but they don't use the "lifestyle game" model of expecting customers to continually buy their product to play a game against another customer who has done the same. These miniature companies put out a few sculpts without rules, and customers buy them for whatever reason, from sculpt quality to proxies or use in other games.
Myself, I have some Crucible and Chainmail miniatures, and they, along with D&D Miniatures Game, left the shelves years before Spartan and Tor closed its doors. Of course, maybe OP distinguishes a miniatures company closing down from a miniatures line no longer supported (though I don't).
The OP missed out Warlord Games. Still going strong, and one of my favourite companies at the moment.
They mostly focus on historicals, but Bolt Action is a cracking game. Would recommend it to anybody. It's the game that 40k should have been.
As for failed games, I'm still annoyed at Judge Dredd going under. No explanation whatsoever, despite the guy posting on dakka from time to time.
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
2017/09/11 11:19:33
Subject: Where did it go wrong for them? Discussion about closed miniatures companies
The big thing for me is most of these games are niches within a niche. That makes failure all the more likely as you need to be pretty successful in a small market in order to stay in business. If you operate in a much larger market you don't need the same level of success.
Spartan Games are a good example. Their games were apparently pretty good, the models weren't terrible (not really my cup of tea but they were OK) but I think I saw one of their games being played about 3 times in total. I'm sure there are people out there that had a thriving community playing Firestorm Armada who will tell me I'm wrong but the point is you need hundreds of similar communities, which is what GW, FFG and PP have. In order to have real success you really need your games to be played everywhere, at least to some degree.
There's also the problem that most of these companies seem to be run in a similar way to a FLGS, which is with lots of enthusiasm but not necessarily much business acumen. Too many companies seem to treat their business as a hobby, which is why they eventually fail.
2017/09/11 18:01:40
Subject: Where did it go wrong for them? Discussion about closed miniatures companies
I got the feeling that the JD/2000AD licence came up and Warlord decided to pick it up when Mongoose either declined to continue or was outpriced, etc. Warlord, though should definitely be in the OP as going along quite healthily, along with Battlefront/GF9.
I guess we're talking "game + models" type companies, so we can skip adding Perry, Rubicon, PSC and many others as still doing find, thanks.
A couple of corrections, though:
Firestorm GAMES is a retailer in Cardiff who are still going along fine. Firestorm ARMADA is a game that was published by Spartan Games, who went out of business.
Most of the Rackham Confrontation Prepaints are actually pretty good figures. They're far from the garbage that people attempt to make them out to be, but they're not nearly as nice as the metals that preceded them. If another company brought the same models out today, unpainted, they'd be quite well appreciated. Which is the second thing about them. Rackham had some amazing painters, and the models often appealed strongly to painters. The prepaints again were fine, tabletop quality models but obviously more than a few steps down from what a skilled painter can do. Again, if they were brought out today in a different context (by say, FFG for Rune Wars) then they'd probably do quite well.
WarZone was very popular and going strong. They were taken down via mismanagement by their parent company. I read a very good, detailed article on the whole thing several years ago, but naturally I can't find it now.
gaking on monopose models because they're monopose is just silly. Sure, you ideally don't want too many multiples of the same models as troopers, and I like kitbashing as much as the next guy, but monopose models have their place at least as much as multipose. You can do a lot with mono that you can't with multi, especially in terms of posing and overlapping elements.
Multipose models definitely have their limitations. If you don't want to go with the heavy pauldron look and huge collars you're going to have trouble providing poses that don't look like toys. (fun fact: this is also why MMOs love them some shoulderpads) In addition, legs are almost never poseable on smaller models, which means regardless of what you can do with the torso, there are pretty signifcant limits on what you can do that still looks natural.
Really dynamic single pose is fine by me, though there's no shortage of single pose models with absolutely mundane looks to them. I've kind of stopped caring about pose variety in units though. I'd generally rather play games where I'm fielding a large handful of completely unique models anyway.
They sell the models, but they've done nothing, 
) The only real risk I see for them is flooding the market and stealing customers from themselves. They are really looking strong as a company. They are going to be getting a lot of my money if they keep this up.
-- $k 
-- 9k 
-- 6k 
-- 4k 
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