Specialist Games - Not Dead Yet?

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**H.B.M.C.**

This is good... I suppose?

Going Forward

Regular visitors to the site will have noticed a lack of updates recently. This has been because of some behind-the-scenes changes that are now slowly coming to fruition.

As American readers will probably already know, there’s a brand new Games Workshop website that’s gone live recently. This is just the first stage of a global web launch. As part of that plan Games Workshop’s Specialist Game support will be integrated the new site, giving it a much more prominent status than the range currently has.

There’s also other changes afoot – the recent global range review that has been carried out means that Specialist Games products are now widely available in all parts of the world. A feat that has eluded us until now as the many hobbyists in Australia will attest to. We’re also building the range back up again, with Blood Bowl players being the first to gain with team booster packs that will be coming in July. Theses are 4-man blisters with a selection of positional players allowing you modify your teams. There’ll also be a Goblin Secret Weapons blister for all you cheeky greenskin players. The other Specialist Games will also get similar packs in the future.

The new website has no forum provision, however, as these areas on the current site have developed a community and unique character of their own they are also moving to a new home. Under the guidance of Lex (the head-moderator) and with invaluable help from EpiCom’s Cybershadow the forums will be migrating to a new place with the only difference being a change to the URL. Many of the Moderators and Answer-Mods who look after the forum on a voluntary basis will be also making the move to the Specialist Games forum’s new home. I wish all who post and sail in her well!

So, there’s loads happening for the Specialist Games and more to come in the future. However, this point effectively ends the “Fanatic” era of support. This website will no longer be updated as all future material will be published on the new sites. On behalf of Jervis and myself I’d like to thank all the contributors, Fanatic team members from the past (Steve, you're still remembered), and, most importantly, you – the players of the Specialist Games.

For now,
Andy @ Fanatic

BYE

**Tetchy**

there’s loads happening for the Specialist Games and more to come in the future

I'll believe it when I see it. Until GW actually release interesting, reasonably priced and material for Specialist Games, and make it widely available I won't believe it.

Forgive me if I'm skeptical but it feels like every time anything has "happened" with Specialist Games in the last 6 or 7 years it has meant that the range has become more expensive, or less-well supported, or both...

**Polonius**

Everytime I think about Specialist games, Yak's warning about PP's future makes more sense. Yak's point is that after PP fills in it's ranges and adds whatever factions it can to it's games, it'll need to either sell everybody on a new edition or eventually dwindle away.

When you look at specialist games, while it's true that they are not supported, they really don't need a ton of support. They have tight, well written rules, a wide range of factions for each game (there are what, 2 dozen BB teams?) and a full line of miniatures.

**His Master's Voice**

Polonius wrote:Everytime I think about Specialist games, Yak's warning about PP's future makes more sense. Yak's point is that after PP fills in it's ranges and adds whatever factions it can to it's games, it'll need to either sell everybody on a new edition or eventually dwindle away.

I bet they can live quite well of remaking their ranges and adding more factions. After all GW is doing that for what, 15 years now?

Anyway, GW might have realized that selling models you produced 10 years ago brings cash

Lets hope for a bright EPIC future. Mhhh, EPIC... I used to have around 4000 EPIC orks. Talk about a HORDE.

**Pariah Press**

Polonius wrote:When you look at specialist games, while it's true that they are not supported, they really don't need a ton of support. They have tight, well written rules, a wide range of factions for each game (there are what, 2 dozen BB teams?) and a full line of miniatures.

Actually, Epic is pretty lacking in some models. We need Tyranids and Necrons, especially.

**Kid_Kyoto**

I read this as meaning Fanatic/Specialist Games are double plus dead.

The site is going away but existing models it seems will be available online in blisters. No firm promises of new games or products.

So I think this just means the stuff we used to be able to get as bitz will return as blisters but other than that the games are dead.

**Pariah Press**

No, from what I've gleaned from Cybershadow on the Tactical Command baords, Jervis and Rick will still be continuing development (such as it is) via the new SG forums. Rick's website has a ton of Warmaster stuff on it, so it's pretty obvious what he's interested in these days.

From what I can tell, we're losing some old articles from the old site, SG will be more accessible to newbies (it was pretty hard to find before) and we'll be getting some "packs," whatever that means.

Andy Hall indicated that "the Fanatic era" was over, however, so presumably no more Fanatic Magazine Online. True fanzines (like Warp Rift and such) will pick up the slack, no doubt.

In my opinion, this bodes neither ill no good for SG. I don't see any of these changes as major. We lose some minor stuff, we gain some minor stuff. A few URLs change. Could be worse. Could be a heckuva lot better.

**Hordini**

I just hope they re-release the Cobra destroyers for Battlefleet: Gothic.

Not sure whether this is good or bad. It has the potential to be good, but I'm not holding my breath. It seems to me if GW just did a bit more advertising of SG (which this might bring) it would be a good start. Especially if they follow through with a bit more support (filling out ranges, etc.).

**Savnock**

Might this mean that we should all save copies of the Living Rulebooks right now, just in case?

**Jazz is for Losers**

Tetchy wrote:
there’s loads happening for the Specialist Games and more to come in the future

I'll believe it when I see it. Until GW actually release interesting, reasonably priced and material for Specialist Games, and make it widely available I won't believe it.

Forgive me if I'm skeptical but it feels like every time anything has "happened" with Specialist Games in the last 6 or 7 years it has meant that the range has become more expensive, or less-well supported, or both...

Agreed. As a dyed-in-the-wool SG fan (I remember the good ol' days), I have seen too many false dawns for SG. I would love them to make a resurgence, but I'm sceptical. Please GW - bring SG back into the mainstream, and get some of your front rank sculptors making some nice, shiny, C21st models asap.

**Kid_Kyoto**

Savnock wrote:Might this mean that we should all save copies of the Living Rulebooks right now, just in case?

Well if my suspicion is true that GW is winding these games down to nothing, then yes.

If other suspicions are true, that GW is going to relaunch them and try to sell the rulebooks, then also yes.

So in short, yes.

**Pariah Press**

Or, "don't bother because someone can always send you a copy later anyway if you ask nicely."

**Destrado**

I wonder how would the Necromunda gangs and models they would sell if they were released in decent plastics. The Imperial Guard players (of any kind) would surely rejoice.

**CyberShadow**

Pariah Press wrote: No, from what I've gleaned from Cybershadow on the Tactical Command baords, Jervis and Rick will still be continuing development (such as it is) via the new SG forums....

In my opinion, this bodes neither ill no good for SG. I don't see any of these changes as major. We lose some minor stuff, we gain some minor stuff. A few URLs change. Could be worse. Could be a heckuva lot better.

I dont pretend to have all of the answers, but my perspective on this is that it is a restructuring. The SG material is being re-folded into the mainstream stuff. SG items will appear in the same way and at the same places as other, core game material on the site, which can only help exposure. Core downloads remain available, and are now also more visible. As a result, I hope that we will see more people actually aware of the existance of SG stuff. I hope that many people will browse for 40K and WHFB stuff and find a set of miniatures displayed that they had never heard of, and a set of free downloadable rules.

Not all material will be transferred across, but the core SG site will remain for a few month yet.

The current structure will remain (as far as I know). The boards will move, but I certainly wont be deleting Andy or Jervis's account!

Development and the current 'normal' will continue, it is just that GW are no longer able to host the boards.

Long term, I have as much info as you guys.