Latest BFG Rumors

[Dakkar]

Latest tabletop rumors:
http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2018/04/40k-adeptus-titanicus-and-battlefleet-gothic-rumors.html

If they're truly going to the 30K era, my interest diminishes by about 10,000 years... ;-)

[Landlubber]

Seems strange to me that they'd back the setting up to the Heresy period, since the original BFG has such a loyal following. Why fix it if it ain't broke?

It's disheartening to see the news about Adeptus Titanicus. I'm a real sucker for Big Fighting Robots, and I really liked Abnett's Titanicus book from about 10 years ago, so I'll probably have to take a real hard look at this game. Dang it, dang it, dang it...

[Ruckdog]

I split this off from the BFG Armada II thread, since the topic felt sufficiently different

Seems strange to me that they'd back the setting up to the Heresy period, since the original BFG has such a loyal following. Why fix it if it ain't broke?

It's not the first time I've heard this rumor. I'm  not super enthusiastic about it myself, but I can understand the logic from GW's point of view. 30k, while not as popular as 40k, is still pretty popular and seems to attract a lot of the "old guard" 40k players, i.e. those players who have put most or all of their hobby budget towards 40k/GW over the years and have become disillusioned with the direction the 40k rules have taken in 6th, 7th, and (especially) 8th editions. Thus, it makes sense to market to a group that is so invested in the setting. Also, by its very nature of being mainly a Forge World product, 30k is also pricier than even 40k to play, so GW knows that the 30k audience is willing to spend some extra money for cool things.

Ultimately, I'm still interested, though I will reserve my purchase/no purchase decision until I get a look at the model range and the rules!

It's disheartening to see the news about Adeptus Titanicus. I'm a real sucker for Big Fighting Robots, and I really liked Abnett's Titanicus book from about 10 years ago, so I'll probably have to take a real hard look at this game. Dang it, dang it, dang it...

Hahahaha! Yeah, this does sound pretty great. A bit of a bummer about there being no Epic revival, but on the other hand I think GW made a decision to just push larger games of 40k (i.e., Apocalypse) over doing a small-scale game in the same setting. I'm looking forward to the direction they take the titan designs; the looks of the various types has changed quite a bit over the years. Also, the sizes being rumored here are much larger than the old Epic scale titans...we are looking at something that is roughly in the 10mm range. There are so many other models out there in that scale range, I wouldn't be surprised to see some home-brew rules to do "40k" rules with these new Titans. They could be a complete separate game, or they could be just a down-sizing of normal 40k, played with smaller miniatures. This happens a lot with other games (like using 6mm tanks/infantry to play Flames of War, for example).

[Covertwalrus]

30k, while not as popular as 40k, is still pretty popular and seems to attract a lot of the "old guard" 40k players, i.e. those players who have put most or all of their hobby budget towards 40k/GW over the years and have become disillusioned with the direction the 40k rules have taken in 6th, 7th, and (especially) 8th editions. Thus, it makes sense to market to a group that is so invested in the setting.

 It would be the first time in a long time that GW have done so. And after the huge disservice to those same players by cutting out the Forge world Epic items overnight and the demise of Specialist Games . . . It's going to take a lot more to entice *some* of those players ( Myself included) to shell out more for something "new"

 I'm going to wear the cynic hat and say I think the 30K BFG move is motivated by three main rationales -

 1. Creation of new models which will supposedly invalidate all existing models. This will supposedly feed a drive to purchase said new models, using the "Appeal to Novelty" and the "Old is Dead" mindsets so carefully cultivated by GW for its customers of all ages. Also, taking this setting on  means they do not have to do yet another redesign of the Tyranids.
 2. Conformity of design ; GW have moved to designers who seem fixated in a sort of slightly Gothic Steampunk design vogue ( The last few Imperial releases ) and moving away from the full-one Gothic Industrial or just plain "Cologne Cathedral with engines" of BFG. I'd be cruel if I even suggested those designers cannot sketch anything in a different style at all
 3. Market direction; GW has and always will I suggest aimed at the 14-18 YO purchaser zone, and I suspect that this combined with the first point is a major factor in the decision.

 Willing to hear alternate suggestions, though.
I'd be interested to see what the new miniatures look like of course; I will make a bet right now for any level of money that the old background that "Chaos ships are just obsolete/ancient Empire hulls" may not survive, nevertheless I wait to be pleasantly surprised.

[Draco84oz]

I'm not too sure what to think of this - it could be that I'm overthinking things again (its a common issue with me) - but I had a bit of an experience recently that is giving me bad vibes.

Last weekend, I went to the local GW store to see if they had any of the new Necromunda wave available. When I walked in, I couldn't find any Necromunda stuff at all - and no Blood Bowl stuff for that matter either. So I queried the clerk, and he said that he'd had to send all the previous Necromunda stuff back, and everything for the game from now on would have to be ordered in.

This kinda got me thinking (and possibly overthinking), does this mean that GW has already condemned the new specialist games to the "too hard" basket, and not really given it any real resources? I mean, they're not exactly advertising the new Blood Bowl releases (I saw the first ads for the new Chaos team only a week ago, and its getting released, what, this weekend?), and they're on a slow drip as it is. Plus, the "fun stuff" for Necromunda (guilds, outlanders, my precious ratskins etc) is at least a year away.

Plus, as far as I can tell, there hasn't been an update on Adeptus Titanicus in nearly a year. And the last update was to say that they were changing the scale to 8mm (so f**k you veterans - buy a whole new army already!).

I mean, that's why they cut Fantasy - why hold a failing line/line that isn't going to give you as big a return on investment when you can dedicate your resources to line that is already a success?

[Covertwalrus]

Last weekend, I went to the local GW store to see if they had any of the new Necromunda wave available. When I walked in, I couldn't find any Necromunda stuff at all - and no Blood Bowl stuff for that matter either. So I queried the clerk, and he said that he'd had to send all the previous Necromunda stuff back, and everything for the game from now on would have to be ordered in.

 Now that is very telling. The idea that stuff that doesn't sell rapidly and gets sent back to be available only through special orders is called in my zone of control "Magazine Distribution Method", after the habit of periodical publishers reimbursing retailers for unsold copies and selling back issues directly. It has advantages - Distributors don't have stock piling up in warehouse, retailers get clear shelves and new stock without extra cost - but customers don't get discounted or sale items and have to make purchases within time frames set up by the retailers and manufacturers.
 In my country and the Aussies next door, only one  games company worked to that method . . . That was Spartan Games.

Plus, as far as I can tell, there hasn't been an update on Adeptus Titanicus in nearly a year. And the last update was to say that they were changing the scale to 8mm (so f**k you veterans - buy a whole new army already!).

Apart from the announced computer game , you have a point. I think the move to 8mm, oh, lets not kid ourselves, it's basically going to be 10mm near as dammit! Yes, the scale move was to appeal to the people who are finding larger scales more handy and less likely to invite ridicule. At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly here, both the younger players and older players I know take great pains to humiliate anyone not working in 28/32mm these days - I've even heard 28mm described as "tiny and difficult to see" by younger players!! SMH

I mean, that's why they cut Fantasy - why hold a failing line/line that isn't going to give you as big a return on investment when you can dedicate your resources to line that is already a success?

 And that is why GW make the money - Sound business approaches though if they didn't have a monopoly and a consistent customer base, they'd find the competition would be stiff in the Fantasy market.

[Draco84oz]

Ugh...trust me not to see this latest before I posted my little spiel...

http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2018/04/40k-adeptus-titanicus-and-battlefleet-gothic-rumors.html

Still...

[Draco84oz]

And that thing about the new warlord titan being the size of a 40k knight...funny they should mention that...

https://www.shapeways.com/product/KWYFFSD6K/emperor-part-1-2?optionId=18129373&li=marketplace

[Easy E]

The reason to move it to 30K seems pretty onvious to me.  You only need to design, playtest, and make one faction of ships.... Space Marines. 

The same reason the Horus Heresy was created in the first place int he old Adeptus Titanicus rules, only one style of Titan was needed then.