Austin
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Posts posted by Austin
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5 hours ago, Double Misfire said:
Pls no Stormcast Felix 🤮
I don’t think that’s what this will be about.
Also I don’t see Felix as a Knight Excelsior. Maybe a Tempest Lord?
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More hype needs to be had over William King writing AoS stories! I am very excited to see what he does with the Knights Excelsior. There is the short story below, but then also he has a story in the upcoming Oaths and Conquest (and I think it is also Knights Excelsior).
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4 hours ago, Kramer said:
Depends on your definitions of reasonable retailer I guess. I would never advice a company to communicate earlier about upcoming products if that could potentially diminish sales on the products coming before that. (what SoB by the way? Sisters of Battle or Sons of Behemat)
In the same manner I do think you are overvalue-ing the added benefits to brand loyalty. GW don't treat us like cash bags, the principle is cash cows. They have several of them. And they are of course milking it, but to be fair also maintaining them. And the financial reports seem to support their strategy .
That happened for a reason, true. But not because they didn't give a release forecast. The core product just became sh*t and as a result they were overtaken.
Convoluted rules. outdated army books, new models being way too expensive and a stagnant storyline. That's what killed fantasy imo. Not other companies showing their release schedule when GW wouldn't.But to be fair all the above back and forth is just us guestimating at best. So help me understand this last remark. Because I don't see it. What would practically happen/change for you if you had the next three months schedule vs. not having it. And what our those payoffs?
I think all of this is overly complicating the point (as I see it). Would you or wouldn't you like to know some of the release schedule? If the answer is you actually would not, then we are just in different places.
Otherwise I would point you to the multitude of other, successful, businesses/retailers that show releases many months out as a sign that release schedules are not some unreasonable demand by the unwashed masses. They appear to be the way the majority of businesses do business. Based on that it would be unreasonable to assume that GW is one of the rare businesses that would be impacted negatively by a little predictability.
And so if you would like a release schedule and GW is not hurt by it, why not do it? It isn't that the payoff would be huge one way or another. To me its a small but nice thing to have, and the absence of it is very strange.
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1 hour ago, GeneralZero said:
Also in the schedule, a persistent rumor is that there is a 40k dual army box coming with the next PA Ork vs space wolves, with their respective leaders.
Side note: I couldn't resist to spiranx and formroid, ordered both despite knowing that they are almost useless. But they look so damn good in a StD army! (especially here: )
I don't blame you. I couldn't resist them either.
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3 hours ago, Kramer said:
What’s the advantage for GW?
if I know the next few releases I’m going spread less money over those releases vs. every surprise one that catches my eye I spend money on.now you might argue that it creates more connected customers which helps long term, but I think that the part of the consumer base that’s collecting a lot far outweighs that.
We go round and round on this whenever the GW schedule gets particularly weird (which right now it seems that way bc of the SoB gap and everyone wanting Seraphon). Even a simple two month out release schedule would go a long way towards being a reasonable retailer.
And I think the answer to your question is actually pretty simple. The advantage to GW for not treating customers like cash bags (with no impulse control) would be long term loyalty (as you point out). I think you are being a bit too dismissive in your thoughts on the value there, because at some point soon 3d printers are going to be a real threat to GW. Once that happens, brand loyalty will be a thing.
I think you have been around long enough to remember the bad old days when GW started actually losing to Privateer Press/Warmachine and X Wing. That happened for a reason. And GW came back for a reason also, they seemed to be making and doing things their customers wanted.
This is such a small thing, with potentially big payoff both for GW and for us.
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On 1/28/2020 at 2:10 AM, Koradrel of Chrace said:
I like how the Idoneth play honestly. Reminds me of old school Dark Eldar. And honestly, as long as you aren't playing in a super heavy environment, most builds you come up with should be fine. We have effectively two gaming groups in my area: a more relaxed group dominated by three(!) Dissposessed players, and then a more tournament focussed group that includes a Triple Keeper Slaanesh player, a hardcore Skaven player, and more recently a Petrifex player. As long as you know which group you're going to be playing, you can be ready to go. Are eels still going to be needed for both groups? Maybe, but when I'm playing the relaxed group, as long as I have one unit of six Morrsarr I find I'm doing all right, and can play around with other units (except maybe Lotann).
Lotann is such a cool model and his little buddy makes me sad that I feel like he is 100 percent worse than extra command points.
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3 hours ago, Beastmaster said:
I still find the whole idea of killing off an extremely popular setting, building up a completely new setting, then re-releasing the old setting 5 years later completely insane.
Maybe I’m just getting old. 😅Without any evidence to back it up- I assume this reintroduction of the Old World is due entirely to the huge success of Total War Warhammer and the fact that someone who wants to transition from that game to the tabletop game can't right now.
I do have to admit, I have tried hard to buy into AoS since the End Times and I do like things about it. But when these articles come out about the Old World, I realize that I just like that setting so much better.
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1 minute ago, Double Misfire said:
It does.
In god allegiance armies. 😁😉
Why you gotta be so cruel?!
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I was definitely hoping the book would have more options for non-Archaon chaos warrior builds.
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27 minutes ago, Thostos said:
Correct,LVO was not allowing either Tzeentch or KO`s latest books in the event.
Also keep in mind that the top Tzeentch player at LVO is a very skilled AoS player and has played the army since its release doing very well overall.Are you sure? The guys commentating said it was the new book.
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Between this and the Iron Hands domination the GW playtesters are having a rough go of it lately huh.
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Actually I should say rules folks AND playtesters.
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1 hour ago, JPjr said:
Oh man, it’s so sad but I’m still buzzing about this chonky ZOAT lad.
I really do like Blackstone Fortress as a game but the way they’ve used it to dig back into the lore, pull out a few very old classics and bring to the table little explored parts of the universe is just truly wonderful.
The one thing I’ve always found jarring about 40k was the idea of this dull, strictly segregated universe. Makes sense game wise but, for all it’s brilliantly wild over the top nonsense, as an actual lived in universe it sometimes felt a little sterile.
Using BSF as this kind of Mos Eisley haven of scum & villainy where the myriad races of the cosmos are actually represented and have to run up against one another is much more interesting. Hopefully their trawl through the Rogue Trader bestiary continues apace and at some point we get Warp Vampires, Catachan Face Eaters, Enslavers, Carnivorous Sand Clams, Jokaero, Ptera-Squirrels, Ymgrl Genestealers, Cthellean Cudbears, Groxes, Gyrinxes and, let’s us not forget, a HORSE.
I’m torn as I really want them to come back to AoS with Quest and likewise use it to hurl loads of crazy models at us that wouldn’t immediately fit in a normal army release but then I want them to carry on with BSF and bring more high weirdness back to the war torn galaxy of the 41st millennium (or 42nd now, I forget).
Astonishing to think the world is on the brink of total socio-political-environmental collapse and this is what’s getting my blood pumping, probably need to rethink my priorities but still a welcome break from the real life End Times I guess...
By the world you mean 40k right. AoS is rocking right along, the true overlords are back to spread smugness and trade to the lesser civilizations.
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12 minutes ago, Kaleb Daark said:
how will seraphon players cope with their faction only having a one word title?
This is how we really know GW hates them!!!!!!!!! Talk about second-class citizens.
----this is a joke (internet and sarcasm yadda yadda)
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6 minutes ago, Dragobeth said:
Usually when there's more to come Gw says that but there nothing about it in the LVO Serahon part so...I'll not hope for new kits now (I was hoping for multipart chaos kits for StD and here I am, still waiting)
It's a litle let down, being the last facction to get and upgrade and only recieve tome+terrain, not even a plastic slann, but oh well, I guess it's better than being squated, right?
The elves are cool, that armour is (for me at least) cooler than the teclis model itself (teclis nun made me chuckle), if those troops can get swords I may be pickin them up.
If they mentioned "sons of behemat" in the DF trailer...we can count it out of aos as a faction I suppose.
It was mentioned in a joking way, like it couldn't be a new faction, not in a manner as though it was related to Blackstone Fortress.
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4 minutes ago, novakai said:
The Light of Eltharion is awesome but Teclis's model feels really off for some reason.
maybe it the point of view but him floating like that makes it really weird and unbalance
Yeah agree. Teclis himself just doesn't look all that great.
That monster (and paintjob!) though.....wow it looks amazing. Also the cav are just 100 percent what I would have wanted for aelf cav.
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4 minutes ago, trolemon said:
Seraphon terrain is great and all but it makes that terrain the only thing they've gotten for all of AoS. Hoping there's more up their sleeves, like Endless Spells and at least one new sculpt. Tzeentch spells weren't shown in the Christmas preview ao I can see this happening.
They need new Saurus. The art is awesome....but it further exaggerates how bad the basic Saurus and Saurus Knights look. With just that and Kroxigors I think they could do wonders for the range.
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When we are talking new Imperial Knight style Gargant kit- are we thinking that they are moving the aesthetic towards D&D style Storm/Fire/Cloud Giant? Or trying to keep the Ye Olde Worlde look?
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10 hours ago, Icegoat said:
Tyrion is the god of nothing hbo have stolen the rights to the name from GW he will no longer feature in lore or cannon of AOS moving forward. Sorry to break this to you guys but its true.
This actually made me laugh out loud.
I enjoyed it even more because I am pretty sure it was meant to be serious.
Where do I go to turn in my old William King books? Has someone communicated this to the Total War Warhammer team? You can have my pewter Tyrion riding Malhandir when you pry it from my COLD DEAD HANDS!
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4 hours ago, HollowHills said:
So I've got an MA in literature, used to write a bit and am very much an avid reader (maybe more audio books at the moment). Here is my view on black library.
Bear in mind I've only read one black library novel (the court of the blind King), part of one black library compilation and the malign portents stories.
Basically the stories are packed with stereotypes and clichés. At no point do they ever subvert my expectations and I can't remember the name of the characters because they just fall into such basic archetypes.
The court of the blind king took a possibly really cool concept and did nothing with it. Instead of traumatised elves doomed to survive by destroying the very life force of others we got generic fantasy snooty court drama.
The plot is like a bad mash up between Hamlet and Macbeth with random pulp stories thrown in. People die, there are big battles and schemes blah blah it doesn't matter because you don't care about any of the characters. They have no real personalities and the events of the story don't change them at all. There is no heroes journey because the hero is the exact same person at the end except he has more stuff. There has been no transformation, no emotional advancement, no learning.
I can think of a million things that could have been more interesting than what we got.
1) What's it like living with the legacy of slaanesh? Do you have nightmares? Are you afraid to connect emotionally? Do you secretly long for pleasure yet also fear it? How do these things impact the society in which you live? Is it something the protagonist needs to deal with? How will s/he overcome it?
2) what's it like being true souled vs being nemarti? Have you seen loved ones die due to withering souls? Are you afraid of bearing half soul children and losing them? Do the nemarti repulse you? If a nemarti, do you resent your masters or see them as gods and saviours? Do you have memories of another half remembered life?
3) what kind of society would you have? Do they hate their creator for turning against them? Do they live in fear of his wrath? Are they secular and democratic? What moral norms are there and how did these come about? Are there dissenting voices?
You start asking questions like this and you start being able to imagine what your characters might think and feel at the start of your story. Then you ask what outside forces might challenge that status quo and you think how your characters might react. Are there any consequences of those reactions? Are there conflicts?
Black library has none of this stuff. It's just an endless stream of "and then and then and then".
And then he fought nurgle and then he fought the sylvaneth and then he fought a giant shark.
It's childlike.
I am quite bummed to see this is the synopsis of The Blind King. I was hoping Guymer would turn out a book more like The Sea Taketh- which is SO good instead of The Learning, which is not good at all.
But in general I suppose I am generally satisfied with the level of writing in BL books. Particularly if we are not bound to one sub(sub)genre I think you can usually find some great books to read.
My issue is that most of them are fine but not amazing, yet BL wants me to pay a premium for them. As I have said before I really only read eBooks and their prices are outrageous. And not just for the full length novels, but how often will you see a 20-30 page story for $5? Almost nowhere outside of BL. Its very bad behavior towards customers, and I have a very hard time thinking that you can be so predatory towards customers and have it pay off long term.
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1 hour ago, RuneBrush said:
I've just read through the half year report and going to say that my gut feeling is that is pretty click-baity on Bolter and Chainsword's behalf. Year on year sales for Black Library are down by ~6% (roughly £71k), although this is going in the "wrong" direction, I don't think that this is cause for concern. It's certainly not indicative of the sky is falling!
I think what will be more telling will be the full year report when we see if December improved sales at all.
I posted that article in the Black Library section, repost from where I found it in the News section.
Certainly not the intent to be click-baity. I do however think you are wrong about 6% down being not much of a cause for concern for two reasons. It is the second consecutive report with negative numbers, and in the business world that's a number that would likely result in being canned without a pretty good explanation WHEN you combine it with the fact that the models and rest of the company is soaring.
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24 minutes ago, HorticulusTGA said:
Indeed.
Don't expect anything more than a teaser for a Battletome / Supplement alongside the Underworld Ogor Hunter team.
We should get something about Seraphon / Gargants / Hysh Aelves / maybe a Siege supplement in 2020 at least (but don't expect it today!)
And don't forget we have the Las Vegas Open from January 24th to 26th.
And then Adepticon from March 25th to 29th. It will be the "biggest Warhammer Preview ever" as an article on WarCom said, because they increased the seats number.
This ended up spot on haha.
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6 hours ago, Nos said:
Yes , I can it's the one I've explained at length. Make lots of products that you know will sell. Bring back older stuff that customers have told you will sell in enough numbers to justify it and hype them up over years of development to ensure they do. Try some more fringe stuff. If it sells well, add it to the make more pile. If it dosent, make sure the new stuff is more like the stuff that already sells when you try it next time. That's manifestly GW's business model and the rationale on which things are released.
And yes lots of things in the world make lots of money but in this hobby, most things actually dont, certainly not to the degree required to simply maintain GWs infastructure and massive running costs let alone turn a profit, so to have an IP and system that makes good money is more than reason enough to stick with it actually.
I never once said the system is great, or makes the most sense or cannot be improved upon, did I? So you can chill out on that front. That's your own frustration speaking. Dont put words in my mouth.
Rather, dont confuse your own hopes and aspirations for what GW should release with anything they themselves claim. It dosent matter if you want parity or not as GW have *never* claimed they will offer it or prioritise it so your insistence on that isnt coming from them. You want it sure, but those are not expectations based upon anything other than what you want and certainly not on what GW itself says.
The flip side of saying some laps it up for choosing to spend their own money on a product they are in no way what so ever compelled to buy is that people are acting like children for not getting what they want, based on nothing other than a sense of entitlement. It "should" be fair, everyone "should" get the same. Why? Because it's what you want, ultimately, and that's all there is to it. I want more toys, GW should make the toys, it's not fair I dont have the toys I want, it's not an excuse that they have a business to run because I want my stuff and they should meet my needs.
I agree with some of this, but I don't know that I would describe GW's business model in such....regimented terms.
I mean lets be real, people had to basically beg on hands and knees for YEARS before GW decided to remake Sisters of Battle. Also look at the Horus Heresy line. From the time I started in the hobby in 1996 people asked to know more, to have models, etc. I'm sure it was happening before then and it continued for a decade before GW decided it was a good idea. I find it hard that anyone can justify that reluctance, and maybe you don't mean to be, but it sounds like you are justifying if not agreeing with it.
It is also hard to reconcile what I keep hearing about GW's model design process which is "the designers make what they think looks cool" with a practical business plan of any sort.
In my opinion here is the glaring problem with that business plan: once 3D printers hit whatever mark they need in order to become more widespread- GW is going to take a huge hit. Because they won't have readily available models that their consumers are telling them are desired, and people will be able to purchase better looking Marauders, improved Blood Knights, new Seraphon, etc.
If GW really is a company focused on making money first, last, and always- they are leaving quite a bit of it on the table.
And in @Kirjava13's defense even when GW was circling the drain only five years ago there were quite a few people vigorously defending them. So I can sympathize with the frustration when someone complains about GW's practices and is told the usual "blah blah entitlement" garbage. It is a bit difficult to use the word entitlement when there is a business transaction contemplated.
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11 hours ago, Ogregut said:
Both Khorne and fyreslayers have priests.
CoS have empowered generic ones which makes sense as they have access to stormcast and sylvaneth ones.
Orukks not having them was a surprise.
Ok, opinions may differ on whether factions should all get xyz.
But, on the subject of someone being a good rumor source, did you look up the posting history? Bc it is more than just this one thing Whitefang has gotten correct.
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4 minutes ago, Ogregut said:
Wasn't that big a stretch to assume. Tzeench being a magic heavy army and ko not having any mages or priests.
Most rumour sources are guesswork as I doubt anyone in the know would jeopardize their position.
Just take a moment, and look back through the posting history of Whitefang.
I mean I could mention that both Khorne and Fyreslayers got endless 'spells'. But, that is really not the point. Just take a look back.
The Rumour Thread
in Age of Sigmar Discussions
Posted
Lumineth Archers shown at GAMA. Maybe a part of the video coming up on the website soon.