Cult Of Games XLBS: Is Originality Doomed To Fail?
February 27, 2022 by avernos
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Happy Sunday!
I honestly don’t know what I think about todays topic. I play a fair few games in a fair few genres. I often get the desire to play in a particular setting and with particular miniatures rather than particular rulesets. For example I have a Marienburg Warhammer gang for Mordheim that I also use for Frostgrave and Warcry. I have many other gangs that I could use, but they are my favourites. I have an Averland army for Warhammer that is also my Empire army is Saga Age of Magic and Kingdoms of Men army/Rhodia in Kings of War. I… Read more »
hAPPY SUNDAY,
HOPE YOU START OFF WITH THE gREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE…eVER…PERIOD. also i have been given a task.
It’s the XLBS Show…………….Happy Sunday!
we can tell someone doesnt wear bikinis as that martin bush needs a trim
Happy Sunday all. I’m surprised Oathmark hasn’t taken off as well as it could, although I agree the Pandemic release was a big factor, it’s a fantastic high fantasy game well written and supported. I think there’s a sense of dependability that comes with the larger more established creators but this shouldn’t stop us from trying something new. Unfortunately hobby is dictated by time available and we will live, under normal circumstances, in a busy work a day world. Time is precious so there’s a tendency to go with what you know and enjoy on a rare chance you get… Read more »
I swear you guys are giving @hazyboy75 golden buttons just to wind me up… two entries?! ?
Well done everyone, some lovely projects as always.
Great models Ben, now you need to put decals on them to make them pop.
I remember that Space Marine drawing, when Space Marines when not towering giants. In fact around that time, in the White Dwarf, in one of those sketches, the Space Marines met Thrud the Barbarian and got thoroughly trashed. Those were the days.
Lol.. I can pull the thought from Gerry’s head as the axiom “Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill”. This comes along with imagery of tipped over display cases. Its rather a jarring place in there people… beware the Drinking Man **cue the X Files opening theme**
Gerry, the Gothic/Epic overlap you’re talking about was with Epic 40K, not Epic Armageddon. Epic 40K had a lot of abstractions, using the same tables with firepower levels and lance hits you find in Gothic, but players seemingly found it an abstraction too far, which was one of the reasons the system didn’t do to well. The Apocalypse ruleset has a lot in common with the Epic Armageddon ruleset, so Apocalypse is really a decent way of playing Epic wih 40K miniatures, so using Apocalypse for Epic is not a too far fetched idea. I’d suggest people blow the dust… Read more »
Yeah, EA was unpopular with Epic 40k players, just as many whinged when 3rd ed was more streamlined than 2nd ed 40k. Many, such as myself, however felt it was an improvement
3rd edition was the best version of epic in my mind although a lot of people didn’t seem to like the more abstract nature of it
The reason I don’t play Oathmark, even though it is a good game, is because of all the books you need to buy to have one complete system. Also, I do not like mass battle wargames that remove individual miniature casualties. I find that mass battle wargames that use this mechanic are really skirmish games pretending to be mass battle games. Think Warhammer and the better system Mordheim.
On the other hand, take Fantastic Battles. Everything in one book and actual mass battle mechanics. It is a new system that I have jumped on heart and soul.
I do miss that Salamander Black paint GW used to do that came in that OG Space Marine Paint Set – it was a lovely glossy black
Soooo, any links to this Full-Spectrum Dominance game?
best way to get it is through the disco https://discord.gg/KSq6eNFb
Thanks!
What an excellent XLBS show and topic for discussion. If we take as a model of what most, if not all gamers who play any table top games, whether board games or miniatures, they fall generally into one or more of 3 groupings: 1, Gamers, 2, Hobbyists, (builders, painters etc.) and 3, Collectors? (Remember Venn diagrams from school days?) Then, taking a company such as the like of GW, we see a fundamental difference between GW and virtually all other smaller and independent companies. GW’s business model has evolved by it’s very nature a business model which is successful. Because… Read more »
Totally agree with your comments. To take on the behemoth of GW, you would probably need a mass collaboration of the Indies to follow a similar business model with collaborative high-street presence offering the full range of non-GW products and games and price matching online. But that would take a lot of effort and negotiation. As it stands it will always be one huge Goliath and multiple little Davids. Goliath will win unless there is a lucky hit but will always rely upon the lack of a unified set of Davids with common goals and expectations.
This is why the principal differences between GW and it’s products, (business strategy) should be exposed to all potential new gamers as soon as is possible via social media and any other formats. Not so that this becomes a vendetta against GW, but so that the next generation of ‘gamers’ are aware that there are other choices available. After all, GW did NOT originate ‘Gaming’, they have just found one of the most successful ways to make money from it! The reason I have used GW to illustrate a point about ‘accepting change’ or ‘adopting’ new innovations, is that they… Read more »
I don’t think originality has much to do with the success of a game. I think that popularity and accessibility in your region and the willingness of your gaming group is the most important reason because if nobody is willing to play the game or you can’t easily get it due to whatever reason (like cost, interest in the setting, narrow minded few of some people that don’t want to go out of there comfort zone,…) it is not going to be played. An other factor for me is also that I already own a lot of games and that… Read more »
A very interesting theme today. Note: I can only speak from my own experience. As a producer of original, low-cost, miniatures agnostic, wargames our main problem is getting exposure. We don’t have a marketing team, so we rely on displaying our games at shows, haunting various fora, and sending copies to the more influential review sites/shows. Although we get positive mentions from these reviewers we never get the commitment to actually trying the games that the big boys get. I regularly talk to other small producers and this seems to be a common issue. Perhaps if these sites/shows put a… Read more »
I believe you are correct! It’s not enough to get a good review, the game needs to be played in public and on camera so curious gamers can see the speed, or crunchiness, or whimsical defining quality that the game has. I for one look for ‘Lets Plays’ and find the one I think sells the better qualities and then I use it to introduce the game to new would be players. Sadly most gaming conventions are far enough away from me that to visit one is a substantial monitary commitment. Most times I’d rather invest the money in more… Read more »
Morning all COGz.
Ben is the quiet man.
The Mark of Calth book does want you to fight 30K battles.
I am playing and really enjoying Oathmark. You can have a decent game with say 60 models (so 2-3 boxes of plastics and then some monster and characters). It really flows well. There are 4 books but you could absolutely have fun just using the first book. You would then but the third one if you like undead, and/or the fourth one to add some more fun stuff like formations. What switches me off at the moment are ‘closed system’ games where you need to buy in, get the books, get the dice, get the expensive 37mm or 11mm or… Read more »
I kinda miss the purple ink and that unique Gestetner smell you used to get with some rulesets
Vulcan is an immortal remember king squirrel @avernos
You forgot the pinky an one million miniatures! Ben.
The Elder moonlight as school patrol crossers?
I can see Gerry diveing into the shed dressed like a pest control worker? Try watered down Citrix juices spiders are meant to hate that?
Gerry is the gamers Nosferatu?
Loved the show guy’s.