Sad news about 4Ground going into Liquidation

[warzanKeymaster 31125xp 0]

3D also presents an opportunity to a company like 4Ground that have their entire workflow based on pushing digital designs to machines for production.

If it works (remember shapeways also do exactly this so I wouldn’t consider it unheard of)

The cost of their 3D equipment is about 1/10 of their laser equipment so again on the surface the economics of it dont strike me as anything too radical.

I wouldn’t jump to conclusions too much on all of this companies are complicated things and I’ve no doubt there are other factors at play that caused them to go down this path. 🙂

[mageParticipant 20596xp 0]

@sundancer I agree with your sentiment. Still puzzles me that Mantic and Cmon can still do well, not that I begrudge them respect, its just the little guys cant seem to catch a breaker. Or littler.

 

Seems the smaller projects and stuff cant really prosper like they used to, but the market is crowded and people want to spend their money in different ways and different things that are out now and may not necessarily wanna wait.

[mageParticipant 20596xp 0]

@warzan I guess nobody can ever know for sure with a company, business or industry unless they themselves are at the helm.

[sundancer 42973xp 0]

@mage especially CMON has a *huuuuuuge* online following. It’s been there for “ages” and is (in a way) a bit like GW in “they can do no wrong”. Also, they were ahead of the curve when KS gained traction so they are riding the wave while others are trying to catch up.

[phaidknott 7023xp 0]

Again all this is assumptions that the KS is dead and 4Ground are in serious trouble. Yet when asked they said it’s due to restructuring (why people won’t take that for an answer I don’t know. But it seems liquidation isn’t the usual way to do it). Ben has also stated that this hasn’t affected if the KS is going to be fulfilled and they still intend to ship.

BUT until we hear it from the horses mouth, we’re know nothing and wild speculation isn’t going to do anything good. So let’s all just wait and see (BTW I put in an order at the Weekend for some 4Ground buildings, and payment went to TYMEAGAIN Ltd which is exactly what they said was going on with the restructuring).

So what we do know is, 4Ground has restructured (happened on June 6th apparently), and has been absorbed into the parent company (so it’s not been bought out by another company), and they are still trading online and attending shows as normal (Ben and Helen were at the Phallanx show in St Helens last week), all of which do not happen if a company is going bust and wound up (as all stocks and assets are frozen at the time the company is liquidated as far as I know).

So what little evidence we DO have is things are going ahead exactly as 4Ground have said, and the rest is “fiction” until we actually hear differently from the owners. Sometimes the internet is it’s own worst enemy, but this “speculation” being caused may cause people to pause from making an order (and at the end of the day that’s money, so it DOES harm the company involved). So less theories, and more facts please 🙂

 

[seldon9 12954xp 0]

Well said @phaidknott.

[wkeyserParticipant 91xp 1]

Well I agree and I am one of those really really hoping it is not dead. However, from the lack of truth from the company to the silence it is hard to say, sure it is just some book keeping arraignment.  They said all is well we are almost done printing then the rules to the printer, then well we are just rearranging the structure of the company to, of course the new owners of Fabled realms are going to honor the Kickstarter, even though they have no obligation to do that.

Well if you want to say all is well that is fine, and good luck to you and actually good luck to all of us in the boat where the captain is saying don’t worry we are just stopping to pick up some ice for the bar;)

 

 

[mageParticipant 20596xp 0]

I’m not in the corner of thinking their KS is dead or the company is in trouble, just kinda expecting the worst and hoping for the best.

[wkeyserParticipant 91xp 0]

Ok so lets be positive based on the below update from November, the backers who ordered the starter sets for Sell Sword Guild, Eightfold Path and Drugoi Covens should be able to get those along with the Terror.  That should be something, hopefully they can get the rules printed, even if I get the cards as pdfs I would be more than happy with that result!

 

Hi All,

Well its been a few months since our last kickstarter update and we are still hard at work producing the models for the Legends Of Fabled Realms.  So far the Starter Sets for the Sell Sword Guild, Eightfold Path and Druggoi Covens have been finished, as well as the Terror as we knew it would be a long beast (over 500 of them at 12 hours of printing a piece just for their bodies).

As you know the rules are finalised and now the packaging is being ordered so starter sets can be fully packed.

We are also planing on doing something a little special for Christmas by sending out a small package with three little troublemakers out to each backer to say thank you for bearing with us while we produce the staggering amount of minis we need to fulfill the kickstarter.

For any of you heading to Warfare Reading, Andy (the codifier of the rules) and I will be there to answer any questions and Ben will be there on Sunday.

Regards,

Cad

 

[mageParticipant 20596xp 0]

I dont suppose a go-fund-me page could be set up for these dudes?

[divineauthority 528xp 0]

We don’t even know if there’s any issues with the company. It’s a bit early to go jumping to conclusions with no knowledge of anything that’s going on, as pointed out by @phaidknott.

[warzanKeymaster 31125xp 0]

I dont think that’s necessary @mage mate 🙂

They should pop out the other end of restructuring fine 🙂 (like a Phoenix lol)

[wkeyserParticipant 91xp 0]

For some strange reason Warzans words calm my mind. It must be the charming smile!!!! Or perhaps insider knowledge, which works for me just as well.

[skiptotheend 4525xp 0]

I think the real problem with kickstarter is the pledge bloat. I pass on kickstarters these days with huge scope, because ultimately the amount of variance to each individual will extrapolate. The length of scrolling i have to do on a kickstarter page is normally my judge on whether to back it (as it gives me a quick judgement on whether theres a concise understanding of what they want to gain from this kickstarter)…

and the interesting thing is it’s other kickstarters not the consumer which is pushing this model, if companies cut back on the additions/extras people would probably still back the product if it is good.

it reminds me of the channel islands, where my parents live in jersey, the island has alot of good food, everywhere costs roughly the same, the difference is the cheaper cafe’s just give you more stuff for example tonnes of patatas bravas etc, whilst the better places give you a better more rounded portion size. But no one is asking for huge amounts of sides

Just looking at the kickstarter page now, it looks like they tried to build the world in one go, rather than create a compact starter box with maybe a few additional starter factions.

[riley-keithParticipant 114xp 3]

I am normally the silent lurker but sometimes you just have to register and comment. It is nice to see the love in BUT they have gone bust so perhaps some thoughts for everyone they owed money to and wont see it, I would worry about the KS backers here as well because ‘fully intend’ don’t cut it and once the administrator has finished with 4Ground they’ll have no one to chase. I don’t buy the everything is great story especially with the hurried domain change and total lack of updates given other than ‘everything is ok honest’.

They could be the nicest guys ever with the best products on the planet but if you cant pay your bills this happens and I think its bad that they keep going and everyone else loses out. Big six figure sums written off and creditors only getting a fraction of what they were owed is the word on the street. They might rise ‘like a phoenix’ but they need things to burn to a crisp first and that would be everyone the previous incarnation owed money to. Creditors have had letters to say as much and this is a fact.

I really have no tie into this either way but I worked for a company that got burned big time by a phoenix company and having been on the other side of it I see all the same signs. Website sales, not responding to emails, who doesn’t remember Maelstrom Games and that ended well for everyone involved didn’t it. I’m sure there are plenty of other really nice guys making really cool stuff companies out there on the list of companies who don’t exist any more, it does not make you immune.

KR

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