(Markconz @ Sep. 28 2007,07:36)
QUOTE
Primarch, you have been saying epic is dead since e40k. About 10 years ago maybe.
Epic currently has free rules, articles, and army lists available for download. It has a online store with a large range of figures available.
This is better service than most wargaming companies that exist. It only looks bad in comparison to the core GW games. If you are used to game systems other than GW, it doesn't look that bad at all.
Technically, you are correct. However, and I am a little worried that I am agreeing with primarch here (!), the issue is not what is available now, but what the future plans are. I agree that the current state is sustainable. While it would be nice to miniatures for every facet of the game, it is certainly playable with the tiny resources that are available today. You cant play Tyranids, and SG Tau, but there is still a fairly good selection.
For me, the point at which Epic 'died' was Games Day, when the announcement was made - and not to the players, by the way, but to people who attended Games Day, it would be unthinkable that GW/SG actually respected its customers enough to officially announce this - that there would be no new miniature releases for the foreseeable future.
The problem is that this 'stable state' is really difficult to move out of. It says that Epic is not a concern (which we knew) but beyond that it also says that they dont want to think about it right now, and no miniatures means no development, no support and no reason to push the game in any way. Even companies with smaller miniature ranges and 'less resources' have an incentive to actively market their products, and are likely to release something if they think that it will sell. Chaos plastics sold very well, but it seems that even this makes no difference.
I have lived through the 'death' of the previous three editions of the game, and generally been fairly pragmatic about events. However, this news has hacked me off more than anything in the past.
The players have invested a lot of time and money in this, and (give or take the odd player -
) have supported and believed in the game, despite any past records.
It is all very well to say dont rely on GW, but at some point there has to be some kind of agreement between the players and the company behind the game - for us to put out time and money into it, and for the company at the very least to respect that commitment.
Given past performance, does anyone really believe that SG will be restructured and rise to promote the games? I dont. Perhaps in a couple of years, some of the games will again be pushed, simply to fleece money from a few more gamers, but nothing serious.
Right now, wargaming seems a really bad hobby to get into, and any SG simply a bad investment for any propsective player.
?
?
?
