You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

[Murphy'sLawyer]

So I started playing Malifaux the first year it came out, Teddy was Just Realeased, and I really like the game a lot. I even was part of a Malifaux Podcast, Through The Breach, and followed Wyrd's growth through the years.

That said when 2nd Ed was released I took a break and said I will start playing again when Book One Models are all converted to Plastic. As you can see I am Just now getting back to Malifaux and am feeling rather putout by the incredibly slow release schedule.

Question is what Is Going On here? This isn't a young company anymore and they have moved into their new warehouse awhile ago now and should have worked out all the wrinkles with the managment shuffle.

So Now GenCon is upon us and I am a Gremlin only player now and I am poor at the moment. So If I miss getting the Gremlin Box Sets in the coming weeks will I be waiting until sometime next year before I see them?

I mean come on guys, I want to get into this game full speed again but you're killing me with the release schedule.

What's going on? Will it get better?

[dgraz]

Releases have to be spread out over time. If they released everything virtually at once, what would they have to release later?

 

It's not a matter of being a small company or moving, or anything like that. It's a business plan...release a few new things every month.

[AverageBoss]

Wyrds release schedule is actually incredibly fast for a company of their size. And they still don't have the means to manufacture things themselves (as far as I know only GW is able to do so), and have to do what everyone else does and contract with China.

But really, compare their release schedule with Privateer Press for example, they are not far off. Infact they have more coming out this month than PP does, and PP is a much larger company. And when was the last time you heard a minis company say "we are going to resculpt our entire line from scratch"? I sure haven't, and I thought Wyrd was nuts for doing so (though I do love the results). We are not even 2 years into this task, and they have managed quite a bit, on top of adding new models and a new RPG line.

Also, all book 1 minis are finished. They have been since the release of Brewmaster last month (he was the last holdout). Everything Gencon is book 2.

[SpectreEliteGaming]

Book 1 was a bit fucked but besides that everything is cool. No? I don't feel like I am at a lack of projects to do I can tell you that.

Honestly, when you think about it - the only reason Wyrd appears to have a slow schedule is because we know sooooooo far in advance about stuff. Compare that to like GeeDubs who doesn't tell you a damn thing so everything is heresay and a surprise when it really comes out.

Unless you are specifically waiting for one particular release you have more than enough to keep yourself busy til whatever you want finally arrives.

I don't know though - maybe I'm just dumb.

Also - could you please include some kind of drama or conflict... maybe a little shitstorm or something? When you make a thread with a title, such as this one, I expect a little drama.

You have disappointed me.

-------

Also, Austringers are book one, gentlemen. When they are officially released on August 28th... only then can we close the book on the subject.

[Hateful Darkblack]

 

Also - could you please include some kind of drama or conflict... maybe a little shitstorm or something? When you make a thread with a title, such as this one, I expect a little drama.

 

 

Actually, let's please keep the conversation civil.

[Murphy'sLawyer]

Not Looking for Drama. Just shaking my head.

I thought for sure I'd've been back in a while ago and that I would be Riding Roasters by now.

I am also not trying to pick any fights with Wyrd either, just really really anxious to get my hands on the rest of Book 2. The whole catching up redoing the Old models to plastic really makes the whole release thing feel slower. Closing Time and Merris are really the only new Gremlins I had added to my Gremlins in about two years. That's how I feel about it.

But I will be ok soon enough, just getting too Greedy for Green and don't have enough Green for all of the GenCon Green, if you know what I mean.

[Bengt]

So Now GenCon is upon us and I am a Gremlin only player now and I am poor at the moment. So If I miss getting the Gremlin Box Sets in the coming weeks will I be waiting until sometime next year before I see them?

I'd expect the GenCon releases to start in October since they have a bunch of other stuff announced for August and September. The last may not be out until Jan/Feb but with three out of the five crew boxes being Gremlins you're bound to see some of them before then.

[SpectreEliteGaming]

Actually, let's please keep the conversation civil.

Well, then. /poutyface

I know what you mean - I love that I can just swoop up all the gremlins all at once but without a set release date you never know how long you will have to wait if you don't just buy everything you can. Tough call.

[PolishSausage]

First of all Wyrd has done pre-releases EVERY Gencon.

 

2nd of all you do not have to purchase these as they will be released during normal release schedule alongside the year.

 

Wyrd releases 6-8 things a month, all are plastic, all are boxsets.

Compare it to Infinity(closest similarity) we are doing much, much better.

 

If your local grocery store makes a sale on carrots and you blew your paycheck, would you go to store owner telling him he is making a huge mistake making a sale now because you, yourself don't have the money for it? "Shakes head"

[-Loki-]

Wyrd releases 6-8 things a month, all are plastic, all are boxsets.

Compare it to Infinity(closest similarity) we are doing much, much better.

 

Be fair. 'All are box sets' is an easy claim to make when even single model releases ae counted as box sets. If you count individual model boxes to individual model blisters, then discount the repeats like minions from a previous months crew box, the releases between Infinity and Malifaux are fairly similar, though CB sticks to a set 5 per month.

 

Both games have a pretty great release schedule, and both companies to previews in their own way. 'Much, much better' is a pretty big overstatement.

[LordZombie]

Not Looking for Drama. Just shaking my head.

I thought for sure I'd've been back in a while ago and that I would be Riding Roasters by now.

I am also not trying to pick any fights with Wyrd either, just really really anxious to get my hands on the rest of Book 2. The whole catching up redoing the Old models to plastic really makes the whole release thing feel slower. Closing Time and Merris are really the only new Gremlins I had added to my Gremlins in about two years. That's how I feel about it.

But I will be ok soon enough, just getting too Greedy for Green and don't have enough Green for all of the GenCon Green, if you know what I mean.

 

So you only have made two gremlin purchases? Sounds like you are a little behind on gremlins, really. 

[Carcosa]

All I would say about their release schedule is that it is somewhat silly (from a player POV) to release the Miss or dark carnival/ alt mini's when you are missing some of your core models.

 

Wave 1 is all but done, and that's cool, wave 2 however is still suffering from some missing stuff, and wave 3 (appears) to be somewhat smaller, yet some of their stuff has either been made, or in the works to be made already.

 

I don't blame wyrd for keeping the waters chummed for new blood, that is a business issue, but you -must- build and maintain your core first.

[Lupercal]

All I would say about their release schedule is that it is somewhat silly (from a player POV) to release the Miss or dark carnival/ alt mini's when you are missing some of your core models.

 

Wave 1 is all but done, and that's cool, wave 2 however is still suffering from some missing stuff, and wave 3 (appears) to be somewhat smaller, yet some of their stuff has either been made, or in the works to be made already.

 

I don't blame wyrd for keeping the waters chummed for new blood, that is a business issue, but you -must- build and maintain your core first.

 

So you would have them only make limited edition models of things that are not out yet?  Or not make any at all until they are caught up in plastics?

 

Either way I think it is unecessary, the limited edition models are just a few boxes anually and wont really slow the main release schedule down all that much, and I don't see a reason to limit your choices to the small selection of models that are not out in plastic yet.  If they make L.E. of something that doesnt exist, all the better, but that doesn't mean it has to be that way.  They should make limited edition boxes with cool concepts that people want to buy because they are neat, not as some stopgap to fill a hole in the current line that will be filled soon anyway. 

 

The only wave 3 we have seen ready for release (besides the starter?) is the Crossroads box and I bet its near the end of that list of things that don't even have release dates yet.  I would be very surprised if they were not working on the wave 3 stuff at this point, and if the wave 2 stuff wasnt all planned out/in some form of production as well. 

 

  I really dont see your point about new blood, having the wave 3 stuff out sooner wouldnt make new people happier or more likely to join if anything it would give veterans something more to buy if they have everything.  Unless you are just referring to the starter?

 

I want Wyrd to catch up and ultimately begin releasing brand new things as much as anyone else but I think you are making mountains out of molehills harping on 1 story encounter box besides the obviously needed starter and 2 limited edition releases a year.

[Carcosa]

I don't think I have been so thoroughly misrepresented in a post -ever-.

[Lupercal]

Sorry if I offended, I would love for you to explain a bit more what you meant then? 

[Dirial]

I don't think I have been so thoroughly misrepresented in a post -ever-.

 

Well, it seems just like an expansion of your post. Maybe you could expand your post yourself to make clear where you're opinion differs from the one Lupercal assumed?

[Carcosa]

@ Lupercal

 

No, I was not offended, but what you got from it was not what I was trying to convey at all, It's all good!

 

@ Dirial

I did not assume it would need expansion, but ok.

 

IMHO..................

Wyrd would be best served by producing the mini's for crews that exist, and expanding on them before producing fully alternate crews. Wave 1 crews are pretty much all available for people to play, and that's great! Wave 2 crews however have a lot of holes, and I would rather see shenlong as a crew rather than an alternate existing crew to be the gencon release, or stick to the Miss series (which is awesome, and I am sad I missed most of them) as a single special sculpt.

Quite frankly, I want all the figures from ME2 and it's wave 2 expansion made before Wyrd moves onto wave 3. Now that will never happen as from a business perspective it is always better to leave your fans wanting more, but it is not a stretch to want wave 1 to be done when you are speaking wave 3, is it?

[Bengt]

Either way I think it is unecessary, the limited edition models are just a few boxes anually and wont really slow the main release schedule down all that much, and I don't see a reason to limit your choices to the small selection of models that are not out in plastic yet.  If they make L.E. of something that doesnt exist, all the better, but that doesn't mean it has to be that way.  They should make limited edition boxes with cool concepts that people want to buy because they are neat, not as some stopgap to fill a hole in the current line that will be filled soon anyway. 

Personally I think it's reprehensible to make a LE of something that hasn't already had a regular release, e.g. Nightmare Tara. In general I think LEs are a waste of resources but apparently Wyrd thinks it's good for business so whatever.

 

---

 

Regarding release order and waves I don't think Wyrd think that is important. If a model has rules it's fair game for release.

[Brass Monkey]

Apologies in advance to Nathan who doesn't like people speaking as if they somehow represent Wyrd. I certainly don't. However, please read Neil Gaiman's blog on the subject of "Entitlement Issues". It concerns those George R. R. Martin fans that bemoan his 'release schedule'. Basically, and I'm paraphrasing here, "Wyrd Games is not your bitch".

[Carcosa]

Wyrd is no ones bitch.

 

We are not their bitch or money pocket either, and the days where a company could expect blind loyalty are gone.

[Dirial]

Wyrd is no ones bitch.

 

We are not their bitch or money pocket either, and the days where a company could expect blind loyalty are gone.

 

True. And? I'm a bit curious, as at the moment, I don't really get what this thread is about.

[Jewomie]

just so we're all on the same page though... aren't ALL the master box sets going to be at Gencon? even if their release is sometime after, at least we know they are done and ready for sale and it's just a matter of when Wyrd gets them out the door. I know there are some minion/enforcer types that we would still be waiting on (*shakes fist* Fermented River monks!) but at least the masters are all accounted for at that point, right?

 

I mean, Shenlong, Wong, Ulix, and Mah Tucket sets are all going to be there early, plus release dates for Kaeris, Molly, Collodi, Colette, Hamlin and Jack Daw were announced and they will be available at Gencon as well. This is the biggest pile of master sets to be released at a Gencon that I can remember, and it really seems like they are bending over backwards to get the final push of masters finished for the con.

 

Their release schedule may be a little messy (with all the gremlin masters coming out at the back end of the line, but don't forget 10thunders only had two new masters in 2.0, and one came out a month ago, the other is right in the middle of the gremlin releases so you guys aren't alone. ) but I don't think it's fair to jump on them releasing a nightmare crew on the basis that all the other masters aren't out yet, when they will all be available at Gencon, and on the website during Gencon if you can't actually be there.

[Carcosa]

Don't misunderstand me, I am not ragging on Wyrd, they are a company, and the need to release new product is a part of the business model, I get that, I understand that, and I have no problem with that. I would -like- them to finish off 85% of their line before moving on to the next new toy we all drool over.

[trikk]

Carcosa:

Well, look at it from a Company Perspective. You have designers that write the fluff/rules. You have the sculpters that make 3d models. Now when the book is out the Designer stuff is done. The sculptors still have stuff to do. So while sculptors sculpt, the box arts are done etc. the designers must have some tasts assigned - so they start a new book

[Carcosa]

Sure, they design new characters and rules interactions, they write the fluff and so on.

 

While that is going on, the sculptors have time to catch up to a degree.

 

AGAIN, I am not ragging on wyrd, I am -suggesting- that they should give the model makers time to catch up so the players can actually play the game in it's currently complete format.