Dropfleet Commander: Starter Set Unboxing
October 14, 2016 by dignity
We crack open the new Two-Player Starter Set for Dropfleet Commander with Dave from Hawk Wargames.
Justin is giddy with delight at finally getting his hands on the game he and John and have been waiting for.
Not only that but they discuss the ramming rule which we intend to carry out any chance we get!
For further details on the game check out these videos...
- Dropfleet Weekend Part 1 – Fleet Manoeuvres
- Dropfleet Weekend Part 2 – Weapons Free!
- Dropfleet Weekend Part 3 – Orbital Assault
- Dropfleet Commander – Shaltari Mechanics
- Dropfleet Commander – Shaltari Shooting
- Dropfleet Commander – PHR Vs UCM Weapons Demo
- Weekender: Hawk Talks Dropfleet
Will you be picking this up?
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I am so much looking forward to this! The waiting for my pledge is kind of part of the fun – it can arrive every day now… 🙂
Waiting for 3 Commodores (plus extras) so I will need a bigger house 🙂
Tell Dave I want battleships, supercarriers, corvettes, destroyers, monitors, mobile repair docks (probably something that can be concocted from the space station sprues but we’ll see)
Missed the Kickstarter unfortunately, so can’t wait till this is available retail
Same here, gutted I couldn’t back the KS
It already is!
Just to be sure as a backer we do not get the box right? Because it is a really nice box. Can’t wait to get my stuff. Maybe I will see them in Esse at Spiele
Theres a comment on tbe box on the latest kickstarter update
While they said it would go to us first, I am glad it’s going out to retail on time. I am hoping that this game takes off and pulls DropZone right along with it. This has me more excited than anything since I have gotten into miniature war gaming. Now all I have to do, other than waiting patiently, is hope that I can find some place and opponents to play against.
Its awesome, and torture all at the same time…lol
People keep saying it is going to retail ‘on time’, when is ‘on time’? No one seems to have a clue when this will be in stores.
I backed this but it’s not turned up so I’m on my way to pick one up from dark sphere. Just couldn’t wait for this
Dam should waited, just got the email from hawk to say my pledge will here on monday
lucky you 🙂
I’d still be tempted to buy it at retail … simply because I’d have more ships for two of my starter forces.
Looking forward to the Bootcamp even more now 😎
Really looking forward to opening my beautiful box when the KS reward arrives.
So, when a new Scourge ship is encountered, it’s the UCM captain’s responsibility to name it? Knowing how hard it is to come up with a character name when put on the spot during roleplay, I can only assume that most Scourge ships are named “Bob” 😉
I’d be tempted to name them squids … big squid, tiny squid, angry squid.
Just seen the boxes in my local games store. Owner and I both a bit miffed as we both pledged through KS and are waiting for our pledges… unfortunate timing.
As a kickstarter I have been looking forward to these for a long time, it’s a shame people with be able to go and get these from a shop before those 1000’s of people who pledged will.
I am happy to see the unboxing but an VERY sad to find out that the Kickstarter pledgers will NOT be getting a retail box! This makes no sense to me other than a cost saving. I like all of you love opening a box and getting that new product smell. The box is more than a storage unit as well, I plan to take it to demo to other clubs and I have often found the box and it’s art can have a positive effect. We all like to Oooh and Arhhh of beautiful box art. We cannot.
One question: Why Not???
Sorry – I can’t watch this. I’ve tried to be supportive on the KS comments page but..
– “yes – it’s finally here!” – no it isn’t
– “let’s look at the lovely box art” on the box KS backers aren’t getting?
Things have probably just heated up big time on the KS comments…
Just looked – yet it has. Those of a sensitive disposition might want to leave it a while.
Seriously it’s perhaps time some of the KS folks took a bit of a deep breath on this. 🙂
Do you want the game to be a success? If that is or at any time was ‘yes’, then you need to understand the importance of the retail release of this (or other) products.
Large retail releases are months in the planning, and when your entire livelihood depends upon the support of retailers to help a game grow and reach a critical mass where every player benefits from wide support, and ample players – then you do EVERYTHING to make sure you help those retailers as much as possible – because trust me – retailers need all the help and support they can get.
If you have used KS to fund said product, then you bet your bottom dollar you do everything you can to help those retailers see how good a product it will be for them and their livelihoods, because if you don’t you will lose their support on this and other products.
You and every ‘backer’ have to decide – did you back for a box of plastics or did you back to bring a game to life that you and OTHERS will enjoy being a part of for years to come.
Situations change every second of every day, that doesn’t mean anyone was out to screw anyone, it means they do what they can that is best for their business, and what’s best for their business is often what’s best for the game, and what’s best for the game is often what’s best for those who want to see the game succeed in the long term. 🙂
And I would imagine for most if not all, that was the point in backing in the first place?
I’m one of the backers in the camp of wanting this game to succeed first and foremost. I have plenty of ships from other games systems that look pretty, but for systems that noone around me plays anymore. My first hope is that Dropfleet doesn’t join that list.
With the above in mind, I fully support Hawk’s decision to not delay the retail release and risk destroying much needed retailer support. Yes, it does mean the release happens whilst the kickstarter is still shipping, but it’s not as if delaying retail would get me my toys any quicker. All it would mean is that I’m less likely to have opponents to game against in the long run.
That said, I do also think that Hawk has dropped the ball in some ways. Their communication could be better for starters – it’s not as bad as some of the KS mob whine about, but better communication would help to head off the negativity that particular mob are spreading.
The situation with the starter box (or lack thereof) is also a little disappointing. Given that the delays were supposedly to get the product right, it’s a shame that Hawk seems to have then decided to leave out part of the product, whether that be to speed up packing or save on postage. Again, better (any?) communication about this shortcut and why it is being taken would work wonders in heading off disappointment.
TLDR:
Yes, some of the KS backers are being overly negative about certain aspects that Hawk have done the best they could on. This doesn’t mean that some of the KS backers don’t have valid complaints about how Hawk have been screwing up on issues that are under their control.
@nekomata : I doubt they could have done much better.
Yes, it wasn’t perfect communication, but given the relatively small size of the company it’s a bloody miracle they can even manage to ship without making us wait for another year.
Contrast Mantic who claim that the TWD shipment to backers will be done in a few days.
Of course their kickstarter was much simpler in design, which is a factor that Hawk probably underestimated.
While they listed it as a “two player starter set” I don’t recall them ever claiming that we would get the retail package itself.
There’s also a logistical problem for them in the form of the lower level pledges (which were half the starter set) and higher level pledges (which were twice the starter set).
Packaging all of them in the same manner (card board box with stuff) is much easier than trying to process 4 different variants with only one getting the starter set …
And that’s before you consider that the starter set pledges probably had picked a few add-ons as well.
I don’t want to appear picky, and yes I can also quote a number of (for me) more disastrous projects.
However have you read the first part of the campaign page and the banner image asking “What is in the BOX” followed by “The 2 player starter BOX gives you everything you’ll need to start playing Dropfleet Commander” ?
In marketing and business we call this “expectation” management related to value propositions. When those expectations and value propositions are not delivered that will tend to cause issues with your customer base – even on Kickstarters. Be careful what you say and best to under promise and over deliver rather than the other way around.
It’s fair to expecte that a “two player starter set” will consist of all elements of the two player starter set unless otherwise specified. It wouldn’t have been too hard to add a line to the kickstarter description stating that the retail packaging will not be included with the starter sets. Given that the lack of retail boxes is most likely a minimal saving for hawk (either in cost, time or whichever metric they used for the decision), but is causing their customers to feel disappointed or even cheated in some cases, I would say that it is an area in which they could have done much better. Personally I find this to be a shame, as I do believe that they have put a lot of effort into making the product right for their customers, and it is somewhat annoying to then see all that effort damaged by what basically boils down to a stupid mistake.
As a side note, the lower levels did not include half of a two player starter set. They included a one player starter set plus rulebook. They are completely different box sets. The captain pledges were 2x two player starter sets, but that would in no way require the splitting of a starter set. If anything, packing everything in the retail boxes would have reduced errors, as packers would then be able to just pack the required starter sets + any add-ons, instead of many individual components, each adding to the risk of a mispack. A poor system expects humans to perform their tasks perfectly, whilst a good system expects the meatbags to screw up, and instead seeks to minimise both the number and severity of such errors 😉
@coxjul
They named it a ‘starter set’, but in all of their updates they never ever promised an actual ‘retail level’ starter set.
I’m not sure if it had made packaging easier, because the process involves one step less (no need for a fancy box per item).
However as you can see in the preview videos they don’t have the retail quality boxes at this time (they surely would have used them in the BoW unboxing videos).
So in essence they appear to have had the choice between shipping the stuff to backers in ‘plain cardboard’ or delaying a x amount until that stuff got done. This would most certainly have delayed our stuff until well after launch at retail.
So to me this is the lesser of two evils.
I realise that they found themselves unfortunately stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one. I completely understand their need to fulfill commercial commitments to retailers as well as trying to satisfy their KS backers to whom they only indicated their intent to deliver pledges first. But as nekomata has also pointed out, there are ways of doing it. They are a small company with stretched resources, and rumour has it someone who worked on their comms has recently left.
I also have no problem with the principle of recording a series of videos with you guys to help promote the release. It was just that the manner of the first couple of minutes of this video unfortunately pressed my wrong button.
The last thing I want is another pile of redundant plastic; I want this game to succeed which is why I invested in it. However if my local game store is miffed by the sequence of things to the point that he’s reconsidering supporting and hosting the game, and others at my club who backed this are also expressing regret that might end up being the case.
What really winds the KS folks up is other folk telling us to calm down. There is one particular troll on the KS page and facebook (who I believe to be a Hawk Talon) that is REALLY winding people up and is causing real reputational damage to Hawk itself.
I am still waiting for Conan, over a year late but due to better handling and communications it’s not bothered me in the slightest. Dropfleet and the lack of comms and the almost withdrawal of interaction on the KS page is infuriating.
Lets hope I get my ‘Starter Set’ in the retail box, or I’ll really be mad.
And for those who think I’m being petty about the box, just look at the stage dressing for BoW shows, boxes make the game(dungeon saga is a prime example.)
@ Warzan as a backer of DFC I understand what your saying, but from what I have been reading this will be my first KS 2 player starter box that is the shipping box. Mind you there are those of us that like to display our game boxes down in our man caves for our friends to choose which game they would like to play.
Us KS folks are more or less the bread & butter of KS’s at the begining & the retailers keep it going after that. I’m not sure retailers would pony up over 500,000 quid for a game that had yet to go into production & wait 10 months for it to show up. Hawk Wargames might not have got the funding to do this gaming system on their own, cause they have went through the funding thing already once with DZC.
KS folk like to play what they have backed for 2 or 3 weeks before the retailers get it. That way the backers can put on demo’s at the retail shops a few days ahead of the retailers putting out their stock of the game.
But a lass it’s all about the timing. Now I just have to sit back & wait for my game to show & then enjoy myself. For those who are also waiting chill for good things come to those who wait.
Power to the PHR
I think @nekomata has just opened the floodgates on comedy labelling of Scourge ships 🙂 Gribbley MacCthulhuFace and suchlike… from the UDM.
Probably something laconic from PHR: Target of Opportunity 23A
my box delivered today more on the way i crumbled big time and have an early night planned with the rulebook a jack russell and his duck……..oh i remember friday nights used to be so much more different when i was younger
Glad to hear it… Enjoy!!
Well as an Admiral backer, i have invested 500quid in this game. My view was that Hawk would do everything they could to get this out before retail. Funnily enough of all the kickstarters i have backed none have arrived in a retail box so my expectations of getting this in a retail box just were not there. It would go in the bin anyway.
As to getting the stuff before it goes to retail it does not bother me at all
Afterall the oringinal plan was to get the the starter set out in plastic nothing more they asked for 40000 for that they got 600000. This is 12 times bigger tgan originally planned. So a small delay is goomg to cause knock on effects as has happened.
Anyway i am an investor mot a customer when i backa kickstarter the aim of the investor is to get the product to market and they have done that. My RoI is the product which i will get in the next couple of weeks i am happy.
As to the comms issue i believe they could have done a bit better but hey its a learming curve.
This is going to be awesome!
Sound Battlestations! Helm, all ahead Flank Speed. Take Us into the fray. We’ve got Scourge to kill.
That’s right, cant wait till ti arrives.
Already have a few more people waiting for my boxes to arrive so they can play the game as well as all the Dropzone Commanders in our club, crying out to go into campaign mode.
So from me and only a few others… Hail to all human kind and it goes without saying Death to the rest.
Seriously looming forward to this, check my email every other hour waiting to see the dispatch of my pledge. I can live with a minor delay but have to say disappointed will be no retail box. I like keeping all the counters etc in the box and when deciding which game to drag out I normally look at my stack of boxes and I’m drawn to whichever shiny box art grabs me.
Bought my copy yesterday.
Couldn’t believe how heavy the box was.
The rule book is a work of art.
Glad you put a build idea in the box, as would be unable to decide what I wanted on the table top.
Can’t wait to open my boxes when my pledges arrive.
Oh wait, My starter sets will be missing their boxes. 🙁
Just ordered the starter set. I really like the ships and hope that the game keeps on growing.
that’s a shed load of stuff in the box.
Nice box, I am thinking Scourge done in some sort of metallic or iridescent green. They all need to have Lovecraft style names. 🙂