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Pointless Views: A Wargaming Crash & An Age Of Plasma!
September 20, 2019 by brennon
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4Gben in the XLBS! WOOHOOOOOO! 8) I need to get chips, beer and popcorn for that! XD
I can’t remember were I got this from…. it might be a load of shit, but you know the way miles are all different, so are inches. So Napoleon could actually be both 5’5 and 5’7 depending if it was an English inch or a French inch. Also as far as I remember, Napoleon was average height for the time, and taller than George III, who was the King at the time. The height thing was mostly British propaganda.
There is another of my little anchors in life shattered lol
i think it was only quite recent that the length on an inch was standardised. think 1930’s ( post ww1, pre ww2 ) where as the metre was standardised way earlier. i only remember this as that’s why science use metric as it had a recognised standard size since 1700s ( don’t quote me)
yeap, all imperial measurements are defined by the metric version. SI units FTW
And Nelson was properly short too.
Although Napoleon once got defeated by bunnies, which is pretty funny
It might have been Nelson who Napoleon was taller than, rather than the King of England… and as my granny used to say “Good things come in small packages”
You’re reffering to the hunt when Massena lost his eye?
I think it was organized by Barthez and bunnies he bought took Napoleon for person who used to feed them.
Sounds like French propaganda to me! I watched a tv documentary last year, about all things French, and it was revealed that the French see Napoleon as a hero. Some French people believe Napoleon was poisoned by the British and are trying to get his remains released so they can prove it. I like the idea of him being short. It gives hope to people like my brother that even short people can succeed. I’m only 5ft 10 but tower over our little Jim.
In terms of the affect Brexit will have depends on how we leave. If we go the No Deal route, which is looking more likely then we will also loose about 70 other trade deals we have outside of the Europe that were made as an EU member. China is included in this list of 70, and this could potentially have an effect on the industry price wise. The reason being we would be on WTO tarriffs, so imports could potentially be more expensive, though under WTO rules we can set import tarriffs ourselves but any exports will be become more expensive because the WTO sets the tarriffs on those. We won’t be part of the customs union which currently allows goods to move freely between the UK and the EU, now under a No Deal we won’t be apart of this, which will mean there will be a delay and additional cost to goods going to and from the UK. If the Sterling takes a nose dive as a result of leaving this will also have an impact, though exports could be cheaper as a result of the pound falling.
Some countries we trade with outside of the EU have signed a continuation treaty/deal which means things will stay the same, but the big countries such as China haven’t signed it. Which is unfortunate for our hobby as a massive chunk of the industry utilise factories in China. No matter which way you voted the next 12 months after we leave are going to be interesting to watch.
I live in the Netherlands and order from time to time in the UK but I don’t want too pay customs taxs.
If I now order anything from the US or China if it’s below 22 euro(Without Shipping) you don’t pay taxes.
But above the 22 euro you get WTO tariffs and 21% taxes on most items books are 9% taxes.
That’s why I wouldn’t order anything from the UK until there is a deal like now.
I think you’re right about a Kickstarter slow down. I have definitely slowed down the amount I back simply because I have so many games and miniatures it’s hard to justify any more. I tend to back things for small amounts of miniatures or bits of scenery and stuff but the days of going balls deep on kickstarters for big box miniatures board games are done for a while I think.
However what is is this buyer’s remorse of which you speak? I have a lifetime’s supply of plastic to paint and you know what? Je ne regret rien!
I too have slowed down with Kickstarter. It has to be something very special and normally small/a board game/card game for me to actually back it now.
I have intense guilt about getting Mythic Battles: Pantheon. I have it all just sitting there and I know I will pretty much never play it. I like the models and have used them for other things but just can’t understand why I backed it haha.
Yup me too. Haven’t used kickstarter for anything big (say, >£50) for a couple of years now. I only get the very odd kickstarter now, mainly small buys of metal models from micro-manufacturers. Stuff I know I will paint up for games/genres periods that I am playing and have a reasonable chance of seeing gaming time. I think I have backed 2 or 3 campaigns in the last 2 years in the grand sum of around £40 total.
I have two occasions when I have backed something that is unlikely to get played and therefore was a waste of money. First was Conan, which I just can’t get anyone interested in, and the second was Star Saga – my mate ended up backing it too and we have played with his (oo-er),but didn’t find it that interesting. So mine, with all the expansions is gathering dust. I was fun painting up the models though, so not a total bust.
There is no way I would buy a new game on kickstarter at all as it will never get played. And big-box games of >£100 or £200….not a chance!
Such romance at the start of an episode. Doesn’t it just warm your heart?
Hats off the lloyd in this episode, I had to pause it I was laughing so hard
Had to listen to it twice, I was laughing so hard
Please, please, please, ask Ben or Chad about the state of play with World War Zero, as the answer will affect my love affair with Joan.
We’ll be talking to Ben and Cad more about 4Ground in XLBS.
Note to self: eat more carrots
@lloyd wins the internet today for that joke 😀
I think buyers remorse is certainly an issue for me, I’ve sworn myself off KS games as a result of 2 boxes that remain untouched. But, I also feel like I’ve hit a saturation point of too many games and not enough time or opponents to play them
Personally I’d be happy to see another Fighting Fantasy play through!
Good to know. I want to take them through a classic Fantasy one this time rather than the horror one we did last time.
Trickle-down economics …. The answer is in the name. There is a reason why it isn’t called flood-down economics, it was always going to be a trickle, and who can survive on that? (Rhetorical.)
Another aspect which could have a negative effect on the hobby long/short term is the trade war between the US and China. The tarriffs being applied by both sides will have an effect on several game publishers in the US. Likewise some of the factories producing gaming products could be financially affected which in turn could have a detrimental effect on companies in Europe.
I was going to point this out too. Unless it is resolved soon it will have a large impact on the price of electronics in the US. Also the factories that produce our board game miniatures will be hit. The way the tariffs work is that they hit everything except for a list of specific exceptions. It is unlikely that board game components will get on that list.
Also I can see the UK being forced to follow the USA example as part of trade negotiations with the USA in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
I can also see the UK being forced into following the US lead in regards to China as part of any trade deal with the US. The longer the trade war continues the likelihood it will have a negative knock on effect for the rest of the world. Which would affect both game publishers and Kick starters.
If manufacturing was forced back to the west then some of the smaller companies just wouldn’t be able to afford the higher production costs. It would also mean prices at the customer level would surely increase which could result in hobbyists being more cautious on what they buy.
Happily watch you peeps play thru a Fighting fantasy game! Although I have been thinking of this since you spoke about it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB0bqPZrYiY
I for one would enjoy listening to a fighting fantasy game being played by you lot.
Can we please get audiofiles on all these podcast thingies? I can’t for some reason I don’t know watch any vimeo vids any more, and that’s my only possibility to at least listen in. Audio file was also missing from the last XLBS, btw.
Having it fixed now @shredhead!
Sorry about that mate and thanks for the heads up!
Thanks, very much appreciated!
Economic wise for gaming my main concern would be Mothra resuming its attacks on the shipping lanes in the South China Sea
yes, I would agree to the only way a crash or the bottom could fall out of our hobby.
if money became sow scarce to us minions and Mr average was unable to pay for the new shiny items that come along.
but as you said that’s the economic problem that might or might not happen. (the (B) word).
i have been in this hobby since 1969 through all of the ups and downs of wargaming (my collection is quite large) lol. ranging from ancients to 40k and quite a lot in between. and many the same, just different scales.
when money is tight one falls back on the things that one has.
Even our club which its self has moved, ie, because of a place closing, ie, money problems because of not having the numbers of members, and other problems, each one has came and went yet the core after all our problems in life still play a dozen of games throughout the year i have to say some not being played for years until that day comes along “LETS PLAY THIS AGAIN comes around.
s…h…i…t… wish i could write properly lol
what i meant to say is even if the s..h..i..t.. hits the fan. games will still be played until the light returns once more and things return to normal once again or until the sun melts the earth and our light goes out with a bang. think i’ll shut up now.
Brexit ? – lets see what happen – but i stoped backing KS from the UK of course – because i am not sure what about shipping cost and tax……
Overall I’m not sure about this fez code as I’d like to keep mine without modification. In lieu I shall wear a ceremonial tie to mark my rank and station. Everyone will know it when the time comes to have it revealed by the Grand Poobah of Nonesuch and The Right and Proper Fop.
On the matter of oversaturation in the mini market of Kickstarter where people buy and don’t paint its has been for me a boon to sit back and paint for others. I’m supplementing my income of when I miss a day of work with commission fees. Its a pain to have my own minis on the side not getting painted but it has been motivating to get them out of the way.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+fez+dance&view=detail&mid=952306F7EC8FB1375019952306F7EC8FB1375019&FORM=VIRE
a different dodgy licker
&exph=370&expw=600&q=resident+evil+lickers&simid=608027695845802715&selectedIndex=2&ajaxhist=0
great show guys.
Great show… see you in the morning.
GW getting together with Bandai for their run of big marines interested me when announced because of the potential manufacturing avenues it presented. In my opinion Bandai have the best build it yourself kits from a large scale manufacturer, bringing the level of detail that they have (gundam/Star Wars etc) combined with the class leading lore that GW have is seriously exciting…if the partnership were to develop/expand past what has been announced.
Please create another Fighting Fantasy session. The last one was brilliant. How about for Christmas Eve viewing in the tradition of telling ghost stories? Is it too early to mention the C Word?
There were some very interesting points in Pointless Views. The first point I will throw at you is that for whatever reason when the economy goes south people spend more on ‘entertainment’. During the GFC my FLGS (which I own) grew 10% every year for 5 years.
One of the things that you touched on was miniature saturation. Much like I stated a couple of weeks ago, miniature releases continue apace and even fast painters can’t keep up. Last week I posted photos of Zombicide Black plague and Massive Darkness characters I’d painted. Those two Kickstarters alone netted backers hundreds, if not thousands of miniatures. If you backed Conan, Mythic Pantheons, Rising Sun, Song of Ice and Fire, Hate and Shadows over Brimstone then that’s definitely thousand and possibly tens of thousands. Then yesterday the second half of my Joan of Arc showed up. And that’s when I remembered I still have Soloman Kane and all the GW stuff that I get through Conquest magazine to paint. I know Warren looked at this problem some time ago and suggested Grey-Scale painting everything, but the psychology of gamers is hoard and it can be genuinely debilitating when you need to focus your painting.
One thing that no company does, GW or any others, is tell you about the time you will spend painting. Hobbists need to understand that those of us that paint fast take 1-3 hours per model (GW level detail), building, preping, painting and basing each of our miniatures, longer for the bigger ones. Monopose has become a blessing.
Oh and I’d love a Fighting Fantasy session. Ideal whilst doing some hobby!
That would be nice to see you guys going through a fighting fantasy.
Big yes to some fighting fantasy
? for Fighting Fantasy
“Came and went at the same time!” Well played sir! Lloyd,I tip my fez at you!
I’d love observing a Fighting Fantasy ep. I’d love it if the episode ended on a cliff-hanger that the community coud choose the next step that then continued in the second phase.
so if Ian from forgotten weapons is Gun Jesus, does that mean Gerry is Gaming Jesus?
Hey, thanks for following up on my ‘bit of a rant’. You are correct, it was not 210 million ‘profit’, I think that was 160 million? I personally have too much stuff, too many Kickstarters, and wargame projects. Plus being a PC gaming enthusiast (with that oh so easy instant-reward from digital entertainment) time is stretched in every direction like an old dog’s chew toy, with too many dogs.
Once the Warlord games stores start opening up around North America and Europe, that will be an interesting environment. Warhammer store competitors? But also, carrying stuff like 4Ground, Dropzone and who knows?
Remember when we were all weary of Asmodee? That’s been quite too.
Great Show
I’ll get around to making some proper Battle Boards in GIMP this week.
Several points:
1. I don’t think the term ‘crash’ is the right term – “consolidation” is what I think we’re seeing. There will always be comers and goers in an ecosystem such as the gaming marketplace, especially when the size of that space attracts the attention of big money who want investable companies with sufficuent presence and robustness – and that’s not just GW anymore.
We see it in many industries; a couple of decades ago it was the backroom software games companies being bought up as studios by publishers. IN the last few years we’ve seen large boardgame publishers like Asmodee and FFG grow by acquisition as that space consolidates. I think mini based table-top games are next.
2. Kickstarter has a place to play in this ecosystem, giving small companies access to two essential pools – cash and customers. If a small company comes up with something viable long-term then they might expect – or indeed hope – to be taken on. This might be driven by struggling KS projects looking for larger companies/publishers to help complete at the moment (Carnevale->TT, Myth->Ullisses, DropXX->TT); but I expect to see companies seeing that as their end-point/exit strategy as they plan a KS. To do this we need to see a shift from ‘one-off’ bundles to more systems that have a long-term appeal.
I really enjoyed watching and I was in tears of laughter, thanks very much. I like this idea of reviews of reviews format.
So you say 40K is great but you also say the game is rubbish. Given 40k is theoretically primarily a game with supporting elements (I know its really a product line with a game to justify it), how can it be great if its core is rubbish? Surely that makes it fundamentally flawed?