FFG Done With AT Classics?

I know games like Gears of War and Infiltration are gone, but good games such as Fury of Dracula and Warrior Knights are also gone.

Unfortunately, I can see winding down WK production as it's in a 'me too' category, but FoD? That's still a fairly unique title.

To keep FoD in print, FFG needs to deal with GW, and they seem like they would be real bastards to work with on an ongoing basis.

Possibly, but they seem to still have a healthy relationship with GW. Aren't there more GW licensed card games and such coming out?

Also, Shellhead, I'm considering Space Hulk:Death Angel. I know you were a big fan. Still into it? The pod expansions worth it? Do they fit in the box?

I almost made a post about all of the games that they've delisted recently. Lots of stuff is gone from their website. It seems they are trimming the fat and focusing on all that Star Wars cash.

These are games that are either OOP or will be once their current stock dries up:

The Adventurers: Temple of Chac and Pyramid of Horus
Cadwallon: City of Thieves
Infiltration
Fury of Dracula
Warrior Knights
Deadwood
Isla Dorada

Mr. White wrote: I'm considering Space Hulk:Death Angel. I know you were a big fan. Still into it? The pod expansions worth it? Do they fit in the box?

I'm also a big fan of Death Angel (I reveiwed the PoD expansions in a blog entry here ). It's still a great game that plays great solo. And yup, eveything easily fits in the box. Not much room to spare, but I think they're done with the PoD expansions, anyways.

I love Death Angel as well. One of the best solo games around. Coop is just ok.

Mr. White wrote: Also, Shellhead, I'm considering Space Hulk:Death Angel. I know you were a big fan. Still into it? The pod expansions worth it? Do they fit in the box?

Death Angel is one of my favorite games. The rules seem a bit counter-intuitive first, because instead of moving a formation of dudes around the map, you are in effect moving the map around the formation of dudes, as represented by terrain feature cards. The base game is an amazing value, delivering a great solitaire game that also plays well as a co-op game. There is even a mechanic that solves the bossy player problem that plagues most co-ops. Buy the expansions packs and you will get some great replay value at a reasonable price. The pod expansions all fit in the base game box, though the lid doesn't quite come all the way down the sides anymore. Although they are different games, Death Angel effectively fired Space Hulk for my purposes, delivering a comparable experience for much less cost and space.

My only disappointment with Death Angel is that the Deathwing marines are difficult to play well. Too many of their guys need support tokens to be effective. But if you like a challenge, go ahead and get the Deathwing expansion, too.

Add Gears of War to the delisted list.

Shellhead wrote:
My only disappointment with Death Angel is that the Deathwing marines are difficult to play well. Too many of their guys need support tokens to be effective. But if you like a challenge, go ahead and get the Deathwing expansion, too.

I've only played with the Deathwing a couple of times. First time we had support tokens coming out the wazoo, I think we'd built a kind of support efficiency engine where they'd self-replicate or something. Anyways, we kicked ass and some of the Deathwing are really powerful marines (looking at you Interrogator-Chaplain sir - or was it the Librarian?). Our second game misfired badly, we seemed to miss with every vital attack roll...the Tyranid menace absorbed lots of prime gene-seed on that day.

Why bother with "AT classics" when you can crank out product lines? Seriously, that's where the money is- the $10-$15 add-on purchase, not the $60 ($70 now?) square box reprint of a 20 year old game. It's better for FFG and better for the retailer.

The age of reprints is over. Anything of signficant SALEABLE value has already come back and gone again.

Notice that they are not launching ANY new products that aren't part of existing product lines or licenses.

Star Wars Epic Duels could make some serious cash if it was back in print next year. A publisher could roll out a small base set and then milk people for expansion packs with more figures, cards and maps.

EDIT: I realize Epic Duels was never an FFG product, I'm just saying that it could be a hot property with the impending release of the new Star Wars movie.

It isn't just FFG focusing on lines.
With the level of saturation designing with a line in mind is going to keep the game's name in conversation. For example, I just saw that Pandemic Legacy is going to start with TWO games, with two story lines and is called Season 1.

One thing I forgot to add:
The Age of Reprints was over a few years back. The age that's over now is the Age of The One and Done Game. That complete experience in a box. And that's because people are less and less looking backward. For anyone new to the hobby anything released prior to two years ago might as well never have existed...Unless it is part of a line and new expansions are keeping the game in the conversation. If a game isn't planned as a line I think the goal is to sell the first print run, make a little scrap and hopefully end up with enough demand to justify a second.

I partly blame the whole kickstarter stretch marks crap for that: if people are plonking down money for games that don't even exist yet and are focussed on the future and every bright and shiny new thing coming... there is no longer a need or time to look back. there is always something launching... in that light, FFG's classic euro games line too will probably not sell as well as they once might have or should.

I'm very curious to see what releases FFG has planned to coincide with Episode VII. Does the Disney purchase impact their license for games based on the new movies at all?

/Threadjack