"Has HotT Made It to the US Yet?" Topic

Does anyone know of any US retailers that have the new revision of HotT in stock?

what's in the revision???

You can read about it here: TMP link
but I think the main thing is that it's been OOP, albeit available for download, for a while and the 2.1 version dose some tweeks and updates. There don't seem to be any massive changes to be concerned about.

Looks like I'll have to order mine from the UK.

Supposedly, though, it's printed in a larger format, and actually has PICTURES! Pictures in DBx rules. What is this world coming to?

Doug

printed in a larger format

Aimed at "senior" gamers, eh?

the pictures are a lie (as is the cake)

I did not notice them when I was looking through my copy anyway.

the pictures are a lie

Rats. Well, it did seem an unusual thing for WRG to do.

Doug

Not available from US Amazon as yet. UK Amazon is the current distributor.

Are there not a bunch of new armies as well?

from another thread.
"

Ottoman Turks -who were missed out of the original version due to a printing error.
Dumas French -a Late 17th/Early 18th Cent concoction.
Dumas English -ditto
ECW Cavaliers, Roundhead, Irish ,Covenanters and Montrose.
The above are all pretty much DBX historical jobs with minimal fantasy except for Dumas French flying galleons…

Australian Aboriginal:People of the Dreamtime and Horrors of the Dreamtime.
Hawaiin mythology: Good and Evil.
Welsh Mythology:Gwydion's Army of the Trees and Arawn's army.
Generic Zombies, Forces of Law and order,Post Apocalyptic survivors.
These last have prompted a mass zombie purchase."
mashrewba

Its a reprint not a revision. Its most important feature is to suggest using Base Width units for movement.

We have put together a full revision incorperating all the new DBA 3.0 features and essentially combining the two games (so new players only have to learn one game).

TomT

TT: ANd I hope you get the final copy of 3.0 soon, so you can work any last minutes changes into your version!

I wish this were more readily available in the US… I know the earlier version (2.0) was available for free for a while; does anyone know if/where thatit might be available?

Even though I have a print copy of 2.0 (bought off eBay) in addition to the downloaded freebie, I went ahead and bought a copy from the UK amazon site the other day. I can't help it – I'm a rules .

Doug

There will be no HoTT revision because RBS – the other author – has said he will not sanction any revision.

Apart from the new armies, and an official acceptance of the Warband/shooter movement swap, the reprint is identicle to the out of print set.

I am further told that the inclusion of a BW movement option was done without the prior approval of RBS.

Well if it's not going to be readily available, it may be time to jump ship and find something else.
Mighty Armies comes to mind. A great game available as easy as a PDF if you're in a hurry to get them, or order the hard copy from Rebel Minis.
-Edgar

According to Sue (as posted on HOTT Yahoo), the WRG Board of Directors are going to let it drop out of print because it sells only a couple copies a month. I finally bought a copy at $40 USD off Amazon.UK as there were only 3 left. It never did show up on US Amazon. Will this happen to DBA 3 when it gets printed. Run off a couple hundred copies, sell through Amazon.UK -- great supporters of the hobby, don't they show up at all the wargame conventions. and when those run out forget it. Once WRG was supporting the game, but not the new configuration. I guess they are worried about losing money with no sales, of no product.

Here is what is new in HOTT 2.1
So what's new in version 2.1?
• Size, its printed A4 with a slightly larger typeface – handy as my eyesight ages!
• It adopts the widely accepted movement amendment
-Increasing that of Warband
-Decreasing that of Shooters
• It offers an option to try base width movements
• It has a cool black cover
• it retains the original, ugly artwork but at least its size is reduced
• Pages 1-4 are reordered
• P5 adds an invitation to try base width movement like the long awaited DBA 3.0
• P5-26 appear identical other than page references that have altered
• The excellent diagrams now appear after the rules, where they belong
• Some new army lists including:
-Zombies (and opponents)
-Welsh mythology
-Australian aboriginal mythology
-Hawaiian mythology
-extended Discworld coverage
-ECW (anachronistically titled C17 "British Civil Wars" )
-Dumas (Louis XIV versus Marlborough)
-Muenchausen Turks
-Boxer rebellion

-ECW (anachronistically titled C17 "British Civil Wars" )

Why anachronistic? The 17th century civil wars were indeed British since forces from England, Scotland and Ireland were involved.
link

The slow sales are hardly suprising as they did not update anything but the shooter/warband movement swap. Even though I run variants of HOTT almost every weekend I didn't bother with 2.1.

(At least they did suggest the BW movement – which helps.)

The dead hand of Richard Bodley-Scott has apparently prevented any updates.

A great missed opportunity to update the core system with the latest DBX developments and produce a true compititor to Warhammer.

TomT

Yes, this was a shame. While a reprint was nice, a new version would have generated much new interest.

The HOTT community was also extremely negative about the venture. Their attitude influenced Phil.

One even went so far as to state that the suggestion of Base Width movement (not even an official optional rule) ruined the game. Just the suggestion ruined the game.

A real opportunity was lost. I am afraid that HOTT will now die.

Joe Collins

HOTT is alive and well among hundreds of players in UK, other Europe, and down under. There are many players in US and Canada too. Most are happy with the current game.

However, with no copies for sale, there will not be any increase in players. Current players will make copies of their book for club newcomers, but individuals without affiliation will be out of luck, Maybe Sue will take pity and put it on line again, or make a deal with Wargame Vault.

$40 USD to the US for the new HOTT hardly conducive to sales, even 15pds plus vat and postage in UK is steep. Is this a foreshadow of DBA 3 pricing, or more if hardback.

I'm not sure with sales of one or two copies a month we are really going to see an increase in players.

Again, what a missed opportunity.

Joe Collins

"make a deal with Wargame Vault."
This is exactly what needs to be done.

I sold my copy of HOTT last year but I would definitely buy a PDF, even if it's just to have it on my hard drive.

I had my love affair with HOTT. I'm sorry to see it running into problems even though I no longer use it. Like Capt Flash I moved onto Mighty Armies.

Thanks,

John

I'm not so sure about the hundreds of HOTT players. It had dwinlded to all most nothing here in Atlanta until we introduced the new version based on DBA3.0 (led to big reival).

Tournament at Siege of Augusta barely has a pulse (about half what we it once had). Historicon tournament got only 6 players (way down from former tournaments). Joe and I ran the only HOTT based games at NashCon (and we both used variants).

On a positive note I had a big turnout at Dragon Con last year for D3H2 and picked up a couple new players hope to have even more at this year's event.

HOTT may still have a small hard core of players who resist all change but I suspect a much larger group has drifted away and would love to get an updated version incorparting all the breakthroughs in DBX mechanics contained in DBA3.0.

I'm hoping that once DBA3.0 appears in print this will spark interest in DB mechanics in general and lead to a fantasy expansion.

TomT

Some additional changes in HOTT V2.1 besides the ones I noted above, from Pete Duckworth's review on Amazon.com.UK

The order of the authors on the cover is changed to make Richard Bodley Scott the second author, replacing Sue Laflin. May not mean much to most, but it is very important in publishing circles. Anyone know what RBS did to get second billing?

Also a big change in an interpretation of a pursuit rule. Page 36, at the end of Close Combat Example 2. Element B has Warband G contacting rear edge, and Warband E in frontal contact. Text is, "As they are warband, E and G pursue, meeting in the middle of B's previous position. "

A different interpretation of the pursuit rule than I have used, but so blatantly stated it cannot be a typo.

Unlike my colleagues in the Helper group that wanted lots of DBA 3 changes to HOTT, I am happy to keep that game as simple as it is now. It is a pain to cross over from one game to the other, but there were many differences between HOTT and DBA 2.2 so it is still the same. I will use the Base Width movements as it is much easier to remember than the previous distance conversions in HOTT.

Maybe some enterprising player will make a list of differences between DBA 3 and HOTT 2.1 like what is here for HOTT and DBA 2.2
link