"TOW observations" Topic

Or is it WOW? But that's taken.

A few observations (rant) amount Warhammer the old world.

GW make Warhammer.
Mantic make KOW.
GW drop Warhammer (the game of fantasy battles).
People angry, smash stuff. Many go to KOW. Others painfully wallow in an Age Of Suffer!
Mantic pick up the sub name.

Now.

GW announced The old world.

Firstly, why? To try to get back players? Someone went "oops"?

I have noticed Kislev as an army. In competition with the KOW northern alliance perhaps?

I'll also note the similarity, new trend of Aos nighthaunts and Kow nightstalkers. Chicken/egg?? Both taking one horror element ghosts/horror in the dark and teasing them out into an army.

I feel the war will not be on the table top, nor fought with dice, but on the shelves, once more, fought with our hard earned money. Let battle commence…

My first thought was "someone has tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided anti-tank weapons in a fantasy game?"

Then I read the post and discovered someone was once more stuck in franchise worlds--the la Brea Tar Pits of miniature warfare.

Buy what castings you want. Play what rules you want. If you have to have a campaign world, take it from anywhere you please. (Many are concealed within books!)

Are GW reacting to Mantic's KOW success, probably.

Are GW also reacting to the success of the total war Warhammer PC games set in the old world (as are most of their video games), probably.

Has Age of Sigmar not been as successful as they hoped, possibly.

Does it matter, not really I mean the old world is returning sort of, probably not in any meaningful way.

Just remember, franchise worlds were where many people started miniature wargaming. Even little wars could be considered the franchise game of its day, miniaturewise.

After all they have the publicity, where smaller games do not. They may also be seen as official or proper in the eyes of the masses. Not to mention media tie-ins like LOTR (no confusion with that one I trust, hence my point). Almost anyone a fan of a show or movie would be familiar with the miniatures game, if it has one. Maybe not always enough to play, but they now know the concept.

Can the same be said of non franchise games?

Some people like franchise games as they feel part of something big. Like watching the latest TV show, you could watch it years later, but the buzz is not the same as when everyone is watching. The same for a show (or game) no one else is into. Fun for you, but your all alone.

When a company pulls the plug (TV again, grrr) it makes it all the worse.

H Man, to those of us outside the Collective, things look very different. Try playing an unauthorized unofficial game, or enjoying a book movie or TV show your friends aren't following. You may find the experience--liberating.

Actually I have written many a mini game (among other games) and generally favour films and shows that are old, or of little interest to others. So your definitely preaching to the choir there.

I am however talking about these larger companies. Please, enough brushing it off with "just do something else", and say something constructive to the actual topic (whatever that is). You must have an opinion on these games, other than they are to be avoided? If not Google them and take a look, then come back armed for battle (or for more informed conversation). Yes, we could all just buy a pogo stick and travel route 66 instead, we get it.

H Man, As much as I would like to add something constructive to the conversation, I am not sure what exactly your query is aimed at.
Are the main players(id est GW and Mantic) engaged in competitive marketing of their product lines? Certainly, as to be expected.

For all of the negativity tossed at GW for replacing WHFB with AoS, few seem to be able to address the elephant in the room as far as that decision is concerned. The game of WHFB was no longer profitable for them due to their desired price point per miniature not being in alignment with miniature count requirements, to make the game look and feel as vast as their advertising made it look.
As for Mantic, they seems to want to step into the perceived market hole left by GWs decision and by some account seem to have done that.

My opinion of these games in truth, is that I hold neither in high regard.
WHFB has not really been fun to play, for myself….since Third edition and then only with like minded friends.
I am as competitive as the next player when at the table with my armies but the competition and tournament mindset.. (encouraged by GW, and who could blame them when it continued to drive greater sales numbers?) …sapped all the fun out of the fantasy war-gaming community as far as I am concerned. I do not doubt other will disagree. I do however speak for myself.

As to the WHFB rules as written and played, the game always felt to me like Napoleonic warfare with a fantasy glaze. I love to look at both but enjoy playing neither.
I will not address the Hero-Hammer versionsof WHFB as I actively disliked them the most.

Mantics KoW holds no appeal for me what so ever. I am primarily a miniaturist( I play games to justify more miniatures :D LOL ) and I do not care for the sculpting, look or presentation of Mantics fantasy figures. They did not do the obvious style copying that so many other makers of fantasy miniatures have done, which is admirable. However their lack of imagination, in my eyes, for the most part just make them appear to me as uninspired knock-off stand ins of GW WHFB units/armies, which was mostly uninspiring in the first place.
I may not like all of AoS stuff, but GW does at least seem to be imaginative again.

The KoW block warfare/ unit removal system is more 18th century war-gaming style again, then either Medieval or Fantasy.