Bit of a long read, and likely should have had it's own thread, but w/e. No TL;DR provided, read it or don't.
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Wow, so when this started, I wondered what it all meant for IWM. But then I thought, well, more players means more people looking for those mechs that can only be bought in metal, so that's good. Plus, there were a few IWM inclusions such as the museum scale mechs and the dropship, although I question whether or not they make much on those.
Then the KS grew, and grew, and grew; and with each new 100k tier unlocked there were MORE plastic mechs being promised. I was genuinely surprised by this. CGL has found a producer they can work with for plastic molds, and they seem confident they can deliver not just for the kickstarter, but for lance packs as well. Actual marketable materials for store shelves!
This game is about to experience the highest rate of growth it ever has. People who have never played the game are picking up the boxed sets at conventions already, and CGL is actually capitalizing on that success with a well-timed push into a 3rd box set and appropriate lance packs. People WANT games with mechs, everything from Scythe to Infinity includes them. They've wanted games with mechs at least since the movie Alien came out, and likely before that (the actual history of mecha in fiction goes back to the mid-1800's!).
So, again, where does that leave IWM? CGL appears to have suddenly found the rudder missing from their ship for years (decades?), which is fantastic. But they've now promised to produce
90'ish mechs in plastic so far. Not to mention the mechs they're already producing for the AGoAC box.
These mechs represent the most popular designs of all time, some are even resculpts of long-awaited unseen designs, and all have been updated to reflect a more modern futuristic aesthetic. It's entirely conceivable that plenty of new players could hop into the game, play for years in full campaigns, and never need to purchase metal mechs. Considering how nice the new plastics look, plenty of existing tenured players may make the same decision.
I'm not necessarily worried about IWM surviving as a business. That's on them, any business has to protect their interests and grow with the times. I'm
curious about how this came to be, I was under the impression that IWM held an exclusivity contract for miniatures and the exception was only for boxed sets (of course, CGL did "lance packs" a few years ago for Alpha Strike, but those minis were not much of a temptation, quality-wise).
Does this KS reflect a change in the status quo? Is there, in fact, no contract in place other than granting IWM exclusivity for
metal miniatures only? If that's the case, as a consumer and fan, I'll throw this out there...
Buy Your Metal Miniatures While You Still Can.
If these new plastics consume a significant portion of the buying public's mech dollars (and I believe they will), IWM will have to take a very meaningful look at how long they can afford to support a line that accounts for 40% (my guess) of their warehouse space. It's possible that some of the more ambitious modelers/painters who join BT will search out these minis, and that might compensate for some sales lost to plastic. But that will only be a small offset.
It's a sobering thought, as BT experiences a rebirth, we may also be seeing the end of an era.
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Topic: Battletech Kickstarter opened today! CLAN INVASION box (Read 7162 times)