May > August 2023 releases - New heat wave

The current cycle brings 3 big army updates per year (one army box, one operation box) plus numerous smaller updates. This updates 3 sectorials+3 vanilla armies. Sometimes more, since some profiles are shared between sectorials.

Then you get general updates with each new expansion (last one being Raveneye, next being Endsong). Sometimes they are fairly significant shakeup of how sectorials play. They also bring general updates like fireteam rules or the new reinforcements mechanic that we expect to drop.

Then you get smaller updates for other factions during the cycle of army updates, just like Starmada got some important goodies alongside Bakunin.

Then you get smaller updates alongside the kickstarter projects like Tag Raid or Defiance.

And by smaller, I mean "smaller number of new profiles", because they can be fairly significant in gameplay. Tohaa, despite its sad OOP state, won big by getting Jaan Staar and then also got some beasthunters.

And then you get new edition every 5 years or so.

Does CB releases new miniatures like GW? No, but they also can't with their playerbase and scale. Can the releases be more balanced? For sure, that Shakush did take his sweet time arriving on the board and being pushed behind two previously unannounced Nomad TAGs must have sucked. But overall - I'm not seriously concerned about CB's release schedule. And it is definitely not just 3 armies per year.

Also, bringing back the exrah was very welcome. They were CB's most notable "squatting" and seeing them back, likely as a sectorial is great. I'd love to see Tohaa coming back next, bringing some bug spray to the human sphere.

 

Actually by what was said by Carlos at Adepticon, It's only one per year right now. This is year is Bakunin and whatever's new for CA.

There's a difference between an Update and UPDATE. You can call them Minor or Major Updates. Bakunin got a Major Update. O-12 got a Minor update. To me changing existing rules and adding profiles is Major. Just adding profiles is Minor.

 

Yes, characters looking extremely atypical for their age is also a very common thing in transhumanist settings. Also, he is only one of the bunch. Kusanagi, Uhahu, Mary Problems, Tarik Mansuri, Ko Dali, Neema Satar and others are definitely not looking their real age one bit.

 

Carlos even said during the Q&A that JSA is one of the most popular. This year should have been revising them and NA2 in general. They could have done JSA/Ikari pretty easily. Maybe even add some JSA troops to other forces.

I hope they do more than just 1 a year. Some forces just can't compete even if they are not a "dead" faction.

 

I think you might be confusing model range updates with rules updates.

With all the C1 factions now having an Action Pack or Battle Box I can see them moving to 1-2 Action Packs a year accompanying big model range updates like MO, Morats, and Bakunin.

But, and I reiterate this again, every faction in the game got an update 13 months ago. The Fireteam update was a huge change for almost every faction, especially some like ISS and ForCo which got a massive breath of life.

Even "minor" updates like the Starmada one last month can almost turn a faction on it's head
Three new units, a couple of new profiles, and a Fireteams tweak has made a huge upgrade to the Sectorial.

I'm also not sure why JSA need an update just for being popular as 1) They seen to be in a pretty good place at the moment, rules wise, 2) they're already selling well, and 3) Their mini range is almost completely redone, with only Neko and Yuriko standing out as needing new minis.

 

Some of those Fireteam updates have been updated again, and there is a definite design philosophy difference between the N4 general Fireteam update and the new release Fireteams. The newest ones are much stronger, much more flexible, and have a lot more "counts as". Also, I wouldn't consider that as an update to the faction. It's more of a basic game update.

A balance pass every 6 months even if it's just to look at underutilized profiles would be nice and they already have all the data for that.

 

Bakunin got both new figures and changes to existing stuff. To me that’s Major. While O-12 benefited from some new stuff I still see it as a Minor change.

Everyone got changes back then. To me that’s not an update. There are still many factions that need something to be more competitive.

Of the ones that are not officially dead, ISS needs somethings badly to be competitive. They have one Engineer and Doctor, and both are in the same guy! He’s target priority #1 in specialist missions. I’m not asking for combat/specialist monsters, just a fair chance. They have also only had one new figure, a character, in the last 6 or more years. You can't even get Bao Troops.

 

You do realize by your own logic, Starmada got a Major Change, right? They got new units and some profile tweaks.

But I really disagree with the stance that since everyone got a change, it does not count as a ln update. The N4 update, Fireteam Update, and the Blackwind Update all made a lot of changes that affected the game. We should not discount that. Adding MBH, Monstruckers, and TAG raid profiles also made large changes to some forces and changed some factions viviability. Those Minor updates still had an impact.

I do agree that there a few sectorials that need love and models like FRRM, Caledonia, QK, and ISS. Hopefully they are on the docket.

 

From Warsenal website, May releases.

 

mñeeeehhh

 

Soooo glad I bought the al fasid before he got code oned. I don’t need any more of the others in the box with him now.

I am however going to have to pick up those crazy koalas… damn.

Anything else I missed when I was away? The sky falling again yet? Also, a very real concern… did I miss any cake?

 

The Dats are <chef's kiss>.

 

I really like Coalas... but my tastes are specific x)
Booster packs are good enough for me too.
I really like Phalanx characters.

The only thing that burns my eyes are morats.
Daturazi reminds me about chaksa longarms.
Their previous version was more... accurate, laconic, in their silhouette.
New one are ugly at my taste

 

To each their own, new Chaksa Longarms are excellent in my view.

 

Love me that meteor zond and Machaon. Is the meteor available anywhere outside Nomads?

 

Nope

 

If only their profiles were as good as the minis!

 

Bolts? Can one man dream?