September>December 2023 - Winter is coming with some reinforcements

The rollout timing is just as disappointing as I anticipated.

 

As a MAF player, I would very much like the opportunity to buy a Kendrat blister.

 

Which is horrible marketing. If they want them to sell well, they need them to go when there is the most excitement. That's usually at the start. Also making them limited in use is a bad way to sell them. If the new troops were available to vanilla, I'd buy them right away. I'm not buying any of them because I can't/don't want to use Reinforcements.

 

It's a strange mix of troops to me. But then so far all of the bundles have been strange mixes.

 

When was the last time you have seen the equivalent of 7 faction starters been released all at once? I am sorry but expecting that is unrealistic.

 

Defiance.

Let's not claim it's impossible. But I imagine their plate is pretty full.

 

Defiance is not a good analogue, repacks and not general availability releases are not the same with brand new products available through normal distribution.

 

Danger of not releasing early in the hype wave is that by the time the main bulk of product is designed, manufactured and shipped to distributors the optional mod has been ditched from the meta and shelves are full of shit they can't sell.

 

It is. This is something they should have allowed for.
They should have done many smaller sets. Instead of 2 with 6, they should have done 3 of 4 or 4 of 3. This way, they have something for everyone sooner. Less alienating those that don't get them. Right now it's going to take four months for them to have a box for 8 factions. The other way would have had at all in 2-3. With more to come.

Smaller sets makes a smaller price point. Asking people to spend $80+ on 6 figures is asking a lot of your customers today. The competition is strong in the force/price.

Have product ready to go as soon as you announce. Reinforcement packs should have been out this month. Not next. It gives too much time for people to decide Not to buy. Especially those that tried the rules and don't like them. Strike while it's hot!

The new troops should be available to vanilla if not their regular factions. Having them available only to those playing tournaments is another block to buying. They say it's optional, but is it? You can't even see the troops on army unless you show Reinforcements. Also, if it is optional, what is the alternative? You don't play with the expensive toys? That's not fun.

New people are likely not going to play tournaments.
What are you supposed to tell new players that want the new figures but they can only use them if the play this tournament style of game? They won't buy them because they are not tournament players. This a block to new players buying them.

 

Defiance was neither.

But for whatever reason(s) were involved it didn't happen. So be it. Let's bury the dead and move on.

 

Well. If all we want is the majority.

 

Why on earth you would play reinforcements only on tournaments?

 

A scatter shot approach, as advocated upthread, carries its own risks. Sure, one box at $70 is a chunk, but if they’re spaced out, more easily affordable. Those multiple boxes of four? Each one at $45, and you’ve got multiple factions, and you’ll need multiple boxes to get all the minis you need, so you’re still spending $90 or more, with an increased likelihood of duplicates.

As far as only playing the mode in tourneys, why? Isn’t weekly game night just as good, if not better, place to get your feet wet with the mode?

Presuming we’re going with the “flood the market under a deluge of new minis” approach, how can you possibly have everything set when the mode releases? The mode release is contingent on coming out at GenCon, where there are already commitments, and then Interplanetario, plus the release of ITS 15… it’s a lovely thought, but rather difficult.

 

I'm in the US. It's not like that. I guess you don't understand how big the US is. My state is as big as some of the EU countries.

How do you not? I'm not saying actual tournaments but at least tournament style playing. In the army app you click on any new troop and it automatically makes a reinforcements group. This is after you've clicked on the "Reinforcements" button. You also can't move the the troops into the other group. So what do I do? go to paper and pencil? They are practically telling everyone "This is for tournament missions only." Now I could possibly get friends to ignore it but new people are going to be confused. My group also tends to only play tournament missions. I don't know why because there's only about two a year.

 

Ok, that makes more sense, yes, ITS is the core of pickup games as well as tournament play, though nothing limits the player from playing custom missions with reinforcements rules, now if one wants to use reinforcement units as main line units they will have to do some extra steps themselves as reinforcements are not designed to be used as such, same as with anything custom really.

I am not sure what the confusion there will be? boxes are clearly marked, rules are free, proxy rules are quite lenient if one wants to use the models for something else.

 

What in god's name are you talking about? You just described the button to click to make a list for a Reinforcements game. How could that possibly be a barrier to playing Reinforcements outside a tournament? If you find the app confusing, how is it any less confusing in a tournament than outside one? (Also, just use the desktop version of Army. It's better anyway, and its Reinforcements process is very clear.)

People are playing Reinforcements pickup games all the time. No one is having trouble doing so. All it takes is an agreement with your opponent that "let's use the Reinforcements Extra for this game."

I don't know what you mean by "tournament style." If you mean using ITS missions, almost all games outside tournaments use ITS missions anyway. But if you wanted to play Reinforcements in a homebrew mission, there'd be absolutely nothing stopping you. The Extra doesn't even work well with most ITS missions, so claiming it's "for tournament missions only" is utter nonsense.

 

Yes.

Army was, originally, a tournament validation tool.