I am digging the look of this game. Guys what do you think. Add some sick single part Darkson figs would you play?
Anyone else give the game a test run?
Wow, Rob. Thanks.
Mini's would be awesome! Let me know if you have any comments or critiques on the rules though.
I've got a lot of thoughts on whether a company like Darkson should pursue a mini line for a game like this. I don't think it's a good idea to pursue the mini's initially, but I do think it makes sense to pursue and support another game. My reasons are below.
This is a long post:
I had to develop a non-nuclear engineering concept as part of my practicum for getting my project manager certification. Part of that involved developing a business concept, so I picked games. I was already writing those rules during my son’s late night hours, so why not? I did some market research and poked around. Here are my big conclusions from the study (minus the boring parts and most of the references).
So, Matt is right…
Not that many people who are mini or role playing gamers also play, or at present, seem interested to play, sports oriented mini-games. This partly because there are so few of them, but if there was a greater demand logic says that more would be developed. The common perception seems to be that there is limited repeat playability and poor production quality in sports mini games. The purveyors of the sports games do not put the same level of interest in developing the sort of background and art together that “hooks” gamers into a game and develops a fan base and player community.
But you (Rob) are right too…
People do play Blood Bowl! And they play it for interesting reasons compared to games like 40K or Warmachine. Lots of people who are not already gamers are interested in sports oriented games and games that require more involvement. Games with a sports oriented theme have an easier time connecting with newer people because they are more familiar with the reasons and concepts behind a sports game and have some idea what they will be doing when they are playing.
Sports games have the potential to evoke nostalgia too (e.g., the old metal vibrating football table game, the old pressed metal hockey game with the spinning players, plinko, etc.). Also, gamers who already enjoy mini games like Blood Bowl mention that they like the opportunity for a quicker, simpler (but not easy!) game that still lets them use miniatures and strategy. Think of it like a palette cleanser from the typical high fantasy or dark atmosphere games. And then there are the gamers who just like sports! So why not make something that they like too?
In summary, not that many people who are currently gamers are interested in playing the currently available sports mini games but more non-gamers are likely to be interested in playing sports mini games. And many people who are already gamers are likely to consider playing a sports game if it has good production values and quality.
As far as money goes…The current non-electronic game market that encompasses games like Scrabble, Risk, Warhammer, AE-WWII, Grind, etc. is somewhere between 10 and 15% of the total (board games, electronic, etc.) US games market. Strictly mini games like Clix, AE-WII, Warhammer, etc., most likely make-up 0.2% or less of the entire US games market, or about 50 million in annual sales as of 2008. [Note: These are conservative estimates. Zac, Matt, other experts, if this is off, let me know. I had to cobble together numbers from a variety of sources.]
Enthusiastic projections say that the total US market is going to increase by somewhere between 2 and 5% per year given the current down turn is forcing people to stay home. Other markets are likely to keep growing at a faster pace with the most projected growth in Asia and the EU.
Industry news suggests that it’s not a good time to be hawking expensive game consoles either (Ouch! See this article…http://www.gamersdailynews.com/story-12858-NPD-US-Games-Market-Falls-29-In-July.html). This all suggests that it is a good time to develop products that are higher value, lower cost gaming experiences. In my opinion, miniature games fit that description nicely.
I think that Darkson Designs would be well served by using a sports oriented game to grow their share of the market (and the mini gaming market in general!) by making another product that meets the same production standards as the AE Bounty and AE WWII lines but encompasses an entirely different genre. It would also highlight Darkson Designs as a company where many of the other companies involved in that gaming niche do not put the same level of effort into their games.
I think it could be done cheaply by not printing the rules and keeping them as a living rulebook online and selling them as cheaper downloads through a service like Wargames Vault. Since the people most likely to show interest in sports oriented mini games are people that are not already gamers, it is not necessarily required to have a miniature line to support the game. Card stock minis would do fine until either the market, fan interest or opportunity (like a special Con miniature) came along.
As an anecdote, look at the Impact Miniatures game “Nuthin’ but Net.” I looked at the game, and read several reviews online. All of the reviews were positive with respect to fast game play and overall mechanics. The draw backs to the game were that the tokens and card figures looked cartoony and not well done. But at that price point, most people who bought it didn’t complain.
Extending that comment, look at the Blood Bowl living rulebook. Compare it to the AE Occult Book, or any book from Privateer Press. The recycled, black and white art is stylized, but it looks cartoony and cheaper next to those examples. But because the book is free, no one that’s interested in Blood Bowl complains. I think you guys could strike a middle ground and be very successful (high production values, low production costs) and then support it with miniatures after a fashion (or in collaboration with Roll Jordan!).
I also think having a well done game with a living rule book gives a smaller game company a huge advantage compared to something like Games Workshop, or even Privateer Press now. When a new game mechanic or concept comes out and proves to be successful and popular a small gaming company can innovate, adopt the idea and deploy it much easier than a large company with many games each with multiple factions.
As an example, consider activating models versus the I-go-You-go turn; it would be a tremendous endeavor for GW to include that mechanic in any of their games, except for Mordheim or Necromunda. Supporting a game that is outside of the main product lines (AE WWII and AE Bounty) allows a smaller game company to tinker with new concepts without affecting the main product lines.
Comments and thoughts are welcome. This should probably be moved to the Off Topic discussion now.
Best Regards,
Chris
no one plays Blood Bowl he says. 
no one plays Blood Bowl he says. 
;D