It seems to me there are 2 (good) ways a company can deal with this.

1. Don't give any release dates until it actually ships. Simply state it will be done when it is done. This works fairly well. Unfortunetly for FFG they officially stated that the game would be released at gencon.

2. If you can't do number 1 the best bet is to give constant and honest updates on the game. As an example every monday there would be an update on where the book is. If it is stuck at the printers just say so, etc.

I have seen both done and in general it kept everyone happy.

UncleArkie said:

Psion said:

Thank you for the sympathy guys. I feel the love.

The most annoying thing is that I have like the entire plot thought out. All the major highlights of the scenario and all the personalities of every NPC. It's just that im still not sure how to introduce the PC's to the scenario, and I have barely written any stats for the NPC's at all (I really dislike fudging important NPC's mid-game, as I want my scenarios to be based on some sort of consistency). Along with that, most places of interest aren't thought out or named yet and I haven't got any descriptions for them either.

It sucks...

In regard to the "Amazon has it as October now" comment, this now flies in the face of one of Ross Watson's most recent comments in the "Rogue Trader at Gen Con" blog post where he stated at the bottom:

"I look forward to hearing all the exploits of the Rogue Traders and the profit and plunder they achieve whilst exploring the unknown reaches of the galaxy! Keep an eye on your local game store and the FFG website for more information, and remember—Rogue Trader (both the collector's edition and the regular edition) ships out to game stores in late September!"

llsoth said:

Well the thing is that the game was released at Gencon, a lucky few got to buy it, then it was sold out and we are now waiting for the "second printing", so they did live up to the statement "out at gencon"... Sold out at gen con was more like it, but... See what I did there eh eh! Annoying yes, I want a book now FFS(G).

yeah, october 28th on amazon.ca also...we can all start crying now :/

...just wish i could get a pdf of this till i can get the **** book!

Amazon's listed release date is just the date they expect to have the book on hand.

They've been wrong about the release date of every single Dark Heresy product that has come out so far. I think it's a fairly safe bet that they're wrong about this one as well.

As long as you don't insist on getting your copy of Rogue Trader from Amazon I'd say it's still pretty likely that the late September early October release window is still true.

Ferau said:

Yes they have been wrong, but unfortunately they're usually wrong the other way. They typically tell me it'll be out BEFORE it actually is, not after.

Ok, I found 3 different release dates:

My order info for the pre-order I have on amazon says a delivery date of Sept 18th.

Borders.com has RT listed as a Sept. 27th release.

Amazon.com item description says Oct. 28th...

By my calculations, Rogue Trader will be released 3 times, each one a new edition. Looks like the fears about new editions of RT coming out so soon were TRUE!

www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite_sec.asp

FFG's site says "Late September."

Lord Commissar said:

*sighs* Well it's not like I don't have a laundry list to keep my occupied in the meantime.

My local game store said his supplier said there was a good chance they'll be in-store tomorrow (9-11). But his supplier says that FFG's pushed back the release date 3 times since August...

Sigh. I'll make the trek to the game store tomorrow, but I'm not hopeful. Although typically he got the Dark Heresy stuff a week or two before Borders or B&N.

My guy says his distributor's date is the 25th. However, if you get it tomorrow let us know!

Oh nice... I might have to check by the Barnes & Nobles by my house .The are notorious for not giving a poop about the release dates on RPG books, I often get stuff weeks in advance of official releases.

If the book was shipping to retailers, I am sure that FFG would have informed us of this.

GTS Dis. just up dated there site from Sep 21 to Sep 15. I bet money on GTS's info, they haven't been wrong for me in ever. But there is always a first.

Um... what is GTS?

Mazinkaiser said:

When I use it, it means: "GTS Distribution Southern California", but it could also mean.......

GTS Distribution Arizona
GTS Distribution Ft. Lauderdale, FL
GTS Distribution Orlando, FL
GTS Distribution Washington
GTS Distribution Atlanta
GTS Distribution Hawaii
GTS Distribution Northern California

Do you understand now, it is a distribution company that FFG uses.

Edit: The last part is not a sarcastic.

Thanks for the information on GTS Distribution. That's a cool place to look stuff up.

even the flash trailer still says "coming GENCON 2009" !!!

it nags me!!!

sinkarna said:

Well techincally it did come to Gencon, but only to the people who fast enough.

Mazinkaiser said:

yeah, but come on, going to Gencon just for one book?

Amazon just informed me that I can now expect it October 30th. I guess I won't be playing until November.

sinkarna said:

Guess you just dont want it enough

On the Upcoming page, it's still "on the boat." Keep checking Upcoming for the status, that's how FFG communicates shipping progress to us.