Things may be slowing down a bit, sure, but this is still a very popular boardgame. It hasn't left the BGG "Hotness" list since it was released, even now where we haven't had an update in months. Sure we probably won't see the torrid release schedule that we had over the first year or so, but that pace was kind of necessary just to build up enough figures to have a variety of skirmish options. I think we're still a long way from being able to call this game dead or dying.

5 minutes ago, robertpolson said:

Once they will release The Battle for Endor box, we should have enough content to replay the campaign multiple times and enjoy lots of fun skirmish games with enough variety and creativity. I will be fine if FFG will slow down with IA after The Battle for Endor.

+1 here. I need the ap and new content there with single player or cooperative options... We already have sooooo much Just need Yoda and Mr. Palp.

Give us some speeder bikes, scout troopers, Ewoks, Yoda, and Palpatine and we are set for a while.

The game does not have to die from here on forward. It can easily exist and be supported in its current form for years to come.

Here is what should come around The Battle for Endor:

- Fixes for core set and first waves of characters

- Rogue One

If we got an Endor small box for the summer, followed by a Yoda/Palp blister pack wave it would be the perfect way to cap off the OT and then release the app for winter time. The app would allow us to recycle all of the previous components through full length campaigns and give them some time to figure out which direction the physical content of the game is going.

25 minutes ago, FrogTrigger said:

If we got an Endor small box for the summer, followed by a Yoda/Palp blister pack wave it would be the perfect way to cap off the OT and then release the app for winter time. The app would allow us to recycle all of the previous components through full length campaigns and give them some time to figure out which direction the physical content of the game is going.

I think this would be a good model for a while. We could still get new Blister Waves, and maybe a big box expansion every year (Rebels and Rogue One would still be great).

Of course, I wouldn't complain if the current release schedule of 1 Big Box, 1 Small Box, 2+ blister waves per year continues. But I don't know how long that would be sustainable.

My understanding is that these games sustain themselves on precisely that type of aggressive release schedule. If they aren't getting people to buy new minis then they aren't making much money off of it.

True, but you also reach a point of over saturation. I know very little about economics, so I won't pretend like I'm at all an expert in this, but from what little I know, it seems like supply and demand pretty much is the name of the game. So, if these releases are selling well still (and I think they're still doing alright) then we'll probably get more regular releases. If they start dropping off, it becomes more of a risk for FFG to invest in components and development as often, so we'll probably see a tapering off at some point.

Also, consider that the longer a game goes on, the more limited a fanbase is. Imagine a new fan to the series. When asked "What should I purchase after the core box", a year ago the resounding answer was "Return to Hoth"! That's not necessarily the case anymore, as Jabba's Realm has its own proponents, and there are also fans like me who support the small boxes more. So, today, if someone asked that question, they'd get a bigger variety of answers- which is great for the consumer, but it means that unless the consumer invests in the full set, there is no longer a set that will reliably sell.

You can see that really well with Eldritch Horror, or rather a sort of inverse of it. Each release sees less and less purchases. Imperial Assault seems to not suffer from this as badly so far (at least, not on the admittedly skewed forums) but it'll probably get there eventually.

Anyway, I hate being so negative. Long live IA!

I still think there's a Force Awakens starter box in the works, in time for a Q4 release and there for liked to the new film.

That could follow on from a Summer RoTJ box, nicely bringing the current phase to a close and opening the way for the next couple of years of releases.

I fear Rebels won't ever get a box, what with the blisters of the main characters starting to be released. That might also be the same for Rogue One.

Ultimately, the box sets are about character-driven campaigns where the heroes are new - existing heroes from the movies are basically available as support and for the atmosphere. I find it hard to see how different a campaign/ bunch of heroes set in either the Rebels or Rogue One timeframe could be that different.

I think it's easier to see the new trilogy (or even the prequels) as a more distinct setting in which you could develop new campaigns, utilise new map tiles, and develop new characters.

I'd love to see more of course! And would love to be proven wrong!

If/ When the app is released there will be a massive influx of new players. Descent saw a HUGE resurgence as soon as they dropped the Overlord requirement with RTL. Those sales numbers will be enough to drive new content on their own..

I predict they stay quasi aggressive, possibly toning it down to two small boxes per year instead of a big and small or something, with maybe one less blister wave, but this changing year to year.. they have a bit of a map to follow they just need to pick their course. Jump to TFA and keep the Rogue One/Rebels content in blister form? Or explore those options via small boxes before jumping ahead in the time line.. explore more of the comics?

1 hour ago, FrogTrigger said:

If/ When the app is released there will be a massive influx of new players. Descent saw a HUGE resurgence as soon as they dropped the Overlord requirement with RTL. Those sales numbers will be enough to drive new content on their own..

I predict they stay quasi aggressive, possibly toning it down to two small boxes per year instead of a big and small or something, with maybe one less blister wave, but this changing year to year.. they have a bit of a map to follow they just need to pick their course. Jump to TFA and keep the Rogue One/Rebels content in blister form? Or explore those options via small boxes before jumping ahead in the time line.. explore more of the comics?

I have not seen a bunch of new stuff since app for Decent was released

No I think Chains that Rust is the only release post App, but was even maybe announced pre App? Actually Shards of Everdark might be post app as well.

The content expansions are different for both games, but Descent already had 4 small box and 2 big boxes before the app hit and 1 announced, thats 3 more small boxes than we have right now in IA. So that is a pretty significant content gap. It's not surprising they slowed things down on the physical side because they also now have 9 H&M packs and 20 Lieutenant packs.

IA is up to 33 AVP but again this content release is a different model, the H&M packs have the content of 2-3 AVP at least, so that number would be more like 47 total packs in comparison to IA's 33.

So that is approximately 3 more small boxes and 14 more blister packs than what IA currently has. Rough count on content and numbers, as I said you can't really do a direct comparison so grain of salt this. But the overall message is that Descent had quite a bit more physical content at the point of their app release than IA currently has.

9 minutes ago, FrogTrigger said:

No I think Chains that Rust is the only release post App, but was even maybe announced pre App? Actually Shards of Everdark might be post app as well.

The content expansions are different for both games, but Descent already had 4 small box and 2 big boxes before the app hit and 1 announced, thats 3 more small boxes than we have right now in IA. So that is a pretty significant content gap. It's not surprising they slowed things down on the physical side because they also now have 9 H&M packs and 20 Lieutenant packs.

IA is up to 33 AVP but again this content release is a different model, the H&M packs have the content of 2-3 AVP at least, so that number would be more like 47 total packs in comparison to IA's 33.

So that is approximately 3 more small boxes and 14 more blister packs than what IA currently has. Rough count on content and numbers, as I said you can't really do a direct comparison so grain of salt this. But the overall message is that Descent had quite a bit more physical content at the point of their app release than IA currently has.

i agree, but the fact is that they have not had new announcements after the app which may happen with IA as well. they do not need to have the same number of boxes.

I trully believe that we will get one small box and then app (with blister packs in between). And then new model, something like new core box (similar to x wing 2nd core box) or stop the production of big boxes and just add blisters and skirmish play mats (both for skirmish) which i'm trully not interested in.

And i would be happy with this, if they continue to support the game through app. New missions. It wouldn't be hard to integrate some new modes like tower defense or last man standing/survival mode, maybe even skirmish game against AI....

Right but you are speculating that they will stop production of physical content based on the example we have with Descent, where as I am arguing that Descent was an older game with a lot more physical content when RTL came than where IA is currently at. Even if we get Endor and a Yoda/Palp wave pre app we would still be multiple expansions behind Descent.

I don't agree with the logic that just because one game stopped IA would have to as well, especially with the available content that is still out there (Rebels, Rogue One, TFA). As long as they have this IP they will milk it as long as they can.

The OTHER side of this argument is that this game has a skirmish component, Descent doesn't. This alone demands that there is a regular release of physical components or you will watch the skirmish scene shrivel up and die. That alone is enough reason for me to believe that you are wrong.

3 minutes ago, FrogTrigger said:

Right but you are speculating that they will stop production of physical content based on the example we have with Descent, where as I am arguing that Descent was an older game with a lot more physical content when RTL came than where IA is currently at. Even if we get Endor and a Yoda/Palp wave pre app we would still be multiple expansions behind Descent.

I don't agree with the logic that just because one game stopped IA would have to as well, especially with the available content that is still out there (Rebels, Rogue One, TFA). As long as they have this IP they will milk it as long as they can.

The OTHER side of this argument is that this game has a skirmish component, Descent doesn't. This alone demands that there is a regular release of physical components or you will watch the skirmish scene shrivel up and die. That alone is enough reason for me to believe that you are wrong.

i hope i am, it's just my opinion That everything will end with original trilogy! With only possibility to create second core game to move to other time period, which would be great, imo

3 minutes ago, FrogTrigger said:

The OTHER side of this argument is that this game has a skirmish component, Descent doesn't. This alone demands that there is a regular release of physical components or you will watch the skirmish scene shrivel up and die. That alone is enough reason for me to believe that you are wrong.

This. It's what I've been thinking for the last page or so. Sure the campaign can do whatever it wants with an app, and I'm pro app. But I love the skirmish for this game more than the campaign big time and the skirmish will need more stuff released and they've been opening the doors to new streams of characters outside the OT so I have no doubt they will continue on. Descent isn't an Organized Play game, but Imperial Assault is. While IA's Organized Play has lagged behind some of the other FFG Star Wars IP's which were built as OP games from the ground up (X-Wing, Armada, LCG and even Destiny) it is finally hitting it's stride and getting things to catch up old stuff that wasn't balanced well at all or some just not balanced for skirmish.

9 minutes ago, AleksDj said:

i hope i am, it's just my opinion That everything will end with original trilogy! With only possibility to create second core game to move to other time period, which would be great, imo

Wow someone who can actually admit they might be wrong on the internet, I actually enjoy having discussions with people like you. Thanks. It is honestly refreshing.

I don't doubt the release model will change, it will be interesting to see how things go. One thing is for sure though when that app hits this player base will explode, RTL was HUGE for Descent, and this is fricken Star Wars!! Hopefully that translates into the skirmish scene growing, as our poll tells us, most people buy for campaign but end up loving the skirmish.

If anything shows us how badly players need more info on the state of this game right now, it's this thread.

Descent had reprint of its core box and other stuff before App came out. Also big change in that they switched out the entire core campaign with another one in the new edition

maybe if we continue to type here, they will listen I need Yoda, now! And app with all the things i wrote above!

2 hours ago, FrogTrigger said:

Right but you are speculating that they will stop production of physical content based on the example we have with Descent, where as I am arguing that Descent was an older game with a lot more physical content when RTL came than where IA is currently at. Even if we get Endor and a Yoda/Palp wave pre app we would still be multiple expansions behind Descent.

I don't agree with the logic that just because one game stopped IA would have to as well, especially with the available content that is still out there (Rebels, Rogue One, TFA). As long as they have this IP they will milk it as long as they can.

The OTHER side of this argument is that this game has a skirmish component, Descent doesn't. This alone demands that there is a regular release of physical components or you will watch the skirmish scene shrivel up and die. That alone is enough reason for me to believe that you are wrong.

You are probably right in this statement, and that is why the game will ironically fail. By constantly releasing components you price people out of the game. Frankly I find competitive skirmish to be the scourge of table top. It turns the IP into nothing more than another bunch of pretty plastic bit stat holders. But let me ask, why will the skirmish scene dry up? I've been playing Risk my whole life and it hasn't changed. I still play Axis and Allies the board game from time to time, or CLue, or Monopoly. I understand it from the company's point of view, more hard earned dollars poured into their coffers with whatever new meta changing figures come out. I don't understand it from a player perspective. I know this will seem harsh, but I wish IA had never had a Skirmish component. Descent is still alive and doesn't have one. Are you saying you are incapable of still playing the game because there isn't another wave of figures? Maybe if they stopped dropping units there would time to fix the broken units and then many more units could be viable, instead of the latest lists du jour.

I'm not a huge Risk fan, but it has a lot more replayability than IA's campaign.

Risk and the others you mention are games you pick up and play at any time. IA isn't like that all. Not even its skirmish mode. You might play Rebellion for years and years without a new expansion, but IA, without new campaign content, would likely become shelf filler very fast.

It's just how these games are designed, the meta keeps evolving from expansion to expansion, otherwise you have people just running the same lists over and over again and the game becomes stale very fast. Imagine if they just left skirmish as is and 4x4 was it forever and ever? lol

But seriously, if its not your bag that's fine, but you probably just won't understand. And I argue how good Descent would be doing without the release of the app and subsequent campaigns. They can keep recycling the existing components into new content, but that is still new content even if it is digital. So even though it is 'alive' it has hardly remained the same to stay 'alive'.

4 minutes ago, jscott991 said:

I'm not a huge Risk fan, but it has a lot more replayability than IA's campaign.

Risk and the others you mention are games you pick up and play at any time. IA isn't like that all. Not even its skirmish mode. You might play Rebellion for years and years without a new expansion, but IA, without new campaign content, would likely become shelf filler very fast.

I was talking about skirmish, but you are not wrong, though we could have new campaigns without more plastic. People still play Chess competitively, there are whole clubs devoted to it, and the pieces never change. I think what everyone is really saying is, they want to keep putting money into more units every couple of months, until there is only a handful of people left who'll continue to invest in it, or don't move onto something else. There are still some units I'd like to see, but at some point, it is just going to become repetitive, or new units will just be so much better nobody will play anything else. The game isn't granular enough for a ton more characters and still maintain the current power curve.

2 minutes ago, FrogTrigger said:

It's just how these games are designed, the meta keeps evolving from expansion to expansion, otherwise you have people just running the same lists over and over again and the game becomes stale very fast. Imagine if they just left skirmish as is and 4x4 was it forever and ever? lol

But seriously, if its not your bag that's fine, but you probably just won't understand. And I argue how good Descent would be doing without the release of the app and subsequent campaigns. They can keep recycling the existing components into new content, but that is still new content even if it is digital. So even though it is 'alive' it has hardly remained the same to stay 'alive'.

It's no my bag anymore because I spent more money than I care to remember on Star Wars miniatures and playing competitively and I know how this all goes.

Ev n more so than new expansions, I want proper fixes for existing figures. Maybe new will be old with a fix.