Is IA going to die?

By Darth Az, in Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Posted at

Since a new skirmish map just came out I’d say they aren’t done with IA yet

Posted at
7 hours ago, udat said:

Yep. I'd also be happy with the ability to buy new deployment cards that modify or re-use existing figure packs, which would be another way to solve that problem that doesn't take up much/any space.

Except that it will take up more space at retailers' shelves when it could instead be worked into another product that you're going to buy anyways if you're serious about keeping up with Skirmish.

Posted at
15 hours ago, cleardave said:

Seconded. I've had it since it came out and I still manage to get it out on the table a couple of times a year. It's too good to get rid of.

Well if that's the standard we want to apply, WEG Star Wars and Mordheim are alive and well.

Posted at

As IA still sells well enough that they consistently need to reprint product and felt the need to raise the price I have to assume the game is a long way from dead.

Posted at
6 hours ago, TauntaunScout said:

Well if that's the standard we want to apply, WEG Star Wars and Mordheim are alive and well.

It's like what people tell you when a loved one in your life dies. If you keep them in your heart, they'll always be with you.

In the case of games, there's no reason not to continue to play a classic like BSG just because it's not "supported" anymore. A great game is still great 10 years later. Of course that continuation of play doesn't put more money into FFG's pocket, so long-term it's in their interest to make expandable games a focus, and to keep enticing us with new and exciting products to keep dropping our cash on.

Speaking of WEG, this is coming down the pipeline...

Posted at
15 hours ago, cleardave said:

Except that it will take up more space at retailers' shelves when it could instead be worked into another product that you're going to buy anyways if you're serious about keeping up with Skirmish.

One store told me it wasn't worth it for them to order it (I wanted 6), so they wouldn't order it for me! LOL

And you wonder why online stores do so well.

Posted at
7 hours ago, cleardave said:

It's like what people tell you when a loved one in your life dies. If you keep them in your heart, they'll always be with you.

In the case of games, there's no reason not to continue to play a classic like BSG just because it's not "supported" anymore. A great game is still great 10 years later. Of course that continuation of play doesn't put more money into FFG's pocket, so long-term it's in their interest to make expandable games a focus, and to keep enticing us with new and exciting products to keep dropping our cash on.

Speaking of WEG, this is coming down the pipeline...

That book looks neat. Maybe they will release lead miniatures to go with it...

I never understood why people gravitate away from their perfectly good collections of books, minis, etc. when it disappears from store shelves. People really seem to crave that Offical Seal of Officiality from the Officious Office of Officialness.

Posted at
13 minutes ago, TauntaunScout said:

That book looks neat. Maybe they will release lead miniatures to go with it...

I never understood why people gravitate away from their perfectly good collections of books, minis, etc. when it disappears from store shelves. People really seem to crave that Offical Seal of Officiality from the Officious Office of Officialness.

Well, for IA I would eventually grow bored or at least less interested in skirmish if there were no new figures released, which would be compounded by the loss of tourney support (one of the reasons I really love IA—I really enjoy going out to major tourneys).

Sure, people could devise new units on their own, but I wouldn’t trust them to be balanced and they wouldn’t have any figures or new command cards (or if new command cards were made up I wouldn’t trust them either).

Campaign I’ll keep playing for forever no doubt, but skirmish is a different beast.

-ryanjamal

Posted at
3 minutes ago, ryanjamal said:

Well, for IA I would eventually grow bored or at least less interested in skirmish if there were no new figures released, which would be compounded by the loss of tourney support (one of the reasons I really love IA—I really enjoy going out to major tourneys).

Sure, people could devise new units on their own, but I wouldn’t trust them to be balanced and they wouldn’t have any figures or new command cards (or if new command cards were made up I wouldn’t trust them either).

Campaign I’ll keep playing for forever no doubt, but skirmish is a different beast.

-ryanjamal

To quote Han Solo, "That's the real trick, isn't it." People get bored if they don't get their new plastic-y fix, but then new pieces necessarily break the rules. What are abilities in any miniatures game but notes for how this or that breaks the rules. So the meta necessarily changes, and the buy-in grows, and people are priced out of the game, so fewer and fewer people want to continue playing it. It's funny how I've heard many times how much people still enjoy playing Battlestar Galactica, a game that hasn't had anything new in, how many years? I'd rather see some errata and card changes, not just skirmish updates, that fix older characters and do more to increase the viablitiy of many more competative lists.

Posted at
3 hours ago, TauntaunScout said:

That book looks neat. Maybe they will release lead miniatures to go with it...

I never understood why people gravitate away from their perfectly good collections of books, minis, etc. when it disappears from store shelves. People really seem to crave that Offical Seal of Officiality from the Officious Office of Officialness.

I've seen it happen with every D&D edition from 3rd, onwards. Like somehow D&D 4th edition is ruining your game? Why?! Just play 3rd. Or AD&D. It's a roleplaying game. The rules to me always came second to story telling.

Cult of the New is how Kickstarter games get funded.

That said, when Fireball Island goes live, I'm all in, sight unseen.

Posted at
2 hours ago, Rikalonius said:

It's funny how I've heard many times how much people still enjoy playing Battlestar Galactica, a game that hasn't had anything new in, how many years? I'd rather see some errata and card changes, not just skirmish updates, that fix older characters and do more to increase the viablitiy of many more competative lists.

It merely illustrates how "Imperial Assault" will live as long as you want it to. "Imperial Assault Skirmish" will by its nature "die"primarily when Organized Play cuts off support, which may or may not coincide with the product line being stopped.

But it will stop.

It's just a matter of when and how. After that point though, it's robust "offline" mode can still entertain you and your friends for as long as you want it to. Battlestar Galactica had precisely zero Organized Play support and it is still a favourite among players because it's a great tabletop experience to get your friends together over. That's why we've (or at least myself. I don't want to speak for anyone else here)trotted it out as an example of a game that is "dead" but is still in practical terms alive and well in the collections of players.