MR Innes said:

Your point being? That somehow relying on board and card game sales means that they are structurally unable to give a correct release date? This is not rocket science we're talking about here. It's simply giving a correct release date.

Apparently the people who make WFRP and the 40k RP lines the 2nd and 3rd biggest selling RPGs currently out there think otherwise, because if they disliked it as much as you do, they wouldn't buy the games.

I've always found RPGs to be fairly unpredictable as to when they'll actually turn up in stores, given the much smaller customer base and much smaller printing runs for them, so I'm just used to it. As long as it arrives eventually, I couldn't care less when it shows up, especially if they turn up within the release time stated by the company (which all of FFG's stuff has been, since they instituted the new system for public release dates).

Please read my arguments. I also buy the FFG products about the 40k rpg. If i didn't like their products i wouldn't be here complaining. However, the fact that i love their products does not excuse this kind of behaviour for me. They ought to get their act together. And you should all realise that just because you are a fan of the product doesn't mean that you shouldn't criticise them when they are coming up short with regards to customer care. This kind of behaviour alienates people from an otherwise perfectly good game. It means less customers because people get fed up. And that in turn means that people'll go elsewhere to get their gaming needs met.

I've already switched from DnD to Pathfinder because of the overly commercial mindset of Wizards of the Coast. I'm assuming that if FFG makes a habit of screwing up like this there'll be plenty of players who'll happily jump ship as soon as another option presents itself. They are the only company with a 40k rpg right now. They should get their act together and work on tying customers to them, not alienate them.

Badlapje said:

Have to agree. The majority of today's customers is extremely quarrelsome and complains about everything, so not hitting a release date due to quality standards would kick off an avoidable shitstorm, even though the attempt to deliver a product of better quality rather than releasing it with more errors just to hit a certain date (like it has become common in the video game market due to the option to correct flaws via later patches) should actually be seen as commendable. I can perfectly understand the company for having chosen to keep their release dates rather more or less undisclosed.

Naturally, the company is between a rock and a hard place on this one, as the decision to keep release dates from the public may also generate some unrest amongst some, but I'm pretty sure that this outrage is nothing compared to what would happen if FFG says book X will be in stores on day Y and then it isn't.

My advice: lean back and relax. Don't make your game depend on release dates of supplements. Simply keep on gaming and be happy when it eventually turns up.

Lynata said:

Exactly my point, thank you.

Seriously, I'm sure many people around here can remember what a ragefest it was when the supplements for Dark Heresy and the release of Rogue Trader didn't go exactly as planned due to various transport delays... anything is better than going back to that.

Just checked a calendar, Spring doesn't officially begin until March 21st.

For the record, my experiences with FFG's customer service have been nothing but exceptional.

Off topic a bit (as the topics shifted to an FFG bash) but celestial games in the UK emailed me to say they had it in stock.

They aren't my FLGS so I'll wait for him, but still for those of you who can't wait ;-)

Unfortunately I lack an LGS, F or otherwise, and must rely on Amazon for mine.

Leisure Games and Orc's Nest are both getting it in on Tuesday, which seems to be the release date in the UK.

Got my copy pre-ordered, can't wait to see the actual book on Wednesday

Just ordered mine from Gameslore UK for £21.99. Hope to have it by end of the week as I'm off work next week so there'll be plenty of time to enjoy it!

first time posting here. I was wondering it somebody why has the book could tell me what imperium navy ships are included with chapter on and second a summary of what is in chapter 3. finally is the final chapter focused in smallcraft and ground mass combat and does it include rules on fighting the big warships too

Lynata said:

Like with video games, however, you can't delay your product forever or people will get annoyed and lose interest. Duke Nukem Forever was delayed again and again because its developer, 3DRealms, kept trying out different technologies for it and wanted to get it "just right", but the consequence of that was that the game was held up for over a decade. It became the laughing stock of the industry and is only being released now (well, soon) thanks to a new developer. I certainly don't expect Battlefleet Koronus to be delayed that long, but I was just using DNF as an example of why holding up a game due to quality concerns can only be done up to a point.

Anyway, Nova Cannons. I hate those things. I was playing a BFG game as the Tyranids, and I had two proud Hiveships in my fleet, loaded to the brim with diabolical weapons. And what happens? Cruiser with a Nova Cannon scores a direct hit on one of them and blows it to hell in one shot. Of course, I was unluckyif I recall, the Nova Cannon acts basically with space artillery, and you have to choose a certain point for it to detonatewell, I could be wrong, but the point is that the thing balancing out the Nova Cannon's stupefying power is that it's not as straightforward to fire it as some other weapons are. I expect that to hold true in Battlefleet Koronus.

I'm expecting it to have similar mechanics to Battlefleet Gothic as well. Hence my repeated attempts for hints as to how its handled. With my book due somewhere between tomorrow, and next month I kind of would like a bit of information so that i can make things a bit more 'official' than the fan rules I'm using now.

Not that the fan rules are bad...it's just easier to replace them before we use them a lot, especially if the new rules are incredibly different in how they handle things like bombers, nova cannons, and other such new systems.

FFG only has control over when it arrives at a distributor. Even if they specify a release date to the distributors, those distributors often send the book out early. When you are talking about a worldwide distribution, which countries distributors get it first is going to very by a couple weeks.

Usually if a store doesn't know when a book is coming, it's usually because they are too lazy to actually call the distributor and ask. If you haven't seen them on the phone with the distributor, it probably means they didn't call. If the distributor doesn't within a few weeks of release, they aren't doing their jobs right.

Amazon is another matter entirely. They set a release date when they first put the product in the database. This is usually months and months before and is a wild estimate. When that estimate arrives they add 2d4 weeks and call that the new release date. They could call the distributor and ask, but they simply don't care. From what I hear, they don't even have shipments sent to them. Amazon sends a truck to the distribution center to pick up their orders. Depending on the distributor they are working with, they may only be getting stuff once a month. Amazon doesn't care about getting stuff quickly. They know you'll wait for 20-40% off. Once it is in an Amazon warehouse, they do ship out very quickly. But they take their time stocking the warehouse in the first place.

If you want a book at release, use a local game store. Or at the very least a local website. Paizo.com is pretty good for the US, and I get a %10 off for being a Pathfinder subscriber. I'm also lucky in that my local game store (dice house games) gives 10% off pre-orders and special orders.

So I understand why FFG would be reluctant to specify a street date, because it will always be wrong for 90% of the world, and almost always vary because of the distribution chain.

I did find an interesting article here: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/19601.html That basically advocates the gaming industry start setting standard release dates. Everyone knows Movies come out on "Friday" and comics come out on "Wednesday", why don't RPGs come out on a set day?

deinol said:

In the UK they do, they always arrive in the store on a Tuesday.

MILLANDSON said:

Around here, they always mail out to the stores from the distributors on Mondays, so the local stores get them some time around Wednesday/Thursday.