ItsUncertainWho said:

This is sad. So basically, angry nerds win? Sad.

@ Kommissasar Zeitsev - Agreed. Privateer Press is a shining beacon in customer relations and communications, the entire industry could learn from. In the case of some companies, their beacon is blinding sunlight, lol.

So total supportive post to FFG:

We want you to do well! Communicate well, and I'll stay on the train. I couldn't get into WM/H cause steam punk ain't my thing. Nazis with monkies and zombies! Love it. Keep the awesome rules coming, keep the awesome models coming, and be a responsive and communicative company and I'm in.

SSU is an opportunity until the delay hits September. I hope FFG plays this moment well, cause my sense is that Wargamers are looking for a great rule set, awesome IP and an involved company. Two out of three FFG do us well!

You can see the names of the 3 FFG moderators for this forum and if im not mistaken those are the names of the 3 guys that were at adepticon… point being they not be able to respond all that often on here because they are showcasing a game that only launched a few months ago and probably trying to finish and print the SSU book.

Dont forget they prob do read here a little… how else would they have know what to put in the FAQ a month after the game book dropped.

Actually, Mack was the main demo guy at AdeptiCon from what I hear, and he isn't a moderator of this forum (but probably should be). I'm guessing that first round of FAQs stemmed from questions asked him in person there, not posted here. Andy Chambers, while he was working on this project, is the only "official" person I've seen post regularly in these forums for any game in many years.

As far as book release time goes, unless FFG is very slow to update their Coming Soon page, it's months off, as it's still showing a status of: In Development. Their, "At the Printer" status states it takes a few months for a book.

My guess as to the delay? The Zverograd book got bumped so they could get the core book reprinted quicker. It appears to me that Zverograd DW may have been victimized by Core DW's success. Just a guess, and I hope I'm wrong on all counts.

Shadow4ce said:

This is an unfortunate, but very possible theory.

he said ; So basically, angry nerds win?

Not sure why but this made me laugh so hard I spit soda,,,ROFLMAO…..thank you! angry nerds the next iphone game coming this fall HAHAHAHA!

New England AT-43! (Alternate Timeline 1943) said:

Well…

Shadow4ce said:

It could be that. I think, overall, the success of Warfare took FFG completely by surprise. They probably thought it'd be a small success, when in fact it has been a bit more than that! Maybe they should've accounted for the core rulebook and Zverograd in the initial estimate to allow for a "buffer" in case the game exploded; if it didn't, they'd only be out of pocket for those books. But now FFG has lots of people bashing down the door, telling them to shut up and take their money.

Id assume some of the delay for Zverograd was due to having to rewrite and playtest sections due to the changes in the core rules. As far as the Status page goes I wouldnt give it too much credit as it is seems that lately it is slow to be updated.

By and large, I am of two minds about this issue, because I believe there to be two groups at FFG with fingers in this pie.

The first group is the 'corporate thought' people. They would want to delay Zverograd for GenCon because it's traditional to have a totally unseen new release there. This sort of group-think, by the way, is dedicated to low-risk inside-the-box 'cuz-everyone-does-it behavior.

The second group is the people on the ground: developers, editors, those who actually have some contact with the customer base and know that a base does exist outside the distributors. These are the people more likely to realize that we're 'hammering on the door, yelling at the to take our money' (or some such).

Sympathy for the second group, largely because, for reasons that will doom humanity unless we can break the cycle, the first group is usually the gits in charge. Distain for the second group.

I'm not so sure about that. Corporate types want to make money, and they know that if a product is hot (they are likely more connected to that info than you think) they will want to capitalize on it. They also should be aware of the competition looming in the form of 6th, Dropzone Commander and more. If they are not aware of these things, someone lower on the totem pole isn't communicating upward properly.

There's little to gain from waiting until GenCon. It could make sense to reveal the 4th faction there, but business wise - with models on the shelf now - they need to get SSU DW rules into customer hands ASAP.

In all likelihood it probably is the high demand for Warfare which is delaying the books release. Increased print runs, retooling, etc. etc. It could also be something as simple as a mistake at the printers, or the books are being held up in customs (i'm assuming they print in China like everyone else) or they fell of the cargo ship on the way over. Don't rule out Murphy's law. I don't even have a handle on how my freakin allies play (or have the army painted) yet. I know it's a new release and you have to keep the pressure on, but just over two months have passed between now and when the core rulebook came out at Adepticon. Let's not panic just yet.

At the very least Mack will be in Austin in a couple of weeks for War Games Con, if it still isn't out by then I suppose we can just ask him what's up in person

I blame it on the vrill. They stole it!

In all actuality, aside from having to reprint the core book, I'm guessing they increased the size of the print run on the Zverograd book as well. The printer might have some different ideas, "You now want how many? You want that many when? "

Also, while DW is a big deal to us, keep in mind FFG is an infant in miniature gaming. Their cash cows are still boardgames, and RPGs. This one took them by surprise success-wise, and isn't their only venture into minis this year. X-Wing is due out next month, and they're probably wondering about now if they've got enough of that product in their initial production order. If it sells as fast as DW, (a distinct possibility, as Star Wars has a broad appeal fan base, and the game play is based on tried and true Wings of War principles), then they'll have two messes on their hands, lol.

However, most companies vastly prefer if they had to have a supply/demand issue, that the problem be not enough supply for too much demand.

Yeah . . . I think gamers, because of a variety of issues and bad past experiences with . . . 'bad actors' in the industry, tend to think of the 'corporate thugs' as the convenient bad guy.

. . . Not sure you can really find 'those folks' at a small company (and FFG is still a small company, relatively speaking), run by an actual real-life game designer . . .

I have it on very good authority that the GenCon plan for Dust: Warfare has nothing to do with SSU, which it was assumed would be fully out and integrated by then.

~Craig

Craig in NH said:

Oof, that's rough. I'm more than willing to cut the FFG guys slack, but I do have friends who are excited about the SSU (not so much allies or axis) and might be turned off by having to wait so long for rules. Will just have to keep interest for the game up in the interim so magpie syndrome doesn't set in.

MarkT said:

@ Craig - does your inside man now believe the SSU won't be out and integrated by GenCon? Or is that still the plan?

I manage the warehouse of a game distributor and will post when it arrives here at the warehouse and is ready for your LGS to buy it from us.

Cannor said:

Thanks again for the laugh, OMG to funny!

In all fairness to FFG the fact that tactics isnt their game (they just distribute it) but shares a common miniature line must unecessarily complicate their launch windows.

It would help a great deal if FFG could post the SSU platoon lists in advance, regardless of when the actual book appears.

This way, I could at least continue buying and painting more models. But without knowing the actual platoons, I'm just too afraid to double up on some squads. Who knows which of them can be used in multiple sections?

LannisterCrimson said:

My thoughts exactly. I only ordered a single KV47 rather than three as I'm currently unsure what Infantry I'll be able to run in my platoons. I'm crossing my fingers that FFG will allow Frontoviki to operate in most section slots, as I would like to field a LMG heavy army that captializes on strong reactionary defence

Frontoviki seem to be the safest bet for multiple buys. On the other hand, the Sturmpioniere didn't seem like a 'Command Section only' squad either..

They were the command sections in the Revised Core set for tactics.

Tarnis Phoenix said:

Tactics doesn't have Command Sections.

LannisterCrimson said:

I have bought a platoon's worth of Frontoviki: command squad plus four frontoviki squads. I hope they end up usable as such and are worth having