Games Workshop - Dread Fleet

Finally got round to having a look at this. Unconvinced, although the suggestion that it might work multi-player helps a bit.

Space Hulk worked because it was clearly based on a classic, well-loved and long-missed licence and because the production values were completely over the top. This is a complete unknown, and while it looks very, very pretty at just ten ships, some scenery and a cloth map the price point seems to verge on the ludicrous.

Yes, I know the FFG coffin box games have the same RRP but they get discounted by retailers, while this won't be. They are also known properties that have (in some cases, such as Runewars) a proven track record of critical acclaim. And whilst they might not look as good as Dreadfleet the sheer amount of toys you get in the box helps to compensate.

I think they missed a trick not basing this on Man-O-War, even if it was only a starting point to build up from so that the brand could be used in marketing. If I knew that this, like Space Hulk, was based on a classic and acclaimed rules platform I'd probably buy it. As it stands, I'm only tempted because of the assumption that as a limited edition piece, copies should hold their value. But I'm still not sure.

I imagine either GW themselves or the fanbase will come up with stats to use the ships as "super" flagships for MoW.

I'll tell you what, Matt: I thought the same thing. Why not just re-ignite Man o' war? I almost just bought the box set instead of this. But, this is just so fucking pretty, I had to do it.

OK, here's an interesting titbit. I just popped along to my local GW shop to ask about Dreadfleet, wanting to know if there was going to be any advanced material to look at, as I recall when Space Hulk came out there were sample rules and figures at the shop a couple of weeks before the release. I was told that no shops anywhere are getting preview material for this and that no-one in GW outside the design & development process had any idea of what the game was like.

That set off alarm bells in my head right away. It sounds like the behaviour of film studios who won't screen new a movie for the critics because they know it stinks and don't want the negative publicity. I think the risk of missing out is worth taking in exchange for waiting and getting a concrete look at the game before buying.

Matt, the plan wouldn't work. It's not like people HAVE to order, and it's not like the window closes after the launch date.

I think they're doing this because they don't want to piss off the Man o' War folks.

SuperflyTNT wrote: I think they're doing this because they don't want to piss off the Man o' War folks.

Yeah, because the company has a reputation for treating the fans of their dead game systems with respect.

Ha! QFT.

I think they're doing it because somebody dropped the ball.

S.

MattDP wrote: OK, here's an interesting titbit. I just popped along to my local GW shop to ask about Dreadfleet, wanting to know if there was going to be any advanced material to look at, as I recall when Space Hulk came out there were sample rules and figures at the shop a couple of weeks before the release. I was told that no shops anywhere are getting preview material for this and that no-one in GW outside the design & development process had any idea of what the game was like.

That set off alarm bells in my head right away. It sounds like the behaviour of film studios who won't screen new a movie for the critics because they know it stinks and don't want the negative publicity. I think the risk of missing out is worth taking in exchange for waiting and getting a concrete look at the game before buying.

I think it's more because they wanted it to be a genuine suprise release and therefore limited the number of people in the know. My local GW is getting a sample copy in for the opening day on 1st October, so people are gonna get a chance to play it before buying (Space Hulk didn't sell out immediately so I doubt Dreadfleet will).

I'm really suprised at the comments that the price is ludicrous compared to other games. Yeah, you only get 10 main ships, but have you seen the size of them? On top of that there's various smaller ships, zepplins, dragons. There's 3 sea monsters and a bunch of sculpted scenery pieces. That's not even looking at all of the cards and the cloth mat. I think it's a bit misleading to state that it simply has 10 playing pieces in it.

Compare that to other recent big box games (all of which were more expensive in the UK than this). Component wise it beats the hell out of things like Horus Heresy, Fortune and Glory and Runewars.

Personally I'm glad they're taking a risk and publishing a new game. Whilst it's nice to see old games getting re-published that's not the only thing I want to see. I want to see new stuff!

panzerattack wrote: Compare that to other recent big box games (all of which were more expensive in the UK than this). Component wise it beats the hell out of things like Horus Heresy, Fortune and Glory and Runewars.

While you make a fair point about the extra stuff in the box, I don't really agree. The components are nicer, yes, but less numerous and that has to balance out cost wise. And I have no idea where you shop, but Runewars and Horus Heresy are easily available for £60, so cheaper.

panzerattack wrote: Personally I'm glad they're taking a risk and publishing a new game. Whilst it's nice to see old games getting re-published that's not the only thing I want to see. I want to see new stuff!

I would agree with this were GW not sat on such a veritable gold-mine of brilliant old designs that now command enormous sums on EBay and are clearly well-loved and in-demand. New games are great but I - and many others - wish they would either republish or at least sell on the rights to some of those classics before coming out with new material.

But then again people always seem to forget that GW is not a games company in the sense that hobbyists understand it. We should not expect them to share our desires and motivations, and make like-minded decisions, like most game publishers do. Having been in the belly of the beast, as it were, for many years myself, it's tempting to do an article on this.

MattDP wrote:

panzerattack wrote: Compare that to other recent big box games (all of which were more expensive in the UK than this). Component wise it beats the hell out of things like Horus Heresy, Fortune and Glory and Runewars.

While you make a fair point about the extra stuff in the box, I don't really agree. The components are nicer, yes, but less numerous and that has to balance out cost wise. And I have no idea where you shop, but Runewars and Horus Heresy are easily available for £60, so cheaper.

panzerattack wrote: Personally I'm glad they're taking a risk and publishing a new game. Whilst it's nice to see old games getting re-published that's not the only thing I want to see. I want to see new stuff!

I would agree with this were GW not sat on such a veritable gold-mine of brilliant old designs that now command enormous sums on EBay and are clearly well-loved and in-demand. New games are great but I - and many others - wish they would either republish or at least sell on the rights to some of those classics before coming out with new material.

But then again people always seem to forget that GW is not a games company in the sense that hobbyists understand it. We should not expect them to share our desires and motivations, and make like-minded decisions, like most game publishers do. Having been in the belly of the beast, as it were, for many years myself, it's tempting to do an article on this.

Yeah, ok, you can buy them cheaper but their RRP was £75 (at least when they were first out).

What old GW classics are yet to be re-published? The only one that really jumps out to me is Warhammer Quest.

I think an updated copy of Blood Royale would be awesome.

As for price, I think the $115 for this is easily as good as the $90 for Runewars or the $100 for Fortune and Glory.. There is no comparison in terms of quality of components

Space Ghost wrote: I think an updated copy of Blood Royale would be awesome.

As for price, I think the $115 for this is easily as good as the $90 for Runewars or the $100 for Fortune and Glory.. There is no comparison in terms of quality of components

When I was a kid I loved the picture on the front of Blood Royale. I didn't get around to getting a copy for about another 20 years though! The whole succession thing was a really funky little mechanic but I didn't think it really worked as a game. An updated version of that could be pretty cool.

FFG used to have Blood Royale in their release lists.

As to Dreadfleet's components, I'm still not feeling that there isn't much in the box. There are 6 oversize sprues compared to Space Hulk's 4 + 1mini. 200-ish cards and the cloth board. The odd thing is claiming that the board is unwrinkleable. Which means maybe a foam rubber backing.

Total bits are 10 primary, 9 auxiliary, 4 or 5 sea monsters, and about a dozen bits of terrain. That is a complete minis game. And styrene is so much easier to paint and deal with than most of FFGs.

Best of all, GW is actually releasing something new. I think the last time that happened, it was back in the Inquisitor/Warmaster days. (LOTR MIGHT count, but it really seems like a My First Warhammer game.)

Stop it Frank, you have me itching on the trigger.

$115 really isn't bad for the components. It's whether $115 is worth your while for the game that should be the question.