Author Topic: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Discussion, Vol. 1  (Read 171162 times)

Deadborder

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #210 on: 15 June 2019, 17:44:15 »
Brick is fine...but imagine a brick with joints...

And that could actually exist in three dimensions to boot
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JPArbiter

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #211 on: 15 June 2019, 18:13:28 »
there will be more than one missing, as the Shadow Cat and Nova Cat aren't part of the original 16. So if we assume we'll see a total of 15 clan Mechs from these three products, at most 13 of the originals will be in.

The Dasher traditionally gets shafted, as it is a one trick pony usually only loved by a single clan in canon (Ghost bears) and very few players IRL. The Fenris, Dragonfly, and Phantom also do the same job better so there is that

Scroggins patreon had a binary lineup that also included the Grendel, so that is one more that could be replacing an original 16.

As much as i would like to see it, i dohbt we will see the cougar replace the adder, mostly cause the adder redesign is also on the Patreon
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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #212 on: 15 June 2019, 18:21:31 »
I hope the Adder stays. It's one of the scariest mechs in the Invasion, a light mech that punches like a heavy while still keeping decent speed and (for a light) armor.

We're a bit spoiled these days, but during the initial Invasion, a light that outgunned(and often outran) even upgraded mediums(and some heavies) was probably almost as scary as the Timber Wolf.
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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #213 on: 15 June 2019, 18:49:59 »
Yeah, I prefer to run with the B and D configs, so 10+ points out beyond what most are going to be able to hit back at . . . but if you take the A?  You can toss as much LRMs as the Archer at much better speed.
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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #214 on: 15 June 2019, 18:58:36 »
I wonder if we'll be getting what's effectively the Vulture II.
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Empyrus

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #215 on: 15 June 2019, 19:06:28 »
I wonder if we'll be getting what's effectively the Vulture II.
Buy Vulture III from IWM and use it as Vulture II... I mean, it does look more or less exactly like the MW4 Vulture, ie the Mk2. (Actually planning to do that, someday.)

Figure that if we get the Vulture redone for KS, it will be update to Mk1 looks.

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #216 on: 15 June 2019, 19:11:24 »
The Dasher traditionally gets shafted, as it is a one trick pony usually only loved by a single clan in canon (Ghost bears) and very few players IRL. The Fenris, Dragonfly, and Phantom also do the same job better so there is that

Scroggins patreon had a binary lineup that also included the Grendel, so that is one more that could be replacing an original 16.

As much as i would like to see it, i dohbt we will see the cougar replace the adder, mostly cause the adder redesign is also on the Patreon

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cypher226

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #217 on: 15 June 2019, 19:56:13 »
Discussed it with the missus and we'll be going n hard on this. Helps its three days after my birthday as well 😁

Bren

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #218 on: 15 June 2019, 20:52:24 »
Let's see, the actual KS is for Clan Invasion Box Set with at least Timber Wolf, and 4 others.

Stretch goals include "lance packs":
Clan Command Star: Dire Wolf, Shadow Cat, Mist Lynx, Stormcrow, Summoner
Clan Attack Star: Warhawk, Nova Cat, and 3 others

These add up to at least 6 of the original 16. At least 2 outside of the original 16 are included.

IS Command Lance: Marauder, Archer, Valkyrie, Stinger
IS Battle Lance: Warhammer, Phoenix Hawk, and 2 others

Missing Classics, after adding up the beginner box, AGOAC and the KS lance packs:
Rifleman, Wasp, Crusader.

I'd assume there will be at least third "lance pack" stretch goal for each side, possibly more.
I would expect we'll see all Classics for the Inner Sphere, along with some remodeled ones (personally wishing for Raven, Atlas, Cataphract, and JagerMech).
For the Clans, all original 16 is possible but is it probable? Personally i've huge issue with incomplete sets, and the original 16 form a set.
As for Clan 'Mechs beyond the original 16, which ones are popular? The Shadow Cat and Nova Cat are as far i can determine, probably one reason they've been chosen to the "lance packs".

Orion is a distinct possibility too ...


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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #219 on: 15 June 2019, 21:21:20 »
Buy Vulture III from IWM and use it as Vulture II... I mean, it does look more or less exactly like the MW4 Vulture, ie the Mk2. (Actually planning to do that, someday.)

Figure that if we get the Vulture redone for KS, it will be update to Mk1 looks.

I was just thinking that a revised look for the Vulture might make it look more like the MW4 version.
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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #220 on: 15 June 2019, 21:31:26 »
I'll miss all the original non-unseen art as it progresses into disuse.

Sure excited to have a proper Marauder back though.
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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #221 on: 16 June 2019, 01:58:11 »
Orion is a distinct possibility too ...
It's already been said once not to post Patreon stuff in here, come on guys.  That said, sweet Alexander's thunder jubblies that's a gorgeous piece of art.
Brick is fine...but imagine a brick with joints...
So an Eisensturm LAM?
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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #222 on: 16 June 2019, 02:20:32 »
It's already been said once not to post Patreon stuff in here, come on guys.

That image has already been shared publicly on the 23rd Feb to Facebook on the Battletech Facebook page.

There was however another image shared yesterday on AS's Patreon account, of an IS Mech re-sculpt that looks superb...it hasn't been mentioned previously but I assume it will be making it into the Kickstarter...

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #223 on: 16 June 2019, 02:21:46 »
Then I stand corrected, however my commentary on the quality of the thing remains.
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Cergorach

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #224 on: 16 June 2019, 05:05:30 »
I just have to ask: Did someone at CGL finally fall on his/her head? A KS BT KS... Finally... Just hope that it's a good KS and not one of those "Buy our products here at (close to) full price, pay now and maybe get it in a a year (or five).".

Edit: Let me fix that!
« Last Edit: 16 June 2019, 05:28:41 by Cergorach »

Lorcan Nagle

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #225 on: 16 June 2019, 05:21:14 »
I just have to ask: Did someone at CGL finally fall on his/her head? A KS

This is the 4th Kickstarter CGL has run
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Charlie Tango

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #226 on: 16 June 2019, 05:31:30 »
I just have to ask: Did someone at CGL finally fall on his/her head? A KS... Finally... Just hope that it's a good KS and not one of those "Buy our products here at (close to) full price, pay now and maybe get it in a a year (or five).".


They realize that Kickstarters aren't the magic bullet that a lot of people seem to think they are.
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Cergorach

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #227 on: 16 June 2019, 05:56:08 »
This is the 4th Kickstarter CGL has run
Yeah, what I meant was a BT KS.

Keep in mind that this product was talked about many years ago, folks 'advised' a KS for such a project also many years ago. So this finally coming out through a KS is for many of us like hell freezing over and angels tap-dancing all over it... ;-)

Next thing CGL will announce that the KS is EU friendly, will not ship from the UK, but from mainland Europe (Brexit) and they've already kept in mind the additional cost of possible Chinese tariffs impacting US import fees...

Currently most BT products in the EU are marked with "Waiting for reprint" or "Unknown when we can order this", that of course isn't new for CGL... But combine that with the KS issues in the Sprawl Ops KS, my Batsense(tm) is tingling. Also keep in mind that the last three (of the four) KS were pretty much run by Lynnvander Studios.

What has my Batsense(tm) tingling is:
Quote
The games are literally sitting in the warehouse, however, the company we're using has made some massive logistical errors in Catalysts' other campaign Shadowrun.  Which has caused some incredible delays while it gets sorted.  The actual issue has cost Catalyst tens of thousands of dollars which needs to be accounted for before the next wave of game ship.

I do have hope, but before I'm backing I'll have to see how the KS is constructed, cost, EU friendly shipping, etc.

In the last couple of years I've been spoiled by CAV KS projects. I currently have so many plastic Mechs/vehicles, that the house is starting to tilt towards where they are stored (whether that is due to weight or that the amount of concentrated plastic Mech awesomeness is starting to create a local black hole I don't dare speculate on ;-). I do like the designs and the increased quality of the recent CGL plastic Mechs, but the prices are a tad high (here) to buy but a token force of those new plastic Mechs. I get the impression that this KS will not change that...


They realize that Kickstarters aren't the magic bullet that a lot of people seem to think they are.

Off course they are not, they are but a tool. They don't fix inadequacies in logistical planning, communication/marketing or financial planning. If those are your weakpoints you don't have any business going to KS...

Not individually, but a complete set of just 10 minis, for $40.
That's already a lot better pricing then I could ever have imagined, please add that to the KS!
« Last Edit: 16 June 2019, 06:40:20 by Cergorach »

Cergorach

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #228 on: 16 June 2019, 06:03:26 »
Oops! Wrong button...
« Last Edit: 16 June 2019, 06:40:48 by Cergorach »

Charlie Tango

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #229 on: 16 June 2019, 06:22:21 »

Off course they are not, they are but a tool. They don't fix inadequacies in logistical planning, communication/marketing or financial planning. If those are your weakpoints you don't have any business going to KS...

They also don't fix things like not having the availability of the resources need to create all the things that go into the Kickstarter product like art, layout, etc.   But when you have those resources available and instead what is needed to make things happen is primarily the capital, that's when Kickstarters make sense.

Plus with some of the elements that have only recently become an option again as to what products can be included as part of the Kickstarter to generate extra interest and investment into it for a (relatively) small additional load on the factors I mentioned above it makes more sense.

People can 'advise" things all they want, but unless it makes good business sense and you can mitigate the risk, it doesn't make sense to use that tool.

This isn't to say that things can't get screwed up by things that are not in the direct control of Catalyst (miniature production getting delayed due to an error at the manufacturer or the warehouse shipping out the wrong thing, frex) . and unfortunately we seem to have several levels of Unluck where it comes to things like that happening.
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I am Belch II

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #230 on: 16 June 2019, 06:38:11 »
The Dire Wolf looks really good. Seen some photos on that.
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Cergorach

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #231 on: 16 June 2019, 07:42:12 »
but unless it makes good business sense
Please don't say such things in reference to CGL, it's awfully dangerous when people spray hot beverages everywhere. :-p

Let me just say that too many people defend poor choices and lack of optimised business processes on things like "didn't make goof business sense" or "It wasn't the right time". That can either be contributed to not the right people on the right spots or management not making the right decisions. I see either or both at many, many small business, that generally relates to IT (that's my thing), but also translates to the rest of the business.

Let me start by saying that I've been a BT fan for over 30 years. And the Fanpro/VGL era has me spending about the least amount of money on those companies. Heck, I spend more on MechWarrior clickytech then on BT/SR products since from Fanpro/CGL. Don't get me wrong, things like the hardcover consolidated rule books are awesome, something like Alpha Strike is interesting and I bought one or more of each boxed set (if at all available). But I've spent ~€1600 on cheap second hand RP minis (not IWM, but actually blue backed RP minis) and another $5000 on CAV KS for plastic Mechs and Vehicles for BT. Only recently I saw something I really liked and is on my 'to buy' list: House Arano: The Aurigan Coalition and now this 'Clan' KS...

Now, I might be viewed as very negative, but that's due to the last 12 years 'experiencing' the CGL business for both BT and SR. Many a can of worms have been opened (which I shall not do so now) and very good ideas have been extremely slow to implement. As mentioned before, this Clan Box idea is a very old idea. The quality of the minis had finally improved significantly with the latest boxed sets (yay!) but price per mini has tripled (ouch!) and is still PVC. But good PVC is better then bad PVC... I've worked at banks and other companies that are very slow to implement change, I'm very patient in that regard, but honestly CGL is trying my patience.

That said, Shimmering Sword is an excellent choice for art director and artist. And while I still love PLOG, his designs require another step to convert to proper minis and that has always been the issue with BT. Traditional 2D art vs. the consistency of 3D art in all mediums (2D art, 3D miniatures, computer games, etc.). That fills me with hope to be honest. But having experienced all the low points of CGL as well, recent news and 5+ years experience as a KS backer (do I need to mention Robotech or the ton of projects I did manage to avoid?), does give my hope an *asterisk*. Great! But... Also a bit late, if CGL jumped on the bandwagon 4 years ago, that $5k for CAV projects might have gone to BT KS projects instead. On the other hand, even the latest CAV KS gave me 60 Mechs (15 different designs) for $100 I don't expect the BT KS to not come even close to that.

I'm personally not that interested in the actual Clan box with the rule/map contents, I've had those rules since they came out 30 years ago. I am interested in minis, LOTS and LOTS of minis. I really hope that CGL sees that many of us are interested in that primarily and if we can buy just the minis (at a reduced price) instead of multiple copies of the Clan box, that would be a win for everyone. Personally I would 1 Clan Box and then (possibly) multiple sets of just the Mechs. Many of us also love deals. 10 Mechs for $40 is great but 4x10 Mechs for $120 would be better ;-) That would probably generate a ton of cash. But on the flip side CGL isn't the owner of the BT property and would need to consider the wishes of the owner (TOPPS) and their partners (IWM).

Adrian Gideon

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #232 on: 16 June 2019, 08:45:51 »
Absolutely valid, Cergorach.
Now folks, let’s not turn this into a debate or we’ll have to spin off another thread. Thanks.
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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #233 on: 16 June 2019, 08:56:30 »
I saw these Mech's on Shimmy's Patreon, and they are stunning, and now I know what they are for :) Whilst they are familiar, they are a vast improvement on the older designs artwork.
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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #234 on: 17 June 2019, 00:03:55 »
*glances at the clock* C'mooooooon...advance in time already! Curse me for being in the future compared to the US!
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mmmpi

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #235 on: 17 June 2019, 07:44:07 »
Quote
BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!

Sadly, we still have 30 days to go.

marauder648

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #236 on: 17 June 2019, 07:52:48 »
Damn it...well pointed out and for me being a dumb!
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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #237 on: 17 June 2019, 07:55:07 »
At least we can be thankful that June only has 30 days, rather than 31...

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #238 on: 17 June 2019, 08:10:15 »
Sadly, we still have 30 days to go.

Balls!

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Re: BattleTech: Clan Invasion Kickstarter Coming July 17!
« Reply #239 on: 17 June 2019, 08:11:00 »
that means 30 days to save your pennies

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