Author Topic: NEW RELEASE: BattleTech Beginner Box and BattleTech: A Game of Armored Combat (Read 106868 times)

NeonKnight · « **Reply #540 on:** 29 March 2019, 10:07:53 »

Yeah, between the Plastic Shadow Hawks, and the metal Shadow Hawks, I gots enough ;)

Easy · « **Reply #541 on:** 29 March 2019, 10:22:48 »

cleanup

SteelRaven · « **Reply #542 on:** 29 March 2019, 13:49:26 »

Visited my FLGS today; my order status Sold Out, waiting for Restock. Believe the owner is now looking into it, going to double check the product code the next time I visit just in case.

Andrew_Cluetain · « **Reply #543 on:** 01 April 2019, 11:36:58 »

My FLGS has had my copy of BT:GoAC on order for about a month, his distributor Alliance says it is out of stock at the warehouse. So I'm wondering if more copies are being printed or is there some other problem...
Any info would be helpful, thanks!

PS: a few of my players have the same issue.

Colt Ward · « **Reply #544 on:** 01 April 2019, 11:43:27 »

Are you US or Europe?

I think demand outstripped what distributors sent. Seems like a lot of stores did not get their full pre-order.

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire · « **Reply #545 on:** 01 April 2019, 12:44:08 »

If he's using Alliance, he's in the US.

Bosefius · « **Reply #546 on:** 01 April 2019, 12:59:13 »

Quote from: Andrew_Cluetain on 01 April 2019, 11:36:58

My FLGS has had my copy of BT:GoAC on order for about a month, his distributor Alliance says it is out of stock at the warehouse. So I'm wondering if more copies are being printed or is there some other problem...
Any info would be helpful, thanks!

PS: a few of my players have the same issue.

The GoAC didn't sell out as quickly as the Beginner Box so it's on a different restock cycle. Restocks have either been ordered or are in the process (I'm unclear of which) but we will be getting more.

If you want it now, our website still had copies in stock, though we don't know how many

https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-a-game-of-armored-combat

Andrew_Cluetain · « **Reply #547 on:** 01 April 2019, 14:14:25 »

I'm US, and while I have no problem waiting, my players where hoping for answers / when they might get the GoAC. So to answer their question, Restocks ordered means that it is in production and shipping to distributers or does it mean something else? I know better than to ask for dates but knowing roughly where in the process the item is can help my players be less concerned.
Thanks!

Bosefius · « **Reply #548 on:** 02 April 2019, 00:11:21 »

Quote from: Andrew_Cluetain on 01 April 2019, 14:14:25

I'm US, and while I have no problem waiting, my players where hoping for answers / when they might get the GoAC. So to answer their question, Restocks ordered means that it is in production and shipping to distributers or does it mean something else? I know better than to ask for dates but knowing roughly where in the process the item is can help my players be less concerned.
Thanks!

It means that they've been ordered. They may be in production, we don't know where the order fit in the queue. It's probably, at minimum, 2 1/2 months from hitting the warehouse, if not longer.

BloodRose · « **Reply #549 on:** 02 April 2019, 05:22:09 »

TL;DR Catalysts team vastly underestimated the demand - which is both a good and a bad thing!

Sartris · « **Reply #550 on:** 02 April 2019, 07:30:02 »

There’s also the small matter of printing what they could afford to print. It doesn’t matter how high you project demand if you’ve only got enough in the bank to pay for half of that up front

Geont · « **Reply #551 on:** 02 April 2019, 07:38:33 »

I don't think they underestimated demand. I think that they based numbers on demand of lance packs/previous intro box. They had probably taken into account a lower number of minis and return to paper maps that weren't mostly well received. Big unknown were new sculpts although these were mostly well received. Also the plan to do continual prints of these boxed probably played a role in decision making.

I am stopping today at my FLGS to get GoAC box after a long wait. I know that one shop in my country (Czech Republic) has now 30 pieces of GOaC box in stock. I am still amazed by how big stock they have given how small country we are (even when adding a friendly neighbour country of Slovak republic we are a pretty small market).

Major Headcase · « **Reply #552 on:** 02 April 2019, 08:32:18 »

I've given up waiting with enthusiasm for my store to get it and spent my money elsewhere. When it comes, it comes, and I'll consider getting it then. The excitement has turned sour for our group as we keep hearing we have to wait while others boast about buying up every copy they can find. A guy on another forum was laughing about buying all 6 copies his store got while 2 other people came in looking for it...
CGL is doing no one any favors with this trickle-release scheme...
Sorry to sound salty, but I AM...

Colt Ward · « **Reply #553 on:** 02 April 2019, 09:24:41 »

Quote from: Major Headcase on 02 April 2019, 08:32:18

I've given up waiting with enthusiasm for my store to get it and spent my money elsewhere. When it comes, it comes, and I'll consider getting it then. The excitement has turned sour for our group as we keep hearing we have to wait while others boast about buying up every copy they can find. A guy on another forum was laughing about buying all 6 copies his store got while 2 other people came in looking for it...
CGL is doing no one any favors with this trickle-release scheme...
Sorry to sound salty, but I AM...

Again . . . that is your DISTRIBUTOR . . . NOT CGL. CGL sells a couple thousand boxes to the distributor who then decides how to divide up the order among the stores that are requesting copies. And as someone who worked in a store that took special orders & pre-orders . . . pssss, not everyone picks up what they 'want' due to various reasons. As was mentioned further up in the thread, CGL themselves still has some stock they are selling direct from the CGL Store . . . the pros & cons of that have and can be discussed but its not like CGL held back from the distributors.

If you had it pre-ordered and your store put boxes on the shelf rather than meeting your pre-order, that is between you and the store- CGL had nothing to do with their decision to ignore your pre-order request.

We also know that for whatever reason the GoAC box did not trip the triggers the Intro box did to get more re-ordered earlier. CGL & TPTB went to a different order model/cycle for the two new boxes in a effort to maintain the box to meet demands rather than how they did it before. Put together the box, print a run, and move on to another project . . . come back 2 years (or more) later and redo the whole project.

I did not put in a pre-order with my store. I also did not buy one of the boxes when it was on the shelf b/c it did not fit the budget . . . now that it does, I have to wait. Might be a bit impatiently, but that is not the stores fault or CGL.

SteelRaven · « **Reply #554 on:** 02 April 2019, 10:09:26 »

Quote from: Colt Ward on 02 April 2019, 09:24:41

Again . . . that is your DISTRIBUTOR . . .

This, Alliance had no problem making sure other games stores in St. Louis, MO had GoAC boxes but my neighborhood game store is still on the waiting list.

Bedwyr · « **Reply #555 on:** 02 April 2019, 11:07:38 »

Quote from: Colt Ward on 02 April 2019, 09:24:41

We also know that for whatever reason the GoAC box did not trip the triggers the Intro box did to get more re-ordered earlier. CGL & TPTB went to a different order model/cycle for the two new boxes in a effort to maintain the box to meet demands rather than how they did it before. Put together the box, print a run, and move on to another project . . . come back 2 years (or more) later and redo the whole project.

From what Cubby and Bosefius said elsewhere, I believe the sales speed of the intro box is just that much faster, so triggered the reprint earlier and got in line at the overseas printing press.

Colt Ward · « **Reply #556 on:** 02 April 2019, 11:45:23 »

Yes, that part I understood . . . but it was more a distribution & stores thing, since the announcement was made IIRC shortly after it was released to shelves . . . did stores order more copies of the Intro box or only the intro box? My local store did not get the full order of intro box in from what I understand, but I think their order of GoAC was met. Guess it could be a perception thing for whoever orders for a store- I know when I ordered product for a store I was more likely to go with the smaller sizes or a volume rather than the larger sizes b/c of the price point when I had a budgeted 'X' to spend on each order.

Or to put it simply, the Intro box was reordered on store stocking demands while GoAC may have been reordered on customer purchase. Both are good signs for BT.

ActionButler · « **Reply #557 on:** 02 April 2019, 19:49:33 »

Late to the party, but I FINALLY found a copy of the Beginner Box in the wild.

Really, really great job, guys. Everything about the set just screams quality. The minis are brilliant and the standees are much sturdier than I expected them to be.

Exilyth · « **Reply #558 on:** 03 April 2019, 11:06:10 »

I tried to go and grab a box last week. Didn't go as planned.

Went to FLGS#1: both intro box and GOAC sold out. :(

Went to FLGS#2: "Oh, the GOAC sold out pretty fast, but for some reason we didn't even get any intro boxes" :(

Well, at there's some interest in CBT in my region. :)

Bedwyr · « **Reply #559 on:** 12 April 2019, 07:19:48 »

It looks like the beginner box set is back in stock at both local game shops in Grand Forks ND.

Colt Ward · « **Reply #560 on:** 12 April 2019, 09:16:55 »

We had one of our twice monthly games last night, 4 Beginner boxes were on the shelves . . . and I think a total of 3 walked out. I had seen both boxes when others bought them but this was the first I had picked up yet. I think it firmly establishes the Wolverine as 2nd in my collection (unseen -6R, -8K, -7H, -3R, -6M, and now classic -6R) and the Shad looked good up against the IWM one released last year. The cardboard for the stand ups and pop out terrain were great & feel resilient.

I also think the positioning of the fiction in the box was a great touch- seen right under the mechs.

Lorcan Nagle · « **Reply #561 on:** 12 April 2019, 10:10:14 »

New stock of Game of Armoured Combat spotted in Dublin, so it's getting back into distribution from Asmodee too.

BerserkMech · « **Reply #562 on:** 12 April 2019, 10:58:06 »

Does anyone know how many copies for each box set were made in the first print run?

Cubby · « **Reply #563 on:** 13 April 2019, 11:42:45 »

Quote from: BerserkMech on 12 April 2019, 10:58:06

Does anyone know how many copies for each box set were made in the first print run?

We have not released that data, and likely would not.

kinwolf · « **Reply #564 on:** 13 April 2019, 11:51:46 »

Quote from: Cubby on 13 April 2019, 11:42:45

We have not released that data, and likely would not.

Too bad. Many companies do these days. On the wargaming side, GMT, Revolution Games, Legion Wargames, even MMP(!) share their print runs numbers. As a fan of the hobby, it's quite interesting. It also keeps us informed on what hurdles companies faces these days and how things compare when stuff is made in china vs made locally. It makes companies look more "human", I think.

Daryk · « **Reply #565 on:** 13 April 2019, 12:01:05 »

True, but it also draws a metric ton of less than helpful criticism from those who aren't in the business. I think their decision to not release it is completely reasonable.

Sartris · « **Reply #566 on:** 13 April 2019, 12:27:03 »

Total print run numbers are largely meaningless without knowledge of how they’re distributed

kinwolf · « **Reply #567 on:** 13 April 2019, 13:14:42 »

That's not what I've seen happen with those companies I listed. But indeed they can do whatever they want to do, it's one of the perks of running things.

Daryk · « **Reply #568 on:** 13 April 2019, 13:20:10 »

Stick around here a while and I think you'll see what I mean...

Cubby · « **Reply #569 on:** 13 April 2019, 16:55:51 »

And to be clear, I should have put air quotes around “we” there. I generally have been told not to make those figures public. But I’m not management. Those who are could put them out tomorrow. The “likely not” is because based on prior experience, I doubt they would.