This has to be an area that has caused a lot of love to be lost with Games Workshop for me. Abandoning their Specialist Games lines.
My introduction to GW gaming was at the hands of an old friend. As is often the case. And the game in question?
That's right. Blood Bowl. GW's game of Fantasy Football. This new thing was amazing. American style football but with models from races like Orcs, Dark Elves, and Chaos! And the violence involved too. What wasn't to love. Got to learn the system fairly well but won't ever claim to really be good at it. Still have a few from my first Chaos Team, Khorne's Killers (before it was a name used in the third edition).
Then came third edition. Streamlined and smooth. Took a while for me to get used to as I quite enjoyed all the downs and drives. But this new version was quick, exciting, and unforgiving of mistakes. And I even settled on my team too. I loved the cheating, the violence, the dirty tricks, did I mention violence? There was only one choice really...
Goblins!
The Stunted Steelerz
Never got round to finish painting them but games were always fun (often at my players expense mind) and I even pulled off a few wins too.
Now Blood Bowl was only the start of my enjoyment of the GW Specialist Games. Necromunda being an excellent little skirmish game with small gangs in a hive city in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. I never really managed to build up a decent gang. Often due to regular beatings at the hands of Jo Bain's Ratskins, the Tigerats. Resulting in new gangs being tried and shortly after abandoned. Still enjoyed the skirmish level gaming though.
Then came Gorkamorka. Ork Mobz fighting it out in deserted wastelands on vehicles and on foot. I've heard a lot of people didn't enjoy it but it was a good laugh and had plenty of Ork flavour as well as scope for insane Ork vehicle madness. Like the land pirate ship, also by Jo Bain.
Inquisitor delved into the world of 54mm miniatures and although I never got the chance to play, I certainly enjoyed painting a few of the models. Even so though, the rules do look very interesting and one day I'll get to try it or the current variant, Inq28 which uses the standard 28mm scale miniatures.
I never really got into Epic Warhammer 40,000, Battlefleet Gothic, or Mordenheim and couldn't really change that now without some serious on-line hunting.
So that is a pretty large selection of games that were wiped out, quite likely to appease share holders who do not actually care about gaming in the slightest, just the money. But, luckily, there are plenty of places on-line that still champion these game systems. Creating rules, making models, and supplying the fix to those who are not ready to just let go and search for new systems. And good on them. Why should game systems with large fan bases just be let go off.
Well, thank you for reading my ramblings. I'm still very much new to all this blogging malarkey so any comments or pointers are most welcome.
I wish they would bring back battle fleet gothic that was a very fun game. Necromunda too, I had a heavy stubber guy that constantly would get +1 BS when he got exp and thusly named ace was a terror on the battlefield.
ReplyDeleteMissed out on Battlefleet Gothic. Thought about it, just never got round to it. Looks like Ace got very lucky too. Makes me think of my BB Goblin that gained block and agility bonuses.
DeleteI use Mordheim to get my friends hooked on the other games. It was awesome, fast and you could play a game in 30 minutes with minimum fuss, figures and terrain.
ReplyDeleteThat is always the draw for me with skirmish games too. Less models needed so you can put that bit extra into each one, less space needed, and less time to play so it's possible to get multiple games in. And Mordheim is another I never got round to. Spent too much time trying to decide which force I'd go for.
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