We all know that Games Workshop are endearingly inept and amateur at petty much everything they do. Their YouTube video's have passed into legend for being utterly crap and beyond awful. Even their first full feature film was dire in ways only they could manage. It's just who they are. Obviously their video's simply aren't a patch on those produced by others such as Fantasy Flight Games or... Privateer Press. Yep that Level 7 teaser trailer at the top of this page really does knock all of Games Workshops woeful efforts into a cocked hat. Number 6 in roman numerals seems a bit lamer now after you've seen that, doesn't it? Kudos to Matt Wilson and co, that's a damn fine effort. Peace out!
PS, Don't forget my Vore giveaway or my Dragon Forge Designs giveaway.
Welcome to the 21th century..
ReplyDeleteSo far, the Privateer Press games have failed to pull me in. But at least I'm getting the feeling they are making an effort to get me to try their stuff.
I quite like HoMachine. It's not the greatest game ever made, but it's fun, well designed and well written. Plus it's stable and they slowly add stuff to every faction. I enjoy their games, just not quite as much as some other products.
DeleteThis video though gets an A* for effort and coming hot on the heels of GW's 'VI' video it makes me wander why they even bother.
I haven't played it, but don't think the game is bad. The reasons are more a matter of preference.
DeleteThey use roughly the same comicbook styling as gw, which I kind of dislike (although Protectorate looks nice).
The number of miniatures is on the high side for me, I prefer the handfull of models a skirmish game uses over several full units. It gives me more painting variety.
And I need a few too many books to start playing.
That's fair enough. I can understand all of those reasons for not getting into HoMachine.
DeleteGW just seems to have a hard time figuring out the internet age. They close down their forums because of the negative remarks seen on it rather then moderate those forums, they attack fan videos like the My Little Pony 40K video they had Youtube remove for 'copyright infringements', and then they put up 30 second long teasers for a date of an announcement of a big announcement (WTF?).
ReplyDeleteHeck, look at the fact that GW forces online retailers from selling their products online or showing their products. Name another game company who would be caught dead doing something so backwater stupid in this internet era? Now of course not all online stores is going to carry all products, but that is far different then products being held from the online stores.
Oh don't get me wrong Sunfyre, I know just how awful they are at comprehending the Internet, and I know how much they fear it. I wrote an article few months ago now about a certain metaphor... ;)
DeleteI'm sure you've read it.
"We all know that Games Workshop are endearingly inept and amateur at petty much everything they do."
ReplyDeleteExcept, you know, running a successful gaming company. They kind of take the prize there.
No they're even endearingly indept and amateur at that. It just hasn't stopped them being successful is all. :P
DeleteI take it you're American? You need to get attuned perhaps to our British sense of humour. It'll serve you well when the world ends at the end of the year. ;)
Heh, noted.
DeleteI'm just used to internet luminaries noting how terrible GW is, without seemingly admitting that they must be doing *something* right.
Hang on... wait... what?
DeleteI'm an Internet luminary? When the hell did that happen? And do I get a membership card?
Games Workshop did many things right 15 to 20 years ago, and they've been living off of the monopoly that created ever since. That's the truth of it, they have some really questionable business practices, that really do raise questions as to whether they're actually running scared of their competitors.
Funny. That video was much better than the Space Marine "Movie", yet probably cost half as much to make. As the cost of media production falls and design/manufacturing becomes decentralized, well... GW just doesn't know what to do. So they flail without purpose.
ReplyDeleteI mean, think about the Level 7 video. It has a purpose, a strategy. It shows you what the game is like and provides a story for you to think about while playing it. It makes a board game more than just a board game in your mind.
When GW tries to produce a video, there's no strategy at the executive level. Which is why their stuff is so stunted. Individually passionate employees at GW do what they can, but you can only do so much without the support and interest of the higher-ups.
While I agree with much of what you have said, there is a hint of irony in my title and the short blurb underneath it. What is a teaser trailer for? It's to get people talking about something right? Well what has every single Blogger been talking about recently? What has lit up the message boards? It's that 'VI' trailer isn't it? For all the criticism it has done it's job... the irony in my post is that PP release an awesome video and people will still compare it to that 'VI' video, even if its in a bad light. So PP spend all that money on their video and GW still get mileage out of it... for free. ;)
DeleteUh, we've all been talking about 6th ever since the leaked PDF last fall. It's not like GW's done anything here but confirm what all the blogs have been telling us for months now.
DeleteAnd what's the effect? I still expect 6th to suck. They've done nothing to calm my fears and tell us how awesome it will be. Because well, they just expect us to buy no matter what.
As a counter-example, take this Apple teaser for the new Macbook Pro. Now, I already have a perfectly functional MBP, and I HATE the current version (Lion) of the OS. The keyboard on the newer MBPs also sucks. And the new processor will actually be slower than my current one for apps that aren't multi-threaded. But even with my doubts, I'm now obsessively dreaming about asymmetric cooling fans after watching this:
http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/#macbookpro
Back to Level 7: With this video their new product has gone from something I would never ever buy to something that I might actually plunk down some cash for in the future. That's good marketing. Whereas GW's 'effort' hasn't changed my likelihood of buying into 6th one bit.
While all of what you say is true, the 'teaser video' kept some people talking about them and did actually get others talking about 6th Ed for the first time. Also here we are talking about GW and 6th Ed on an article which has a truly awesome video produced by PP. If you can't see the irony in that or indeed how that makes the GW vid potentially an awesome teaser, despite it's totally lame and dumb ass nature, then my good man the rage is blinding you. lol.
DeleteIt's sort of like Apple showing a glowing apple sign as some trndy hipster comatose indie pop plays in the background as the letter V appears. Then a competitor announcing a new phone via an awesome teaser trailer, that shows you how cool a concept it is. It does everything a million times better and... everyone still ends up talking about the lame Apple teaser anyway. That's actually happened as well in the past. Lame Apple release, awesome Blackberry launch. Everyone talks about Apple. Why? Brand strength. GW have that with 40k and the Aqullia. Shit though it is, it's all they needed to do.
To be fair, you do talk about the GW video yourself here, so all comments are entirely framed within the context of the blogpost :p
DeleteYep and I did so to see who would be the reaction. That and literally everybody else I saw linking to the PP vid started off by talking about the GW vid. Just honestly made me chuckle. PP spend so much money and expend so much effort making this video and the Internet still brings up that 30 second turd every time, I mean that's actually got to be annoying for PP.
DeleteOh, c'mon!
ReplyDeleteA flaming Aquila!
It was FLAMING, dude!
Music from Codex Pictures...CODEX PICTURES!
They make SPACE MARINE movies! SPACE MARINES, dude!
....and just when you think it can't get any more awesome, they overlaid a date....or at least, we THINK it's a date...It's gotta be a date, right?
-_-
The problem with GW's current strategy, I think, is that they're not reaching out beyond their existing fanbase. The only people who know, or CARE, about the forthcoming Edition already play 40k. They already own 40k armies.
Videos like the one you've highlighted here will eventually show up on more websites, and reach more eyeballs, will get linked and sent around more often...even if it doesn't happen right away.
Yep, I've already seen this video been linked by people who I know on FB, who I actually wouldn't have pegged as gamers... interesting.
DeleteMan that is fan bleeping tastic....
ReplyDeleteThats how you do a teaser video.
Yeah I have to admit it is pretty awesome. I'm really impressed. Shame it doesn't actually show you anything about the gameplay, hopefully that video will be next though. It'll certainly get people thinking about Level 7.
DeleteI have it on a loop player on my phone so I can keep watching it at work riveting stuff! What is it? A Roman "6" or is it just a V and an I...I have no idea maybe its a new version of Lord of the Rings that would e awesome!
ReplyDeleteNo body knows Minitrol. It's a mystery. Apparently its so secret they actually shot the people who made the video so they wouldn't be abe to leak what it's about.
DeleteDamm, that was cool....Old school slasher like :)
ReplyDeleteYeah the vibe they've achieved is pretty impressive, and the production values are very, very high. I'm impressed.
DeleteI have no idea what it is... movie? Video game? Board Game? Miniatures game? Who cares, after that video I want it. No, I WANTS IT!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's it's genius, it draws you into the world and you want to know more... hence you end up going onto the Interwebz to find out more... it works because there is more to find out.
DeletePlayed WarmaHordes right up until they released 2.0. It was fun, but I just couldn't get into such character driven stuff where nobody dies. Rules were fun, but were easy to abuse - hope that's changed.
ReplyDeleteThis vid was very well done. Thanks for the link.
It depends by what you mean when you say 'abuse'. The rules in MkII are far tighter than MKI and there aren't any ambiguities. However the game is still all about the synergies and linkages between troops.
DeleteI've been thinking about GW's VI video and I think I've figured out its true purpose: It's designed to play on a screen in a GW store on a loop with other GW videos. Simple sound, little if any voiceover, not too long - all perfect for that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteThis, on the other hand, is much more viral (and awesome). They don't specifically state that it's for a soon-to-be-released boardgame, encouraging people to figure out for themselves what Level 7 actually is. Much better than the half-baked conspiracy site they initially rolled out.
Yep I've just said a similar thing up there ^^^
DeleteThe video draws you in and makes you want to know more. So as a viral thing it works brilliantly. As long as they have enough information posted elsewhere to answer those questions and then perhaps raise some more themselves. And yes it's way, way, way better than that half arsed fake conspiracy website. Now that was lame.
As much as I think the GW video was shockingly amateur and cheap, it's done it's job. Even when a competitor releases some awesome information, what are people doing? Comparing it to what GW does. GW are still the story, they're still the protagonist. You've got to give them some respect for that... even if it is grudgingly!
It's one thing to be compared to every potential competitor out there, but if you're not the favourable end of the comparison you're only hurting yourself in the long run. We all still talk about Hitler, but not in a way he might like.
DeleteTrue, but if people are still talking about you it's because you are still relevant today. Sadly the same is true of Hitler. In this instance though I'm not so sure the negative comparison actually does that much harm as far as GW are concerned, as it just means 40k 6th Ed is still in peoples minds, regardless of how awesome PP's Level 7 vid is. Job done for GW at a fraction of the cost.
DeleteI don't know what I just watched but I DO know that I want to find a way of hitting those aliens in the face with something solid.
ReplyDeleteWell apparently that's not possibly... they just use the 'mind thing'. At least it puts a bit of narrative behind the game.
DeleteBased on the contextual clues I'm guessing they just can't be hit by bullets. It's possible that there's no effect on the good old "rusty pipe" method of monster disposal. And even if it is a psionic effect preventing effective directed violence, a tripwire connected to the old Ewok-log-trap will do just fine.
DeleteImpossible? Nay! I merely need to get creative.
I think it's probably just best to run and hide buddy. Otherwise your team mates might take the decision to leave you behind as a speed bump to help save their sorry asses. :P
DeleteI'm with Arquinsiel. There's surely a way to knock the little grey dweebs off if you just use some imagination. It should be noted that I've never been particularly good at embracing the theme of these types survival/horror games. A good friend of mine loves them though, so I'm sure I'll end up playing this one in addition to Arkham Horror and Mansions of Madness. I do enjoy those games, even if my idea of pulp horror is grabbing a shotgun and pulping the horror. XD
DeleteRight then, if that's how you both feel I'll leave you guys behind to fight the little grey freaks while I make a bid for freedom!!! Mwahahahahaaaa!!!
DeleteMoM isn't necessarily survival horror in my opinion. It's an adversarial HP Lovecraft narrative the gamers create. It's loaded against the adventurers winning, and the GM is in total control. So it's more about co-operatively building that story where they were so close to succeeding... but then one of them got so freaked out they committed suicide in the alter room... bringing forth an elder god!!! dun dun deeeeerrrr.
Brilliant game.
If you are into shooting gribblies in the face with a shotgun, you'll probably like Zombies, and almost certainly Zombiecide when that gets released.
Wow.....
ReplyDeleteTalk about production quality!
Not only would that have taken quite a long time to make, and cost a pretty penny, but it just oozes character. PP obviously have a clear vision of their game, and the archetypes it encapsulates.
Let's just hope that the game can create the same mood, with solid gameplay, as they do have strong competition at the moment from Sedition Wars (similar sci-fi horror themes).
Still not sold on the lack of miniatures, but at least the price point is significantly lower than Sedition Wars to compensate.
I look forward to reading the review, with the regular Frontline treatement.
Yep they clearly dropped some $$$'s on making that video.
DeleteI think with Sedition Wars its not so much competition because they're similar (they're actually more dissimilar than similar) it more competing with it for 'air time'.
I already know how good Sedtion Wars is, and its a nifty little game that does what it is supposed to. Level 7 I still really know nothing about. Apart from the fact its a co-operative game, whereas Sedition Wars is adversarial. It's for multiple players, Sedition Wars is 2 player.The theme of survival horror in a research facility is similar, but the nature of those settings couldn't be more different. There'll certainly be room on the market for both.
As always my reviews will be incoming when they're available.
I agree, the competition between Sedition Wars and Level 7 is a timing thing, more than them being similar in play style, aesthetics, etc.
DeleteThey are only similar in so far as they are both sci-fi board games.
I didn't realize Level 7 was co-op; nice. I do love me some co-op board games.
I will be picking up Sedition Wars, no doubt, but I'm still on the fence about Level 7...
I too am still very unsure of Level 7. Sedition Wars I know is a good fun game, that me and my mates enjoy. Great mini's too.
DeleteWe do love us some co-op board gaming though, Gears of War is still going strong in these parts as the co-op game of choice.
I'm not sure Level 7 can be considered competition for Sedition Wars and vica verca. SW is a 2-player boardgame that competes with similar boardgames like Mantics Dwarf King's Hold or Project Pandora. Lvl7: Escape is a multiplayer (up to 4) semi-competitive/semi-cooperative boardgame that competes with things like Super Dungeon Explorer or perhaps screw-your-neighbour games like Cutthroat Caverns.
ReplyDeleteI'd agree, if there was a competitor in my household though for Level 7 it would be Gears of War. Should be fun to see how Level 7 does.
DeleteInteresting topic!
ReplyDeleteYeah, PP did a very good job with that - it was quite enjoyable.
I'm a film-maker first, before wargamer so the two things kind of go hand in hand for me. I definitly think film it can enhance a wargames immersiveness if done right, but can also be a bit of a put off if done wrong (ultramarines).
I'll be going the web-series route myself, with the main alien race as the protagonists. Not sure how people will accept that as theres the worry people won't be able to relate to completely non-humanoid aliens as the characters, but I guess that's a whole other can of worms. It won't stop me making it, however.
Yep use of film and any other media really can help to better immerse people in a universe. As to what people can and can't relate too, I think you'll be surprised.
DeleteWhat, wait... GW are making 40k 6th edition? O.o When did this happen?
ReplyDeleteAhem, Anyhow,
That was a pretty fun video, where as I have no interest in the game it did keep me entertained. I've not seen the GW one yet, nor will I probably look it up but I'm sure it’s Awesome.
Couple of questions, is the Aquila in the video warped and full of holes? and do you have to pay to watch it ?
-Voidsign-
Ahhhh I see what you did there you cheeky scamp!!!
Delete:P
Because of Finecast right?
No sadly if they'd done that at least there would have been a sense of humour added to it.
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