Heroscape: Age of Annihilation is here! Back it on Haslab!

[chas]

I'm trying to put three statements together:

1. They've been working on the new Scape for a year. (Mentioned when new Scape was announced).

2. They work two years ahead of production. (This last a recent note).

Doesn't this mean they have another year to go before we see anything come out? Or did Avalon Hill get things rolling a year before they created the War Council and brought them into the project?

3. Significant announcements--and by implication actual availability--"will be a matter of days and weeks, not years and months." (This mentioned somewhere between the two).

Hmmm... It doesn't add up for me! I doubt we have to wait a year before product becomes available. Do we? I hope this will be addressed sooner than that!

[caps]

I think expecting to wait roughly a year for product to be available is a good bet. I am guessing they have finalized their first run of minis and probably even begun manufacturing them. But we know they have not printed any cards yet because they've told us that none of the cards are finalized. Getting cards printed and packaging everything (another detail that they haven't finalized yet) will be a process of a few months I expect.

If they are going the crowdfunding route we definitely shouldn't expect to see anything until probably Fall of 2023. I expect we'll know more after PulseCon. Is anyone from here going three to be eyes and ears?

[Hogg]

Originally Posted by capsocrates

If they are going the crowdfunding route we definitely shouldn't expect to see anything until probably Fall of 2023. I expect we'll know more after PulseCon. Is anyone from here going three to be eyes and ears?

I think it is a virtual event and is all online.

[Garenex]

Originally Posted by NecroBlade

Can't wait to see this dude's powers. Instantly one of my favorite Heroes.

Few different thoughts here (originally posted on Sir H's update).

A. I love that they used his cape to support the figure off the ground. We finally have a flying figure, that is actually flying (or floating, anyway).

B. Is he attacking the city dwellers? Or the city dwellers attacking him? My impression is the city dwellers are attacking him, but that doesn't fit with my theory below.

C. The fact the description uses the terms "snarling" and "pack" makes me think it could just be the two-headed dogs that he has symmetry with, but definitely not conclusive.

D. Theory: Volarak discovered a well-spring on Haukeland, and has been steadily building an army on his island, and is now confident enough to invade the mainland, potentially after the other generals have worn themselves down, fighting each other.

[chas]

Since the 2.0 Announcement, I've seen a lot more Heroscape videos showing up on my youtube algorithim. (Partly because I'm now watching Sir Heroscaper's 2.0 Updates). So I'm looking at some of these, and seeing some interesting stuff I've never viewed before.

Everyone is always invited to our New York City Gang of Four thread in General Discussion. Right now we're discussing my upcoming September 21 homage to the importance of 2.0 Factions in my Faction Flagbearers scenario.

There are a number of interesting things coming up. For example, we use C3V customs, and all of them came out after the Flagbearers, which we haven't used in ages. So all kinds of new Faction synergies may be possible in this new "Capture The Flagbearers" game. You can check it out by clicking on my signature line and forwarding to to the end of the thread. As always, anyone in or near NYC is welcome to join us--there are four of us who just drafted FBs, so we have three left.

With the new Sonlen drawing, Flagbearers new and old become interesting possibilities for 2.0! BTW, if you meet "Sonlen" on Board Game Arena, that's me!

[orgsbane]

Originally Posted by Hogg

I think it is a virtual event and is all online.

Look like, I just signed up for the newsletter, so I'll post here if anything comes through email.

['Scaper94]

Originally Posted by chas

I'm trying to put three statements together:

1. They've been working on the new Scape for a year. (Mentioned when new Scape was announced).

2. They work two years ahead of production. (This last a recent note).

Doesn't this mean they have another year to go before we see anything come out? Or did Avalon Hill get things rolling a year before they created the War Council and brought them into the project?

3. Significant announcements--and by implication actual availability--"will be a matter of days and weeks, not years and months." (This mentioned somewhere between the two).

Hmmm... It doesn't add up for me! I doubt we have to wait a year before product becomes available. Do we? I hope this will be addressed sooner than that!

Points 1 and 2 have a strong correlation. It's entirely possible that AH spent a year (give or take) doing market research, back-end logistical planning, etc. before taking the leap to officially bring on the creative team - the War Council. Since AH is restarting a cancelled game (a plastic-heavy game at that), it would make sense that they would first want to see how the revival can be pulled off from a financial standpoint.

If it were me, I'd be reviewing the cost/return numbers from when HS was first in production, compare those findings to today's market, and investigate what it would take to manufacture HS in the current economy. All of this before hiring a creative team to make it happen.

As for the third point, I took that statement to mean announcements and information, not product availability. From my perspective, it's far too hopeful to believe we'll see product availability before Holidays 2022. Considering manufacturing time in conjunction with the current global market and shipping situation, I just don't see availability happening until next summer at the earliest. But I also don't have the inside scoop, so I could be pleasantly surprised.

[Grungebob]

Originally Posted by 'Scaper94

Points 1 and 2 have a strong correlation. It's entirely possible that AH spent a year (give or take) doing market research, back-end logistical planning, etc. before taking the leap to officially bring on the creative team - the War Council. Since AH is restarting a cancelled game (a plastic-heavy game at that), it would make sense that they would first want to see how the revival can be pulled off from a financial standpoint.

If it were me, I'd be reviewing the cost/return numbers from when HS was first in production, compare those findings to today's market, and investigate what it would take to manufacture HS in the current economy. All of this before hiring a creative team to make it happen.

As for the third point, I took that statement to mean announcements and information, not product availability. From my perspective, it's far too hopeful to believe we'll see product availability before Holidays 2022. Considering manufacturing time in conjunction with the current global market and shipping situation, I just don't see availability happening until next summer at the earliest. But I also don't have the inside scoop, so I could be pleasantly surprised.

A lot of this depends on whether it is a retail release or Hasbro Pulse crowd funded campaign. If it’s a crowd funded campaign, that would happen just before general manufacturing. Using HeroQuest as an example, it took about a year from when the crowd funded campaign started and when the product was delivered.

[caps]

I thought this from DS on the concept art process was an interesting read

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

Oh, definitely not. Here's the process: We talk through the look we envision for one faction or another with Craig. He workshops it with us, individually at this point, to make it better. Then we get to work on our designs.

Some time later, maybe a few weeks or a couple of months, he produces a "board" - I forget the name - which has some doodles on it that express the vibe that we're going for. I suppose that, at that point, we could object, but these boards are always so cool that that doesn't happen.

Then we work on our designs. When the designs are basically in their final form, Craig works with the sketch artist or artists to produce these sketches and the minis. I'm not sure what the order of operations is on that side of things.

Sometimes we then tweak the design to match some feature of what the artist has created, which is of course not a problem. Working with existing sculpts is something that we have been doing, in the C3V, for 12 years.

I have already said elsewhere that it has been an extraordinary thing, to see the ideas from my brain go down onto paper, and then from paper to a sketch, and then from a sketch to a mini. It's really been wonderful.

edit: Thank you for your interest. One point of clarification. We've already put down some design ideas when the boards ("mood boards"?) are created. We're working on designs throughout. So the boards are created with that in mind. Also, the sketches are based on our designs. Sometimes with some variation or other, but normally they are prepared exactly for what we've created with the designs we put on paper.

[Dad_Scaper]

Dok also pointed out that he did, in fact, offer one doodle into the process.

[caps]

These are so cool and pretty! I can't wait to see the designs. What can you tell us @Dad_Scaper ?

Originally Posted by Anitar

Today's doggos.

Image name: IWantOneForMyBirthday.

[Dad_Scaper]

I had the idea for war wizards, and they are the backbone of the faction. As I've said.

Craig suggested that we also have familiars to go with them, which I thought was brilliant, and now you're looking at some of them. As the "Designer's Notes" text indicates, familiars will be (with some limitations) mix & match with wizards.

This is a good example of how the work of the designer and the artist together is a two-way street. I had envisioned some more classic-looking familiars, and this sketch is typical of what came back to me for them, instead. These creatures are awesome, and I never would have dreamed of them, so I'm glad that the artist took liberties with what I had originally written down.