Mantic Fantasy Games & General News & Rumour Roundup

[scarletsquig]

The goblin and mawbeast is planned with the goblin release next year - this lets you get one now.

Thanks, that's good to know.

Really looking forward to the goblin release, I'd expect them to sell just as well as the zombies (since people generally want hordes and hordes of the things). Sword/spear/bow goblins in plastic, along with a bolt/stone thrower kit would be the perfect initial release for them.

The bolt/stone thrower, could, with a bit of smart design even be usable with the dwarfs (completing 100% of their artillery options) if it had a generic chassis that goblin-themed and dwarf-themed front plates and extras were then added to.

A single goblin spear chukka from GW sold for £6 when it was released back in 2000. Now it costs £18.50. Generally people want 3-6 of them for their fantasy armies... that's one model where a mantic alternative would be very welcome indeed. Their basic goblins are still £1/model though, so I'd imagine that 50p/model would be the price point to aim for with the little guys, cramming as many on the sprue as possible. Looking at the size of the zombie sprue, there seems to be easily enough space on there for 5 goblins with seperate heads and spear/sword weapon arms as long as the legs and torso are kept 1-piece, and the command/ bow/ artillery get left for seperate tiny sprues. Same approach as the orc sprue, in other words, the new modular planning of the sprues is a much better idea.

Also, Seperate heads. Seperate heads. Seperate heads. Just in case the other hundred internet denizens making that same comment didn't shout loudly enough.

Stylistically, I have no doubts at all that mantic will massively knock GW out of the park. I mean seriously, just look at these monstrosities, they make the GW orcs look like well-proportioned truescale sculpts... some of the heads are so big you can't even see the bodies.

[Baragash]

Woah Scarletsquig, get out of my head I was going to suggest exactly that

[Tonny]

As always when were the so called monstrosities made? Mantic ones will be released in 2012, I am too looking forward to their goblins. But to compare a very old plastic GW set to something to be released in 2012 isn't fair. It's just mindless GW bashing.

If you think the mantic orcs are better than the current orcs released in 2010/2011. That's a fair comparison. I don't agree with it . But the comparison is fair. Comparing something from 10 years ago with something that will be released in 2012 isn't fair imo.

[scarletsquig]

About 2003, I think? I was simply looking at the direct and current competition, there's no need to call me mindless. Hypothetical new goblins will probably not be released until 9th edition, GW tends to release new monsters and elite units these days instead of redoing core plastics.

Besides, I don't think GW has changed style all that much, they are still very much heroic scale and taking that style to increasingly extreme levels if the new OK models are anything to judge by. It is a popular style that both warhammer and warmachine players really like... big hands and heads, models holding weapons that are bigger than they are. Not everyone likes it though, especially people with older model collections who preferred the old GW metals to the new plastics. I think it's a great sculpting style if your primary target audience is children, like GW's is, the more fantastical proportions and giant 10-foot flaming swords are more likely to impress them than some tiny-looking but historically/ physically accurate weapon.

I also think GW's new savage orcs look pretty goofy too, in fact their style isn't that much different to the goblins... same oversized heads, awkward poses. The sculpting is very angular and blocky (yes, I have seen the models IRL).

This side-by-side pic of mantic and GW that siam-tiger took shows off the difference between true-scale and heroic scale quite well, I think.



It is of course, worth bearing in mind that a lot of people think that the GW orcs look better. They would say that the mantic orcs head is too small and his weapon is too puny.
I would state the opposite about the GW orc. It really comes down to personal choice. Most people are used to GW models, so they consider "oversized" to be "normal".

[Tonny]

About 2003, I think? I was simply comparing like-for-like. I don't think GW has changed style all that much, they are still very much heroic scale and taking that style to increasingly extreme levels if the new OK models are anything to judge by. It is a popular style that both warhammer and warmachine players really like... big hands and heads, models holding weapons that are bigger than they are. Not everyone likes it though, especially people with older model collections who preferred the old GW metals to the new plastics. I think it's a great sculpting style if your primary target audience is children, like GW's is, the more fantastical proportions and giant 10-foot flaming swords are more likely to impress them than some tiny-looking but historically/ physically accurate weapon.

I also think GW's new savage orcs look pretty goofy too, in fact their style isn't that much different to the goblins... same oversized heads, awkward poses. The sculpting is very angular and blocky.

Oh no the child comment is back So Mantic sculpting scale is for adults oh my . I am an adult for a couple of years now and I really like Warhammer and Warhammer Forge mini's. The Heroic sculpting scale is perfect.

I also like historical scale as in Perry War of the Roses and Victrix mini's (can't wait for their hoplites).

Anyway looking forward to Mantic goblins!

Most Mantic mini's I find ugly, but a real artist can make them beautiful.



Painted by Tommie Soule

[scarletsquig]

I didn't call you a child, just stated that that is GW's target audience. Liking heroic scale models does not make you personally a child, or any of the other thousands of adults who like heroic-scale models.

Walk into a GW store, it's full of kids. No denying it's their target demo, they even state this in their financial reports, that their business is primarily focused on short-term selling to teenagers who then leave the hobby a few years later.

I definitely do think that their more cartoony style is designed to appeal to a younger audience. You mentioned forge world models, which are more realistic in scale than regular GW models and are targeted at experienced hobbyists or adults. I also like the warhammer forge stuff, the empire state troops they made are far less goofy-looking than the skull-plastered GW plastics.

[Tonny]

I didn't call you a child, just stated that that is GW's target audience. Liking heroic scale models does not make you personally a child, or any of the other thousands of adults who like heroic-scale models.

Walk into a GW store, it's full of kids. No denying it's their target demo, they even state this in their financial reports, that their business is primarily focused on short-term selling to teenagers who then leave the hobby a few years later.

I definitely do think that their more cartoony style is designed to appeal to a younger audience. You mentioned forge world models, which are more realistic in scale than regular GW models and are targeted at experienced hobbyists or adults.

So you think if mantic would have it's own shops that it would be full of adults I am pretty sure we would see the same amount of childs we would see in a GW shop.

I am talking about Warhammer Forge and they are in the same heroic scale as my other warhammer figures.
.

Cartoony style, I don't think the upcoming VC are cartoony, you could say the new Ogres look cartoony, but it fits them.

I would say that mantic mini's are more for childs, because I find their sculpts simplistic.
Anyway sorry for dragging this off topic and I am looking forward to Mantic Goblins, because I do agree that the old GW goblins look bad.

But when those old GW goblins get the same treatment as their cousins the GW Night Goblins, they will be very nice.

[Anthony Case]

I completely agree with scarletsquig here. The main reason I generally prefer the stuff from Mantic, Lord of the Rings and Warhammer Forge is that they don't make me feel like I'm playing a game produced by McDonalds. Granted not all Warhammer stuff is like that and is why I pick and choose between all the companies, but a fair amount is and GW have especially turned the Orcs/Goblins into a joke of a race which is a far cry from the original LofR source material. Case in point: the recent Chimera.

[Tonny]

I completely agree with scarletsquig here. The main reason I generally prefer the stuff from Mantic, Lord of the Rings and Warhammer Forge is that they don't make me feel like I'm playing a game produced by McDonalds. Granted not all Warhammer stuff is like that and is why I pick and choose between all the companies, but a fair amount is and GW have especially turned the Orcs/Goblins into a joke of a race which is a far cry from the original LofR source material. Case in point: the recent Chimera.

I quite like the Chimera, but I do understand your point

[loveless]

I quite like the Chimera, but I do understand your point

Ditto.

I don't care for the reptile head sticking up on the GW Chimera, but the BaneBeast Chimera has issues as well (namely, looking a bit too crowded in the head section and having too sudden of a change between scorpion portion and lion portion).

GW has their own style that keeps them well out of the realm of reality. Their Chimera fits their style quite well.

Mantic doesn't fit into the sort of "hyper realism" that the BaneBeast Chimera is trying to accomplish, but it does have more realistic scaling.

Both companies have their hits and misses - it just comes down to the look you're trying to accomplish when you build your army.

[Chicken Pig]

I'm holding onto my points for what I'm hoping will be something a little special coming in the, hopefully, not too distant future for my dwarfs.

This. He nailed the sculpt of the artwork there, but things have been a little quiet on that front recently.

Am eager to get my mitts on the new army list come friday.

[Darsc Zacal]

Mantic is promising a new video from Ronnie tomorrow featuring him outlining Mantics 3 year plan.

Looking forward to hearing about some juicy news.

[mattjgilbert]

Mantic is promising a new video from Ronnie tomorrow featuring him outlining Mantics 3 year plan.

Looking forward to hearing about some juicy news.

Me too. We know a fair bit but extra news and gossip is always appreciated

[scarletsquig]

I'm guessing it'll be similar to what was said in the BoW interview (1: release as many armies as possible, 2: consolidate and fill out the model ranges for the armies, 3: start releasing entirely new armies), but we might get more detail than that considering it'll be a whole video on the subject.

I could easily see mantic going for a sci-fi board game as well, after the success of DKH...

[gaarew]

I could easily see mantic going for a sci-fi board game as well, after the success of DKH...

Spacious Hulk?

[Darsc Zacal]

I'd hope for something more than a few generalities that can be readily deduced by anyone who has already been following Mantics progress. Although at the same time I realize Ronnie can't give too many specifics.

I'd expect a couple of cryptic clues mixed in there though.

[rodmillard]

I'm hoping for more information on the theme of the humans. Twiglet Kin and Goblins already have models, so we have some idea of the visuals for them. Where they are going with their humans (the last of the 8 core races) is much more open - especially since there are established fantasy archetypes for the first 7 (which they haven't really strayed from), but for humans they have every culture throughout history to draw on...

I have to say I'm hoping for something that can be modelled and/or painted as Solamnic Knights from Dragonlance, to face off against my Sothite undead.

[Baragash]

I could easily see mantic going for a sci-fi board game as well, after the success of DKH...

I was wondering if a detailed skirmish game might be more attractive to them from a sci-fi point of view.

[mattjgilbert]

I'm expecting a white board or flip chart in the background with clues or items covered over deliberately

[Shimmergloom]

Next year before goblins?

ugh. Is it at least early next year? Like before March?