Table Tactics New Product Release

Jack the game is out on 24th, also you can see the pieces on the front page of the site ( not the forums)

Jack,

Waiting for the game to come out sounds like a good idea.

Honestly, I feel if you come out with a set of French pieces that has 2-3 different models of tanks, and perhaps an artillery piece and fighter plane (so 5 molds total), it will be an A&A hit. The community now is much bigger than it was for the 1984 version, and has access to the internet for variant info, etc (you have 500+ friends on facebook!).

You have to tap that market. Use the French set as a trial - make the 5 molds, sell it for your regular set price ($12 is a fantastic pricepoint btw). Don’t make infantry molds - they really aren’t that popular.

If this blows up and fails (it won’t), you have only wasted 2 molds (the Char B and the SOMUA). You can recycle the rest and make infantry pieces as normal, and the plane *nd artiller mold can be saved for your future piece sets. - truly believe the market is ripe for this - thoughts?

I buy anything that has the same size as the regulare A&A pieces

I’m a bit late to this thread but let me see if I got this right:  The plan is to make the next four countries – Hungary, Japan, France, Russia – with the tanks smaller to fit with the A&A pieces.  Then, assuming sales are good and all goes well, TT is going to go back and re-size the first four countries – America, Britain, Germany, Italy – to fit closer to A&A pieces?  Is that correct?  If so, what are you going to do with all the bigger pieces you’ve already made?

I would argue it makes sense for France as you have no competition, and there is a need in the A&A community - France and Italy do not have unique units, FMG is about to release Italian units and you can release French units so that people have pieces for their games.

Jack,

Let me explain it this way - if you produce a game that uses the big tanks, odds are that France will not be in it. Games tend to use the major powers (US/UK/Jap/GER/USSR).

If you made a game that used all those, AND France - congrats… you just made AAGlobal. Except much bigger, as your pieces are bigger.

Therefore, we can treat the French as a stand-alone set, in which case it makes all the sense in the world to fill a void that only exists for France and Italy - country specific pieces. Let’s be honest, every other country has unit specific tanks so new ones might be a harder sell, but it is a no-brainer for France & Italy.

As you have already cut Italy, and FMG is about to release their Italian pieces, the best course of action is for you to fulfill a market need - French unique pieces.

Thoughts?

@Table:

@knp7765:

I’m a bit late to this thread but let me see if I got this right:  The plan is to make the next four countries – Hungary, Japan, France, Russia – with the tanks smaller to fit with the A&A pieces.  Then, assuming sales are good and all goes well, TT is going to go back and re-size the first four countries – America, Britain, Germany, Italy – to fit closer to A&A pieces?  Is that correct?  If so, what are you going to do with all the bigger pieces you’ve already made?

The Japanese and Russian tanks will be in the same scale as the first 4.  The Japanese should shoot parts on Monday and the Russian units in about 3 weeks.
Now the debate is if I should make the French smaller.  It really comes down to dollars.  If I have the dollars to redo the other country tanks it makes sense to but if I don’t have the dollars then changing one country does not make sense.  Hungary is going last so I should know before making them what will be the direction.
If the Venture Capital comes in then I can use the bigger tank molds in a complete game and cut new tools for you A&A folks.

Ah yes, it all depends on obtaining the capital to continue moving forward.  That’s a cool idea for coming out with a new game to accomodate the larger tanks.

I think reloader is right though.  Since you haven’t yet made the French or Hungarians, you should make them small as to be compatible with A&A tanks and you will have a better sale of those sets.  I know there are lots of people that play other games, but I’m pretty sure the majority are into A&A and would like to use your new tanks to replace the “Soviet” French pieces in AAE40.  I bet if your French tanks match the current A&A size tanks, you will sell a lot of French units.

That idea of a vinyl world map sounds great.  I bet it would be a lot easier to carry around and store than all of the different game boards for the new AA Global 1940.  It would probably be easier to play on too since you wouldn’t have the cracks where the boards join or the folds in the boards themselves.  Only problem I could see is getting it to lay flat.  I assume something like that would come in a roll, right?

By the way, I guess I’m not as into gaming as a lot of these guys are.  What is a "BoardGameGeek Microbadge?

@Table:

Also looking into a vinyl world map 36" x 72" and was wondering if you think there would be any interest?

It would depend on what the map showed.  One variable would be the breakdown of the territories on the map: would it show the world as it is now or as it was in a particular past year (like for example 1939)?  The other variable would be the proportions of the spaces.  The world as it actually exists isn’t well proportioned for wargaming purposes: Europe is too small and the Pacific is too big, which is why the A&A games distort size and shape in order to improve playability.

My guess is that there wouldn’t be much of a wargaming market for a map showing today’s national borders and using accurate proportions – especially since those kinds of current maps can already be purchased easily.  A big vinyl wargaming-oriented map showing national borders as they existed in the past, and proportioned to allow easy piece placements where they wouldl be most needed, would probably interest a lot of A&A gamers.  (I think that the old Supremacy game from the 1980s had, as one of its optional accessories, a giant vinyl map version of the basic global game board.)

I like that idea of a vinyl map.

Include the Azores!

I still have vinyl(plastic) maps for my old Helen of Toy naval games.Those babies are closing
on their 50th birthday.

It’s good to see TT back in the game, Jack (pun intended :-D)

I put in a starter order of 1 of each just to show my support and check them out to see if I want more.

Nothing like muddying the waters here, but…

I’m reserving judgement on the size issue until I see them.  I’m thinking that maybe, if the pieces are worthy of completely replacing the previous tank units, the size difference would be irrelevant.  I think I’m more concerned about color.  Also, if the units are sized down, would that make the lighter tanks too small?  That was one of the major problems with that Superpowers game: microscopic tanks that were so tiny, I was afraid that they’d get lost in a shag carpet!

I really like the ships idea, but I’m thinking something a little different.  Forget all the smaller ships; the subs and destroyers can pretty much stay generic cannon fodder.  But making a light carrier (or escort carrier), fleet carrier, supercarrior, light cruiser, heavy cruiser, battlecruiser/supercruiser, battleship, & super battleship variant for each country (that actually had and/or planned them) would be super-cool.  Scale them to exactly the same scale as FMG (who, I understand, is creating a basically standard battleship/fleet carrier/heavy cruiser line up for each) rather than standard AA, which gives insufficient room for detail, and in the exact same colors as FMG.

For planes, pick key planes in different categories that FMG wasn’t able to do.  (e.g., if he does a P-51, you do a Hellcat or a Corsair and vice versa…If he does a dive bomber for a tac-bomber, you do a topedo bomber, and vice versa…

Agree completely with the last post, minus the tank size part.

Look back a fee posts and you will see that Jack can make the smallest tanks 17mm or so and the largest one 22mm or so to differentiate them visually, while still keeping close to the current 20-22mm standard tank size

I guess that makes sense; one caveat, though: I would want the heavy tanks to be a bit bigger than standard; Tigers & JSII’s need to be noticeably bigger than Panthers & T-34’s, etc.

Do you like the current OOB Panther vs T-34 size distinction?