Space Combat Game - VaS Business Model

[Soulmage]

With Mongoose getting out of the miniatures side of the house, that means bad news for the ACtA license. But it DOESN'T mean that the news has to be bad for the ruleset.

The rules have already performed well as a WWII conversion in Victory at Sea, and VaS has been a profitable product for Mongoose.

Currently, there are any number of starship miniatures producers out there with an existing range. Some of these have associated games, some don't.

Many of these producers, whether there is an associated game or not, would jump at the chance to have Mongoose produce a set of ACtA rules to support their miniatures line.

This allows Mongoose to stay in the rules business, which is its strength, while allowing an established miniatures company to concentrate on making and selling the miniatures. . . which is their strength.

For instance, (this is just one example) the company that makes Full Thrust has a HUGE range of miniatures for its Full Thrust rules system. However, this company gives the rules away for free. Its only revenue stream is from the making and selling of the miniatures associated with the rules.

I suspect they might be very receptive to the idea of Mongoose releasing another ruleset that ties into their miniatures. They get to sell more miniatures, and Mongoose gets to sell more rules. Each company sticks to its area of expertise. Everybody wins.

Anyway. . . . that's my suggestion. . .

 

[emperorpenguin]

they are only giving away the Full Thrust rules for free while they work on the new edition of Full Thrust.
I really cannot see GZG abandoning Full Thrust (which after all won the SFSFW award for 10 years running until Starship Troopers took it!)

 

[Scuzzlebutt142]

The problem with that is there are alot of good sets of generic Starship combat rules with Starship construction rules, which can be applied to any miniature. If they produced there own set of such based around the ACtA rules, then you might get some people interested.

 

[Soulmage]

they are only giving away the Full Thrust rules for free while they work on the new edition of Full Thrust.
I really cannot see GZG abandoning Full Thrust (which after all won the SFSFW award for 10 years running until Starship Troopers took it!)

They don't have to abandon full thrust. . . the idea is that there are two separate rules systems supporting the same set of models. I don't see how that hurts them at all. It doubles (or thereabouts) their buyers.

. . . but they were just an example anyway. There are plenty of spaceship miniatures companies that could be good candidates.

 

[Xorrandor]

I agree that generic is a good idea, but you would need a construction system. Just releasing stats for given model ranges wouldn't capture enough players, especially with Full Thrust and Starmada already out there.

they are only giving away the Full Thrust rules for free while they work on the new edition of Full Thrust.

They've been working on that edition for over eight years, you know. I wouldn't hold my breath... :wink: