Guild Ball is Back! Here to Stay?

 

It has been over 3 years since Guild Ball was ended by its publisher, Steam Forged Games (SFG). however, several weeks ago SFG made an announcement that they were opening their models up for print on demand service. This is huge as this allows people to get ahold of models and play the game. But does this mean that the game is alive? What has happened since SFG stopped supporting the game? Do people even want this anymore?

The Shattered Glass

SFG announced that their flagship game of Guild Ball was no longer going to be supported. This was something that came as a shock to some and as an outrage to others. The company had been making promises, giving sneak peaks at future plans, and otherwise stoking hope and excitement for this gladiatorial soccer game. This announcement shocked those who had thriving groups and greatly angers a large portion of the passionate community, leaving them feeling betrayed and lied to. This wasn't what killed the game, however, but rather confirmed the fate that many did see coming.

SFG had a dismal time trying to get product into the market. They had moved away from the metal miniatures and to a PVC plastic, and then to a resin all within a couple years. This amount of rapid change saw problems with quality but even worse with product availability. For over a year the game struggled as new players could only find teams in the form of used models or a select few that had been over produced. In addition, SFG had been focusing on their successful big IP games such as the Dark Souls Board Game which were proving to be financially successful to the contrasting financial losses of Guild Ball. At this point, Guild Ball was struggling to stay alive and SFG decided to put the final nail in the coffin... or so they intended.

Picking up the Pieces

At this point many put their models in boxes or on eBay, forever thinking they would never touch the game again. Another group stubbornly decided to continue playing the game they loved instead. This group over time created the Guild Ball Community Project (GBCP). The GBCP sought to further the game through internal game balance and even created, tested, and crowdfunded a brand new minor guild, the Lamplighters, including STLs for people to print. This passionate group kept the game alive in much the same way other games such as Blood Bowl by Games Workship was kept alive for well over a decade. This allowed many to continue to enjoy their beloved game, but that was about all that was to happen.

The New Mosaic

A little less than a month ago, SFG announced something that no one thought would happen. SFG would be moving their miniature line for Guild Ball to a print on demand service. This was a massive move as it achieved several things: 

1. The company communicated it is not opposed to supporting the game if it can make sense. Guild Ball cost more money than it made the year they ended its support. The move to print on demand would be a litmus test if they were willing to allocate any resources to Guild Ball moving forward.
2. The company admitted things could have been handled differently at the time of the original announcement. Many fans took what SFG as the company blaming players for "ruining the game" and "making it too competitive." While their statement here did not melt the hearts of many fans, this was at least a good step forward in their communication. They have since been upfront with the uncertain nature of the game's support but hoped it would do well.
   
3. They acknowledged the work and passion of the GBCP, stating that they passion and work are responsible for keeping the game alive.
4. The most important factor is product availability. This was the real reason Guild Ball could not be profitable in the past and why it was becoming harder and harder to get new people into the game. With this, the logistics of getting product into gamers' hands was finally a real possibility.
   

The Current View

The first official update from SFG has been released. They announced that the launch of the print on demand exceeded expectations. In addition, they are expanding the models available to certain special models the community expressed interest in (alternate minor guild versions). They made it clear that they are working with the GBCP to release a new, official errata coming this next month.

In summery, the game is far from dead and has a real hope of being fully supported by SFG once again! While there is still a lot of time needed to see if the game will fully come back, these are exciting time for us fans. Not all will trust SFG, and arguably with justification. However, I am excited, eager, and ready to get some more games on the pitch!

Stay tuned for more about this!

Malifaux and Competitive Play

Back into Competitive Gaming

So I have been getting back into playing Malifaux which as been my favorite 'competitive' tabletop wargame. I find it has the best experience from a strategic and thematic perspective. This weekend (1/20/24) is a local ranked event and I am so excited! We have visitors coming from both OKC and KC to play with us. 

I will take as many notes as I can about the event and my specific games. The current event can be seen on Longshanks: New Years Tavern Stack Malifaux • Longshanks event 12467

Soldiers and Weirdos

I will be playing the Outcasts. I have reduced down what I own due to not having enough time to play it all. I even sold off many of my outcast masters. I will likely do my own writeups on each crew I own in the current competitive season (GG4), but for now my options for the tournament are the following keywords:

• Freikorps - An adaptive crew led by Von Schill, good into scrappy scenarios but struggles this GG as it has low volume of AP and interact capabilities.
  
• Tormented - A debilitating crew led by Jack Daw, I play this crew for 'kicks and giggles' but apparently, they are well suited to this Gaining Grounds. I will have to play with them more to find out where they excel.
• Obliteration - A very slippery crew led by Tara, this is the all-star crew for Outcasts this season as their speed and ability to not only control the opponent but Tara's ability to score points helps put them as a top pick in many scenarios.
• Barbaros - Not a traditional crew, this is led by the Henchman Barbaros who brings in the Nephilim keyword and the Returned keyword. This creates a unique mix of models with the Outcast versatiles and upgrades making a very mobile crew with tons of lethality, good healing, and cheap options for scoring the more interact scoring strats and schemes.
  

I will be posting about painting these crews or updating them. In addition, I will try to go into my own strategy dives about each with discussion. 

This merely starts my steps into my miniature gaming and hobby so stay tuned for more!

2024 and Gaming for Me

 

Well, 2023 came and went and my blogging is pretty much non-existent. That changes now! At least that is a new resolution I am having for myself..

Here in 2024 I have some goals for myself and my hobbies. And what better way to start then to just go through them all! 

1. Blog Regularly - No one really is going to be reading these blogs unless it is a random individual here and there. This is for my own sanity and determination to have some discipline in my gaming. I will blog about everything from painting minis, playing wargames, running or playing TTRPGs, and anything else my hobbies bring! I need to determine frequency but I will start with this post.
   
2. Paint Models - I have a LOT of models I need to paint. I need to have at least one miniature painted per week. I have multiple games to pull from so I have no lack of options.
   
3. Play More Competitively With Malifaux - We have had a new community spring up around Malifaux and it is exciting as a large factor is due to a prominent member of the wider community moved here. It is encouraging to see more people play and I want to really sharpen my skills and grow as a player. This includes attending tournaments locally and abroad! Family and work will limit this, but I will make the effort.
   
4. Make Game Reports - I used to enjoy making game report and I am going to attempt to do this more often for casual games.
5. Read/Listen to Books - I used to be an avid reader and I have not gotten into some god books in ages. This will play a part in a later resolution. I am starting with some fantasy books, but I also have goals to read some self-help books.
   
6. Sharpen My GM Skills - I want to dive into getting better as a GM. This will include a blogging series I will name something clever later. This will mean the following: I need to read more books, both for content and for skills; I need to run more games, including ones shots, short series, and maybe long-term campaigns; I will need to play more often!
7. Find My Favorite Games - I used to think I knew what my favorite roleplaying games and game styles were, but I honestly have learned I need to revisit this and find the games that I not only want to run but the ones I want to play. This will require both running and playing more often.
8. Play Some Single Player Video Games - I have done a good job in ceasing to just buy each cool game that comes along as I have not been playing them. My goal is not only to play them but to finish them. I will likely write up my thoughts on each afterwards.
9. Other Various TTRPG Content - I have loved getting more into TTRPGs and I will be doing a variety of projects related including things!
   

There are a lot of things going on but I am determined to get this discipline down! Here's to a new year!