Into the Warzone!

     So, it's finally here: the last week before Warzone launches.  Up to this point, we knew where we were headed- kickstarters are one directional like that. But now... where do we go?

     This Friday, Warzone resurrects with the official launch of the rules set via PDF. Rulebooks will be printed and mailed out. Jarek has been taunting us with racks of sprues ready for release.

     So as a lot of you know, I've been writing some of the prose pieces for the new rulebook.  Granted a lot of the project as been "behind closed doors" (hey, they know I write for a blog, I wouldn't trust me with everything either!)  Without throwing too much in the way of spoilers at you, here's a few answers to some questions being bantered about. (I'm channeling my "Inner Harry" for this one, let's see how I do...)

What's actually in the book?

     More than you expect... that's wonderfully cryptic isn't it? 

Will Imperial be in the book?

      As far as a playable faction... I don't believe so. However, I haven't seen the full finished book. I'm not ruling it out entirely, but I think putting it in with no model support whatsoever is a bad move, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if it's held out for the next project. 

What are the rules like?

     I think the first thing people need to do is approach this with "noob eyes."  Forget that we've been playing wargames for years- you haven't been playing *this* wargame for years, and it's not trying to be a knockoff of anyone else's rules. Absorb this rules set and study it on its own merits and you'll be really pleased with it I think.

Will there be Tournament Support?

     Yes. While I expect Prodos will lead up a Tournament cycle of some sort, I know quite a few people planning it as a "plan B" worst case, so this is a definite.

When will models ship?

    I haven't been privy to any manufacturing knowledge above what the 532 knows.  So,take this as a completely uneducated dartboard shot, not insider information:  I feel the release schedule is getting "altered", through nobody's fault but Life. Are some pieces ready to ship now? Yup. Is everything that was planned for First Wave? My guess is "not quite yet' but I could be wrong.  My gut tells me we're going to see most of Wave One rolling out in the next week to two weeks, with a few pieces getting hung up and delayed. However, I think there's a few pieces that are moving ahead of schedule, and we'll see some "Second Wave" pieces making it into the first. Nothing definite on that, just a feeling at the moment.

What will post-Kickstarter support be?

     I expect that is one place Prodos is really going to shine. Once the initial release (over 200 sculpts!) is out of the way, Prodos can settle into a solid pace that's not such a sprint, and have a lot of "free time" for the community.  There is already Doom Trooper Radio as well as LXG coverage firmly in place. You'll see a lot of coverage from Dice and Brush, Ishi's Imperium, Jim's Wargaming Shenanigans, and others.  LXG will be hosting a "Tale of Bloggers" event to promote people building, painting, and talking about Warzone. In addition, expect a lot of regular frequency from Prodos itself.  This game isn't going away.

     Just a few more days and we have a book! I swear I'm going to wind up assaulting a poor postal worker before I'm done waiting for models...

The Second Class Elitist