Shadowrun and Creepy Freaks

[Funky Jett]

Ok, Shadowrun looks pretty cool, but Creepy Freaks looks... well, really creepy. The video is almost disturbing...

[hoffmandu]

I think both of these games are a waste of time.

[rotru]

Unlike miniature super-heroes...

[scowlingone]

I think it's great to see a game company take risks. MageKnight was a big risk. Heck, every time WK puts out a new game, it's a risk.

These games (and Crimson Skies) aren't even calculated risks. They're entirely new paradigms:

Crimson Skies: essentially, Micro Machines with a ruleset.

Shadowrun Duels: essentially, non-collectible action figures with a ruleset.

Creepy Freaks: essentially, M.U.S.C.L.E. Men with a ruleset.

If any one of these games is successful, it will change the industry completely.

And I hope that they're all successful. I'll buy into Shadowrun; the idea is neat, even if I'm not a collector of action figures.

[PluralSams]

I'm big into Shadowrun, but will probably feel stupid playing it. Still, all six of the figures will probably find a place to live on a shelf somewhere in my house.

[jjs-thump]

Just like you!! "H"

[Doomtoy]

I wouldn't just call Crimson Skies "Micro Machines with a ruleset."

There have been a variety of aerial combat-style games, ranging from TSR's old FIGHT IN THE SKIES game to the two-dee stylings of Task Force's old favorite, STAR FLEET BATTLES.

Basically, from what I can see, WizKids is just serving up the same thing, updated for the New Age with some new twists, their usual pre-painted miniatures, and the convenient, patented Combat Dials.

I hope it hits big. If it goes over well in my venue, I'll likely buy in, assuming I have anyone to play it with. I like its style.

As to Creepy Freaks... well... frankly, it makes me wanna hurl, but I'm not the game's target audience. This one is targeting the seven-to-twelve crowd. Since it's been roughly eight or ten centuries since I was that young, I couldn't tell you how well it will succeed. I WILL say that I sure don't intend to make a point of watching the TV show! Plainly, WizKids is targeting the Yu-Gi-Oh bunch, hoping to build a target market of ClixHeads who will sell off their Creepy Freaks as they get older... and buy into WizKids' other games, having developed a taste and feel for minis games as they grew up.

Peachy with me. As long as I don't have to watch a homie skeleton who machine-guns recycled snot at people...

[scowlingone]

No, I think it's fair to call Crimson Skies "Micro Machines with a ruleset". They're mass-produced painted vehicles with hang-tag visible packaging and a set of simple rules behind them. They're going to be sold in Toys R Us as impulse items. The target market for Crimson Skies barely touches the target market for, say, Air Superiority or Fight in the Skies.

It doesn't compare even marginally with Star Fleet Battles, a game that was never marketed to the mass market and which has, at its core, 400-odd pages of rules. The only similarity is that they both describe games with flying things. By that logic, Crimson Skies is similar to the old arcade game Loopin'.

"Micro Machines with a ruleset" is not a dig or an insult. It's a high-concept soundbite that accurately reflects its positioning in the marketplace.

As I said, I hope it does well. That said, Shadowrun is the only game I'm likely to buy, as the Crimson Skies background does nothing for me.

Forgot to get my dig in: hoffmandu, I have two bucks that says that in 48 hours, you won't be wasting any of our time anymore.

[Jack Squat]

I'd say Crimson Skies is a maybe, the other two are a definite NO.

Regarding Creepy Freaks: I know quite a few kids in the 7-12 year old bracket that love HeroClix. They don't actually play the game, but they collect and trade the figures and they play with them. I have no idea why WizKids would think that kids who are too young to read would be interested in learning the Creepy Freaks rules. At best, they'll want to fool around with the figures. Since they apparently aren't aiming at the gamer market with this product, it won't be a surprise to anyone if gamers ignore it.

On Shadowrun: I have no idea what they were thinking. With all due respect to Shadowrun fans, this has to be one of the dorkiest gaming ideas ever. Six-inch action figures? Will the rules say that I have to move their arms around and provide vocal sound effects when I make an attack?

Jeez, why don't these guys stick with what works? License properties that everybody loves and sell prepainted minis on click bases.

[AZS]

Jack Squat, what is the difference at all between Shadow Run and Heroclix (or MK or MW) besides the size of the figures? Is that what makes the difference for you? Its ok to play with toys if they are 1" tall, but not 6"?
Basically WK is doing something brilliant with SR by taking advantage of a very hot collectable Action Figure market, combining it with a proven property and adding a successful gaming system to it. All three of those aspects sound solid and have a huge potential. I don't can't see a single flaw with it.

[bjmc1975]

Shadowrun is - I think - the riskiest of them. It's not a well known property outside of gamers, and - unless a major line decides to order a lot of them - I could easily see each figure costing 15-20 bucks each. That could keep the casual action figure collector from getting too interested, and there may not be enough figures for the gamer crowd.

I could also seeing it do well, though - but hybrid products generally are either very successful or disastrous.

But on this note...

One thing I'd kinda like to see - based on the dial/base concept - would be bases usable with extant action figure lines. Most current lines have holes for pegs - they could release just bases (perhaps with multiple dials) for the current line-ups of Marvel Legends, Justice Leaue, etc. They'd need the cooperation of Toy Biz and Mattell, of course, but thay'd potentially have a cross-marketing bonanza on their hands.

Plus, as far as I know, no one's ever made a Firelord figure....

[Jack Squat]

Originally posted by azs
Jack Squat, what is the difference at all between Shadow Run and Heroclix (or MK or MW) besides the size of the figures? Is that what makes the difference for you? Its ok to play with toys if they are 1" tall, but not 6"?

Yep, that's what I'm saying. Moving 6" action figures around on a tabletop will make any gamer look like way more of a geek than usual.

Basically WK is doing something brilliant with SR by taking advantage of a very hot collectable Action Figure market, combining it with a proven property and adding a successful gaming system to it. All three of those aspects sound solid and have a huge potential. I don't can't see a single flaw with it.

We shall see ....

[SgtHulka]

Originally posted by azs

Basically WK is doing something brilliant with SR by taking advantage of a very hot collectable Action Figure market, combining it with a proven property and adding a successful gaming system to it. All three of those aspects sound solid and have a huge potential. I don't can't see a single flaw with it.

Um, "proven property"? When's the last time you saw a Shadowrun movie, or a T.V. Show, or even a video game? I agree with bjmc on this one...the only ones who have even heard of Shadowrun are D&D geeks like myself. And yes, for these types, there is a huge difference between 1" figures (which can do double-duty as RPG miniatures) and 6" tall poseable action figures.

If it was something like Star Wars I'd think it was a great idea targeted at kids, just the kind of thing I would have been into in third or fourth grade.

[rejamison]

My god, I almost wet my pants when I saw the Shadowrun item on the WizKids site. Then I clicked on it and found out they were:

1. dolls
2. not-collectible
3. not as easy to hide from girls as Clix (or even porn)
4. freaking dolls!

All my dreams of how cool shadowrun clicks would be flushed down the drain. Then I DID wet my pants, just for the shame of it all.

Okay, inovation is good, but I swear there is someone at WizKids who's got a bet with somebody that they can sell us fanboys ANYTHING, no matter how lame.

[Meepo]

Hehe...good call rej.

[zike9999]

some of the comments on this page make me sad. they make me want to sheed off the tags of geek and dork. i am a collector of action figures and the such. i like toys. if you think your too old for toys you have a sad sad life. heroclix are toys. the idea of of a more duel, one on one based clix game makes me very happy. and then add on top of that, hight quality action figures by wizkids, i say kudos.

P.S. i am not a follower of shadowrun, but ill still get, like others too.

your friend zike

[Frontman]

Anyone know where I can download the creepy freaks video? I'd love to run that on my computer at any time.

[NeoFascist]

While I agree, for reasons I can not comprehend, that playing with 6 inch action figures is some how lamer then playing with regular minatures, I don't think the outside world will look at it as any lamer then playing games at all.

I do think that people in gamestores will think you are an even bigger dork for playing with Shadowrun, but of course their opinions are worthless as they mock you holding on to their 2nd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide and toss back their long, greasy black hair.

I to collect action figures, and while the Shadowrun figures look top-notch, I think they'll probably be too expensive to get just for the sake of having them, and it seems that their size will make it to difficult to play as strategy with terrain and what not, and will make it come down to who maxed out their character with better equipment and be a dice roll-off.

As for Creepy Freaks, I think it's a bad idea. Younger kids tend to like things older kids play, and no older kids will be playing this. Only the very young, who would have no possibility of understanding even the simplest rules, would enjoy these, I think.

Anyway, that's my useless opinion.

[bullseye100]

hmmm...

[Boy Blunder]

There's a saying..."You don't stop playing games when you grow old, you grow old when you stop playing games."

I forget who said it, but they coudln't have been more right.

[bullseye100]

hi meepo!!!!

[Noman]

1. Creepyfreaks - waste of plastic. Make more Heroclix.
2. Shadowrun - looks very well done, but won't actualy be played much at that scale. People who collect bigfigs will put them in display cabinets, though. They DO look nice, but I won't be buying them.
3. Crimson Skies - OK, I might, just MIGHT buy some...
4. MechwarriorDA - like it, buy it, play it - although none of these as much as I do Heroclix.


All in all, I think WK may be diversifying too quickly...

All the Best

Noman

[Frontman]

Originally posted by Noman
1. Creepyfreaks - waste of plastic. Make more Heroclix.
2. Shadowrun - looks very well done, but won't actualy be played much at that scale. People who collect bigfigs will put them in display cabinets, though. They DO look nice, but I won't be buying them.
3. Crimson Skies - OK, I might, just MIGHT buy some...
4. MechwarriorDA - like it, buy it, play it - although none of these as much as I do Heroclix.


All in all, I think WK may be diversifying too quickly...

All the Best

Noman

Noman,

Creepyfreaks will be cool 'cause it will get some of the 8 year olds out of Heroclix. Not that kids playing the games are bad, but having little munchkins showing up for tournaments can be annoying for some players (now, they don't bother me in the least, to I do know some folks who will pull out of tournaments, even after paying for them, just because a kid is playing.) Besides, mindless fun is still fun.

The problem I see with Shadowrun is scenery. With Heroclix, you can use any 28mm scenery, same with Mage Knight. GW had the same problem when they did Inquisitor figures back a few years ago. Sure, they're great looking models, but having scenery to play with them is a problem. Noone builds at that scale, especially the Shadowrun scale.

Crimson skies? I like the marketing. No surprise purchasing there. That was the major complaint I get at my old store about Mechwarrior is "Darn it, just slapped down 40 bucks for four boosters, and I got nothing but non-combat mechs. Who the heck wants an aggro MOD anyway?" (Comment edited majorly for content.)

I think Wizkids has been smart in how its progressing. Shadowrun I think is its big risk taker, and I think they'll need to examine how they do Mechwarrior in the future. I think they're numbers are hot week of release, but sales drop off quicker than any other Wizkids game.

Just my thoughts.

PEACE!!!

Tim

[Noman]

Good point.

For eg, I have approx 100 MechwarriorDA figs - but only 6 of them are "REAL" Mechs, (ie Spider, Jupiter, Arbalast, Centurion etc.) - the remaining Mechs are all Farm and Factory implements...

The tanks are OK, but the soldiers are (mostly) useless.

I play the game about once a month, but tend to trade for stuff now.

2 random mechs in a box would interest me - 1 Mech, 1 Tank, and 2 troops does not.

...and I prefere Heroclix anyhow.

I'd rather have the 8 year olds into Heroclix though - I've taught enough of them to know that if you run up against one in a chess tourney, your probably in trouble...same will go for clix, soon enough !!!

LoL

All the Best

Noman

[Comte]

Well the secenery for shadowrun won't be so bad as long as you don't mind useing random boxes and crates. I mean all the 32oz cups scattered around my room makes for great shadowrun terrain, tape a few booster boxes together and lather some paint on them and you are set as far as terrain goes. You really don't need that much to make shadowrun terrian. GW's Inquisitor fails on a number of levels the least being the terrain. Actually the terrain for shadowrun and inquisitor is easyer to fudge because you don't really have to worry about hills so much. Besides with thouse gigantic dials you aren't gonna be having them running around on to many walkways.

As for you anti 6" crowd...I'm not sure what to say to you. Personaly I think the lot of you are delusional if you think the size of the figgure, calculates anywhere into how big of a looser the rest of the world thinks you are. Besides where do you play so the rest of the world makes fun of your because your figgures are to big? I seems like a fallicy to me.

[Meepo]

Originally posted by bullseye100
hi meepo!!!!

Er...hi? :)

[skeevo666]

Originally posted by scowlingone
It doesn't compare even marginally with Star Fleet Battles, a game that was never marketed to the mass market and which has, at its core, 400-odd pages of rules.


Yeah, SFB is not so much a game as a way-of-life :)

[CaptainCarl]

me and my room mate just bought into some crimson skies bring a completely new element to the game with those maneuver cards

just think of playing heroclix and when its time to move you have predetermined cards to tell you where and how far your goin to move

its like tryin to second guess your opponent so you can end up in a position to fire just like dog fights:grin:

i have played 2 games now and it is fun thank god the set is 10 planes so its easy on the wallet and when you only need 5 planes for your squad while your roomy takes the other 5 well its darn reasonable

shadowrun looks good but im prolly only goin to pick up one fig so play no need in collecting them all like herocrack

the good thing about these new games comin out you dont have to invest to much money to enjoy it

i could do the same for heroclix but hey its just like the pokemon philosophy got to catch em all er.. get em all

thecaptain:grin: