ASL Crazed

This blog is for me to occasionally post about Advanced Squad Leader. Games I've played, ideas, thoughts, musings and otherwise. The best WWII combat sim of all time deserves better, but this is the best I can give.

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MMP Has Picked Up the Pace

Posted by Paul Franklin-Bihary

09 Feb 2011

Paul Franklin-Bihary

(paulus22)

United States
Seattle
Washington

I've been really happy with MMP lately. They have improved their website astronomically, and have seemingly sped up production on many new ASL products such as Scenario Packs and ASL Journals.

However, I'm still bummed about the speed of production for the main modules.

I'm a relatively new player, and I'm picking up the modules as they are re-released. I've picked up a few others in trade and before I really got into the game (Paratrooper, Partisan and Yanks), but everything else I'm willing to wait for the newest, bestest version.

Right now, I have my preorder waiting for For King and Country, but I've had it preordered, literally, for years now. I really wish that they would speed up production of the new editions of these core modules for people like me who are smitten with the system, but don't yet have all of the main mods.

What do you think? Should they continue to cater primarily to people with the entire set with speedy new releases, or should they focus more on getting all of the modules out and printed and ready for faster reprints when necessary?

Don't get me started on the French or the Italians. Or the PTO, for that matter!

10 Comments

Thu Feb 10, 2011 4:42 am

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Lee Massey

(JackFlash)

United States
Teachey
North Carolina

I'm waiting for the Finns!!

Posted Thu Feb 10, 2011 5:18 am
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Leong Yew Lam

(Lamskiy)

Malaysia
Seri Kembangan
Selangor

Am waiting for PTO!! The prices on ebay are really steep for CoB and GH

Posted Thu Feb 10, 2011 6:03 am
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Dan Owsen

(mummykitty)

United States
Redmond
Washington

Yeah it is kind of a bummer that the big modules take so long, I know it turns off a lot of potential players.

As someone that already has everything, I'm bummed that the modules do get re-released, they add new stuff (corrected counters, updated scenarios) that you can't get separately. At least I don't think you can...

Posted Thu Feb 10, 2011 6:13 am
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Ian Borrows

(Biosphere)

United Kingdom
Leeds
West Yorkshire

I think the problem on focusing on getting stuff out with new players in mind is that it makes less money. Action packs and anything that caters to the existing players of many years standing is a money maker for MMP for sure. If you can print off an Out of the Attic and sell many copies of it it's going to bring in the revenue. The revamp of the core modules takes time and getting new players into the game doesn't seem to have the same priority as getting stuff out for the more long standing players. Whether we like it or not this is how it is. MMP have probably got their reasons for the very slow rate of the release of redone core modules but I don't know what they are.

That said I'm very frustrated at the long waits but I'm better off than some players as I bought Armies of Oblivion and Doomed Battalions when the reprints were available in the UK. For any new players coming along now these are either very difficult or impossible to get hold of. Ebay prices have made modules like Yanks and Hollow Legions a lot more expensive than they were a couple of years ago so it all becomes a bigger commitment to get into if you want these armies.

I know where you're coming from, you want to get into a game and it's an expensive process that will take quite a few years if you want to get into more than BV. In the old days course games were printed in greater bulk and you could find a game shop that had copies of them on their shelves for years. Now it's a case of buy it when you see it.

The question you ask is a very toxic can of worms here on BGG as this previous thread shows;

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/608565/anyone-else-put-o...

and how heated things get can be seen here;

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/614614/map-bundle-color-...

I think these threads were so heated they could be seen from the Space Station. I mention these posts you so you know how strong the feelings and how strongly those feelings are expressed can be just in case you find yourself in the firing line. Duck and cover.

Posted Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:21 am
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Boots

(Boots01)

Australia
Petersham
New South Wales

I am also tired of waiting for FKaC, and I've only been waiting for a few months.

Now that they have produced a map pack and are producing an overlay pack, I wonder if it wouldn't make more sense to move over to "OoB packs" where you just get the counters for a given force. Then you could buy bits and pieces to build your collection independently of one another, instead of these ridiculous interdependencies.

Buy the map pack and the overlay pack, then buy the armies you want to play with. Then all they'd need would be a way to orgnise the scenarios to complement this.

It will never happen. I will wait, griping, for FKaC, while enjoying what I can with just BVIII and DBIII.

Posted Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:54 am
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Robin REEVE

(Robin)

Switzerland
Gland

I do understand that newbies are eagerly waiting for the reprinting of the core modules.
I think that MMP strives to content all types of customers and that they also have limited ressources (human and financial).
Note too that there are different teams working upon different projects.

I won't enter the debate about MMP being right or wrong.
There are different factors (including the original modular concept) which are more or less difficult to adress.

Further than FKaC, my present concern is the delay of redesigning and reprinting Yanks : as for the oldest modules, MMP will have to redraw all the counters (EXC chapter E markers who are now included in BV3) in an electronical format, compatible with the nowadays printing methods.
The US Army fought in the ETO and PTO, so this module is crucial, whatever theater of operation is prefered by the players.

An advice : jump upon the opportunity of buying Yanks on eBay or other online trading sites. The prices are not (too) excessive for the moment.

Posted Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:39 am
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Michael Lucey

(Scoobysnacks)

United States
E Windsor
Connecticut

I think they have made great strides in the past year thanks to Chas being dedicated to the system. Its unfortunate that the British module does not have the expected demand which is really tying up the reprint flow. The PTO module is supposedly ready to go, just waiting on FKaC to hit its number. Yanks is the next big one but that, the French and axis minors just went OOP this past year so kind of hard to be complaining already for those.

I don't really see the problem with selling new products, they want and need to make money. Reprints just don't sell (see FKAC demand) and without money MMP goes away. Especially with their model of cash flow. In the end the whole point of MMP is to keep the ASL system going, and that means new products for the existing players. If the reprint flow is clogged with lack of demand, I cannot see why the new product flow should be stopped because the demand is proving to still be there and in the end its why MMP really exists. I don't see Hasbro wanting to make anything ASL, and the TPP market is just not there for overall quality and performance.

Posted Thu Feb 10, 2011 2:26 pm
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skippen

(cscottk)

United States
Greeley
Colorado

MMP has improved, and it is interesting coming reading your perspective. I thought I came into the hobby at the wrong time, but even my timing was better than most. I have a complete collection now, but I have spent a pretty penny on it (having shelled good bucks for some core modules). However, more was in-pirnt than not when I came into the fold. I was able to buy Yanks, Gung Ho, Hollow Legions, FKAC (slightly up as I hesitated too much and it was technically day OOP when I bought it), Armies of Oblivion, all from MMP (or online retailer).

I paid good money for KP I and II, BR: T, Code of Bushido, West of Alamein (the one that made me feel the dirtiest as I just bought overpriced desert rules and overlays).

Posted Thu Feb 10, 2011 3:05 pm
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Paul Franklin-Bihary

(paulus22)

United States
Seattle
Washington

I'm never going to be fully completist with my ASL collection...the prices for KPI and some other super rare, never-to-be-printed-again packs just aren't justified for me. But I am willing to wait for the reprinted modules. I just wish I didn't have to wait quite so long.

I know this is a heated topic as well. That's why I blogged about it!!! I do think that the addition of CHAS as a full-time ASL focused dude at MMP has changed things for the better.

Finally, I buy almost all of the new action packs and whatnot just so that in the rare instance that my ASL collection is fully complete someday 15 years down the road, I'll actually be able to play more of those scenarios as well. MMP has me by the testiculars and the wallet, for sure.

Posted Thu Feb 10, 2011 3:53 pm
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Michael Lucey

(Scoobysnacks)

United States
E Windsor
Connecticut

paulus22 wrote:

Finally, I buy almost all of the new action packs and whatnot just so that in the rare instance that my ASL collection is fully complete someday 15 years down the road, I'll actually be able to play more of those scenarios as well. MMP has me by the testiculars and the wallet, for sure.

I do that a well even though I'll never play 10% of the scenario's I own. I think I bought the last CdG and probably AoO last year because both went OOP soon after I got them. I had no desire to actually play the scenario's but felt I had to get the components before going OOP. I still kick myself for not getting CoB when it was on sale at MMP because I thought at the time I'd not care about playing PTO scenario's.

Posted Thu Feb 10, 2011 4:46 pm
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