I'd like to start with,
Find a way to get rid of most of the plastic between the masts and sails.
I'd like to start with,
Find a way to get rid of most of the plastic between the masts and sails.
More releases--one new and one reprint wave per year, plus 1-2 Special Packs and one or several "paper products", along with more regular runs of basic supplies like ship-mats and counter-bags.
In short, treat it like a game that's actually IN PRODUCTION, not dabbling at half in-prod/half on-hiatus.
Two posts that immediately takes care of my wishes for improvements.
Make better looking masts and more types of ships and it would be fantastic.
Solid masts.
Dont particularly like the movment cards and (heresy) think that the FFG X-wing system of templates is much easier even though in some ways it's just a derivative. Clealry templates cant allow for the two movement planning ahead system but this could easily be done with chits you reveal. The card on the table in front of the ship is clumsy, the cards move around can be bent...a solid template is just much easier to use. My same observation would thus apply (double heresy) to WOG.
Saying that, the three improvements above are all higher on my list than the cards but you'd already done them!
Etched ratlines for all ships.
Bligh.
I'm pretty happy with the ships (have other quibbles with release schedule and "historical flavor")
Durability has been a concern, especially after the mast debacle, but no real issues have arisen so far (knock wood)
The plastic behind the sails doesn't really bother me
Rigging and ratlines seems unrealistic and could raise new issues
The one "bang for buck" thing they probably should have done is paint the spars and maybe light wash on sails. From what I've seen that makes a huge difference. I'd have paid an extra buck or two per ship for that...
Edit: oh and still not in love with the clunky bases...
Hi All,
I have not bought into SOG. So you may not wish to hear what I say.
Something cannot be changed :sad: Scale, I can not see why they are made in 1-1000 scale!!! 1-1200 would have been a bigger market.
If you are selling painted ships, paint them and do spars etc.
Have the plug in the base not the ship. This would make the bases thinner.
The thick plastic behind the sails.
Rule set, the chips, blank ships logs and card bases without the ships.
Sorry if I have upset anybody.
Be safe
Rory
It would be great if we had parallel universes, it would be very interesting to know if the sales dynamics would have been a lot different or pretty much the same. I think it's hard to say...Quote:
Originally Posted by Devsdoc
Hi SvenQuote:
Originally Posted by Comte de Brueys
Would you elaborate on solid masts?
Hi Fred,Quote:
Originally Posted by fredmiracle
Yes! You are right. The scale thing is in my mind is too close to the 1-1200 scale to be a big change. Has it opened a new market? Yes, to a large number of new plays to naval gaming.
Some old naval players have taken on board the new scale. Players who could not paint the ships. A lot have not. I have been looking around at non-SOG sites for sailing wargames. They are a lost customers to the SOG.
So many players would have loved a new rule set and not having to paint the bl##dy things. So yes a large number of gamers are lost. I for one have spent a lot of time and money on my ships. The idea of adding painted ships to my fleets would have been great.
To have a new rule set to try would also have been fun. Do I spend money on more 1-1200 ships or spend less on both (1-1200 & 1-1000 scale)? As I said before I can paint and rig my ships, I'm lucky. I do not think they (SOG) are good enough for me. Some have made some lovely models by adding paint etc, to the SOG ships. Why would I spend money on SOG models? unless to add to my fleets, but wrong scale. A little more painting and a little more thought by Ares would have made a big differences to a lot of naval gamers.
This is not saying SOG ships and game is bad/wrong. I can see a lot of people love the game, may it always be so.
Be safe
Rory
@Rory,
I'd be willing to bet 1/1000 scale was chosen to prevent market sharing with other mini manufacturers. 1/2400 scale is the most popular with WWII gamers and WoTC produced 1/1800 scale (for the same primary reason).
But yes, a sped up production scale would be my number one desire. Would also like to see a set of fleet rules for use with the SoGN minis.
Removable Masts.
Bow and stern chasers.
Keith is working on that in brass.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bligh
I know Ed, but if Ares did them it would save Keith the bother.
Rob.
I do hope we get those for both wave 1-74:s, wave 2 and Victory and Constitution.
It will be a big order when he gets them done.
Congratulations on your promotion to 2nd Lieutenant Jonas.:salute:
Well thank you sir! :salute:
:hatsoff: Great to have you join me as a second Jonas.
Rob.:drinks:
Proud to do, Rob. :drinks:
Better painting on the masts and spars
I know I said "one thing" but I would like to add, removable Masts.The base of the mast could be similar to the ship peg and could be installed in seconds, and would make painting the masts, sails and spars easy.
I would have had the ships built with generic sculpts. That is one sculpt would be made for a ship such as an average 38 gun frigate. Another for a 72 gun ship of the line and so on. There might be two ships for some ratings, such as a small 32 gun and a large 32 gun frigate or a flush deck and a quarterdeck ship sloop. At 1/1000 scale the differences in size for exact scale models would not be that noticeable and ships of the period were not that much different in general appearance. A lot of sculpts are more of an educated guess than based on precise information and most gamers would not know the difference anyway. Of course there would be some special cases such as the American 44 gun frigate.
The possibilities for models would be greatly improved. A single 38 gun sculpt could be painted and flagged for 38s of many different countries and even different time periods of those countries. Fans of the U .S. Navy, Russian Navy, the Dutch Navy, or Swedish Navy could have their ships. Not having to produce new sculpts, only new paint schemes could speed up the release of new models significantly.
Yes, congratulations on being promoted to 2nd Lieutenant, Jonas! :salute:
I really hope they pick up on your generic ship suggestion Coog. Possibilities are endless. I do repaint SGN ships but would rather not.
I doubt that they will. I think they are now committed to the current form of producing models. I hope I'm wrong but I really have a gut feeling that Ares will not continue new SOG waves much longer.
But they'll continue the SOG waves for many more years. (That's two more waves.) :hmmm:
...and thank you, David. :salute:
Agree with much that has already been stated, so I guess my one change would be on the broader outlook! They should have planned the releases of succeeding waves more in advance rather then the apparent approach they have followed, which seems to be; "Well we did that, now what?" approach! That way the game would take on the air of a living, breathing, and growing thing rather moving along in fits and starts with great gaps of nothingness stagnation!
No reason why you couldn't look at the current range of models as "generic", they are already suitably vague. With custom made base cards and a quick paint job on the ensign you have the basis for a wide range of alternative subjectsQuote:
Originally Posted by Coog
Thicker mast for all models.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunner
So I do not need to indoctrinate all gamers to care about them.
Sails are ok - painting is ok - broken masts are not ok.
So the only one who commands my Ocean class 1st rate is me. :wink:
Maybe we can find a compromise and the 1st lower third part of the masts will be thicker.
I'm still waiting for my Victory so I can't comment on the strength of it's mast. Has anyone checked it out yet?Quote:
Originally Posted by Comte de Brueys
Victory uses a different mast set than SGN108, full sail like SGN104 (Bellona etc), which leads me to wonder if they didn't just use the 104 mast set.
I'm with Chris, I would love removable, and rigid, masts.
Removable sails would be nice too. That would get rid of the plastic between masts and sails. Maybe clip on sails that purists could improve on if the wanted to. I am getting carried away!
See my thread on what I did to my bases Fred! I got rid of the chunky blue part altogether, but it does mean that the ships are stuck to the clear plastic bases.Quote:
Edit: oh and still not in love with the clunky bases...
http://www.sailsofglory.org/showthre...p-Base-Inserts
They did not. The tops don't extend forward to the topsails as they do on the SGN104 and the main mast don't have the royal sail set.Quote:
Originally Posted by Diamondback
I'm with Sven on desiring sturdier masts. I don't know what Ares has planned for the next wave, but I would like a return to the original Wave 1 releases, at the minimum, regarding masts.
If I could find the time, I would reinforce all my masts with steel piano wire like I did for the rescued hulk. That then opens up a multitude of possibilities for modifications.
Rob.