Yeah, $50 for a plastic miniature is NOT a good deal, I don't care what planet you're from! (and considering you can print your own high quality cards for 50 cents apiece, no, even six cards with that is not a bargain)
(and this is coming from a guy who once actually purchased a HeroForge "color plastic" 3d printed mini for $44, sight unseen, because of a single sponsored video review... never doing that again!)
Right now the Guardian Knight has become a "collectible" as opposed to a playable game piece, and that annoys me. The whole point of HeroQuest is a tabletop fantasy board game accessible to the masses. This is the exact kind of thing that can ruin the franchise.
Again, I acknowledge that Avalon Hill made a public apology which is great. They apologized numerous times on Twitter already (most people will never see what happens on Twitter who would have bought the game). They entered into an exclusive arrangement for this production which was a huge mistake since they greatly misjudged the interest. It still stings to anyone who did attempt to support it and actually was interested in the product.
So if they cancel my order and refund my money or if they finally send it... someday... it's over for me. As long as the NEXT releases are not treated this way, the franchise will be in good hands.
If you think it's bad now, just imagine if the "Frozen Horror" was a 'Gamestop/Pulse exclusive... ' yikes.
The lesson they should have learned from this is that the HeroQuest fan community won't accept this limited time exclusive nonesense and it will create a backlash of negativity. No matter how successful the pledge drive was, it still left a lot of potential buyers feeling cold because there was not enough time or supply to meet the demand and not even enough warning before it closed. So simply upping the numbers slightly and lengthening the time window to place your pre-order won't do the job. It needs to simply be opened up as a retail product as soon as possible so none of this "FOMO" strategy. They resolved to do better, but it still stings. Best to learn that lesson now before the whole thing tanks. Many more releases are planned, but if too many customers are alienated by events like this, that will diminish the potential it once had, and that means fewer releases, and possibly less quality as they see the brand isn't worth supporting if so few are actually buying amid the negative publicity generated by those that were shut out or disappointed.
Again, this whole experience is making me think the next thing that comes down the pipe with the HeroQuest logo on it, I will not pre-order. Let somebody else deal with that. When it comes to retail, then I'll buy it.
Maybe I'll "miss out" as a "games journalist" but the fact is I never got any kind of special treatment (and didn't ask for it). I won't be the first person to review something when it comes out, and when I do get to it, it will be the unfiltered views of a hardcore fan (but not fanboy) that also can understand the plight of the "normy noob" trying to get into this thing. And I don't care if people unsub or downvote because they don't like my opinion, I'm still going to share it!
Another day, another rant. There are those who maintain positivity, and I want to be with you guys, I just also want to acknowledge that they really did screw up (they admitted it) and we will have to see results to know it wasn't just an empty apology. Good luck, Avalon Hill! They say the right words, here's hoping Hasbro gives them the freedom to do what's right by their customers next time.
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