And Once Again Without Any Money

So, the electronic fora of miniature gaming discussion has been abuzz with the news that Paradox has yanked the Warzone and Chronopia licenses from Excelsior Entertainment. Apparently this decision occurred sometime in January, but it's only now coming out in the wash. It's a shame, but it's far from unexpected.

Though Thom and his various staff at Excelsior had a great love for the game, the company seemed to be in over their head from the beginning. The two games carry a miniatures catalog that dwarfs most of their competitors and EE seemed hellbent on continuing to keep everyone of these figures in production. Not only was this a bad idea due to the aesthetics of many of these figures, it was a bad idea from a sales perspective. Considering how many stores felt they were "burned" by the demise of Target (I'm still confused how the collapse of that company was any worse for retailers than any other), attempting to convince retailers to restock the product was already going to be a challenge. But, when you throw the sheer scale of the product line at them, with no discernable way of determining what would constitute a good introductory stock, you're bound to be less than successful in your pitch.

But perhaps the biggest blunders were the catastrophies known as Chronopia 2nd Ed. and Ultimate Warzone. Now, I understand the desire to leave one's mark on a license as well as the belief that the travesties committed to a game by previous designers needed to be remedied. But, with a company with as few financial resources as EE, investing in the production of these rulebooks was a foolish endeavor. And the final product? Hardly worth the effort due to an absolutely amateurish presentation.

Of course, I'm a bit biased here. As someone who was tied to Target Games in their heyday, and a devoted supporter of 1st Ed. Warzone and Chronopia, I felt EE's efforts constituted the same affronts to my beloved games that they felt the Edinburgh studio had committed. Nevermind the fact that the 2nd Ed. Chronopia rules made blatant use of a rules mechanic I drafted without credit, the games were taken in a direction - both rules and storywise - that I found contrary to my vision. As only a gamer, I suppose there's not much I should expect to be able to do about such situations.

With Paradox's revocation of EE's license, fans of the various incarnations of these games face another period of uncertainty and potential change. Those that cut their teeth on 2nd Ed. Chronopia and Ultimate Warzone will no doubt object when the new licensee takes the games into a direction that they, as gamers, always thought more appropriate. Or even worse, gamers could find their favorite games existing in name only, as these new licensees, completely unfamiliar with the history of either game, simply choose to ride an established - though tarnished - intellectual property in an effort to introduce their own set of rules. Regardless of the outcome, for a long-time WZ and Chronopia gamer such as myself, the outlook is no doubt dreary.

Thus, I once again find myself sighing in disappointment as another cornerstone of my gaming experience comes up for bid and I'm too financially strapped to throw myself into the mix.