Space Marines 10th ed Leviathan Starter set - Space Marines

[Redcomet]

2 minutes ago, phoenix01 said:

That's what they said last time with the 9TH edition starter box.

True. But in no way could they have predicted that demand would

be so high, that it would outsell the previous edition by order of magnitude’s, in a matter of hours.

[ZeroWolf]

Well to be fair, I'd imagine that they've dwarfed Indomitus production levels (especially since they've given everything else smaller production runs) so in theory there should be enough boxes to go around. Might just depend on the scalper scale we'll be up against, and Valraks video from the other day does show they're organised.

[01RTB01]

In fairness dominion was so over produced last year, I really wouldn't worry too much.

[BitsHammer]

4 hours ago, phoenix01 said:

That's what they said last time with the 9TH edition starter box.

The one that they put on Made to Order when it ran out and kept making more until every order was filled?

[307kg]

There was no queue for Idomitus. They started it after Idomitus and Cursed City released

Edited May 29, 2023 by 307kg

[Petitioner's City]

4 hours ago, 307kg said:

There was no queue for Idomitus. They started it after Idomitus and Cursed City released

 

The first mention of queues I could find was during the pandemic, before indomitus, but I'm not sure how this worked then:

 

 

 

but I think you are right the web queue came later, for octarius:

 

https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/warhammer-40000-ninth-edition/news/warhammer-preorder-kill-team-octarius-promise

 

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/08/09/kill-team-octarius-a-pre-order-promise/

 

Edited May 29, 2023 by Petitioner's City

[Ephialtes]

They first used the queue when they re-opened the website (May 2020) for orders during the pandemic, but it wasn't there for Indomitus (which launched after that). They then had the queue for Dominion (June 2021) and then again for Octarius (August 2021). I remember them having it in place on some other product launches too - Horus Heresy definitely had it, for instance, but I can't find the associated information - but they definitely had it for smaller product launches than major box sets

[Matcap86]

Ugh I hated the queue system; it really barely stopped scalpers and I got randomly placed at spot 53000 with most stuff gone when I got to log in an hour later. Almost prefer the mad scramble in the morning and then be done with it.

[Ephialtes]

The queue isn't about scalpers, really, but it does seem to slow them down. It's about the website not dying.

 

I can only imagine something changed in their setup post-Indomitus that's meant they had to start deploying it more often/at all. I don't for a second believe that Dominion, HH or Octarius were bigger minute-to-minute launches than Indomitus, which sold out within 15 minutes and broke multiple online retailers' websites.

 

Their website totally collapsing for The Lion indicates some kind of change in constraint - they are on Oracle Commerce, which is a pretty old but still relatively active enterprise ecommerce system. It's what Lego had until they replatformed. Oracle are notorious for having a licensing system that's pretty punishing - based on a wild matrix of usage, back office usage, hosting arrangements (CPUs) and the like.

 

I'd put money on their hosting contracts/provisioning having changed and them having less options as a result - by which I mean they may have moved from dedicated tin to cloud hosting, but they're unable to take advantage of it without paying many dollars.

Cloud hosting is great, because you can spin up more capacity/power on a dime and cheaply, but if you're on archaic technology those licence costs are going to bite. Been there, done that, had the t-shirt.

 

Their new website apparently launches in summer, having been delayed by X months from end of last year. They've spent more than £6m on it (as of January), so hopefully it has a bit more oomph and can cope better - but it's not going to be there for Leviathan, and I predict the queue will be loooooooong.

[ThePenitentOne]

Heads up to folks trying to extrapolate pts costs from the crusade cards:

 

Crusade upgrades often modify PL costs in 9th, and I expect that to continue with pts in 10th.

[Blindhamster]

anyone else already sick of seeing a million influencers showing the models off already? The queue system had better give everyone that wants one a legitimate shot at getting one, between scalpers scalping and influencers getting hand outs, it's getting silly

[Khornestar]

38 minutes ago, Blindhamster said:

anyone else already sick of seeing a million influencers showing the models off already? The queue system had better give everyone that wants one a legitimate shot at getting one, between scalpers scalping and influencers getting hand outs, it's getting silly

 

 

One can’t help but be a bit cynical about it, but GW is GW. I don’t paint everyone working for the company with the same brush but it is all about counting beans, in the end. A positive image can be manufactured by “influencing” the “influencers” with free, sometimes virtually exclusive stuff, as opposed to creating goodwill with customers by utilizing made to order to reduce the “influence” of scalpers and such. Oh well. Which is more valuable for them? They wouldn’t do what they do if they didn’t believe it was the more profitable strategy. FOMO is hugely “influential” and they sell out of most new 40k minis, so in that sense what else can one say? They’d rather it be that way than make more of each kit and there be the remotest chance they’d have to dump unsold units in a landfill, apparently.

 

It’s a strategy. It’s what they do. I too hope they made as many as they think they made. This box is perhaps why they underproduced everything else, so we’ll see.

[Cleon]

It's a great short term plan, but each time something sells out in seconds and not getting one is what causes someone to not start, or to can a project, or to walk away the game gets smaller. Anecdotally Kill team is in deep trouble as a playable game as the people who actually wanted to play it missed out on an entire season of releases because each set got scalped for the 40k minis. Personally I'm already most of the way to a new camera with 'money GW didn't want.' and if Leviathan isn't available to freely purchase (I'm not planning my Saturday around a GW release) then who knows if/when I'll make my next 40k purchase.

[ZeroWolf]

Breaking up the doom and gloom with a fun topic: 

 

Sprue breakdown courtesy of Fauxhammer.com's review of Leviathan

(They do talk about being an influencer in this age of preorder madness.)

 

Anyway, Tyranid Prime and Terminator Captain:

 

Terminator Librarian

 

 

Apothecary Biologis, phobos lieutenant and Sternguard 

 

Infernus Squad (2 of these)

 

I can't get the Terminator sprue or dreadnought pictures to load for some reason.

[ZeroWolf]

Tyranid Sprues

Neurotyrant + drones and Screamer-Killer 

 

Von Ryan's Leapers

 

 

Termagants sprue pictures aren't uploading for some reason

 

Neurogaunts and Barbgaunts 

 

 

Psychophage 

 

 

Thoughts:

 

Whilst a lot of it is as we expected, I'm intrigued at the fact that only the termy captain and Prime are sharing a sprue which makes me wonder how GW will handle the starter sets this time round.

 

 

[Redcomet]

4 hours ago, Blindhamster said:

anyone else already sick of seeing a million influencers showing the models off already? The queue system had better give everyone that wants one a legitimate shot at getting one, between scalpers scalping and influencers getting hand outs, it's getting silly

I don’t mind a few big personalities and/or good hobbyists get a box. But every bob average with 2000 followers on twitter is getting one. And most of what they put out is mediocre at best. And boring to boot.

 

[CL_Mission]

3 minutes ago, ZeroWolf said:

 

Thoughts:

 

Whilst a lot of it is as we expected, I'm intrigued at the fact that only the termy captain and Prime are sharing a sprue which makes me wonder how GW will handle the starter sets this time round.

 

 

 

Wasn't the Bladeguard Captain and Necron Overlord the same? I imagine The Termy Cap and Prime will turn up in the higher level starter boxes but I do wonder what leaders you'll get in the smaller box since the Lieutenant is in with the Sternguard and Apothecary, I don't see them making into the Recruit edition.

It's always nice to have a good gander at the sprues ahead of time. The Barbies being coupled with the Neurogaunts is a surprise, I would have had them pegged for the Skorpekh Destroyer treatment, I can see the Von Ryan's Leapers going that way though.

[ZeroWolf]

2 minutes ago, CL_Mission said:

 

Wasn't the Bladeguard Captain and Necron Overlord the same? I imagine The Termy Cap and Prime will turn up in the higher level starter boxes but I do wonder what leaders you'll get in the smaller box since the Lieutenant is in with the Sternguard and Apothecary, I don't see them making into the Recruit edition.

It's always nice to have a good gander at the sprues ahead of time. The Barbies being coupled with the Neurogaunts is a surprise, I would have had them pegged for the Skorpekh Destroyer treatment, I can see the Von Ryan's Leapers going that way though.

Yup, which is why I'd originally thought the phobos lieutenant was going to be on a solo sprue (not that the nids have an opposite for him) for that reason. It's also interesting that the bladeguard captain/Overlord were the only Indomitus stuff truly locked to the Indomitus/Elite/Commander boxes.

 

Perhaps the recruit box will just be infernus (5 man) squad vs 10 Termagants? Though that's even more wonky then the assault Intercessors vs Necron Warriors was.

[Jukkiz]

leaper arms could make some really cool nurgle/chaos-y scythe conversions

[Khornestar]

Terminators, to round it out (maybe collective image size exceeded the cap?):

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Khornestar

[Sea Creature]

2 hours ago, Redcomet said:

I don’t mind a few big personalities and/or good hobbyists get a box. But every bob average with 2000 followers on twitter is getting one. And most of what they put out is mediocre at best. And boring to boot.

 

I saw a post today from a content creator who hasn’t put out any content for months… yet he gets a box. Doesn’t seem right.

[ZeroWolf]

1 hour ago, Khornestar said:

Terminators, to round it out (maybe collective image size exceeded the cap?):

 

No idea, just tried the Dreadnought sprue again and its still not working. Odd

[Cleon]

1 hour ago, Sea Creature said:

I saw a post today from a content creator who hasn’t put out any content for months… yet he gets a box. Doesn’t seem right.

Maybe we should organise here on the B&C to all make Youtube channels and follow each other - we'd never need to buy models again....

[Marshal Mittens]

50 minutes ago, Cleon said:

Maybe we should organise here on the B&C to all make Youtube channels and follow each other - we'd never need to buy models again....

Honestly not a bad idea!

 

On the topic of the thread, almost everything seems like it's going to need its own stand alone kit, but we have also had things in 8e and 9e starter set that never got stand alone releases, or were released for a super high mark up later. Wonder if that will be the case with a lot of the nid stuff. 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Marshal Mittens

[Doghouse]

2 hours ago, Sea Creature said:

I saw a post today from a content creator who hasn’t put out any content for months… yet he gets a box. Doesn’t seem right.

 

 I think they are just taking a carpet bombing approach, I seem to remember they sent stuff to people who had something like 2k followers or more and signed up for it but don't quote me on that.

 

I do remember the Armageddon skirmish game fiasco where I saw someone who never covered GW getting one.

 

Emperor have mercy on them if they have sent them all to influencers because the fans won't!