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Latest Reviews| Oregon |  | | Reviewed by: Ron McClung |
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Interview: John Robertson of i-Kore
(1637 total words in this text)
(1607 Reads) 
Interview: John Robertson of iKore
Date: October 12 2003
by: Dave Gerardi |
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On the heels of the recent release of the Void 1.1 Gamebox, i-Kore head John Robertson speaks with GamingReport.com’s Dave Gerardi about the new boxed set, John Grant’s rule design and plans for next year.
GamingReport:
Tell me a little bit about the genesis of Void.
John Robertson:
In a nutshell, the whole Void Universe started as a bug hunt--you know, man against the alien. That’s why the Humans had lots of similar troops in their armies, common elements, etc. However, the aliens, Koralon, really weren’t strong enough. The sculpts weren’t our best, and, as a result, the Koralon didn’t sell as well as the rest of the minis. In a panic we started developing the differences between the human factions, this worked very well, but if the truth be told the whole thing lacked a direction. Now with the final development of the Gamebox we are now back on track. The Koralon have had a face lift, courtesy of Adrian Smith, and are looking suitably evil and nasty to descend upon humanity again in the form of the Koralon armybook in November (in which five of the major "Gateworlds" have been invaded by the Koralon). This book will follow the nice style created in the Gamebox rulebook. The game system is now called Void 1.1; the Koralon were first discovered on the first planet from the sun in the Void system, funnily enough called Void 1,1 so the focus is now there. The Koralon armybook will also introduce a timeline so events within the Viridia Solaris Universe will follow a plot. This armybook will be followed up by a series of supplements. The first, "Urban War," will feature new "Urban" troops for the human armies, new rules for fighting in streets and also a development of the story as the Humans fight back against the alien menace. Jungle War, Desert War, etc., will follow this.
GamingReport:
To what extent is Void a reincarnation or descendent of Warzone?
John Robertson:
None at all. It is often a misconception that we are the re-incarnation of Target Games. We are not. We used to work in the design studio. When that collapsed, we tried to buy the company from Target. However, that fell through. We therefore decided to start up on our own. Apart from our experience we took nothing from Target Games. Void is our work alone. The association with Target and Warzone has heavily damaged our company so it’s something that we try to distance ourselves from.
GamingReport:
How long has the Void 1.1 Gamebox been planned?
John Robertson:
Since 2000
GamingReport:
Is the boxed set part of a broader strategy to help get distributed in more retailers?
John Robertson:
Yes, this kind of product will suit Toy and High street distribution, the kind of stores that can’t carry all your blister packs.
GamingReport:
Explain a little more about the miniatures included. They are multi-part plastics?
John Robertson:
Yes, they are multi-part multi-pose figures. Each figure has two leg positions, four arms, torso halves, two heads, two weapons, shoulder pads and a shield. The Junker legionaries have an additional back pack. This allows for an enormous variety of posing and is ideal for conversion purposes. The miniatures are produced in a light gray HIPS plastic.
GamingReport:
There are many common units with shields. That’s an interesting choice for a science fiction setting. Any reasons for this?
John Robertson:
Well, I’m a bit of an ancient buff (Greeks, Romans and all that) so I thought a sort of riot shield look would make it a bit different to other minis that
are around--it would almost be our signature, so to speak.
GamingReport:
You’re including a rule book even though it is available to download from your Web site. (The rules and army lists for Void and Celtos are pdfs as
well.) Do you find that most gamers still want a hardcopy of the rules?
John Robertson:
Yes. The reason for the downloads is to allow people to try the game or at least browse it to see if its the kind of thing they’d like. In no way does
it seem to have inhibited sales of the published product. We’ve shipped over 34,500 copies of Void since April 2000. In fact, I think it enhances sales. The production values are extremely high on the new Void 1.1 rulebook--96 pages of full colour. It’s a joy just to look at. Therefore, I imagine despite these rules being on the web for free, being 96 pages full colour, it would cost more than the book to print it out. I don’t see too many gamers playing wargames with a PC at the side of the table, but hey, I could be wrong.
GamingReport:
Do you find that having the rules available to download from www.i-kore.com helps bring in new players?
John Robertson:
Well sure, it makes the game more accessible; you can have a peek and try it without buying. However, in the end, everybody likes a nice plush rule set to look over.
GamingReport:
The rules are fairly simple and straightforward. Can you talk a little about the design considerations in this respect?
John Robertson:
Well, we are very fortunate to have John Grant to write the rules system. John wanted to keep the design easy to understand, keep it clear, fast and fun with a high body count and very little bookkeeping. His wording is very precise, and the basic fundamental concepts are well thought-out. He avoided the bane of all systems by using a minimum of "special rules," i.e. under these circumstances this or that happens. He tried to cover most of these points in the actual mechanics of the game so to keep these problems to a minimum.
GamingReport:
What is your favorite mechanic of John Grant’s rules?
John Robertson:
I personally like the alternate squad activation. It makes a more involved game: Nobody gets bored waiting for one side to move all their forces before they can do something. It creates really interesting tactics and strategies.
GamingReport:
While there is nothing to prevent players from fielding huge armies in Void, the game seems to focus on skirmishes. There is more emphasis on small vehicles (bikes, for example) over large vehicles like tanks. Why?
John Robertson:
Accessibility. Stores and consumers are very conscious of what kind of expense they have make to start playing a miniatures game of any sort, WizKids do this admirably.
GamingReport:
Who is your biggest competitor? What does i-Kore do that gives you an advantage over the competition?
John Robertson:
Well that’s a tricky one. A lot of companies would say Games Workshop, but we are but a pimple on the backside of GW. The same goes for, in my mind, all other miniatures companies. Our competition is with everybody else who is fighting for the space that is left after GW and Wizards have had their slice.
GamingReport:
Do companies like WizKids who produce pre-painted miniature games threaten companies who manufacture unpainted miniatures? Or is there a difference in your customer bases?
John Robertson:
I think it’s a different type of consumer. People who want a fix and want to start playing as soon as it’s out of the box will buy pre-painted. Our
market is about quality figurines. The hobby is about painting as well as gaming. I don’t think pre-painted plastic miniatures will ever rival "home" painted lead. There’s an almost ritualistic approach to building your army, picking the colour schemes, converting them, adding your own banners etc. Its an extremely involved and absorbing hobby. WizKids is not a wargames concept in the traditional sense; it’s a fantastic skirmish/gladiatorial type game, excellent as an entry point and fantastically marketed and beautifully conceived.
GamingReport:
What percentage of your business is in the U.K. versus the U.S.? Which sector is growing faster?
John Robertson:
U.S. is perhaps twice that of the U.K., however both have grown the same as the company has developed. I would think that the U.S. will ultimately be more than twice our U.K. business since the independent hobby trade in the U.K. is completely dominated by GW, whereas there are still plenty of strong independents in the U.S. The same goes for Europe but to a lesser extent.
GamingReport:
What was your reaction to Games Workshop’s efforts to end online sales outside of www.games-workshop.com? Is it an opportunity for growth of Void? Why doesn’t i-Kore have the same problems with online retailers that Games Workshop seems to have?
John Robertson:
Well my personal thoughts are that the reason why GW has done this is an extremely elegant way of preventing online stores from discounting its
product and undermining its "bricks and mortar" stores. We do have the same problems as GW did, however we are not strong enough to be as decisive as it has been. We support stores by running our Legionary program through them: You need to have a "bricks and mortar" store to qualify for the program, and we offer great promotions through these very stores to encourage our consumers to by those these outlets.
GamingReport:
Background materials for games like Warhammer 40,000, MechWarrior, Magic: The Gathering and Mage Knight have spawned little publishing empires between books, short stories, video games and comics (not to mention Web-based material). How does Void position itself in regards to this trend?
John Robertson:
Well it has always been our plan to build the Void 1.1 as well as the Celtos brand, but these things take time and resources not to mention focus. It is something we want to do and will actively pursue in time.
GamingReport:
After the release of the Void boxed set, what are i-Kore ‘s plans down the road?
John Robertson:
Celtos Gamebox in April next year, Fir Bolg (Undead) against the Sidhe (Elves). Similar format to the Void 1.1 box.
CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF VOID 1.1 |
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