Bad news from Rackham :(

[Malebolgia]

Here is the link to the newsitem on Tabletopgamingnews with all the info:

http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/?p=9698

Dunno what is going on, but it does sound bad...

[Frustrated Father]

Hrmmm, wonder if I can snag some of their sculptors ...

(joke people, joke!)

Hate to hear that about anyone, though it is interesting to see how these large companies move forward and what their profit margins and turnover is. I would kill for the opportunity to make almost half a mil a month, though I imagine their overhead must be huge.

[goblyn13]

That would explain why trading of there stock was halted on Monday. But that is one of the perils of a public company.

[supervike]

Can't get tabletopnews up from work...can someone give me a synopsis?

[Hinton]

Can't get tabletopnews up from work...can someone give me a synopsis?

From the site:

Rackham under legal protection
It appears that Rackham have placed themselves under legal protection (PDF link) due to slow European sales for AT-43.

From a PDF article on the safeguard law:

The safeguard procedure was inspired in part by US Chapter 11 and is available in circumstances where a company is solvent, on a cash flow basis, but can demonstrate to the court that it is undergoing difficulties which it is not in a position to overcome and which are likely to lead to the company’s insolvency. The aim of the safeguard procedure is to facilitate a reorganisation plan for a company in order to ensure the continuation of its business, the maintenance of employment and adjustment of its liabilities. Safeguard is a court driven process and court appointed officials supervise the development of the reorganisation plan.


So it does appear to be similar to North American bankruptcy protection.

Translated badly by Google and the editor:

The Directorate-General of Rackham SA decided to place the company under the protection of Commercial court of Bobigny within the framework of the law of safeguard. Let us inform that one period of 6 months observation was open on August 27, 2007. This voluntary step was justified by an analysis of the general evolution of the company, and in particular of its treasury over the last months, marked by the following points:

1. The Directorate-General of Rackam SA anticipated the market trends of strategy games with figurines towards the “ready to play” and made, as of the beginning of 2005, the choice of plastic and painted figures. This new strategic orientation, announced at the time of the general assembly of the shareholders of September 2006, allows Rackham today to be the precursor on the market. The choice of this new industrial model required heavy investments which started to bear their fruits with the launching of the science fiction game AT-43 in November 2006. The new edition of Confrontation, the Age of Rag’ Narok, is scheduled for November 2007.

2. If the starting of AT-43 in the United States is very satisfactory, in line with the objectives - US sales turnover is in growth of more than 10% per month and the position of the company on this priority geographical area is reinforced for the months to come by a contract for exclusive distribution with a master distributor, Fantasy Games Flight - its establishment in Europe has proceeded more slowly than envisaged.
Thus, the growth of the sales turnover for AT-43 does not compensate for, at the moment, erosion in sales turnover for Confrontation in its current version (metal figurines), at the end of its life cycle. The total sales turnover realized by Rackham SA dropped from €400000 per month in 2005-2006 to €300000 over the same period in the last year.

3. In this context, Management has set up, for several months, a reorganization which is feeling its first effects. It must nevertheless be continued in order to allow the company to ensure its perenniality and to profit fully from the renewal of its range of products. It will be made within the framework of the phase of observation which allows the company to freeze the whole of its exigible liability.
The accounts of the company Rackham SA are in the course of review by the police chief with accounts. A complementary official statement will be available on the detail of the accounts and of exigible liability after their certification in the next weeks. Trustful in the development prospects of the company Rackham SA, we remain with your provision for any information additional by telephone to + 33.1.55.86 .89.20 or by email with info@rackham.fr.

Directorate-General of Rackham

[supervike]

Thanks Bryan!

That doesn't sound too promising...but then again, maybe thats what you get for trying to sell three pieces of plastic for 30 bucks!

[Uberdark]

Thanks Bryan!

That doesn't sound too promising...but then again, maybe thats what you get for trying to sell three pieces of plastic for 30 bucks!


true....but why the heck is gw still around then........ maybe its all the little puppies they have sacrificed to the blood god and votes for george bush that helped them stay afloat.


wait they dont have a soul do they....... ?

and it looks like privateer is beginning to turn that way too. :(

now to play a good battle you need to have spent a good 300 for a 750 point army.

sad day for all.

[Malebolgia]

$300?? What army are you fielding dude? I can easily make a 750 WARMACHINE force at $150 that is competetive as heck!

[Uberdark]

have you seen the new evolution book.....its got standard bearers........ all these little things that you can add to it.... adding the price of my 1,000 point hordes trollbloods is like $380 i believe.

then again i do like my big monsters....and that earthborn dire troll is just plain mean...... :D

btw i want my bean back.... :(

[Vytis]

true....but why the heck is gw still around then........

Well, your 30 bucks with GW gets you 24 figures in some cases..people look for the expensive and find the expensive. You look for not, you find not. Tanks and terminator squads at 45 or 50 bucks? Expensive. Box of 24 warriors of Rohan for 25 bucks? If that's expensive, then this is the wrong hobby.. :)

As for PP, well, they've ALWAYS been at least equal to GW PER FIGURE, since the start. But the nature of their game makes it so that is WAY LESS per army. WAY less. My army cost me 155 bucks, and no GW army is that cheap unless its Lord of the Rings, without question.

All about perspecive and practical application of common sense.

[Duende]

btw i want my beanie back.... :(


Here you go, Uber!

http://www.easleys.com/ProductImages/hats/propellerbeanieF16257.jpg

;)

[Malebolgia]

As for PP, well, they've ALWAYS been at least equal to GW PER FIGURE, since the start. But the nature of their game makes it so that is WAY LESS per army. WAY less. My army cost me 155 bucks, and no GW army is that cheap unless its Lord of the Rings, without question.

And don't forget that WARMACHINE as a game is way better than Warhammer or 40K too :D...actually IMO the best game there is...until Malifaux is released :bounce:

[Frustrated Father]

That's mah boy ...

[Vytis]

And don't forget that WARMACHINE as a game is way better than Warhammer or 40K too :D...actually IMO the best game there is...until Malifaux is released :bounce:

SNARK! Pretty much everything is better than 40K. Fantasy is MUCH better than 40K, and I think a great game. So are the PP games, too. I prefer HORDES to WARMACHINE because, well, I like creatures and druids and stuff, and not really the walking steam tanks. And seemed less like a collectible card game than WARMACHINE for some reason. But hey, I play everything! You can guess, though, through some quick research, that Lord of the Rings is my fave.

Sorry, FF, Malifaux probably won't pass it, either. But I am REALLY looking forward to it, because the figures are great, and I anything more I can play is always good. Can't wait.

[GoCat]

A lot of the original Rackham crew have moved on so FF get those sculptors now! Hehe heh...Now FFG is taking care of the english side of rackham it'll get better. This loss looks like the bubble of GW Lord of the rings that shrunk after the film joy faded. It's mostly the Confrontation metal range bubble shrinking as customers shy away from it knowing it's going nowhere and the hurt of bad supply for AT-43. This move is to protect the company while it prepares for plastic confrontation.
On the upside there's plenty of stores getting rid of Conf models at discount prices! Gee I even bought some half price AT-43 stuff from a frustrated store..

[Stupidcow]

Poor retail policy, that's what hurt them the most, at least that's what happened here. I don't think any game can go far without a LGS's retail support. We set up the Scord on our own expenses, tried running trounies and leagues using our own minis as prizes and all the support we get from Rackham is "We could ship you some posters as prizes".

Somehow they came across as arrogant thinking that their mail order sales alone is enough.

[green stuff]

Hrmmm, wonder if I can snag some of their sculptors ...
So should I start contacting people ;)?

[supervike]

So should I start contacting people ;)?


I think it would be prudent to 'keep in touch' with them...dontcha think?

[Travis Syxx]

I really think that FF is going to scoop up the majority of the company. A year or two ago I think they were looking at doing some Game of Thrones mini's. I think Andy Chambers was working on the system and it looked like a similiar scale to their Warzone stuff. I could understand them picking up Confron but it seems to me that AT-43 would be direct competition with Warzone.

This whole thing kinda sucks as a retailer. This holiday season is not going to be easy. People will be shy about buying D&D because of 4.0. At-43 has picked up quite a bit recently it will suck to see it go this soon. I had a fairly good group of player's for battlefield evolution and then Mongoose stopped making that as well. Hopefully these guys will get there stuff squared away.

Travis

[Jubilee]

One of our local game stores had all their confrontation on sale - more than 50% off (things were marked down and then everything was another $3 off today). I got the cynwall dragon for $34, for example, and the goblin ninjas blisters 1 & 2 for $3 each..

of course, we ended up spending $90 on minis we don't need.. but we saved like $110 doing it! That counts, right? ;)

Now if I can just get that unicorn and emissary of light, I'll be fine with them going away.. :)

/ali