Tabletop Nation

[Stuart]

From both the Wayland and BoW newsletters today comes this announcement of a new combined venture: Tabletop Nation.

From http://www.tabletopnation.com/ ...

Beasts of War & Wayland Games, Join Forces to create a Tabletop Nation! … & you're invited!

Beasts of War and Wayland Games are proud to announce an exciting new direction that will combine their resources for the benefit of the wargaming hobby.

Tabletop Nation will bring together gamers, local stores, manufacturers and developers to deliver the best products, the most exciting games, the most current news and reviews, and a multitude of events, all interacting both on-line and through local gaming stores.

Both Beasts of War and Wayland Games are grateful for the loyal support of gamers, stores, manufacturers and suppliers. We wouldn’t be where we are without you but we can’t get where we want to be on our own. With this in mind, Tabletop Nation is seeking out partners who share our vision of an inclusive network of wargamers and those who fuel their passion.

So what might Tabletop Nation mean to you? Well, looking forwards, both Beasts of War and Wayland Games will be making a significant investment to create the framework and infrastructure but it’s the other participants – our partners in this new world – who will help turn the vision into a substantive reality:

For gamers there’ll be more news and reviews, better product access both in-store and on-line, and more events and opportunities to enjoy your hobby, all captured within a global brand with local flavours.

For stores and gaming centres there’ll be better merchandising, faster access to more stock, support for EPOS and on-line merchanting systems to reduce overheads while widening the range of products that can be offered, and training opportunities and participation in industry-wide initiatives.

For manufacturers and developers there’ll be access to a bigger and faster growing market, that will be increasingly open to new ideas and genres, with more opportunities for unified and targeted promotional activities, and support for new products and ventures including market research, game development and marketing support.

While discussions are advanced for Beasts of War to become a wholly-owned but journalistically independent media subsidiary of Tabletop Nation, for other partners such as local stores it is important to understand that what is proposed is not a franchise-type arrangement: it is anticipated that for most commercial organisations, being “part of Tabletop Nation” will build on a common vision through some sharing of branding, purpose and delivery.

We can confirm that from March next year Tabletop Nation will have its home located just to the east of London, where it will be served by excellent rail, road and air links. Facilities will include a showpiece store, a modern gaming centre, and a media and production studio.

Something like this – the realising of a new vision for wargaming – doesn’t happen overnight but we are determined to make it work. As the Tabletop Nation project develops and as we start to roll out initiatives we’ll be making more announcements. In the meantime, what does Tabletop Nation mean for the loyal fans, customers and supporters of Beasts of War and Wayland Games?

Beasts of War will retain its independence as a premier outlet for wargaming journalism: they’ll remove non-gaming advertising, and they’ll continue to bring you the best toys, the best games and the best events, whether through the internet or direct to your local gaming store. Backstage subscribers will be able to enjoy even more content and benefits. They will continue to work with their industry partners and explore even more opportunities for taking the hobby to mainstream channels and viewers.

Wayland Games will continue much as it does now, delivering “high service at a low price” with just the same access to Beasts of War as other ‘bricks and mortar’ and internet retailers.

Warren Johnston of Beasts of War says: “From its inception Beasts of War has worked to create a wider and more democratised gaming community, where diverse genres and games will flourish in a faster growing market that not only accepts innovative new ideas but craves them. Being part of Tabletop Nation will accelerate this inclusive vision, which at its heart will have shared interests, common goals, and mutual success, all founded on the desire to have fun and feel good about our hobby!”

Richard Lawford of Wayland Games says: “This is a very exciting opportunity. In the last three years the wargaming industry has seen tremendous changes and through Tabletop Nation we will be part of the continuing drive toward a new, 21st century future.”

Warren and Richard welcome your views and can be reached at LetsPlayTogether@TabletopNation.com

[precinctomega]

I'm really interested to see where this goes...

R.