Greetings everyone. I'm TVboy, an Imperial Assault community member just like all of you. I'm sure many of you have become aware of the drama that has taken down our beloved r/ImperialAssaultTMG subreddit as a common gathering place to discuss this game that many still actively play. This was a heavy blow to the community over a year after FFG shut down it's community forums for Imperial Assault.
It has now been several weeks since the subreddit shut down with no restoration in sight. I have been wanting to create a new discussion space that emulates the format of the old IA Forum ever since FFG shut their forums down, but the latest events with Reddit have moved me to finally take action and create this message board for the IA Community.
Yes, there are still many active places for people to discuss the game aside from Reddit. BGG forums, Zions Finest Slack, IACP Discord, various Facebook groups, etc. But I believe that Imperial Assault needs to have a browser-based permanent forum like this one for people to be able to go back and see what others have discussed and to be able to do so without having to make a Slack account or Facebook account, etc. Something that can be easily found and viewed through a public search engine. Something that is also friendly and active in discussing the community-driven IACP format (my biggest problem with the BGG forums). Something that is organized and easily archivable, unlike Facebook and Reddit. Something where valuable discussions are not deleted after just a couple of months, unlike Slack. I believe that a public forum serves a purpose and need that these other discussion venues do not fill. But also if you enjoy using any of those discussion venues, you should keep using them, but also have the option to see what people are posting about on the forums as well.
So I hope you all enjoy using this new discussion forum to talk about IA. Please note that I have never administered a forum or website quite like this. I built this using the Wix sitebuilder app in just a few days time, and I'm still learning how to use their app and design features. Things might be a bit rough to start off with, but I will do my best to learn and improve and make this forum a bastion for IA discussion that will stand publicly as a gathering place and a historical reference of the game for years to come.
Greetings, TVboy and other IA community members! I just found this forum last week and am pleased to see that there are other IA fans out there still willing to put energy into keeping Imperial Assault alive. I discovered IA quite late — about 5 years ago — and fell in love with the rule set and diversity of game play offered right out of the core box. I invested heavily in it, only to discover that within months of my investment, the game would be largely abandoned by FFG and the gaming community in favor of SW Legion. Bad timing for me, but… I still love IA, and I now own multiple copies of every model, expansion and tourney playmat.
I have some gamer buddies who are interested in learning the game, so all hope is not lost in my neck of the woods. 😎
So, I will leave you with this: I am a professional game developer and designer. I am currently in the final phases of launching a new tabletop board game dev company called Brazen Forge Games. I've worked with some of the largest gaming companies in the industry, including Awaken Realms, CMON and Monolith. Nothing would make me happier than to contribute to the ongoing development of fan-made IA materials: Cards, tokens, player aids, rule books, dashboards, custom dice, iconography — I design and produce these things every day for some very talented game designers.
Like I said, I love Imperial Assault and it is the one game in my collection that is officially "complete" and worthy of continued development. Makes me sad when companies sundown great games, or leave them out to pasture to die (e.g.: RIP Guild Ball!). I refuse to let IA suffer such a fate.
Maybe this community is the turning point for our beloved game's next chapter?