Future Castle Sets?

[x105Black]

I'll discuss whatever is to be discussed in the appropriate thread. These threads aren't for fans only, they are for anyone to discuss their opinions on the relevant sets.

As for NujuMetru's Dragon Lands, it's not a bad concept. But I really don't like the brick-built dragons in general and would prefer something like the dragons from Castle or Smaug. So I'm unlikely to support the initiative in general, since it's largely based on the dragon concepts.

[Captain Dee]

Man...

I understand that Eurobricks is a creative environment, but even so, there are some highly imaginative "Future Castle Sets" listed on this last page or so.

And here dumb ol' me thought there was a seperate thread set up for all the Knexo Nighto stuffo. (Wait, I spelled it wrong - "Pepto-Bismol"? "Pep Boys"? "Fed-Ex"? "Hex Nuts"?) Huh! It won't come to me.

Anyway, I apologize in advance for going way off topic way out in left field way out in the weeds and all, but...

I'd like to see a remake of the Medieval Market Village concept - but with completely new, different buildings that would allow collectors to position the two sets together to create a bigger and more accurate-to-scale village. The building styles should have some differences as well and the minifigs and other accessories should compliment the first set - and everything should be built to look like they go together. It wouldn't be difficult - there are lots of options - and it would surely satisfy older (primarily adult) fans who might prefer more historic realism. A single large advanced village set (with a correspondingly higher price tag) sold Direct wouldn't clash with an oxymoronic futuristic-medieval theme full of sci-fantasy-action idiosyncrasies like the forthcoming Lepto Mutts.

Again, my sincere apologies for going way off topic discussing "Future Castle Sets" but everywhere I looked to post this seemed inappropriate.

P.S. The name finally came back to me: "Cocky-pocky...poppy!"

Edit: Typo - just realized there's no such thing as an "idiosyncrasny" :P

Edited November 18, 2015 by Captain Dee

[thetang22]

Captain Dee - your thoughts sparked an idea:

A medieval Castle theme that is focused on a village instead of the castle. The overlying theme of the set could be a village that gets raided by <insert whatever bad guys necessary>. Instead of the Castle Knights coming to save the day...the villagers defend themselves. Here's the catch...each of the characters has dual identities.

- the Blacksmith creates weapons/armor by day...but when his village is attacked....he suits up into his warrior gear.

- the Alchemist runs a potion shop by day...but turns into a bad@$$ wizard when the need arises.

- the Hunter provides food for the village, however....he suits up into his bullseye archer suit when the raiders come

Etc... with more workaday professions turning into heroes when the village is attacked. Each set could be a different building/profession, along with some form of Raider. Put all the sets together and you come up with a whole medieval village, with a combination of regular villagers, as well as their heroic alter-egos.

[Ql97]

Dragon Lands is top notch as far as fan creations go. Even though I think the dragon count is over the top (and they are a bit too similar in build), I would buy out each wave of that.

Agreed. Just remember though, there's no such thing as too many dragons.

Man...

I understand that Eurobricks is a creative environment, but even so, there are some highly imaginative "Future Castle Sets" listed on this last page or so.

And here dumb ol' me thought there was a seperate thread set up for all the Knexo Nighto stuffo. (Wait, I spelled it wrong - "Pepto-Bismol"? "Pep Boys"? "Fed-Ex"? "Hex Nuts"?) Huh! It won't come to me.

Anyway, I apologize in advance for going way off topic way out in left field way out in the weeds and all, but...

I'd like to see a remake of the Medieval Market Village concept - but with completely new, different buildings that would allow collectors to position the two sets together to create a bigger and more accurate-to-scale village. The building styles should have some differences as well and the minifigs and other accessories should compliment the first set - and everything should be built to look like they go together. It wouldn't be difficult - there are lots of options - and it would surely satisfy older (primarily adult) fans who might prefer more historic realism. A single large advanced village set (with a correspondingly higher price tag) sold Direct wouldn't clash with an oxymoronic futuristic-medieval theme full of sci-fantasy-action idiosyncrasies like the forthcoming Lepto Mutts.

Again, my sincere apologies for going way off topic discussing "Future Castle Sets" but everywhere I looked to post this seemed inappropriate.

P.S. The name finally came back to me: "Cocky-pocky...poppy!"

Edit: Typo - just realized there's no such thing as an "idiosyncrasny" :P

This is genius!

Captain Dee - your thoughts sparked an idea:

A medieval Castle theme that is focused on a village instead of the castle. The overlying theme of the set could be a village that gets raided by <insert whatever bad guys necessary>. Instead of the Castle Knights coming to save the day...the villagers defend themselves. Here's the catch...each of the characters has dual identities.

- the Blacksmith creates weapons/armor by day...but when his village is attacked....he suits up into his warrior gear.

- the Alchemist runs a potion shop by day...but turns into a bad@$$ wizard when the need arises.

- the Hunter provides food for the village, however....he suits up into his bullseye archer suit when the raiders come

Etc... with more workaday professions turning into heroes when the village is attacked. Each set could be a different building/profession, along with some form of Raider. Put all the sets together and you come up with a whole medieval village, with a combination of regular villagers, as well as their heroic alter-egos.

This is also genius!

Edited November 18, 2015 by Ql97

[gedren_y]

What about an actual medieval faire? Colorful tents and booths, with an array of crafts-persons, entertainers and patrons. This could be something that would go alongside the Kingdoms Joust. Shield maker, fletcher, hat maker, quality smithy (think exotic shiny swords and other weapons, or silver/gold-smith), medieval musicians (not the stereotypical jester that we've had too often), and possibly a cut-purse that can be arrested. Non-armored nobility and tradesmen, like the CMF King.

[x105Black]

I'd like to see a remake of the Medieval Market Village concept - but with completely new, different buildings that would allow collectors to position the two sets together to create a bigger and more accurate-to-scale village. The building styles should have some differences as well and the minifigs and other accessories should compliment the first set - and everything should be built to look like they go together. It wouldn't be difficult - there are lots of options - and it would surely satisfy older (primarily adult) fans who might prefer more historic realism. A single large advanced village set (with a correspondingly higher price tag) sold Direct wouldn't clash with an oxymoronic futuristic-medieval theme full of sci-fantasy-action idiosyncrasies like the forthcoming Lepto Mutts.

I like this idea. I'd love to see more exploration into the Medieval Market Village style of sets, and making a second version to compliment the first is expanding on a wonderful concept. The original was a tavern and blacksmith. This one could be a butcher, a baker, and (a candlestick maker?) other such shops found in a medieval village.

A medieval Castle theme that is focused on a village instead of the castle. The overlying theme of the set could be a village that gets raided by <insert whatever bad guys necessary>. Instead of the Castle Knights coming to save the day...the villagers defend themselves. Here's the catch...each of the characters has dual identities.

- the Blacksmith creates weapons/armor by day...but when his village is attacked....he suits up into his warrior gear.

- the Alchemist runs a potion shop by day...but turns into a bad@$$ wizard when the need arises.

- the Hunter provides food for the village, however....he suits up into his bullseye archer suit when the raiders come

Etc... with more workaday professions turning into heroes when the village is attacked. Each set could be a different building/profession, along with some form of Raider. Put all the sets together and you come up with a whole medieval village, with a combination of regular villagers, as well as their heroic alter-egos.

I really like this idea, and can imagine the Wolfpack making a return as the raiders. The idea of having the villagers defend themselves irked me a bit when first mentioned, but I was won over by the various ways in which they could become more like fantasy trope heroes. It's a solid concept, and one that would work very well. If this was a series of medium sized $20-$50 sets, along with a small $15 merchant cart and a large $100 village like the one described above, it would make for a great theme.

They could even add in a faction of knights to defend the village, and it would still work out well. Sadly, I'd expect Lions or Crowns, but I would much prefer to see knights / soldiers / guards without a specific heraldry.

Something like this would also be great as a media franchise. The dual personalities of the heroes would be a fun element.

Edited November 18, 2015 by x105Black

[Aanchir]

Dragon Lands is top notch as far as fan creations go. Even though I think the dragon count is over the top (and they are a bit too similar in build), I would buy out each wave of that.

I agree, Dragon Lands is incredible! Though it's probably a good thing that we're not getting a Castle theme like that next year, since between Ninjago and Elves, next year is already front-loaded with plenty of beautiful brick-built dragons! Perhaps once Elves has moved to a different story arc, there might be room for another dragon-heavy theme, though, whether that's a theme like Dragon Lands or something more akin to a Vikings reboot.

My favorite of Nuju Metru's Dragon Lands designs might still be this one that uses space/submarine windscreens as magical force fields — a brilliant repurposing of what are normally sci-fi elements in a fantasy context! Given Nexo Knights' blending of sci-fi and fantasy tropes, this might be a good sort of technique for it to implement in future sets. It seems very much like the sort of "digital wizardry" we might expect to see in that theme.

[x105Black]

My favorite of Nuju Metru's Dragon Lands designs might still be this one that uses space/submarine windscreens as magical force fields — a brilliant repurposing of what are normally sci-fi elements in a fantasy context! Given Nexo Knights' blending of sci-fi and fantasy tropes, this might be a good sort of technique for it to implement in future sets. It seems very much like the sort of "digital wizardry" we might expect to see in that theme.

It's a nice looking tower, but the blue force fields and brick-built dragon are turn offs for me.

[Murrig Icehammer]

Captain Dee - your thoughts sparked an idea:

A medieval Castle theme that is focused on a village instead of the castle. The overlying theme of the set could be a village that gets raided by <insert whatever bad guys necessary>. Instead of the Castle Knights coming to save the day...the villagers defend themselves. Here's the catch...each of the characters has dual identities.

- the Blacksmith creates weapons/armor by day...but when his village is attacked....he suits up into his warrior gear.

- the Alchemist runs a potion shop by day...but turns into a bad@$$ wizard when the need arises.

- the Hunter provides food for the village, however....he suits up into his bullseye archer suit when the raiders come

Etc... with more workaday professions turning into heroes when the village is attacked. Each set could be a different building/profession, along with some form of Raider. Put all the sets together and you come up with a whole medieval village, with a combination of regular villagers, as well as their heroic alter-egos.

That's a really cool idea!

They could even expand it by adding a marauding mercenary faction, or forestmen who are supporting the villagagers.

Or they could expand the VIllage into a small city, adding a tavern or a city hall or different guilds even.

By doing this general theme (people defending themselves) they would show a little differentiated view on medieval theme, instead of doing basicly the same theme over and over again.

Off topic:

Just one last word concerning the NK issue.

I just don't get it why so many themes need a sci fi "touch" (Ninjago or Chima for ex.). Don't get me wrong i love (some) sci fi. Maybe even more than fantasy or historic themes sometimes, but just throwing random themes together seems like 5 year olds tend to play, instead of older kids.

It just doesn't make sense to me (regarding the theme itself and Lego designers motivations behind it)

[LegoEomer]

We could discuss various Castle sets and sub themes.

Okay. I think that Lego could've put more effort into the Castle (2013) theme. Set ideas could be a dragon knight outpost, which would be a tower much like in Tower Raid, a medieval village, which would be similar to Medieval Market Village, a medieval fair, which would include a minstrel, a jester, a traveling merchant, a few peasants, some craftspeople, a building or two, and could be combined with the medieval village mentioned earlier, and an advent calendar.

Edited November 18, 2015 by LegoEomer

[Aanchir]

Off topic:

Just one last word concerning the NK issue.

I just don't get it why so many themes need a sci fi "touch" (Ninjago or Chima for ex.). Don't get me wrong i love (some) sci fi. Maybe even more than fantasy or historic themes sometimes, but just throwing random themes together seems like 5 year olds tend to play, instead of older kids.

It just doesn't make sense to me (regarding the theme itself and Lego designers motivations behind it)

Personally, I see these kinds of "mash-ups" as more of an older kids' thing. I think it's partly a matter of novelty. When you're very young (say, four or five), the traditional genres like Medieval, Western, etc. are still fairly fresh and new and exciting. You're hearing stories within many of those genres for the first time. As you get older, though (let's say, nine or ten), these things no longer have so much novelty. You're used to them. So that's when kids start seeking out things that are less familiar, and mix tropes normally associated with different genres.

For instance, when I was a teen/preteen, I was into book series like Harry Potter (modern day boarding school meets witchcraft and wizardry) and Artemis Fowl (sci-fi action thriller meets fairy tale), cartoons like Jackie Chan Adventures and Xiaolin Showdown (Chinese mythology meets modern day culture), and of course LEGO themes like Bionicle (futuristic science fiction meets tropical island cultures). There are even whole genres like steampunk and urban fantasy that are dedicated to particular genre mash-ups, and the audience for these genres tends to be skewed towards adults and teenagers who are already moderately familiar with the time periods and genres in question.

I can't speak for everyone, of course. Some people might stick with a passion for a particular genre all their lives. Others might experience this shift as adolescents but then drift back to more traditional fare as they become adults. Still more might be interested in the wacky mash-up type fare even as very young children.

Anyway, does anybody think we might see some more traditional Castle sets when The LEGO Movie 2 rolls around? I know the LEGO Movie was pretty much defined by wacky mash-ups, but when it came to sets, there were a few like Benny's Spaceship that stuck pretty firmly to one theme category aside from their minifigures, and even the "2-in-1" sets like Castle Cavalry always had one "normal" version and one "mash-up" version. So I think that could be a good opportunity for LEGO to introduce some technically advanced sets based on some of the classic LEGO themes that right now are looking a bit neglected, such as Pirates, Castle, and Space.

Of course, that's still like two and a half years away, so by then the landscape of LEGO themes might be looking a lot different. Maybe by then there will be a "proper" Castle or Pirates or Space theme, in which case there's not a whole lot the LEGO Movie sequel could offer in terms of "traditional fare" that existing themes couldn't cover more thoroughly on their own.

[x105Black]

Anyway, does anybody think we might see some more traditional Castle sets when The LEGO Movie 2 rolls around?

I sincerely hope so. I actually loved Castle Cavalry, mostly because even it's transformed spaceship version was made to look completely medieval. It was a great set when built as a gate, as well. It's one of the sets that helped get me back into LEGO again.

I really wish they had dome more Castle sets from that movie, even though the presence of Castle in that movie was pretty light.

Maybe a Middle Zealand theme could be the next Castle theme.

Edited November 19, 2015 by x105Black

[Kliq]

I wish LEGO would follow Playmobil's release model as it pertains to castle. I am loving Playmobil right now. There are currently three different castles being offered, each of different sizes, for three different human factions. There are also expansion packs for the castles so you can make them larger, plus a bunch of accessory and figure packs. Want a 'night watchman' to add a bit of character to the castle? They have one for sale. Oh I DREAM of one day LEGO having a castle line with more than just one castle at a time and a whole line of figure packs, castle extensions, and accessory packs.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Kliq

[LegoEomer]

Maybe a Middle Zealand theme could be the next Castle theme.

Middle Zealand soldiers were just Castle (2013) soldiers.

[x105Black]

I wish LEGO would follow Playmobil's release model as it pertains to castle. I am loving Playmobil right now. There are currently three different castles being offered, each of different sizes, for three different human factions. There are also expansion packs for the castles so you can make them larger, plus a bunch of accessory and figure packs. Want a 'night watchman' to add a bit of character to the castle? They have one for sale. Oh I DREAM of one day LEGO having a castle line with more than just one castle at a time and a whole line of figure packs, castle extensions, and accessory packs.

It would be great if LEGO went as far as all of that.

Middle Zealand soldiers were just Castle (2013) soldiers.

I know, I was just thinking of it as a good way to tie in with the movie.

[Aanchir]

I think Playmobil has a very different business model in general, though... they seem to keep their sets in circulation longer, which enables them to release new sets that expand on existing sets rather than taking the place of them.

I can't remember who or where, but I recall reading a comment from somebody that pointed out one reason for this. I think it was in a discussion of how Playmobil is able to offer things like zoo sets that include so many more animal molds than LEGO ever introduces at any one time. Playmobil parts in general are way more specialized than LEGO ones, to the extent that many are only used in certain individual sets. Thus, for Playmobil to get their money's worth out of a mold they have to keep producing more of those same sets that use it. So for Playmobil to keep those older, still-in-production sets relevant, they have to keep producing compatible expansion sets.

LEGO, on the other hand, can introduce new sets that reuse many of the same molds as older ones. That means they are able to get their money's worth out of molds without keeping the same exact sets in production year after year after year. But it also means that to LEGO, a part's value is in how many DIFFERENT sets and themes it can be used in, not how many of one INDIVIDUAL set they can manage to sell. Hence LEGO having so many fewer animal molds as a general rule.

So despite the similarities between LEGO and Playmobil, their very different design philosophies result in a very different business model, and that means a theme that works for Playmobil (like a zoo theme, or a castle theme that constantly expands with new sets and figures) might not work so well for LEGO.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Aanchir

[Ql97]

Personally, I see these kinds of "mash-ups" as more of an older kids' thing. I think it's partly a matter of novelty. When you're very young (say, four or five), the traditional genres like Medieval, Western, etc. are still fairly fresh and new and exciting. You're hearing stories within many of those genres for the first time. As you get older, though (let's say, nine or ten), these things no longer have so much novelty. You're used to them. So that's when kids start seeking out things that are less familiar, and mix tropes normally associated with different genres.

For instance, when I was a teen/preteen, I was into book series like Harry Potter (modern day boarding school meets witchcraft and wizardry) and Artemis Fowl (sci-fi action thriller meets fairy tale), cartoons like Jackie Chan Adventures and Xiaolin Showdown (Chinese mythology meets modern day culture), and of course LEGO themes like Bionicle (futuristic science fiction meets tropical island cultures). There are even whole genres like steampunk and urban fantasy that are dedicated to particular genre mash-ups, and the audience for these genres tends to be skewed towards adults and teenagers who are already moderately familiar with the time periods and genres in question.

As I've mentioned before, it's not the genre mashup itself that bugs me, it's how Lego implemented it. They didn't even try to reconcile the two different elements, they just cut both to pieces and stitched up a new Frankenstien's theme out of the pieces. I mean, they attached tank treads to a Castle! They styled a rocket sled like a horse! The knights look like astronauts! I personally prefer Sci-Fantasies where instead of shoving the two elements together, they attempt to find a middle ground. Infinity Blade is a good example of this: Fantasy on the outside, but actually a post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi. They fused the elements together in a way that made sense. Lego didn't.

Oh well. I guess whatever sells toys for Lego...

[Murrig Icehammer]

I wish LEGO would follow Playmobil's release model as it pertains to castle. I am loving Playmobil right now. There are currently three different castles being offered, each of different sizes, for three different human factions. There are also expansion packs for the castles so you can make them larger, plus a bunch of accessory and figure packs. Want a 'night watchman' to add a bit of character to the castle? They have one for sale. Oh I DREAM of one day LEGO having a castle line with more than just one castle at a time and a whole line of figure packs, castle extensions, and accessory packs.

I've taken a look at it too and i reallly like their approach to historical themes. Especially the possibilities of customizing their figures.

I wish you could just mix Lego and Playmobil....

As I've mentioned before, it's not the genre mashup itself that bugs me, it's how Lego implemented it. They didn't even try to reconcile the two different elements, they just cut both to pieces and stitched up a new Frankenstien's theme out of the pieces. I mean, they attached tank treads to a Castle! They styled a rocket sled like a horse! The knights look like astronauts! I personally prefer Sci-Fantasies where instead of shoving the two elements together, they attempt to find a middle ground. Infinity Blade is a good example of this: Fantasy on the outside, but actually a post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi. They fused the elements together in a way that made sense. Lego didn't.

Oh well. I guess whatever sells toys for Lego...

Yeah that's what bugs me most of it too.(Sorry if i have been vague about this)

It's not neccesarily about the themes being mixed, as i said i was a huge Masters of the Universe fan as a kid. It's about HOW Lego mixes those themes (which is pretty bad imho).

That's what i meant when i was talking about that it seem to be more appealing to younger kids.

Additionally to that, i think when you get a bit older (around 8-12) and you get more knowledge about medieval or space related things, it (at least for me) it looked pretty rediculus to mix those themes. But everyone experiences those things in a differnet way. I'm not saying one thing is right or the other.

[Sorrelon]

What about an actual medieval faire? Colorful tents and booths, with an array of crafts-persons, entertainers and patrons. This could be something that would go alongside the Kingdoms Joust. Shield maker, fletcher, hat maker, quality smithy (think exotic shiny swords and other weapons, or silver/gold-smith), medieval musicians (not the stereotypical jester that we've had too often), and possibly a cut-purse that can be arrested. Non-armored nobility and tradesmen, like the CMF King.

That'd be absolutely perfect! I can easily see myself buying at least 3 boxes of that same set.

As for the ideas, I'd also love to see a medieval harbor set, with all the fishermen and traders and porters and drunken sailors, along with small fishing boats and maybe even a lighthouse. In fact, from the moment I built MMV and MVR I'm trying to put that idea together, but I'm afraid I'm still missing some pieces

Edited November 19, 2015 by Sorrelon

[x105Black]

The way LEGO combined fantasy and science fiction irked me, too. It skews more heavily into science fiction than fantasy, when most of the best ones skew in the opposite direction.

I was a huge fan of He-Man and Thundercats when I was younger. In those series, I always felt that the fantasy was at the forefront and the science fiction was used more sparingly. Yes, they all had vehicles made with technology, but for the most part they are in a fantasy setting.

Star Wars is also a great example. While there is certainly a lot of technology, and it does indeed skew more towards science fiction with all of its starships and such, many of the worlds are sparse and wild, full of creatures and vegetation. The Empire used a lot of technology, but the Jedi were much more organic (save the tech they used for their laser-swords).

I don't think I was prone to enjoy Nexo Knights because of the way they combined the 2 disparate elements of fantasy and science fiction.

Anyways, back on the topic of Future Castle Sets, I love the above idea of a harbor. I've always combined my Castle and Pirate sets into the same world (I tend not to use the guns), and a harbor would be a fun way to do that.

[Captain Dee]

A reasonable (ie, big) harbor set would be really cool. So far there has been next to nothing of the sort in the Castle theme. I like the faire idea, and also something like a market plaza - similar, sure, but with a bigger emphasis on food. A good tavern as a midsize set would be nice too. Beyond the typical castle concepts the possibilities are endless. It would be tricky making civilian sets appealing to young children, but I'm sure it could be done. There is one thing I don't want anytime soon: another blacksmith. There was more to the medieval world than that.

[Ql97]

The way LEGO combined fantasy and science fiction irked me, too. It skews more heavily into science fiction than fantasy, when most of the best ones skew in the opposite direction.

The theme looks like it's supposed to be Sci-Fi, but the setting was forced to a more medieval mode, with peasant villagers, a deranged jester, etc.

A reasonable (ie, big) harbor set would be really cool. So far there has been next to nothing of the sort in the Castle theme. I like the faire idea, and also something like a market plaza - similar, sure, but with a bigger emphasis on food. A good tavern as a midsize set would be nice too. Beyond the typical castle concepts the possibilities are endless. It would be tricky making civilian sets appealing to young children, but I'm sure it could be done. There is one thing I don't want anytime soon: another blacksmith. There was more to the medieval world than that.

These ideas are great, but as you say, it would be difficult to market them directly to children. Maybe, this would work well with my idea of a theme of advanced sets made with AFOLs in mind. Kind of like what everyone is suggesting: a bunch of sets all resembling the Medieval Market Village. The $120 set could be the harbor, the $80 set could be the fair, the $50 set the tavern, etc.

[x105Black]

The theme looks like it's supposed to be Sci-Fi, but the setting was forced to a more medieval mode, with peasant villagers, a deranged jester, etc.

That's kind of what I mean. Thundercats looks like a fantasy story when they aren't in their Cat's Lair or driving a vehicle. He-Man looks like a fantasy story when they are at Castle Greyskull and away from their vehicles. Star Wars looks like a fantasy story when they're not flying in spaceships and are instead training on a swamp planet or roaming the woods of a forest moon. Another good example I left off last time is Adventure Time, which looks like a fantasy story with a bunch of weird things like candy people while taking place in a post-apocalyptic setting.

I'm sure there will be similar things in Nexo Knights, but the knights will always look science fiction styled.

Anyways, I'm sure LEGO is creative enough to find ways to make a fun, unique fantasy setting without going to crazy and making everything too colorful or science fiction.

I love the ideas above. We're really putting together a strong theme that doesn't rely on the tired tropes of all previous Castle themes and gets back to the fan favorite villagers. That's why I'm a fan of Forestmen and Wolfpack as candidates for a new theme. They are different enough from the average Castle theme to allow those ideas some breathing room, and to bring a fresh approach to the Castle theme as a whole. I could see villagers, Forestmen, and Wolfpack working really well in unison.

[BrickJagger]

I love the ideas above. We're really putting together a strong theme that doesn't rely on the tired tropes of all previous Castle themes and gets back to the fan favorite villagers. That's why I'm a fan of Forestmen and Wolfpack as candidates for a new theme. They are different enough from the average Castle theme to allow those ideas some breathing room, and to bring a fresh approach to the Castle theme as a whole. I could see villagers, Forestmen, and Wolfpack working really well in unison.

Sure, they could work well, but Robin Hood isn't in the pop-culture spotlight right now, and Lego knows that. Nexo Knights, Chima, and Ninjago exist because Sci-Fi/Futuristic stuff is really big right now.

The Forestmen will come back when Robin Hood does. If you are to be mad at anyone, it should be the general public, not Lego.

[Ardelon]

Lots of good ideas here, with the fair and harbor. The idea of a civilian theme with alter egos is intriguing, and might be a way to sell the concept of civilian sets to kids.

I myself have often thought about a theme of villages vs outlaws, as a fresh alternative to the perpetual offerings of knight-centered themes, but I keep thinking more and more that it wouldnt be a viable theme. The selling point of a Castle theme are the knights in shining armor and Castles with lots of play features, which is what kids want. I would love to be wrong, but here are the words of a designer of the 2007 „Fantasy“ Castle theme:

Civilian / Medieval Sets

Throughout all the testing we have done for Castle we have included several Civilian style sets for the kids to review with the rest of our proposals. Unfortunately when it comes to the ranking of products they always come at the bottom of the pile, even when we have tried to spice them up by including some sort of battle or attack scenario to the products, they just never rank very highly. Kids really prefer just to have a big Castle to protect and a load of Battle machines and vehicles.

Also if we did a Civilian set at retail, it is more than likely that it would be the last one kids would pick on their collection list and they may never actually get that far. We can’t afford to have products sat on shelves that are very slow to perform as we have limited shelf space in the different stores. A box like that could take the place of a Star Wars or Exo Force item etc which could sell five times the volume very quickly. Generally if products aren’t seen to perform in the first month or two they can be very easily dropped from the assortment.

This doesn’t mean that we will never do things like this again, we have done some fabulous stuff internally that I know you guys would love, we just need to figure out the best way of getting it out to you, that makes good business sense. I’m discussing things with shop@home / direct to see if we can find a solution there…. I can’t promise anything but I’m seeing what I can do, we just have to be so careful we don’t flood the market with too many Castle products.

the full interview is here, for those who havent come across it: http://www.classic-castle.com/sets/articles/designerfeedback07.html

But in the spirit of keeping the Castle discussion alive and hopeful, I have taken the liberty of quoting an excerpt from my very first post on this forum:

I remember someone suggesting a „villagers vs raiders“ subtheme a while back. I would prefer them to be rather more rag-tag than the Wolfpack with their smart uniforms. There could be sets like:

- a large set featuring a bandit attack on a village with 2-3 tudor cottages (bring back the tudor wall!), lots of farm animals, and villagers fighting the bandits off with pitchforks / axes / scythes / clubs and maybe the occasional spear or bow so they could put up a fair fight – similar to 7189 Mill Village Raid and 10193 MMV

- a smaller version of the above set, with 1 cottage and fewer minifigs – similar to 6918 Blacksmith Attack

- a set featuring a bandit attack on a villager cart carrying barrels or other goods, can be set in a forest or on a bridge – similar to 7188 King’s Carriage Ambush or 6089 Stone Tower Bridge

- the outlaw camp, with cauldron or roasting spit above a fire, booze barrel with tap, and a captured village maiden for... /ahem/ intelligent conversation

- an outlaw boat or small ship (there were pirates back then too!) – like 6057 Sea Serpent, preferably larger

- an impulse set with a villager, farm implements and animals; another impulse set with an outlaw

Edited November 23, 2015 by Ardelon