What would you like for the next Castle line?

[Athos]

Something with little sections of walls that can connect into a larger castle like the old classic-castle stuff...

Something like the Kingdoms line up too...

Forestmen would be nice as well...

But I'd really like a castle that didn't look exactly like the last three that were made...

And a priest figure...

And vikings...

And peasants...

And a middle eastern themed castle...

And...

And...

And...

Steve

[x105Black]

And...

And...

And...

Steve

Yes, I also want a Steve minifigure. Who here doesn't?

[Artanis I]

Haven't you guys been paying attention to the Minecraft theme?

[x105Black]

Haven't you guys been paying attention to the Minecraft theme?

[Blondie-Wan]

I just saw this on Ideas, and immediately thought of this thread:

King Krentz's Castle Keep

It's everything an Ideas set should be. It's only 700 pieces, looks great, and doesn't try to use some crazy license or parts (although the armor on the knights is outdated). It's a tribute to the original yellow Castle set, and it's late designer.

I would change the colored visors, personally, but I love this Idea. It can be hard to make yellow work well in a castle design, but this one pulls it off. Even though I would really prefer tan, or even grey, this looks fantastic.

By the way, it's not mine. I supported it, and I hope you do too.

I would change some colours on that, and reverse the guards to mounted knights ratio, but it's not bad a model. Nice moc, okay Idea.

I saw that and supported it as well. I hope the Castle fans here actually turn out and vote for it in decent numbers, so that it actually has a chance!

Re: the changes both of you mentioned, we can of course be sure there would be some changes for the final version if it were to become a set. Hopefully they'd be changes that would meet with your approval, but at any rate, I have to assume any/all AFOLs into more traditional Castle themes than that offered by Nexo Knights would be glad to get this alternative, even if there were a few quibbles with it here and there...

[x105Black]

I saw that and supported it as well. I hope the Castle fans here actually turn out and vote for it in decent numbers, so that it actually has a chance!

Re: the changes both of you mentioned, we can of course be sure there would be some changes for the final version if it were to become a set. Hopefully they'd be changes that would meet with your approval, but at any rate, I have to assume any/all AFOLs into more traditional Castle themes than that offered by Nexo Knights would be glad to get this alternative, even if there were a few quibbles with it here and there...

As much as I love the fact that this is a tribute to 375 Castle and Krentz, I think a lot more AFOL Castle fans would vote for it if it didn't have the yellow color scheme. Sad, really, because it's a great build.

[Sorrelon]

As much as I love the fact that this is a tribute to 375 Castle and Krentz, I think a lot more AFOL Castle fans would vote for it if it didn't have the yellow color scheme. Sad, really, because it's a great build.

Exactly. Switching yellow parts with tan or dark tan would be the best choice, as it'd get vote from more AFOL Castle fans while not straying too far from the original colour scheme of 375 Castle.

[Blondie-Wan]

Possibly. There are several castle-y projects in more traditional colors here and there around Ideas, though, and many of them (even good ones) struggle a bit to attract votes.

LEGO Ideas does hold considerable promise as a means for fans of traditional (non-Nexo) castles and knights to get their new set fix, but for it to work, those fans are going to have to step up and actually support stuff. I don't know whether castle folk just tend to be more picky about what they'll support, whether there just really aren't as many fans of castle as of other themes, or what, but medieval historical / fantasy projects just don't seem to make it to review very often, unless they're from Middle-Earth.

[Aanchir]

Possibly. There are several castle-y projects in more traditional colors here and there around Ideas, though, and many of them (even good ones) struggle a bit to attract votes.

LEGO Ideas does hold considerable promise as a means for fans of traditional (non-Nexo) castles and knights to get their new set fix, but for it to work, those fans are going to have to step up and actually support stuff. I don't know whether castle folk just tend to be more picky about what they'll support, whether there just really aren't as many fans of castle as of other themes, or what, but medieval historical / fantasy projects just don't seem to make it to review very often, unless they're from Middle-Earth.

I think projects not based on a very specific concept struggle a lot on Ideas. That's part of why licensed projects tend to be so successful — they're based on specific things that lots and lots of people perceive in more or less the same way. But even the non-licensed projects that have passed have had a very specific focus. The maze is based on a popular real-life game in a style as authentic as possible. The Birds are based on their real-life counterparts in a realistic style at more or less actual size. The Hayabusa and Shinkai 5000 are both authentic likenesses of real vehicles. The broadest non-licensed concept that's ever reached and passed review was the female scientists/research institute, but even that stayed pretty true to the original concept presented in the project: a female chemist, archaeologist, and astronomer. And it succeeded by trying to seeking a niche that had rarely (at that time) been seen in LEGO — not by trying to emulate a concept that had been routinely touched on by theme after theme.

But non-licensed LEGO themes do not tend to be so specific. They're broad archetypes. There are a thousand ways to create a castle or a pirate ship or a spaceship. But just because a person is a fan of those things doesn't mean they'll like YOUR castle or YOUR pirate ship or YOUR spaceship. One person might prefer their castles and pirate ships and spaceships to be more fantastical, another might prefer them to be more realistic. One person might like them to use really modern colors and advanced techniques, while another person might prefer colors and techniques more like the classic sets they grew up with. One person might want them to be really playable while another person is more concerned with display and shelf presence. And so on and so forth. Getting something based on such a broad, ubiquitous concept to appeal to as many people as possible (particularly as many ADULTS as possible) is tough work!

Honestly, that's something I think a lot of people underestimate about the internal design process at the LEGO Group. Designers are VERY concerned with figuring out what works. Some of the most recent castles have been criticized for being conventional. Outside, four re-arrangeable gray walls, a catapult, a few towers, and a gatehouse, and some splashes of color to keep things from being too dour. Inside, a dungeon, a throne room, and a treasury. It definitely IS formulaic, but LEGO doesn't just release sets like this based on what they've done before. They look at what's WORKED before. Trolls' Mountain Fortress, Vladek's Dark Fortress both had really daring and novel designs, but if they aren't as popular with kids as the usual $40–50 Evil Black Prison Tower or $100 Heroic Grey King's Castle, then they probably shouldn't be headlining the first wave for a new version of LEGO Castle. And in fact, they didn't — both those sets were released as follow-up to mix things up after taking a year or two to power through the more conventional fare.

The notion that maybe LEGO Castle in general should be aimed at a higher age range so it can be more daring is not a new one. It's true that kids develop a taste for less familiar fare as they get older, which is part of why unfamiliar themes like Nexo Knights, Ultra Agents, Legends of Chima, and Ninjago tend to be designed for seven and up while the more familiar classic themes like City, Pirates, and Castle tend to be designed for ages five and up. These sorts of unfamiliar concepts (which tend to be classed as "action/adventure themes" here on Eurobricks, due to not falling strictly into one conventional genre or setting) are risky, because LEGO doesn't have as much precedent to fall back on, so it's harder to tell whether a theme will be a long-lasting craze like Ninjago or more of a flash-in-the-pan like Power Miners, Atlantis, and Ultra Agents.

Once you get into teens and adults things get even trickier, because not only are you dealing with a much smaller demographic for toy sales in general, but also a pickier demographic that might have seemingly contradictory tastes (which gets back to the problem facing Castle-themed Ideas sets). For every adult Castle fan who in 2010 hated how conventional Kingdoms was and wanted Castle to go back to having a more fantastical setting and designs, there's an adult Castle fan who in 2007 thought skull-shaped towers and reanimated skeleton warriors were contrived and wanted Castle to go back to more realistic architecture and human vs. human conflict. All things considered, if AFOL-oriented castle sets like the Medieval Market Village and Kingdoms Joust could sell well enough on their own to support an ongoing series like the Winter Village or Modular Buildings, LEGO would probably have already at least taken one step deeper into that territory. But evidently sets like that are still a big enough risk that LEGO has only been comfortable releasing them as supplementary follow-ups to already successful Castle themes.

So… yeah. I want to wrap this up by proposing some solution for LEGO Castle to break out of its shell and start to become more daring, or for Castle fans to create an Ideas project they can all rally around. But after all this reflection I don't really have one. Even at its most daring, LEGO Castle's risks have generally been fairly measured and calculated, and tend to take place after at least a brief period of more conventional fare. Meanwhile, themes like Nexo Knights and Elves have been doing a pretty good job satisfying MY cravings for what I want in a LEGO castle (i.e. colorful characters and livable spaces), and while I'd like traditional Castle to take some of those same steps, I don't know what it would take to get to that point. If anybody else has any ideas of what steps it might take for a Castle theme to not just satisfy AFOLs individually but really bring people together, I'd love to hear them.

Edited July 22, 2016 by Aanchir

[Robert8]

Maybe the S16 Rogue is a foreshadowing for the next Castle line

[SirBlake]

Maybe the S16 Rogue is a foreshadowing for the next Castle line

That would be fantastic, but we've got so many characters from the last 4 or 5 regular CMF series that would be good indicators for that, and so far, nada.

[sebitsena]

I want civilian sets like Medieval Market Village, or the Mill Village Raid.

http://brickset.com/sets/10193-1/Medieval-Market-Village

http://brickset.com/sets/7189-1/Mill-Village-Raid

I dream also of an ultimate castle, a Crusader or Black Falcon fortress, like Lego did with the big Imperial Flagship for the Imperial Guards in the Pirates theme.

http://brickset.com/sets/10210-1/Imperial-Flagship

[Ltfalcon]

I'd like to see magical creatures added to new castle sets, like the CMF elfs, goblins, satyr, etc., I really dig the Medeivel market village as well.

[x105Black]

Possibly. There are several castle-y projects in more traditional colors here and there around Ideas, though, and many of them (even good ones) struggle a bit to attract votes.

LEGO Ideas does hold considerable promise as a means for fans of traditional (non-Nexo) castles and knights to get their new set fix, but for it to work, those fans are going to have to step up and actually support stuff. I don't know whether castle folk just tend to be more picky about what they'll support, whether there just really aren't as many fans of castle as of other themes, or what, but medieval historical / fantasy projects just don't seem to make it to review very often, unless they're from Middle-Earth.

I think Castle fans are picky. At one point, I was supporting a bunch of Castle-type projects on Ideas, but now they are few and far between as I've gotten more accustomed to what I think actually has a chance. Some of the best Ideas projects that could be considered Castle projects are also very unlikely to get made. This is mostly due to size and scale issues. These are also the ones that get the most votes. I wish people would look at Ideas more realistically.

I think projects not based on a very specific concept struggle a lot on Ideas. That's part of why licensed projects tend to be so successful — they're based on specific things that lots and lots of people perceive in more or less the same way. But even the non-licensed projects that have passed have had a very specific focus. The maze is based on a popular real-life game in a style as authentic as possible. The Birds are based on their real-life counterparts in a realistic style at more or less actual size. The Hayabusa and Shinkai 5000 are both authentic likenesses of real vehicles. The broadest non-licensed concept that's ever reached and passed review was the female scientists/research institute, but even that stayed pretty true to the original concept presented in the project: a female chemist, archaeologist, and astronomer. And it succeeded by trying to seeking a niche that had rarely (at that time) been seen in LEGO — not by trying to emulate a concept that had been routinely touched on by theme after theme.

But non-licensed LEGO themes do not tend to be so specific. They're broad archetypes. There are a thousand ways to create a castle or a pirate ship or a spaceship. But just because a person is a fan of those things doesn't mean they'll like YOUR castle or YOUR pirate ship or YOUR spaceship. One person might prefer their castles and pirate ships and spaceships to be more fantastical, another might prefer them to be more realistic. One person might like them to use really modern colors and advanced techniques, while another person might prefer colors and techniques more like the classic sets they grew up with. One person might want them to be really playable while another person is more concerned with display and shelf presence. And so on and so forth. Getting something based on such a broad, ubiquitous concept to appeal to as many people as possible (particularly as many ADULTS as possible) is tough work!

Honestly, that's something I think a lot of people underestimate about the internal design process at the LEGO Group. Designers are VERY concerned with figuring out what works. Some of the most recent castles have been criticized for being conventional. Outside, four re-arrangeable gray walls, a catapult, a few towers, and a gatehouse, and some splashes of color to keep things from being too dour. Inside, a dungeon, a throne room, and a treasury. It definitely IS formulaic, but LEGO doesn't just release sets like this based on what they've done before. They look at what's WORKED before. Trolls' Mountain Fortress, Vladek's Dark Fortress both had really daring and novel designs, but if they aren't as popular with kids as the usual $40–50 Evil Black Prison Tower or $100 Heroic Grey King's Castle, then they probably shouldn't be headlining the first wave for a new version of LEGO Castle. And in fact, they didn't — both those sets were released as follow-up to mix things up after taking a year or two to power through the more conventional fare.

The notion that maybe LEGO Castle in general should be aimed at a higher age range so it can be more daring is not a new one. It's true that kids develop a taste for less familiar fare as they get older, which is part of why unfamiliar themes like Nexo Knights, Ultra Agents, Legends of Chima, and Ninjago tend to be designed for seven and up while the more familiar classic themes like City, Pirates, and Castle tend to be designed for ages five and up. These sorts of unfamiliar concepts (which tend to be classed as "action/adventure themes" here on Eurobricks, due to not falling strictly into one conventional genre or setting) are risky, because LEGO doesn't have as much precedent to fall back on, so it's harder to tell whether a theme will be a long-lasting craze like Ninjago or more of a flash-in-the-pan like Power Miners, Atlantis, and Ultra Agents.

Once you get into teens and adults things get even trickier, because not only are you dealing with a much smaller demographic for toy sales in general, but also a pickier demographic that might have seemingly contradictory tastes (which gets back to the problem facing Castle-themed Ideas sets). For every adult Castle fan who in 2010 hated how conventional Kingdoms was and wanted Castle to go back to having a more fantastical setting and designs, there's an adult Castle fan who in 2007 thought skull-shaped towers and reanimated skeleton warriors were contrived and wanted Castle to go back to more realistic architecture and human vs. human conflict. All things considered, if AFOL-oriented castle sets like the Medieval Market Village and Kingdoms Joust could sell well enough on their own to support an ongoing series like the Winter Village or Modular Buildings, LEGO would probably have already at least taken one step deeper into that territory. But evidently sets like that are still a big enough risk that LEGO has only been comfortable releasing them as supplementary follow-ups to already successful Castle themes.

So… yeah. I want to wrap this up by proposing some solution for LEGO Castle to break out of its shell and start to become more daring, or for Castle fans to create an Ideas project they can all rally around. But after all this reflection I don't really have one. Even at its most daring, LEGO Castle's risks have generally been fairly measured and calculated, and tend to take place after at least a brief period of more conventional fare. Meanwhile, themes like Nexo Knights and Elves have been doing a pretty good job satisfying MY cravings for what I want in a LEGO castle (i.e. colorful characters and livable spaces), and while I'd like traditional Castle to take some of those same steps, I don't know what it would take to get to that point. If anybody else has any ideas of what steps it might take for a Castle theme to not just satisfy AFOLs individually but really bring people together, I'd love to hear them.

I think what would be most successful is a happy medium. I'm a fan of the more realistic architecture, and don't really like the really crazy designs. At the same time, I'm a fan of fantasy, and I appreciate fantasy elements like large molded creatures and some more interesting races.

I think that I'm a little more picky than the usual Castle customer, actually. I'm not really into most of the fantastical races from fantasy for my LEGO creations. When I got LOTR elves, I replaced their elf ear headpieces with normal hair or helmets. But that's all irrelevant if the other parts of the minifigure are great. If the minifigure has a great torso, legs, and accessories like armor, shield, and weapon, then I can overlook other things. I used the torso of the CMF Goblin as a peasant by replacing the hands with yellow, and setting aside the head, hat, and legs. I find all kinds of useful minifigure pieces in other themes, but it can be hard to justify a set purchase unless there are enough of them, they are desirable enough, or the rest of the set has enough usefulness.

I guess my point is that there is is indeed a wide variety of Castle fans, and trying to appease any one group will always disappoint the others. It's definitely a tricky situation. But if they try for something that's more in the middle of the road, they could be successful.

My personal hope is that they go back to some older fan favorites like Forestmen, Wolfpack, and the Black Falcon era (with a few sets focusing on the civilians). If they decide to make the Forestmen into elves, that's fine as long as I can replace the headpieces. If they decide to give us other fantasy races to fight against, that's fine as long as the sets are good and the minifigure pieces can be useful (like the Ash Attacker from Nexo Knights with a very useful torso and legs). I appreciate when the set design is more than just a grey box with towers, but don't overdo it. There's no need to go to either extreme. It seems like LEGO either makes super basic Castles or really weird fantastical Castles. Try something in between and you will find people from both sides of the Castle audience in line to buy it.

That would be fantastic, but we've got so many characters from the last 4 or 5 regular CMF series that would be good indicators for that, and so far, nada.

My thoughts, exactly. I was hoping the Goblin was a hint towards the next Castle wave, and that the Egyptian's shield would be used. Then we got Nexo Knights instead.

Hopefully these types of things come around more in the next actual Castle theme.

[Artanis I]

...

So… yeah. I want to wrap this up by proposing some solution for LEGO Castle to break out of its shell and start to become more daring, or for Castle fans to create an Ideas project they can all rally around. But after all this reflection I don't really have one. Even at its most daring, LEGO Castle's risks have generally been fairly measured and calculated, and tend to take place after at least a brief period of more conventional fare. Meanwhile, themes like Nexo Knights and Elves have been doing a pretty good job satisfying MY cravings for what I want in a LEGO castle (i.e. colorful characters and livable spaces), and while I'd like traditional Castle to take some of those same steps, I don't know what it would take to get to that point. If anybody else has any ideas of what steps it might take for a Castle theme to not just satisfy AFOLs individually but really bring people together, I'd love to hear them.

Something not addressed above is the issue that a lot of Castle fans care about that an Ideas set can not fix: no themes allowed, only single sets. For collectors, new castle sets can't be standalone, they must augment a new or existing faction.

Why is that a problem? You can't build a decent new faction/army from 1 set. You want variety in minifigs, you want more than 1 team. To get all of that requires a minimum of 6 unique minifigs (good luck). Then you want heraldry, you want horses and armour. That is all independent from the model.

Otherwise the submission is just another grey castle with existing minifigs (you can build yourself) that will gather dust, not votes.

[SirBlake]

Something not addressed above is the issue that a lot of Castle fans care about that an Ideas set can not fix: no themes allowed, only single sets. For collectors, new castle sets can't be standalone, they must augment a new or existing faction.

Why is that a problem? You can't build a decent new faction/army from 1 set. You want variety in minifigs, you want more than 1 team. To get all of that requires a minimum of 6 unique minifigs (good luck). Then you want heraldry, you want horses and armour. That is all independent from the model.

Otherwise the submission is just another grey castle with existing minifigs (you can build yourself) that will gather dust, not votes.

Man, that is a really good point. Hadn't thought about it that way, but you're absolutely right.

[The lego fan]

I would love a new castle theme based around things like 10193 medieval market village and other old era traditional lego sets. If not, another good idea would be a classic style castle theme with retro castles, knights and forestmen. I'd like to see plenty more mythical creatures, like centaurs and harpies and a huge medieval, ultimate castle

The lego fan.

Edited October 26, 2016 by The lego fan

[Klaus-Dieter]

On 22.7.2016 at 10:24 PM, sebitsena said:

I want civilian sets like Medieval Market Village, or the Mill Village Raid.

http://brickset.com/sets/10193-1/Medieval-Market-Village

http://brickset.com/sets/7189-1/Mill-Village-Raid

I dream also of an ultimate castle, a Crusader or Black Falcon fortress, like Lego did with the big Imperial Flagship for the Imperial Guards in the Pirates theme.

http://brickset.com/sets/10210-1/Imperial-Flagship

I 100%ly agree with you, sebitsena! A new market place and some sort of medieval farm are a must! And a huge (200-300 Euros) Castle with decent rooms and great interior would be a dream for me, too!

Plus there finally should be a decent battering ram and even more a decent siege tower! I'm really surprised that TLG didn't relase any set in the past decade with these contents since they offer a lot of action and playability.

And some forestmen - if designed realistic like in the original themes (Forestmen and Dark Forest) - would be highly welcome, too!

 

Klaus-Dieter

[x105Black]

1 hour ago, Klaus-Dieter said:

I 100%ly agree with you, sebitsena! A new market place and some sort of medieval farm are a must! And a huge (200-300 Euros) Castle with decent rooms and great interior would be a dream for me, too!

Plus there finally should be a decent battering ram and even more a decent siege tower! I'm really surprised that TLG didn't relase any set in the past decade with these contents since they offer a lot of action and playability.

And some forestmen - if designed realistic like in the original themes (Forestmen and Dark Forest) - would be highly welcome, too!

 

Klaus-Dieter

Sounds good, although the battering ram and siege tower are unnecessary for me personally.

[Aanchir]

7 hours ago, Klaus-Dieter said:

I 100%ly agree with you, sebitsena! A new market place and some sort of medieval farm are a must! And a huge (200-300 Euros) Castle with decent rooms and great interior would be a dream for me, too!

Plus there finally should be a decent battering ram and even more a decent siege tower! I'm really surprised that TLG didn't relase any set in the past decade with these contents since they offer a lot of action and playability.

And some forestmen - if designed realistic like in the original themes (Forestmen and Dark Forest) - would be highly welcome, too!

 

Klaus-Dieter

There was a siege tower/battering ram in 7037 from 2008, so it hasn't quite been a decade without any. Although I understand that you are not a fan of Fantasy Era so perhaps these wouldn't qualify as a "decent" battering ram and siege tower in your mind. It is kind of surprising that there haven't been any siege towers in more recent Castle sets.

I do wonder whether we'll ever see an uptick in farm-related sets in City or Castle again. There hasn't been much in either theme since the 2009 City Farm range or the 2011 Mill Village Raid. And there wasn't much farming-related subject matter in either theme BEFORE those sets, either. But we continue to see farm equipment in the Technic theme, and Friends had some farm-related sets in 2012 and 2014, so it doesn't seem like today's kids are averse to the idea of farming. In Castle, at least, it mostly just seems to be a matter of the most recent Castle theme being too small to accommodate more than the strictest essentials of a Castle theme. I'm not sure what City's excuse is.

It's really tough to gauge how well Forestmen might do in the modern day. Even in the 80s and 90s, Forestmen seemed sorta "niche" — from 1987 to 1990 they only appeared in two or three sets per year, with far more sets dedicated to the knight factions. The "Dark Forest" revival in 1996 was likewise just three sets, plus was only released in North America. If LEGO did create new Forestmen sets, though, I know they'd probably be very impressive. LEGO has gotten a lot better at building trees since the 90s.

[sebitsena]

10 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

It's really tough to gauge how well Forestmen might do in the modern day. Even in the 80s and 90s, Forestmen seemed sorta "niche" — from 1987 to 1990 they only appeared in two or three sets per year, with far more sets dedicated to the knight factions. The "Dark Forest" revival in 1996 was likewise just three sets, plus was only released in North America. If LEGO did create new Forestmen sets, though, I know they'd probably be very impressive. LEGO has gotten a lot better at building trees since the 90s.

Something like the Ewoks Village could be great :) But i would prefer an ultimate castle though ;)

Edited October 24, 2016 by sebitsena

[The lego fan]

On 21 September 2015 at 3:19 PM, x105Black said:

I'd like to see a combination of all the best things from Castle and similar lines from the past, with a few new things and updates. Basically Classic 80's - 90's Castle with elements of Fantasy Era, Fright Knights, and Lord of the Rings.

Here's my (ridiculously improbable) list:

Factions

• Multiple Kingdoms (Updated Black Falcons and Dragons preferred, possibly also Lions and New Heraldry, or 1978 reimagined)
• Forestmen (Human Rangers, possibly Elves as well, in moderation)
• Wolfpack (Human Rogues and Thieves)
• Evil Fantasy (Trolls, Goblins, and Orcs)

 

Structures

• Castles (1 for each Kingdom)
• Strongholds (Multiple Forts and Fortresses)
• Towers (Perhaps a Magic Tower)
• Wooded Outpost (For Forestmen)
• Wolfpack Den (For the Wolfpack, obviously)
• Civilian Locations (Marketplace, Blacksmith, Butcher, Baker, Mill, Farm, Inn, Tavern)

 

Vehicles

• Carriages (Royal, Military, and Civilian)
• Merchant Carts (Trading Carts and Carriages)
• Sea Vessels (War Ships, Merchant Boats)
• War Chariots (Military)
• Siege Engines (Nothing too silly)

 

Creatures (Full Molds)

• Dragons (Not Brick-built)
• Wolves (Ride-able like Wargs, and normal dog types)
• Deer (Made like Horses with interchangeable antlers)
• Unicorns (With horns in the head, not in armor on the head)
• Pegasus (Using the new Wings from Friends)
• Gryphons (Maybe inspires a new Faction to replace the Lions, size of old Dragons)
• Centaurs (Minifigure Torsos attach)
• Horses (with Barding and Armor)

 

Characters

 

• Kings (Plural)
• Royalty (Queens, Princes, Princesses)
• Magic Users (Wizards, Witches, Sorcerers, Sorceresses, Druids)
• Knights (Various Factions and Heraldry, not Jellybeans defending 1 King)
• Soldiers (Guards, Warriors)
• Raiders (Brigands, Bandits, Assassins, Thieves)
• Fantasy Races (Elves and Dwarves, in moderation)
• Evil Races (Trolls, Goblins, and Orcs, in moderation)

 

Equipment

• Swords (Broadswords, Cutlasses, Knives, etc, all Metallic or Pearled Greys)
• Shields (Updated Classic Heraldry, Variety of Shield Molds like Classic, CMF Egyptian, Round, Rectangle, etc)
• Armor (Classic Mold, new Prints, Heraldry not needed on Armor)
• Archery (Bows and Quivers, preferably in Black and Dark Brown)
• Crossbows (Classic and New)

 

Colors

• Dark Colors, not Bright
• Dark Brown
• Dark Grey
• Dark Green
• Dark Red
• Dark Blue
• Dark Purple
• Chrome Gold Coins

 

I know, that's asking a lot. I think they could do a lot with this, though, and release this stuff over several waves. Introduce a few Factions to start and build out from there.

1st Wave:

Small Civilian Carriage - Raided by Wolfpack on Wolf-back. Gryphon Knight defender.

Civilian Blacksmith - Small, 2 story building. Blacksmith is maybe a Dwarf. Supplying Black Falcon soldiers.

Joust - Medium set with Black Falcon, Dragon, and Gryphon Knights in a friendly joust. A fourth Faction would be welcomed.

Forestmen's Outpost - Forestmen with attacking Goblins. Possible Elf allies.

Gryphon Castle - Gryphon Royalty and Wizard with attacking Goblins and Bigfig Troll. Ride-able Gryphon included.

I went small on wave 1 with only 5 sets. I could see additional small or medium sized sets and army builders. The next wave could expand upon that by adding a Black Falcon Stronghold, a Sorcerer's Tower, a Dragon Castle with Dragon, etc. I think it would do really well, appeal to a broad fan-base, and even appeal to children. It could even tie-in with a new TV show, think Game of Thrones or D&D for kids. Also, each year, there should be an Ultimate set that is comparable to the Modular Buildings we see each year for the City theme.

I know, this is way beyond wishful thinking, but I wanted to be thorough. I probably still left some things out.

Wow! I love practically all your ideas and would live this to become lego castle reality but like you said, it is beyond wishfull thinking.??

I would especially love to see a lego centaur and a new lego dragon mould, more civilian locations that you mentioned ( particualy a butcher, a baker, a marketplace and a blacksmith),a war chariot,forestmen and wolf pack men (like the retro forestmen and the cmf series 16 rouge), and of course more castles, especially ultimate ones!

Great work, x105Black!

 

On 22 July 2016 at 9:01 PM, Robert8 said:

Maybe the S16 Rogue is a foreshadowing for the next Castle line

Wishfull thinking!

The lego fan.

Edited October 24, 2016 by The lego fan

[Wodanis]

2 hours ago, Aanchir said:

There was a siege tower/battering ram in 7037 from 2008, so it hasn't quite been a decade without any. Although I understand that you are not a fan of Fantasy Era so perhaps these wouldn't qualify as a "decent" battering ram and siege tower in your mind. It is kind of surprising that there haven't been any siege towers in more recent Castle sets.

I do wonder whether we'll ever see an uptick in farm-related sets in City or Castle again. There hasn't been much in either theme since the 2009 City Farm range or the 2011 Mill Village Raid. And there wasn't much farming-related subject matter in either theme BEFORE those sets, either. But we continue to see farm equipment in the Technic theme, and Friends had some farm-related sets in 2012 and 2014, so it doesn't seem like today's kids are averse to the idea of farming. In Castle, at least, it mostly just seems to be a matter of the most recent Castle theme being too small to accommodate more than the strictest essentials of a Castle theme. I'm not sure what City's excuse is.

It's really tough to gauge how well Forestmen might do in the modern day. Even in the 80s and 90s, Forestmen seemed sorta "niche" — from 1987 to 1990 they only appeared in two or three sets per year, with far more sets dedicated to the knight factions. The "Dark Forest" revival in 1996 was likewise just three sets, plus was only released in North America. If LEGO did create new Forestmen sets, though, I know they'd probably be very impressive. LEGO has gotten a lot better at building trees since the 90s.

You figure the last realistic siege engine was back in 1984 (6061)! I think we are overdue for a good one. I agree the building techniques today could create some amazing sets. Personally I've wanted them to reproduce Forest men sets for a long time. I think that would be a great selling theme. Keep in mind though, that the Forest men were a niche theme like Coast Guard, Submarine, Volcanic themes in City. Apparently farm sets for City in 2009 weren't a fast seller. 

[Venunder]

I would like a Minas Tirith set.

Realistically  though a sandstone castle made with Tan and Dark Tan bricks might be good?

Although a classic Dark Grey and Black should fit with the previous sets.

[x105Black]

9 hours ago, The lego fan said:

Wow! I love practically all your ideas and would live this to become lego castle reality but like you said, it is beyond wishfull thinking.??

I would especially love to see a lego centaur and a new lego dragon mould, more civilian locations that you mentioned ( particualy a butcher, a baker, a marketplace and a blacksmith),a war chariot,forestmen and wolf pack men (like the retro forestmen and the cmf series 16 rouge), and of course more castles, especially ultimate ones!

Great work, x105Black!

I'm glad you like the ideas!  I'd love to one day build a collection of sets to pitch (possibly through Ideas) that go along with these plans.

6 hours ago, Wodanis said:

Personally I've wanted them to reproduce Forest men sets for a long time. I think that would be a great selling theme. Keep in mind though, that the Forest men were a niche theme like Coast Guard, Submarine, Volcanic themes in City.

Forestmen may be a niche, but a poll in these forums showed it to be the most popular Castle faction, if memory serves.