That is precisely what I was thinking, though I believe I’ll buy at least one copy to show my support for the hobby and to get ideas and some components to at least experiment with… but I’d have probably bought more if they had more compatible sculpts (or, even better, if they offered the piece sets separately as well, I might have bought dozens, like I did for the TT pieces when I first discovered them many years ago…)
I do appreciate their desire to create a self-contained game with a unique aesthetic, but my preference would be otherwise. Even within those parameters, I still think that having at least infantry and cavalry sculpts unique to each power should be a minimum (Remember that even the original MB version had unique infantry sculpts…) So, even going with a unique and interesting sort of Art-Deco aesthetic, I see it as a missed opportunity to at least have some key unique sculpts… Imagine the aesthetic appeal of putting their current Tommy’s alongside a more menacingly Gothic-looking German and, say, a Romantically heroic French “poilu.” Heck, they wouldn’t even need to have totally unique sculpts for everyone, as there were only 3 main varieties of steel helmet and uniform styles tended to evolve toward a similarity between allies as the war dragged on. Just as the more recent AH games have, they could have some nations have the same sculpts in different colors, but still have more variety as a compromise. I’d say that a minimum would be 3 sets of sculpts in the infantry/ cavalry dept.:
1. British “tommy” in Brodie helmet (could double as American in green, and perhaps also Canadian, Indian and/or ANZAC if they are separated out.)
2. French “poilu” in Adrian helmet (could double for Russians and Italians, as both used the same helmet, an long coats and rifles.)
3. Finally, the German in Stahlhelm could double for their Central Powers allies, as both adopted the Stahlhelm to some extent at least (though, a separate Ottoman sculpt would be better yet, as they didn’t adopt the German gear and as extensively… that would be my 4th priority, with a unique Russian sculpt as my 5th priority.)
Maybe, since they’re still 6 months away, it wouldn’t be too late: my “compromise” option would only require 4 new sculpts, an infantry and a cavalry for Germany and France, since they’ve already gone with a British look from what I can tell on the rather small pics.