Dystopian Wars World Expansion Kickstarter Update

I posted this on my dystopian tales blog and wanted to share here as well that the kickstarter has done very well so far at 155% funded. The campaign is only 2,200 GBP short of unlocking a new faction for the game. I believe I noted this in one of my previous posts but I am exceedingly excited for this stretchgoal! The possible factions that backers will be able to choose from are: Teutonic Order, Spanish Confederacy, Republic of Egypt, Hellenic Kingdoms and Garibaldi's Legion. Out of these I think the Teutonic Order and Garibaldi's Legion are my least favorite options but any would be cool. Tomorrow, I believe, there is supposed to be an overview of the possible factions released so that we can vote on which will be added to the game as part of this Expansion.

Other than my excitement of helping pick a new faction I wanted to share images of many of the terrain bolt-ons. A large part of this kickstarter campaign is the addition of terrain specific to Dystopian Wars. Of all of the images shown so far these look awesome and will a ton of character to any battlefield they are added to.

Sturginium Rig - This thing measures about 5"by 6" and looks fantastic!

Overhead pic of the sturginium rig. Lots of excellent little details all over this model.

Island and Hazard Set - Love the little buildings set into the side of the rocky outcroppings.

New Resin iceberg set. The largest of these look to be about the size of a battleship. I plan to pick up a set of these as I think they will be awesome painted up on a game board.

Second shot of the iceberg with the new Prussian Empire monitor and destroyers..`

New fortified harbor set with a Prussian Empire monitor for scale purposes. There are supposed to be some additional buildings which have not been completely rendered as of yet which will be part of this set as well. This is another set I really want to pick up!

This is a close up of the harbor gates. It has been indicated that there will later be nation specific gates to further customize this set. Very excited to see the buildings which have yet to be rendered.

Several renders have been revealed for the Core Nation Expansion Sets. So far they have revealed the medium ships for the Blazing Sun, Republique of France, Kingdom of Britannia and Federated States of America.

Chita class robot submarines - Love these models!

Royan class gunship - I really like the look of this model. It has the appearance of a pocket battleship.

Felshaw class light carrier - Cool looking little model. My brother-in-law is expecting to pick up a few models.

Calico class light carrier - Very cool little ship. The rocket battery in the back is replaceable giving three different configurations.

Russian Coalition Mezan gun corvette - I very much like the triple barreled guns on the front of this ship. These will be a lot of fun to paint.

I am very excited to see this kickstarter finish out and in particular getting to vote on adding a new faction. I will post again once some more renders are released or the new faction is determined. Thanks for reading!

Dystopian Wars Kickstarter Expansion

Again I posted this in my Dystopian Wars blog but wanted to share here as well. Thanks for reading!

I'm a few days late posting the beginning of Spartan Games Dystopian Wars game expansion through Kickstarter. As of writing this the campaign is 81% funded with 27 days to go which is very exciting. They have numerous pledge options be you a gamer or retailer.

Dystopian World Expansion Kickstarter

It does not appear that there will be any issues hitting the funding goal. I am very hopeful that the campaign will reach the stretch goal for creating a new Naval Battle Group from either the Spanish Confederacy, Teutonic Order, Free Hellenic Kingdom, Republic of Egypt or Garibaldi's Legion. The faction will be determined by backer vote. My vote would be for the Spanish Confederacy, I've been waiting for Spanish or Portuguese models since I started playing Dystopian Wars.

I have backed this project at the Fleet Admiral level and am very much looking forward to getting the models of the Ice Maiden Iceberg Carrier and Murmansk Fleet Operations Vessel. The Murmansk was a surprise to me but its appearance as a massive floating factory really appeals to me. In fact it has convinced me to build a Russian Coalition fleet around it.

Murmansk Fleet Operation Vessel. I love this model. Supposedly the back of the model can be glued or magnetized open to allow a cruiser sized vessel or smaller inside this behemoth. It is going to be a blast to paint!

The Fleet Admiral Pledge will allow me to select 4 Expansion boxes to go along with the two player set and resin super vessels. So far Spartan has only post the contents of the Russian Coalition and Prussian Empire expansion boxes which are the same new models contained in the two player set.

Magadan Large Submarine. I really like this model. Actually I like it better than the original Deathbringer submarine and am very curious to see how its armament works.

The Onega Light Cruiser. This model looks good in my opinion and is a good evolution of the current Russian Coalition aesthetic.

The Mezan gun corvette sounds really cool, unfortunately the enlarged picture uploaded is of the Rustov destroyer also a cool model but not the new corvette.

I must say I love this model. The Gustav Bombard Monitor equipped with the PAK-800 KYC Siege Artillery Piece. The fact that the gun has a the steam engine still on the ship just makes it that much more awesome in my opinion. Also equipped with broadside tesla torpedoes!

Second picture of the Gustav showcasing the train and siege artillery.

The Brandtaucher Assault submarine. From the description this unit sounds like a lot of fun armed with its luftlancers and forward firing cannons. It definitely takes inspiration from the Prussian Sturmbringer Submarine.

Lahn Anti-Air Destroyer armed with a speerschluder. Looks and sounds like a nifty little vessel.

The League of Crimson Poinard ambush corvette and Blade armored cruiser. These two models are beautifully detailed befitting their wealthy masters. The Poinard Corvettes gets to deploy after all other models and is armed with broadside weapons. The Blade Cruisers are armed with a Tesla lance, fixed channel electrical weapon and energy broadsides. 

Lots to be excited about, I will make sure to post more once the other Expansion boxes are revealed. Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

Impending Spartan Games Kickstarter

I have posted this on my Dystopian Wars Blog but wanted to share here as well just in case anyone is interested.

Spartan Games has recently unveiled plans for a massive expansion to Dystopian Wars using Kickstarter. I for one am extremely excited by this and can not wait to see the new French models. I may even look at picking up a new fleet like the Russian Coalition. I have long appreciated their aesthetic but just have never gotten around to picking them up.

Spartan has posted two blog articles dropping some tidbits regarding the impending Kickstarter.
Dystopian World Expansion Kickstarter

Return of the Battleships

- There will be an expansion set for each of the main 7 nations, (Federated States of America, Kingdom of Britannia, Russian Coalition, Covenant of Antarctica, Republique of France, Prussian Empire & Empire of the Blazing Sun). The expansion sets will include a new large, medium and small squadron from naval or aerial theater.

- There is supposed to be Nation Guide Books for each of the above nations.

- A new two player box set, (Operation: Ice Maiden), featuring Prussian and Russian models and including the new Ice Maiden Super Carrier which will measure over 10" long.

The Ice Maiden has been indicated to measure more than 10" in length. This model will be a blast to paint!

- There is also supposed to be two campaign books. One for Operation Ice Maiden related to the above 2 player set and one for Operation: Bronze Typhoon which will be set in the pacific around the city of Singapore.

- The League of Crimson will also be debuting in the Kickstarter. They are supposed to be made up of extremely wealthy big game hunters capitalizing off of the world war. Slated to have some very unique models I have very curious to see these guys finally, Hopefully the League of Honorable Gentleman will not be too far behind them!

The New Mark 1 battleships for the first four nations. (Left to Right, Mississipi, Yokai, Magnate & Eider). I really like the evolution of the design aesthetic for each nation so far. Extremely excited to see the new French battleship!

The mark 2 version of each of the above battleships.The new battleships have been designed to be easily magnetized so that they can be re\vised to best fit each battle they are used in. Their is also mention that new marks may be released in the future which will allow further customization.

On the forums it has been reported that the Kickstarter is slated to start sometime next week and their will be several blog posts with additional model renders and more information over the next few days. Alliance nations have also been address and will be further expanded in the the phase 2 of the World Expansion. Whether this will be part of the Kickstarter, a separate Kickstarter or something else entirely is uncertain.

The future of dystopian wars looks very positive. I am very excited for the impending Kickstarter and will be definitely backing it in some capacity. I will try to post further once more information is available.

Dindrenzi Ground Command Helix - Painted

Hi all, sorry for the inconsistent posts over the past few months. Between work and the newest addition to our family I have been a little more preoccupied than normal.

I've actually had these pictures since August and just have not had a chance to post them. Better late than never though!

Nyx Grand Company. Very much looking forward to overrunning someone with these guys!

Damocles Flambard turrets. 

Damocles Estock Flack Launchers,

I magnetized the bases so that it would be easy to swap between the flambard and estock drop ons.

The  base for the Charon Command Pod. I tried to create a little bit of a lighting effect coming from above each ladder.

The underside of the command pod. I used the green for the rocket/stabilizers for the pod and then continued the blue for the light sources within the pod.

A picture of both the base and the command pod. I was trying to show off some of the details on the front of the command pod.

An overhead view of the command pod and base. I've been extremely pleased with how this model turned out. My wife made me a stencil for the phi symbol to add it.

The entire Ground Command Helix. The size of the Command pod still surprises me when compared to the other models I have. It is simply huge and stats wise it is a beast calling in artillery strikes, deploying a grand company and still providing fire support. The Command pod seems designed to break a battle line or to consolidate a position. 

I love this helix. Unfortunately, I have not played a game with it yet but I am certainly looking forward to trying it out! Thanks for reading/viewing!

The near future of the Firestorm universe from Spartan Games

Spartan games released a blog post today on their website and facebook laying out the near future for Firstorm Armada and Firestorm Planetfall.

http://www.spartangames.co.uk/flashpoint-firestorm

In summary things are looking up for both armada and planetfall.
- The narrative is going to be advanced and future releases and posts will explore the galaxy beyond the storm zone.
- Campaign Flashpoints, (Armada, Planetfall or both compatible), will be released in the future allowing the playerbase to help determine the future of the game narrative. (I am very excited about this!)
- Spartan intends to connect Planetfall and Armada a little more than has been done previously.
- First flashpoint will be Flashpoint Amber - Sorylian vs. Relthoza set implied.
- Different Flashpoints may overlap each other in lengths.
- Future vessels will be modular in design allowing for 2 or 3 different vessels to be constructed from the same chassis.
- This modular approach will also be applied to the upcoming Planetfall Alliance core helices.
- Firestorm Armada 3.0 ruleset is expected to be released in 2017 after a beta/community review period.
- Firestorm Planetfall 2.0 ruleset appears to be the next rule release for Spartan. In the near future a discussion will be started on the forums regarding the changes to the rules.

A preview was also shared of the upcoming Indomitable Battle Carrier. I don't play terrans but it is a really cool model.

All in all I am very excited regarding the information provided in the blog post. I think it will help to alleviate some of the fears that have been voiced recently in the forums and points to a very exciting next year for the Firestorm universe!

Thanks for reading!

Veydreth Allied Recon Helix - Painted

This helix was a blast to paint. Though definitely out of my comfort zone for colors the result was better than I had hoped. I am really excited to pick up and paint the core helix once it is released this winter.

Veydreth Recon Helix including Yok-Ta medium skiffs, Nuk-Su light skiffs and artillery designator tokens.

Nuk-Su Light Recon Skiffs - My wife elected to go for a dark purple base color with bright blue lighting effects. The final effect reminds me a little bit of Tron.

Different angles of the Nuk-Su light skiffs.

Yok-Ta medium skiff. Added a little bit of pink at my wife's request. I think that it was a good choice and looked a little more tribal.

Rear and side view of the Yok-Ta medium skiff. 

These were a fun little painting project for me and my wife was really happy with the results. We've only broken them out to play once this summer but daughter has several times and loved the color scheme too.

Next I will try to get some pictures of my painted command helix. I also have a battle report from my most recent game against my brother-in-law. Relthoza vs. Terrans, unfortunately my dice were very much not on my side and my poor Relthoza suffered greatly because of it.

Thanks for reading!

Directorate Assault Helix - Painted

I recently completed this helix for my Dad's Directorate forces. I kept to the same desert camouflage scheme but wanted to really make it pop with all of the red cameras, lights and weapons. Overall I am extremely pleased with how the the robots turned out.

Directorate Assault Helix - Nemesis Assault Robots and Purgation Battle Tanks

Purgation Medium Battle Tanks. I was really pleased with the contrast the orange/red has with the camouflage.

Side and rear views of the Purgation Battle Tanks.

The Purgation Assault Robots. These guys are beasts and I tried to make them look a little more intimidating with the red "eyes", weapons and lights. 

Another picture showing the front and side of the Nemesis Robots.

Side and rear pictures of the Nemesis robots. I continued the red/orange colors for the power plant on the robot's back and their exhaust vents.

Final pictures showing the side and rear of the Nemesis robots. 

These guys were surprisingly easy to paint. The scheme was fairly simple with the red lights providing the contrast and interest on the models. I'm really pleased with how these turned out and my Dad was thrilled which is what matters.

Next I am planning to get some pictures up of the Veydreth Allied helix I have painted for my wife. It turned out really great, she was happy and I got to step out of my comfort zone for colors and a little bit in the way of technique. Thanks for reading!

Dindrenzi Assault Helix - Painted

It's been a long while since I last posted. I must apologize for that. I have been very slow at getting pictures taken this summer, unfortunately. I am hoping that going forward I will be providing updates a little more regularly. 

The Dindrenzi Assault helix has some fantastic models, particularly the robots. I worked to keep a similar color scheme to the rest of my forces while assault making them a little different. I tried to jazz up their swords in particular and the effect turned out much better than I had hoped.

The painted Assault Helix. Not the best angle to view the Assault Robot swords but there will be some better pictures further down.

The Hades Missile tanks. I tried to create blue light sources for the launchers and red lights for the sensors on the tanks.

Side and rear pictures of the Hades Missile Tanks.

Underside of a Hades. All of my Dindrenzi vehicles have utilized green engine lights sources. 

Front view of the Iapetus Assault Robots. I am really happy with the effect on the swords for each robot. I was initially going for a molten look but am very pleased with the more subtle super heated metal appearance that occurred. This was achieved by successive shades of red orange and yellow applied along the length of the blade.

Side profiles of the Iapetus Robots.

Rear view of the assault robots. I maintained blue as the primary source of light on the battle robots similar to the rest of the Dindrenzi models I have painted.

Second side pictures of the Iapetus battle robots.

I am excited to be back to posting and look forward to getting posts up with my completed Dindrenzi Command Helix, Directorate Assault Helix and Veydreth Recon Helix. 

I am also excited by what I am hearing is in the future for firestorm. Between Allied Core Helixes this winter, some new armada boxes this fall. Hopefully, this will include the Illosians and Saurian Conclave fleets rumored earlier this year. I am particularly excited for the Saurian conclave in both Armada and planetfall. The next 6 months or so appear to be very exciting! 

Until next time!