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Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





Hey there folks!

Its about time we started a thread in News and Rumors for this rather than in Misc Miniatures. We will request that one to be closed.

Grand Arcanum Games would like to introduce you to a new fantasy skirmish game called The Roots of Magic.

The Roots of Magic is set in a mysterious land known as Mellorian, where Great Houses of Magic scheme against each other, looking for ways to demonstrate the pre-eminence of their particular style of magic, known as a Root. Players take control of a group of adventurers, which in game terms is called a Company; representing a force from a single Great House that has been sent to do battle with rival Houses throughout the land. Each House has different magical powers and these will manifest in the game via differing mechanics and rules, to give a varied play experience. The background story is filled with intrigue, excitement, betrayal, heroism, and acts of craven cowardice! It will be a compelling counterpart to the game, which will influence the direction of the story through key games played via the organised play rules will we provide.

The game is designed to be played with 5-8 models per Company, but there is also a 'learn to play/quick play' variant that is only a single model per player, representing a formal Duel of Magic between rival Wizards. The learn to play variant lasts around a half-hour only, representing an easy way to be introduced to playing the game that still provides a great deal of fun and an excellent opportunity to learn the rules. We have spent a great deal of time ensuring that both variants are balanced for an enjoyable game experience, so either variant is viable for playing - even for veteran the Roots of Magic players.

The mechanics of the Roots of Magic are focused around the ability to gain action points from both mundane and magical sources, which allow models to move, take actions, and make attacks. Magic adds variability to the amount of actions a Company may produce, and this resource can be spread around to allow for great tactical flexibility for your Company, or may be spent on your Company Wizard, allowing them to access more powerful abilities and attacks than they might normally be able to use. The game uses objectives to determine a victor, and there are a number of sufficiently different scenarios to keep people entertained.

As it is a game about magic, the primary characters are of course Wizards, and there will be one from each Great House in the initial wave of the game. In time, we will preview each of them, adding art, renders, and model pictures when they are complete. We hope you will agree, that we have sourced some talented artists and sculptors! Grand Arcanum Games is currently working with some very able casters in the form of Zealot Miniatures to get excellent quality resins produced. We have seen some of the prints and believe you will be impressed when you see the finished product.

Art by Daniel Kamaruddin
Sculpts by Andrea Tarabella

From Acedia, House of Suggestion: Friar Sarpeth - the Voice of Dark Wisdom



https://video-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hvideo-xpt1/v/t42.1790-2/11920018_10156015590590593_913842063_n.mp4?efg=eyJybHIiOjMwMCwicmxhIjo3ODJ9&rl=300&vabr=165&oh=17c49405f245c4a2eeee90e3547006de&oe=55E7506E

From Durant, House of Protection: Luther Draxos - High Warden of Tpvar



From Feylyn, House of Balance: Mother Yulia - Bride of the Moon and Vushka, her Grizzly Companion


From Myrke, House of Fear: Hephescus Zantt - the Seeker of Sins



From Qing, House of Mysteries: Lady Xiu Bao - Emissary of the Jade Lord



From Travium, House of Power: Amara - the Unfettered





Along with the art, sculpts, and models, we have also recently been working on the game cards that will hold the information about the models. I will show you some examples below. Each model will have two cards: one to display the characteristics and traits of a model, and one to describe their abilities and attacks. We believe its important to have as much information available to players at their fingertips, to reduce the time of checking through the rulebook. The cards will be in full colour and will be printed in high quality.




Grand Arcanum Games is rather small at the moment, but we have invested in the game heavily in terms of time, effort, and money. Unfortunately resources are not infinite, and we can only fund the game up to the learn to play level. Therefore Grand Arcanum games will be running a Kick Starter (proposed Q4 2015) to obtain backers for expanding the game to the level we think it deserves, adding the models to make up Companies. When it is closer to the time this post will be amended with more information on that.

The Roots of Magic is on Facebook and Twitter and we invite you to come and join us there to learn more about the game. We regularly post articles about the background and rules, as well as preview art, renders and such.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Roots-of-Magic/1605082803110892?view_public_for=1605082803110892
Twitter - #therootsofmagic


I hope you have learned enough for now to whet your appetite! This post will be updated with additional information as regularly as possible, so feel free to post any questions or comments here if you would like to know a bit more.

Magically Yours...

Grand Arcanum Games

This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 2015/09/29 16:34:09


 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





Hey everyone.

I'm not trying to boost this thread up the page artificially but I'd really like to get people's opinions on something.

The post has been up for a few days yet it doesn't seem to have attracted much attention in that time. Obviously I am biased and think it contains some cool stuff, but is there anything I have done or not done in the post which might have diminished interest in the project, or is it just a case of not enough is being shown to get you guys interested to know more?

I'd really appreciate any opinions you have - I am very new at this and I'm looking to improve my engagement. If I am making some obvious mistakes I would rather know and sort them out!
   
Made in us
Is 'Eavy Metal Calling?





Affton, MO. USA

Are all the models computer sculpted?
What material on the models?
What scale size are the figures going to be?'
Is there a link to the learn to play rules? (I don't facebook or tweet, and I don't visit those sites so if the link is on those pages you might want to move them here).
Is it fairly open combat with little to no terrain, or terrain heavy? what size board do you expect a common game to be on?

Just a few questions to help fill the gaps

LOL, Theo your mind is an amazing place, never change.-camkierhi 9/19/13
I cant believe theo is right.. damn. -comradepanda 9/26/13
None of the strange ideas we had about you involved your sexual orientation..........-Monkeytroll 12/10/13

I'd put you on ignore for that comment, if I could...Alpharius 2/11/14 
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba




The Great State of New Jersey

Lore wise it strikes me as a cross between Game of Thrones (which is currently the 'en vogue' setting around which everyone is basing their games in) and Frostgrave, which to me (and Id imagine most people at this point) isn't all that interesting.

CoALabaer wrote:
Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





 Theophony wrote:
Are all the models computer sculpted?
What material on the models?
What scale size are the figures going to be?'
Is there a link to the learn to play rules? (I don't facebook or tweet, and I don't visit those sites so if the link is on those pages you might want to move them here).
Is it fairly open combat with little to no terrain, or terrain heavy? what size board do you expect a common game to be on?

Just a few questions to help fill the gaps


All excellent points that I should have mentioned before. Thank you for mentioning them.

1. The models are going to be released in resin. Casting has occurred for two of them so far but I don't have them in hand as yet to get decent pictures.
2. the models are approx 30mm to the eyes so stand around 32mm. When I have the models I will be doing some scale comparison shots.
3. Learn to play rules will be released after the alpha test phase is complete. I will release them around the time I post a video demo of the game being played.
4. The game's terrain requirements are fairly light. There are rules to climb to allow some increased interaction with things on the board. If there is an abundance of terrain it will not negatively impact the game, so people are free to use the amount they feel is best.
5. 2' by 2' for the learn to play game. 3' by 3' for the expanded game.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
chaos0xomega wrote:
Lore wise it strikes me as a cross between Game of Thrones (which is currently the 'en vogue' setting around which everyone is basing their games in) and Frostgrave, which to me (and Id imagine most people at this point) isn't all that interesting.


I can certainly see what you are saying there.

Frostgrave looks like an excellent game from what I have seen of it, but other than wizards not liking each other a great deal, I believe it to be a superficial likeness at best. GoT to me has always been a restyling of Dune, though one I do enjoy a lot! I always associate "House" with the latter as opposed to the former, personally.

For me the overriding story background of 'Roots' is the effect of power on those who wield it and those that are effected by its use. That is a somewhat universal theme these days regardless of setting.

I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/08/31 16:06:36


 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Making Stuff






Under the couch

 Silent_King wrote:
The post has been up for a few days yet it doesn't seem to have attracted much attention in that time. Obviously I am biased and think it contains some cool stuff, but is there anything I have done or not done in the post which might have diminished interest in the project, or is it just a case of not enough is being shown to get you guys interested to know more?

Partly the latter, I suspect, and partly just over-saturation of fantasy skirmish games at the moment.

Your renders are nice enough, and the concept art is lovely, but you've only shown a couple of fairly generic human figures so far, and there are a lot of those around, or currently in development.


For myself personally, I have no interest in a fantasy skirmish game (I prefer fantasy games more in the WHFB blocks-of-infantry style), but if I did, your game would be competing against a whole swag of other similar games, so you'll have find a way to make it stand out from the pack to get that interest up.

Keep going with the updates when you can, though - showing whatever you can will certainly help

 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Too few details. Just having 1-2 renders isn't exciting enough

My warmachine batrep & other misc stuff blog
http://sining83.blogspot.com/ 
   
Made in us
Inspiring Icon Bearer





That and I think you are underestimating the effect Frostgrave has had on your niche.

Magic, in most fantasy, has always been broken into schools or tropes of power.

Magic the Gathering has it's colors, Dungeons and Dragons has it's schools, Might and Magic has it's elements, Warhammer Fantasy had Battle Lores... it's all basically a retelling of that idea.

That said, no miniatures games really super explored that. Sure, schools existed as a flavor of effect, like in WFB, but no game really was pushing the Mages and their trainings as being so varied until Frostgrave, and they do a good job of it.

Not long later, you come around, professing to do what Frostgrave JUST finished doing, a game based around the interaction of wizards of various specialties.

I'd say it's far more than superficial, your core game play conflict, Wizard Type A vs Wizard Type B, is nearly identical.



Age of Sigmar, New World Tournament Ruleset


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Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





Actually the core game play conflict is a team of models led by a 'leading' character against another such group. In that, I will easily concede its far from original, but then everyone is as guilty of that as everyone else for some years now and developing a game without that pillar becomes somewhat difficult to be fair to us all.

The Roots of Magic's learn to play variant is certainly one wizard against another wizard, but to my knowledge the game of Frostgrave does not lend itself to a one on one fight due to the efficacy of the spells. If anything then I suppose you could charge me with adopting a similar idea to the LotR mini scenario that pits Gandalf and Saruman against each other in the tower of Orthanc, and that predates Frostgrave by many years.

As I previously said, I strongly believe the similarities are superficial in such a way as you expanded on via mentioning D&D, WHFB, Magic et al. Wizard's disagreeing forcefully. The Roots of Magic's mechanics and design ethos are vastly different, it plays differently, the model look is of a different style. For me Frostgrave looks like a cool game, and I will certainly be giving it a try (bought the book last night), but it is a competitor only in the sense that all skirmish games are.

You probably won't accept how thankful I am that you responded -I'm very interested in other people's opinions, even if I don't seem to agree with what you said.

Oh, and I have just added some images of a model to the first post for those that wanted to see a little more, and there is a link to the short video 'unboxing' so to speak.

Keep em' coming, guys!
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka






Wiltshire, UK

I must admit when I saw your first post It looked very much like another version of Frostgrave which I've just picked up. If you can make it different enough to stand out as a different game then I could be interested.

I think it was a bit of bad timing that Frostgrave got in just before your game.

   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





Hello guys.

I have added a new art piece and render to the first post.

Enjoy!
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Making Stuff






Under the couch

Ooh, I like her...

 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





I have amended the first post to reveal the last of the six Wizards - Amara, the Unfettered.

I am very happy with how her sculpt came out, I hope you will agree

I am looking into making all seven models available before the Kick Starter for the expanded game begins in the new year. More detail on that in the next couple of weeks.


Join the conversation on the Roots of Magic over at https://www.facebook.com/The-Roots-of-Magic-1605082803110892/timeline/
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka






Wiltshire, UK

Amara and Xiu are looking lovely, you've caught my attention now for sure

   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





I have added the Render for Hephescus Zantt to the main post. Within a month I think all the models will be cast, so its getting very exciting!

Also, I will include an announcement here about the direction of the game which people may be interested to read. I

Hello,

Just an update to let you know what is going to be happening for the Roots of Magic over the next few months. Apologies in advance for a long post but we believe these decisions should be shared with the community. If you are being asked to invest time and/or money in our products then you have a right to see behind the curtain, so to speak.

Originally our idea was to deliver a low model count fantasy skirmish game straight off the bat, but over time this plan has been supplanted with a certainty that it is not the right way for the Roots of Magic. What we are proposing to do instead is release the ‘Wizard Duel’ variant of the game without relying on Kick Starter at this time. This will mean that all 6 Wizards (plus Vushka the Bear for a total of seven models) will be available to buy very soon, and to go with these models Grand Arcanum Games will be putting out a very Spartan-looking PDF version of the Beta rules and a PDF containing the very pretty game cards.

This will mean that to play the Roots of Magic at this level, you don't need to spend a penny if you do not wish to. You may proxy the models required and all materials necessary for playing will be available as free downloads from the Roots of Magic website (www.therootsofmagic.com) when it is complete later in October. This will also mean that anyone that wants to buy the models for any reason not linked to playing the Roots of Magic will also be able to get their hands on the models earlier than planned. We humbly suggest that everyone should check out the rules regardless of what they would like the models for - they will be free and provide a game that is a good way to spend an entertaining 30-40 minutes with your friends.

The reasons for this change are plentiful and have been seriously considered for a while. Firstly, I have had some changes in my personal life recently and these could possibly affect my ability to support a Kick Starter in the next couple of months. Although I believe that Grand Arcanum Games will not merely be a one-man show for much longer (you note I use the term 'we' a lot), it is not fair to start something now that I may not be able to support 100%. The progress that has already been made with regards to the smaller variant of the game is huge, and therefore I can support that 100% myself with no risk being introduced.

The second, and we believe most important, reason is the state of miniature game Kick Starter funding in general. We are trying to create, produce, distribute, and market a game; an end to end process with a lot of moving parts. Something that we have noticed about recent KS projects is that backers’ expectations and caution have increased over even the last year or so. Asking for their support for a first time venture that requires substantial financial backing means that despite our belief that the game, world, and miniatures are top notch, whether we could meet the target is very hard to predict.
We could easily go down the route of beginning a KS project anyway; we have spent a lot of time, effort, and money on obtaining examples of what backers could expect to receive, and if it did not make its funding target we could continue regardless. So we are simply choosing to save the additional effort involved in that option and to use it in a more positive way. A lot of very nice looking games, with great models and viable rules sets have not managed to gain funding recently. We think the Roots of Magic have gone beyond many of them in terms of the work already done, but even so, it’s a risk that we don't believe is fully necessary.

The third reason relates to games that do Kick Start successfully, but due to the speed of delivery to market may not have enough of a player base to continue for the long term. I have backed a few KS and for at least a couple of them it is now hard to get a game. Even though all the models and rules have been provided, the long wait between KS enthusiasm and final delivery means that many people drift to other games and this can really kill a community just as easily as if it delivered poor rules or models.

We would like the Roots of Magic to have a more secure future by trying to assure a player base now and in years to come. If this means a phased approach in which we release a limited version of the game in the short term, build up the community via events/demos, and then KS the Company-level version next year when a player base already exists, as long as it will mean people are still playing the Roots of Magic in years to come, we will gladly take that approach.

The fourth and final reason is that one of our aims has been to involve the community in the development and direction of the game. We believe this will now be easier to do if the game progresses in increments rather than big leaps. Our target is to release a great game for 5-8 models, but the aim of the people that want to play the game may be different. Within reason, we should listen to the requirements of players that have invested in the Roots of Magic. That is much easier to do in an iterative delivery approach than in a major release cycle.
If the players would rather see another wave of Wizards before they see a full game, then that is something we should consider. If players want to see Acolytes (apprentice Wizards) in action before the full game, again we should consider it. Our ambition for the game is to go long and go big. We believe that can only be possible with the close support of players, and a good way to earn that support is to display a willingness to deliver a game that people want to play.

So if you are still reading after all that, you may want to know what this all means in terms of approximate delivery dates. Notice the use of the word approximate! Grand Arcanum Games believes that we can easily deliver the free PDFs as soon as the website goes live, which is currently projected for late October. At this time we also hope to have the models available for sale in limited numbers which can be ordered from the site. On top of these, there will be tokens, markers, and other accoutrements made available to purchase to go with the game. These are not things that will stop you playing the game if you do not own them, but they will add some razzle-dazzle while playing and if you like that sort of thing, go for it!

What we will not have by this time are printed boxes for the models, or final prints of physical cards. In terms of the cards, this is an intentional choice to allow for feedback from the beta rules before committing to a final print run. The physical cards will be made available at a later date, and the price will be kept as low as possible for those that wish to purchase them. To be very clear they will be included with models at some point after they have been finalised, and therefore model costs will rise to reflect that. If there is a call for it we may have a ‘just the model’ option on the site.

The Kickstarter plan has now been put back to the end of Q1 2016 or early Q2 2016. It is still the only way at present we have of ensuring that the game can expand to the range of models we think it deserves, though as mentioned earlier, Grand Arcanum will be listening to feedback very carefully on the direction of the game and will act accordingly. The rules for the Company level game already exist, as does some art, model rules and some basic scenarios. We will continue to work on this so that when the KS does happen, backers can clearly see what they will be getting.

In terms of what comes next in the short-to-medium term, one of our priorities is building a player base through demos and running events. As the ‘Wizard Duel’ variant of the Roots of Magic can be played within 30-40 minutes, this actually opens up some more interesting ideas for events. It certainly allows for more games and therefore a fairer representation on the leader board without having to seriously ramp up the time required.

We will also be commissioning some variant art and models as prizes for events, just to have something pretty to aim for! The background story of the Roots of Magic will be tied into events and also casual games. We plan on running some campaigns in which results in the game translate into story choices, new factions, and 'experienced' versions of current models.

Building a community of players is the life blood of the game that we have invested so much in, so it is of supreme importance to us. We will try to attend as many shows as possible, so people have an opportunity to meet with us and offer feedback, and also get some lowdown on upcoming developments. Salute 2016 is the first event planned for us to attend as a company, but with your support we will try to get further afield...

So hopefully you now have a better idea of what to expect in the next few months, and where we are looking to go beyond that. We also hope that you will see why the decision has been made to release the Roots of Magic in this way, and that you will remain patient for just a little longer. Soon the game will available for download, and we look forward to your feedback!

Magically Yours,
Grand Arcanum Games
   
Made in us
Inspiring Icon Bearer






I think this is a great idea.



Age of Sigmar, New World Tournament Ruleset


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Made in us
Swamp Troll




San Diego

I missed this for sure. My first thought was Frostgrave as well but as I scrolled down I realized that it's similar to Frostgrave but with models I would actually like to paint. The sculpts on this project are far better IMO and I think having these available would appeal to FG players as well. I saw a few walls of text and didn't read those but I looked over most of the OP's comments and didn't see anything about whether the models will be available outside of the boxed set (I would hope so) as I believe that would drive this in that direction.

As long as it's 28-32mm and not insanely priced I'll pick up a model or two or the base game if it's a good deal.

   
Made in us
[DCM]
-






-

I know there's a tendency to compare 'this' vs. 'that' with wargamers (OK..everything!) but there's no need to run one system down in order to praise another.

I think Frostgrave does a great job at what it sets out to do, and think that will be the case here as well.

Looking forward to the Q4 2015 Kickstarter on this one!


   
Made in us
Swamp Troll




San Diego

 Alpharius wrote:
I know there's a tendency to compare 'this' vs. 'that' with wargamers (OK..everything!) but there's no need to run one system down in order to praise another.

I think Frostgrave does a great job at what it sets out to do, and think that will be the case here as well.

Looking forward to the Q4 2015 Kickstarter on this one!



I wasn't trying to run either down (if that was towards me). Frostgrave seems like fun (I haven't got my book yet) but some of the models seem kinda expensive for the quality of the sculpts IMO vs Heresy or Reaper which are similarly priced or cheaper for sculpts I personally like better. I couldn't possibly put down or praise this game or FG though, I haven't played them but plan on playing both. If anything I think the two systems existing could strengthen one another. People pick the rules they like between the two and the miniatures that make sense as well. Given that the games are so similar thematically I would hope there would be some bleedover in models, accessories, scenery, etc. That's what I was clumsily trying to communicate.

Again.. I plan on trying both and doing what I was suggesting about cherry-picking the models that make sense.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/09/29 18:01:45


   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka






Wiltshire, UK

Thanks for keeping us update I look forward to the Wizard Duel game, I'll be wanting all of the minis if they are as good as the renders.

   
 
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