Her response when I told her I wanted to set aside a couple hundred for a few figures was "Couldn't you get like three or four hundred figures from that Deadzone company for a fraction of that? For that price couldn't you get a whole shelf full of those VHS boxes?"
I guess she's learned a bit about my buying habits after all. The fact that she put Deadzone and Mantic together as the company that keeps clogging up our shelf, counter, and table top spaces with baggies and pieces of toy soldiers everywhere.
highlord tamburlaine wrote: Her response when I told her I wanted to set aside a couple hundred for a few figures was "Couldn't you get like three or four hundred figures from that Deadzone company for a fraction of that? For that price couldn't you get a whole shelf full of those VHS boxes?"
I guess she's learned a bit about my buying habits after all. The fact that she put Deadzone and Mantic together as the company that keeps clogging up our shelf, counter, and table top spaces with baggies and pieces of toy soldiers everywhere.
Gotta be careful with this one...
Dammit, her ignorance was one of your most potent weapons! If she's getting herself all educated, you're dam right you gotta be careful!
highlord tamburlaine wrote: Her response when I told her I wanted to set aside a couple hundred for a few figures was "Couldn't you get like three or four hundred figures from that Deadzone company for a fraction of that? For that price couldn't you get a whole shelf full of those VHS boxes?"
I guess she's learned a bit about my buying habits after all. The fact that she put Deadzone and Mantic together as the company that keeps clogging up our shelf, counter, and table top spaces with baggies and pieces of toy soldiers everywhere.
Gotta be careful with this one...
Dammit, her ignorance was one of your most potent weapons! If she's getting herself all educated, you're dam right you gotta be careful!
Biggest mistake I ever made, having my wife buy me models as a gift.
I tried my best to keep her in the dark about my hobby spending, since I do a lot of trading on ebay and use my paypal proceedings to cover the bulk of it, leading to not too much showing up on the bank statements.
Didn't matter in the end I guess.
Denlista's comment about quality over quantity- my son didn't help the matter much either. As I brought it up over breakfast, he chimed in "Oh yeah, those are the MOST expensive figures that Daddy has! They cost even more money because they can only be made in England out of special English plastic."
Of course since he was explaining this to his mother, he was explaining it in Japanese, which meant he was even MORE blunt about the whole thing. Arm gestures too, to further enhance all the piles of money I would be spending.
I got a kick out of the comment about resin being "English" plastic though.
If we are talking about getting things past the other half then the biggest purchase should be a prize from a competition. Only works one every two years. Another good one is a very limited kick starter early bird deal. Bonus points if you forge a web page backing your claims!
I operate a don't ask don't tell policy, works for us.
This is a lot easier to say when you got it for less, of course (I feel the same way about the Blood Maw... which I have two of thanks to cincydooley).
Despite jumping onto that KS1 add-on deal, the KS2 prices kept me away... here's hoping KS3 has some sort of sweet spot / incentive that makes it easier for people to pledge, as right now the cost is prohibitive at full MSRP on a lot of these models.
Problem is though, where else can you find them at retail?
Outside of ordering directly from Mierce, very few online retailers seem to carry a large chunk of the line (especially in the US).
I know FRP and The War Store carry a fair amount, but they've got gaps in their stock, and they don't seem to have any of the more recent releases. What they do have isn't exactly impulse- shopping level prices either.
I saw my Shaaroc is going to be arriving this week. Excellent. I need some Cawrdraigs to go with him. Trying to find an Aradae Mawr for what I want to pay is not an easy task!
My inquiring mind wants to know- what ever happened to all the big hairy stuff? The Mallax/ Mallox?
I wanted to find out how big they were going to be, and what size bases, but can't seem to drudge anything up. Maybe I haven't looked in the right spots?
My kids love sloths of all kinds, especially mega giant ones. I love painting big hairy creatures.
Thanks for the link. Good to know they should be coming.
Still not sure what size bases they're going to be on. For whatever reason, the last few Mierce figures I've bought have not had bases with them. What's weirder is that I've ordered from a variety of retailers online as well, so it's not like some weird isolated case with one specific seller. I feel bad having to constantly email Mierce letting them know there's no bases with my figures...
If I know ahead of time I can plan accordingly/ use bases I've already got.
Still not sure what size bases they're going to be on. For whatever reason, the last few Mierce figures I've bought have not had bases with them. What's weirder is that I've ordered from a variety of retailers online as well, so it's not like some weird isolated case with one specific seller. I feel bad having to constantly email Mierce letting them know there's no bases with my figures...
If I know ahead of time I can plan accordingly/ use bases I've already got.
I cannot remember the names but the big sloth is in a 100mm and the smaller one on a 60 mm.
Automatically Appended Next Post: I have both and spent Sunday, cleaning, pinning and gluing them and the meat hulk as well.
Still not sure what size bases they're going to be on. For whatever reason, the last few Mierce figures I've bought have not had bases with them. What's weirder is that I've ordered from a variety of retailers online as well, so it's not like some weird isolated case with one specific seller. I feel bad having to constantly email Mierce letting them know there's no bases with my figures...
If I know ahead of time I can plan accordingly/ use bases I've already got.
I cannot remember the names but the big sloth is in a 100mm and the smaller one on a 60 mm.
On Fridays we show you images of sculpts in in progress as well as other stuff pertinent to this project, such as fulfilment news, sculptor news, and so on and so forth.
It's Friday, so here we go...
Dúngal, Mormaer of Dun Durn on Horse
Our Albainn warlord is now complete, as you can see... Olivier Nkweti's done a great job and is already moving on to Hanokh and Thoth!
Dúngal on horseback will be with us soon, but he's a Wave 1 dude so he'll be sent in June.
Leofwen, Thegn of Déra on Foot
Having completed Annik, Stéphane Simon is moving on to another of our ladies, Leofwen!
Angedern, Prifdyndraig of Gwaelod
Roberto's just about finished Angedern and I think it's right to say that he's looking brilliant! There's still a few bits and pieces to do, the legs need more work and possibly lengthening, but you can see straight away that this guy is going to be awesome!
Angedern should be finished fairly soon but, of course, he won't be sent until June as he's a Wave 1 doo-dah.
Erebius, Demiurion
It's been a while since the last WIP of Tre Manor's work on Erebius, but we think Erebius is really coming on!
It will be a while before Erebius is done as Tre is very busy of course, but he should still land ready for Wave 1.
Idruaada, Warlock Lord of Baalor
Idruaada is progressing nicely thanks to Gauthier's attention, as you can see! Although, we must apologies for the pictures; they're not brilliant...
Once more, Idruaada is a Wave 1 sculpt.
Syntyss, Seed of Khthon
Fresh from completing work on Myrinna, Hector Moran's almost completed Syntyss, the Dawn of Khthon's banner bearer. She's looking fantastic!
The Dawn of Khthon are slated for Wave 1 of course, and we're confident Hector will get them all done in time!
Jörmungand, Troll Jarl
Ahh, Jörmungand... what a beast of a Troll! He really is superb, and we want to have Allan Carrasco's babies. Especially when he gets round to the Troll Konungr... ahem.
Jörmungand will, of course, be finished in time for Wave 1 shipment.
Darklands: First Edition Fulfilment
We are now shipping Wave 0 orders to backers from this project, but we would ask all of you to remain patient while we do so. We are only a small team and are still fulfilling the remaining orders for Darklands: a World of War, and we do expect to continue fulfilling Wave 0 orders throughout March and no doubt later. Having said that, we reckon we'll be concentrating on Wave 0 orders only very soon, and we're thinking that shipment of all Wave 0 orders will be complete in April.
We will keep you all updated of course.
Sculpts and Sculptors
Here's the big list of who's sculpting what and when for Darklands: First Edition! Please bear in mind that this list may change over time, so don't take it as set in stone until the first work in progress shots appear.
Olivier Bouchet: we erroneously reported that Thelliatiss was being sculpted by Olivier Nkweti last time - apologies for that! Olivier Bouchet has taken her on, and she will be sculpted traditionally.
Stéphane Cammosetto: Stéphane will start work on Eadric on foot and on horse in April
Allan Carrasco: starting in April, Allan will be sculpting Knútr on Foot, Knútr on Horse, Víthar, Birna, Rollo Iron Head and Cnebba.
Roberto Chaudon: Angedern is in progress, and he will be followed by Mag ap Mag, Mälmord, Ágriosávra, Eikovra, Myrkranio and finally Djiuzu.
Daniel Cockersell: the Daddy of all monster sculptors, Dan has begun work on Scecchus, but it will be a while before he is done.
Benoît Cosse: Benoît is still working on Darklands: a World of War miniatures and won't start Hrór, Finnan, Praach and Baagath's Herd for a good long while yet.
Thomas David: work on Timoth has begun, but we only have an armature so there's not a great deal to see.
Pedro Fernández Ramos: He'll soon begin work on Mananaan on horse.
Yannick Fusier: the awesome Bagseg is nearly done, and hopefully Yannick will continue his work with us in the future... on the Oghurithne warriors!
Jacques-Alexandre Gillois: he should begin work on Daarkan, Naraa and both Equitus Durio on foot and Equitus Durio on horse soon. Although not necessarily in that order, and we're not sure when - we just know they'll be done before May.
Gauthier Giroud: work on Idruaada has begun and it shouldn't be too long before it's complete.
Stéphane NGuyen: Stéphane should begin work on Seza soon, but we're not sure when right now.
Christian Hardy: Christian will begin work on Aldhelm (taken from Maxime Penaud), Velchior and Agathae soon.
Tre Manor: Tre of Red Box Games fame will be taking time out for us to sculpt Erebius, which is now underway.
Patrick Masson: It's Gaarwäg for Patrick next, although he won't be complete until May.
Hector Moran: Work on the Dawn of Khthon, Gorgórar Unit is ongoing and after that he will be digitally sculpting Con I Modius, Legionary Contubernium.
Olivier Nkweti: He has started work on digitally sculpting Hanokh and Thoth.
Juan Navarro Pérez: Urien on foot is in progress, and Urien on horse, Carys, Caedoc and Ffion Ferddig will follow.
Stéphane Simon: we've loaded Stéphane up with Leofwen on foot, Crom on horse, Zethag, Gondard and his Nithing, Ekk, Xontór, the Holumenn Unit and the Gesíth Unit. Phew!
Valentin Zak: Valentin will sculpt Broga for us and will begin doing so soon.
Unknown: the remaining three descendants, which are Rick Boer's Frisian Warrior (due to be drawn by Stefan Kopinski), Trytheorn, Tomas Johansson's Geat Warrior (drawn by Danny Cruz, and hopefully sculpted by Juan Navarro Pérez) and Maximilian Schüte's Germanic Berserker.
Now that is a lot of sculpts...
Completed Sculpts
We thought this would be a good idea, as things are cracking on - a list of completed sculpts, in kindred order! Completed sculpts are in bold; in progress sculpts are in italics.
ALBAINN: Dúngal on foot - Dúngal on horse - Ciniod - Itaina - Domnech - Bagseg
ANGELCYNN: Eadric on foot - Eadric on horse - Timoth - Aldhelm - Hrór - Leofwen on foot - Gesíth Unit - Cnebba
BRYTHONIAID: Urien on foot - Urien on horse - Carys - Caedoc - Ffion Ferddig - Angedern - Mag ap Mag
BYZANTII: Equitus Durio on foot - Equitus Durio on horse - Erebius - Agathae - Velchior - Djiuzu - Con I Modius
FOMORAIC: Mananaan on foot - Mananaan on horse - Idruaada - Daarkan - Naraa - Gaarwäg - Baagath's Herd - Praach
INFERNII: Scecchus
KHTHONES: Xontór - Thelliatiss - Dawn of Khthon (Myrinna - Syntyss - Thillia - Phyllidii - Elthissi) - Thoth - Hanokh - Ágriosávra - Eikovra - Myrkranio
NORSE: Knútr on foot - Knútr on horse - Birna - Víthar - Rollo Iron Head - Jörmungand - Hrafnen Crew - Mälmord
YSIANS: Crom on foot - Crom on horse - Annik - Zethag - Gondard - Brugg - Seza
SELL-SWORDS: Uhtred Uhtredson, Finnan, Danilo Cruz
DESCENDANTS: Ieuan Longshore and Taranau, Trytheorn, Rick Boer's Frisian Warrior, Max Schüte's German Berserker
Let us know if we've missed anything!
Darklands: First Edition II
Okay, the time has come to reveal a little more on our next project, "Darklands: First Edition II", as it starts in less than two weeks...
The definite (barring a zombie apocalypse) start date of this project will be Monday the 24th of March, and it should end thirty days later on Wednesday the 23rd of April. This neatly avoids Salute 2014 the weekend before (12th of April), at which we will have a stall, and is just after the easter holidays. We'll be running it for the full thirty days this time, too!
Whilst the dates for the next project lie before Darklands: First Edition begins to be fulfilled, there'll be no conflict between the two because the next project simply adds to this project, and adds units mostly.
What's the Focus?
The focus of Darklands: First Edition II is, put very simply, the creation of units for eight kindreds in Darklands - Albainn, Angelcynn, Brythoniaid, Byzantii/Infernii, Fomoraic, Khthones, Norse and Ysians/Vras. The Érainn and Atalantes miss out again, but do not worry - KS3 will drain your wallets, if you're interested in those kindreds!
Now, when the project begins, you'll be able to purchase one unit from each of the eight kindreds immediately, and the "ALL THE UNITS" reward will include all of them for one price at a further discount, but (as was the case in this project for generals and commanders) if the stretch goal total for a unit is not met, that unit will not be produced. We do expect to reach all of the unit goals, however!
That's not to say there won't be other, single miniatures for you all - there certainly will be, and some awesome things too. There'll be commanders, beasts, more units, monstrous beasts, all sorts, really - although they will depend upon stretch goals!
We'll also allow people to purchase both the Darklands rulebook (on its own, without Uhtred and Finnan), the Concept Art book and possibly a couple of other rewards from the First Edition project, but the whole thing will be a lot easier to grasp this time - there'll be no "hosts" or "starter sets" or anything like that, because they become incredibly complicated over time (and are a nightmare post-Kickstarter). Don't recoil in horror, however - we've hit upon a system that will replicate the discounts you got with those but also enables you to choose what freebies you'd like with what you purchase!
Gold and Bronze
That system is very simple. Each item on the project has a gold cost and a bronze cost in pounds sterling. If you purchase the "THE GOLD SPOT", the "ALL THE UNITS" or the "YOU'RE THEIR DESCENDANT" rewards, any purchase you make above what you get from those rewards will be at the gold cost, which is roughly 20% off the projected UK RRP of the item in question. If you haven't purchased those rewards, you must purchase those items at bronze cost, roughly 10% off the projected UK RRP of the item in question.
What's the Rewards?
There'll be four in total - "I JUST WANT SOME COOL MINIATURES", "THE GOLD SPOT", "ALL THE UNITS" and "YOU'RE THEIR DESCENDANT". We've got rid of the "Darklands & Uhtred" reward - instead, you can purchase the Darklands book and Concept Art book, and you don't get Uhtred on foot or Finnan (although you can get those separately if you want them).
"I JUST WANT SOME COOL MINIATURES" bronze reward - for those who want a few single miniatures or other bits from the project, which will be purchased them at bronze cost.
"THE GOLD SPOT" gold reward - this is the one to go for; it gives you a freebie and also allows you to purchase items at gold cost. Additionally, if you go for this reward, you'll get some other extras... which we'll reveal on the day ;o)
"ALL THE UNITS" gold reward - this enables you to purchase all of the units shown at the beginning, at an almost 40% discount from buying them individually, and any future purchases will be at gold cost. This is a fantastic deal!
The "YOU'RE THEIR DESCENDANT" reward mirrors the one from this project, and enables you to purchase stuff at gold cost.
There's plenty more to it than that, but that's a simple overview of what you can expect.
Note, too, there'll be no "early bird" discounts - that won't make sense with the system we've come up with.
Shipping
There will be "Shipment Waves" in a similar manner to this project in the next one, but shipping will work very differently in terms of how you pay for it. This time, you will not be asked to add shipping when you make your pledge; you will simply pay for shipping in the post-project pledge management phase, on our website. This avoids many issues surrounding postage, not the least of which is increasing the pledge total artificially. To illustrate, around £5,000 of this project's total was in shipping - and that should not contribute towards stretch goals, because that money is destined to pay for shipping alone.
Now, we are aiming to have the website coded so that you will pay for shipping in a streamlined manner next time, as pretty much all of the questions asked of this project after it finished was about postage - but if the website isn't updated, please don't hurt us... time is a limited commodity!
Any more?
There's more, of course, but we've not decided on everything - and all of the above could change before the project begins (although this is unlikely now, except for minor things) - so please don't ask for more specifics yet!
Spread the word!
There's only two more updates to go before the project begins... eeek! Tell your friends, acquaintances and relatives - we need their support as much as yours!
To whet your appetite, here's a concept of a miniature that we hope we'll get to during the course of the next project...
Yrag, Nithing
More pictures on the website...
Looking good all around - but I'd agree that Angedern does appear to need slightly longer legs, and I hope Tre's awesome looking sculpt scales up correctly with the rest of the Byzantii line!
I like how Dúngal's horse looks relatively chubby/short-legged - not the kind of thoroughbred you'd expect in a modern stable but the kind of wild horse that would actually be domesticated in the dark ages. Lovely.
Yeah, their trolls aren't as exciting to me as some of their other selections (not to say they are bad by any stretch), but that Jörmungand is really rocking.
Am quite curious what a troll king would look like, and just how big one will be. It's not like the current trolls are slouches in the size and girth department (both figuratively and literally).
It was also mentioned in the comments that the gold level will be a hundred pounds. We'll see just how much that gets us!
Trying not to spend too much on other kickstarters so I can have money free to contribute to this one. If KS3 is mostly those last two armies, I will hopefully not need as much from it, but we all know how that goes. I hope that KS 2.5 is slanted a bit more towards armies like the Albain, who don't have as much stuff. I mostly collect Baalor's bro's and Drunes, so I am not in need of much.
There will be "Shipment Waves" in a similar manner to this project in the next one, but shipping will work very differently in terms of how you pay for it. This time, you will not be asked to add shipping when you make your pledge; you will simply pay for shipping in the post-project pledge management phase, on our website. This avoids many issues surrounding postage, not the least of which is increasing the pledge total artificially. To illustrate, around £5,000 of this project's total was in shipping - and that should not contribute towards stretch goals, because that money is destined to pay for shipping alone.
Now, we are aiming to have the website coded so that you will pay for shipping in a streamlined manner next time, as pretty much all of the questions asked of this project after it finished was about postage - but if the website isn't updated, please don't hurt us... time is a limited commodity!
This is a trend! I still haven't made up my mind about it... there's no doubt that it's smart for the creators, as folks will likely pledge the same amount whether shipping is included or not... but it's inconvenient for the consumer to have to pay twice.
Hm.. that's really not very significant when the KS requires you to pay for shipping (maybe more than once!) and you have to wait for them to get around to sending your order - yet the website gives you free shipping over a certain purchase amount once things are in stock and immediate dispatch (once things hit the webstore).
Well... we have 40 miniatures to show you immediately (the units) and around 80 more to be revealed, although you've seen a few of those before. There'll be more than that, too, as the project goes along. So we're not short of stuff...
Mierce wrote:
Good news! The next project has been approved, although it's not quite ready (I need to add a few graphics and do some PR). So, I'm going to bring the project start forward to Friday, and probably around 6pm UK time. That suit you guys?
Yeah, concepts are needed, I'm excited for this, but as the range is expanding and the game is beginning to develop, I'm getting more considered and focused on my purchases, so I'll need to see what's in the pipeline for Fomoraic before I decide how much to commit.
Mierce has announced on the comments that the new kickstarter start day has been brought forward to tomorrow and will start at around 6pm uk time. End day remains the same
zedmeister wrote: Mierce has announced on the comments that the new kickstarter start day has been brought forward to tomorrow and will start at around 6pm uk time. End day remains the same
Ninjad by about 30 hours, but probably worth the bump in case others missed it!
No Early Birds apparently, so non-GMTers needn't stress about when to be online.
highlord tamburlaine wrote:So did nobody else catch this? I saw it when it happened:
Kickstarter 2.5 will start on Friday!
Yes, it will start early! It will end at the same time originally planned.
There will be no early birds.
No joke. Check the comment section for confirmation if I am an unreliable source.
FRIDAY IS MIERCEDAY ONCE AGAIN.
azreal13 wrote:Whut?
Well, that's unexpected...
Mierce wrote:
Good news! The next project has been approved, although it's not quite ready (I need to add a few graphics and do some PR). So, I'm going to bring the project start forward to Friday, and probably around 6pm UK time. That suit you guys?
zedmeister wrote:Mierce has announced on the comments that the new kickstarter start day has been brought forward to tomorrow and will start at around 6pm uk time. End day remains the same
Ha!
We know!
Still, the *bump* is appreciated - though it will certainly get a bump once it officially launches and the new concept art is shown!
Putting aside my earlier excitment, here's an update from the first KS:
A Wælwulf, some Painted Miniatures and a Muster
Today is an extra special Mierceday, for we have some work in progress images, some photos of superbly-painted miniatures, a totally new muster, great news about project fulfilment and - most awesomely of all - news of another Mierce Kickstarter project, which will start today!
Inguc, Wælwulf Warrior
We start with WIPs of another of Benoît Cosse's superb Wælwulf sculpts, Inguc! As always with Benoît's images, it's worth understanding that - well, he's not the best taker of photographs in the world. To prove that, we've also included a video!
Inguc, along with the rest of his unit, will be with us in May, we think, ready for shipping in that month.
Roaring Srónax, Srónax Unit
Painted by Sébastien Picque, the Srónax Unit in all their hairy rhino-man glory look absolutely terrifying!
Next up for Sébastien are the Dyndreigiau of Gwaelod!
Bows of Carn Dinas, Bow-Drune Unit
The awesomely talented Martin Grandbarbe has continued his work on the Ysians, turning to the Bow-Drunes this time. We think they look stunning!
Martin will be working on Jowan and hounds, and the Goad-Drunes, next.
Darklands: a World of War Fulfilment
We have awesome news for you all: barring a few stragglers (ordered during and after October) - and of course the Wælwulfas and the QuickStarter rules - shipment of remaining items from Darklands: a World of War orders will be complete next week!
Said stragglers will be shipped as soon as possible of course - we're talking around thirty miniatures, or thereabouts - so the end of March / early April is the date when we think we'll be done with those.
Remaining Sculpts
In terms of remaining sculpt progress, here's an update:
Benoît Cosse: he's sculpting the Wælwulfas and has just about finished the second miniature. We expect these to be done by the end of April, now, but again this could easily slip. We'll keep you informed, as always. We do apologise for this delay, but you must understand that Benoît Cosse is a busy man and sculpts for many other companies.
There's a few other bits and pieces yet to be done of course, so here's how progress is looking on those fronts...
Kindred Musters
We now have warrior profiles for each kindred's muster, each of which includes new profiles for the miniatures from Darklands: First Edition and some others besides (barring the Infernii and Sell-Swords), in the new format and ready for download. We've also updated them all to reflect all of your excellent feedback - keep it up guys and gals.
Bear in mind that any new profiles are only partially playtested - expect changes and feel free to give us feedback on the Mierce forums. Check them out for some awesome new warriors, however!
BYZANTII MUSTER v1.0 (new profiles)
No doubt there'll be a few errors or typos - feel free to tell us about them!
It's worth noting again one major change from previous versions - gold costs. These have changed quite a lot, thanks to the introduction of new coefficients, so if you're used to the old gold costs - well, you'll have to get used to the new ones!
There's also a handy pronunciation guide (based on the Wikipedia Pronunciation Respelling Key) under the warrior's title and, at the bottom of each profile, a suggestion on which miniature from our range to use as that warrior on the battlefield.
With some musters already including new warrior profiles, it won't be long before we can give you musters for every kindred that include all of the miniatures that exist, found in this project or found in Darklands: First Edition!
If there's anything you need to know before the other warrior profiles are sorted, or about how the new format of warrior profile works, just ask on the forums please and we'll endeavour to answer your questions.
Darklands: First Edition II
Okay, the time has come to reveal a little more on our next project, "Darklands: First Edition II", as it starts...
TODAY, at 6pm (GMT)!
The definite end date of this project will be Wednesday the 23rd of April (St George's Day, of course). This neatly avoids Salute 2014 the weekend before (12th of April), at which we will have a stall, and is just after the easter holidays. That means we'll be running it for thirty-three days!
What's the Focus?
The focus of Darklands: First Edition II is, put very simply, the creation of units for eight kindreds in Darklands - Albainn, Angelcynn, Brythoniaid, Byzantii/Infernii, Fomoraic, Khthones, Norse and Ysians/Vras. The Érainn and Atalantes miss out again, but do not worry - KS3 will drain your wallets, if you're interested in those kindreds!
Now, when the project begins, you'll be able to purchase one unit from each of the eight kindreds immediately, and the "ALL THE UNITS" reward will include all of them for one price at a further discount, but (as was the case in this project for generals and commanders) if the stretch goal total for a unit is not met, that unit will not be produced. We do expect to reach all of the unit goals, however!
That's not to say there won't be other, single miniatures for you all - there certainly will be, and some awesome things too. There'll be commanders, beasts, more units, monstrous beasts, all sorts, really - although they will depend upon stretch goals!
We'll also allow people to purchase both the Darklands: First Edition rulebook (on its own, without Uhtred and Finnan) and the Concept Art book and possibly a couple of other rewards from the First Edition project, but the whole thing will be a lot easier to grasp this time - there'll be no "hosts" or "starter sets" or anything like that, because they become incredibly complicated over time (and are a nightmare post-Kickstarter). Don't recoil in horror, however - we've hit upon a system that will replicate the discounts you got with those but also enables you to choose what freebies you'd like with what you purchase!
Gold and Bronze
That system is very simple. Each item on the project has a gold cost and a bronze cost in pounds sterling. If you purchase the "THE GOLD SPOT", the "ALL THE UNITS" or the "YOU'RE THEIR DESCENDANT" rewards, any purchase you make above what you get from those rewards will be at the gold cost, which is roughly 20% off the projected UK RRP of the item in question. If you haven't purchased those rewards, you must purchase those items at bronze cost, roughly 10% off the projected UK RRP of the item in question.
What's the Rewards?
There'll be four in total - "I JUST WANT SOME COOL MINIATURES", "THE GOLD SPOT", "ALL THE UNITS" and "YOU'RE THEIR DESCENDANT". We've got rid of the "Darklands & Uhtred" reward - instead, you can purchase the Darklands book and Concept Art book, and you don't get Uhtred on foot or Finnan (although you can get those separately if you want them).
"I JUST WANT SOME COOL MINIATURES" bronze reward - for those who want a few single miniatures or other bits from the project, which will be purchased them at bronze cost.
"THE GOLD SPOT" gold reward - this is the one to go for; it allows you to purchase items at gold cost. Additionally, if you go for this reward, you'll get some other extras... which we'll reveal when they're ready ;o)
"ALL THE UNITS" gold reward - this enables you to purchase all of the units shown at the beginning, at an almost 40% discount from buying them individually, and any future purchases will be at gold cost. This is a fantastic deal!
The "YOU'RE THEIR DESCENDANT" reward mirrors the one from this project, and enables you to purchase stuff at gold cost.
There's plenty more to it than that, but that's a simple overview of what you can expect.
Note, too, there'll be no "early bird" discounts - that won't make sense with the system we've come up with.
Shipping
There will be "Shipment Waves" in a similar manner to this project in the next one, but shipping will work very differently in terms of how you pay for it. This time, you will not be asked to add shipping when you make your pledge; you will simply pay for shipping in the post-project pledge management phase, on our website. This avoids many issues surrounding postage, not the least of which is increasing the pledge total artificially. To illustrate, around £5,000 of this project's total was in shipping - and that should not contribute towards stretch goals, because that money is destined to pay for shipping alone.
Now, we are aiming to have the website coded so that you will pay for shipping in a streamlined manner next time, as pretty much all of the questions asked of this project after it finished was about postage - but if the website isn't updated, please don't hurt us... time is a limited commodity!
Any more?
There's more, of course, but we've not decided on everything - and all of the above could change before the project begins (although this is unlikely now, except for minor things) - so please don't ask for more specifics yet!
Spread the word!
There's only a few hours to go before the project begins... eeek! Tell your friends, acquaintances and relatives - we need their support as much as yours! To whet your appetite, here's a concept of a miniature that we hope we'll get to during the course of the next project...
Fomoraic: a Cúgacx
The End of Darklands: a World of War In Sight
We think that - around the end of May 2014 time (although those Wælwulfas and possibly the QS rules' printing will probably push things back) - pretty much everything will be done for Darklands: a World of War; which will both be a sad day and an awesome day. Either way, we'll find some way to celebrate...!
There'll be another update soon, hopefully with more images of the Wælwulfas!
I'm hoping that the discount applies to the previous kickstarters' content as there is a fair amount of bigger stuff that I want from those. My bonus couldn't have come at a better time!
Really liking the lack of early bird discounts, somebody always misses out with those.
cincydooley wrote: So that mean's it'll be up at midnight eastern time, right?
Someone can correct me if my time sense is off, but I think you went the wrong direction on the time zone chart. It is now about 1:30 PM in London, so 6:00 PM there would be about 2:00 PM Eastern time and about 11:00 AM Pacific time.
WIPs, Wave 0... and Darklands: First Edition II Starts Today!
We have an incredibly exciting day for you today... not only do we have plenty of work in progress images, we also have news that Darklands: First Edition II - our next Kickstarter project - will begin today!
Leofwen, Thegn of Déra
First up for WIPs today is Leofwen, our lovely Thegn of Déra on foot. She's now finished, thanks to Stéphane Simon's incredible speed, and looks blimmin' amazing!
As always, she'll be with us soon, but sent in Wave 1...
Urien, Teyrn of Môn
The amazing sculpts keep on coming. Juan Navarro Pérez is pulling out all the stops for us and Urien, our Brythoniaid warlord, is looking superb - especially as he's almost finished!
Again, he'll be with us soon, but only sent during Wave 1.
Angedern, Prifdyndraig of Gwaelod
Roberto's been hard at work on Angedern over the last week and the results are nothing short of spectacular...
Angedern is about done, but of course he won't be sent until Wave 1...
Thoth, Anax of Ýdron
Fresh from finishing the Albainn, Olivier Nkweti has been creating the Hydrar commanders from Beth Hughes' artwork! It's early days yet, but Thoth, the Hydrar warlord, is certainly taking shape...
At Olivier's pace, it shouldn't be too long before these are finished...!
Hanokh, Kentarch of Ýdron
Following on from Thoth, he's working on Hanokh too, the warchief...
We think we'll keep using Olivier!
Danilo Cruz, Beast Slayer of Cantabria
This working-on-two-sculpts-at-the-same-time lark is producing some stunning results, as you can see by Juan Navarro Pérez' progress on Danilo Cruz!
Danilo's now finished and cut, but he won't be sent until Wave 1 of course.
Zethag of Carn Dhu, Harvest-Drune
Incredibly, Stéphane Simon (who, admittedly, has a lot to do for this project) has started Zethag of Carn Dhu and, after just a week, she's half-way there.
Admire her disgustingness...
Darklands: First Edition Fulfilment
We have some good news! The remaining items from our previous project - Darklands: a World of War - are just about all sent (barring the Wælwulfas), and so we can bring our full attention to bear on Wave 0 orders. Even so, we would ask all of you to remain patient while we do so! We are only a small team and we will keep you all updated of course.
Sculpts and Sculptors
Here's the big list of who's sculpting what and when for Darklands: First Edition! Please bear in mind that this list may change over time, so don't take it as set in stone until the first work in progress shots appear.
Olivier Bouchet: we erroneously reported that Thelliatiss was being sculpted by Olivier Nkweti last time - apologies for that! Olivier Bouchet has taken her on, and she will be sculpted traditionally.
Stéphane Cammosetto: Stéphane will start work on Eadric on foot and on horse in April.
Allan Carrasco: starting in April, Allan will be sculpting Knútr on Foot, Knútr on Horse, Víthar, Birna, Rollo Iron Head and Cnebba.
Roberto Chaudon: Angedern is now done and he will be followed by Ágriosávra, Eikovra, Myrkranio, Mag ap Mag, Mälmord and finally Djiuzu, in that order.
Daniel Cockersell: the Daddy of all monster sculptors, Dan has begun work on Scecchus, but it will be a while before he is done.
Benoît Cosse: Benoît is still working on Darklands: a World of War miniatures and won't start Hrór, Finnan, Praach and Baagath's Herd for a good long while yet.
Thomas David: work on Timoth has begun, but we only have an armature so there's not a great deal to see.
Pedro Fernández Ramos: He'll soon begin work on Mananaan on horse.
Yannick Fusier: the awesome Bagseg is nearly done, and hopefully Yannick will continue his work with us in the future... on the Oghurithne warriors!
Jacques-Alexandre Gillois: work has begun on Daarkan and Naraa (although they're only armatures as of yet) and will sculpt both Equitus Durio on foot and Equitus Durio on horse afterward.
Gauthier Giroud: work on Idruaada has begun and it shouldn't be too long before it's complete.
Christian Hardy: Christian will begin work on Aldhelm (taken from Maxime Penaud), Velchior and Agathae soon.
Tre Manor: Tre of Red Box Games fame will be taking time out for us to sculpt Erebius, which is now underway.
Patrick Masson: It's Gaarwäg for Patrick next, although he won't be complete until May.
Hector Moran: Work on the Dawn of Khthon, Gorgórar Unit is ongoing and after that he will be digitally sculpting Con I Modius, Legionary Contubernium.
Stéphane NGuyen: Stéphane should begin work on Seza soon, but we're not sure when right now.
Olivier Nkweti: He has started work on digitally sculpting Hanokh and Thoth.
Juan Navarro Pérez: Urien on foot is in progress, and Urien on horse, Carys, Caedoc and Ffion Ferddig will follow. He has also agreed to sculpt Tomas Johansson's Geat Warrior, Trytheorn, although he's not sure when that will occur.
Stéphane Simon: thanks to his incredible speed, Zethag is underway; and after her, he'll have Crom on horse, Gondard and Ekk, Xontór, the Holumenn Unit and the Gesíth Unit to do. Phew!
Valentin Zak: Valentin will sculpt Broga for us and will begin doing so soon.
Unknown: the remaining two descendants, which are Rick Boer's Frisian Warrior (due to be drawn by Stefan Kopinski) and Maximilian Schüte's Germanic Berserker.
Now that is a lot of sculpts...
The Darklands First Edition Rules
Now, before we get onto the next project, a word on the Darklands: First Edition hardback rulebook.
We've decided to put back the printing of the rulebook to November.
There's a number of good reasons for doing this, but the main reason is simply so that we can include extra stuff - and so increase the value of what you're getting!
This extra stuff will include whatever we need for the miniatures produced by the next Kickstarter project (such as muster summaries, or perhaps new rules to cover the abilities of new creatures where required), more background material, more colour artwork... whatever we can fit in really.
Please note, the printing delay will NOT affect the delivery of:
miniatures slated for delivery in Wave 1
miniatures tied to the book itself (such as Uhtred or Finnan)
the rules themselves - we'll still give you the full rules in June as a PDF download, although perhaps not with as pretty pictures
We'll also ship the rulebook to you when it's available without tying it to a Wave - it's only fair to do so!
Now, we're aware a lot of you guys and gals out there were very keen to get your hands on the book when - let's face it - we said we'd deliver it; but we hope you understand that we simply want to make that book better for you.
The Darklands Concept Art Book
Similarly, we're going to delay the printing of the Darklands Concept Art book.
The main reason for this is very simple - we want to add as much art as we can to it, so we're going to include all the art seen in the next project. Again, we understand that you guys would want the book in June; but we just want to give you more for the same amount of money!
Okay, the time has come to reveal a little more on our next project, "Darklands: First Edition II", as it starts...
TODAY, at 6pm (GMT)!
The definite end date of this project will be Wednesday the 23rd of April (St George's Day, of course). This neatly avoids Salute 2014 the weekend before (12th of April), at which we will have a stall, and is just after the easter holidays. That means we'll be running it for thirty-three days!
What's the Focus?
The focus of Darklands: First Edition II is, put very simply, the creation of units for eight kindreds in Darklands - Albainn, Angelcynn, Brythoniaid, Byzantii/Infernii, Fomoraic, Khthones, Norse and Ysians/Vras. The Érainn and Atalantes miss out again, but do not worry - KS3 will drain your wallets, if you're interested in those kindreds!
Now, when the project begins, you'll be able to purchase one unit from each of the eight kindreds immediately, and the "ALL THE UNITS" reward will include all of them for one price at a further discount, but (as was the case in this project for generals and commanders) if the stretch goal total for a unit is not met, that unit will not be produced. We do expect to reach all of the unit goals, however!
That's not to say there won't be other, single miniatures for you all - there certainly will be, and some awesome things too. There'll be commanders, beasts, more units, monstrous beasts, all sorts, really - although they will depend upon stretch goals!
We'll also allow people to purchase both the Darklands: First Edition rulebook (on its own, without Uhtred and Finnan) and the Concept Art book and possibly a couple of other rewards from the First Edition project, but the whole thing will be a lot easier to grasp this time - there'll be no "hosts" or "starter sets" or anything like that, because they become incredibly complicated over time (and are a nightmare post-Kickstarter). Don't recoil in horror, however - we've hit upon a system that will replicate the discounts you got with those but also enables you to choose what freebies you'd like with what you purchase!
Gold and Bronze
That system is very simple. Each item on the project has a gold cost and a bronze cost in pounds sterling. If you purchase the "THE GOLD SPOT", the "ALL THE UNITS" or the "YOU'RE THEIR DESCENDANT" rewards, any purchase you make above what you get from those rewards will be at the gold cost, which is roughly 20% off the projected UK RRP of the item in question. If you haven't purchased those rewards, you must purchase those items at bronze cost, roughly 10% off the projected UK RRP of the item in question.
What's the Rewards?
There'll be four in total - "I JUST WANT SOME COOL MINIATURES", "THE GOLD SPOT", "ALL THE UNITS" and "YOU'RE THEIR DESCENDANT". We've got rid of the "Darklands & Uhtred" reward - instead, you can purchase the Darklands book and Concept Art book, and you don't get Uhtred on foot or Finnan (although you can get those separately if you want them).
"I JUST WANT SOME COOL MINIATURES" bronze reward - for those who want a few single miniatures or other bits from the project, which will be purchased them at bronze cost.
"THE GOLD SPOT" gold reward - this is the one to go for; it allows you to purchase items at gold cost. Additionally, if you go for this reward, you'll get some other extras... which we'll reveal when they're ready ;o)
"ALL THE UNITS" gold reward - this enables you to purchase all of the units shown at the beginning, at an almost 40% discount from buying them individually, and any future purchases will be at gold cost. This is a fantastic deal!
The "YOU'RE THEIR DESCENDANT" reward mirrors the one from this project, and enables you to purchase stuff at gold cost.
There's plenty more to it than that, but that's a simple overview of what you can expect. Note, too, there'll be no "early bird" discounts - that won't make sense with the system we've come up with.
Shipping
There will be "Shipment Waves" in a similar manner to this project in the next one, but shipping will work very differently in terms of how you pay for it. This time, you will not be asked to add shipping when you make your pledge; you will simply pay for shipping in the post-project pledge management phase, on our website. This avoids many issues surrounding postage, not the least of which is increasing the pledge total artificially. To illustrate, around £5,000 of this project's total was in shipping - and that should not contribute towards stretch goals, because that money is destined to pay for shipping alone.
Now, we are aiming to have the website coded so that you will pay for shipping in a streamlined manner next time, as pretty much all of the questions asked of this project after it finished was about postage - but if the website isn't updated, please don't hurt us... time is a limited commodity!
Any more?
There's more, of course, but we've not decided on everything - and all of the above could change before the project begins (although this is unlikely now, except for minor things) - so please don't ask for more specifics yet!
Spread the word!
There's only a few hours to go before the project begins... eeek! Tell your friends, acquaintances and relatives - we need their support as much as yours!
To whet your appetite, here's a concept of a miniature that we hope we'll get to during the course of the next project...
Not sure how much I'll pledge in total as I'm unsure if I add the funds for the previous stuff like Angrislaug I'll be able to spend it on them or if I should add it afterwards?
I went for Fiends of Dis and the Slaughterers to begin with, what's everybody else gone for?
EDIT: So Mierce answered my question over on the Kickstarter, anything you want to spend on the older stuff add to your pledge and you'll be able to spend it at the end with the appropriate level of discount. So I have increased my pledge.
I was really interested in the Oghur, thinking they'd keep the same kind of aesthetic that the others had (very Rackham Kelt Sessairs Sons of Ogmios style), but they look more like big Orcs to me. Unless this group is completely different from some other Ogre style coming down the pipe that is. I prefer the Bagseg/Urbad/Dungann style for Ogres personally. Hoping that there is some more like that style planned out for the future.
Huh... so they have a 10-pound pledge, and nothing else until a 100-pound pledge ($165!).
I don't see a single miniature that is under 10 pounds, and you'd have to pay an additional 10 pounds to ship it even if it is only a single miniature, unless I'm reading the shipping incorrectly?
So, there really is no viable pledge under $165 for this... yikes.
Not quite, you can pledge whatever you like over £10, and then spend that on models at a lower discount rate. You only get the 20% off if you pledge £100 or over though.
So you can pledge what you like, and get what you want without anything you don't, but, yes, realistically, it's £100 or don't bother (remembering the site has a permanent 5% discount from RRP already.)
azreal13 wrote: Not quite, you can pledge whatever you like over £10, and then spend that on models at a lower discount rate. You only get the 20% off if you pledge £100 or over though.
So you can pledge what you like, and get what you want without anything you don't, but, yes, realistically, it's £100 or don't bother (remembering the site has a permanent 5% discount from RRP already.)
I wonder if they'll take into account the Mierce website's shipping. £100 for 20% off is a pretty good deal if you get to use Mierce's shipping system (eg, free over £50), but if I have to pay £10 per shipment, it's not worth it (killed any real savings for me last KS).
That should be possible considering they're not working on KS1's thin/negative margins anymore.
edit: I see that's exactly what Mierce did. Well done!
azreal13 wrote: ...but, yes, realistically, it's £100 or don't bother (remembering the site has a permanent 5% discount from RRP already.)
That's all I meant, that effectively there's not a pledge level under $165, which is higher than most campaigns' lowest "decent" pledge level.
decker_cky wrote: I wonder if they'll take into account the Mierce website's shipping. £100 for 20% off is a pretty good deal if you get to use Mierce's shipping system (eg, free over £50), but if I have to pay £10 per shipment, it's not worth it (killed any real savings for me last KS).
That should be possible considering they're not working on KS1's thin/negative margins anymore.
edit: I see that's exactly what Mierce did. Well done!
Where do you see that they're offering free shipping on orders over £50? I don't see that at all... all I see is:
Mierce Miniatures wrote:Note, here, that NO shipping is free (including to the UK) for any shipment wave.
...which as you say, pretty much kills the discount, at least for international backers... especially if you're getting things from multiple waves, and getting hit for £10 shipping each time
Ahh, too bad. Was going off the shipping that they had on their site (or at least used to have - didn't verify it was still there).
I guess with the free £10 for each £100 pledged, there's technically free shipping for one wave included in the pledge (IMO, they should have left that out and kept free worldwide shipping over £50).
While that 10 pounds would effectively Offset the shipping, you actually can't use it for shipping as far as I can tell. You will have to add 10 pounds later on for that.
That means the minimum "decent" pledge for this campaign is over $180 once converted (100 pounds plus 10 pounds shipping) and that's only if you're willing to pledge for all items that are in a single wave... yowzers
If you spend any less, you're actually quite likely to pay more than you will via their website, with only a 10% discount but no way to get free shipping, unlike the website.
You can pledge the £10 and then add a bit extra for the unit or beast or whatever on top of that. The £100 pledge level is only worth it if you pledging over that amount.
For example, if you want the loyal guard 5 man unit only, you pledge £10, add in £22 to cover the extra for £32 total and get an free extra character with it after the last stretch goal.
Probably the best thing to do for us overseas folks is go in with some buddies for X amount of dollars over 165$, then split shipping. Even if you cover multiple waves it almost has to be cheaper per dollar pledged assuming there is some fixed cost in shipping each wave.
One can hope at least... Too much shipping might kill this for me.
'Free' minis seemed to be tied to units at the moment, and I'm sure that each unit will get a free add on, so it depends what youre plannin to pick up.
zedmeister wrote: For example, if you want the loyal guard 5 man unit only, you pledge £10, add in £22 to cover the extra for £32 total and get an free extra character with it after the last stretch goal.
Plus another £10 in shipping later... for a total of £42.
Whereas, on the website I could spend £8 more, all on miniatures, and have none of it go towards shipping because I can get free shipping at £50... that obliterates the extra 5% discount being offered for "Bronze" here, and makes it significantly More expensive to buy them through the KS instead of off the web page! Maybe the extra mini makes it a wash...?
Basically, it's not cheaper to pledge here than order on the website unless you can pledge £100+, and even then it's not a slam dunk depending on how many waves you're planning to have things shipped in. As I don't have $165 free to allocate towards this right now, this leaves no incentive to dip my toe in... the end result will be Mierce getting more money from their existing fans, but not drawing in many new ones, imo.
This was also true in many ways of their last campaign, but at least they had pledges that weren't over $165 that were somewhat decent. There is absolutely no incentive for someone to pledge here, rather than wait and order from the webstore, unless they can spend $165... and that's not helpful for drawing in new supporters to the world / game.
plastictrees wrote: 'Free' minis seemed to be tied to units at the moment, and I'm sure that each unit will get a free add on, so it depends what youre plannin to pick up.
That makes more sense, thanks...
But still, if this was their idea of a "simpler / easier to navigate" campaign, I'm not sure what complex is
I love the minis again. I spent a few hundred on the previous kickstarters and despite being sorely tempted once more I'll probably pass on KS3. In addition to not being so flush atm I don't think there's as much value to the proposition this time around. Good luck though, hopefully we'll see a load more quality stuff added to the range.
That's a fair point, Orlando, although 10 pounds shipping still hurts if you just want to pick up a mini or two- most orders I place with miniatures companies in the UK charge less than that for a very small parcel.
Anyone know the difference between KS2.5's "Eoric's Pack of Werwulfas" and KS1's "Werwulf Unit" will be?
Asked and answered!
Creator Mierce Miniatures 3 minutes ago
@Alpharius - Wælwulfas (KS1) are more feral and don't wield weapons; they're on 50mm bases, about 50mm tall to the eye. Werwulfas (this one) are less feral and wield weapons and armour. They're on 40mm bases and are around 40mm tall to the eye.
As no one's posted these, and it's not a KS thread without lots of updates, I present the five updates we've had so far:
Update #1
Spoiler:
Mar 21 2014
£12,500 - Skyclad Ciniod
Now that we've achieved £10,000... here's your first stretch goal!
Click on the image for a larger version
..and it's free stuff!
As it says on the tin, Skyclad Ciniod is FREE if you have purchased the Oghu Guardians, Oghur Unit (whichever way you've bought it!). Otherwise, he's £15 regardless of the reward!
aa
Additionally, he's a project exclusive; he will never, ever be released to the general public, although we do reserve the right to produce him for sale at shows and events.
Please note, the free Skyclad Ciniod is limited to one per backer.
No Exchanges!
Please note, we will not exchange Skyclad Ciniod for any other miniature, so please don't ask! He is tied to his unit.
The reason for doing this is simple - logistically it's a nightmare to exchange miniatures and will lead to errors when we get to packing your orders. Of course, we are very sure that other backers will help out with exchanges, and our forums are the perfect place to do so!
Update #2
Spoiler:
Mar 21 2014
£15,000 - Akkaz, Hound-Aberrant
Hot on the heels of Skyclad Ciniod comes the next stretch goal, set at £15,000, which introduces the first Beast of this project... Akkaz, a Hound-Abberant for the Ysians, drawn by Danny Cruz!
Click on the image for a larger version
Increase your pledge by £16 if you've chosen a gold reward, and by £18 if you've gone for a bronze reward!
Akkaz will ship in November 2014 along with the first "wave" of Darklands: First Edition II pledges.
Next stretch goal unveiled at £15,000...
Update #3
Spoiler:
Mar 21 2014
£22,500 - Tonsured Caedoc
Now that we've achieved £15,000, and unlocked Akkaz, here's another!
Click on the image for a larger version
..and it's free stuff again!
As it says on the tin, Tonsured Caedoc is FREE if you have purchased the Loyal Guard, Teulu Unit (whichever way you've bought it!). Otherwise, he's £15 regardless of the reward!
Additionally, he's a project exclusive; he will never, ever be released to the general public, although we do reserve the right to produce him for sale at shows and events.
Please note, the free Tonsured Caedoc is limited to one per backer.
No Exchanges!
Please note, we will not exchange Tonsured Caedoc for any other miniature, so please don't ask! He is tied to his unit.
The reason for doing this is simple - logistically it's a nightmare to exchange miniatures and will lead to errors when we get to packing your orders. Of course, we are very sure that other backers will help out with exchanges, and our forums are the perfect place to do so!
Update #4
Spoiler:
Mar 21 2014
£20,000 - We're Funded! Thank you!
Amazingly, we're funded in about three hours - that is some going guys. Fantastic!
Not only do we get the Oghu Guardians and the Loyal Guard, and all the others inbetween, the project is now a reality! - give yourselves a pat on the back!
Update #5
Spoiler:
Mar 21 2014
£25,000 - Cæna, Sléanbera
As we've just knocked over a stretch goal, it's time to unveil the next one...
Click on the image for a larger version
Cæna is a Beornice Sléanbera or slayer-bear and will fight for any of the shape-shifting Angelcynn realms, including Beornica itself, Mierce, Déra and Eofora.
Cæna is pronounced "KAN-ə" and Sléanbera is pronounced "SLEEN-bə-rə".
Increase your pledge by £28 if you've chosen a gold reward, and by £32 if you've gone for a bronze reward!
Cæna will ship in November 2014 along with the first "wave" of Darklands: First Edition II pledges.
Now I don't see anyone commenting it but am I the only one who doesn't really like the fact that the free minis are the same like the previous KS, with shlight changes? Even if they are a bit different and maybe unique for this KS, I find it a little unfair for people who bought these miniatures in the previous KS to be awarded with the same minis in this one.
While I might prefer to be given something completely different the sculptors Mierce uses are not cheap and with £10K gaps between the units there would not be enough 'spare' to pay for a full new mini (and the concept art for it)
By making these 'changed up' versions of existing minis that have already been paid for they can do them cheaply enough and afford to make them KS (and convention) exclusive. A nice little nod to those who back the KS, but nothing for retail buyers to get too hung up on not being able to get
Can we all please take a minute to drink in the awesomeness that concept, and consider what a unit of giant bear infantry could look like on the table.
To be honest, I hadn't even thought about that. Though I have no issues with getting a different pose / sculpt of an existing figure as part of this KS.
After all, even though everyone has a name in the setting when it comes to the musters they're just regular guys for the most part.
Though if this continues (which it likely will), I'd rather see alternate sculpts of some of the other characters for the Angelcynn and Ysian goals, but that's down to Timoth and Gondard not really wowing me with their concept art. (I still added them, for completions sake)
Can we all please take a minute to drink in the awesomeness that concept, and consider what a unit of giant bear infantry could look like on the table.
By the end, there's almost no doubt I'll be in for Cæna - and if they release 2 more versions to fill out the unit at 3?
@Azreal13 - Cæna is a monstrous beast; he's not monstrous infantry. Some smaller monstrous beasts can be fielded in units, Cæna is one of them.
You'd be wanting Werbera, if you wanted bear-like monstrous infantry...
Automatically Appended Next Post: @Corgan - the reasons for giving these particular freebies are threefold...
One, as Orlando states, it's easy enough for us to change existing miniatures cheaply, so we can actually afford to give freebies away.
Two, these freebies provide alternates to those that use more than one miniature of the same type in a battle, thus ensuring you can field different miniatures in the same battle.
Third, changing them slightly allows us to give more weapon/armour combinations.
I do find it amusing that a freebie can be "unfair".
Amazingly, we've got to £25,000 in about five hours. Thank you all!
To celebrate, here's the next project exclusive stretch goal...
...which is free to anybody who has purchased the Craven Fiends of Dis unit (whichever way you've bought it). Otherwise, she's £15 regardless of the reward!
Additionally, she's a project exclusive; she will never, ever be released to the general public, although we do reserve the right to produce her for sale at shows and events.
Please note, the free Feral Agathae is limited to one per backer.
No Exchanges!
Please note, we will not exchange Feral Agathae for any other miniature, so please don't ask! She is tied to her unit.
The reason for doing this is simple - logistically it's a nightmare to exchange miniatures and will lead to errors when we get to packing your orders. Of course, we are very sure that other backers will help out with exchanges, and our forums are the perfect place to do so!
Mierce Miniatures wrote: @Azreal13 - Cæna is a monstrous beast; he's not monstrous infantry. Some smaller monstrous beasts can be fielded in units, Cæna is one of them.
You'd be wanting Werbera, if you wanted bear-like monstrous infantry...
That means he's that bit bigger? As I'd only want him for display, that simply increases the awesome!
You see my point. It's just that your Kickstarter and the combination of them, are always a good chance to acquire and paint as many possible different of the undoubtly amazing figures you produce.
I wonder if I can talk my wife into letting this KS be my reward for getting all of my papers done before it ends? It will be some good motivation for research; the dark gods know I have been needing some lately.
:(
Sounds reasonable to me... although you might consider just adding onto someone else's pledge for models at a discount (or onto a pledge from one of the previous campaigns, for that matter, which are still being fulfilled) if you don't want to go for the full gold level (which is a bit steep).
I suspect from the rather deafening silence from the local group that I will end up fronting the bulk of the cash and having other people chip in on minor bits to save on shipping. Maybe not though; the Birther of Storms' first question when I brought it up was "Aren't you still waiting on a few KickStarters?" Not a good sign. Especially considering she is right :-(
The Snake people look wicked good! certainly tempting me to buy them to play with!? what are they called so i can research them?
what are the faction showed in the page before in the sketch that look Orcish with no nose? they are also tempting as the large brutish nature of the looks!
Does anyone have some scale shots of existing human units which they pegged as "30mm to the eye"? Those Fomoraic guys are giving me all kinds of ideas for Heresy-era Horus-aligned feral-world Imperial Army units, but their annoying special-snowflake bases make judging the size difficult and the Ysian character model I have is HUEG. Don't want to go in for them and find out they're as big as my artscale Marines once I have them in hand.
Makaleth wrote: I agree with RiTides, no reason for me to dip my toe in on this one... ALL THE UNITS it is.
Some double up sadly, but the discount at the highest level is much better, so that's not an issue.
That's one way around the problem . But they'll lose the backers who can't go in heavy without a decent starter ($100 or less... not pounds) pledge level.
I haven't had much experience with Mierce before. The figures look exceptional, but <gulp> the price per figure!
My question to the Mierce veterans: are their models really worth the premium price tag?
The sculptors are the best in the business and the casting quality is of very high quality. While the pricetag might be high, it is not overpriced in any way in my opinion.
I haven't had much experience with Mierce before. The figures look exceptional, but <gulp> the price per figure!
My question to the Mierce veterans: are their models really worth the premium price tag?
For me they are the best looking minis since the time of Confrontation and they surpass them. I would say that currently they are the best models out there, which lead me to think that they are the best looking models I ever had. And I have acquired something like the 70% of the minis they produced via their KS.
You simply can't go wrong with these minis
For any Mierce newbs I would recommend hitting frpgames.com sale/discount section or the war store's ebay store and buying one or two models on sale/clearance so you can experience them in person. This is what I did and now I'm hooked. If a month goes by and I don't get a new Mierce model then something feels off.
I want that mounted Brunchaath, and now I really want a third mounted gabrax to make a unit for whenever GW inevitably adds monstrous beasts to the beastmen army.
I picked up a couple of clearance pieces here and there from the links judgedoug listed, and haven't looked back since.
RiTides is right, a lot of figures are LARGE. Then again, that may be a positive rather than a negative depending on what kinds of figures you like to collect.
Here's a few Mierce figures I got recently along with a bog standard naval soldier from the stars to give a sense of how big and chunky this stuff can be.
RiTides wrote: I love the sculpts but many are Large... something to keep in mind.
Goat riding a goat looks awesome
That's not a goat! That's my wife!
Or his wife... gak, I hope my wife doesn't still check the forums!
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh, and I was going to be on topic for a minute. I have seen and put together some Mierce models, and I can attest that they are both very big, and very nice. Not too many mold lines, parts socket nicely together, and omg details. Personally I am not a huge fan of the resin they use, but that is so minor a detail I am almost embarrassed to mention it.
Over all, if you have money to spend on nice big models, you could do far worse than spend it on Mierce stuff, and hard pressed to spend it better.
Wow, thanks everyone. That was a pretty strong (and quick) response.
I went over to the WarStore, and they had better prices than EBay or FRPGames. Somehow almost $200 just magically got charged to my card, and I have Mierce miniatures on their way to me soon.
Now - next question. There seems to be a fair amount of ambivalence about backing the Kickstarters vs. ordering from retail. Comparing the prices I just saw at the Warstore (granted, not for the full range) - this latest KS doesn't seem to offer a lot in the way of value, especially considering shipping. Do I have the wrong impression?
Unfortunately you appear to be correct on that count. Many of us are trying to figure out how to squeeze some more value from this KS, and so far it takes some serious squeezing.
I guess the best way to view KS2.5 is more of a pre order thing than some of the other projects we've seen.
KS1 was insane value, and unsustainable, KS2 was still good value, but quite complex, my gut says this has gone a little too far in the other direction, but I'm happy to hang in there and see how it land out with unlocks etc..
There is major value, if you have the money, in "ALL THE UNITS". With freebies attached, you're talking at least 50% off projected UK RRP. You get £800 worth of miniatures for £400.
For every £100 you spend on the KS (remember that gold prices are at 20% off projected UK RRP), we give you £10 more to spend.
You can't see the value? Seriously?
Without breaking Mierce's back, we can't give you much more!
Yeah at 100 you effectively get 110 which translates to ~140 worth of models at discount. for _Mierce_ models, remember. Everyone, look at all the models you own and which ones are of the highest quality? 9/10 it's Mierce. While I loved KS1 value I understand that the company needs to pay for new artists and new sculptors (much of KS1 was pre-existing stuff remember) and I'm quite happy spending money with a company will consistently delivers the best models in the world.
Yup, if you can squeeze a lot of cash out of your wallet it is a pretty good deal (though shipping...).
If one is patient they can get the models upon general release from the Warstore at ~25-30% off. Maybe cheaper shipping too (I haven't made a big order for a while, but generally my Warstore orders have shipped for ~5$, and almost always less than 10$).
All I am saying is that if you want to save money on paying early for models that do not yet exist and won't get to you for a few months, you will need to either front a lot of cash yourself, or put in a group order with some buddies. It isn't an obvious win for big discounts on great models unless you can spend a lot. Small pledge amounts might actually lose you a little money, depending on your local interest rates and time preference.
...and yet if everybody waited for (lesser) discounts, nothing would get made.
All I'm saying is that the discounts are there, now, more than the Warstore offers, and you help to get miniatures made and get the chance to purchase miniatures the Warstore will never have.
You also get to participate in a fantastic project!
Except
- you won't get the free KS exclusive figures
- you won't be helping to fund new sculpts of figures
- the Warstore has not updated their Darklands releases for one year now (March 2013 - none of the KS1 new items that have been available have yet to be added)
Everyone, look at all the models you own and which ones are of the highest quality? 9/10 it's Mierce. While I loved KS1 value I understand that the company needs to pay for new artists and new sculptors (much of KS1 was pre-existing stuff remember) and I'm quite happy spending money with a company will consistently delivers the best models in the world.
Yeah wait for retail!
Except
- you won't get the free KS exclusive figures
- you won't be helping to fund new sculpts of figures
- the Warstore has not updated their Darklands releases for one year now (March 2013 - none of the KS1 new items that have been available have yet to be added)
These are mostly true. The offers you have via the Mierce KS and subsequently webstore are uncomparable but the most important is that you help these gorgeous miniatures to be created. I have to admit that supporting the effort of someone who is absolutely decent in the quality of his product, the delivery times and the communication with his customer, feels very satisfying.
As it was mentioned, you participate in the creation of something big and great.
That is certainly the main/best point of pledging now.
Plus, as previously mentioned, it isn't exactly easy to get all the latest and greatest stuff from Mierce here in the USA as it is - more often than not, going direct is the best way even once they hit retail.
So, if you're looking for another reason to 'buy now', it will be less expensive now than later on from Mierce.
plastictrees wrote: Just wanted to confirm that "All The Units" is locked at those specific units and that no exchanges will be allowed?
Haven't trawled the comments to see if that's been answered yet, or if it's already stated somewhere on the main page that I missed.
Yes those units are locked in, but although I do not collect Albainn and I am not 100% convinced on the Ysain I am still in for 'all the units'. The discount is just too good to miss and I can always ebay or swap on Mierce's forum these two units for duplicates of ones I do want....hopefully. I also have seen people talk about some of the free stretch goals being re-works of miniatures from the last kickstarter, but as I did not purchase any of the originals these are all new for me and therefore even better value.
All I need to do now is somehow raise that £400 in the next 30 days or so
That's a Mierce Duguth Angelcynn warrior (Anglo-Saxon warrior in effect). As you can see they are in proportion as well as being highly detailed. Though be noted that some of the characters are large! Carrowek, Eirik and Kraan especially. The background explains that they are either magically beefed up or freakishly tall, though their heads and hands are still in scale!
It is that Slaughterer unit for Kthones that is pushing me over the edge!
Everyone knows I can't resist giant Alligators!
Believe it or not, I can't get super excited about the Slaughterers, despite my desire for more and more repitles. I'm not sure why.
I was hoping to see a Savrar unit (the smaller lizards). I've still got a month to go though, and having a (relatively) human sized unit to work with for the overly monstrous Khthon seems like an inevitable conclusion.
My dream unit would be a bunch of heavily armored 4 armed liskar champion types with nasty mauls and hammers, or a Khthonian answer to the Crawrdraigs.
Can't wait to see what kind of beast the Khthon end up with (Brythoniaid too).
The all the unit pledge really is a good deal, there's no denying the fact. My biggest hang up is units I'm not going to use. I can definitely see a great deal if you've got someone to split the costs with. Too bad I can't talk Barzam into chipping in. Then again, he'd probably just fight me for all the non- human stuff...
Mierce Miniatures wrote: There is major value, if you have the money, in "ALL THE UNITS". With freebies attached, you're talking at least 50% off projected UK RRP. You get £800 worth of miniatures for £400.
For every £100 you spend on the KS (remember that gold prices are at 20% off projected UK RRP), we give you £10 more to spend.
You can't see the value? Seriously?
Without breaking Mierce's back, we can't give you much more!
Wow. Not the response I was expecting.
As I mentioned, I don't have any experience with your line or company. I ordered my first set of your models today, based on the glowing recommendations in this thread. I get that your line is great, but I'm sure that you can understand my hesitance in plunking down almost $700 on figures sight unseen, ever, with a selection that is 100% fixed.
@Alpharius - the Kthones are indeed awesome. That was the bulk of my order today. I'm a sucker for snakes and lizards and alligators, too.
I think finding people to split the right units would be the hardest part.
If I get everything I want then I'm at 'might as well go for ALL THE UNITS" pricing. If I stick to Norse, Mierce and Fomor (as per my sacred blood oath to my credit card) then I'm better off not. Especially with add ons.
Ah well then, that's me almost definitely out. Pound for pound the £100 pledge looks more expensive than the last one (which I thought was ok even though plenty seemed to disagree) this one is a bit much though. I considered the big purchase but only with subs I'd worked out, sadly it's not to be.
Rob explained the reasons behind the pricing, but don't forget that many of the units are also getting 'freebies' added on during the campaign, so that certainly increases the 'value' of your £100.
I'm still 'fine' with the value. It's definitely moving away from tempting me to 5-6 factions, which isn't the worst thing in the world.
If I could stick to ONE faction then I'd be super happy, but that's not happening. The Irish are going to screw me over when they appear as well.
I own minotaurs, trolls, dragon men and assorted beasts and characters from across the range. Would've liked orc ogres, fiend demons and unarmed werewolves too, I suppose I'll have to pick them up on a unit by unit basis if I still feel the same down the line. I'm almost talking myself into the £100 pledge here. I'll have to sit on my hands for 30 days and see how it goes.
Alpharius wrote: Everyone knows I can't resist giant Alligators!
Tut tut... these are crocodiles!
JWBS wrote: Ah well then, that's me almost definitely out. Pound for pound the £100 pledge looks more expensive than the last one (which I thought was ok even though plenty seemed to disagree) this one is a bit much though. I considered the big purchase but only with subs I'd worked out, sadly it's not to be.
It's not, if you purchase a unit and thus get the freebie. Remember, for that £100, you're purchasing stuff at 20% off UK RRP, and then you get another £10 on top of that.
As for splitting the "ALL THE UNITS" pledge, I'm afraid we don't do anything like that. Logistically it is a nightmare.
yeah when I worked it out last night I figured for £100 it's a unit of monstrous infantry plus a monstrous general (£110 thereabouts). For £50 more we got additional three humans, rulebook, mounted / foot general, which seems to be better. This is if I'm remembering and calculating correctly, I pledged more than £150 so I'm not sure exactly where the money went now, and I'm not sure what comes free this time either, I'll look at it again tomorrow.
Baragash wrote: I'm keen to see the Atlantes, but the rumoured Umayyad Caliphate could end my wallet if it appears in KS3 or further down the line,
The Umayyad Caliphate is probably ages away. But Mierces 'holy war' throw-away comment just gets me even more excited. Need to get me some Byzantii in preparation for that as well as have a force that can line up against the Atalantes - fantasy Romans against fantasy Greeks - god yes!
JWBS wrote: Ah well then, that's me almost definitely out. Pound for pound the £100 pledge looks more expensive than the last one (which I thought was ok even though plenty seemed to disagree) this one is a bit much though. I considered the big purchase but only with subs I'd worked out, sadly it's not to be.
It's not, if you purchase a unit and thus get the freebie. Remember, for that £100, you're purchasing stuff at 20% off UK RRP, and then you get another £10 on top of that.
As for splitting the "ALL THE UNITS" pledge, I'm afraid we don't do anything like that. Logistically it is a nightmare.
Cheers
They weren't talking about you splitting it, but doing so themselves... kind of obvious
The 10 pounds for every 100 basically just covers shipping, which is free on your site for an order that size.
As for the shipping, indeed - but if you spend more, you get more.
*shrug*
I don't think they were... either way, obviously no one would expect you to do that, but splitting a big pledge is common amongst people on other campaigns (particularly local gaming groups).
By spending more, you get another 10 pounds, but likely need it to cover wave shipping of all those extra items. For someone on the fence like me, it's not attractive, but obviously your fans think otherwise! I love your sculpts, but looks like I'll continue to pick them up by other means than pledging.
That's a Mierce Duguth Angelcynn warrior (Anglo-Saxon warrior in effect). As you can see they are in proportion as well as being highly detailed. Though be noted that some of the characters are large! Carrowek, Eirik and Kraan especially. The background explains that they are either magically beefed up or freakishly tall, though their heads and hands are still in scale!
Ahh thanks, I'm still hesitant because the Angelcynn bloke looks waaaay taller than 30mm to the eyes when I roughly compare it to a DKoK(that are about 29mm to the eyes, 31mm tall to the top of the helmet, once you correct for the poses). I just want to be sure before I buy anything, there's not much point converting up several dozen Terminator-based truescale Marines so they properly dwarf human infantry, then buying really tall human infantry models, heh.
I know what you mean about the characters, it was actually Carrowek that I bought previously, had intended to use him to lead a Mordheim warband but he's so huge he actually doesn't fit inside most of my terrain
So I have become a massive fan of the mierce minis based on the quality of a few individual sculpts I picked up a while ago, and am waiting on some Norse and byzanti bits from ks2.
My problem with them is that the sculpts intimidate me! They are so awesome that I worry about not doing them justice!
I have been painting on and off for about 25 years, and I think I am reasonable in terms of results, but the sculpts are too sharp and crisp and should be painted by professionals only so as to do a suitable job!!! That is why a few of these sculpts are sitting primed on my desk being admired but not yet attacked with my very amateur hand.
I'm just not feeling this one. As I've not had a chance to try the beta rules I don't really know what I want. The last two had starter sets and I don't need units for armies I don't have yet.
Actually the extra detail can help a simple paintjob really shine. My Duguth are just base colours and washes, and they are looing effective (though obviously nowhere near as good as all the painting Gods):
As for the shipping, indeed - but if you spend more, you get more.
*shrug*
I don't think they were... either way, obviously no one would expect you to do that, but splitting a big pledge is common amongst people on other campaigns (particularly local gaming groups).
No, we actually were talking about subbing out parts of the £400 pledge and whether or not you could sub stuff out:
Ah well then, that's me almost definitely out. Pound for pound the £100 pledge looks more expensive than the last one (which I thought was ok even though plenty seemed to disagree) this one is a bit much though. I considered the big purchase but only with subs I'd worked out, sadly it's not to be.
Totally understandable - but a bummer as I'm already at possibly £300 - and that's before a lot of the reveals.
Like, there's no way I'm not going to what the Troll King, right?
As for the shipping, indeed - but if you spend more, you get more.
*shrug*
I was talking about substitutions (eg I'd like 2 units of chaos warriors instead of 1x warriors and 1x karls, and I'd like to swap the birdmen for a unit of the KS1 (2?) werewolves, etc etc etc) splitting was probably someone else.
As for the shipping, indeed - but if you spend more, you get more.
*shrug*
I don't think they were... either way, obviously no one would expect you to do that, but splitting a big pledge is common amongst people on other campaigns (particularly local gaming groups).
By spending more, you get another 10 pounds, but likely need it to cover wave shipping of all those extra items. For someone on the fence like me, it's not attractive, but obviously your fans think otherwise! I love your sculpts, but looks like I'll continue to pick them up by other means than pledging.
ok, good idea. Anyone want to split a £400 pledge with me? I'd quite like about half of those units, UK (ogres, warriors, fiends and wolves worth £315, leaving £335 for the other half)
Looks like we'd arm wrestle over who gets the Albainn, and who's "stuck" with the Fomoraic.
That said, I want to let today's order get here so I can actually see some of the older models in hand before committing. And who knows, maybe I'll bite for them all once I've seen them - I just got a nice bonus from work and could probably spend some time talking myself into it.
I think I'll leave my wad of money where it is currently, and wait and see what all the unlocks are in the end.
The current units aren't doing a whole lot for me. If the Sarvar show up, I'll probably go for those. Waiting to see if any of the guys from the 2nd KS show up before I plunk down for them as it stands. Otherwise it'll be a bunch of cherry picking for me. Bear man and the hound dog are my only two real pics so far. Never been big on goats. If the sloths or Sarvar show up... that's a different story.
Hopefully we'll be seeing the Khthon beast soon, as that's probably something I'm going to be interested in.
Any reason why there has been an artistic shift away from previous miniatures for the Albainn Oghur to the ones shown as artwork for this KS? By that I mean going for an Orc Ogre look (fat Orc Ogres at that) compared to how previous ones were done - Bagseg, Dungann and Urbad come to mind?
Just wondering as it seems to be a huge departure from what had come before, and makes the two different types clash if you were to want to use them together on the table.
I was hoping that you'd keep the original style going, and we'd see some Rackham Sons of Ogmios style dudes in dynamic poses going in, but the Oghur's shown don't really follow that.
Looks like we'd arm wrestle over who gets the Albainn, and who's "stuck" with the Fomoraic.
That said, I want to let today's order get here so I can actually see some of the older models in hand before committing. And who knows, maybe I'll bite for them all once I've seen them - I just got a nice bonus from work and could probably spend some time talking myself into it.
TBH, I'd happily take the Formaic over the Albainn. Only reason I had them down there is because one of my buddies has a bunch of their stuff.
Let me know what you're interested in doing. You can feel free to contact Alpharius if you decide you want to and have any concerns over me shipping things
Any reason why there has been an artistic shift away from previous miniatures for the Albainn Oghur to the ones shown as artwork for this KS? By that I mean going for an Orc Ogre look (fat Orc Ogres at that) compared to how previous ones were done - Bagseg, Dungann and Urbad come to mind?
Just wondering as it seems to be a huge departure from what had come before, and makes the two different types clash if you were to want to use them together on the table.
I was hoping that you'd keep the original style going, and we'd see some Rackham Sons of Ogmios style dudes in dynamic poses going in, but the Oghur's shown don't really follow that.
I am not 100% sure but I think they are different races.
The guys in the current KS are Oghur where as Bagseg/Dungann/Urbad are Oghurithne.
They are different. A unit of Bagsegs, if you will, was planned for judging by this concept that was posted on a recent update for the last kickstarter:
Automatically Appended Next Post: They are different. A unit of Bagsegs, if you will, was planned for judging by this concept that was posted on a recent update for the last kickstarter:
Looks like we'd arm wrestle over who gets the Albainn, and who's "stuck" with the Fomoraic.
That said, I want to let today's order get here so I can actually see some of the older models in hand before committing. And who knows, maybe I'll bite for them all once I've seen them - I just got a nice bonus from work and could probably spend some time talking myself into it.
TBH, I'd happily take the Formaic over the Albainn. Only reason I had them down there is because one of my buddies has a bunch of their stuff.
Let me know what you're interested in doing. You can feel free to contact Alpharius if you decide you want to and have any concerns over me shipping things
Cincy also sent me some Mierce items I added onto his pledge previously. Recommended!
Work together guys! It's simpler / easier for Mierce to fulfill and ship, and a better deal for you... win - win.
As so many of you are chomping at the bit to see the Troll King, we've decided to unveil Thórrir before the next free miniature...
Thórrir is a Troll Konungr or King and fights for the Norse in Thor's name.
Thórrir is pronounced "THOR-eer" and Konungr is pronounced "KONN-ung-ər".
Increase your pledge by £28 if you've chosen a gold reward, and by £32 if you've gone for a bronze reward!
Thórrir will ship in January 2015 along with the second "wave" of Darklands: First Edition II pledges, although this may change; we do want to use Allan Carrasco's skills to sculpt him, but it depends on when he is available. So that shipment date may be earlier, or later. We'll keep you posted!
zedmeister wrote: They are different. A unit of Bagsegs, if you will, was planned for judging by this concept that was posted on a recent update for the last kickstarter:
Automatically Appended Next Post: They are different. A unit of Bagsegs, if you will, was planned for judging by this concept that was posted on a recent update for the last kickstarter:
In that case, I think it was a mistake making Oghurs over Oghurithne for the KS (at least initially). If there were a unit of Bagsegs, I would be all over it.
Rob has already hinted that this 'set' of units is going to be followed by another 'set' of units, if the pledge total gets high enough.
I do agree that the Oghurithne should have been prioritized over the Oghurs though - Oghurithne wold have helped drive the total higher, faster, pulling in all that nostalgic and sweet Rackham Confrontation money!
Automatically Appended Next Post: Update #9!
Update #9
Mar 23 2014
£42,500 - Enslaved Ágriosávra
Comment
3 likes
We've got to £40,000, so with the Slaughterers unlocked, here's what you get for free with the Krokodar unit at £42,500...
Enslaved Ágriosávra will have a closed mouth and a gorgon shield, just as he would have done when he was enslaved by the Atalantes.
He's £15 if you want more of him!
Additionally, he's a project exclusive; he will never, ever be released to the general public, although we do reserve the right to produce him for sale at shows and events.
Please note, the free Enslaved Ágriosávra is limited to one per backer.
No Exchanges!
Please note, we will not exchange Enslaved Ágriosávra for any other miniature, so please don't ask! He is tied to his unit.
The reason for doing this is simple - logistically it's a nightmare to exchange miniatures and will lead to errors when we get to packing your orders. Of course, we are very sure that other backers will help out with exchanges, and our forums are the perfect place to do so!
I'm in for a token pledge now. Though to be honest I'm finding the pledge levels overly complex. Pretty sure I'll never play the game at these prices either, but I might paint the odd model.
I haven't gotten into this KS yet either. I was in the last 2 and was thrilled with the quality of Mierces miniatures There isn't anything that has excited me yet. I'll wait and see what else they come up with.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Right now the Dwarven Forge KS is sucking my money.
Yeah, it's the same for me Ken Oakley... too many good campaigns at once! If I wasn't in Dwarven Forge, I'd have been more tempted to find someone to split the big pledge here... but the other drawback to it is that I prefer to collect a single faction per system, and that pledges forces you to select basically a unit from each faction, instead.
A single faction would be a dream. Only way I'm ever going to play the game is with two factions on my end though...so naturally I'm collecting almost four.
In other news... I might have to drop out of this KS... STUPID CAR (For those that are interested... power window broke... during a HUGE stiorm)
Coincidently our driver side one went out on Sunday too ....
well it made groaning noises and went up very slowly but if we leave it closed and forget about it perhaps it will get better or it might be something caught in the mechanism.
I'm studiously not taking the door card off to look as I'm afraid to find out
@Mierce Miniatures: I think it would make sense to list the unit stretches in your updates from the main page. Makes it seem like there's less jumps needed for a small stretch.
Quick question: Shipping wave 4 is listed as mandatory. Do you really have to buy that if you're only wanting models from the back catalogue?
Also...not sure listing this campaign as funding werewolves really makes sense, since they've been in both of the previous campaigns already.
Seeing as the Oghurs were at 10k, I'm hoping Oghurithne are the unit following the Abhorrents, around 90k-100k.
Shipping isn't to be added in during the KS campaign, only later on once the KS is finished and you're on the Mierce website, so hopefully that will be addressed there, and make sense!
decker_cky wrote:@Mierce Miniatures: I think it would make sense to list the unit stretches in your updates from the main page. Makes it seem like there's less jumps needed for a small stretch.
You've lost me - they are already on the main page? On the stretch goal map too? Or did you mean something else...?
decker_cky wrote:Quick question: Shipping wave 4 is listed as mandatory. Do you really have to buy that if you're only wanting models from the back catalogue?
No, you just purchase the Wave 0 shipment item instead; it's the same price so it doesn't really matter.
decker_cky wrote:Also...not sure listing this campaign as funding werewolves really makes sense, since they've been in both of the previous campaigns already.
The Werwulfas of this project (Eoric's pack) are "man-wolves" and on 40mm bases, being around 40mm to the eye. They wield weapons, bear shields and wear armour.
The Wælwulfas from the original project were once Werwulfas, but we changed their name to make them sound nastier. They are more devolved than the Werwulfas and do not use weapons or armour any more - just their claws! They have also grown since their days of being a werwulf; they are on 50mm bases and are 50mm to the eye.
You must understand that the wolves of Mierce devolve from man to wolf, and cannot change back; thus, each wælwulf was originally a werwulf, and indeed a man before that.
The progression goes like this: man -> werwulf (man-wolf) -> wælwulf (slaughter-wolf) -> guthwulf (war-wolf) -> mægenwulf (mighty-wolf). Thus, Cnebba the Mægenwulf was originally a guthwulf...
I hope that makes sense!
decker_cky wrote:Seeing as the Oghurs were at 10k, I'm hoping Oghurithne are the unit following the Abhorrents, around 90k-100k.
Wow, thanks everyone. That was a pretty strong (and quick) response.
I went over to the WarStore, and they had better prices than EBay or FRPGames. Somehow almost $200 just magically got charged to my card, and I have Mierce miniatures on their way to me soon.
Now - next question. There seems to be a fair amount of ambivalence about backing the Kickstarters vs. ordering from retail. Comparing the prices I just saw at the Warstore (granted, not for the full range) - this latest KS doesn't seem to offer a lot in the way of value, especially considering shipping. Do I have the wrong impression?
For what it's worth, I'm not sure if The Warstore is getting anything new in, so their prices might not be available going forward. Mierce is essentially the same as FRPGames, without reaming you for shipping like those guys do, which just goes to show how terribly FRPGames shipping rates are...
So how does this 20% off previous products work? I'd missed KS 2, can I pick those guys up for 20% off retail...essentially an extra 15% off Mierce's prices?
decker_cky wrote:@Mierce Miniatures: I think it would make sense to list the unit stretches in your updates from the main page. Makes it seem like there's less jumps needed for a small stretch.
You've lost me - they are already on the main page? On the stretch goal map too? Or did you mean something else...?
This information never appears on the update page, even though funding the corpse takers is the current stretch goal:
No, you just purchase the Wave 0 shipment item instead; it's the same price so it doesn't really matter.
Might want to change this line on the project page:
"Shipment Wave 4 (Mandatory): November 2014. You MUST purchase this shipping in post-project management. This shipment wave will include all of the Units stretch goals."
decker_cky wrote:Seeing as the Oghurs were at 10k, I'm hoping Oghurithne are the unit following the Abhorrents, around 90k-100k.
You'd be hoping correctly ;o)
Hope that helps.
Awesome. Seeing Bagseg and the other Oghurithne to date has me sold on a unit.
That's awesome! As is the above concept art. Is there going to be a unit of those, and what size are they?
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Zond wrote: Is it bad I just want a pledge level or two that gives me an army instead of all the things? :-P
Exactly...
Pledge for "The Gold Spot" at £100, get an extra £10 for that and every £100 you pledge during the campaign, pick the unit(s) you want, get a free figure with that unit, and spend the rest on Mierce's website during the "Pledge Manager" phase, getting 20% off nearly everything?
Last time, we added hosts to give backers the opportunity to get "an army"; but then people didn't want certain miniatures out of those hosts, criticised the choices we made, and all the different hosts became very confusing over time. Fair enough, let's change that for next time, said we.
This time, we give backers the opportunity to choose a unit they want, a free commander for that unit too, £10 back per £100 pledged to spend in our store, and 20% off our existing range to add to that army. It's all about choice.
Am I not seeing the wood for the trees?
At the end of the day we're trying to give people what they want; so I'll ask you. RiTides/Zond - what is it exactly that you want from this project? Is there anything I can do for you to help? What would you want to change? What don't you understand?
I'm being serious - if there's something that I can add to the project that would help you two guys, and suit what we're trying to do, I'll add it.
To be honest the whole gold bronze thing is Greek to me, or should that be Atlantes? It just reads as unnecessarily Byzantine to me (resisting second faction pun). So let's say I do throw a couple hundred at this project getting me X or Y army at discount and I pick and choose units I'll have no guidance. Unless I want pure display pieces, which is certainly viable, there's no easily displayed information on playstyles or what the model you're buying can do.
If you want to be sarcastic then claim you're being serious, that's fine. My own fault for engaging the bait. I understand we're not going to get first kickstarter style tooth and claw bundles, but some guidance on how to use the pledges to buy things to play the game rules we kickstarted last time might help.
@Zond - I don't think it's Byzantine, although I suppose I would say that.
- Pledging for a Bronze reward allows you to purchase items at bronze prices.
- Pledging for a Gold reward allows you to purchase items at gold prices.
Fairly obviously, it's designed to tempt you to go for gold prices!
If it's play style or guidance you need, and you think the project's lacking that, then that's fair enough - but you're the very first person to say that to me and, if I'm honest, it's the first time I've really thought about it.
It's something I can do, of course, add that information to the project; and maybe I should (you've certainly made me think - there's always room for improvement); there's a ton of reading on there already though, and it's also information that you can just ask for, here, on the forums, or on the comments.
So, let's go down the personal route for now (I may add more information to the project later).
Which army are you interested in? What do you want me to tell you about them? Have you played the game at all, so I can gauge what you know?
I think this campaign is a lot more friendly to current customers, but the Darklands universe can be a bit tough to understand for potential customers. Last KS, I didn't really get much because the best deals that caught my eye included models that I didn't want.
I do think the 20% off + £10 per £100 is a bit odd on initial glance, but I see how it's a push to get people to pledge higher, and a push to get people to pledge during the kickstarter rather than later.
I think some starter sets for new players including quickstarter rules would be handy to let players interested in the game dip their feet in, and to show them what goes together (the Mierce website is a bit tough to navigate until you know what you're looking for). Probably becomes a lot more realistic to do proper starter sets when plastic infantry gets produced.
I'd love to see Mierce infantry in plastic of that quality. If Mierce could do one great plastic kit to demonstrate the quality they can achieve, then a kickstarter to exclusively fund plastics, I think it could be a huge success.
I kind of know how Zond feels, but I didn't back either of the first two Kickstarters. My guess is going back to those (or finding a copy of the Quickstart rules) is a good place to start. I've referred back to the other Kickstarter projects a couple of times to understand what the starter packs consisted of.
zedmeister wrote: I think it's more like giving an idea on how a typical force looks for each given Kindred? For example;
1 General
2 Commanders (including Sorcerer)
2 Infantry units of 10-20 individuals each
2 Monstrous Infantry
1 Monstrous Beast
So, maybe we find out what Kindred is most attractive to (X), then build an army based on that, and then show how much to pledge now, and what to select?
Orlando, thanks for the rule/musters link consolidation! That's highly useful.
Basically, you need a Commander. You'll need at least one Mainstay unit. That's generally the unit type that fits with the commander. If you have Cearl (a Waelwulf), it's Waelwulfs. If you've got Kraan (a Tain of Baalor) it's Warriors of Baalor.
After that, the Ubiquity (which acts as force org) gets a little complicated; you get unlimited Mainstay units, can take quite a few Common (usually elite infantry), a couple of Uncommon (medium sized monsters, monstrous infantry, and most commanders), and one or two Rare (big monsters and elite commanders). The specific number you can take depends on game size.
An Encounter game (500 gold, 4x4 table) allows up to 4 Common choices, 3 Uncommon, and 2 Rare.
Each model also has an Authority value, and the total under a commander cannot exceed his Authority. If it does, he needs to bring another Commander (whose Authority doesn't count) to control those models. Above 500 points, you'll require more than one (and possibly three or four) commanders. Fortunately, support models like wizards and army standards are commanders, so they fill utility roles as well.
So not only do you have to keep within a force organization, you also have to ensure you have enough Authority to command all the units you've brought.
zedmeister wrote: I think it's more like giving an idea on how a typical force looks for each given Kindred? For example;
1 General 2 Commanders (including Sorcerer) 2 Infantry units of 10-20 individuals each 2 Monstrous Infantry 1 Monstrous Beast
So, maybe we find out what Kindred is most attractive to (X), then build an army based on that, and then show how much to pledge now, and what to select?
Take my Fomoraic Kindred for example. This is what I am currently building towards:
Commanders 1 Kraan on Bear (including the Kraan on foot option for when the bear gets killed) 1 Maagaan 1 Naara 1 Brunchaath the Vile on Gooracx (including the on foot version for when the Gooracx gets killed)
Infantry 15 Man Warriors of Baalor 20 Man Gabrax warriors
I'll have a bunch of extra bits as well: Shaaroc, Gabrox plus loads of others. I'm undecided on the monstrous infantry at the moment. Currently leading towards the Sronax
Mierce, thanks for genuinely asking. Some things I typed may have just been initial gut reactions, but I have tried to think about it because I'm not sure exactly what (other than price) seems to be the "mental barrier" to me with this campaign.
I think, it's a similar issue to that I have with Mantic's campaign setups... that is, complicated credit systems, and not being sure what I really need to play.
Let me quote the people above me who may have said it better, then I'll add my own thoughts:
I kind of know how Zond feels, but I didn't back either of the first two Kickstarters. My guess is going back to those (or finding a copy of the Quickstart rules) is a good place to start. I've referred back to the other Kickstarter projects a couple of times to understand what the starter packs consisted of.
decker_cky wrote: I think this campaign is a lot more friendly to current customers, but the Darklands universe can be a bit tough to understand for potential customers.
...
I think some starter sets for new players including quickstarter rules would be handy to let players interested in the game dip their feet in, and to show them what goes together (the Mierce website is a bit tough to navigate until you know what you're looking for). Probably becomes a lot more realistic to do proper starter sets when plastic infantry gets produced.
I can definitely see the desire to allow people to pick what they like- that's good. But, because free items are tied to specific units, and there are two different prices for each based on the level I pledge at... man, even just starting out, I've got "mind blown" about how to figure out what is the best deal.
For me, being on kind of the outside and just interested in cool figures, this seems to make it much easier to wait and add on to someone else's pledge and not have to "do the math".
I don't know the exact solution... I just know right now I find the campaign overwhelming and wouldn't know where to begin if I wanted to make a Darklands force. I think Zed's suggestions might be a good way to go:
zedmeister wrote: I think it's more like giving an idea on how a typical force looks for each given Kindred? For example;
1 General
2 Commanders (including Sorcerer)
2 Infantry units of 10-20 individuals each
2 Monstrous Infantry
1 Monstrous Beast
Another example using just myself- I picked up 2 Blood Maws previously. If there were an easy starter set that could make use of one or both, that would be rather tempting. The Dynwocor above is rather tempting. But how do I know how much it is, or how many will be in a unit, or if it will come with a free character for that unit? How many models would I need to make a starter force? My newest method was to go to the page and try doing a Ctrl-F search for "Dynwocor", but it yields no results... maybe it's just in an update, or maybe the text is embedded in an image and not searchable, and maybe it's not unlocked yet... but I just find the whole thing a bit hopelessly overwhelming!
Starter sets are a sure-fire way to help people see: "Oh, these models work together!". So, maybe a separate page with suggested sets to go with the new infantry units you're funding in this campaign? I.e. take this unit, add a commander, blood maw, and other monster, and BAM! You're ready to go!
Not locking people into such sets... but some idea of how to start would be great. Here, I mostly see "Add these units to your existing collection!"... of which my collection currently is 2 Blood Maws (and formerly a Shaaroc).
Starter sets are a sure-fire way to help people see: "Oh, these models work together!". So, maybe a separate page with suggested sets to go with the new infantry units you're funding in this campaign? I.e. take this unit, add a commander, blood maw, and other monster, and BAM! You're ready to go!
Not locking people into such sets... but some idea of how to start would be great. Here, I mostly see "Add these units to your existing collection!"... of which my collection currently is 2 Blood Maws (and formerly a Shaaroc).
Cheers for reading
Seconded.
Models are stunning, there's no debate. But, the setting and language are so foreign, I think its making people hesitant. Very steep learning curve to get started in the game.
Maybe you (Mierce) could put together a page with sample armies with a brief explanation on why it was put together that way. Or even invite players to post pics of their hosts. Either way, so potential costumers have something to gauge where some goal for their collections.
drazz wrote: Maybe you (Mierce) could put together a page with sample armies with a brief explanation on why it was put together that way. Or even invite players to post pics of their hosts. Either way, so potential costumers have something to gauge where some goal for their collections.
I think a website guide to getting started with Darklands, with examples of 500 and 1000 gold forces of each faction would be great. It could also be used as a primer to the background. Then for KS campaigns, you could just link to a few of the example forces and show what a great deal the kickstarter is for them.
The 'strange sounding names' are a small barrier to entry for some, I imagine.
And being an existing fan of Darklands certainly makes "Darklands KS 2.5" easier to get into.
But having said all that, this campaign is way easier to understand than "KS 1" or even "KS 2".
And the 'flexibility' to get what you want, while still getting a fair amount of freebies (either actual miniatures or extra cash to spend on their site) is certainly there.
There just aren't the mind-blowing, jaw-dropping deals from KS1 this time around - but then we've already been told that they were sort of a 'mistake' and 'never to be repeated'.
I had a big reply to RiTides sorted, and then dakka blew a gasket. Bah.
The upshot is - "recommended loadouts" is a brilliant suggestion, and one that I can't believe I've missed; sometimes you can be too close.
It's something I'll start working on shortly.
Regarding "starter sets" - that's just very hard work for us back of house, and something we want to avoid. THE GOLD SPOT, however, is worth £165 at RRP; for £100 (really £110) you get a monstrous infantry unit and a smaller unit which, at RRP (and including the freebie) are worth £165 at RRP. Around 40% off?
So it's a cracking deal really.
@Alpharius - not really a mistake, just what we had to offer at the time. I actually think this KS has a better deal, in "ALL THE UNITS"...
Automatically Appended Next Post: @RiTides and decker and everybody - meant to say - thank you for taking the time to reply!
Actually, I like the idea of "recommended starter forces" kinda thing. Not to add confusing pics to the front page, but maybe a link that takes you to a site that shows like:
"For Faction XYZ, here's the Muster PDF. Our recommended starter force would be:
Pledge 200 and you'll be able to get:
this 100 pledge level unit w/ bonus guy
buy commander Q at 20% off
buy infantry set P at 20% off
buy giant monster J at 20% off
and that's a 1000 point force!"
Recommended Loadouts are a good idea, but I think you're going to have to have an "Infantry Heavy" version, and a "Monstrous Infantry Heavy" version, now that you're starting to produce all of the 'light' Infantry options!
Mierce Miniatures wrote: I had a big reply to RiTides sorted, and then dakka blew a gasket. Bah.
The upshot is - "recommended loadouts" is a brilliant suggestion, and one that I can't believe I've missed; sometimes you can be too close.
It's something I'll start working on shortly.
Excellent! And bummer about the reply, Dakka had a cold this morning it seems
Mierce Miniatures wrote:THE GOLD SPOT, however, is worth £165 at RRP; for £100 (really £110) you get a monstrous infantry unit and a smaller unit which, at RRP (and including the freebie) are worth £165 at RRP. Around 40% off?
Seeing exactly how this works, applied to one of the "recommended loadouts" above, would be great... as I still can't seem to picture how that good deal actually works out. Your description sounds great, so if that was easier to see, I think you'd see a lot more people getting tempted off the fence and into that deal!
For your £100, for example, you could pledge for the Slaughterers for £80 (getting Enslaved Ágriosávra for free, too, all told worth £115 if purchased at RRP) and the Loyal Guard for £28 (getting Tonsured Caedoc for free, and thus worth £50 if purchased at RRP).
So, you're getting £165 worth of miniatures for pledging £100 - that's 40% off what they'd be at RRP.
I'll make that clear with graphics at some point soon...
The recommended loadouts is great as reading the army lists, whilst informative,.doesn't really let you know how an army plays in comparison to the others. Graphics would also help me understand the above example.
Not really sure I can build any of the ideas I had and be effective or even playable. I was hoping I could make a few armies of humans with assorted snake and ratmen standing against giant monsters, for good or for ill. However I'll still enjoy the resin crack.
Also, its probably a good way to get a bunch of pledge manager sales for items from the Mierce store. "Oh, I need ______ unit to fill out my faction." And if you're compulsive like me ....
Zond wrote: The recommended loadouts is great as reading the army lists, whilst informative,.doesn't really let you know how an army plays in comparison to the others. Graphics would also help me understand the above example.
Yeah, I think adding in playstyles would be good. These guys are fast moving melee glass cannons. These are your tank units. These guys buff other units in melee around them. These are slow, ranged debuffers. Otherwise you end up just picking what looks cool, but might play terrible once you start rolling dice.
Most of my purchases have been just the big monsters or monstrous infantry just to paint, but to get people grabbing 20+ regular dude infantry, they're most likely going to have to buy into playing the game itself. A summary of how each army plays would be nice. For example the Wrath of Kings kickstarter gave general army playstyles so you could pick the one that fit your gaming moods. Like control effects? Pick this faction. Want durability? Pick this faction. I realize the rules are out there, but being told design intent up front in cliff note form is great, particularly since the names are a bit daunting when you get started.
I want to second RiTides, or third or fifth or wherever we are at. I think having some guides as to choosing units and putting together a force would be a great idea. For myself, I have been mostly thinking of how to use these as counts as because I can't see how things fit in the game, so I don't have any expectation of being able to start a cohesive force. As counts as models the price is a little less appealing, as there are a lot of models I might not have an actual use for, so it is a little off putting.
So yes, I think RiTides hit the nail on the head that some sort of guide would really be wonderful, and help us know what to spend that web store discount on as well! Thanks for listening and taking the time to help out!
Unlike many people here this "suggested loadout" adds no value for me, not because I have backed the other kickstarters or have bought a rulebook but because I buy the models mainly for aesthetic considerations.
Added value for me would be to add a universal freebie like the other two projects had, and / or increase the buying options that allow me to eke out some more value. Currently best options are to spend high and end up with a lot of minis I don't want (a couple of specific combinations like the mansize infantry + monstrous infantry + two free minis for £110 combo that has been mentioned sounds good but having no interest in the Norse infantry and not yet having seen the formaic free mini I'm not sold on this either). On a related note, if I pledge £150 for gold spot can I order additional ks2.5 models at gold price for that extra £50, or only ks2 models?
I can't think of anything else that would encourage me further. I don't really see an increase the already very high quality of product or service as possible, and reducing negatives such as high price, longish pre-order times and buying sight unseen product, I imagine is also out of the question. Simplified pledge manager or purchasing / gaming advice etc is not very interesting to me.
That's fair, and will be true for a lot of people.
But if they want to expand their fan base they need to start selling the game a bit more, which means suggested loadouts, play style descriptions etc.
I believe that you can buy all KS2 and 2.5 at discount if you've pledged for gold, yes.
If I was being purely selfish, and I wanted to modify this Kickstarter to suit my own wants and personal finances over the next few weeks, while being mindful of the realities from Mierce's side, I'd want a "Silver" level.
Minimum pledge somewhere circa £50, with a 15% RRP discount, no bonus store credit.
As it stands, having just moved house and caught it in the wallet for all the entails, I'm going to struggle to find the cash to hit Gold alongside other wants and commitments I have, but I'd likely go higher than I plan to now if there were a sound financial reason to do so.
Just spitballing, rather than lobbying for it, but I though I'd put the idea out there, as if others feel the same, Mierce have a track record of listening to their great unwashed if they're able.
@Wehrkind and others - I will endeavour to do something regarding "recommended loadouts" and "play styles" over the week to come; hopefully it will be easy enough to follow.
@JWBS - you can indeed use whatever you pledge at gold prices on KS2.5 - by adding £150, you've actually got £160. For example, you could add two monstrous infantry units for that £160, and (even without the two freebies) you've actually saved yourself £50 if you bought those two units at RRP. Adding in the freebies means you've saved £80, or 35%. The deals are there.
Regarding your comment about another universal freebie, watch this space... you do realise we give stuff away along the project... right? We did it in the first KS, we did it in the second KS...
@Azreal13 - we did consider that; but rejected it because we thought it would be *too* complicated. Two prices is fair enough, but another one adds another level.
I do hear you, but that gold price does give you that sound financial reason - and don't forget, as long as you're a backer, you get access to KS2.5 until it starts fulfilling - so in a lot of ways, your *current* situation is not so bad, I hope you don't mind me saying.
@plastictrees - correct, and that's something I'm working on!
plastictrees wrote: That's fair, and will be true for a lot of people.
But if they want to expand their fan base they need to start selling the game a bit more, which means suggested loadouts, play style descriptions etc.
I believe that you can buy all KS2 and 2.5 at discount if you've pledged for gold, yes.
Point taken I'm sure it will be useful to Mierce and many potential customers. Like you say though there are potentially many people in the same boat as me, and a small material investment could pay off many times over (Mierce are currently into me for several hundred a year but the steady projected increase flatlined a bit lately. Limited KS 1 - 2 style universal freebie could be a cheap way to vastly increase the annual sales to these people, assuming there are more kickstarters in the future). Still, we'll have to see what's coming, I didn't realise there were any freebies at all until the concepts were revealed I suppose there's still potential for more.
Thinking about it some more, maybe being less restrictive with where the freebies are attached could yield positive results. I'd certainly prefer to get monstrous infantry + Troll king + free Formaic lady standard bearer + free warrior priest guy than what's currently offered (ie Norse monstrous general replaces Norse human infantry in my case), though this is essentially just substitution and that's already been mooted. I'd still prefer a universal free model anyway.
edit - MM yes indeed and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled.
The only faction right now that can't do all or mostly human/no monster armies are the Kthones, right?
Oh, and maybe the Albainn too?
At least, right now in this point of the 2.5 campaign...
Anyway....Hydras?
Update #11
Mar 25 2014
£55,000 - Khallas, Hydrakh of Ýdron
3 comments
3 likes
We've hit £50,000, which is fantastic as it now means the Corpse Takers - the Hrafnmann Unit for the Norse - will be produced! A pat on the back to you all!
That means, of course, that the next stretch goal is up...
Khallas is a three-headed Hydrakh - a legged Hydra - and fights for the Khthones and the realm of Ýdron.
Increase your pledge by £40 if you've chosen a gold reward, and by £45 if you've gone for a bronze reward!
Khallas will ship in November 2015 along with the first "wave" of Darklands: First Edition II pledges.
The next stretch goal will be unveiled at £55,000... or will it?
My history is spotty, but it is a fairly major player in the Bernard Cromwell Saxon Tales books. Which is what I picture when I think of Darklands, only add lots and lots more beasts and magic.
Some of this might be lost on those of us not from the UK / steeped in old english history / etc
Or is it welsh history? It's rather confusing since it's a fantasy after all, but mixed with historical references / words... you could just make it up and it'd be about the same to most of us... and maybe more pronounceable
In grefven's rush to post, he neglected to tell you that the thing in question is a Spear-Vras Champion, and that the Vras (Rat Men?) work for the Ysians!
Right! We're nearly at £55,000, so what the what: here's the next stretch goal!
Helmed Naraa is free to anybody who has purchased the The Eye Ascendant unit (whichever way you've bought it). Otherwise, she's £15 regardless of the reward!
Additionally, she's a project exclusive; she will never, ever be released to the general public, although we do reserve the right to produce her for sale at shows and events.
Please note, the free Helmed Naraa is limited to one per backer.
No Exchanges!
Note that we will not exchange Helmed Naraa for any other miniature, so please don't ask! She is tied to her unit.
The reason for doing this is simple - logistically it's a nightmare to exchange miniatures and will lead to errors when we get to packing your orders. Of course, we are very sure that other backers will help out with exchanges, and our forums are the perfect place to do so!
Right so, I'm going to pledge. I've looked at the last two and really wanted in but the sheer wall of information is incredibly off putting, and conflicting information doesn't help so come on guys. Help me.
I'm going to pledge £100 gold spot.
1) What are the prices in?
- One section says all prices are in US dollars, but every price is in pounds, but now I'm looking I cant find it so I may have imagined this...
2) Do I get a free Feral Agathae if I buy a unit of craven fiends of dis? Is she essentially a free upgrade to the unit?
3) The craven whatsits of thingie cost £80, still leaving me with £30 to spend?
4) Can I purchase things from the previous kickstarters (I'm was thinking legionnaries, but there not the same faction are they?) and if so, are the prices for these anywhere
5) Mananaan, Untain of Baalor looks amazing. Not a question, more a statement of fact.
Gomezaddams wrote: Right so, I'm going to pledge. I've looked at the last two and really wanted in but the sheer wall of information is incredibly off putting, and conflicting information doesn't help so come on guys. Help me.
I'm going to pledge £100 gold spot.
1) What are the prices in?
- One section says all prices are in US dollars, but every price is in pounds, but now I'm looking I cant find it so I may have imagined this...
2) Do I get a free Feral Agathae if I buy a unit of craven fiends of dis? Is she essentially a free upgrade to the unit?
3) The craven whatsits of thingie cost £80, still leaving me with £30 to spend?
4) Can I purchase things from the previous kickstarters (I'm was thinking legionnaries, but there not the same faction are they?) and if so, are the prices for these anywhere
5) Mananaan, Untain of Baalor looks amazing. Not a question, more a statement of fact.
1) Prices are listed in both British Pounds and Dollars, that I've seen.
2) Yes - Feral A. is free if you purchase the Craven Fiends!
3) Yes again! But don't forget that shipping is not included and will have to be added on later when you get to use the special section of Mierce's website to manage your reward.
4) KS2 items will be available at KS2 prices - sadly, KS1 prices and deals will most likely never be seen again... 5) Agreed - that model is awesome, as is most (all!) of the Fomoraic range!
1) £, though it estimates the $ value in some graphics
2) Yes
3) Yes
4) Pre-KS2 stuff is 20% off, the Mierce website lists the RRP. KS2 stuff I think is just 5% off, but you get access to order it (outside this KS you would have to wait ~6 months for it to hit retail to be able to order)
2) Yes, she's a freebie to every backer who chooses that unit (you make your unit choice in the pledge manager after the KS ends) Each unit gets/will get a free KS exclusive mini as an unlock.
3) Yup -£30 left to spend.
4) Yes you can, you can choose these back of house during the pledge manager - You get 20% off the rrp.
The Legionanaries are from a closely-allied kindred. Byzantii/Infernii are in cahoots in a 'we're in charge' 'we'll let them think they're in charge' kind of way.
1. The prices are in £ (the dollar prices are rough approximations for the US backers)
2. Yes you get a free Feral Agathea if you buy a unit of Craven Fiends of Dis, she's a commander of the Byzantii who ally with the Infernii
3. Yes that's right £20 left (plus the £10 bonus credit for pleding £100)
4. You can pick up stuff from the previous KS,
anything that has been moved to general release will be the recommended retail price on the mierce website http://www.mierce-miniatures.com/ -20% (you'll need to click on the entry to find the rrp as the store generally sells at 5% off rrp)
Alpharius wrote: Recommended Loadouts are a good idea, but I think you're going to have to have an "Infantry Heavy" version, and a "Monstrous Infantry Heavy" version, now that you're starting to produce all of the 'light' Infantry options!
As a semi-related gameplay question, how balanced does a Darklands army need to be? If you go all small infantry or all 120mm base monsters, is your army less effective?
I think I'm going to go ahead and pledge, and maybe worry about how to spend the rest later
The Legionanaries are from a closely-allied kindred. Byzantii/Infernii are in cahoots in a 'we're in charge' 'we'll let them think they're in charge' kind of way.
So, would I be able use them together then in a game?
I think I'm going to go ahead and pledge, and maybe worry about how to spend the rest later
The Legionanaries are from a closely-allied kindred. Byzantii/Infernii are in cahoots in a 'we're in charge' 'we'll let them think they're in charge' kind of way.
So, would I be able use them together then in a game?
Yes. As far as I'm aware they are essentially the same faction from an 'army building' perspective.
OK, I've decided to pledge at 100GBP.
Any Aussies interested in going in with me to save on shipping?
Melbourne based preferred, but if no one takes that up, any other Aussies are welcome.
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Mierce miniatures now has an unofficial facebook fan page. Created by an enthusiastic supporter of their miniatures range it will showcase the models, sculpts and concept art produced by this UK company. Please take time to have a look at the page and like and share it with others who may be interested.
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=470997013001183
@Rick B - no, they're bound to the Flesh-Drune; you can have up to three, but they run about the battlefield collecting body parts. There will also be Flesh-Pile miniatures...
The graphic is certainly helpful. Now if I knew how the armies played, a bit more of the background rivalries... And my idea of all humans is probably dead. So far I'm looking at a British Isles four way or a Norse, Snakemen, Byzantine split. Though I assume the beast guys screw with the Norse so I could chuck them in.
The prices on the add ons in the graphic look off. I thought it was 20% off, not 10%. Either way, its good to see you can put together a starter host for around $150. Anyone know if some factions play more monster heavy than others? Ysian seems to point that way, but not sure.
thanks to cincydooley).
