Element Games, Stockport
Empire Game Store
GAMES of WAR – Seaham, County Durham
Travelling Man, (Newcastle)
Twisted Pinnacle, Chesterfield
Wayland Games
Strange that CMON has zero presence at Salute, they should be promoting the game there. That and regular stocks of the new stuff over here would help to promote this game in the UK.
Plastic 2 player starter is excellent news. And those Shadow Caste models are pretty sweet (they're Dragyri right?). Do you think there'll be some Dragyri resculpts with the new book? The Fire Caste models are awesome but the older Ice and Air ones don't look as good imo.
The crew has been working on making sure you have the most up-to-date rules and using figures that are well-balanced. As such, there have been times where new units have been added or tweaked, but it never really felt like a new Faction Book was necessary. For such times, there will be Web Updates. These updates will include things like:
• A combined Faction Document/Cards PDF
• A new Faction Background PDF
• A set of printed Faction Cards (to replace the existing set)
The first of these updates will be the Kukulkani.
Doom Seer
Ixchel
Kaachika
K'u'Coatl
The story of these guys have evolved over the time they’ve been around. They’re terraforming part of Samaria to look more like their home planet. There will be expanded story of this group showing, among other things, that there’s another religion within the faction. The new units will show the adapting nature of the faction.
The next full book will be for the Dragyri. This will have all of the sub-factions within it. Like other faction books, models will be getting an update in rules as well.
New rule for the Dragyri: When you build a Dragyri list, you must pick a sub-faction. But you get points so that you can take other sub-faction models along with it. So there’ll be a bit of a mixing going on.
It will also have an all-new subfaction: The Shadow Caste!
These guys have been quietly altering the fates of people on Samaria for a long time, but now they’re taking a more direct role in events.
The Shadow Caste has a strong focus on subterfuge and taking over enemy units. Their “puppeteer” status will come to the fore in the game.
They also have “murder elementals” and “shadow elementals.”
Also in the works is a 2-player Starter Set. This will pit the Ice Caste versus St. Isaac. These forces will be 500 points each. There will be punch-out terrain, a special scenario, some D20s, and the models… in plastic! The Ice Caste figures will be new sculpts. It will cost in the neighborhood of $60-$70.
Other upcoming releases are token and other sets from Warsenal specifically for Dark Age.
There’s two different organized play packs for Dark Age. They will be available for local gaming stores. They will have cool things to be used as prizes for tourneys, campaigns, and leagues. Like with Wrath of Kings, it will have things like promo minis, pins, tokens, objective markers, and possibly other goodies (specifics still being ironed out).
And there we have it. Hope you liked that look at what’s coming out for CoolMiniOrNot’s miniatures games, Wrath of Kings and Dark Age.
No, CMoN did. I'm not paying $9 shipping for one mini.
Iain.
I'm confused!
Did you buy it, or not?
And is CMON's shipping that onerous?
It is that bad. I carted up an order and was like "hey this is in my budget!" then I hit the button and was like "whoaaaaaah.. never mind". It's just as bad on their Kickstarters but people still pay it. It just isn't as obvious since it's paid so far afterwards usually.
Meh about this months releases. Nothing exciting and new as those pics for warwinds have been around for awhile now. Possibly the calm before the storm of the 2 player starter/shadowcast/kulk
On the note of CMON shipping, is very reasonable. I just added Joans whole force to the cart to see. 6 blisters of 10 total models and its 6 bucks flat. Now if you want it priority its 25$ which is very expensive but if you order Sunday for example its almost a guarantee its there friday
Our spotlight feature of Lynette, Master Herder of the Durshe tribe, is coming to a close. As the last piece of the puzzle, we bring you the miniatures! Lynette, Ideo, and Vox were sculpted by Joaquin Palacios and painted by Sergio Calvo, both talented members of the team at Bigchild Creatives, who have been working on our Dark Age range for quite a few years now. Thank you, guys!
Lynette - along with our Forsaken Haniel resculpts and new CORE Zetamax - is set for release next week. Ask for them at your friendly, local game store or look for them on coolminiornot.com!
Also, because I was about to ask:
(And because I didn't want someone to tell me it was Betamax's cousin, who finally defeated the VHS empire!)
Damn, I don't know if I should just buy the beast mistress for... something, or break down and start using my collection of Dark Age stuff to play Dark Age. So many cool things.
Our recent feature on Lynette, Master Herder of the Salt Flat Nomads, was incredibly popular, so we thought we'd present another unit slated for release (relatively) soon - the Kaachika.
Today it's a look at the concept art for this new ranged unit for the wonderfully unique Mayan descendents, the Kukulkani. We'll follow the same pattern of information for each day, so you can expect to see the background story tomorrow.
Also, if you are able to make it to Origins Game Fair (in Columbus, Ohio) this week you can't a look at these dangerous ladies up close and personal, and talk with Dark Age game developer Bryan Steele about the future of our favorite sci-fi wargame!
Some of it might be, but I'm pretty sure it will largely be resin/metal like they've been using. The new 2-player starter box will be all plastic, which will feature Ice Caste Dragyri (though I suppose it's possible it will have a caste-less Warden in it or something, I don't know). During their panel at the CMON Expo, they said they intend to continue for the time being with resin and metal typically except when the costs of plastics make sense because of potential volume of sales, like the 2-player starter. Note this also includes the type of resin (which usually is referred to as a plastic, though it's a hybrid resin really) used for the Wrath of Kings models, which may find its way into Dark Age going forward.
Some of it might be, but I'm pretty sure it will largely be resin/metal like they've been using. The new 2-player starter box will be all plastic, which will feature Ice Caste Dragyri (though I suppose it's possible it will have a caste-less Warden in it or something, I don't know). During their panel at the CMON Expo, they said they intend to continue for the time being with resin and metal typically except when the costs of plastics make sense because of potential volume of sales, like the 2-player starter. Note this also includes the type of resin (which usually is referred to as a plastic, though it's a hybrid resin really) used for the Wrath of Kings models, which may find its way into Dark Age going forward.
I'm not so sure how I feel about that...
I don't think, for lack of a better term, that the "WoK Resin" works particularly well for 'human infantry' sized figures.
It's not bad for larger figures - but then maybe that's what CMON would use it for, and leave the smaller miniatures in metal for now?
Most of the newer Dragyri I've bought have all been resin anyway, some with quite thin and delicate parts (I'm looking at you, Fire Caste!) so a switch to something more sturdy is a plus in my book.
Now if the figures were just more readily available...
Most of the newer Dragyri I've bought have all been resin anyway, some with quite thin and delicate parts (I'm looking at you, Fire Caste!) so a switch to something more sturdy is a plus in my book.
Now if the figures were just more readily available...
I would rather resin with some delicate parts than PVC personally. I don't hate PVC as much as some, but it is a right pita to clean, and the detail isn't always amazing.
Most of the newer Dragyri I've bought have all been resin anyway, some with quite thin and delicate parts (I'm looking at you, Fire Caste!) so a switch to something more sturdy is a plus in my book.
Now if the figures were just more readily available...
I would rather resin with some delicate parts than PVC personally. I don't hate PVC as much as some, but it is a right pita to clean, and the detail isn't always amazing.
Exactly!
Especially on smaller miniatures, and especially compared to what we're getting now in metal - some of the best looking human sized '28mm' miniatures out there!
I dunno, I like the material used for the WoK models, personally.
I'll be curious to see if they actually use it for Dark Age, though, since it is such a different game as far as model count and variety. I could see them doing boxes similar to how WoK does character boxes, though, I guess.
Wow - everything's a hit (though I especially dig the Moloki and the new field medic). DA is releasing such high quality models now that it's a ing shame they're so hard to get a hold of...
Eventually I'll cave and make a DA band, although the gave has zero presence up here. I always assumed I'd do K3 (because sci-fi aztek is like my ultimate thing, possibly just requiring dinosaurs to complete the fetish ), but they're sounding fairly numerous and rather strong, from what little I know about DA. Maybe CORE? I like weird robots and haven't heard much about them ever ...
Yeah, I've had an order in for a month almost from Darksphere, and have an outstanding item from Element games for awhile. Apparently the distributor had some troubles or something and we're looking at mid august now for more stuff.
In one week, the doors will open on Gencon 2016! The event has grown dramatically over the last few years, and this year promises to be just as huge! Over 60,000 gamers will flood into the Indianapolis Convention Center, and they’ll all swing through the vendor hall a few times! Of course, CoolMiniOrNot will be there, with our usual massive booth. Tucked away in there we’ll have (barring any unforeseen circumstances) the full range of Dark Age models, including the August releases for the Kukulkani.
Above you can see those releases: the 2016 Kukulkani Faction Deck, the Kukulkani Kaachika, the Kukulkani Doom Seer, and the Kukulkani Chosen of Coatlai.
And...Organized Play!
Introducing new Organized Play kits for Dark Age!
At the CMON Expo back in May, we told everyone we were working on new Organized Play kits for Dark Age and Wrath of Kings. Well, the moment to unveil them in all their glory has almost arrived. As a teaser, however, we really wanted to show you the premier item for each of the Dark Age kits – the Bludgelt ingot. These hefty (2-2.5 oz), hand-cast, metal ingots will be for the winners for any event (tournament, campaign, league, narrative event, etc) that uses the Organized Play kits for prize support.
But really, we should let Bryan Steele, Dark Age Game Developer, tell you more about them! Take it away, Bryan.
Bludgelt1
The Samarian Bludgelt of Dark Age
“Twelve .45s, two 12-gauge cartridge boxes,” Nathaniel looked over his shoulder at Orchid, a few tables into the tavern, “and two white lye spritzers.”
“That’ll be…” Happy Hour hummed, counting in his head and on his fingers at the same time, “five.”
“Five ‘gelt?!?” Nathaniel’s jaw went slack, “That same order was three just last week!”
“Times are tough,” the barkeep smiled, “everybody’s gotta earn their way ‘round these parts.”
In the world of Samaria, most commerce is done using simple trade and barter, but between New Ashkelon and many Outcast settlements there is a minted currency – bludgelt. Meaning “blood money” in an ancient Terran language, these hefty ingots are cast from scrap metal with a minting date and as few sharp edges as possible. Most commonly used to pay bounty hunters for their services, bludgelt are a regular part of human society in Samaria.
Now they are a part of the Dark Age gaming community, too.
Dark Age players who participate in official events (March to Immortality, Convention Special Events, etc.), store-level events who have purchased the official Organized Play Kits, or in other special circumstances (beating Moffit in the 1,000 Point Challenge, challenge a game designer to a game at GenCon!) can earn one of these brand new 2017 (The year 517 in Samaria) Bludgelt ingots!
Now… these ingots are not just fantastic bragging rights and a trophy for your figure cases! They are the very currency with which you buy a spot in the Immortals Tournament at the CoolMiniOrNot Expo in Atlanta, Georgia in the Spring of 2017. Just by somehow earning one of these awesome pieces of Samarian commerce, you can step up to the Immortals tables and try to earn your place among those like Warlord Hoj, John Woe, John Carter, and more!
There is a very important factor about possessing one or more Bludgelt as a Dark Age player – be prepared to be challenged for them! We encourage Dark Age players to publically and officially throw down the gaming gauntlet (maybe on one of our Dark Age Facebook groups! The more public and brazen, the better!) at someone holding Bludgelt and try to play them for it! After all, getting to the top has its price…
They've uploaded a video on their facebook page which shows a gallery of their models, and then new ones not shown before for a few seconds, at Gencon.
MrDwhitey wrote: They've uploaded a video on their facebook page which shows a gallery of their models, and then new ones not shown before for a few seconds, at Gencon.
I'm hoping it's the 2 player starter set as it's Ice Caste Dragyri and Isaac.
You can see the new Ice Caste models in the bottom right of the Dragyri Ice Caste section, and then the purple section right next to it that Brian moves in front of to block is full of the Shadow Caste Dragyri, I believe. They're the next new hotness.
they just keep going from strength to strength with the new sculpts the last few years...
i thought the introduction of the K3 was awesome, and then they just go and keep blowing me away with each new mini...
i was never even a fan of Dragyri, aside from the Whispers, which were an auto-buy for me, but those all look amazing...
love the armor color for the Shadow Cast...
well, the entire scheme, really...
gonna have to recreate that!!!
Couple of things I learned from the FB group today; someone from GenCon bought a Kukulkani starter and there were a couple more there:
Apparently they're doing 500pt starters for all the factions. I asked if they'd be generic only (I specifically asked if there'd be a Salt Flat Nomads one) and someone from the company told me that initially they'd be generic only (except the Dragyri who will have different ones for the different Castes, because they don't really work as a generic list) but there will be sub faction ones in the future.
He also told me they're working to sort out the distribution in the UK so soon it will be easier to get here.
He also told me they're working to sort out the distribution in the UK so soon it will be easier to get here.
I certainly hope so because they've started adding a "Boardgame Discount" charge to shipping. They just add $40 to the order. I've tried an order with a single blister of plights and it still adds that 40, as well as the normal flat shipping charge.
I recently cancelled orders from two companies who were selling Dark Age, as they said they couldn't get things in because their distributor wasn't ordering anything "until the pound settles".
Some of the new Dragyari are awesome from a model perspective alone. The Kulikia-whatsits are awesome from a concept standpoint, but I haven't 100% been grabbed by the sculpts, perhaps because of the paint style.
Here's the actual quote:
'At the moment we are working hard to improve our distribution situation in the UK. As soon as we have a new distributor we'll be making an announcement, for sure. Hopefully it'll be soon.
Once we have that sorted, our next goal will be to have UK street dates be very close to the US dates. After that it's all about getting everything released on the same date.'
How much were they selling for at Gen Con? Looking at the Kukulkani one, some of those larger figures are pretty pricey on their own. Makes me wonder how much of a discount you get via the starter sets then...
On their facebook a comment by them has said the Dragyri book and models (shadow) will be around October.
And they might have fixed the shipping thing where even a single blister was making international customers pay an added $40 "boardgame discount shipping" cost, as I've set up a shopping cart with them and it hasn't popped up yet.
First of all we have the wonderful new character for the Kukulkani – Ixchel, The Nocturnal Mother. Ixchel is the rightful leader of the Samarian crusade, but her position was usurped by quetzal when the Cult of the Moon Goddess were trapped in the ziggurat after the mysterious destruction of the engines. Ixchel and her followers have released dug their way out of their chambers and she now stands ready to complete the mission of the Kukulkani on Samaria.
Along with Ixchel, we get to see the Coatlanak, the adolescent forms of the great feathered serpents, the Coatlai! Coatlanaks are subjected to intense behavioral training by the war priests to follow instruction, even in the heated chaos of battle. The large alien serpents follow the cues given to them by other Kukulkani, turning their aggression on shared enemies as if by instinct.
And finally, we have the first of our Dragyri releases (before the avalanche hits next month). We have gone through and resculpted all of the Dragyri Slaves, and the first ones we have ready to release are the Shard Slaves. These wiry creatures are the wild cards of the slave units. Purposefully selected from the smallest and quickest slaves, they scatter crystal fragments on the battlefield and fling them at enemies by the handful. Oftentimes these slaves themselves have toiled in the mines, picking up discarded and otherwise useless fragments that have been chipped away during the mining process. The Shard Slaves must wear thick gloves of their own construction to prevent shredding their own appendages when reaching into their bag of tricks.
this range just keeps getting better and better...
love the Nocturnal Mother, and serpents i'm crazy for the Aztec/Maya theme...
for Dragyi, i only ever bought the Whispers, but the Shadow Caste are going to break the bank!!!
every time i load this page, i get even more excited about trying to recreate that color scheme...
thanks for keeping on top of the updates, Alpharius
I love this game, and I love just about everything they come out with now.
From the point where they really upped their game in terms of the sculpts, this product line has become one of the most consistently fantastic out there!
Man, those Shadow Caste minis look good. I'm not a Dark Age player, but over the last year the minis they are putting out are just spectacular. Probably the most consistently attractive line out there in my opinion.
I'm hoping to get into it (I've a buddy who recently mentioned he was interested in giving it a whirl) and that upcoming two player starter contains two of my favorite factions (St. Isaac and Ice Caste), so I'm definitely looking to get into that.
The mention of WoK plastic has me a bit worried though (I'm not familiar with it at all). Is it similar to Warmachines "plastic"? I absolutely hate that stuff.
Sabotage! wrote: Man, those Shadow Caste minis look good. I'm not a Dark Age player, but over the last year the minis they are putting out are just spectacular. Probably the most consistently attractive line out there in my opinion.
I'm hoping to get into it (I've a buddy who recently mentioned he was interested in giving it a whirl) and that upcoming two player starter contains two of my favorite factions (St. Isaac and Ice Caste), so I'm definitely looking to get into that.
The mention of WoK plastic has me a bit worried though (I'm not familiar with it at all). Is it similar to Warmachines "plastic"? I absolutely hate that stuff.
WoK plastic is indeed PVC and it is not great. I have received 2 free starters from NOVA swag bags over the past 2 years and bought a couple boxes from the CMON booth. If you stick with it you can make it work. I've found that carefully cutting off mold lines is pretty much the only way to go. If you try to scrape like you would with hard plastic you will have a bad time.
The game itself, however, is wonderful and the designs are very characterful and unique.
Dark Age has been on my radar for the last few years (as it shared the CMON booth with WoK) but I've yet to take the plunge. I think if they put out a 2 player starter I'd be out of objections.
Shadow cast, at least some form of starter I think its for Oct. The 2 player starter they are doing might be a nov, or dec release. Get it in right for the holidays
Sabotage! wrote: Man, those Shadow Caste minis look good. I'm not a Dark Age player, but over the last year the minis they are putting out are just spectacular. Probably the most consistently attractive line out there in my opinion.
I'm hoping to get into it (I've a buddy who recently mentioned he was interested in giving it a whirl) and that upcoming two player starter contains two of my favorite factions (St. Isaac and Ice Caste), so I'm definitely looking to get into that.
The mention of WoK plastic has me a bit worried though (I'm not familiar with it at all). Is it similar to Warmachines "plastic"? I absolutely hate that stuff.
WoK plastic is indeed PVC and it is not great. I have received 2 free starters from NOVA swag bags over the past 2 years and bought a couple boxes from the CMON booth. If you stick with it you can make it work. I've found that carefully cutting off mold lines is pretty much the only way to go. If you try to scrape like you would with hard plastic you will have a bad time.
The game itself, however, is wonderful and the designs are very characterful and unique.
Dark Age has been on my radar for the last few years (as it shared the CMON booth with WoK) but I've yet to take the plunge. I think if they put out a 2 player starter I'd be out of objections.
Yuck, PVC, in my opinion should be left out of miniatures and saved for board game pieces. Now CMoN might just have to take more of my money as I buy the metal versions of the models I want from the starter....haha.
I agree about the designs, Dark Age has a fantastic aesthetic. My buddy just texted me that he is ordering a CORE starter this morning, so I better go and watch some videos and read the rules. I'll likely be ordering something by the end of the week......
A good 100$ spent and you can easily have a standard 750 point force (with possible wiggle room to have some options) So really its pretty cheap comparing to other mini games.
Check out all the cards on their site to see what you like. Personally theres very few factions I don't like! It may take a few reads to understand the game at a basic level, but once you get a game or two in its super easy. Most rules being on the cards makes the game fast, and the rulebook is very well done (IMO). Very clear and to the point of rules
Biggest problem is their are in a transit of getting UK and US distributors. Warstore and MM wont sell it. Best option is to try Noble Knight games (they can order stuff for you at around a 2 week turn around) or CMoN itself. Direct from CMoN gives no discount obviously and their site can be shoddy at times (not showing correct quantity of models) but it always has the new stuff.
str00dles1 wrote: A good 100$ spent and you can easily have a standard 750 point force (with possible wiggle room to have some options) So really its pretty cheap comparing to other mini games.
Check out all the cards on their site to see what you like. Personally theres very few factions I don't like! It may take a few reads to understand the game at a basic level, but once you get a game or two in its super easy. Most rules being on the cards makes the game fast, and the rulebook is very well done (IMO). Very clear and to the point of rules
Biggest problem is their are in a transit of getting UK and US distributors. Warstore and MM wont sell it. Best option is to try Noble Knight games (they can order stuff for you at around a 2 week turn around) or CMoN itself. Direct from CMoN gives no discount obviously and their site can be shoddy at times (not showing correct quantity of models) but it always has the new stuff.
Glad more are getting into the game though!
Yeah, the prices are definitely not bad in that you don't need a lot of miniatures to get a gang together. Considering all the rules and templates are free it seems like you pretty much just need to pick up the minis you want and a secondary objectives deck (not sure if you can download this one, but cutting and making all the fake cards is probably more trouble than it's worth) and you are good to go.
I watched a couple beasts of war game play videos and a guerilla games one and the basics of the game seem pretty straight forward. I'll try to give the rules a proper read over the weekend. The game looks like a blast.
Finding distributors has definitely been challenging. I wonder why the Warstore and MM won't carry it? Could it be deemed too offensive or something? I'll probably just end up ordering from CMoN once I come up with a list I like. I might wait for those starters that were previewed at Gencon first though.
Strange that Miniature Market doesn't carry Dark Age when they carry Wrath of Kings.
Also an update on the CMON PVC: I ordered a box of WoK models and they arrived yesterday. They are one of the newer sets and the material is lightyears ahead of the starter I got in 2015.
Hopefully all their "plastic" releases will use this moving forward.
str00dles1 wrote: A good 100$ spent and you can easily have a standard 750 point force (with possible wiggle room to have some options) So really its pretty cheap comparing to other mini games.
Check out all the cards on their site to see what you like. Personally theres very few factions I don't like! It may take a few reads to understand the game at a basic level, but once you get a game or two in its super easy. Most rules being on the cards makes the game fast, and the rulebook is very well done (IMO). Very clear and to the point of rules
Biggest problem is their are in a transit of getting UK and US distributors. Warstore and MM wont sell it. Best option is to try Noble Knight games (they can order stuff for you at around a 2 week turn around) or CMoN itself. Direct from CMoN gives no discount obviously and their site can be shoddy at times (not showing correct quantity of models) but it always has the new stuff.
Glad more are getting into the game though!
Yeah, the prices are definitely not bad in that you don't need a lot of miniatures to get a gang together. Considering all the rules and templates are free it seems like you pretty much just need to pick up the minis you want and a secondary objectives deck (not sure if you can download this one, but cutting and making all the fake cards is probably more trouble than it's worth) and you are good to go.
I watched a couple beasts of war game play videos and a guerilla games one and the basics of the game seem pretty straight forward. I'll try to give the rules a proper read over the weekend. The game looks like a blast.
Finding distributors has definitely been challenging. I wonder why the Warstore and MM won't carry it? Could it be deemed too offensive or something? I'll probably just end up ordering from CMoN once I come up with a list I like. I might wait for those starters that were previewed at Gencon first though.
The secondary objective deck is also free to download. Though I do recommend getting the physical one as I think its 4 or 5 bucks.
Not offensive, just when the game came out, there was distribution issues. Also it was very nitche and not many played it enough to warrant having it on the site and selling it. Inventory space issue at that point. This is according to them though as ive emailed them about it. They once both sold it, and there some legacy links on both websites but have been removed since.
MM only seems to carry stuff that's either popular (although they do tend to dip their toes in new games, but Dark Age is not new) or cheap/remaindered
Wrath of Kings
19 h ·
Our apologies, Arikanians. We've been fairly quiet of late. We've been hard at work, wrapping up projects, preparing for new projects, and trying to get things squared away. The two main things that we'd like to announce today, however, are:
1) Following some family health issues, our UK distributor (for Dark Age and Wrath of Kings) will not be able to continue in that role past October. Our sales director is working hard to find us a new distributor in the UK. We have contact details and are arranging meetings, and hope to have something sorted out and great news to announce in the next month or so. We thank all UK-based Arikanians for your patience.
2) We are returning to the Beasts of War studios! Bryan and Dave are heading over to talk with the guys next week. The bulk of their recording will be videos for a Wrath of Kings Week and following series, they'll also be filming a few new Dark Age vids (our Sci-Fi skirmish game). Should be a great time!
Have a great weekend : )
Certain games/IP appear to be cursed , don't think?
I just got my St. Isaac warband in the mail the other day, I may pick up that Forsaken box so that I have a few options in list building. And that Shadow Cast one, because the models are beautiful.
Man, this is the first time in years that there has been so much hobby stuff I want coming out in one month. RelicBlade Kickstarter on the 15th, new Dark Age Starters and the retail release of Dropfleet Commander on the 14th, and I still need to pick up a box of those excellent 40k Genestealer neophytes to convert into a Necromunda gang. I have a feeling this month my wallet will only be inhabited by tumbleweeds......
I lost track of this game and company but wow. Those are some of the most unique miniatures I've seen released in a while by just about anyone. I won the rulebook a while back but it was hard to find their products at that time. Might have to give this a shot.
I've started stuffing them into my upcoming KOW armies Very nice minis in person as well, interesting material and great casts. Shocked it's taken me so long to order some up!
We are very excited to carry on from where we left off in 2016, with the first of some great C.O.R.E. and Shadow Caste releases!
Note that hidden away in the shadows of the Huntress release below are a couple of videos that will get you even more excited for this massive mutated monstrosity!
To find the new releases in the CoolMiniOrNot webstore, simply click on the name of the model/box in the post below.
Before the Abandonment, Isuza Dynamics was working on a complete, automated, terra-forming package. The robots of this C.O.R.E. package were designed to follow various “build and replicate” protocols, all while seeking out bio-mass for their entropic cell batteries. Since it was switched back on, the C.O.R.E. AI has brought many of the robots back online, and has sent them out into the world with little adaptation. Other robots, however, have been designed and constructed following contact with the various other factions that inhabit Samaria.
Highly detailed metal miniatures
This 500-point C.O.R.E. Faction Starter Box is the ideal way to start a C.O.R.E. collection.
The Faction Starter Box provides a handy mix of robots with a variety of roles on the battlefield. The Ghost is a great forward commander, activating the programming in the others. The Infiltrators are somewhat fragile, ranged infiltrators who prefer to avoid melee. The Rends provide a significant heavy-duty melee boost to the Starter Box, and the DRG-Y is incredibly brutal on the charge. The Menials round out the force; although cheap, they are numerous and personify the relentless nature of the C.O.R.E.
Box contains: one (1) Ghost, two (2) Infiltrators, two (2) Rends, one (1) DRG-Y, three (3) Menial Bots, one (1) 50mm base, two (2) 40mm bases, six (6) 30mm bases, and their Dark Age unit cards.
It has been a mere decade since the C.O.R.E. AI was reawakened. As its original code was incomplete, it has been filling in many of the gaps itself. Many of the robotic forms designed by Isuza Dynamics Pre-Abandonment are being used by the AI, and even more have been repurposed or designed in response to the various factions the C.O.R.E. forces have encountered. The C.O.R.E. AI continues to learn, and has an infinite patience.
A deck of high-quality, linen-finish, unit and upgrade cards in a custom tuckbox.
These cards are used to collect and play a C.O.R.E. warband for Dark Age.
All of the rules used to play the C.O.R.E. warband (outside of the Dark Age master rules) are found in this card deck.
The custom tuckbox contains: 36 cards – 25 Dark Age unit cards and 11 upgrade cards.
The Huntress is a half-mad monster – a combination of equal parts Dragyri matriach, Arachnae behemoth, and otherworldly Umbra. Formed ages ago by the first Shadow Caste members to bridge the gap between the horrors from beyond and the minions beneath the bedrock, the Huntress is a testament to the metamorphic nature of the Shadow Focus and the determination of the Shadow Caste.
Highly detailed resin miniature – this brand new model is both elegant and terrifying.
The Huntress would be a feature model in a Dragyri Shadow Caste warband.
Although she is fast and incredibly deadly, the primary strengths of the Huntress are being able to debilitate multiple opponents at once. Her attacks dole out Toxic counters, and she has a short-ranged abilities that Blind her enemies. Supported by a handful of Spiderlings (whose availability she doubles), the Huntress can make short work of an enemy warband.
Blister pack contains: one (1) Shadow Caste Huntress model, one (1) 80mm base, and one Dark Age unit card.
In addition we have TWO great videos for you regarding the Huntress. The first:
is Bryan telling us all a bit more about the vicious Huntress and her place on the Shadow Caste. The second video
is a battle report where Bryan takes a spider-heavy fore of the Shadow Caste against Dave and his Slat Flat Nomads.
In Dragyri Trueborn society, the Spirit Lords play a vital role. They train young Dragyri to properly wield the Focus of their element, offer spiritual advice and guidance, as well as acting as officers to the Arbiter of their Caste. Although this may paint a picture of a wizened old Spirit Lord, these leaders are skeptical of old age, ensure that they maintain their martial skills, and are prepared to die in battle.
Highly detailed resin miniature – this brand new model is a wonderfully sculpted in a thoughtful yet commanding pose.
This Spirit Lord of Shadow would be a feature model in a Dragyri Shadow Caste warband.
The Spirit Lord of Shadow brings both solid combat ability and psychogenic casting ability to the tabletop. Position her well, and then use her Commander rule to launch an alpha strike.
Blister pack contains: one (1) Spirit Lord of Shadow model, one (1) 50mm base, and one Dark Age unit card.
As their name would suggest, the Shadow Caste typically prefer to work from the shadows, but there are still many of the Shadow Caste Trueborns that desire to be engaged in combat more than anything else. The Haviks are great examples of the Shadow Caste Trueborn who live to spill the blood of their enemies.
Highly detailed resin miniature – this brand new model brilliantly represents the speed and lethality the female Shadow Caste exude.
This Havik would be an elite model in a Dragyri Shadow Caste warband, and could also be fielded in a warband from another elemental caste.
The Haviks can infiltrate, and work best when they are in combat. You can expect to see them engaging their enemy’s ranged troops, buying time for the rest of the Shadow Caste to engage.
Blister pack contains: one (1) Shadow Caste Havik, one (1) 40mm base, and one Dark Age unit card.
Millennia have passed since the Dragyri overthrew their Alteghran masters and forced them into slavery. The debased beings that are now driven at the forefront of Dragyri advances bear little resemblance to their once-proud forebears, as they grudgingly take up arms against the humans (and worse) on the surface of Samaria. While they aren’t particularly good fighters, their spears are tipped with unstable xenosathic crystal shards that can possibly stun, immobilize, or even set an unlucky opponent on fire.
Highly detailed metal miniatures – these resculpted models have brought the Spear Slaves up to date, matching the contemporary aesthetic.
The Spear Slaves can be fielded in warbands of the Air, Fire, and Ice Castes.
The Spear Slaves are considered cheap troops, particularly when compared to the stronger Dragyri Trueborn. This makes them ideal for achieving objectives, while your Trueborn take the fight to the enemy.
Blister pack contains: three (3) Dragyri Spear Slaves, three (3) 30mm bases, and three Dark Age unit cards.
I don't really want to start a Shadow Caste force, but...
Zond wrote: Get a UK distributor and I'm buying all the starters.
Yep, I'm definitely getting the Shadow Caste one when you can actually get stuff here.
Isn't Wayland and Element games already Distributing this stuff?
They both sell it but the official UK distributor is http://ebshobbies.com/dark-age-uk-distributor/ (so both will be getting their stock from there) and there certainly seem to have been issues in getting the new stuff out in a timely fashion
no whether that's because EBS under orders because they don't want to have any 'dead' stock hanging around, or whether CMON doesn't send it out to then fast enough (or shorts them when the US need stock too) it's not clear but its certainly been an issue in the past
(and has effected Wrath of Kings pretty badly too which also got clobbered by that Korean shipping line going bankrupt when mean most of the 2016 stock was stuck at sea/in port for a lot of 2016)
Alpharius wrote: Can anyone remember/find what's in the upcoming St. Isaac plastic box set?
I'm not sure that the contents were ever officially announced. I remember the teaser pic had St. Isaac in Ajax armor, some some Controllers, and a pair of Centipedes on it. Which makes a lot of sense because Ajax Isaac, three Controllers (one blister), and two Centipedes (one Blister) is exactly 500 points (and ironically my 500 point list). They are fighting Ice Caste, though I'm not super familiar with the Ice Caste, so I'm a bit unsure of their identity of the individual creatures.
Here is the link with the picture. Hope this helps!
I also would've sworn that there was a pic of the actual models too...
I was cruising the Dark Age website today and found this blurb under the "State of the Union" article:
"In the second quarter of the year we are planning to release our long discussed two-player starter set, titled “Path To Glory”. This set includes a set of Quick Start Rules, dice, templates, punch-card terrain, and TWO all-plastic, 450 point forces. The robots of Saint Isaac will clash with the massive Dragyri of the Ice Caste, and they are both factions that emphasize the sci-fi nature of Dark Age. Having this in retail stores around the world will help everyone by giving a great focal point/first purchase for entering the world of Dark Age. Oh, and it’ll only be USD$70!
Following hot on the heels of Path To Glory will be the new Master Rulebook. While the game/core rules won’t change too much, this book will help clean up all the errata and FAQs we’ve received over the last four years, as well as tweaking a few things here and there, focused on maintaining a really tight set of rules. These rules, will also continue to be available online for free download, it’s the Dark Age way."
So that means the Saint Isaac force is as follows (well speculating off the point values and the teaser art): Ajax Isaac, two controllers, and two centipedes. The Ice Caste one is a little harder for me to tell, but right above that blurb they did have a picture of the same models ImAGeek posted. I do know Ice Caste models tend to be pretty physically powerful and expensive points wise.
Most important it will only be 70 bucks! I know I'll be picking one up, to replace my resin centipedes (they suck, almost all the back spines snapped off before I even got them. The resin is super brittle), and because those Ice Caste models look sweet. I know I'll be picking up some Shadow Caste stuff soon also.
Very exciting, although I have plenty of old dragyri, getting the starter set will make it more enticing for other players to join in.
Again, hopefully a UK distributor soon.
Edit: Reading through they did mention they're going to move most if not all their casting production to a company in Spain, which they say will help with import/postage costs to the EU/UK.
Zond wrote: Get a UK distributor and I'm buying all the starters.
Yep, I'm definitely getting the Shadow Caste one when you can actually get stuff here.
Isn't Wayland and Element games already Distributing this stuff?
Wayland have pretty much stopped selling it. They no longer have a dedicated Dark Age section, and the few old minis they still have are reduced.
Element still stock a bit, but haven't had any new stuff in ages.
It's a shame, because I've been super impressed by their minis for a while but it's just not worth getting anything until there's a reliable source for them.
It's got a lot of good information in it, and I wish more gaming companies would be this open about their release plans.
After re-reading that, I realized I should have paid a bit more attention to the dates, as it looks like the 2-player starter and the revised ruleset are Q2 2017 releases!
It's got a lot of good information in it, and I wish more gaming companies would be this open about their release plans.
After re-reading that, I realized I should have paid a bit more attention to the dates, as it looks like the 2-player starter and the revised ruleset are Q2 2017 releases!
Mystery...solved!
It happens to the best of us! I just wish it was releasing a bit sooner. Pretty much every model Dark Age has put out over the last year has been fantastic and I'm very excited to see what this year holds.
We have a lot to go over in this update! we’ll try to keep it snappy : )
NEW RELEASES FOR FEBRUARY!
In the photo above you can see the very cool releases we have hitting the webstore this Friday (February 3rd)! Lots of great Shadow Caste models and the hotly anticipated C.O.R.E. models, including the 2015 Immortal model, the L1ghtbr1nger!
It is important to note that if you would like your local store to stock Dark Age (or they already do and you want to buy these releases direct from them), and they are in the U.S., please have them contact our Sales guy, John Smith, via email – john@cmon.com. John will be able to get them sorted. For our UK and European fans, we are still working hard to get a UK distributor. We suggest you get your local store to contact their favorite UK-based distributor so that we can show these guys that there is a growing demand in your part of the world!
More details for the releases on Friday!
GENCON 50!
Badges have gone on sale for GenCon 50. We will be returning to Indianapolis this year with an increased slate of events. Those events are currently being planned and will be submitted to the GenCon team very soon.
THE NOVA OPEN 2017!
Speaking of events, we want to make sure you know that the registration for the NOVA Open begins TONIGHT (February 1st) at 7pm EST. We have two great event leads for Dark Age and Wrath of Kings who have already made sure all the details for the events they’ll be running are up on the site, along with primer details to answer all your questions. Such and incredible improvement on last year, so thank you Daria Winter and Barrett Brooks! You can register HERE for the NOVA Open (after 7pm tonight, of course).
THE LAS VEGAS OPEN!
And finally, we have the LVO. We aren’t running any tournaments at this weekend’s event, but rather we are attending to get a feel for it and to expose hundreds of curious minds to the dark world of Samaria. If you are at the show, please swing by the CoolMiniOrNot booth in the vendor area and we’ll chat about all sorts of things!
So, until Friday, take care Samaritans, and have fun!
Complete February Release Details on Friday, apparently!
We have a lot to go over in this update! we’ll try to keep it snappy : )
NEW RELEASES FOR FEBRUARY!
In the photo above you can see the very cool releases we have hitting the webstore this Friday (February 3rd)! Lots of great Shadow Caste models and the hotly anticipated C.O.R.E. models, including the 2015 Immortal model, the L1ghtbr1nger!
It is important to note that if you would like your local store to stock Dark Age (or they already do and you want to buy these releases direct from them), and they are in the U.S., please have them contact our Sales guy, John Smith, via email – john@cmon.com. John will be able to get them sorted. For our UK and European fans, we are still working hard to get a UK distributor. We suggest you get your local store to contact their favorite UK-based distributor so that we can show these guys that there is a growing demand in your part of the world!
More details for the releases on Friday!
GENCON 50!
Badges have gone on sale for GenCon 50. We will be returning to Indianapolis this year with an increased slate of events. Those events are currently being planned and will be submitted to the GenCon team very soon.
THE NOVA OPEN 2017!
Speaking of events, we want to make sure you know that the registration for the NOVA Open begins TONIGHT (February 1st) at 7pm EST. We have two great event leads for Dark Age and Wrath of Kings who have already made sure all the details for the events they’ll be running are up on the site, along with primer details to answer all your questions. Such and incredible improvement on last year, so thank you Daria Winter and Barrett Brooks! You can register HERE for the NOVA Open (after 7pm tonight, of course).
THE LAS VEGAS OPEN!
And finally, we have the LVO. We aren’t running any tournaments at this weekend’s event, but rather we are attending to get a feel for it and to expose hundreds of curious minds to the dark world of Samaria. If you are at the show, please swing by the CoolMiniOrNot booth in the vendor area and we’ll chat about all sorts of things!
So, until Friday, take care Samaritans, and have fun!
Complete February Release Details on Friday, apparently!
We thought you might be interested to know that we'll have a variety of special edition miniatures at conventions this year. Soon we'll provide a list of those we'll be selling so that those of you who can't get to the shows can start sorting your ninja shoppers.
More C.O.R.E. and Shadow Caste, nine new releases for both C.O.R.E. and the Shadow Caste. To purchase from our webstore, please click on the links in the unit names.
It is important to note that if you would like your local store to stock Dark Age (or they already do and you want to buy these releases direct from them), and they are in the U.S., please have them contact our Sales guy, John Smith, via email – john@cmon.com. John will be able to get them sorted. For our UK and European fans, we are still working hard to get a UK distributor. We suggest you get your local store to contact their favorite UK-based distributor so that we can show these guys that there is a growing demand in your part of the world!
DAG6908 C.O.R.E. L1ghtbr1nger (1) – $24.99
In the decade or so since the CORE AI was reawakened, it has been writing its own code to fill in the gaps left by the original programmers. As the CORE forces have encountered various factions across Samaria, they have reacted and the central AI has learned. Intrigued by the tenacity of humanity, the CORE AI has been “interviewing” captured Forsaken soldiers for years. Menial Bots have been scavenging battlefields for parts of the amazing Archangel suits, and the AI has been writing code that has led to a new kind of robot. The L1ghtbr1nger now stands at the forefront of the CORE forces, ready to use the “faith” of humans against them.
Highly detailed resin miniature
The L1ghtbr1nger would be a feature model in a CORE warband.
The L1ghtbr1nger is the dark mirror image of the Forsaken Archangels. This brazenly terrifying robot is designed to shake the faith of humanity. It will be found in the front lines, delivering Panic counters left and right, cutting enemies down with its laser gaze, and generally breaking through defenses. The L1ghtbr1nger will be best supported by models that can capitalize on the discord it sows.
The L1ghtbr1nger is the model based on the plans of Aaron Bohm, winner of the 2015 Immortals Tournament.
Blister pack contains: one (1) C.O.R.E. L1ghtbr1nger model, one (1) 40mm base, and one (1) Dark Age unit card.
DAG6909 C.O.R.E. RaPtr-7s (2) – $16.99
The CORE AI, through pict-feeds from its minions, has observed the Salt Flat Nomads in battle, and recognized that the pack-tactics that their herders encourage in the beasts they drive into war are worth experimenting with. The RaPtr-7s have been designed to look like fearsome lizards of Ancient Terra and to mimic the pack approach of the vrocks of Samaria. Time will tell if these robotic beasts will measure up.
Highly detailed resin miniatures.
The RaPtr-7s are speedy melee troops for a CORE warband.
The RaPtr-7s are best used in packs of 2-4 models. Their Program boosts their Movement by 1 and their Superior Gang-up and Immobilize abilities mean the can take down larger, higher point value models with relative ease while operating together.
Blister pack contains: two (2) C.O.R.E. RaPtr-7 models, two (2) 40mm bases, and one (1) Dark Age unit card.
DAG6907 C.O.R.E. Spartan Menials (2) – $14.99
Initially, the CORE had very little need for ranged units. The initial directives for the terra-forming robots were to collect, repurpose, and build. As the CORE forces encountered more and more diverse enemies they have realized that there are times when it is more tactically sound to bring down larger opponents through sustained ranged fire. With the Menial chassis the most numerous and easy to repurpose, it was a simple decision to refit a number of them with short-ranged guns.
Highly detailed resin miniatures.
These models would be considered low-level ranged troopers in a CORE warband.
The Spartan Menials are best used as a “swarm” against mid-level opponents by swamping them with Aimed ranged attacks. Support them with a Controller model (a Ghost is perfect) to get the most out of their Program ability.
Blister pack contains: two (2) C.O.R.E. Spartan Menial models, two (2) 30mm bases, and one (1) Dark Age unit card.
DAG6910 C.O.R.E. Titan Menial (1) – $19.99
The Titan Menial was designed as the “big brother” to the Menial Bots. While their directives are to tear down, collect, and repurpose, the Titan Menial is there to help speed up the tear down section of that process. An enormously deadly wrecking ball is ready to punish enemies of the CORE, and the saw claw is also ready to cut the corpses into manageable chunks.
Highly detailed resin miniature.
The Titan Menial models would be a mid-level trooper in a CORE warband.
The Titan Menial would be best placed alongside a few Menial Bots. Its wrecking ball has Brutal and Knockdown, and when boosted by it’s program, has Arc and Finishing Blow. Once it wades in against a mid-level opponent (or a group of smaller foes) it can cause quite a bit of damage. You can then use the Menial Bots to mop up afterwards.
Blister pack contains: one (1) C.O.R.E. Titan Menial model, one (1) 40mm base, and one (1) Dark Age unit card.
DAG2411 Shadow Caste Keeper (1) – $16.99
Of the many “military” roles in the Shadow Caste, the role of Keeper is one of the most prestigious. The Keepers are those elite, female Trueborn who both guard and provide for the Huntress. When not on the battlefield, the Keepers spend their time tracking down food and dragging it back to their lair.
Highly detailed resin miniature – this brand new model brilliantly represents the speed and lethality the female Shadow Caste exude.
This Keeper would be an elite model in a Dragyri Shadow Caste warband, and could also be fielded in a warband from another elemental caste.
The Keeper is wonderful for pulling enemy models around the battlefield (using her Psychogenic ability) and bringing them within range of her arcing hook-chain, which can then cause Panic. Running alongside another Trueborn, the Keeper can cause a lot of trouble for mid- and low-level troops in enemy forces.
Blister pack contains: one (1) Shadow Caste Keeper, one (1) 40mm base, and one Dark Age unit card.
DAG2411 Shadow Caste Naedrae (1) – $16.99
The Naedrae are the Shadow Caste’s public assassination squad, Emotionless, unbound by false conceptions of morality and honor, unquestionably loyal to the Arbiter of Chaos, Naedrae are quite possibly the most fearsome assassins beneath Samaria. Eschewing ritualized combat, they go straight for their opponent’s most vulnerable point. Their killings are public and quite messy, and they have rarely failed to carry out an assignment.
Highly detailed resin miniature – this brand new model brilliantly represents the speed and lethality the female Shadow Caste exude.
This Naedrae would be line troper in a Dragyri Shadow Caste warband, and could also be fielded in a warband from another elemental caste.
The Naedrae are best used as a missile. Point them at the model or group that you want to see dead and let them go. Their attacks not only cause Panic, but if you kill an opponent with them, you can place your Naedrae somewhere else within 6”!
Blister pack contains: one (1) Shadow Caste Naedrae, one (1) 40mm base, and one Dark Age unit card.
DAG2411 Shadow Caste Strega (1) – $16.99
Over countless centuries, the Umbra – strange beings of a shadowy essence from the void between galaxies – have been hidden beneath the sands of Samaria, and they continue to grow as they feed. In order to keep these shape-shifting beings in check, the Arbiter of Chaos has created a cadre of Focus-wielders to track down and dispatch those Umbra out in the wilds of Samaria, as well as ensuring the Umbra beneath the sands remain there. The trials involved in becoming a Strega are incredibly arduous, with many aspirants dying before they can take up the mantle. No more than thirteen Strega stalk the world, searching for renegade Umbra.
Highly detailed resin miniature – this brand new model brilliantly represents the speed and lethality the female Shadow Caste exude.
This Strega would be an elite model in a Dragyri Shadow Caste warband, and could also be fielded in a warband from another elemental caste.
The Strega are solid fighters in their own right, but they also bring important abilities like their Smoke Bomb and Psychogenics to the table. The Strega, therefore, are best used to bolster your line troops by disrupting your opponent with Immobilize or Paralyzed counters, and providing cover for your troops against ranged attacks.
Blister pack contains: one (1) Shadow Caste Strega, one (1) 40mm base, and one Dark Age unit card.
DAG2411 Shadow Caste Raaf (1) – $16.99
The most numerous of Trueborn troops in the service of the Shadow Caste are the Raafs. While the Raafs do not possess the physique of the elite Haviks, they share the desire to cleave skulls in battle. As frontine troops, they often find themselves fighting alongside Death’s Devices, and have developed a remarkable syngery with them. Tensions between Raafs and Haviks, however, continue to grow.
Highly detailed resin miniature – this brand new model brilliantly represents the speed and lethality the female Shadow Caste exude.
This Raaf would be a line trooper in a Dragyri Shadow Caste warband, and could also be fielded in a warband from another elemental caste.
The Raaf is a Trueborn that will work best supporting the efforts of others. Their Rend ability on their Spur Blades means they can deal quite effectively with heavily armored enemies. The Arc on their Deathcleaver attack, combined with their Combat Reflexes means that they can also deal well with groups of low-level enemies.
Blister pack contains: one (1) Shadow Caste Raaf, one (1) 40mm base, and one Dark Age unit card.
DAG2008 Shadow Caste Spiderlings, Lesser (3) – $19.99
Given the Shadow Caste’s mistrust of the Alteghran slaves, they looked deeper into the shadows for their servants. The Spiderlings (both Greater and Lesser) are wonderfully mute and very susceptible to telepathic manipulation. It is thus that they are controlled by Shadow Caste Focus wielders, and they really become more of an extension of the Trueborn controlling them, mobbing opponents, scouting out battlefields, and spying on unsuspecting foe.
Highly detailed resin miniatures.
The Lesser Spiderlings can be fielded as low-level troops in a Shadow Caste warband.
The Lesser Spiderlings are best used to support attacks from larger models like the Goliath and (particularly) the Huntress. Once the larger model has caused Blind and Toxic tokens, the Spiderlings can close in and add further Toxic tokens. They can also be used for achieving Secondary Objectives.
Blister pack contains: three (3) Shadow Caste Lesser Spiderlings, three (3) 30mm bases, and one (1) Dark Age unit card.
What’s Next?
Stay tuned for an announcement very soon. In fact, it will be worth your while to check out the Facebook Live event that Bryan Steele has planned for next Friday (Feb 10).
Another good month!
Wonder what's up on Feb. 10?
Announcement about the next edition of the rules and/or the plastic 2-player starter?
Hoping the announcement is for both the starter and new edition of rules.
I know me and my buddy would split the starter I'm sure (not like we need even more armies already!) and the rules, while very solid, need the FAQ and errata fixes put in them. Also possibly updating some of the art/layout.
We are very excited! Last week we were able to get our hands on two advance copies of the upcoming 2-player starter set – PATH TO GLORY! We had them on display at the Las Vegas Open, and Bryan Steele has just finished up a Facebook Live event on our Dark Age FB page. You can check it out HERE.
We thought you’d also like a chance to look through the box in a more sedate fashion, so here it is.
Step One: The box (above) shows off the two opposing forces: St Isaac and his robots against the Ice Caste Dragyri.
Step Two: Opening the box, you’ll find the the first of the paper product, the Quick Start Rules. This set get’s you going straight away, explaining the concepts and mechanics of Dark Age in a straightforward way.
Step Three: After the Quick Start Rules, there’s the Path to Glory scenario, which uses the 2-D terrain and all the minis in the box (which you’ll see in following photos).
Step Four: This is the first of the heavy punchboard sheets. Templates for the various blasts, stream, and spray attacks, as well as a bunch of generic tokens for use during your games.
Step Five: Here is the second punchboard sheet, the 2-D terrain. (note: the board these items were punched out from was left behind in Las Vegas, sorry). In addition to the useful rulers, there are some different types of 2-D terrain that display their various “terrain keywords”. These terrain pieces are used in the Path To Glory scenario, and can be used in other games while you build up your 3-D terrain collection.
Step Six: The Unit Cards! In the Path To Glory box you get the same unit cards as you do in the blisters and boxed sets. We get you playing the right way from the start. Note: the complete set of Ice Caste Psychogenics for your Spirit Lord.
Step Seven: Dice. You always need dice, and these six D20s are perfect for your Dark Age gaming.
Step Eight: Your miniatures will need bases, and they are all provided. Note that these bases are a new design, and not the deep well bases, allowing you to start sticking your models down without needing to do too much modeling before you start. Of course, you can use any appropriately sized bases you like.
Step Nine: The step you’ve all been waiting for, the plastic miniatures! First up are the Ice Caste (above), in their baggies, ready for assembly. Below are the Forsaken. The models range from one to six pieces, but the average is probably three. The models are made from colored plastic so that it is easy for new players to differentiate the two forces.
Step Ten: And here they are assembled. This part took less than 20 minutes, including trimming the minimal mold lines and gluing the models together. If you had two people working on it, perhaps you could be playing within 15 minutes of opening the box.
So there it is! We have two forces that really represent the two most popular factions (Forsaken and Dragyri) and the sci-fi setting of Dark Age. Robots with laser beams against 12′ tall aliens, it doesn’t get much more “sci-fi” than that.
Our plan is to release this wonderful boxed set on March 23rd. For us this corresponds with the start of AdeptiCon, so we’ll have a lot of them available at the show. ADDITIONALLY, we want this to be out in as many stores as possible for release on that same date. Please get your local store owner/manager to pre-order their stock in the next few weeks by sending an email to our sales guy John Smith. His email address is john@cmon.com
We also have a retail launch kit that we are assembling. This will go out to all stores who pre-order the Path To Glory boxed set.
Included in this “launch kit” is a new piece of terrain from Warsenal, a 3-D version of one of the 2-D terrain pieces in the kit. It’s the destroyed caravan cart that is central to the Path To Glory scenario. Above you can see the 3-D render of what will arrive as a flat-packed, laser-cut MDF kit. Below are some photos of that piece assembled and painted by the designer, Jay Walker. We absolutely love it!!!
Street date for retail is March 24th - ADEPTICON WEEKEND! (Retailers can pre-order NOW, and there's incentives to do so - including that Warsenal terrain free for your store, at certain levels?)
Skaard Book is coming for GENCON, with lots or resculpts!
Well, that starter definitely looks like a must buy for me (even though I already have the Isaac stuff). The minis look great for plastic (assuming the actual models received will be like those and not the bones stuff). It will be great to replace my centipedes, as the resin CMoN currently uses for them is far too brittle and almost all of the back spines were broken before I even opened the blister. That aside, 70 bucks for the contents look like a steal. I've always enjoyed Dragyri as well.....though I would have preferred Fire Caste.
INTRODUCING THE NEW UNIT BOXES FOR DARK AGE – OUTCASTS
March 8, 2017
Over the last year, we’ve been talking with lots of people – from retailers, to hobbyists, to distributors, and all the combinations thereof – and we were ablate walk away with a lot of answers to questions had. As we suspected, our incredibly large SKU count (close to 300, a SKU is the unique code given to each product) coupled with the fact 95% of our line was in blisters meant that Dark Age wasn’t at all easy to stock for distributors or retailers. Of course, the large range and blistered product gave our customers – the Dark Age faithful – the ultimate in flexibility when assembling their collections, but not being able to buy it in their local stores meant that this flexibility was somewhat inaccessible (almost entirely inaccessible in some cases).
To this end we decided to move to boxed sets, and to reduce the number of SKUs to a manageable level. Over the next few months, starting in April with Outcasts and Forsaken, we will be switching over our blisters to boxes. This will make it easier for distributors and retailers to stock and therefore more available for you all to access the cool minis! The down-side is that there won’t be quite as much flexibility, which is why we wanted to start talking about it now. If you have holes in your collections, you might want to order some of the individual or unit blisters now.
When putting together the contents of these boxes, we tried to meet the following criteria each time:
• Contains the availability for the model at 500 points (e.g. if the availability is 3/500, then there would be 3 models in the box).
• Allows us to keep the models at the same price, or lower the price. In about 50% of cases the prices are the same, about 10% the prices have risen, and in about 40% or cases, the prices have dropped.
• Contents follow the patterns generally seen when people are purchasing blisters (e.g. when people decide to buy into a particular Saint force, they typically buy one of each of the blisters for that Saint sub-faction).
As we mentioned earlier, the first ranges to be switched over are the Outcasts and the Forsaken. Today we’ll provide a list of the Outcast boxes, their contents, and their US prices. Tomorrow we’ll do the same with the Forsaken.
• Outcast Scavenger Faction Starter – $60 – Warchief, Manhunter Fixer, Blades, Wasteland Warriors (3)
• Wasteland Warrior Unit Box – $20 – Wasteland Warriors (3)
• Outcast Scut Unit Box – $25 – Bully, Scuts (3)
• Outcast Brute Unit Box – $50 – Brutes (3), Brute Anchor
• Outcast Pit Fighter Unit Box – $30 – Pit Fighter (4)
• Outcast Command Box 1 – $50 – Hoj, Brute Pusher, Manhunter, Oz
• Outcast Command Box 2 – $55 – Fixer, Mongo, Warchief, Happy Hour
• Salt Flat Nomads Tribal Warrior Unit Box – $20 – Tribal Warriors (3)
• Salt Flat Nomads Thornwinds Unit Box – $25 – Thornwinds (4)
• Salt Flat Nomads Hand of War Unit Box – $15 – Hands of War (2)
• Salt Flat Nomads Herder Unit Box – $15 – Herders (3)
• Salt Flat Nomads Solo Box – $40 – Berserker, Dishonored, Caravan Keeper, Oathpourer
• Salt Flat Nomads Leadership Box – $55 – Bendahrin Durshe, Kane, Lynette & Dust Jackals, Moonless Night
• Salt Flat Nomads Dust Bull Box – $25 – Dust Bull
• Salt Flat Nomads War Beasts Box – $35 – Vrocks (2), Moloki (2)
• Chains Barrow Slavers Command Box – $30 – Coffersman, Slavemaster, Gang Boss
• Chains Barrow Slavers Chain Ganger Unit Box – $15 – Chain Gangers (3)
• Chains Barrow Slavers Unbound Unit Box – $20 – The Unbound (3)
• Chains Barrow Slavers Frenzied Unit Box – $30 – Frenzied (4)
• Chains Barrow Slavers Leadership Box – $60 – The Warden, Aja, Devon, Bonner Spyte, Hood, Finn Deadeye
And here are a sample of a few other boxes coming soon!
AND:
A FURTHER LOOK AT THE NEW UNIT BOXES – FORSAKEN.
March 9, 2017
Yesterday we started our look at the new Dark Age Unit Boxes that we’ll be releasing over the next four to five months. We looked at the list of the Outcast Unit Boxes, and talked a bit about the way the prices were going to be affected.
Well today we are going to take a look at the Forsaken Unit Boxes. These will release the same time as the Outcast boxes, i.e. April 2017.
Here’s the list of boxes, their price in US dollars, and the contents of each box:
• Forsaken Faction Starter Box – $60 – Warwind A, Field Medic, Coil Diskmaster, Deacon, Banes (3), Bane Leader
• Forsaken Bane Unit Box – $30 – Banes (3), Bane Leader
• Forsaken Coil Unit Box – $30 – Coils (3), Coil Leader
• Forsaken Ravage Unit Box – $30 – Ravages (3), Ravage Leader
• Forsaken Strike Unit Box – $30 – Strikes (3), Strike Leader
• Forsaken Firestorm Unit Box – $30 – Firestorms (3), Firestorm Leader
• Forsaken Militia Unit Box – $15 – Militia (3)
• Forsaken Flock Unit Box – $25 – Flock (3), Shepherd
• Forsaken Command Box 1 – $40 – Warwind B, Deathstryke, Deacon, Coil Diskmaster
• Forsaken Command Box 2 – $40 – Warwind A, Sister of Compassion, Weaponsmith, Field Medic
• Forsaken Saint Mary Faction Box – $70 – Saint Mary, Flense (3), Clergy Anns (2), Judah, Joan
• Forsaken Saint Mark Faction Box – $70 – Saint Mark, Junkers (3), Shades (2), Hephzibah, Sentinel
• Forsaken Saint Isaac Faction Box – $70 – Saint Isaac, Controllers (3), Centipedes (2), Prometheus
• Forsaken Saint John Faction Box – $70 – Saint John, Faithful (3), Paladins (2), Elijah, Sir James
• Forsaken Saint Luke Faction Box – $70 – Saint Luke, Stingers (3), Arsenals (2), Zuriel, Marionette
• Forsaken Saint Joan Faction Box – $80 – Saint Joan, The Furies (3), Death Knights (2), Sin Eaters (2), Inquisitor, The Grey Lady
• Forsaken Heretic Faction Box – $55 – Saint Johann, Dexus, Dominique, Quietus, Harborya
• Forsaken Saint Mary Herald of Vengeance Box – $50 – Mounted Saint Mary
• Forsaken Saint Mark Harbinger of Judgement Box – $50 – Mounted Saint Mark
• Forsaken Saint John Aegis of Faith Box – $50 – Mounted Saint John
• Forsaken Saint Luke Bastion of Faith Box – $50 – Mounted Saint Luke
• Forsaken Scorpius Box – $40 – Scorpius
• Prevailers Red Sisterhood Unit Box – $30 – Red Sisters (3), Crimson Mother
• Prevailers Skylancer Unit Box – $30 – Sky Lancer (3), Sight of the Prevailers
• Prevailers Warknight Unit Box – $50 – Warknights (4), Bondsman, Warknight Captain
• Prevailers Repentant Unit Box – $25 – Repentants (4)
• Prevailers Archangel Unit Box – $65 – Archangel Gabriel, Archangel Michael, Archangel Raphael
• Prevailers Command Box – $60 – Marius (and cherubs), Esh (and cherub), Lilith, Voice of the Prevailers
And here we have a few of the boxes to show off. Soon we’ll let you know the contents of the next batch – Bounty Hunters, CORE, and Kukulkani.
I really like a lot of these - and I can see them 'convincing' many people to start up new factions.
I can also see them...annoying people looking for certain miniatures/units and not the whole shebang, which is why they're saying:
The down-side is that there won’t be quite as much flexibility, which is why we wanted to start talking about it now. If you have holes in your collections, you might want to order some of the individual or unit blisters now.
MrDwhitey wrote:It's nice seeing the new boxes, but the news of distribution is most important for me.
Anyone know anything on it?
OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:Cool, any idea who's doing it yet?
All I know is that it was confirmed by the sales guy on facebook earlier today that UK stock of the new stuff and future releases is on the way for both games.
Its great for the game and exciting. Also saves money for new players. To their point, when Joan came out I bought one of each, then one of each troop again after during the 50% off sale.
People usually tend to do that per faction force, so why not bundle it up and give a little discount.
Last thing is getting distribution in the US at warstore or miniature market and this would really knock it out of the park as a easily accessible amazing game.
IMO these sculpts are way too nice for PVC, much like Mierce Darklands. If I had anyone to play Wrath of Kings with I would want that to be metal or HIPS as well. The PVC trend is great for gamers but not as good for people who prioritize the art aspect of the hobby. At least or human-sized models. All those incredible CMON board game sculpts in bendy plastic ;( That said, I probably (unfortunately) won't ever buy any of these models anyway so knock yourselves out
MrDwhitey wrote:It's nice seeing the new boxes, but the news of distribution is most important for me.
Anyone know anything on it?
OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:Cool, any idea who's doing it yet?
All I know is that it was confirmed by the sales guy on facebook earlier today that UK stock of the new stuff and future releases is on the way for both games.
Well CMON have just posted this about Wrath of Kings, so I wouldn't be surprised to see DiaCash doing Dark Age too
We are VERY excited to be able to announce that we now have a UK distributor again!
As of yesterday afternoon we completed a deal with DiaCash UK to start to bring Wrath of Kings back into the UK. Obviously this doesn’t mean that the latest products will start appearing on the walls of your local gaming stores by the weekend, and there’ll be a process to go through to get to that stage, but this is the first and biggest hurdle to overcome.
So, if you live in the UK and would like see Wrath of Kings product carried by your local gaming store, then have them contact Paul Scott of DiaCash UK at paulscott@diacash.com
We are looking forward to working with DiaCash again, and putting together a bundle support for the UK Nationals coming up at the end of May!
Mymearan wrote: IMO these sculpts are way too nice for PVC, much like Mierce Darklands. If I had anyone to play Wrath of Kings with I would want that to be metal or HIPS as well. The PVC trend is great for gamers but not as good for people who prioritize the art aspect of the hobby. At least or human-sized models. All those incredible CMON board game sculpts in bendy plastic ;( That said, I probably (unfortunately) won't ever buy any of these models anyway so knock yourselves out
There is plenty of detail in the WoK models. They tend to snap more than bend...these ain't bones
Warstore and Miniature Market don't seem to carry Dark Age, is there an online discounter that sells these? I can only find them direct from CMON at full retail... I still have a few Forsaken, Skaard, and Outcasts left form when I bought in years and years ago, and was thinking about starting back up...but the prices are fairly steep at MSRP.
I am really hoping that CMON get a both at the UK games expo because A) more people will see the gorgeous minis and want to paint and play creating higher demand over here and B) so I can just throw my wallet at whoever is on the stand, shout "Take it, take it allllll!" and go home with more minis than I can carry.
March 2017 is a benchmark for Dark Age players and retailers everywhere! Not only do we have gorgeous new resculpts of older models that were showing their age and a fantastic new horror to unleash upon the world – but this marks the official release of the long awaited Path to Glory Two-Player Starter Set for Dark Age!
Path to Glory is not only Dark Age’s first boxed starter set, but it is also our first foray into a product consisting of high-density PLASTIC miniatures! Easy to assemble, durable, and bearing the same gorgeous level of detail you expect from the current Dark Age miniature releases, Path to Glory contains everything two players need to sit down and start playing Dark Age!
March brings some fantastic new miniatures for Dark Age fans, too. For those Forsaken players we have the brand new trio of Saint Mark’s savage warrior women – the Junkers. Their heavy smiting maces crush the opposition in single, reaching strokes while they dance around enemy attacks. Dragyri players get two new options this month. The first is a pair of beautiful new resculpts of the elegant Air Caste Wails, whose whirling chain whips can trop up and entangle any foe for their sisters in arms to come and deal the final blow. Brand new to Dark Age, the Shadow Caste have received a new horrifying beast of a warrior – the dark and powerful Goliath. Tearing enemies apart with its bare hands or blinding them with showers of toxic spines, this monster thrives on raw violence!
But wait, there's more!
The March Releases are here!
March 24, 2017 New Releases
We are very excited this month, not only because we are releasing the mighty Goliath, swift Wails, and brutal Junkers, but because we are finally releasing the first 2-player starter set for Dark Age – Path To Glory!
As usual for our release posts, if you click on the name of the item (found just below the photo), the link should take you through directly to our webstore. If your local store is interested in stocking Dark Age, please have them contact our sales guy, John Smith, ay john@cmon.com
Let’s face it, 2017 is already a great year for Dark Age! Stay tuned for more amazing Dark Age products coming soon!
DAG001 Dark Age: Path to Glory
Description
On the edge of the galaxy, heartless corporations found they could exploit the laws of the United Worlds in order to mine precious resources, and conduct immoral research into things like psychogenics, artificial intelligence, and bio-engineering. When the UW collapsed, these corporations didn’t think twice about abandoning the planet. Five hundred years later, humanity has survived on the desolate planet. It is assailed on all sides by aliens, monstrous horrors, mutant cannibals, and even meat-fueled robots. Can the relatively high-tech forces led by Saint Isaac survive against the honor-bound and brutal forces of the alien Ice Caste Dragyri?
Features
• Highly detailed plastic miniatures – these are the first Dark Age models to ever appear in plastic. The 450-points of Saint Isaac models are produced in burnt orange, while the 450-points of Dragyri Ice Caste models are produced in pale blue.
• THE best way to get started when it comes to Dark Age gaming – two starter forces, quick start rules, and exclusive scenario are all excellent starting points for understanding the game, and being ready for community and organized play.
• Even though this set will be the perfect place to started, the new models and great value for these plastics will also appeal to many veterans of the game.
Components
5 Forsaken – Saint Isaac Sub-Faction models, 4 Dragyri Ice Caste models, their bases and Dark Age Unit Cards, a set of “quick start” rules for Dark Age, 6 twenty-sided dice, a set of punchboard terrain and templates, and an exclusive scenario designed for the contents of the box.
DAG2415 Shadow Caste Goliath (1) – $24.99
Description
An enraged Goliath is a fearsome sight. Their spikes become engorged with bloddy ichor, protruding even further from their extremities, and squirting out a burning liquid in all directions. If this liquid gets in the eyes it causes agonizing blindness. Many foes have accidentally impaled themselves on the Goliath’s spikes, but their claws are far deadlier!
Features
• Highly detailed resin miniature.
• The Goliath would be a feature model in a Dragyri Shadow Caste warband.
• The Goliath is a brutal beast that cannot only physically tear the enemy apart, it can also stop hearts with terror. The Goliath works best when supported by low- and mid-level troops who can finish off the enemies crippled by fear and blinded by the Goliath.
Components
Blister pack contains: one (1) resin Shadow Caste Goliath model, one (1) 50mm base, and one Dark Age unit card.
DAG2221 Air Caste Wails (2) – $25
Description
Novice Air Caste warriors who show no talent for using their elemental Focus are directed towards the Tempest and Death’s Device cadres. Those who show some psychogenic talent are guided into the Wails. Over time, those Wails who excel on the battlefield and can survive long enough might even be elevated to the deliberately small and elite Cyclone corps.
Features
• Highly detailed resin miniatures.
• These Wails would be a mid-level trooper in a Dragyri Air Caste warband.
• The Wails are specialists at de-buffing enemy models, using their chain whip or psychogenic ability to strip away Action Points and other characteristics. They are best paired with other Air Caste Trueborn like Cyclones or Tempests.
Components
Blister pack contains: two (2) Air Caste Wail models, two (2) 40mm bases, and one Dark Age unit card.
DAG1210 Forsaken Junkers (3) – $14.99
Description
The forces of the Dragon Saint, Mark, are typically filled with many skilled women. Such is Mark’s charisma that these women become fanatical warriors ready to die in a heartbeat for their glorious leader. The Junkers are some of the most fanatical soldiers under his command and, despite their slender appearance, the Junkers are some of the most deadly.
Features
• Highly detailed metal miniatures.
• These models would be mid-level troopers in a Forsaken Saint Mark warband.
• The Junkers are fanatical followers of Saint Mark, and are best placed on the front line. Make the most of their Berserk special ability by sending them in against low-level enemy troops.
Components
Blister pack contains: three (3) Forsaken Junker models, three (3) 30mm bases, and one (1) Dark Age unit card.
It is that time of the month again (well, just a little bit later than we would have liked) and we have three new releases for Dark Age. Cick on the names of the releases below to take you through to the webstore.
DAG02002 Air Caste Faction Starter – $59.99
Description
The Air Caste are currently ascendant in the Dragyri social order, with Yovanka having won the position of Grand Arbiter. This has not, however, altered the way the Air Caste do things. Their all-female Trueborn force continues to move like the wind and strike with the force of a brutal storm. Their hit-and-run tactics are legendary. It must be a resilient commander who can keep his troops stead in the face of such an onslaught.
Features
Highly detailed resin miniatures.
This 500-point Dragyri Air Caste Faction Starter Box is the ideal way to start a Air Caste collection.
This Air Caste Faction Starter Box provides a wonderful mix of ranged and close combat options. The Spirit Lord of Air can knockdown the enemy with her staff or create havoc with her psychogenics. The Cyclone will be best dancing her way along an enemy line, eviscerating her foes. The Wails are best used to advance ahead of the others, knocking down their opponents with their whips and setting the Spirit Lord up for a series of finishing blows. The Disc Slaves are best keep out close combat, instead sitting back and delivering multiple ranged chakram strikes each turn.
Components
Box contains: one (1) Air Caste Spirit Lord of Air model, one (1) Air Caste Cyclone model, two (2) Air Caste Wail models, two (2) Air Caste Disc Slave models, four (4) 40mm bases, two (2) 30mm bases, and all of their Dark Age Unit Cards.
DAG2414 Shadow Caste Vespa (1) – $16.99
Description
Amabilia, the Arbiter of Chaos, keeps two orders of assassins. The first are the Naedrae who kill violently and publicly. They are the face of any Shadow Caste terror campaign. The second order are the Vespa. These all-male assassins strike silently from the shadows and disappear just as quickly, leaving a battlefield strewn with corpses.
Features
Highly detailed resin miniature.
The Vespa would be an elite warrior in a Dragyri Shadow Caste warband.
The Vespa is swift, lightly armored, and ready to take down any model it is pointed at. Combining its movement rate of 4” with its Ambush ability, the Vespa can be where you want it to be in the second turn. Keep it moving and cutting down models that might cause a threat to the rest of your force.
Components
Blister pack contains: one (1) Shadow Caste Vespa model, one (1) 40mm base, and one Dark Age unit card.
DAG02003 Dragyri Fire Caste Faction Starter Box (5)
Description
In their search for dominance amongst the Dragyri castes, the Fire Caste have eschewed traditional notions of honor, flexing the concepts to fit their way of fighting. They now embody the raging inferno, brutally fast and equipped with a lot of wonderful Alteghran technology, that can set the world ablaze. Led by mighty Spirit Lords as at home with controlling their elemental Focus as slaughtering foes in close combat, the Fire Caste forces look to weaken enemy forces with fire and then sweep in to the screaming chaos to finish things off.
Features
Highly detailed metal miniatures
This 500-point Dragyri Fire Caste Faction Starter Box is the ideal way to start a Fire Caste collection.
The Spirit Lord can advance swiftly and is best supported by the Volcanic Helots as bodyguards. This strong base of combat ability can act as a wonderful anvil as the Infernos move around the flanks and drive the enemy against that proverbial hard place.
Components
Box contains: one (1) Spirit Lord of Fire, two (2) Volcanic Helots, two (2) Infernos, five (5) 40mm bases, and their Dark Age unit cards.
Dark Age Unit Boxes
In addition to the three new releases, we are also releasing our brand new Dark Age Unit Boxes for the Forsaken and Outcast factions. These boxed sets are designed to reduce the number of codes (SKUs) in our range, and make it more palatable for your local gaming store to stock the Dark Age range. These are currently being uploaded to the store and should be available early next week.
CMON Expo
And in case you haven’t seen Bryan’s video about the cool stuff at CMON Expo, here it is again : )
A few weeks back, we teased you a little with this photo, and Bryan Steele went on to talk about the return of the Earth Caste, alongside the return of Jza’mhi, the Fury Rekindled (that’s Jza’mhi on the right).
These two, very cool models will be released very soon – Friday May 12, to be exact – and we are very excited to see them take to the tabletop. When they are released we’ll be posting a Web Update introducing the Earth Caste to the current world of Dark Age. This update will have the cards for Jza’mhi (who is actually the former Arbiter of the Fire Caste, long thought dead, killed by Rath’zhi), and the rest of his Earth Caste friends, and a chunk of new background on the Earth Caste, their units, and the slow awakening they are undergoing.
But until that drops (amidst a lot of other great stuff) we though you might like to know more.
Jza’mhi, the Fury Rekindled, is actually the model created in conjunction with Jamie Wolff, winner of the 2016 Dark Age Immortals tournament. Bryan and Jamie worked together to create a brutal and somewhat unhinged powerhouse of a model, with a great story that leads to many interesting choices in your games. You can check out a teaser of his card below. I’m sure we’ll have more details for you very soon.
The other model included in the photo at the top of this post is Ghrakun, the Herald of Tenacity, the first of the Earth Caste to reach the surface after their long slumber. Again, we have a lot of details on Ghrakun’s background to come. We won’t spoil that for you, but we will let you know that Jza’mhi and Ghrakun will be available in a box together (The Dragyri Lost Characters box) for $40. Here’s a look at the front of his card, feel free to begin the speculation on the meaning of “Stoneskin”. We’ve also included two of the seven Earth Caste Psychogenics for you to take a look at. These will all be revealed very soon too.
And finally, we have this cool model. This is the Limited edition version of Ghrakun, depicting him as he may have appeared before he (and the rest of the Earth Caste) decided to remove themselves from Dragyri society all those many years ago. This Limited edition version will be available at conventions we are attending and potentially through various other promotional channels. He’ll be just $20.
So, stay tuned for more great news. This month we have not only the CMON Expo (featuring the 2017 Immortals tournament), and the first UK Nationals event (thanks, Gareth!), but we also have the release of the 2017 Master Rules book, the 2017 deck of Secondary Objective cards, the 2017-18 MTI document, AND these awesome new characters for your Dragyri collections!
The models continue to be pretty incredible.
It remains the only game that's been around as long as it has that I have never seen anyone play or own a model for.
Now that my local store finally has stock in I've been able to actually get some models and try out the game. Been incredibly impressed with the game. With how amazing the latest models have been, the low model count needed, and how fun the game is I'm frankly shocked it hasnt taken off more. Have a decent sized local group forming too. I am really looking forwards to expanding the local meta, shouldn't be a problem if they can figure out the distribution problems. (I'm in Canada)
RiTides wrote: Is anyone here going to CMON Expo? I'd love to pay someone to pick up that limited edition Ghrakun for me . Really love it!
I was there on Saturday, and they had actually already sold out already on Friday. :( It was one of the main things I wanted.
It was a blast though, and the Immortals tournament was handled with 110% improvement over last year. The stamping of the 'Gelt was awesome!
Immortals winner was mister Aaron... something, cannot remember his last name. He's the previous winner who created the Lightbringer for the CORE. He won using an Air Caste list, if I'm not mistaken!
apparently their Wrath of Kings shipment for this session has just arrived in the US and for no obvious reason is missing a significant amount of stuff, so much so that they've pushed back the releases as they can't even supply all the stuff stores have pre-ordered and have no idea when they can get replacement product (or I guess track down the missing stuff that the shipping documents say should be there)
so while not directly related to Dark Age is clearly shows they've still got ongoing supply/distribution issues which I so wish they'd get sorted for both games
I heard from the Fb group that UK distribution is good now. A company now does it. No idea who it is though.
As mentioned, the new 2017 Rulebook is able to buy on store and free PDF download.
Waiting for the new 2017 Secondary Objective deck to release. I think it should go up today or early this week as it was for sale over the weekend at the Expo.
In the Us, apparently they moved to a better new warehouse, so shipping times should be fixed.
str00dles1 wrote: I heard from the Fb group that UK distribution is good now. A company now does it. No idea who it is though.
As mentioned, the new 2017 Rulebook is able to buy on store and free PDF download.
Waiting for the new 2017 Secondary Objective deck to release. I think it should go up today or early this week as it was for sale over the weekend at the Expo.
In the Us, apparently they moved to a better new warehouse, so shipping times should be fixed.
They found a company for U.K. Distribution but it's not sorted yet, still can't get it anywhere. They did say it would take a bit of time though.
Soon they will be available in our webstore for purchase, but we knew you couldn’t wait. We’ve been wrestling with the PDF file and the website all day, and have had no luck getting the massive awesomeness that is the 2017 Master Rules to go up via our normal dropdown menu.
We’ll continue to work to put it into the normal spot on the site, but this should work until then.
Cheers
The Dark Age Team
May Releases:
THE 2017 MASTER RULES ARE HERE, AND A LOT OF OTHER GREAT STUFF TOO.
May 17, 2017
NEW RULES
We have been diligently working away on these rules for the last year or so, running them through lots of playtesting with our teams out in the wider world. We are very happy with a lot of the central Dark Age rules as they are, but there were a few things that we needed to evolve, to adapt, or to replace. We always strive for clarity in our rules writing – aiming definitely for ‘rules as written’ over ‘rules as intended’ – and the 2017 Master Rules no doubt hits closest to that mark of any of the previous editions.
The 2017 Master Rules printed book should be back on sale in our webstore very soon.
It is currently available on our site for FREE DOWNLOAD.
In addition to the 2017 Master Rules, we are releasing the 2017 Secondary Objectives Deck for use in your games. The description for how you use your Secondary Objectives Deck is in the Master Rules, but one of the key changes is that you can now tailor your deck to suit the style of your army by bringing as few as 16 hand-picked cards.
The printed 2017 Secondary Objectives Deck should be back on sale in our webstore very soon.
The 2017 Secondary Objectives Deck is also available for FREE DOWNLOAD.
NEW RELEASES
In addition to these literal “game-changers”, we have a couple of brand new releases for the Dragyri.
DAG02005 – Dragyri Lost Characters Box – $40
Description
Jza’Mhi, once Arbiter of the Fire Caste, was brutally attacked by the usurper Rath’Zhi and sent spiraling into the abyss – but he survived. His body transformed and partially consumed by the xenosathic crystals central to Dragyri shamanism, Jza’Mhi is the Fury Rekindled and has returned. He emerges from the darkness alongside Ghrakun, Herald of Tenacity, a leader amongst the long absent Earth Caste. Between his mighty hammer and the Fury’s erratic mystic abilities, the past has returned with a vengeance!
Features
• Highly detailed resin miniatures.
• This box contains the character created by the winner of the 2016 Immortals tournament – Jza’Mhi – and the first appearance of a member of the Dragyri Earth Caste – Ghrakun.
• Jza’Mhi was the Arbiter of the Fire Caste before his position was usurped by the current Arbiter. He still maintains much of his Fire Caste ferocity, delivering not only savage blows in combat and fiery blasts at range, but he can also access the psychogenic powers of other Castes. Ghrakun, on the other hand, is the “immovable object” of the pair. Incredibly sturdy and tough to damage, he can also deliver violent hammer blows and cast Earth Caste psychgenics.
Components
Box contains: one (1) Jza’Mhi, The Fury Rekindled model, one (1) Ghrakun, The Herald of Tenacity model, two (2) 50mm bases, two Dark Age Unit Cards, and seven Dark Age Psychogenics cards.
Check out the video of Bryan Steele describing this excellent boxed set HERE.
To download the new Earth Caste Cards document, click HERE.
To download the new Earth Caste Lore document, click HERE.
To download the updated Fire Caste Cards document (now with added Jza’mhi), click HERE.
DAG02023 – Dragyri Blizzard Unit Box – $30
Description
Deadly warriors of the Dragyri Ice Caste, Blizzards are ferocious fighters armed with twin axes made from hand-carved and sharpened crystals. In their hands these weapons shear through armor and flesh like water, leaving behind ruined, half-frozen corpses in their wake. When combined with their command of shamanic ice energies, Blizzards are something all Dragyri enemies will try to avoid!
Features
• Highly detailed resin miniatures.
• The Blizzards are line warriors in a Dragyri Ice Caste warband.
• The Blizzards are brutal warriors that can carve a swathe of destruction through opposing forces with their twin axes. They are best suited to taking down the line troopers of your enemy, using their Chilling Grasp psychogenic to pull models in before tearing them apart with their Rending attacks.
Components
Box contains: one (1) Blizzard (A) model, one (1) Blizzard (B) model, two (2) 50mm bases, one (1) Dark Age unit card, and one (1) Dark Age Psychogenic card.
UNIT BOXES
The new unit boxes for the Bounty Hunters, C.O.R.E., and Kukulkani are slowly making their way onto the webstore. Here’s the list of the boxes, with their price in US dollars, and the contents of each box. Click on the name of the box to take you through to the webstore:
IN CONCLUSION
Stay tuned for a lot of articles in the coming weeks, where we’ll cover things like the 2017-18 MTI document, the 2017 Immortals tournament, and lots of other great stuff.
Link to the May Update so you can actually click on a lot of the links to download/purchase if you want to!
We’ve been posting quite a bit recently about tournaments – the March to Immortality Tournament System, the Immortals tournament itself, and so on. You might even be forgiven for thinking that competitive play is all we care about, but that is certainly not the case. We love that we have developed a very tight set of rules that can be played in a competitive setting, but we are also fans of more casual and narrative play.
A few years ago, we released a pretty sizable document called Dark Age Chronicles: Forsaken that contained special scenarios for each of the Forsaken sub-factions, along with some special “named character” versions of Forsaken unit leaders. Well, although it has taken us a little while to revisit this format in a slightly modified manner, we have returned. You can now go to the Downloads menu on the site here, select Organized Play, and then download the Dark Age Chronicles: Forsaken document.
This time around, Dark Age veteran Robert Allen has written a short campaign that sees the forces of St. John march south from New Ashkelon to investigate terrible rumors coming out of the Blackmire swamps and the Green Sea. Although the mini-campaign has been written for St. John forces (and various antagonists), Robert has also provided alternate ways to play the scenarios if you don’t own the forces involved.
We currently have another Dark Age Chronicles packet “under construction”, and the plans for a third being fleshed out, so we are looking forward to keeping this narrative play rolling along. Look for these later this year.
You can download the Dark Age Chronicles: Forsaken – The Tribulations of St. John edition HERE:
PS. We printed a copy of this mini-campaign was a once-off promotional item for attendees at CMON Expo 2017. While the format may differ, the contents are the same.
Also:
Does anyone know of a good online source (other than the CMON shop) to buy Dark Age stuff?
Still hoping to find an online shop that stocks Dark Age stuff...
Meanwhile:
OBJECTIVES! – WARSENAL HAVE BEEN HARD AT WORK.
May 23, 2017
We are very excited with the new scenarios in the 2017 Master Rules book and the 2017-18 MTI document. There are a few new approaches and a very cool new size of objective for the Caravan Control scenario (3’x5′). You may have also noticed that we reworked the iconography for all of the factions and sub-factions for the Master Rules. Our graphics guy, Jeff Yu, put in a lot of work and has created some lovely icons that we are quite proud of.
While we were working on all of these things, we were talking with the guys at Warsenal. Bill and Jay and the team loved the ideas we had, and came up with a few of their own along the way. Now these ideas have been made concrete (well, acrylic and MDF) and are available for purchase by you, the dedicated Dark Age gamer!
First off, we have the Caravan Cart that is perfectly sized for the Caravan Control scenario. Sure, you could use an index card or something similar, but this Cart really brings the world of Dark Age to your tabletop. It is no coincidence that it looks like the cart in the art of glorious New Ashkelon (above). Check it out HERE.
Secondly, there are a set of three Cages which can be used as scenery by themselves, or function as objectives once dropped into 50mm deep well bases. The fit perfectly with Slavers forces, and will no doubt be incredibly popular once the new Skarrd start hitting the shelves. Take a closer look at them HERE.
Finally, there are these wonderful, full-color, printed acrylic objective markers with the faction and sub-faction icons on them. You can find a set of three markers for each of the 27 faction/sub-factions you might already play HERE.
Problem with Meeple is when I go to checkout, it says it wont deliver to the US.
FPgames is old, and only 22 items.
How they still haven't gotten a deal with Miniature market or warstore is beyond me. Id rather them not release anything new til they got that set up. But that's wishful thinking. Al my ordered have come from CMON, which is one of the worst companies/sellers out there. Every order I ever place needs me to create 2-3 tickets to get the ball rolling so they mail it. Just ordered the new objective cards on the 20th, its still processing... They said they moved to a new warehouse so things ship faster, but I don't see it.
str00dles1 wrote: Problem with Meeple is when I go to checkout, it says it wont deliver to the US.
FPgames is old, and only 22 items.
How they still haven't gotten a deal with Miniature market or warstore is beyond me. Id rather them not release anything new til they got that set up. But that's wishful thinking. Al my ordered have come from CMON, which is one of the worst companies/sellers out there. Every order I ever place needs me to create 2-3 tickets to get the ball rolling so they mail it. Just ordered the new objective cards on the 20th, its still processing... They said they moved to a new warehouse so things ship faster, but I don't see it.
Miniaturemarket used to carry it, but got rid of the line about a year or so ago. I live down the street from their brick and mortar store and saw the stuff when they cleared it out. I was tempted, but that was before they started hitting home runs with each release.
Alpharius wrote: I think FRP isn't a 'current' stockist for Dark Age.
Meeplemart looks promising - but I'm not seeing a lot of actual pricing on their site?
But thank you for the heads up - much appreciated!
Meeplemart is my FLGS and I can confirm they don't normally ship to the states. Great store for anyone in Canada though, although the Dark Age restock time is a little ridiculous and new releases take about 3 months to get there. Supposedly they have fixed the distribution problem, but I will believe it when I see it.
You may be forgetting one thing thought, while it is full retail... it's in Canadian dollars, which is the equivalent of around 30% off buying from the CMON store.
highlord tamburlaine wrote: Of course you still have to deal with CMON's store, which is a chore in and of itself, and who knows how long the package will take to arrive...
I haven't bought much modern DA yet, but what I have I got straight through CMON, after discovering how limited / antiquated other options are. And while I had serious misgivings ordering from them, after hearing about eternal delays and general confusion through the years, I actually got my stuff pretty quickly, with fairly gentle shipping fees IIRC.
That said, I absolutely would have chosen a discounter with my stuff in stock if I had the choice
Cool Mini Or Not have a reputation for their incredible board games packed full of miniatures. It’s no real surprise then to find out that CMON also have a healthy stable of current and future miniatures games. One of these miniatures games, the oldest one in CMON’s line, has been flying under the radar, all the while doing really incredible things. The game is Dark Age and there is no better time to take the plunge.
WHAT IS DARK AGE?
Dark Age is a skirmish sized miniatures game. This means that the average tournament-sized faction will typically sit around the 10 models, and with competitive events taking about 75 minutes per game. With that being said, there is a lot of freedom in list construction within the different factions and allows you the freedom to take a larger or smaller force than this. The game itself has 7 main factions but many of these factions are further broken down into sub-factions. Each sub-faction is able to take “generic” models from their chosen faction but also have a number of exclusive models that belong only to those sub-factions.
Miniatures games often include a deep narrative lore and a universe that ties everything together. Dark Age is no different and contains an incredibly rich, diverse setting filled with heroes, villains, and those who are somewhere in between. Interestingly, many of these “dramatis personae” are included in the game, have models and are completely playable. Additionally, the story for the game continues to evolve and grow with each release containing both rules and fiction set in this cool backdrop.
The factions themselves are incredibly interesting and diverse, ranging from humans of multiple flavours (some good, others not so much), slumbering space aliens who are waking up, AI constructs, lab experiments gone bad, and even invading space Mayans. Seriously.
WHY YOU SHOULD BE PLAYING IT
Dark Age just released their 2017 Master Rules and they are, in a word, great. Unlike other game systems which release a new edition of master rules and completely invalidate entire armies, forcing their player base to start from scratch, the 2017 Master Rules are basically an upgrade. Think of it more as a video game patch, moving from version 1.0 to version 1.1, and you are on the right track. Two months prior to the release of the 2017 Master Rules, CMON released the first ever 2-Player Starter Set, Path to Glory. The best part of these two releases is that despite the Path to Glory set being released under the old Master Rules, the entire box set, including its Quick Start Rules, are 100% compatible with the new 2017 Master Rules. Did I also mention that every rule in the game is free to download?
The models for the game are also incredible (as to be expected from CMON) and being updated and modernized. Right now, all but 2 of the factions have received a modern facelift, with one of the remaining releasing this year at GenCon. After that, pick an aesthetic you like and go to town. Do you want a Mad Max-style band of humans, eking out an existence in the barren wastelands? Got them. Are AI robots, including an AMAZING robo T-Rex more your thing? Got those too. Fundamentally, the breadth of the Dark Age universe pretty much guarantees that there is something in their range that you are going to love.
HOW DOES IT PLAY?
Of course, the best universe and models, aren’t enough if the game itself isn’t fun to play. Dark Age is a deep, tactically satisfying skirmish game. Scenarios have both primary objectives and you have hidden secondary objectives to fulfill, which are randomly drawn from your Secondary Objectives deck. Cover & movement are both incredibly important and the game itself is a D20 system. You really only need 2 D20s to play a full game so there is no messy dice rolling or cleaning. The D20 mechanic is a boon for all of you poor dice rollers in D&D because the game is designed for you to roll low. A roll of “1” is a critical success and a “20” is a critical failure; my D&D group will be delighted to hear that my knack for rolling 1s is useful somewhere.
Dark Age has a ton of balance between shooting and combat with no aspect of the game having an advantage over the other. An “On Hold” system allows for a lot of tactical depth as you are able to react to your opponent’s actions, either move a model outside of the range of weapons or even take a melee or ranged attack, depending on the situation. Combine the ability to hold actions with a game that boasts alternating activations and you create a game that feels very much like a game of tactical cat & mouse as you jockey your models and activations to give yourself an edge and deny your opponent the same thing.
THE BEST PRIZE IN ALL OF GAMING
Dark Age has arguably the best prize in all of tabletop gaming. Every year they have a tournament circuit called The March to Immortality. This is a series of qualifying events held at major Cons throughout the year. Winning a qualifier earns you a coveted Bludgelt (although depending on the size of the event, CMON has been known to hand out additional Bludgelts for completing additional challenges, at their discretion). Bludgelts are the currency in the game universe and they are the only way to buy your way into the final Immortals tournament held at CMON Expo. Winning the final Immortals tournament allows you to work with the game designers to create any model you want to see in the game. Many previous winners have created themselves in the game (http://dark-age.com/immortals-2015/), while the most recent winner worked with the design studio to invent a new sub-faction (they loved his idea so much they committed to creating a sub-faction around it). (http://dark-age.com/the-dragyri-lost-characters-and-a-little-extra/)
If you are unable to meet CMON at a March to Immortality qualifier, but still want to get your hands on a Bludgelt, there is one final way to get your hands on one. You can challenge anyone with a Bludgelt to a “winner takes all” game of Dark Age. Beating the holder gives you their Bludgelt and you can use it to pay your way into the Immortals final tournament. With that being said, each time a Bludgelt is used to buy your way into the Immortals, they stamp it, on a piece of railway track, no less.
After 2 stamps, it can no longer be used and you will have to earn yourself another one. It’s a great system and turns the Bludgelt into a highly coveted piece of gaming swag.
Obviously, I’m a huge fan of the game and the universe, the game, and the mechanics. If you’re looking to check the game out and connect with other players, I recommend checking out the Dark Age: Samaria Reborn Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/183757445321780/), where you can find myself and other players sharing tactical advice, painting inspiration, and generally geeking out about the game.
So!
Right now, all but 2 of the factions have received a modern facelift, with one of the remaining releasing this year at GenCon.
Do we know that's the Brood?
I think it is?
Other than that, who hasn't gotten a modern facelift? Kukulkani?
My understanding is Skaard will get their official facelift and new book available for GenCon. Brood's new rules will be available as well but new models aren't until 2018.
Kukulkani got an update last year around Gencon, when they added the Moon elements (Ixchel, the smaller Coatlai, dude riding the flying platform) and they got a PDF. CORE did something similar earlier this year.
The two left for update are Skarrd, which gets its book at Gencon and is getting a major update of resculpts and a new subfaction (Cult of Decay, lead by Mother Blazon), and then the Brood. The Brood will be getting a rules facelift for the current stuff in the near future to make it mesh with everything else in the game, and then it will receive its huge line of resculpts and new stuff in 2018 (though I wouldn't be shocked if even just a couple of the models release by the end of 2017).
Also the Dragyri Earth Caste subfaction will be releasing soon. Or at least the first part of it, anyway.
Shadow Caste got me into the game.... I have been failing willpower saves ever since. Being able to get a full army for under 100$ hasn't meant I am spending less money. It just means you get more factions. Stupid sexy models
The game is super fun too, Join us Alpharius!
I'm going with Prevailers, a bunch of the Foresaken Saints (Isaac, Luke, Mary and Joan - and...maybe Mark!), Salt Flat Nomads and then Fire and Earth Caste.
And then that's it!!!
As you note, it is relatively inexpensive to add a faction to your collection...
There’s some new stuff to show off for you today. We’re right around a month out from the new Brood Rules Test release! This update will breathe a whole new life into the most “alive” faction of Dark Age, including some new styles of play, new special rules, and of course new tactical combinations. We know you all are chomping at the bit to get a look at what is coming out, so we thought we’d give you a little teaser to whet those appetites. How about some new sculpt renders and a couple of the new updated stat cards, hmm?
Yeah, we figured you’d be interested in that.
First, let’s check out some stat cards for some old favorites:
That should get those tactical juices flowing for you. As you can see, Brood are good about getting numbers out onto the field and really making the most of them. They can heal up using Consume Brood and Regeneration, and one lucky creature can even gain a boost to their Armor values by using Calcifying Blood when it is injured! Opponents are going to want to make sure to bring extra bullets, since just because a Brood monstrosity is on the ground and bleeding out, that doesn’t mean it’s out of the fight!
Next, the new renders. The majority of the line is being redone, with gruesome new sculpts that will be released over the rest of 2017 and into 2018. While we would never tell you to stop using your existing Brood models – you should still check out the new direction these beasties are taking!
Pud Swarm Render
Pud Render
Broodhound Render
Grist Render
A lot has gone into these new sculpts. The Brood are products of genetic tinkering… mostly in the form of “throw the useful ingredients into the pool and see what crawls out” and that’s reflected in the figures. Puds are nasty, crawling mouths filled with hungry teeth that can patch up wounds with their own bodies, while Broodhounds will happily rip you limb-from limb with their long claws, and the Grist stare into your soul with their dead eyes and howling visage as they pump energy blasts out of their bio-projector!
That’s what we’ve got for you now. Stay tuned for more previews as we get ever-closer to the new Brood rules release!
As much as I love almost all of the new Dark Age stuff, and while I'm sure the new Brood stuff will be amazing, I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of thew new Puds.
The old ones were...oddly cute, and looked like they actually could be thrown!
But...having said that...and looking at these again...
OK, the whole Brood line is desperately in need of a resculpt!
Alpharius wrote: OK, the whole Brood line is desperately in need of a resculpt!
Making these some of the most exciting resculpts! For years now the Brood have stood out as some of the Brom-iest designs in the game to me, so very cool to see how DA updates them. Not least of all the Jellybean
While I am super excited for the Brood to get their update. I really want to see what they have in store with the Skaard, which are getting their update first.
Skarrd, which gets its book at Gencon and is getting a major update of resculpts and a new subfaction (Cult of Decay, lead by Mother Blazon), and then the Brood.
The Brood will be getting a rules facelift for the current stuff in the near future with a web update for their cards to make them mesh with everything else in the game, and then they will receive their huge line of resculpts and new stuff in 2018 (though I wouldn't be shocked if even just a couple of the models release by the end of 2017).
Also the Dragyri Earth Caste subfaction will be releasing soon. Or at least the first part of it, anyway.
CMoN will be at the local convention next week, so I'mm be bringing my 2013 rulebook to exchange for a 2017 rulebook, and the 2 Player Starter will be coming home as well
It has been roughly one month since the 2017 Master Rules were available to the public in one form or another, and there has been a lot of discussion about the ins and outs between its covers. Articles, diagrams, podcasts, Live feeds, and more than a few games using the new rules.
Just as it says on page 26, we are dedicated to making sure that questions about our game are answered, confusions clarified, and even mistakes repaired.
So, without further ado... we have updated the General Errata and FAQ as well as the Faction-based Errata and FAQ to reflect the new rules and new questions that have come up.
I do every year, I'll make sure I include Dakka in my sharing this year. Origins is pretty fun, think a slower GenCon where you get to talk to Publishers and Developers because it is less hectic.
Origins is usually where I get my Dark Age fix.
As someone who admittedly doesn't really go to cons, I went to their website and just felt like it was not super helpful for a newcomer trying to figure it out.
Dragyri’s latest caste, the Earth Caste, has been making waves since the first few boxes were released. Now, we’ve updated the Faction Downloads with their full stat card list. But with all the new goodness to look over, you might be wondering how to put it all together on the battlefield. Well, that’s where Aaron Bohm has you covered. He’s written up his thoughts on the best way to put this new force onto the table.
The feedback I gave Dark Age game-runner Bryan Steele when he asked me about the most recent Dragyri updates, which included new models for the upcoming Earth Caste, was that I was surprised and pleased with how different each Caste felt to play. The Air Caste plays as mobile and hard to hit as the wind, Ice Caste is as straightforward and immovable as a glacier. There are equal parts unpredictability, volatility and power within the Fire Caste and Shadow Caste… wait, they were here just a minute ago…
The Earth Caste is yet another exciting addition to Dark Age and, like all factions in the game, lends their own unique challenges and opportunities for creating a competitive tournament list. Having read through the 2017 Master Rules and taking a close look at some of the new Earth Caste cards, I jotted down my notes on what Earth can do to maximize their chances at winning a Dark Age MtI Tournament. Of course the ultimate goal is to be able to design a list which will lead down the path to become one of the game’s elite, a Dark Age Immortal.
At A Glance
Big, tough and slow; those are the characteristics that stand out as I first view the cards. At a glance Earth Caste doesn’t appear to have been blessed with 4” movement or 4 AP stats, and they share the standard high-defense, high-armor trait as do many of the other bruisers in the game. That is, easy to hit, hard to wound.
The main abilities that jump out are that they almost all have Reach melee, Knockdown or Knockback effects, and the impressive new Special Ability Stoneskin making them that much more durable. But they are also short on ranged attacks and have no opportunities to heal (as is common among all Dragyri).
So there are two main problems basic Earth Caste presents me with as a player. First, I need to figure out how I am going to deal with ranged threats. Second, since a lot of my models have innate Knockback, how do I leverage this to its full potential without putting myself at a disadvantage by knocking targets out of melee range?
The Pieces
Basic Troops: Slave models help define the flavor of each Caste they belong to and Earth is no exception. Each Earth Caste Slave has access to the Knockdown Weapon Ability. While I know that a roll-to ability isn’t as powerful as immediate effects like Immobilize and Stun on paper, for combos and group synergy its worth keeping in the back of my mind.
Now, two Dragyri troops I wouldn’t normally use stand out for the Earth Caste. The first is the Soul Warden. Their secondary weapon also has a SP Knockdown, just in case it wasn’t already obvious that Earth wants their opponents to spend most of the game on their asses. But I’ll talk about him more when it comes to Psychogenics. The other model is the Shard Slave. Make a quick mental note: Shard Fields placed by this model count as “Terrain Features;” this is VERY important.
Earth Trueborn: Now, it is also important to understand that every player has preferences – right, wrong, or ugly – and I am no exception. Mentally, I list the following Earth Caste models from my least favorite to most.
Fissure: A little underwhelming to me initially, every model nonetheless has its place. Knowing ranged attacks may be Earth’s Achillies’ heel, models like Fissure with Deflection becomes that much more important. Also, RN 4 Knockback has the potential for being a lot of fun. But something more subtle I realized lay within the Survivalist trait. In a faction that has few movement options, it is worth noting that a model that receives a free On Hold token can also move for free when targeted by range.
Quake: At 100 points there is no discount in picking up a Quake model. Still, he’s similar to others like him with Guard + high armor. Quake is another answer to range; simply redirect the attack and have Quake roll the save. He has the additional bonus of Stoneskin, so he can even negate damage on a failed save.
Ghrakun: Ghrakun’s ONLY attack has Knockback. So, if he is the first to engage, there is a good chance the model he’s attacking will be pushed out of range. But he also has Commander. Looking at him as a cleanup model shifts this disadvantage into a potentially huge advantage.
Pillar: No reason to beat around the bush, Pillar is my favorite new model in Earth Caste. He has Deflection and Knockdown (instead of Knockback), he’s tough and he hits hard. Initially I didn’t think much about the Center of Gravity ability – admittedly I still don’t think this psychogenic should be used a lot. However, I feel Gravity best showcases what Earth is all about and, in a way, it’s going to be the lynchpin of what I’m going to build around.
Psychogenics: While BL(2) Knockdown and placing 2 Immobilize Counters on an enemy are powerful, I am only going to talk about 3 of the Psychogenics: Sandblast, Ferrous Pulse and Center of Gravity.
Any Dark Age army will be most effective at a particular distance; long range, mid range or close range. With a 5 1/2” SP template that has Blind, Sandblast alone helps limit the effectiveness of close and mid range opponents.
Ferrous Pulse is bar-none the strongest positioning tool in the game. Picking a point of terrain, EVERY model is moved away, pushing enemies out of cover or away from point-scoring objectives like Foxholes or the Wagon. Not only that, but someone pointed out to me that this also works for pushing your non-Earth models forward. So if the goal is to surprise the opposing player and if other faction models have been included via the Grand Arbiter Commands, this can also be a good option for an otherwise slow Earth Caste.
This all assumes a lot of careful planning and positioning but as a reminder, Shard Slaves can lay down Terrain Features exactly where they are needed. And it may seem daunting that these psychogenics that push, pull, disable and hold need to work together in a very specific and precise way for optimal results. Which is why having a Psychogenic “gunboat” like the Soul Warden has never been as important as it is in Earth Caste.
Lastly, Center of Gravity. It is very important to understand exactly what this does. Not only can this be turned on to prevent models currently within 2” from leaving, but it can also “catch” models that are moving by for any reason. In other words, Gravity can be turned on and then enemies can be knocked back towards them, causing the enemy to stick there in Gravity’s bubble. It can also be used to hold a model, effectively holding it there while a Knockback model beats on it.
The Puzzle
So how do I win? Unlike Air Caste and other highly mobile lists I won’t be able to dance around engagements, choosing the optimal times to strike and when to score. Unlike lists like Fire Caste, C.O.R.E. and other lists with high raw damage output I won’’t be able to expect to go toe to toe and win out.
Earth Caste shares some similarities with Ice Caste; both have the ability to control an area and take a lot of punishment. However Ice Caste is also one of the best at diving in, initializing an engagement and striking first. If Earth tries this it would be a disaster. Instead, there is something else they do particularly well.
Earth may be one of the best counter-striking lists in the game. Against range this means letting the opponent set up, then disrupting their gun line. Keep in mind that with the new rules a range model now takes -2 AS for being prone. Against melee Earth can allow a faction to close in, only to break up the next round’s squadlink by knocking away a few key models.
A particular favorite idea of mine is activating Pillars as a squad with Ghrakun, having the Pillars engage first, knocking enemies down and activating Gravity where appropriate. Then having Ghrak come in to clean up, knocking away some of the enemies and killing others outright.
Earth may be very difficult to play but it does seem that they will be the penultimate positioning army in Dark Age. It will take a lot of practice to make sure they’re at exactly the right place at the right time. Shard Fields can be placed as focal points either to move models away from or knock models into. Enemies can be bounced from objectives or captured by a Pillar. Fissure could have a whole turn picking ranged targets to throw back and any incoming ranged attacks can be deflected, absorbed by Stoneskin models or redirected to Quake.
Putting It All Together
So, into the build. I know I am going to Arbiter the full 150 points and the obvious choice is ranged or Smoke models. Whispers, Pyres or the Spirit Lord of Fire are my favorite Dragyri picks for range, and Strega often gets a utility spot for Smoke but there is also the dark horse Soul Splitter to consider which has both.
I am building around Pillars, so those will be included. I initially looked at 3 but the Ghrakun squadlink seems pretty strong and I need spare points so 2 will do. Quake gives me some additional options at redirecting range while Fissure may give me more mobility. For my base list I’ll play it safe and leave mobility for my sideboard.
Filling in the rest is pretty easy. The Soul Warden can be backline Psychogenic support and squadlink with the slaves. While my opponent may attempt to kill him first and move in closer to do so this actually favors my strategy (plus I really want to play a Green Space Pope!) A Shard Slave will be important to place terrain where needed so I took two for redundancy. Lastly the Taskmaster, which is pound for pound one of the strongest slave options in any list, and a Sling Slave to fill in.
These models are released this month as well according to FB. Also if you check out the card for the Earth Caste soul warden it gives the names of their elementals.
Pretty pumped to add them to my shadow caste... whats one more element in the scheme of things anyways... while I am at the store I may as well get a couple more Fire caste as well.
Is your local store a Meeplemart? Is so, I'm jealous!
I'd love it if they'd ship to the USA...
An update of sorts:
DRAGYRI BATTLE REPORT ROUNDUP
June 14, 2017
With the Earth Caste hitting tables all around the world, Dark Age‘s most venerable alien warriors are getting a spotlight shined on them. There’ve been some great battles using the different sub-factions over the years, and we’ve collected a couple together here for you to check out. Watch, enjoy, and maybe pick up some tricks you’d not seen before.
Digclaw wrote: They have Earth Caste at Origins,have pics, on phone right now
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Pugnacious_Cee wrote: I looked at potentially going to Origins this year and their weird badge system totally threw me off.
Come next year pug, origins is fun,
Pics or I dont believe you....
What other new releases did they have there?
Alpharius, Meeplemart is my FLG, and its awesome, only downside is that it takes forever for new releases to get there, long enough that i plan on just ordering from the online store with some of the new stuff.
Digclaw wrote: They have Earth Caste at Origins,have pics, on phone right now
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Pugnacious_Cee wrote: I looked at potentially going to Origins this year and their weird badge system totally threw me off.
Come next year pug, origins is fun,
Pics or I dont believe you....
What other new releases did they have there?
Alpharius, Meeplemart is my FLG, and its awesome, only downside is that it takes forever for new releases to get there, long enough that i plan on just ordering from the online store with some of the new stuff.
OK, how do I upload from an Android phone, from the con floor to dakka ??? I don't know how
Also the CMoN guys said they would post an announcement tonight on facebook
Dark Age shares a bookcase with Wrath of Kings, not as much miniatures presence as last year, the booth is in the gaming Area now and is mostly Game Demos, if there is Dark Age games, they might be in a different area. Since Immortality was moved to CMoN expo this year, the March may not start up til GenCon, making the period between Expo and GenCon the Off-season. But I will check tomorrow and Saturday. Also this was the First year there wasn't a minis display. Seems like the focus is mostly board games.
checked the event book, they aren't even doing learn to play events. The last few years they went all in for both games at Origins. Dunno, it may be they are holding back for GenCon this year.
Digclaw, go talk to Bryan at the booth. There is a special Immortals tournament I *believe* Saturday night (could be Friday) and the winner gets a custom Bludgelt that Bryan has made with a clear resin and red drops of blood in the resin. It looks amazing.
The earth’s shakin’, the Saints are walking among us, and it’s really starting to heat up in here with the latest set of releases, available now at your gaming store. The Dragyri Earth Caste has a new box set, the Forsaken have an alternate version of Saint Isaac, and the Fire Caste has some new packaging for many of their favorite units. Let’s take a look.
Starting out, the Earth Caste expands its options with the Earth Caste Box Set. Inside, you’ll find one Quake, one Pillar, and one Fissure. Quake is here to shake the ground and protect the other members of his caste from harm. Meanwhile, Pillar is ready to get up-close and personal, letting his fists do the talking with the enemy. And Fissure’s meteor hammer can keep back anyone she doesn’t want around. They’re a stalwart trio and a welcome addition to the subfaction.
Not to be outdone, the Forsaken clanks onto the battlefield with their Saint Isaac, Ajax of Might box set. This set is actually two in one, as the suit of powered armor inside can either be used as an alternate version of the Saint, or as a non-unique set of power armor. Able to lay down a hail of fire, the Ajax of Might box lets the saint cull the enemy herds from afar.
Finally, you wouldn’t think putting fire models inside card boxes would be easy, but we’ve done it, with the newly-repackaged Fire Caste sets. Starting at the top, there’s the Fire Caste Leadership Box. It contains both Rath’zhi, the Arbiter of Rage and a Spirit Lord of Fire. Keep the rest of your troops in line using these two. After the leaders, we have a couple special models in their own box. They’re the Enforcer of Judgment and Artificer of the Alteghran in the Fire Caste Specialist Unit Box. Continuing down the line we come to the Fire Caste Pyre Box, which contains one male and one female Pyre model. Next, tapping into the primal forces of nature, itself, there’s the Greater Fire Elemental box. This was the toughest to keep from burning up the packaging directly. Finally, you don’t want to go without the Fire Caste Ember Box. It has four of the little hotheads in there that you can add to your force. These kits will be available next week. They were just too hot to handle!
So there you have it. Head on down to your local gaming store and pick up these latest releases!
Some cool (Ha!) background for a cool model from a cool faction within The Forsaken:
(NOTE: some story spoilers in there, in case you're not completely up to date!)
AJAX-CHASSIS EXO-FRAME
June 19, 2017
“It is a great honor to pilot such a deadly piece of our history.” –Terry Bandwidt, Ajax Pilot Recruit
Saint Joan’s search to fulfill Isaac’s final words evolved from a strange and vengeful vision quest to a segmented journey from one hidden cache of technology to another. Following outcast rumors, translated texts, and the gasped confessions of the viciously interrogated, her travelling warband uncovered thousand-year-old samples of what the United Worlds had to offer when it was still in control of Attr. Most of these items are broken, decrepit, and little more than potential research for technicians to pore over in the future, but every so often, something is unearthed that is a truly wonderful echo of the planet’s past.
Deep in the dusty bowels of an ancient NorTec facility, half-buried by time and swallowed by the eastern salt and sand, Joan revealed an entire long-storage subfloor devoted to the powerful mechanical suit that Isaac himself rebuilt to serve him – the Ajax’s Might battle armor. While it took Isaac months to track down all the parts and components to build up his unique powersuit, this facility had dozens of them lined up in protective shells and in various states of construction or repair! Saint Joan knew while this would be a major breakthrough for Saint Isaac’s weaponsmiths, somehow this was not what Isaac’s dying statement meant. She was heartbroken, adding to her maelstrom of dark emotions, and continued in her search while leaving behind the engineers to make the most of the find.
It took only a few weeks to figure out how many of the Ajax exo-frames could be made operational. Without Isaac’s genius or familiarity of the chassis to help them, the new Ajax platoon would only number a dozen, maybe two. The new exo-suits would not be quite the “miracle of science” that Isaac’s own Might of Ajax was, but they would still be powerful, new additions to the forces of the Forsaken. All that was needed was a cadre of willing recruits to learn how to pilot the Ajaxes. With stories of Isaac’s bravery during his last stand over the Grand Templar’s remains, they were in no short supply. Training the pilots took longer than anticipated, but in just two months after discovering the secret cache, the forces of Saint Isaac had their first deployable Ajax Exo-Frames.
The newly launched Ajax Exo-Frames possess thick armor plating to protect the pilot inside, allowing them to bring two deadly weapon systems to bear. Armed with a rapid-firing blister gun in one hand and a vent-cooled flamethrower mounted to the other, the Ajax Exo-Frame is a mobile weapons platform capable of inflicting heavy casualties at several effective ranges. Enemies cannot hope to withstand an Ajax’s firepower for long.
Like Saint Isaac’s personal unit, the new Ajax Exo-Frames are powered by a refurbished NorTec fusion core. The technology behind such a powerful energy source is still one superstition away from being considered magical by the common Samarian, and Isaac’s technicians have done their best to recreate what he did with the original Ajax’s Might. Power conduits, wire harnesses, and routing nodes help them get additional power to the exo-frame’s systems, even to weapons that Isaac always thought were too volatile to pump raw fusion into. It is a dangerous gamble to wield such erratic power flow, but now that there is more than just one of these fantastic relics from the past – the engineers believe it is worth the risk.
Since his fall at the blade of Mother Blazon and the talons of her lifeless minions, the followers of Saint Isaac have felt lost without his presence on the battlefield. Seeing the Ajax pilots stomping toward the enemy and unleashing hell is inspiring and invigorating, reminding them that their patron is with them in spirit, if not the flesh. While the original Ajax’s Might sits dormant in New Ashkelon, a single previously unlit “upload successful” light blinking on its HUD, a new corps of Ajax Exo-Frame pilots remind the present about the power of the past.
The head looks like it's on a rail, so, as is usually the case with these "That exo suit has a tiny head!" comments, it probably isn't intended to contain the pilots head, or proportionally represent a human.
Dark Age continues to be the best looking game I will never play!
Much as I like Isaac's cobbled together suit, I would've preferred s new sculpt for the mass produced version. Something closer to the Xenoshyft design.
Barzam wrote: Much as I like Isaac's cobbled together suit, I would've preferred s new sculpt for the mass produced version. Something closer to the Xenoshyft design.
While I agree, the intent behind this was actually an answer to a request by the community for rules to use the suit as a non-character, since it comes in the 2-player starter box of the game.
Looks like Issac is going full Ghost in the Shell. Also I am kind of hoping that Joan gets a full Skaard warband going, another cross faction saint would be cool.
Releasing him as a solo is a great idea and I know CMON doesn't want to go down this road with regard to retailers but I hope they give us additional ways to get needed multiple models outside of the box sets.
I for example would like to get some additional Sin Eaters and Death Knights for my St. Joan force without buying 2 additional sets of characters I don't need.
I do like the frequency with which new articles and such show up on the official site...
PAINT SPL’ATTR – AJAX EXO-FRAMES
June 23, 2017 Community, Hobby
Though there’s an official paint scheme for Dark Age minis, that doesn’t mean everyone has to make their figures look the same. You should always look to paint your minis the way you want, adding your own personal touch and flair to them. In this Paint Spl’Attr article, Dave Taylor and Bobby Lomoggio take us through several paint schemes for the Ajax Exo-Frames, just released. Use their work as inspiration for your own paint schemes, and feel free to show off pictures of what you’ve done with your figures.
With the release of the new Ajax Exo-Frame card for the Saint Isaac subfaction of the Forsaken allowing you to take multiple of the Ajax’s Might model in your force, we thought it might be fun to show you a couple of ways to differentiate them on the table-top.
The easiest way to differentiate your Ajax suits (aka Exo-Frames) is to paint them differently. In the photo above, you can see Dave’s Ajax’s Might on the left, painted to mimic the Saint Isaac suit in the CMON studio collection. On the right, Dave has chosen the same color scheme (Isaac’s signature rust color), but has switched around some of the panels, painting rust red where there was previously metal, and vice versa. This could work quite well if you are only running one additional Ajax Exo-frame alongside your Ajax’s Might.
Another way is to add some bold stripes in a contrasting color to the same scheme as you have painted your Ajax’s Might. In this photo above, you can see different angles of an Ajax Exo-frame with bright, white stripes. According to the lore, there might be as many as two dozen of these Exo-frames that could be fielded, so the addition of a number to one of the shoulders could be helpful, and add a great, future-military feel to the model. This one very definitely stands out from Dave’s original Ajax’s Might, so there’ll be no confusion for his opponents on the table.
Bobby Limoggio has taken a different path again, and has decided to give his first Ajax Exo-frame a very different look. Although his original Ajax’s Might (not pictured) follows the standard scheme pretty closely, he has chosen to go with a dirty white look for this one. The bright scarlet/orange stripes are a nod to another sci-fi vehicle of note, but by switching up his scheme entirely, it leaves Bobby open to explore a variety of options if he decides to add another Exo-frame to his collection.
You might have also noted that Bobby went for a fairly simple, yet effective, conversion here. He turned the head of the model to look off in the opposite direction to the original. If you are feeling daring , you could also try some more extensive conversion work, particularly if you are cutting up the plastic Ajax suit from the Path To Glory starter set.
Alpharius wrote: In the USA, I believe Alliance is about to start carrying it (again?) or maybe they already are?
I have to think the wonky distribution is the only thing really holding this game back.
The miniatures are fantastic, the gameplay itself is great...just got to - you know - actually get it into as many shops as possible!
Yeah I think right now CMoN is the only Distributor. (Yes they are a Distributor and a Publisher, they are the only way for stores to get certain indie miniatures lines)
THE 1,000 POINT MOFFIT CHALLENGE! – OFFICIAL 2017 RULES
June 28, 2017
Since Dark Age began, there have been a few champions of the game that rose up from the ashes and climbed above the chaos to serve as demo volunteers, event coordinators, Playtesters, and even writers or editors of our game and its products. While they are Legion and they all bring new and awesome things to our community, none have gone – literally – so far out of their way to do so as David Moffit.
David is probably one of the only human beings that loves Dark Age more than its creators, and shows this by bringing thousands of points of painted miniatures with him on the road across the United States. On these journeys for his day job, he seeks out Dark Age players willing to go that extra mile to try and take on a veteran player such as he.
This is The 1,000 Point Moffit Challenge, and it is no joke.
Whether you use the Dark Age: Samaria Reborn Facebook page or contact David directly, players can try and connect schedules with Mister Moffit, try to participate in this time honored tradition, and maybe win some loot along the way!
The rules and benefits of the 1,000 Point Moffit Challenge are as follows:
– Challengers must have a 1,000 point legal Dark Age army, painted to a tabletop standard (at least 3 distinct colors on each model)
– Challengers must be willing to have themselves and their miniatures photographed by David before, during, and after the game
– The game’s Scenario is determined randomly at the time of the Challenge
– All Challengers receive a special, laser-cut token to commemorate the event; win, lose, or draw.
– Challengers that are victorious receive a prized Bludgelt!
– Challengers that are victorious also email bryan@cmon.com within 30 days of their victory being reported with a list of $60 worth of Dark Age product from the CMON webstore… this will be their additional prize!
– Challengers that are defeated by Moffit will have their names added to the Tome of the Defeated (or just a notebook that David has), and cannot Challenge again for at least 30 days.
This is a very fun way to get in larger, more epic games of Dark Age, and we hope that many of you will start to try and get your hands on some ‘gelt, earn some free stuff, and give us all the more reasons to put The Moffit to the test!
When - yes, when! - I get 1,000 points painted up I'm going to take the challenge!
A LOOK AT THE BROODSPAWNS EVOLVED
July 3, 2017
In just a few short days, we will be releasing the brand new and terrifying “Beta” rules for the Brood – one of Dark Age’s oldest and dearest factions – and we wanted to give you folks one last peek behind the curtain about how these new rules are going to work.
In the years passed, the Brood could either be played as a complete forcelist with no particular benefit, or as one of three specific Broodspawns that added interesting bonuses at the cost of limiting which units a player was allowed to choose. As we have moved into this new era – both in game rules and in the narrative of the faction – we decided to evolve the Brood into an easier and less-restrictive way to play the models you want to play. The Brood Mere knows her children have new and unique needs that occur when away from the confines of the swamp. When these situations arise, she sends powerful commands to their genetic makeup telepathically. They suddenly have new means to deal with new obstacles – even if it is physically taxing to their malleable forms.
In these Beta Brood Rules (which are going to be fully official for event use!), before you deploy your Brood force, you choose one of four Broodspawn Benefit types. These benefits will function on ALL of your Brood models for the duration of the game. It really is as easy as that.
The Brood Mere knows that her children are not always great at solving problems or overcoming mental challenges, but a new strain of sentience can be tapped into if they have need of such things…
Broodspawn: Awakened is a way to add mental acuity and individual willpower to the Brood. Adding Masochist (+4PS) to all of its units means that Panic counters are shrugged off, On Hold uses for Evade, or some scenario-based Objective Marker interaction can be achieved much more easily.
Sometimes the Brood Mere wants her children to be nothing subtle, funneling raw rage and fury into their already bestial savagery…
Broodspawn: Eradicate is the war form for the Brood. Masochist (+2PW on melee and Bio-Gen attacks) turns good killers into great killers. It is not the finesse option, but spending just a single HP to possibly inflict a lot more damage to enemies is a worthy option.
Mobility is key in certain circumstances, and the Brood Mere knows that she can get bursts of speed out of her minions with just the right urge…
Broodspawn: Guile is key to throwing enemies off during a battle in motion. Masochist (+1MV) is useful on several levels. Secondary Objectives might require a unit to get somewhere fast, injured units can flee to safely heal, and even the diminutive little Pud Roamers – who are already going to be giving up their lives for the Swarm – have a much better range of being helpful to larger monstrosities.
Crippling enemies can be far more useful for the Brood Mere’s children than just completely destroying them, and she can add focused precision to them in order to achieve that clarity of purpose…
Broodspawn: Terrorize is how the Brood ensures that it delivers important status effects and connects with the right attacks at the right time. Masochist (+2AS on melee and Bio-Gen attacks) means that the Brood with attacks based on a target getting Hit are that much more dependable. So, things like Knockdown, Bleed, Sunder Armor, and Pull can be used more often, no matter the target. This is, of course, in addition to making normal attacks just more accurate.
No matter which Broodspawn a player chooses for their game, they will surely make good use out of this new Brood mechanic – especially when they get a host of new options on how to play with their genetic monsters!
Stay tuned for the new Brood in just a few more days!
I know Skaard are next (Gencon), but the Brood are looking very interesting...
Brood Q&A from Facebook!
Dark Age
10 Questions About the Future of the Brood…
We asked you, the Dark Age fanbase, to ask us 10 honest questions about the future of the Brood – to whet everyone’s appetites for the new rules coming out so very soon. These are the first 10 that qualified for answering… and we hope these answers will keep your blood up, fangs sharp, and your stomachs panging for more!
Q1 – @Ash Barker: “When will Pod get the resculpt and attention he deserves?!”
A1 – Well, as long as everything comes together as planned. The hub of Pud Roamer ferocity gets the rules attention it deserves when the Brood Beta Rules are released. Also, a well-earned and far more fearsome resculpt is on its way in 2018.
Q2 – @Randy T Guintivano: “Will there be new units added to the Brood Family and what are they?”
A2 – There are LOTS of new units being planned for the Brood faction book; monsters of several types and sizes!
Q3 – @Steven Jasiczek: “We getting an Alpha Pud or what?”
A3 – Not at this time. Perhaps the giant tooth-slug will be revisited down the road, but at this time there are no concrete plans of seeing it return.
Q4 – @Phillip Dishon: “Not counting re-sculpts, what new characters/models are on the horizon for the Brood?”
A4 – While we cannot spoil the future THAT much, we can tell you that the plans for 2018’s Brood faction book currently has sixteen new units planned, some of which are comprised of multiple sculpts. So you can see there is a lot left to discover within the Brood!
Q5 – @Adam Wan: “Does Scion find a mate and who is it?”
A5 – The Brood Mere has opened Scion up a bit more to a more… polyamorous… lifestyle. She has found several mates and the products of such interactions are numerous, unnatural, and inhuman.
Q6 – @John Carter: “Will there be a Brood faction released based on the sea creatures in the Outcast book?”
A6 – While it is somewhat premature to say such things, the sea creatures that were mentioned in the Outcast book have not been forgotten and will pop up in the narrative soon enough.
Q7 – @David McWilliam: “How is the Brood’s background reflected in the new rules?”
A7 – The Brood, narratively speaking, are in a transition from their old “vat monster bio-weapons set free” to a new sentience and a more tactically sound direction. The Brood as a whole are adapting to a world in conflict, and powerful new influences upon the beasts’ telepathic connections are making them less instinctual and more strategic with each new manipulated genetic code.
Q8 – @David Grimm: “When will the resculpts be available? Soon or next year with the full relaunch of the faction? Also, what is NOT being resculpted?”
A8 – The launch of the Brood resculpts begin this autumn with the Brood Faction Starter and will progress over the course of that time through GenCon 2018. Currently, the only two Brood models not slotted for resculpt are the Howler and the Numbskull. That being said, we will carry the blisters of “old” Brood on the webstore and available for retailers to order from us until we run out of stock or until that particular model is released in its new boxed and resculpted format.
Q9 – @Daniel Garnett: “How is the best way to deal with the Brood if your against them?”
A9 – The Brood are all about using their less-than-finite resource of HP to their advantage. Anything that can hit them, rip away their HP quick, and not let them heal that damage is key. Extreme Damage is best, but taking a moment to spend the AP and finish off a Dying Brood model will go a long way toward earning a victory against them.
Q10 – @Myles Buck: “What do they [the Brood] want in Capt. Flay’s ship?
A10 – Well, the Long Haul has been all over this end of the galaxy in search of loot – and Flay, Belle, and the rest always were on the lookout for top notch bio-chemical and xeno-science gear. Some of the things they scooped up might be more important – terrifyingly so – to the ecology of Samaria than anyone could have known.
BONUS Q11 – @Jesper Heyn: “Which minis will be resculpted and will they be in metal or resin?”
BONUS A11 – See Question #8 for what is planned for resculpt; as for the materials used… unless something happens that forces our hand otherwise, all new Brood sculpts will be resin wherever possible.
There you have it! What are your thoughts? It isn’t long now…
Unf. A buddy of mine has declared he's making Dark Ages his convention game and going with K3, lack of local support be damned. Sorely tempted to Brood up and give him somebody to scrap against ...
I'll be doing the same in my area, but I'll have Outcasts (Generic and Salt Flat), Forsaken (Prevailers and almost all the Saints) and Dragyri (Fire and Shadow) to show up with, demo, etc.
The time has come... now you must go, read, and tremble in fear...
The Official Brood Beta Rules are here!
THE 2017 OFFICIAL BROOD BETA RULES DOCUMENT
July 7, 2017 Background, Cards
The Brood have been evolving and genetically reincarnating for centuries, and the rapid escalation of Samarian conflicts in the last few decades has caused the most change in them to be sure. With the promise of a new Dark Age: Brood faction-focused book planned for later 2018, it was decided that we would give the age old Brood faction a rules-facelift before their full new release. Now, as of today, the gaming populace of Dark Age players and fans get to use these new rules officially.
Found at the links given below, the new Brood Faction Document and Brood Faction Cards downloads are the OFFICIAL rules for the Brood Faction to be used at all sanctioned events, tournaments, etc.
These new rules are technically a BETA of the final rules that will be used to help create those released in the 2018 book and faction card pack (along with many other new toys!). This means that, while we believe these rules to be fair and competitive in their current state, we accept that it might need a little spit and polish here and there. This official beta release gives you, the fan base, a chance to chime in and tell the development team about your experiences with these Brood rules before they go into final print next year. For those wishing to make such notes or comments, please email bryan@cmon.com with “Brood Beta Rules Notes” as the subject line.
This also means that, with the exception of Brood Faction Unit Boxes arriving in stores later this year and through 2018, ALL stat cards found in Brood blisters and card packs are not current and can be discarded. The only official stat cards in use from now until the release of a 2018 Brood Faction Deck will be those found at the link below (or the ones found in official unit boxes).
So… armed with this information, follow these links and wade into the swamp with the new and improved Brood Faction!
“Lock and load, girls and boys. Step where I step. They will never see us coming.”
The life of a Forsaken Haniel is not very forgiving, and often relatively short. Spending days or sometimes weeks hunting the enemy near to their territories puts the Haniels in constant danger, especially those that are ordered to stay active near Skarrd hunting grounds. More than a few Haniels have ended up in the cults’ larders because of a foolish misstep or a brave attempt on a priority target. Only a select gifted number of these deadly scouts venture deep into enemy turf, dodging enemy patrols and picking off stragglers, in order to return to New Ashkelon with invaluable information about wherever they have been. These career scouts are given a military rank and a new title – that of Haniel Ranger.
Haniel Rangers are a strange dichotomy. They have lived most of their military life in the wilderness as true survivors. To do so in Samaria is a remarkable feat indeed, and when you combine it with the enemy communities that the Prevailer Council direct the Haniels to scout, they are on borrowed time. Regular Haniels tough it out as best they can, but the odds of survival increase dramatically when they are with one of the esteemed Rangers.
Armed with an E-14 storm pistol, an advanced sidearm that mimics the same kinds of rounds the regular Haniels fire out of their storm rifles, the Rangers must get in close proximity to the enemy. Automated sound and flash suppression systems in the pistol’s muzzle break allow the Haniel Ranger to fire from hiding without giving up their position. With the flick of their thumb, a Ranger chooses between launching ultra-dense armor piercing rounds to shatter the protective layers of a target or sending tumbling shells of mass-reactive plastique into the unsuspecting foes. If all goes well, when a Haniel Ranger engages the enemy they will never know what hit them before it is far too late.
The combat skills of a Haniel Ranger are impressive, but it is not their trigger finger or trained aim that makes them a prime asset. It is their knowledge of enemy behaviors, patrol movements, and threatening terrain. When they move through the wilderness, they can bring a pair of lesser-skilled Haniels along in a scouting triad that can get close enough to an unsuspecting enemy to set up perfect ambushes, disable security efforts, and collect important reconnaissance. Haniel Rangers take both mental and cartographic notes everywhere they go, creating the perfect travel journal for other allies to follow as well. A Forsaken force that has employed a Ranger can be sure to know all the best routes to take, the safe places to sleep, and the next perfect place to get ready to take the enemy by surprise. Any brave soul willing to sneak forward toward enemy territory before an engagement can do so with much less fear of being discovered, should they have a Haniel Ranger to map out the paths to take or avoid.
In light of the recent gathering of Baniss tribals and Skarrd cults under Father Johann’s fearsome war banner, word spread like a chemical fire across a Trent salvage yard. Dozens of actively mapping Haniel Rangers saw the writing on the wall, sometimes literally, and came back to New Ashkelon with worrisome reports of an amassing horde. Coming off the heels of New Asheklon’s back to back sieges – robots from without and dark creatures from within – now more than ever the Prevailers and their forces need intelligence on this new threat. In a war where knowledge is as important as munitions, the Haniel Rangers are being deployed with more frequency and with one standard order above all others: get close, deal a telling blow, and live to report about it afterwards.
Hello Good Samarians out there. We’ve been busy over here today. For starters, we have posted up new versions of the General FAQ as well as the Secondary Objective Cards on the website. So be sure to check those out. From there, we’ve also got two brand-new videos for you.
For starters, we have a quick video showing off the Haniel Triad Unit Box.
And then, we’ve got a battle report. This one sees the forces of St. Mark take on the Dragyri Ice Caste.
Fire Caste getting the 'box treatment' and a bunch of rules updates...
July Dark Age Releases And Documents Update
July 14, 2017
It’s hot outside. And it’s hot over on the gaming tables, too. The latest Dark Age releases are now available over in the CMON webshop as well as at your LGS. This month we have the new Forsaken Haniel Triad Unit Box, as well as continuing the repackaging of the Dragyri Fire Caste. In addition to all that, we’ve also updated some of the web documents that you should all check out.
The scouting Haniels and their well-traveled Ranger unit leaders are the Forsaken’s best unit at getting in close to the enemy without their knowing about it. Before anyone can do anything about it, the Haniels are hurling specialized ammunition from their storm-class firearms into the unsuspecting enemy.
The Cinder Slaves are specially chosen servants handed overcharged chunks of crystal and sent into battle. Whether cutting up a foe with their crystals or causing them to explode dramatically, Cinder Slaves are willing to die for the Fire Caste!
Representing the penultimate form of the Fire Caste’s disregard for the honorable traditions of other castes, Brimstones wield twin flamethrowers to summon gouts of liquid flame to envelop their enemies in scorching death!
The closest thing to a traditional warrior corps in the Fire Caste, the Volcanic Helots wield sharp-bladed bardiche polearms and a touch of mysticism. They are protectors and soldiers filled with fires of their caste, and are ready to defend it with everything they’ve got.
Elite soldiers of the Fire Caste’s frontline battle efforts, the Volcanic Phalanx defend themselves with advanced energy shields while their warspears stab around the protective wall they form. They have little to fear when a Phalanx digs in its heels with its brethren.
Elite warriors of the Fire Caste, Infernos are armed with deadly pistols that hurl blasts of raw heat and trained fighters with their flashing swords. Infernos close with the enemy as quickly as they can, knowing the damage they are capable of once they engage.
So head out and pick up your boxes today.
As for the web updates, the following files have been updated: March to Immortality, Followers of Saint Isaac, Holy Prevailer Council, Unaligned Forsaken, and Dragyri Shadow Caste. Be sure you’re using the most up-to-date rules for your games.
Man, Dark Age just keeps knocking it out of the park on the releases. It doesn't help that the rules are excellent also. I've got a small St. Isaac force and my buddy has a small K3 one and we love it. I just wish they were better about keeping things in stock. I want to expand my stuff and start CORE, but it takes them so long to get stuff back in.
Hello all you Fine Young (and Old, we don’t discriminate) Cannibals!
With GenCon 2017 looming just a handful of weeks away and with it brings the release of the long awaited Dark Age: Skarrd faction sourcebook. As soon as this collection of great narrative, new units, old units, and all their fearsome talents is out in the wild, we will begin to transfer the Skarrd miniature range into Unit Box sets over the course of several months – all the while surprising you with resculpts and NEW units as well along the way!
The Skarrd releases begin initially with the 500 point Skarrd Horde Faction Starter – a collection of units that not only work well on their own, but can work perfectly well with any of the Cult sub-factions. The rest of the releases accompanying it will emerge throughout 2017 and into 2018, gradually replacing the blisters currently found in our webstore.
Before that begins to take shape, we wanted to share with those looking at the new Skarrd (both current players and potential new ones) just what they can expect to see coming out in these new Skarrd Faction Unit Boxes.
So, take a look at what’s in store for you, and witness how the new horrors of Samaria will be unleashed through our webstore and in participating retailers everywhere!
– Skarrd Faction Starter – $59.99 – Tribal Father (1), Warhead (1), Buzzblades (3), Harpies (3)
– Skarrd Command Box – $39.99 – Tribal Father (1), Grafter (1), Sister of Charity (1), Fetish Bearer (1), Bone Doc (1)
– Skarrd Leadership Box – $44.99 – Jon Woe (1), Saber (1), ANG-1E (1), Blazon (1)
– Blood Cult Faction Box – $69.99 – Father Mayhem (1), Red (1), Keepsake (1), Blood Reign (1), Blood Mistresses (4)
– Abomination Kit Box – $49.99 – Abomination Kit (1)
– Blood Puppet Unit Box – $19.99 – Puppet (4)
– Cult of Metamorphosis Faction Box – $69.99 – Father Johann (1), Quietus (1), Dexus (1), Dominique (1), Fallen Angels (4)
– Nightmare Juggernaut Box – $49.99 – Nightmare Juggernaut (1)
– Juggernaut Box – $49.99 – Juggernaut (1)
– Cult of Metamorphosis Grafting Unit Box – $24.99 – Thrall (1), Grafter’s Apprentices (2)
– Toxic Cult Faction Box – $69.99 – Father Curwen (1), Leisa (1), Hoodoo (1), Kaustic (2), Toxic Mistresses (4)
– Decay Cult Faction Box – $69.99 – Mother Blazon (1), The Marius Project (1), Fallouts (4), Reapers (2)
– Decay Cult Monstrous Unit Box – $34.99 – Dishonor (1), Macabres (2)
– Decay Cult Flesh Echo Unit Box – $34.99 – Flesh Echoes (6)
– Raze and Disciples Unit Box – $54.99 – Raze (1), Disciples of Raze (3)
– Church of Worms Unit Box – $29.99 – Worm Shepherd (1), Drillheads (3)
– Warhead Unit Box – $19.99 – Warhead (1)
– Golab Unit Box – $34.99 – Golab (2)
– Harpy Unit Box – $19.99 – Harpies (3)
– Fell Pack Unit Box – $34.99 – Scourges (2), Fell Packs (2)
– Warblade Unit Box – $29.99 – Warblades (4)
– Buzzblade Unit Box – $19.99 – Buzzblades (3)
– Bola Unit Box – $14.99 – Bolas (3)
Look out, starting in August… the cannibal freak mutants of the Skarrd are on their way!
So… we loom closer and closer to the official release of the first printing of Dark Age: Skarrd, and we wanted to whet your appetites a bit with four new and wonderful changes from the old Skarrd to the new and improved cannibal mutant armed forces.
In the past, the Skarrd cults each had their own specific traits and abilities to separate them from each other in both ability and feel on the battlefield. With the new 2017 rules release, these “Gifts of Evolution” still exist, but now take on a different style of methodology when affecting the tabletop.
In this article, we want to go ahead and show you the four different Skarrd Cult sub-factions’ new and fancy Gifts of Evolution and tell you a bit about why they exist.
First and foremost, with the narrative gathering of the Skarrd tribes at Fort Retribution, there has become an even stronger need for the individual cults and tribes to keep their individuality despite mainly all serving the same cause. This means that Cult forces (units chosen from the individual sub-faction lists) are distinct from the unaligned Skarrd Horde choices that any force may choose from. The Gifts of Evolution (previewed below) ONLY apply to the actual Cult models – Horde models working alongside the Cult do NOT gain these benefits.
Let’s take a look at the older Cults first…
Empowered by both the blood shed of their enemies and that spilled of their own warriors, the Blood Cult are filled with pre-combat blood magic rituals and the rush of combat around them. This benefits the Cult in two fashions.
First, members of the Blood Cult have mystic and mysterious ways to draw the energy out of anything they face – even that which doesn’t truly “bleed.” It is this strange and wonderful power that allows some of their attacks to cut into a victim and cause what’s inside to leak out in thick gouts. Whether it is entropic-cell glop from within a C.O.R.E. bot’s batteries, the bio-energy reservoirs of Kukulkani constructs, or even the energies that hold together Dragyri elementals – everything can bleed under a Blood Cultist’s blade.
Secondly, and arguably more commonly useful, is the thrill that Blood Cultists get when they see violence and bloodshed around them. As the combat ensues and lives are lost, Blood Cult members can be invigorated, re-rolling important dice, after enough gore has splashed the ground muddy.
The world of Samaria has evolved just as much as the Skarrd has, and the Toxic Cult has yet to master some of the new toxins and venoms that have come to the world – from the stars above as well as the abyss below. While they can be made to succumb to envenomation they have yet to put themselves through, the base effects of disease, venom, and poison still call out to the Cult. They can manipulate the filth infesting those around them in three interesting ways.
First, they can call out to someone who has been poisoned nearby to burn off the foul substance – removing the venoms from their body, but possibly in a manner painful enough to steal the breath from their lungs and even stop their heart.
Toxic Cultists can see the places on a body where poisons collect, making for perfect targets to strike from the outside –the end result being a much more efficient and deadly attack if it connects at that pocket of toxins.
Lastly, by absorbing the toxins infesting everyone around them, breathing and drinking in the essence of filth in their area, the Cultists can actually be strengthened. They fuel their physical form with it, allowing them to ignore what would be mortal wounds on lesser folk.
The Cult of Metamorphosis has always been keyed in to the energies released whenever technology of any kind on Samaria malfunctions. The more catastrophic the failure, in their opinion, the better – even if it takes the life of an ally! In Dark Age, malfunctions of attack groups and psychogenics are commonplace, and the Cult of Metamorphosis can make the absolute most out of these bad situations whenever they arise.
When a Metamorphosis Cultist is close enough to a mishap such as these, they can fill themselves with energy – some believe it to be the energy lost by the malfunctioning technology itself, others say it is just them Cultists’ excitement at the spectacle. Either way, they are thoroughly infused with potential by technology’s failures (occasionally their own), gathering up such misfortune and using it for their own benefits.
The newest of the Skarrd Cults, the Cult of Decay has a strange power over one of the oldest and most powerful forces anywhere in creation – the decline into oblivion… death. When the bonds of the physical world begin to fail around them, Decay Cultists can grab hold of the spindling threads and pull apart the weave of substance.
Decay Cultists can send a pulse of entropic energy into a target that has already begun to wither away, expending the weakened bonds in order to hopefully rip a hole into the target on the other side. This ability to reach out through the ether and rip at something already touched by death can be perfect to inflict damage at just the right time.
If using their mystical connection to death energy isn’t enough, they can also feed directly off something slipping into its demise. If a target is saturated enough with these energies that weaken and dissolve their physical strength when a Decay Cultist deals them a fatal blow, their fleeting life force can be drawn into the Cultist to mend their own.
Lastly, when something nearby is on the very brink of its existence – clinging to the fading wisps of life – a Decay Cultist can focus its own mastery over death’s embrace upon it. In the space between heartbeats a Cultist can snuff out that last spark despite any amount of medical attention or potential aid.
When the Cult of Decay has decided that it is time for a dying flame to go dark, it goes dark indeed.
***
So… with just a few weeks to go before the release of the book’s first printing, we now know just a few of the interesting new tricks these inhuman monsters have up their sleeves. It goes without saying that there is so much more in store, but now at least you can be ready for these first few changes…
Looking forward to seeing the Skarrd remodels. The buzzblades look absolutely brutal and those harpies are great--- if looking impossible to transport.
With just over two weeks to go before Dark Age: Skarrd hits the shelves, we want everyone to get ready to grab those 236 pages and get the evolution of the rules and the Dark Age narrative!
Because here at Dark Age we believe strongly in giving sneak peeks and exciting previews, we grabbed a few pages of story lore and are letting you fans have a short read to whet your appetites for more!
Get ready… there are some VERY important things that happen in the stories found in Dark Age: Skarrd, and clever readers will discover some truly interesting hints at the future!
Take a few minutes and read these “random” story pages!
(Just kidding, they aren’t random… Bryan chose them based on maximum awesome with minimum spoilers!)
Only a short time before Dark Age: Skarrd comes out for everyone to marvel upon, and it will probably take quite a while for you readers to find all the cool new aspects of the older units and pick out the best parts of the new ones.
In proper Dark Age fashion, we have decided to give you a little preview of just a handful of these monsters. Five previews; one from each section of the book. We are going to take a look at the new versions of four existing units – and preview the existence of one that has never before been seen!
Dark Age: Skarrd brings some awesome new tactics to the tabletop, and we cannot wait for you players to discuss and utilize these units in new and fantastic ways!
Let’s begin…
Skarrd Horde – The Drillhead
One of the old stand-by units for both the Skarrd and Johann’s old comrades, the Followers of the Heretic (under new management as of the events in this book, by the way!), the Drillhead has been something of a staple for many forces. Reducing its cost by 10 points to follow the 25-point increment standard, the Drillhead has had quite a few adjustments to also fall in line with the current power level of the game and strategic utility of these horrid little grafted worms.
It’s Assault Group allows for the monster to reach out with its coiled body and stab at foes using RE all of the time, sending horrifying chunks of enemy flying in all directions if it gets a good stab going. Once an activation however, it can really put all of its weight behind an attack and shred even the toughest of foes.
While it lost some protection and a HP from its former profile, the new Drillhead has something that its story has supported since the very beginning – Regeneration. The zmei worms have always been noted to regrow very rapidly when cut up… and now they show that on the battlefield!
Drillheads are not quite the same asset of war they once were, but having a new role has made them no less a stalwart part of any Skarrd force.
Blood Cult – The Keepsake
Formerly used a leader of the hideous Puppets either through Squadlink or being nearby them, the Keepsakes have become a more universal “middle management” kind of Commander. Their Commander trait and high Squadlink numerical value allows them to be able to join with packs of Buzzblades, Warblades, Blood Mistresses, and yes… even Puppets once more. Their Incite ability turns even lowly 25 point grunt Buzzblade soldiers into capable warriors, and tossing in a Blood Reign if possible can be utterly devastating!
Between the Blood Cult Psychogenics available to her as well as the addition of a second Assault Group – the Bloodcurse – the Keepsake can be tremendously useful at short ranges too. Simply adding Bleed Counters to models at range without fear of retaliation and then making the most out of Psychogenics like Blood Dominance and Sanguine Plague.
Blood Cult players are going to set aside 75 points, at least in their competitive Reinforcements, to make sure they have a Keepsake on hand when pack tactics and Bleed are going to be game winners!
Toxic Cult – Father Curwen
he supreme leader of the Toxic Cult has become a more “hands on” kind of battlefield leader in his new form. Statistically falling in line with the new 150-point Cult Fathers (and one Mother!), Curwen is still a powerful asset on the tabletop – but former Toxic Cult players should take note and just don’t think he is the all-consuming tank that he once was. In Dark Age, after all, everything dies…
Curwen still keeps a lot of the same feel as his older version. His Injector Scythe can either sweep aside several targets – giving them all Toxic Counters to be used in a multitude of ways – or single Reach attacks can make use of existing Counters to ensure his attacks strike home. Even if he doesn’t want to directly engage, his Foul Spew is still a great way to get past tricky armor and add even more Toxic Counters to small groups of models.
While Virulent Fumes no longer inflict free hits, they help make Curwen last longer in combat and add to his role as a Commander of his troops. His Squadlink number rate of 6 allows him to take a HUGE amount of soldiers along with him when he charges into battle, and if he keeps himself near their enemies as well they can benefit from his foul odor too!
Being a Psychogenic Master, as well as his innate Toxic Cult abilities, gives Curwen a multitude of different ways to use the Toxic Counters on friends and foes alike. When planning out the uses of Curwen’s AP in his activations, players will want to take a few extra seconds to look at every option he currently has to spend, add, and spread all that Toxic around!
Cult of Metamorphosis – The Nightmare Juggernaut
One of the iconic Cult of Metamorphosis models, the Nightmare Juggernaut has always been a ferocious force to see on the battlefield – and now it is a tactical surprise as well! From one of its first narrative appearances, the Nightmare Juggernaut was supposed to be a “tunnel up from below” type of siege monster… now it is! The addition of Ambush to this model allows it to get stuck in to the enemy right away, barring a bad Ambush scatter of course, and disrupt enemy plans by suddenly appearing where it was not expected. If the Nightmare Juggernaut appears properly and its player gets initiative, it can be devastating.
Its Assault Group is the exact same as that of the normal Drillhead (which makes sense, knowing what this creature is made up of), but uses Pack Attack to roll as many dice as it has current HP. This means that – even though it has Regeneration – once it starts getting damaged, its efficiency drops quickly.
Luckily for Cult of Metamorphosis players, the Nightmare Juggernaut is a difficult monster to kill. Although its DEF 8 makes it easy to hit again and again, its AR 20 and 4 HP (effectively 5 HP, if you count while it is Regenerating) keeps it around. Enemies might have trouble delivering that last killing blow through that hard flesh – even when it is lying there trying to heal!
Cult of Decay – The Macabres
A brand new unit to the Skarrd, the Macabres are what happens when Buzzblades have a constant diet of highly rotten flesh. It makes them mutate bigger, tougher, meaner – and definitely crazier. Macabres run headlong into battle swinging their cleavers, hooks, blades, and chains at anything that gets too close – hoping they can make a future meal out of them!
Multiple swings per attack AP make them efficient killers at their meagre 50 point cost, but knowing that their Frenzied ability could cause them to turn all these swings at friendlies makes them somewhat dangerous to have around. Crafty players will bring a Scourge out of the Horde to hopefully keep them in line, but they will need to protect the whip-cracker – as he is nowhere near as resilient as these bulky barbarians are.
Their above-average AR of 16, Tough as Nails, and Fueled by Combat (albeit only with a PS 12) means that – against the right opponents – they can get in and stay in combat for quite a time. Their lower point cost makes them a good way to bulk up – pardon the pun – Cult of Decay forces with efficient killers.
While we would love to show you more… we still have to go and get some things prepared for GenCon… and some things aren’t even Skarrd…
Can't wait to see what these miniatures end up looking like - I'm sure they'll impress!
Gen Con 2017 – Lots of Great New Things for Dark Age!
August 9, 2017
With people getting ready to head out to Indianapolis for “the best four days of gaming” known as Gen Con 2017, we know that everyone has started scheduling their purchases and arranging for their so-called ninja-shoppers.
To help our loyal fans and such get their dollars, pounds, euros, gold doubloons, or Trent-mint ‘gelt ready to drop on all the new things for Dark Age next week, we decided to go ahead and send out this list of new products that we will have on hand (while supplies last, of course!).
So, if you get there on Thursday morning and are ready to grab all the new hotness before it is gone at the show, these are some of the great things you will find on and around our shelves!
Dark Age: Skarrd – $39.99
Dark Age Skarrd 2017 Faction Deck – $14.99
Skarrd Faction Starter Box – $59.99
Skarrd Raze and Disciples of Raze Unit Box – $54.99
Skarrd Scourge and Fell Pack Unit Box – $34.99
Dragyri Slaves Unit Box – $49.99 (now includes the Earth Caste Stat Cards, too!)
…and more!!!
Also, if you manage to beat out the crowds and get them while we have stock in the booth… you can even get your hands on some of our special, Limited Edition Dark Age miniatures!
Scarlet Greater Fire Elemental – $25.00
C.O.R.E. “Coy” TB-13 – $10.00
Ancient Tech Ghrakun, Herald of Tenacity – $20.00
…and introducing for the first time…
Leuedai, Female Ice Caste Blizzard – $20.00!!!!!!
Wait! We’re not done! The first 500 Dark Age customers will also get their hands on the first printed copies of the brand new Chronicles: Skarrd; Diary of a Toxic Man, fantastic narrative collection of game scenarios based around the actions and missions of Father Curwen!
There is much more going to be available for sale, and a number of amazing new miniatures in our display cases for the first time ever. Come on out, grab what you need, and then let’s go play some Dark Age!
GenCon 2017 is just next week, and we wanted to make sure everyone planning to attend was made aware of the three distinct March to Immortality tournaments being held during the Best Four Days in Gaming!
If you are coming to the convention and want to throw some dice and push some killer miniatures around for fun, fame, and prizes – including the coveted bludgelt coins used to buy your way into the Immortals tournament at CMON Expo in May 2018 – you will want to sign up! These are ticketed events, so be sure to make sure your spot gets held. Spots are going fast!
All of these tournaments are going to be 3-round events using the standard MtI 2017-2018 format, calling for 500 point Forces (bring an optional 150 point reinforcement “sidebar”) and all your normal gaming accoutrements.
The information you will need to get in on these fantastic events are as follows:
NMN17123039 – Thursday Night 8:00pm (Hosted by the guys at New Ashkelon Radio!)
NMN17122599 – Friday Night 6:00pm (Hosted by Bryan Steele himself!)
NMN17123041 – Saturday Night 8:00pm (Hosted by the guys at New Ashkelon Radio!)
Come one out, get signed up, and get some cool prizes while playing some fun games against people from all over the world!
While Bryan toils away here at Gen Con, the hard-working warehouse crew was busy making sure that everyone is going to get something this weekend. The August releases for Dark Age are now available!
It’s quite an important release this month, as we’ve got the new Skarrd book for you.
This new tome of Dark Age lore and rules puts a new face on the mutant cannibals and introduces a powerful new threat from within their ranks – the undying worshippers of atomic fallout, the Cult of Decay! Bringing new rules for one of Dark Age’s oldest sets of monsters as well as revealing many new units, Dark Age: Skarrd is a must have for Skarrd players and Dark Age fans
We also have a new Skarrd Faction Starter.
From the early days after the Abandonment, when the they fled from the ruins of Port City to become the tribes of the Baniss, to the appearance of the Heretic Saint and the creation of the Skarrd, the denizens of the Northern Wastes
have had to become brutal killers to survive. There is no room for the weak, there are no resources to be spared on the sick or elderly. In Skarrd society, you take what you need to survive and you follow the commands of your Tribal Father.
Up next is the Fell Unit Box.
Much like the members of the Skarrd tribes, the fell jackals of Samaria are skilled scavengers who use pack tactics to bring down their enemies. It is little wonder, therefore, that the beasts are now ubiquitous around the fringes any Skarrd camp. They can be used as hunting dogs, or guided into battle by the violent Scourge taskmasters. Whichever way the Fell Packs are used, you can bet that no tears will be shed over their fate.
And then Raze gets a new box set.
No one can remember where Raze came from, and the silent Raze does not care to illuminate anyone. There is much speculation on his origin – from suggestions he is a cyborg to rumors he was created before the Fall – but none of it really matters. All that matters is that Raze goes where he pleases, and the enemies of Raze do not last long. This stoic and constant presence has spawned a cult of admirers, fanatics who have modified their bodies to echo the shape of Raze himself.
Skarrd aren’t the only faction with something this month. Dragyri have a couple of releases, also.
The Dragyri culture runs heavily on the idea that the Trueborn warriors are devoted to glory and combat, leaving the menial tasks to a multitude of comparative diminutive Slaves. These scampering servants are brought to battle alongside the Trueborn, hurling themselves to the best of their ability at the enemy – sometimes with the crack of a Taskmaster’s whip at their backs!
And last, but not least, the new box for Air Caste Elementals.
Among the elements attuned to Trueborn Castes, Air exhibits the most variety in the way it can be channeled by a Soul Warden. In addition to the Greater Storm Elemental, the Soul Wardens can summon packs of Zephyrs, who rely on numbers
to assault their foes, or Squalls, who can deliver their destructive lightning strikes at range.
Thanks Alph! The DA site was erroring on the unaligned link so I googled around and must have found a cached PDF. Was contemplating a Ryze + Disciples based warband for grunty headless smashing ...
As the year wears on, the nights get longer and the winds start to blow. Seems like a perfect time for some new Shadow Caste and Air Caste releases. And that’s exactly what we’ve got for you this month. Each faction gets a pair of releases. Let’s take a deeper look at them.
Starting off, there’s the Air Caste Leadership Box. Yovanka is worthy of her position as Grand Arbiter. She is utterly unafraid of change, and shatters notions of tradition while redefining honor amongst the modern Dragyri forces. A formidable warrior, Yovanka is also without peer when it comes to manipulating her Air Focus. The Spirit Lord of Air stands ready to carry out the orders of her Arbiter, bringing her own martial prowess and Focus to bear on the enemies of the Dragyri.
Up next, there’s the Storm Elemental Box. When the Soul Wardens for the Air Caste master their focus and pull together the forms of a trio of lesser elementals, they can create the massive and incredibly dangerous Greater Storm Elemental. Brute strength and vicious clawing attacks, lightning strikes and savage blows, they are a vortex that demolishes all in their wake without mercy.
Turning to the dark world of the Shadow Caste, we begin with the Shadow Caste Leadership Box. The Shadows have risen from the depths of Samaria, and their leaders have made it clear – they will not shy away from the battles of the surface. The Spirit Lord of Shadow has shamanic mastery over darkness but Amabilia, the Arbiter of Chaos, is a well-trained fighter with nearly as much mystic power. With them at the head of the Shadow Caste, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished.
Skulking behind the next corner is the massive Huntress box. Nearly as old as the Shadow Caste itself, the Huntress is an ancient horror that has come to the surface world for the first time. She is an abominate combination of Dragyri, Arachnae, and elemental darkness that stalks the world with an eternal hunger and the instinct to lead her spidery hordes into combat.
That’s what you can get new this month, my good Sumerians.
OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:no sign of stock arriving at Element Games yet, wonder how long it will be
(or if it's going to be the same sad story of their old distribution in the UK of being available in theory but never really in practice)
Who knows what's going on in that regard?
It doesn't look promising so far though, as I doubt that no news is good news here.
highlord tamburlaine wrote:I love how they keep churning out new and interesting models for both this and Wrath of Kings, but NEITHER GAME IS IN STOCK AT RETAIL.
Quite frustrating.
If they weren't so slow (or pricey) about shipping from their webstore I probably would have ordered a bunch of models from both games already.
No kidding!
I placed an order - for all 'in stock' items - on their website in 8/25 and it didn't actually ship until 9/12!
It seems as if the only thing holding back CMON in terms of growing their miniature war gaming brands is...CMON.
You asked and we answered. Bryan takes a look at 20 questions that you wanted to know about the Skarrd faction.
Q#1 – (Dan Brugman): “Are Followers of the Heretic getting any attention with new models/rules, or are we stuck with current sculpts and rules halfway between Skarrd and Forsaken?”
A#1: Well, the Followers got a little bit of an update with the new Skarrd rules to existing models like Drillheads and Harpies, but the real bonus comes from getting access to Jon Woe and ANG-1E. When the Forsaken get the camera shifted back to them in a year or so, there will be new love for the Heretics – some of which the seeds for will be found in upcoming stories.
Q#2 – (David McWilliam): “Why does the art for The Marius Project show it with such neat beard and hair?”
A#2: The horrifying beast that Mother Blazon’s cult made out of Marius and the Cherubs is her personal pet (and pet project), so it makes sense that she grooms him regularly!
Q#3 – (Scott Webster): “How many Skarrd releases will we see between now and the Brood release?”
A#3: Lots. If all goes well and to schedule, all of the Skarrd Unit Boxes will be out in stores before Dark Age: Brood releases in August. Some of the Brood resculpt boxes will overlap the Skarrd, but not before the book actually drops.
Q#4 – (Josh Street): “New player here: what books should I buy after the [Skarrd] starter set?”
A#4: That is a very deep question based on a few factors. Do you have a specific Cult in mind? Are you interested in a mostly Panic-driving force? This is a matter that can be better defined over a conversation thread on the Dark Age: Samaria Reborn facebook fan group, perhaps?
Q#5 – (Matthew Bartholomew): “For the Toxic Psychogenic Tainted Blood. When does the enemy receive toxic counters? So if a model swings at the Tainted Blood model, does it apply -2 AS immediately, or not until the next swing?”
A#5: Ooh! Good question. As that it doesn’t make note specifically of when the Toxic Counter would be added (ie: when targets, hits, etc.), it should be added after the action is completed – whether or not the Psychogenic’s user dies in the attempt. This will be added to the Faction FAQ for clarity. Thanks!
Q#6 – (Sam Gallagher): “Are they’re going to be any additions to the faction outside of the book release? Like more church of the worm or disciples of raze models and rules.”
A#6: With the success of non-book additions like the Earth Caste, the Haniel Ranger, and more coming soon… we are definitely looking at adding more things to the Skarrd in the future. This will happen after we get done taking care of the factions/sub-factions that still need some love, but it WILL eventually happen.
Q#7 – (Cory Walker): “How often do you restock? Supposedly new Skarrd Starter Box is sold out (my local retailor got put on back order).”
A#7: We order our restocks from the casting facilities as soon as we notice that stock is getting thin. In the case of some products as of late, the stocks are depleted so fast that we have to put in the order almost immediately. We order restocks pretty much constantly, but are at the mercy of the timeline the casters’ machines and manpower. It is an awesome sign that Dark Age is doing so well that things are selling out so quickly, but we have to do our part in raising those stocking numbers as well. These are the growing pains of our success, but they will get better… we promise!
Q#8 – (Cliff Hamrick): “According to the Blood Cult, which of the other factions are the most delicious?”
A#8: As of the discovery of “bot pudding” (eating the organic meat-soup found in C.O.R.E. entropic cell batteries), I think most of Mayhem’s madmen are seriously hankering for some robots’ tasty, gooey centers!
Q#9 – (David Moffit): “Shouldn’t cannibals have fueled by combat?”
A#9: Fueled by Combat, as an ability, is not just the physical consumption of an enemy. Depending on the model, it could be an invigoration because of killing a foe, the active draining of some kind of aetheric essence, or something else entirely. Giving every model that eats another model in this game Fueled by Combat would put that ability all over the place. Not all cannibals get the same rush from taking a life – maybe it is just a bite for the road!
Q#10 – (Ray Wright): “When will the Cult of Decay models be released?”
A#10: The schedule for the releases recently had to be altered due to a delay with the mass production of a couple of their sculpts, so the Cult of Decay boxed sets are scheduled to be in our webstore starting in January 2018. We were hoping for November, but that pesky Marius Project and a few of the Flesh Echoes have been dragging their feet. Trust us however, they are TOTALLY worth the wait!
Q#11 – (Owen Rehrauer): “What’s the best drink pairing to serve with bot pudding?”
A#11: Oh, that is easy… a little Luck’mai’taii, rimmed in xenosathic salt. (Man… Bryan really should do a Samarian Cookbook, shouldn’t he?)
Q#12 – (Daniel Galluppi): “Will blister packs start being released again?”
A#12: No. Blister packs will only ever be used to sell Limited Edition models and older models that are waiting for new friends to join them in a regular unit box (ie: Captain Cora or Dah’vid).
Q#13 – (Igor Ivanov): “Will he [Father Johann] get a new sculpt in the upcoming year (yes/no, no need to get into the details)?”
A#13: Not at this time. A good paintjob makes Father Johann’s model pop just fine. Perhaps in the future, but he is not on the list of impending resculpts for the foreseeable future.
Q#14 – (Tyler Drew Jones): “I’m liking the new Cult wide Gifts of Evolution. Any plans do so with Heretics or other Forsaken sub-factions?”
A#14: Well, we aren’t going to be looking into touching back on the Forsaken Faction for at least a year, but who knows where the story will take us and what will happen when that time comes?
Q#15 – (Erica Barlow): “Are there any play balance issues that everyone seems to have? Is Golab too good? How would these issues be addressed going forward, or is now set in stone because it’s in the book?”
A#15: Nothing in our game is ever fully set in stone, as that we can always make errata and card adjustments through the online documents and card files. However, we like to wait at least a year before any major unit changes need to take place.
Q#16 – (Igor Ivanov): “So who is Skars and how is he related to Skarrd (and Kukulkani too)?”
A#16: Skars’ sordid tale is told in the Skarrd book, but we can sum it up for you… he was a human being captured by the Kukulkani to be experimented upon and bridge the communication gap between the Kukulkani and humanity. They filled him up with horrible stuff and eventually he escaped. Now he lives as a frontier monster, either hanging out with other monsters (Skarrd) or getting his internal implants and augments recharged by being close to the technomantic bio-energy network (Kukulkani).
Q#17 – (Corey Gilarno): “Are there gonna be separate cult starters coming out? Any time frame?”
A#17: There will be faction boxed sets for all the Cults similar to how we released sub-faction boxes for the Forsaken Saints. As for a time frame, I believe the new schedule has the first of those coming out in January 2018. In the meantime, you can get much of the line still in blister format through our webstore.
Q#18 – (Alex Bannet): “Will we see more Bounty Hunters that can work with Skarrd?”
A#18: Oh yes; with Father Johann trying to assemble a legitimate nation of Skarrd under his banner… he will be getting some of the less scrupulous Bounty Hunters in the world to work for him and his ilk.
Q#19 – (Derrick Postale): “Do Charity’s Might or Zeal (or Dominique’s Chalica) still count as Buzzblades for other purposes?”
A#19: Nope; as soon as the model that changes them deploys onto the field of battle and gives them their new stat card and model name, they cease being Buzzblades and join the battle as something totally new and improved!
Q#20 – (Melissa Wiley): “Is Father Curwen going to kill Father Johann for getting involved with the Mary situation?”
A#20: While we won’t straight out and say that one Father will kill the other in any sort of open conflict, I think it is safe to say that the two mighty Tribal Fathers are going to eventually have to come to blows over their opposing views on how to handle poor, poor Mary.
Interesting stuff!
Also:
Q#4 – (Josh Street): “New player here: what books should I buy after the [Skarrd] starter set?”
A#4: That is a very deep question based on a few factors. Do you have a specific Cult in mind? Are you interested in a mostly Panic-driving force? This is a matter that can be better defined over a conversation thread on the Dark Age: Samaria Reborn facebook fan group, perhaps?
In Bryan’s Facebook Live video last week he mentioned pulling back the curtain and filling you, the loyal and waiting Dark Age fanbase, in on what is coming over the next few months for our game. Never wanting to make a liar out of him, here is a few things to mark on your calendar (or at least make note of) to get excited about.
October sees the final official unit box releases of the Shadow Caste Dragyri as well as the first official Brood Faction Starter box! As that we are sorting out post-hurricane(s) restock orders and the like, we should also see lots of the out of stock boxes pop back up into sales-ready levels. Among these are the second printings of the 2017 Secondary Objective decks AND the 2017 Master Rules! Things have been going so well in the last year that we needed to order new cards AND books! Awesome, huh?
Additionally in October, you will see the update to the Beta Brood Rules stat cards based on YOUR feedback! Look VERY soon for the first installment of changes to keep these monsters fair and fun before their unit boxes and resculpts start to launch.
November heralds the beginning of winter for Bryan, so he has planned to get those unit boxes and resculpts of the Dragyri Ice Caste out in force this month. With CMON going to the first ever Pax Unplugged as well as these awesome beasts coming out, it should be a great month for Dark Age new and old alike.
Bryan is also planning on hosting a fun new contest via the Dark Age Facebook page in the month of November, so if you like winning free stuff and getting personal accolades from surely your favorite apocalyptic sci-fi skirmish game… stay tuned and get caught up on your narrative plots and characters!
December is always a strange time around the various CMON offices, as that there are a lot of holidays to contend with around the globe as well the one month that Dark Age always chooses NOT to have a full release of anything new. It gives everyone a chance to have some family time, play some games, and for us in the production process – get a little caught up and ready for the madness of the next year.
While we won’t be releasing anything new to the webstore, we will still be taking orders and (for you retailers out there) updating our stocks and preorder sales forms accordingly. For you, the fans and players, we have filled our social media calendar with a ton of great things to share with you. From starting the month off with a Facebook Live event, making sure you get some new video support, to getting a fun new narrative story and some stat card updates a year or so in the making – there will still be a lot to look forward to at the end of 2017.
Finally, for January, we plan to kick off the new year with some really cool stuff. Cracking open the vaults and letting out the first of the Skarrd Decay Cult boxes alongside some of their much-needed Character support is a great way to start 2018. Add in some resculpted unit boxes for other factions and you have a great month to look forward to in the case of models.
Additionally, if that wasn’t enough, Bryan has a special pack of new Secondary Objective Cards that all players are going to want to get their hands on for one reason or another. With official events allowing players to doctor their decks, these cards will bring a fun new aspect to everyone’s games – and quite possibly give more reasons for players to build their forces in particular ways.
Well… without dipping too deeply into what is to come and spoiling all of our surprises, we hope this shows you that – while 2017 is coming rapidly to a close – we are still very much ready to keep you excited, talking, and most importantly – playing Dark Age throughout these next months!
I wonder why they put out promo shots of the boxes, with no Close-ups of the actual minis besides the side-on view on the box. So weird, the minis are Amazing but it's hard to get a good look at them!
It has been roughly 90 days since we released the initial cards for the Beta Brood Official Playtest, and the results have been humbling. You folks (the players) really do have a soft spot for these regenerating beasts of bio-engineered flesh and chitin! With the Brood Faction Starter Box just about to be available to the public and Bryan showing up at this convention or that event with his scary little monsters, it became evident that it was about time to update the Beta Brood Cards to show how much your feedback (emailed to bryan@cmon.com) about the Brood actually means to the Dark Age team and design process.
Along with this article, the online Brood stat cards have now been adjusted to discuss the changes our playtesting and your feedback has helped shape.
We didn’t want to just leave you having to hunt and peck for stat changes and the like, so let’s discuss what really changed right here.
Let’s start at the top.
MJB-4 is an in-close fighter, getting in the thick of things fast and seemed not to have all the chances to heal like he ought to. However, he is still 20 feet tall and ABLE to heal, so we chose to add a point to his AR while making him one easier to be hit as well. There were several comments about him not hitting hard enough, so we went ahead and gave him Furious Charge to help sharpen his teeth (staff?). Lastly, in reflection of something else coming to join MJB-4 in next year’s Brood book, we dropped his Commander rating to 4; still good for leading monsters, but not the best the faction will have available to it.
Helexa was a place where nearly all the emails had something to say. Her most notable comment was, when combined with Broodspawn: Awakened, she could have a PS 20 that she passes on to her entire force. While not utterly game-breaking, we at Dark Age don’t like many “sure things” in our game, so we reduced her PS from 16 to 15 as well as modified her Mental Link to have a radius of effect instead of table-wide. This makes her still very useful, but forces tactics and choices instead. We also increased her Commander rating to help make sure she can keep those friends close. Giving her an extra point of AR and Never Panic helped make her worth her 150 points once the battle was engaged, but so did the addition of a new ability called Parting Blow – letting her engage enemies and know that she will eventually get swings at them, one way or another.
Murtros is the Brood’s “backwoods general”, and we needed him to stay firmly in that role. He was given Never Panic; he is a legendary nightmare to frontier folk, after all. His Commander rating was adjusted to show his leadership role, but not outshine the hive mind of Helexa, either. Nothing else really stood out or was pointed out about our guerrilla warfare specialist.
Scion saw a great deal of use, it seems, by the sheer number of people commenting about her in their reports. The biggest change was the need to increase her Point Value from 125 to 150. She was definitely fighting above her weight class before, and now she seems to fight right in. Like other 150 point Brood Characters, we gave her Never Panic. While her points increase was needed, we also felt that her claws could hit harder and her tendrils could hit more often, so those numbers were also adjusted slightly.
The Mandible has also seen a lot of use lately, reports show. His adjustments came primarily from a string of reports that complained that the Mandible always outpaced or Ambush-deployed nowhere near the models that he shares a Squadlink keyword with – so we gave him the new “middle management” special ability of Commander*(1). Now he can fit in with any unit as battlefield support, and with Reach added to his attacks he can do so without getting in the way of the packs he is joining.
Gazelle is another fan favorite that reports were telling us that she just didn’t seem to live up to her potential. One large change that needed to happen was the adjustment of her Masochist ability to give her an additional AP instead of something she could already get from being a Broodspawn. Going along to match the narrative as well as celebrate two amazing new sculpts by Thierry Masson (a work-in-progress shown below), we decided to add a small Squadlink to the Gazelles. It isn’t a huge change to let them pair up, but it does help. Finally, to give Gazelles the punch that people universally claimed she didn’t have, her basic kicks now have Reach and can knock people down… but it is her big Double Kick that can make for a great running dropkick now that it has Devastating Charge.
Lashers, like their bigger sister Scion, were really fighting at a higher class than they were intended to. They are fast, smart, and agile scouts able to fill several battlefield roles, but their attacks were putting them over the top. The PW on their attacks was lowered, as was the AS of their head-tentacles. Now they fight more like a 75 point scout-like model should. Additionally, their Survivalist was removed and their DF raised by a point. Already having Reaction Strike and Elusive, they could already do a lot – and you players noticed.
We had a couple solid reports on the much-maligned Pod; walking Pud nests capable of effectively sacrificing themselves to *maybe*get a single PW 10 hit on someone. The AR was increased on these monsters, hoping to get them into combat with a little more survivability to make use of their increased combat efficiency. This is also to help them make more of a difference on the battlefield, because after hearing about piles of Pud Roamers all squadlinking at once with Furious Charge – we knew that Field Order had to go.
Alpha Broodlings were being heralded as the newest greatest thing, and we believe we understand why – 2 HP AND Regenerate on a 50 point model. So, much to the chagrin of many, it is being reduced back down to 1 HP. However, to make the most out of that HP, we added two points of chitinous AR and changed that Field Order into a squadlink-based Order.
The frequently proxied Mucous Bloatling only saw a very minor change that doesn’t affect them AT ALL until new units emerge in the future – we changed the name of their squadlink keyword from “Mucous Bloatling” to just “Bloatling.” That will be eventually evident as to why.
The last unit to see any of these first changes, the basic Broodling was a little too easy to pop for a close combat unit without Reach. Even at only 25 points and Regenerate, it was just too easy to kill swaths of them. It isn’t much, but a slight increase to their AR should help get these swarming devils up into combat where they belong. Now, one other change was more to reflect the desire to bring an Alpha along with them, and that was a minor decrease in the squadlink rating from 4 to 3 (also the number of new Broodling sculpts that will be coming in their unit box).
Not just changing the units, but also looking into the Bio-Gens, we added a special caveat to the Pud Hatchery to make it more useful for certain choices, and to prepare it for other changes in the future!
So… there you have it. The Brood rules have evolved slightly here and there, and the process in still ongoing. Until you see a unit box with printed cards in hand, we are still accepting playtest reports and notes on how these guys perform on your tabletops!
That Gazelle render is horrible. Even ignoring the whole bowdlerization aspect, it looks nothing like its painting. It's Brom's Dark Age. Weird since all the more recent resculpts have been getting closer to their inspirational art.
AWESOME!
), but they're sounding fairly numerous and rather strong, from what little I know about 
