I can now announce that my mate Jody Siegel of Imbrian Arts has launched his Kickstarter. This drive is meant to raise enough funds for Jody to keep him working on his range full time!



http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1463917927/imbrian-arts-miniatures

With this project we'll be able to produce 4 new miniatures. These miniatures have already been sculpted and are ready to be sent off for moulding and put into production. The miniatures will be cast in a durable and highly detailed plastic material capable of capturing all the detail of the master just as beautifully as the normal lead alloy used in other Imbrian Arts miniatures.











I´ll update this topic with news and pics in the coming weeks!

I've seen some of those before and they look simply gorgeous. I'm eager to find out more about the game as well.

Beautiful sculpts!

The way the game is played reminds me of when D&D came out and people were saying it was devil worship. Rolling bones...heheheh

Nice models, though only one really appeals to me. Quite expensive, though. And really, if I want a few random really nice sculpted figures, there's an infinite number of options out there (most of which are cheaper and in stock).

I'm at the point where a KS needs to really offer something exceptional if the payoff is waiting x months for some nice fantasy models. Best of luck to the guy, though.

Some updates regarding Imbrian Arts Kickstarter!

Thank you so much for funding this project. This first 24 hours has been incredibly exciting! Across the net backers have been asking to have the goblin set released so we're making it our first priority. Once we reach this goal you'll be able to buy goblins as a set or individually. New backers can purchase the set as a reward and current backers can simply add the cost of the set to their pledge. Easy!

And because the stretch was already made you now get a Necromancer Bat with the set for free!



Also some new stretches/concept art made available!

Vanara Monk:



The Rider:

The preferred mount of some outriders and desert rangers, a massive prehistoric bird. Difficult to train, but well suited to covering long distances quickly and capable of disemboweling any grown man with a single kick. Most enemies prefer to avoid direct confrontations with these agile and unpredictable creatures.

Some more updates!

Update- mini reward

I'm opening up the Necromancer Bat free reward to any backer who's pledged $85 or more once we hit $8,500.

Only fair right?

Rider Unlocked!

The $9000 goal has been released! We'll be able to fund the creation of the cassowary rider. You can add the Cassowary Rider to your order by adding $25 to your pledge for the basic model or $35 for the resin collectors version.

And one more with some art!

New Stretch goal- Asura and Gnoll

Every force includes at least one wizard. The Goblins have the troll druid and necromancer bat, the Undead are raised by powerful liches. The desert set will include an Asura sorceress. We're also including a new gnoll miniature in the set. If the Asura gets funded the gnoll will too, and it will be included free in every order with the Asura in it.

Fungeins join the fun!

To help push us over the $12,000 mark and onto the complete desert peoples set I'm releasing Fungeins ahead of schedule! They're quite a lively bunch and the perfect cohorts for your goblin force lead by a Necromancer Bat!

Add them to your order for just $15

Well dang... those are some characterful minis. The goblins in particular.

I checked out his website and saw this note in the shop section:

We're moving! Shop closed temporarily
We've moved from Australia to the United States! The online shop will be temporarily closed while we get set up and will re-open again after our kick starter is finished. We're also switching production from lead alloys to plastic. The new material carries the same great detail as the metal, is durable, and easy for modellers to work with.

Gibbergeist, do you know him? Can you tell me how long he has been in business for? I had never heard of this company, but it seems they've been at it for at least a bit, with how many sculpts are already made.

Really cool looking stuff. Philadelphia is really close to me and has a great local gamestore that carries all sorts of interesting models (Showcase Comics) so he could actually sell some of his stuff locally if he's interested!

Will watch this with interest...

Edit: Do you know who is going to be doing his plastic casting? If you say Ed at Trollforged, I think he's going to need to hire more than just one new person to keep up with demand (but I hope, and think, it will be someone else, since Ed is pretty booked up).

Actually, it is Ed! So you can expect these things to look awesome

Well sweet then . Ed has quite the lineup between all the kickstarters! Red Box Games KS, the Chibi KS, his own KS, then this... and who knows, maybe some weapons for Kingdom Death's KS. Probably in that order.

He and now his full-time assistant will be going round the clock! But it looks like an excellent material and efficient process, so a good choice. However he'll soon be booked for the entire year at this rate.

Next Goal- Desert Set!

The desert set is almost here! The set will cost $85 and include shipping within the US. It consists of an asura sorceress, six creatures, and 7 bones. The Collector's set will consist of resin miniatures, signed concept art cards, a certificate of authenticity, and 7 bone pieces for $155. Also remember that because both these sets are over $85 you will receive the necromancer bat and another bone free!

Asura and Gnoll Unlocked!

Someone asked if you could get both the desert and the goblin set. His reply was nice! Double the necromancer bats!

Yes you can get both sets! Just pledge the cost of the two plus shipping (if overseas) and you're set. And yes I'll give you two Necromancer Bats, and sorry, no exchanges.

Important update: PayPal!

It was brought to my attention that some people aren't able to create amazon accounts and haven't backed the project. I've created an online shop at http://www.imbrianarts.com/shop for these customers. If someone you know falls into this category let them know!

http://www.imbrianarts.com/shop/

And another pice of concept art!

Basilisk man - desert creature:

People asked for a larger picture of the basilisk men. I decided a more interesting pose was in order, and an alternate cockatrice head too. The cockatrice version will fit well in a goblin force lead by the troll druid.

He's also confirmed in the comments that the vestigial wings on it's back will be separate bits.

It's designed to look like a lizard on it's way to evolving into a more bird-like creature.

Is there a way to pledge for just a Troll Druid?

I asked him via PM because it's not really been discussed if the singles/add-ons could be added independently. Here's hoping the answer is positive! That thing has to be my second favorite model from the set (right after the Cat Eater and his swinging meal )


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Okay, that was really fast.

He says if you want just the Troll Druid (no beta game rules or bone), pledge at the Basic level ($12 reward) and put in $33 as your pledge. He'll sort the mini out in the end. If you want the game's beta rules and a bone to go with it, pledge $37 and pick the Gamer reward level

Thanks!

I think I'll do just that - love the Troll Druid model!

So... where did you find the prices of all the individual models?

At the bottom of the front page. It's waaaay down there, but it itemizes each model.

List of miniature sizes and price (basic level)

Regular sized miniatures
Orc $12
King of Ghouls $12
Ghoul $12
Swordsman $12
Shaggamaw 1 $12
Shaggamaw 2 $12
Cat Eater $12
Necromancer Bat $12
Wandering Monk $12
Asura+Gnoll $12

3 Packs
Goblin Foot $15
Shrikes $15
Fungeins $15

Large miniatures
Troll Druid $33
Cassowary Rider $25
Basilisk $20

That's why I couldn't find it - it was right in front of me/too easy!

Thank you - I'm in on the a la carte stuff!

No problem! I have to say, I heard about this by a freak chance on the Reaper forums when someone mentioned this guy in a completely off-the-cuff manner. Seeing his work now, I'm freaking astounded at how detailed and interesting it is.

I think I might actually be more excited for this one than I am for KD:M, and I'm riding the excitement train into Excite-ville on that one.


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The desert set has been unlocked!

$85 for the full set of 7 miniatures and bones
$155 for the full set cast in high-quality resin, each of which comes with a certificate of authenticity and signed art card (as well as the bones)

Nice!

I think I'm in for a Shaggamaw 2, Troll Druid and Basilisk.

And I'm glad this one doesn't end until much later this month...

Alright, the next set is undead. Death Knight unlocks at $16,500, and hopefully the rest of the undead set will come before the end.

Death Knight!

I'm proud to say that the next stretch goal is for the Undead! The death knight is going to be one of the elite miniatures in your undead force and is the key to unlocking some truly nasty creatures. It may be difficult to tell from the concept, but the death knight's armour is perforated with holes in certain places, much like an elaborate censer, and from these intricately carved holes weep clouds of terror, like velvety black smoke. You can purchase him as an add on by increasing your pledge or at the basic or gamer levels for new backers.

That is very nice - and I think there's no way this won't hit $16,500, so he'll be in soon.

Then I'll be adding him in, probably!

I really love how occult the models look and how gameplay sounds.
I'm caught up with the idea of rolling bones on a summoning circle like some sort of witch-doctor
I've definitely got my eye on this one

The description of the Death Knight really sold me on it. Well, that and the awesome concept art. Judging by how good this stuff is, that might actually end up being my favorite mini of the collection

His stuff really is great. I think if Kingdom Death wasn't going at the same time, his KS may be going considerably faster than it is now. Although, really, it's still moving at a very nice pace.

So Jody is proposing a new pledge reward because there was some interest in a "get everything in the KS' type rewards.

$350 for everything he produces between January of 2013 and January of 2014.

$550 for everything he produces in that same time-frame, but in collector's resin form.

If Trollforged is doing his plastic casting, I'm guessing he's doing the resin, too? Would be interesting / helpful to see a comparison shot of the two.

Alright, so since adding the $350 and $550 pledge levels, there has been a pretty massive spike. Two more goals have been crushed! Now we are waiting on him to add the next






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So he's now added a WIP of the Wandering Monk and a new stretch goal! The Ifrit

The Ifrit will be added, for free, to any pledge over $110.

Alright, the Ifrit is achieved (tons of images are broken, so I can't repost the ifrit concept, sadly) and now we're working on a 3 pack of zombies to go into the undead set. The first one is achieved, the second is only a couple hundred away from being done.





This one makes me laugh, using a crossbow with the top of his head strapped to his waist

Hmm, why are so many images broken, as you say? Are they broken on the KS page too, or just not transferable over here?

One of the 'fun' aspects of KS is often images on a page break when you update the page.....

My guess is the project creator just didn't notice his last update wrecked things

Alright, the monk is finished, and he's looking like a really grumpy, mean old man! This mini confirms to me that this stuff is going to be sweet; I really loved the original four minis (the blacksand orc and king of ghouls are absolutely badass), but some of the concept art was a bit tricky to judge I thought. But if the monk concept art, which I was so-so about, turned into this cool mini, that's a good sign I'm thinking. I'm in for the desert set at the moment, but the undead set looks interesting too (should be unlocked soon). We'll see where I land with this.

Next up he's going to start working on the gnoll; can't wait to see how that turns out (I love gnolls)!

I just don't understand the pose, though...

 RiTides wrote:
I just don't understand the pose, though...

He, he, it's a totally weird pose and a totally weird mini overall. His "feet" are actually hand-shaped; that might not be that visible in the pictures I posted above, but check out this WIP shot. I guess that's the type of transformation you could undergo if you had 300 years of martial arts training under your belt... Yeah, OK, I realise this mini will not be suited for everyones taste, but I like him; reminds me of my grandfather!

Nothing like a good death spore.

Update 21 brings you pics of the monk, an unlocked zombie 3pack and the newest stretch goal, Death Spores!

Death spores are a favourite past time of many liches. It can take decades to train the fungi, but through careful grooming it can start to take on a corpse like appearance. Death spore sculpture is considered to be an art form which can take centuries to master. And indeed the fruit of this labour is the delight of seeing its hapless victims fall prey and be consumed by the angry fungus. Aaah death spores.

The zombie 3pack has been unlocked! you can now add it to your order as an add on.

The monk is complete! He's looking awesome if you don't mind my saying. I'm pretty happy with him.

A sneak peak was dropped of the final undead mini; a Shadow (comes with the grave robber as a bonus). I think it looks really, really good, and the undead set ($85) seems pretty appealing to me now: lich, death knight, piper, necropath, 3 zombies, the death spore, and the shadow+grave robber.

Oh, yeah, the front page of the kickstarter has been updated so it's a lot easier to see the available minis now: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1463917927/imbrian-arts-miniatures

Bound Corpse Knight has been announced as an alternative to the Shadow for the Undead set. The concept is excellent.

I'm seriously considering diverting funds from my KD pledge to support Jody's work. If my Trollforged stuff from the Red Box KS gets here before the 27th so I can assess the quality of that material it will probably make the decision for me.

Yeah, this thing has officially surpassed my KD:M pledge. I'm in for the $350 package deal since right now (if you include the current stretch which is 1k away) it's worth 35 of these amazing miniatures and it can only get better

 plastictrees wrote:
Bound Corpse Knight has been announced as an alternative to the Shadow for the Undead set. The concept is excellent.

I'm seriously considering diverting funds from my KD pledge to support Jody's work. If my Trollforged stuff from the Red Box KS gets here before the 27th so I can assess the quality of that material it will probably make the decision for me.

I would be seriously interested in a review of the material / casting quality, could you post up something here (or link to it here)?

I am in heavily for Trollforged's own KS, but am hesitant to put "all my eggs in one basket" with him supplying the miniatures for this, too.

I'm sure the quality is excellent (all I have seen points to this) but I would love to see yours (and others') thoughts on the RBG stuff as soon as you get it.


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Oh, and that concept art for the Shadow is pretty amazing! Not sure how it would become a 3D miniature, but the art is awesome.

 RiTides wrote:

 plastictrees wrote:
Bound Corpse Knight has been announced as an alternative to the Shadow for the Undead set. The concept is excellent.

I'm seriously considering diverting funds from my KD pledge to support Jody's work. If my Trollforged stuff from the Red Box KS gets here before the 27th so I can assess the quality of that material it will probably make the decision for me.

I would be seriously interested in a review of the material / casting quality, could you post up something here (or link to it here)?

I am in heavily for Trollforged's own KS, but am hesitant to put "all my eggs in one basket" with him supplying the miniatures for this, too.

I'm sure the quality is excellent (all I have seen points to this) but I would love to see yours (and others') thoughts on the RBG stuff as soon as you get it.

Yeah, I was planning to post something up once Tre's stuff gets to me. I have some of his metals that I ordered just before the KS started so I can do some direct comparisons of the same model in different materials as well as a general quality assessment.
Not sure I'll have anything before the 27th though, I pretty much pledged for every model Tre was offering.

The bound corpse knight is looking excellent! I can't seem to be able to post that image here, but go check it out in update #23: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1463917927/imbrian-arts-miniatures/posts

And we're pretty close to hitting that $33,000 stretch goal now; it'll be really exciting to see what's up next (I'm hoping for some demons).

Lets try a different approach with the undead set. We'll fund this set with 8 basic miniatures and your choice of either the Shadow or Bound Corpse Knight as your 9th miniature. I love them both so I'll let you choose what goes into your set. Our target for this deal is $33,000.

A corpse knight is born when a necromancer takes the body of a recently slain warrior and binds its soul within its body before it can escape. A black candle is placed upon the fallen warrior's head and once the invocation is complete it lights itself with an erie flicker. In the case of this knight, a slain orc warrior, formidable as a living opponent becomes an implacable foe, immune to any pain, and fighting with the cunning and ferocity of his living brethren.

It's not unusual for a necromancer to enlist the aid of demons in their works. A shadow is one type of demon that is commonly attributed to necromancy. These nightmarish creatures stalk unsuspecting foes. They are terrified of light, but nevertheless require a small amount to create a path with which they can travel toward their prey. Be wary of the full moon!

Rather tempted by the goblin set... Does the $85 pledge include shipping? I saw conflicting info on that...

$85 will includes within the US shipping, it's $4 shipping for international after that.

Thanks . Any idea how long till rules hit? I like them, I just don't know what I'd do with them otherwise!

Good question! I'll ask him...

If a stretch goal was those summoning mats for each group (goblin, undead) that'd be sweet too

Thanks for asking him!

Someone asked about the summoning mats before as a goal, but he said that the sample is now defunct. He's done some redesign work since it was made and it now thinking that 6 of the outer circles will be needed for the way he has it planned out.

I went ahead and sent him a PM to see when we'd get access to his beta rules and if he had a rough timeline on development though

Another few questions...

Are there alternate photos of any models? More views of goblin set could really sway me.
Will things be made in order of unlocking? Goblin set says shipping in March. But if I add the fuegens and a basilisk, when would it be done? Plus the free necromancer bat and Ifrit?

More angles of these models seems like a no-brainer, but shipping estimate is puzzling with him talking about 2014 for collectors, some models listed as March, some May... And Trollforged own KS comes due in April, right?

Okay, I'll tackle what I can lol

1. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Imbrian-Arts/138045276207623?sk=photos_stream - Some great shots of the goblins in here, along with a few other of other available, already-done sculpts!

2. He hasn't specified the order, but right now he is working on the gnoll, which is a bit out of order, so I'd say he'll probably do things as inspiration strikes (or requests come in) to get things done.

3. The 2014 stuff is because the complete packages are both including every single piece he makes in 2013, so some things will be cast and shipped into 2014.

As for the fungeins and goblins, those are both existing sculpts, so they will be much quicker to go out. They just need molds and casting done, instead of sculping (as well as the necromancer bat), but the ifrit needs to be made, so once he finished that off, I'm sure then he'll send it along.

He seems quite willing to accommodate shipping quirks, I bet you could get everything sent along before the ifrit is all done, and then get that send by itself when it's finished.

 RiTides wrote:
Another few questions...

Are there alternate photos of any models? More views of goblin set could really sway me.
Will things be made in order of unlocking? Goblin set says shipping in March. But if I add the fuegens and a basilisk, when would it be done? Plus the free necromancer bat and Ifrit?

More angles of these models seems like a no-brainer, but shipping estimate is puzzling with him talking about 2014 for collectors, some models listed as March, some May... And Trollforged own KS comes due in April, right?

This Kickstarter ends in 2012, doesn't it?!?

But I am with you on this one RiTides - it is too cool to pass up!

The next stretch goal (we're nearly there) unlocks three already sculpted minis as add-ons; they look fun! Also, a sneak peek was dropped of what's coming next; a jungle themed set (this picture shows a wild, savage elf, but there will also be more goblins, elementals and a wizard!). I'm really digging the style of everything being added, so I finally upgraded to the complete package (a lot more than I was initially planning on spending...).

You got me with the Asura. The concept art looks absolutely beautiful. I'm already heavily invested in the Kingdom Death Kickstarter, so I've been wanting to avoid any other Kickstarters, but the Asura looks too fantastic to ignore.

I must just not be in the Kingdom Death demographic, as these miniatures look much better to me. Just a stylistic thing, I guess.

Particularly looking forward to the Death Knight going from concept to WIPs... the art has that rich Baroque/Gothic/Brom feel. All serious, no Dung Beetle

@Fafnir: Good call, since it also nets you a free gnoll!

@AT: The Death Knight was the moment I realized this campaign was going to take a lot of my money

 AT wrote:
I must just not be in the Kingdom Death demographic, as these miniatures look much better to me. Just a stylistic thing, I guess.

Particularly looking forward to the Death Knight going from concept to WIPs... the art has that rich Baroque/Gothic/Brom feel. All serious, no Dung Beetle

No need to slag off on something else to get the point across how much you like... something else!

A very early shot of the gnoll WIP has been posted (more pictures are coming as sculpting progresses). I think it's looking good; and in particular it's pretty similar to the concept art. There's just something I like about gnolls; so damn feral and nasty.

Also, a new concept art sketch was dropped, I'm not sure what it is but it looks kind of cool (is that a squirrel on his shoulder?)

Wow... that concept art is awesome

I think I'll just be window shopping here... but the windows are beautiful!


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Trodax wrote:
A very early shot of the gnoll WIP has been posted (more pictures are coming as sculpting progresses). I think it's looking good; and in particular it's pretty similar to the concept art. There's just something I like about gnolls; so damn feral and nasty.

Also, a new concept art sketch was dropped, I'm not sure what it is but it looks kind of cool (is that a squirrel on his shoulder?)

 RiTides wrote:
Wow... that concept art is awesome

I think I'll just be window shopping here... but the windows are beautiful!

Remember, 2012!

I want in on this one too, I just can't figure out for exactly what, or how much!

The gnoll is frikkin' awesome. IA is quickly going to take shares of the miniature market if this continue.

 Alpharius wrote:

 RiTides wrote:
Wow... that concept art is awesome

I think I'll just be window shopping here... but the windows are beautiful!

Remember, 2012!

I want in on this one too, I just can't figure out for exactly what, or how much!

I know the feeling. I ended up having to just commit to the $350 Complete Imbrian Package. At this point, that thing gets you 38 models and bones with beta rules (once the current stretch is unlocked), plus everything else coming in on the project and anything else he manages to finish in the next year.

@RiTides: Jody never got back to me on the delivery of the beta rules for the game, but going off of the pledge rewards, the game rules should be available for testing around February. Here is a small thing he posted to give an idea of the game once it's coalesced more...

Jody Siegel wrote:Here's a general overview though. The mat has six sides which represent different signs. The signs are somewhat like a zodiac and represent archetype characters like death, the wizard, the dragon, the warrior, and so on. When you put a model in play it is given one of these signs. Signs make a model weaker or stronger than other models (think paper rocks scissors but with six instead of 3)This means you can have two zombies for example each with different signs, making it more effective or less effective against certain models.
-----------
When you roll your bones, the segments alternate between hit and miss going around the circle (your own sign is a hit, then the ones to either side are a miss and so on) your bones need a certain number of hits to be a successful action (they need to point toward a 'hit' segment). So a model with 3 attacks roles his bones and needs to get a number of hits equal to the defense of his target. Certain models however are resistant to certain signs so they can negate a bone that aims toward that sign or they can roll skulls which add to their defense value.
---------
Signs play their most crucial role when it comes to dealing damage. Providing you scored a successful attack, you get a bonus to damage the two signs clockwise of your sign, and a penalty to damage on the two signs counterclockwise. So managing to get creatures with the right sign in contact with the right enemy model is part of your strategy. This system helps to balance out really powerful creatures by giving the weaker models a chance to land hits or do more damage or survive a little longer if they follow the right path.
-----------
That's really it in a nut shell. There's a lot more of course but here you see how it works. you pick up all your bones (rolling to hit, damage and defend is done all in one throw) and you get to see very quickly if you scored a hit and how much damage you did with that hit.

 recruittons wrote:

I know the feeling. I ended up having to just commit to the $350 Complete Imbrian Package. At this point, that thing gets you 38 models and bones with beta rules (once the current stretch is unlocked), plus everything else coming in on the project and anything else he manages to finish in the next year.

I did the same thing. I was tempted to get the set in resin, but considering I've heard nothing but positive comments about Trollforge I'm not too convinced the extra $200 is worth it... I'm already hoping my wife doesn't ask me what I spent on this.

 RiTides wrote:
I think I'll just be window shopping here... but the windows are beautiful!

Yes, yes, keep looking through that beautiful window... Now, look here, what's that right next to the window? It appears to be a door doesn't it? Go ahead, open the door. Good, good. Now step through it, don't be afraid, it's nice and warm here on the inside... :-)

New WIP's for the gnoll; looking damn fine I think! Also, some new concept art of the upcoming savage elves. Also also, a new piece of information regarding the picture I posted upthread; it depicts a forest elemental and will measure 70mm, so he's a pretty big dude.

Trodax wrote:

 RiTides wrote:
I think I'll just be window shopping here... but the windows are beautiful!

Yes, yes, keep looking through that beautiful window... Now, look here, what's that right next to the window? It appears to be a door doesn't it? Go ahead, open the door. Good, good. Now step through it, don't be afraid, it's nice and warm here on the inside... :-)

It's like Hansel and Grettel

Alph- Don't I know it!

That gnoll looks great.


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Also, I know it's struggled the last day or two but it's the holidays, should pick up with post xmas funds

Some new info going down in the comments section! If we get this to $37,000, backers will get a free jungle goblin, if we get to $40,000, all three jungle goblins will be free!

Sounds like the minimum pledge for this will be only $25; this will make it very tempting to join in on this with at least a small pledge I'm thinking. Remember, there is also a special deal where you can get the Asura mini together with that awesome looking Gnoll for just $12... There's a good deal to be had here people, just sayin.

Was just coming to post that- have there been pics of the "jungle goblins", or are those new sculpts from the next "set"?

I'm a little confused why those wouldn't be part of the goblin set; maybe goblins are usable for any of the "sets"?

More info on the game would really help him I think, especially if he's planning to release beta rules for it soon.

 RiTides wrote:
Was just coming to post that- have there been pics of the "jungle goblins", or are those new sculpts from the next "set"?

I'm a little confused why those wouldn't be part of the goblin set; maybe goblins are usable for any of the "sets"?

More info on the game would really help him I think, especially if he's planning to release beta rules for it soon.

These are new sculpts, we haven't seen any concept art yet (the upcoming 'jungle set' was supposed to be elves, goblins, elementals and a wizard, IIRC).

To be honest, I haven't been paying that much attention to the game aspects (I just like the minis), but by the sound of it the different "teams" can be pretty diverse; it's not so much goblins versus demons, but rather a wizard and his pack (could include a goblin, an elf and whatever) versus another wizard. I'm really not sure about this, I should emphasize; just the picture I got.

This is how I'm reading it as well. A wizard and his followers. I think there will be bonuses form models that will make it so themes are used--the Death Knight boosting the abilities of undead is an example. But, goblins and undead and gnolls and humans and elves working together under the leadership of the vampire-bat controlled goblin is a possibility.

I think.

Trodax wrote:

 RiTides wrote:
Was just coming to post that- have there been pics of the "jungle goblins", or are those new sculpts from the next "set"?

I'm a little confused why those wouldn't be part of the goblin set; maybe goblins are usable for any of the "sets"?

More info on the game would really help him I think, especially if he's planning to release beta rules for it soon.

These are new sculpts, we haven't seen any concept art yet (the upcoming 'jungle set' was supposed to be elves, goblins, elementals and a wizard, IIRC).

To be honest, I haven't been paying that much attention to the game aspects (I just like the minis), but by the sound of it the different "teams" can be pretty diverse; it's not so much goblins versus demons, but rather a wizard and his pack (could include a goblin, an elf and whatever) versus another wizard. I'm really not sure about this, I should emphasize; just the picture I got.

Trodax wrote:
Some new info going down in the comments section! If we get this to $37,000, backers will get a free jungle goblin, if we get to $40,000, all three jungle goblins will be free!

Sounds like the minimum pledge for this will be only $25; this will make it very tempting to join in on this with at least a small pledge I'm thinking. Remember, there is also a special deal where you can get the Asura mini together with that awesome looking Gnoll for just $12... There's a good deal to be had here people, just sayin.

It is - and I'm in... if I can locate that deal?

Help me out so I can add that in plus a few more miniatures too!

The jungle goblin thing was just something in the comments, and the Asura is just a regular model, so if you pledge $12 for the Asura at the BASIC level, then add on, let's say, the Fungein set of 3 for $15 more dollars, you'd get the Asura, Gnoll, 3 Fungeins, and 3 Jungle Goblins for $27!

I'm still confused, especially as I want Asura and the Gnoll, but no goblins.

There are some add-ons I do want, like the Troll Druid, Death Knight, Ifrit, and basilisk.

Actually, how much would all of that cost?

I'll pledge today if I can figure it out!

It's just a few "freebies" they're referring to:

1. Free gnoll if you are getting Asura
2. Free 3 jungle goblins if pledging $25 or more

You also get a free Necromancer bat if over I believe $85, and another model free if over $110. Those are listed at the very top of the main KS page

 Alpharius wrote:
I'm still confused, especially as I want Asura and the Gnoll, but no goblins.

There are some add-ons I do want, like the Troll Druid, Death Knight, Ifrit, and basilisk.

Actually, how much would all of that cost?

I'll pledge today if I can figure it out!

Well, if you want the druid, death knight, ifrit, asura and basilisk, that is a $77 pledge, right there. This will get you the Asura, Gnoll, Druid, Basilisk, Death Knight, Ifrit, and the 3 Jungle Goblins. If you were to add ANY other mini onto that, you'd get a Necromancer Bat added on for free as well!

 recruittons wrote:

 Alpharius wrote:
I'm still confused, especially as I want Asura and the Gnoll, but no goblins.

There are some add-ons I do want, like the Troll Druid, Death Knight, Ifrit, and basilisk.

Actually, how much would all of that cost?

I'll pledge today if I can figure it out!

Well, if you want the druid, death knight, ifrit, asura and basilisk, that is a $77 pledge, right there. This will get you the Asura, Gnoll, Druid, Basilisk, Death Knight, Ifrit, and the 3 Jungle Goblins. If you were to add ANY other mini onto that, you'd get a Necromancer Bat added on for free as well!

Thanks recruittons - I'm on it!

But doesn't that add up to:

Troll Druid $33
Death Knight $12
Ifrit $12
Asura and Gnoll $12
Basilisk $20

Total: $89

Just want to be sure - thanks!

So he's got the concept sketch up of the 3 jungle goblins! They are seriously creepy looking.

Jungle goblins came about as a result of too much drinking and a documentary about ants. They're creepy as hell and fit right in with our current, mildly bizarre and humorous goblin shrikes and fungiens. If we hit $40,000 they'll come free with any order of $25 or more (not including shipping)

Just double checking here:

Troll Druid $33
Death Knight $12
Ifrit $12
Asura and Gnoll $12
Basilisk $20

Total: $89

Right?

 Alpharius wrote:
Just double checking here:

Troll Druid $33
Death Knight $12
Ifrit $12
Asura and Gnoll $12
Basilisk $20

Total: $89

Right?

Looks pretty close to $350 to me, might as well up your pledge...

 Alpharius wrote:
Just double checking here:

Troll Druid $33
Death Knight $12
Ifrit $12
Asura and Gnoll $12
Basilisk $20

Total: $89

Right?

Yes, that is correct; $89. Since your getting the Ifrit, you should note that if your pledge is $110 or higher, you'd get the Ifrit for free. There might not be anything else you want to add right now, but interesting things might turn up in the next couple of days.


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 plastictrees wrote:
Looks pretty close to $350 to me, might as well up your pledge...

LOL; exactly, that was actually the point I was trying to subtly make.


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Looking a bit closer, those jungle goblins are freakishly creepy, and I especially like the fact that they...

...came about as a result of too much drinking and a documentary about ants.

Nice.

I might be able to stretch to $110 but Kingdom Death is looming large on my gaming budget horizon, so unfortunately $350 here isn't going to happen!

Okay fine. I put in $34... I asked in comments, but I only want gobbos, no "normal" models. Can I add $3 to the Gamer pledge to have it with shrikes?

Right now to get shrikes, fungeins and forest gobbos at Gamer hope $34 is correct... I'd like to see those beta rules.

That's all I can do here guys, and Alph gets to give me a hard time since this will be 2012... barely!


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He replied and said I'm kosher

And part of a trend, too- a dozen new backers today! Looks like forest gobbos tipped quite a few of us over.

The black sands orc is stunning?, may i inquire as to how big it is to compared a space marine model?
I would love a set of those guys (maybe with different looks to) to use as orcs in my 40k gaming... the warhammer orcs just seem to be a lot less cool and more ... FAT lol.

He should be 32mm, so taller than a SM- has there been any size comparison shots?

Update of things to shoot for:

Ammit and Dragon sneak peak

One of the things I mentioned in comments was that this game is going to sport some really monstrous creatures. Gods and demons like Ammit the devourer, Charon, Behemoth, massive ogres, sea dragons, lich constructs and more. I promised you a picture of a dragon I have been dreaming about for a couple of years.

Ammit the devourer is a demon that can be summoned by the Asura. We still have a few creatures to unlock before we can add him but he will be available once we hit $55K

Stories say that when you die, your heart is placed upon the scales of justice, and if it's heavier than a feather, Ammit will devour your soul!



This sea dragon is our first peak at some of the sea folk and ocean themed creatures. He's a huge monster and I can promise it's going to be nothing short of awe inspiring to see in the flesh. If we can reach $100k he'll be able to make an appearance on your table.

Ammit should be very doable at 55K, but unfortunately that dragon will need to wait for the future. Nice to see that he has so many great concepts in mind, though!

 Alpharius wrote:

 RiTides wrote:
Wow... that concept art is awesome

I think I'll just be window shopping here... but the windows are beautiful!

Remember, 2012!

I want in on this one too, I just can't figure out for exactly what, or how much!

I'm not sure. There's a bunch of nice figures in there, but like Kingdom Death, I'm trying to not just throw large piles of money at nice sculpts of figures that are a year away. The Kickstarter shine has gone for me, I'm afraid

I went for the all resin collectors but I'm wondering if that was a mistake since I've been hearing good things about Trollforge's plastics, which I haven't really paid attention to.

I think I'll stick with it because of the properties of resin vs plastic, hoping for higher quality and a dash of faith. I'm just trying to decide if I should pick up the desert set in plastic as well so I can play with those without fear of breaking the resin ones...

 kilcin wrote:
I went for the all resin collectors but I'm wondering if that was a mistake since I've been hearing good things about Trollforge's plastics, which I haven't really paid attention to.

I think I'll stick with it because of the properties of resin vs plastic, hoping for higher quality and a dash of faith. I'm just trying to decide if I should pick up the desert set in plastic as well so I can play with those without fear of breaking the resin ones...

Keep your eyes on the Red Box Games KS thread on here,

those minis have been done in trollforged and some have been delivered to backers already and we keep nagging them to post pictures of their new stuff so hopefully at least one of them will do so soon

(I'll show mine when they arrive, but since i'm in for the not yet cast horses this will probably end before I get them)

Fair point, scipio! As I am in for goblins I'm hoping spring, though (goblin set listed as a March delivery date, and hopefully jungle gobbos as a freebie to everyone get sculpted near the beginning).

Love these minis! I'm in for the gobbo-set since they remind me of the Confrontation/Rackham (before horrid AoR) aesthetics as well as being awesome miniatures! Can't wait to try the system though!

Alright, so the trio of jungle goblins are unlocked! Pledge $25 or more and get them for freeeeeee!

Next up is the incredible forest elemental! This thing looks awesome and Jody says it will be an extremely intricate model towering at 70mm in height

The elemental is amazing, but I'm sitting on my wallet and just sticking with gobbos

And legitimately well over 40K now, even without the Paypal backers. Woot!

Honestly, I'm proud of you RiTides. It must be tough to sit so many lovely things out, but you are a much stronger man than I.

I just love that elemental! If the jungle set become avalible I'll just have to get it! I mean those elves could be some of the coolest elves I've seen!

As previously noted, this whole line is giving of a serious Rackham vibe - and that's a good thing!

The Forest Elemental is rather amazing looking, If that goal is hit I might have to grab it via the Paypal option. I don't do fantasy but I cant not have that mini.

 Alpharius wrote:
As previously noted, this whole line is giving of a serious Rackham vibe - and that's a good thing!

Yup, it sure is! The undead set reminds me a whole lot of Dirz fused with some of the later Acheron-stuff. A great combination in other words! But it's not just any audacious rip-off, Jody has definitely brought something of his own into the mix. Which brings me to another thing Jodys work share with the "Rackham aesthetics", it's that odd feeling of uniqueness. Hard to put my finger on it but that's what got me into confrontation and that's what got me into this as well. They are not just cool fighters ready to kill odt, there is something else going on as well...

Imbrian Arts is in the final days of its Kickstarter and things are going very well! But they can still can do a whole lot better so if you have thought of backing but haven't done so yet then please don't wait till it's too late and do so now!

Free Goblins!

Thanks to the paypal contributions, the jungle goblins have been unlocked! You'll now receive 3 FREE goblins with every pledge over $25! You can now get $50 worth of free miniatures with a $110 pledge!

Our next goal is the Forest Elemental. A huge 70mm figure and full of intricate detail. Trust me, you're going to want one!

Ammit and Dragon sneak peak

One of the things I mentioned in comments was that this game is going to sport some really monstrous creatures. Gods and demons like Ammit the devourer, Charon, Behemoth, massive ogres, sea dragons, lich constructs and more. I promised you a picture of a dragon I have been dreaming about for a couple of years.

Ammit the devourer is a demon that can be summoned by the Asura. We still have a few creatures to unlock before we can add him but he will be available once we hit $55K

Stories say that when you die, your heart is placed upon the scales of justice, and if it's heavier than a feather, Ammit will devour your soul!

This sea dragon is our first peak at some of the sea folk and ocean themed creatures. He's a huge monster and I can promise it's going to be nothing short of awe inspiring to see in the flesh. If we can reach $100k he'll be able to make an appearance on your table.

Love that Sea Dragon - looks like we'll have to wait a while for it though!

Yeah, but we should see some jungle elves soon

I'm going to paste over some pics of the shrikes and fungiens from his Facebook later- not sure why the pics on the KS page are so small, but the FB ones show the amazing detail and character much better.

@RiTides: I got your back!


Shrike 1


Shrike 2


Shrike 3 (missing his bow)


Troll Druid (Gives a good sense of size and detail)


Cat Eater


Fungein 1


Fungein 2


Fungein 3 (My absolute favorite one) - I love the mushrooms on his weapon and the clothes pin over his nose!

All of these were from his facebook page. He has a few more, but these were just some nice choice ones

A lot of Mid-Nor in there - nice!

Really nice pictures; thanks for posting them recruittons! I was actually just so-so about the goblins when I started looking at this Kickstarter, partly due to picture quality I think. When I checked out his Facebook pics I really saw how detailed they were, and their weirdness started to get to me (in a good way). Now I'm really happy I'm in for the complete package, and will be getting all these little suckers (in addition to the Blacksands Orc, King of Ghouls, and all the others I have loved since first sight). Good times!

When I saw the horned fungein the first time I almost thought it was one of the old Mid-Nor "warrior of the abyss" (or whatever they were called), for comparison or something. But I just love them, the fungeins are some of my favourites from IA!

Thanks recruittons! Those pics are fantastic

I've got to ask this. I've been watching this KS since the start, but I thought Trollcast was being touted as supposedly going to drop production costs considerably from metal to make figures noticably cheaper? How is it that the singles here are $12 a pop for Kickstarter backers? That's more than retail for most models of this type....

Elementalist wizard posted for 49K! And we're already over 48 . I think the jungle elves will be at 52K to complete the jungle set.


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Scipio- Not sure but if you want in for cheap, I'm getting 9 Sweet 32mm scale goblins for $30 + $4 for beta rules access.

You also get more savings from the sets and the incentives (free model with Asura, free ones at $25, $85, and $110).

Finally, these are 32mm and cheaper than GW's plastic single character equivalents afaik.

And people going for everything are obviously getting even bigger savings (and rightfully so!). Some of these minis are BIG.

@Scipio: Honest answer? Because I think it's because his work is good enough that people are willing to pay the premium price. It's the same deal with KD. Adam can charge $15 a plastic mini because the quality is what draws people in.

The real deal is in the packages. The plastic package is currently about $8.53 per model, and we're now moving into the last 38 hours. I'm thinking breaking 60k (and getting a fair few more models) will bring that number pretty close to $7.50 a piece, which is a pretty decent price.

Trollcast is a (reletively) cheap material,

but using trollforged as a caster means you are paying a 3rd party company to cast your product, so as well as material costs you are paying for their time and expertise too,

so I doubt anybody else will be able to get their prices down to those that Ed can manage for his own stuff simply because he doesn't have charge himslef full commercial rates for his own time (unless he wants to)

Agreed, but given the quality of the sculpts shown above and the size of some of the minis, this is the cheapest you'll be able to get them- of course / especially if you're getting the complete Imbrian package.

I wish I could go in for the complete Imbrian package deal, but given Christmas (w/ 2 little girls at home!) + Kingdom Death + Adventure Terrain + Infinity (Raicho FINALLY released!) = not enough money left for it!

So I had to settle for around $80 or so worth...

I hope the miniature range and game take off though, because I'll be collecting quite a few of these as they become available!

We are at $49000 already!

I also wish I could justify going all in, but I just can't as for now (even though it's a freakin' sweet deal). I'll have to settle for my goblins and some add ons, but that's a sweet deal as it is as well! Can't wait to get to pant these (especially the fungeins)!

Here's the art for the now-unlocked Elementalist since no one copied it over yet:



Can't wait to see what the next stretch is!

Also, one more backer will make it 300


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Fungiens are my favorite too, c0un7_z3r0

And the elementalist goal is met! Incoming is the first of the wild elves.

Ack - love the elementalist art!

There goes another $12...

 OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:
Trollcast is a (reletively) cheap material,

but using trollforged as a caster means you are paying a 3rd party company to cast your product, so as well as material costs you are paying for their time and expertise too,
so I doubt anybody else will be able to get their prices down to those that Ed can manage for his own stuff simply because he doesn't have charge himslef full commercial rates for his own time (unless he wants to)

Of course, but many/most of these guys would be in the same situation even if they were still doing metal. Bombshell is using Reaper's facilities, Hasslefree seems to outsource their casting, Tre' was sending his figures out to be cast, and so on. I mean, if GW changed to a cheaper material and bumped the prices up to a "premium" level, what would the reaction by and large be like?

 recruittons wrote:
@Scipio: Honest answer? Because I think it's because his work is good enough that people are willing to pay the premium price. It's the same deal with KD. Adam can charge $15 a plastic mini because the quality is what draws people in.

The real deal is in the packages. The plastic package is currently about $8.53 per model, and we're now moving into the last 38 hours. I'm thinking breaking 60k (and getting a fair few more models) will bring that number pretty close to $7.50 a piece, which is a pretty decent price.

I think you're right on the former. He's a seriously talented sculptor, and there's a huge Rackham vibe going on here as well. I'm not seeing any of those plastic packages though - unless you mean "desert set" "undead set" etc?


Hm. I just checked out the Facebook page and it ways that over 44 figures have been funded? It doesn't look that way on the page, but it's gotten quite hard to navigate and tell what's going on between the packages, stretch goals, and repeated images when things are shown as add-ons, package figures and stretches...

The plastic package on the KS is called the Complete Imbrian Package. It's $350 for everything produced for the KS, plus anything else he makes over the 2013 year. It's pricey, but it provides the best value for money.

The other package he has the Complete Imbrian Collector Package. That one is $550, everything is in resin, comes with a signed certificate of authenticity and a print of the original concept art for the piece. Same deal where anything else he makes in 2013 that isn't for the KS is sent as well.

I definitely could understand if someone wanted to avoid this though. While gorgeous, they are very expensive, and Jody has made a right muddy mess of the front page with all the concept art and such! The graphic on the very top is the best way to keep track, though.

I believe we've now funded 42 models for the project, though. Not 44, yet.

Yes, I think this is for mini collectors at the package level. But buying just a few figs is also a great deal- you get 3 jungle goblins free if you spend $25

You also get a free Gnoll if you buy Asura. So, easy ways to get a great deal if you only have/want to go in for a sampling.

I'm excited for the beta rules, too, and you only need to add $4 to get them!

RiTides wrote:I'm excited for the beta rules, too, and you only need to add $4 to get them!

Don't you get the beta rules for free with most pledges?

recruittons wrote:I believe we've now funded 42 models for the project, though. Not 44, yet.

I believe there are 44 now.

scipio.au wrote:Hm. I just checked out the Facebook page and it ways that over 44 figures have been funded? It doesn't look that way on the page, but it's gotten quite hard to navigate and tell what's going on between the packages, stretch goals, and repeated images when things are shown as add-ons, package figures and stretches...

As previously noted, the front page on the KS got every unlocked mini listed, if that's what you were asking for.

No, it's definitely 42, there are 44 displayed images in the picture showing the unlocked minis, but the gnoll appears twice, once in the desert set, and once in the freebies area. The second is the howling ghoul which appears twice as well, once in the ghoul set, and once by itself next to the king of ghouls.

@recruittons - Aaah, yes that is right!

They are indeed free with most pledges, but if folks want in for just a few minis + free goblins, they can get the beta rules when they hit by adding $4

Almost 50K!

Only 22 hours left now; I really, really hope we get to all three jungle elves as well as Ammit!

Jody made a comment about posting art for a dragon knight, and 'taking a few bids for a dragon' in a few hours; I wonder what that meant...?

Alright, so Jody has given a bit of a final reveal here!

Currently, at 52k, the first wild elf unlocked. Then, 55k we have Ammet the Devourer. To top that off, at 64k, the final 2 models of the jungle set unlocks, opening it up as an $85 (plastic) or $155 (resin) option!

Last hours of the Kickstarter and i don't have to tell you that if you want to be part of it you'd better hurry up!

Last stretch!

Less than 24 hours to go! Here's a preview of the miniatures that will make up the Jungle Set. After the Demon Ammit unlocks at $55,000 the Jungle set will unlock at $64,000. Ammit will be available as an add on for $30 or $60 for resin. We can do this!

The Wild Elves!

The Elementalist has been unlocked! We're now just a few miniatures away from a complete jungle set!

Of the many inhabitants of the deep jungles, The wild elves are probably the most cunningly cruel. They live completely apart from other races and respond to most forms of human diplomacy with the spear point.

$64K seems unlikely but I'm still hoping for it; that wild cat looks interesting!

Yeah, I wish he could switch the 2 goals! But from his comments apparently having a big creature (Ammit the demon) is more important for gameplay than having one more complete set (as it does seem you'll be able to mix models from the sets a bit).

Will be fun to see it finish

Comparing the progress of this to Trollforged's Kickstarter (since they have similar totals) is really interesting to me. It seems that this has had a more steady draw of people pledging a slightly higher amount with the complete package offerings, whereas Trollforged had less progress as it went (probably because Ed had less sculpts to show / somewhat less experience sculpting) but a bigger kick at the end as people panicked to get in on it

Of course, a huge kick is possible here, but I'm thinking we might see a day more like yesterday, just unlocking Ammit and not reaching the wild elves... but I hope to be proven wrong

Trollforged:


Imbrian Arts:

 RiTides wrote:
They are indeed free with most pledges, but if folks want in for just a few minis + free goblins, they can get the beta rules when they hit by adding $4

Ok, I thought I've missed something but then things are as I thought it was

It'd be sweet if we unlocked the Jungle set, my wallet wouldn't like it though

 RiTides wrote:
Of course, a huge kick is possible here, but I'm thinking we might see a day more like yesterday, just unlocking Ammit and not reaching the wild elves... but I hope to be proven wrong

This is what I've been thinking too; that the last day will see good increase but perhaps not a crazy rush. However, Jody just dropped an elusive comment about a dragon, so perhaps he has something up his sleeve here...

He said "take a few bids", maybe he will be hiring another sculptor to do the dragon?


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And Jody comes back with the update about the sea dragon!

Less than 12 hours to go and I have a special offer for you. Concept art of the sea dragon has been greatly received and I've had many requests for it. It's a big project and I'm really keen to do it but I want to give backers in the complete package category as much value as I can so I'm going to leave it out of the complete and complete collector packages and will be releasing it around mid 2014. The dragon has been so popular that it's going to get sculpted, funding for it isn't even necessary but I'm going to make a special offer for backers of this kick starter. Pre order the sea dragon for $90 and get it in resin, receive free shipping in the US, and get the dragon knight "caller" in resin included for free. International customers, pay just $10 for shipping.

Love both the dragon and the caller, wish I could just dish out $100

I'll admit, I really really want this, but yeah, $90 over a year in advance is a huge decision to make. Tempted, but not overly.

Yeah, we'll have over a year and a half saving up for that dragon. And I actually don't mind getting it in plastic, I've never been a fan of resin. But those are never the less some awesome concepts!

Agreed - awesome, but I'll have to wait for the 'retail release'!

Cash is kinda tight but I think I'm gonna have to dive in for that Troll druid. No idea what I'd use it for, but I feel like I need it anyways.

@Necros - Heh, it's a great looking mini for sure

By the way shouldn't that wild elf been unlocked by now?

Necros, I'm having to physically restrain myself from upping to the goblin set to get that troll druid... but I think I might actually want to go with the Elementalist once he has beta rules, I like the sound of it as a wizard / sorcerer.

A wee update from the comments!

Ok, we'll make great cat and kin available at $58k and the third elf available at $61k. $3,000 each. easy to do.

I suppose Jody got a whole lot to do answering emails and such. Two stretch-goals have been met without a word or the miniatures unlocked being added to the graphic on the main page (the one showing which models that are unlocked). I hope he does so he gets more backers (Jungle set I can almost touch you now )

Great cat and kin at 58K- Since the Kickstarter is at 56.8K, counting the 1.2K from Paypal they should be UNLOCKED!!

That means only 3K to go for the last of the jungle set

I've already pledged some $130+ and now the question is, to get asura+gnoll or not? Decisions decisions... But then I feel compelled to get the monk, rider and swordsman as well (the monk and the rider at the very least) and bam(!) there goes $61... Hmmm, might just stay at my current pledge.

Hmm, not to be a tempter or anything, but I would suggest giving those gnoll WIP shots another good look and seeing if you like him enough to get him. Then you can say you're paying $12 for the gnoll and getting a free asura!

Damn! There goes another $12 (and it's on your conscience recruittons, I take no responsibility )! It felt like a no-brainer really, since I dig both minis. But now there is the monk. that'd be the last, the rider would have to wait... Hmmm...

Under 1K to go until jungle set unlocks, with 3 hours left!

(this is counting the 1.2K from Paypal pledges)

In for the Gamer Level with Asura and Gnoll, so I can get the rules - also added in a Death Knight, Basilisk and Ifrit.

Just because!

I hope this system goes places - it looks to be able to scratch that itch I've had since Confrontation died, all those years ago!

Although I'm not sure I can justify spending anything on this, I'm very glad all these figs will be added to our available choices in the future. Kickstarter is doing great things for our hobby.



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Hmmm - hold the phone, I can get Asura and a Ghoul shipped for $12? Now a stupid question - I just pledged, how do I indicate which figure I want? Does that happen later when the project ends?

Yup, once it's all done, you'll be asked via survey (most likely) what you want. Just so you know, if you add another $13 to your order, you'll get 3 jungle goblins for free too!

Oh, the slippery slope! I can't tell much about them from the pic, but they do look interesting...

He says they are insect inspired. He got the idea from watching a documentary about jungle ants while drunk

Jungle set unlocked with plenty of time to spare, woot!!

Perhaps someone can help me with this: how many sets are there now? I am very interested in the Ifrit


And this Arabian looking lady (jinn?);


Are they part of a set? Strictly individual? My will is wavering, but I'm just rather confused as to exactly what is available and how to get it...

The ifrit can be bought individually for $12 (plastic) or $22 (resin). Also, if you're pledge exceeds $110, you get a free ifrit.

The other one is in the undead set and is called the undead piper, she is flying on a wave of entrails! She is also $12 (plastic) and $22 (resin). If you get the undead set, you get her, three zombies, the death knight, the lich, the necropath, and either the shadow or corpse bound knight

 recruittons wrote:
The ifrit can be bought individually for $12 (plastic) or $22 (resin). Also, if you're pledge exceeds $110, you get a free ifrit.

The other one is in the undead set and is called the undead piper, she is flying on a wave of entrails! She is also $12 (plastic) and $22 (resin). If you get the undead set, you get her, three zombies, the death knight, the lich, the necropath, and either the shadow or corpse bound knight

Ooooooh, I thought that was smoke!

I see that $110 is a bit of a "sweet spot", looks like you get the Ifrit, a Gnoll and 3 goblins there. Hmmm... decisions, decisions...

I believe he said the Ifrit will work with the Elementalist (the jungle set sorcerer, see his most recent update in the updates tab of the KS). Not sure if he works for anyone else but I believe he does...

Oops, I was wrong again, the Gnoll is free if you buy an Asura mini... you get a free... bat? At $85.

At $85 you get the necromancer bat free!

Finish at just shy of 63K, but over 64K with the Paypal additions, so the Dragon Knight is IN!!

Time to sleep

The survey for what you miniatures you want has already gone out .

The Paypal store will stay open till the end of January if anyone missed this and wants in on it. I'm only in for shrikes, fungiens, and jungle goblins atm... hopefully won't be tempted to add on for any more before Jan ends, as I'm seriously tapped out after the holidays!

But if you think about it, if you were to add some stuff in January, it would be 2013! You would be outside of your no-kickstarter zone

 RiTides wrote:


The Paypal store will stay open till the end of January if anyone missed this and wants in on it. I'm only in for shrikes, fungiens, and jungle goblins atm... hopefully won't be tempted to add on for any more before Jan ends, as I'm seriously tapped out after the holidays!

I hope the store will be updated with the newly unlocked minis, as the Dryad type creature isn't on their yet which is the one I'm after.

He said he'll work on it today, but it will be a few hours before it's finished.

Wait - I can add on to my order until January, and it will be figured into my Kickstarter total... somehow?

Because I'd love to add more, and the gaming budget will allow for this in January.

Should I wait until then to finalize my survey?

I think you'd have to just make a new 'order' through the PayPal page?
Combining KS and PayPal orders in to one item sounds like potentially a bit if a nightmare in his end if not.

I think you mean combining the surveys, plastictrees, as he is combining the orders (i.e. if you add via Paypal you are adding to your KS order).

Probably worth asking about it in the main comments section on the KS page, Alph, he responds really quickly there.

Yeeeessss, whichever interpretation makes it sound like I know what I'm talking about is definitely the one I meant.

I managed to accidentally drop my pledge total to $0 while making some last minute pledge tweaks on my phone so I'm grateful for the Paypal option.

Lol that is hilarious

That Necromancer bat would make a pretty badass Necrarch vampire.

Kind of disappointed that the kickstarter ended when it did. I was ready to add a few more miniatures to my pledge, but wasn't able to access a computer due to the Holiday.
I'm assuming that all the models in the kickstarter will reach production afterwords, at least, right?

 Fafnir wrote:
Kind of disappointed that the kickstarter ended when it did. I was ready to add a few more miniatures to my pledge, but wasn't able to access a computer due to the Holiday.
I'm assuming that all the models in the kickstarter will reach production afterwords, at least, right?

You can add stuff to your order through his paypal store at the moment, just be certain to let Jody know that you're combining it with your pledge.

 Fafnir wrote:
Kind of disappointed that the kickstarter ended when it did. I was ready to add a few more miniatures to my pledge, but wasn't able to access a computer due to the Holiday.
I'm assuming that all the models in the kickstarter will reach production afterwords, at least, right?

Actually I believe you'll be able to pledge via paypal until the end of january?

Yep, see Buzzsaw's post and link above

...oops, must have had that window open longer than I thought already

It's been so long that it took me a minute to find the button that lets me post updates!

I have for you some WIP's of the Cassowary Rider, only a day, maybe two from being finished, and I know I' said that a couple days ago but I've been fussing over this miniature because it's been in my head for a couple years and I'm going to make it perfect! But as I mentioned, it's high time you had an update on the progress of our kickstarter.




Now I have some big news about the progress of the miniatures, some good, some bad.
As things stand now, there's no way we can get our figures cast by Trollforged and still do business. They're so backed up handling Red Box Games and Impact that the miniatures I sent in January haven't been touched. Ed's estimates for delivering on just the few miniatures that I've given him thus far were that he could complete them by August. Now Ed did agree to do the work, but from a business stand point it's just not acceptable. Being able to fulfil o rders in a timely fashion and the ability to restock products are requirements of a business. If I can't satisfy my customers and keep products stocked then I would quickly go out of business, and with a six month turnaround and no clear idea how long it would take to re order products I would run out of money set aside for living expenses before I could even get the miniatures I sculpted moulded, cast, and delivered.

I've thought about this for days, agonised over it, discussed it with other industry professionals, and have come to the conclusion that the best and probably only solution is to have the figures cast in metal. The turnaround time on metal figurines is FAST. I can have samples back within 2 weeks from sending them out and I'll be working with an experienced, reliable, and well known team on this.

The downside is that metal is much more expensive than plastic. The cost in material and the additional cost in shipping due to weight and the increases in postal fees since this kickstarter is going to be in the thousands. So it's definitely going to hurt! And certain free items like the goblins are going to be crushing since they've gone from being very inexpensive to expensive and heavy compared to plastic. I'm open to suggestions on alternative rewards for those goblins, since a few of you have no real use for them, you might find base inserts, extra or limited ed. bones more appealing. Other ideas are welcome here, but if you had your heart set on a set of jungle goblins and nothing else will do, then I'll make sure you get them.

So that's all the bad stuff. The good news is that other than the delay on these few miniatures, there should be no delays like this on later releases. We should be able to get metal and resin figures out to you reasonably quickly. The other positive outcome that might please some of you is that large models like the the Troll and possibly the rider, will probably be cast in resin rather t han metal simply because the metal for a figure that size would be too costly in terms of materials and weight.

Stay tuned. I will let you know when the caster gets the figures, and when I can expect samples and the first batch to arrive.

If you have any questions or comments about it, please feel free to post them here or shoot me a message.

Thanks,

Jody

So that's another independent sculptor Kickstarter suffering from relying on Trollforged for production.
Jody's being very upbeat and professional about it at least. I really wish I had sprung for resins now though.

Another? Who else suffered from Trollforged's schedule?

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Another? Who else suffered from Trollforged's schedule?

That I'm aware of, Red Box Games (Tre Manor), who seems to now be in a worse position than he was prior to his vey successful KS, with no stock in metal OR plastic.
Trollforged's own KS, Assimilation Alien Host also isn't anywhere close to completing its sculpts based on the last update.

I think Trollforge tried to expand too fast thinking it was some type of "miracle" plastic any metal company could access easily. I think that really you still need a larger operation to do any large scale stuff even if its not as expensive and complicated as hard plastic

Impact! Miniatures latest update has some interesting information on the Trollforged situation here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/674003445/classic-dungeon-adventurers-miniature-set-chibi-an/posts/439507

From what I can see the Imbrian project set it's estimated delivery date ahead of or at the same time as both Impact! and Trollforged depending on the level you picked. Both of these projects finished before the Imbrian project. Ed works on a first come first served basis so I don't know if they had a special arrangement or if the shipping date was set unrealistically but Impacts is on time (more or less but the delay is due to another issue not Trollforged), Trollforged's own stuff is next in line and is not late yet with an April/May delivery date (though I doubt Ed will be able to keep to that but I'm prepared to wait) then Imbrian is after that.

I didn't back the Imbrian project or Red Box Games so I don't know the ins and outs of it. I have backed both Impact! and Trollforged so I'm just passing on some of what I've heard.

We are speaking of outstanding numbers and miniatures volumes, sure it's going to hurt everyone involved to get things done, sure there are going to be lots of delays a bit everywhere this is the nature of KS preorders.

I can only imagine the nightmare this is for all these guys, Ed, red box are all legit honest and hardworking folks ( I believe others also are but I just don't know them)... And I wish them the best of luck.

This industry is mainly small companies so this explosion in demand on such short time period may prove to be their biggest challenge so far.

From a consumer perspective I'm also not surprised how these projects are volatile in comparison to investing in already produced and on sale miniatures. KS its just not for the likes of me.

I really like that post by Impact. Good to see someone get Ed's back! He and Brian have been working like madmen:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/674003445/classic-dungeon-adventurers-miniature-set-chibi-an/posts/439507

I am in small on Imbrian, but have no problem with metal

Also, Jody posted a great WIP along with the text posted on the last page. It's amazing! Here it is:

So excited about how gorgeous that thing looks. If things work out and Jody allows up to make changes to our pledges, I may upgrade to resin for this!

His sculpting is out of this world.

I'm looking forward to picking up a LOT of his miniatures... and I hope the rules are good too!

This could be the 'spiritual successor' to Confrontation that I've been looking for.... since Confrontation dies an ugly, pre-painted plastic death!

Amazing piece. The concept is fresh, the pose is incredibly dynamic, and the execution is fantastic.

I'd love to be able to change up my pledge a bit, but that sounds like a management nightmare...

I was wondering if there were any updates on this, but since I'm a backer, and I could check the updates/comments over on Kickstarter...

Creator Jody Siegel on May 15

The only thing holding things up right now is the bones. I'm all moved and set up and back to work so I'll have three new bones done by the end of the week. Once valiant starts casting and sending batches of the bones and other resins then I can start getting the small orders fulfilled. And once the bones are done I can finish the last two miniatures of the desert set. I'll see if I can get an estimate from them for resins and metals.

Jeff White 4 days ago

I would like an update on ship times for pretty much anything. Not trying to be an ass here but we are well past some ship dates without any sort of idea about how far in the weeds we are. Some clear idea of when some items could be shipped would truly be appreciated.

Img_20121122_224924.small
Creator Jody Siegel 4 days ago

No problem. I spoke to Jeff from Valiant today. Just to be on the safe side we're estimating 3 weeks on the metal miniatures, but most likely less than that. For the goblin sets, which will have a resin troll, I'll ship those out as I get the trolls in, since casting those is much slower.

I have high hopes for this one, as I see it as a potential spiritual successor to Confrontation.

The miniatures certainly show this, and I hope the ruleset ends up being something I like a lot too.

I really dig the rules and playstyle hinted at. Particularly that certain creatures summon certain other creatures. Really happy I went big here

I hear you!

I'm kind of wishing I went bigger - but there's always 'post-Kickstarter' sales for that!

Great little update Alpharius!

I saw this as a "spiritual successor to Confrontation" to start with as well but concerning miniature design, I'm inclined to say that Jody surpasses good old rackham!

By the way, this is maybe a somewhat dumb question perhaps, but were the extra $ for shipping optional or do you have to pay it if you want your extras? Anyone got an idea?

This is one of the few KS I'm disappointed that I didn't get in on. Looks much better than at least one of the ones I went in on in the same time period...

 c0un7_z3r0 wrote:


By the way, this is maybe a somewhat dumb question perhaps, but were the extra $ for shipping optional or do you have to pay it if you want your extras? Anyone got an idea?

The extra shipping costs were purely voluntary.

An update!

Creator Jody Siegel about 1 hour ago

I think I should have something presentable by the end of today, so expect wips tomorrow morning!
Also stay tuned for news about the troll druid. You're going to get the option of having it in metal or resin!

So wanting to throw more money at this... hopefully retail production starts soon.

After Kickstarter deliveries, of course!

Great to hear! Can't wait until tomorrow!

Update!

Project Update #41: Resins are in!
Posted by Jody Siegel

Hey everyone! Just a quick heads up. I received the resin miniatures today so the first wave of kick starter miniatures and the goblin sets can now be shipped out. I should get the majority of the orders out this week!

Update?

Creator Jody Siegel 2 days ago

ONLINE STORE IS UP!!!!! http://imbrianarts.com/blacksandsorc/index.html

@markus I'd like to have rules ready once we've done the desert and undead sets and you guys have enough miniatures to properly test out the rules.

Anyone hear anything on this one?

It has been a while...

I got my gobbos from it, and am soooooo glad that that's all I went in for. The fact that he had to switch to metal made it a lot less attractive for me.

However, I am very pleased with the sculpts I received . And his 32mm really passes for most 28mm these days, so I can even use these gobbos with my normal 28mm stuff

I didn't go in for much (Asura and Gnoll, Ifrit, Basilisk and Death Knight) but...I've no idea on where any of that stands.

The miniatures are beautiful and the game seems to be something right up my alley - skirmish scale and the long sought after "Spiritual Successor" to Confrontation.

That is, you know, if it ever gets released!

I'd love to buy more of these miniatures, and really go crazy on terrain projects and whatnot...

Alpharius 1 day ago

Any updates on...anything?

Has anyone received any miniatures yet?

Just curious - thanks!

Anastasios about 20 hours ago

@Alpharius I am from Europe and i have not received anything yet. Still waiting...

Creator Jody Siegel about 20 hours ago

Hey! I'll post an update in a couple of days! 5 of the 7 desert set masters are with the casters. The basilisk is complete and the cockatrice head is all done so it will be sent to the casters along with the gnoll which I decided to tweak a little bit. I should be getting those samples back soon but the other two probably not til after gen con. Sculpting the undead set will start next week!

Now I haven't really been paying close attention here but...

...the Undead are just starting to be sculpted now?

Original ship date was Feb 2013.

New ship date - who knows when.

Oh Kickstarer, how I love thee!

Well, the undead set was listed as May 2013.

But yeah, the fact that he hasn't started sculpting it yet (with the exception of the ghoul/ghouls I guess, which was done before the KS started?) is pretty concerning.

Glad I had learned my lesson and only pledged for items that were already sculpted on this one! Even that took over 7 months to deliver, too... although he has an excuse there because he changed casters. But to be so far behind on the sculpting is completely on him.

Hey all. I live in new jersey and received my figure last week. All I pledged was for the resin zombie king figure. Like others I thought that id have it in hand faster because it was already a produced figure. Boy was I wrong. I complained so much that Jody PM'd me about my figure shipping. Anyhoo. The model arrived with a CoA, a resin bone, and a small drawing of the figure. The model itself is fantastic. Clean sculpt with zero flash. Although a little fragile I cleaned the mold rods off the model and was pleased to see the figure assembled seamlessly. A really great looking and easy to assemble figure. A+ for the model. D- on the shipping time til receipt of the figure.

Ouch. This was one of the few KS I regretted not going in on. I had no idea it was this far behind schedule, so maybe it's worked out for the better...

Yes and no?

It all depends on what you went in for, and how much patience you've got.

The sculpts are fantastic, and I didn't go in too deep here, so, I guess I'm OK.

I'll certainly be waiting a while before buying anything else from him though - which is a shame, as there's a lot more I'd like to buy from him!

I went 'Complete Imbrian Package' but luckily I have a lot of patience... and a ton of other stuff showing up, keeping me occupied. Second most i spent on a Kickstarter right behind Kingdom Death; I had Kickstarter fever bad in Dec/Jan, ah well... Feel free to ask me any questions down the road if you want any info on stuff Jody releases that I should be getting... I also added on the Dragon with Dragon Knight Caller.

I can only imagine how long it is going to take for that Dragon and rider to ship...

Hey RiTides, when did you get your Gobbos? That's all I pledged for as well, and I haven't seen anything yet...

I got them on July 9th, but I was a bit of a squeaky wheel about it... however, it also might be that I didn't get any forest gobbos (I asked for the regular goblin footmen instead).

Ah, that's probably it - I had the jungle goblins in the mix. Back to sleep mode...

This is one of my three troll forged related kickstarters that I haven't seen any miniatures from yet.
Not annoyed, god knows I wouldn't have had time to do anything with them anyway his year, it just feels like I paid some sort of nerd tax at this point.

Has anything popped up about when the Gnoll/Asura miniatures will be shipped? I'm going to be moving later this month, and it would be unfortunate to have it sent to my current address, only to arrive by time I've moved out.

I'd contact him with your new address and your whole situation.

It is extremely unlikely that Asura and the Gnoll will be shipping this month.

Agreed, he made some tweaks to the gnoll and so it isn't even cast yet...

The delays are now all on sculpting (which is Far behind schedule)... only the very first orders were delayed due to switching materials.

Yeah, I went in for a complete package because I loved everything Jody sculpted, and was really hoping that the package would end up including a few sculpts that weren't even included in the KS. I'm sure I'm still getting my money's worth (assuming he doesn't completely flake) but the delays on this are definitely disappointing.

An official update!!!

update!
Update #43 · Aug 13, 2013 · 9 comments

The resin masters are on their way to me and I should have them in my hands in a day or two! I'll post pictures when I get them! Once approved they'll go into production and the desert set will be sent out to backers! Everyone with a complete package will also get their goblin sets with it.

Meanwhile, the first zombie is complete! Zombies are easy little guys to sculpt so I should have all of them done by the end of the month.

http://distilleryvesper0-16.ak.instagram.com/3ad0cc92046611e38b3822000a9f15fd_101.mp4

http://instagram.com/p/c-EereFKg4/

Looks like more waiting for me, but I am looking forward to getting everything eventually!

Wow, nice graphic gore on the zombie! It looks a bit yoda-ish though on the face.

Christian Hundahl wrote:
about 4 hours ago

Hey, I'm still waiting for my miniatures, one rider and one swordsman. Are these minis cast up yet or are they still at the casters? If they are not done, then at what time are they expected to be finished?

Creator Jody Siegel wrote:

25 minutes ago

I just had a chat with Valiant so that I could answer your question. The masters are all good. Our order should be sent out to us mid-late September. I asked them to send the pewters and or resins out as soon as they are ready.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

zombie 2 and resin preview
Update #44 · Aug 22, 2013 · 3 comments

News from our casters is that we shall be getting miniatures between the 2nd-4th week of September. They'll ship pewter as soon as it's done and resin as soon as it's done so we can reduce the delay in getting miniatures to you as much as possible.

Resin masters are looking great and the pewter masters were sent off in the mail today.

The sculpting continues!

http://distilleryvesper2-2.ak.instagram.com/09043a7e0adc11e3a17a22000a1fd129_101.mp4

That bird and rider mini look awesome - I do wish I'd gotten one now, though I'll be sure to pick one up when it is available in his shop!

From the comments section:

harold wrote:
about 9 hours ago

Hi Jody,

When you get a chance could you please reply to my email.

Cheers.

Creator Jody Siegel wrote:

about 5 hours ago

Sure!
Harold asked when the undead set would be complete. I have 3 zombies complete but they are the easiest of the bunch to sculpt. The remaining sculpts are pretty heavy on the details so they'll each take anywhere from 7 days to 2-3 weeks to complete.

I've begun to wonder about sculpting pace in general, for fine sculptors like Jody Siegel or, for example, Tre Manor.

Is 3 weeks for one sculpt normal? I guess I had just underestimated the amount of time that goes into these things. Still, that can't ALL be sculpting... I'm guessing like any artistic process, you have to step back from it at times, etc. For Tre, I know he's running his business in the other times. For Jody... I guess I just can't figure out why the sculpts are taking so long.

But again, maybe I'm just underestimating the time that goes into these things... I just feel like if there's down time, perhaps simpler sculpts could be being created, rather than doing them all linearly / one at a time...

Edit: I should also say, this is presuming a full-time sculptor with no other employment, and no additional commissions running simultaneously, etc (hence these two examples, which are working full-time on their own ranges afaik).

What's this?!?

An...update?!?

Desert set update.
Update #45 · Sep 24, 2013 · 4 comments

Valiant has sent me a big shipment which should be arriving tomorrow. Judging from the invoice it looks like everything is there except the gnoll and basilisk so I'll be able to handle a lot of orders that contained a few models from the set. The complete desert set should be done hopefully toward the end of september if everything passes QC and should be on its way to you within a week or two of me receiving them.

I do know for sure that the monk, asura, rider, demonic eye, and ghouls are on their way as well as some other masters awaiting approval.

I love updates!

Rider and demonic eye now available!
Update #46 · Sep 27, 2013 · comment

The first shipment came in on Wednesday and after a thorough review I'm pleased to be able to make the rider and the demonic eye available for sale. The asura, monk and one of the ghouls had some minor issues so we're remolding them. Both Valiant and I want to make perfect products so unfortunately we have to delay those miniatures just a little longer.

If you were waiting for the rider or an eye to complete your order then they should be shipping soon, along with a bunch of resins!

If you didn't pledge for a rider, go get one!

http://imbrianarts.com/desertcreatures/rider/index.html

http://instagram.com/p/bg74PZIsVW/#



This gorgeous miniature sculpted by Sebastian Archer is also available.

http://imbrianarts.com/undead/demoniceye/index.html

These minis are fantastic - especially the Rider.

I'm sad I didn't get on e initially, but I may get one now.

I just wish everything were a lot further along, including the game hat was supposed to go with all of these beautiful miniatures!

Agreed, Alpharius, but also agree about that rider... it is beautiful!

He posted in the comments that he only has 14 sculpts to go, not counting the dragon and dragon knight (so 16 counting those, with the dragon being a biggie).

So, getting there

 RiTides wrote:
I've begun to wonder about sculpting pace in general, for fine sculptors like Jody Siegel or, for example, Tre Manor.

Is 3 weeks for one sculpt normal? I guess I had just underestimated the amount of time that goes into these things. Still, that can't ALL be sculpting... I'm guessing like any artistic process, you have to step back from it at times, etc. For Tre, I know he's running his business in the other times. For Jody... I guess I just can't figure out why the sculpts are taking so long.

But again, maybe I'm just underestimating the time that goes into these things... I just feel like if there's down time, perhaps simpler sculpts could be being created, rather than doing them all linearly / one at a time...

Edit: I should also say, this is presuming a full-time sculptor with no other employment, and no additional commissions running simultaneously, etc (hence these two examples, which are working full-time on their own ranges afaik).

I've always been under the impression that sculptors are working on multiple minis at once to allow for material to set etc.

If you break down the number of minis that Jody has sculpted since the KS closed (that we're aware of) compared to what he would typically be paid as comission to produce those miniatures...I'm not sure that would be a living wage anywhere.

Update time!

Update #47

Oct 4, 2013
Progress Report
Comment

Hey all, Just wanted to let you know the new masters from the desert set have been prepared and will be sent for casting tomorrow so we're back on course for completing the desert set.

We also have to move again! The place we've been in for the last six months has developed a rather nasty case of mold due to a water leak that took several months for the property management to fix. In order to remove the mold they have to tear up the floors and the walls and let them dry out first. The landlord had asked us if we were ok with relocating to a hotel for a two week period and then moving back in but obviously if I can't take all my stuff with me so I can continue working then the answer is NO! So I'll be packing up next week and moving into a new place at our landlord's expense. The silver lining in all this is that I'll be just a 5 minute walk from the local hobby shop

Have a lovely weekend!

Have there been any more updates yet?

I can't remember how much I pledged for this KS but I'm fairly sure that it was over £100, in hindsight I wish that I hadn't pledged at all. I get the distinct impression that Jody has been doing anything but sculpting in the last few months, perhaps I am being naive but I expected far more progress at this stage.

So far I have backed three KS campaigns; Sedition Wars (disappointing), Kingdom Death (looking good so far) and this one. This one has really put me off backing any more, at least from small companies like Imbrian Arts.

No, not really.

There is this from the comments section:

Creator Jody Siegel on Nov 25

Thanks for all the comments and support guys. I emailed Valiant earlier today. I'm hoping to get an estimate from them on when I can expect the last two miniatures from the desert set.
Regarding game news. In order to give you guys a proper demo, I need to redraw the summoning circle. The prototype circle had 5 sections but It now needs 6 sections. I'd really like to get more of the undead set done so I can get those miniatures off to the backers before I take time away from sculpting for drawing a new circle.
@Ithaqua. Yes they're all done. The lich is done but not cast yet. I'll cast it as soon as I finish sculpting the ifrit which is on the bench right now. A lot of people will have their orders complete as soon as I finish these two.
@Joe. You're right, it's a shame things can't go quicker. But I am going to try to get the complete package guys a free miniature or two. I try to take a couple of days off each week so I can live like everyone else, appease the girl friend, clean things, etc. Recreational activities include making chainmaille, playing with swords, pretending I am a mechanic, but sometimes I paint some miniatures, or sculpt some weird things or make a piece of scenery. So right now I have a couple of funny sculptures that I'd like to give out, but they're not really related to this game. I've been sitting on them for a while because I'd like them to be part of something else down the road. But here's a piece (and that's all you get!)
http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/jodysiegel/b630c40a-fc74-4c3f-b4d4-b22f36865839_zps17b18deb.jpg…

It seems as if his motivation to get this done is not as great as we'd all like.

Clearly for some people it's much harder to be motivated once you have the money in hand. At one point I regretted not going in on this one. Now I'm glad I skipped it.

COMPLETE IMBRIAN PACKAGE- get every single imbrian arts figure sculpted from 01 Jan 2013 - 01 Jan 2014

Ha!

I wonder if he'd dare play "Letter of the Law" on that pledge promise!

Yeah, I'm glad I didn't get in on this. Jody is definitely a super talented sculptor, but it doesn't seem like he can really get himself in gear to work very often.

Agreed, glad I just got the goblins, and the wait on those was a bit despite being already sculpted. Some was due to changing material, but speed is clearly not a priority here.

I took a look at the KS comments after Alph's post and it's filled with the typical "you're a great artist, we love you, take your time" stuff. And while I don't advocate rushing crap out of the door, (Hi Mantic!) KS is still a form of business transaction. I mean, is it ok for me to pledge for IA and just pay, you know, when I get around to it? Maybe a year late?

Yeah, I got jumped on in the comments when I mentioned his pace looked way too slow to complete this project in any reasonable amount of time a few months ago, so haven't braved bringing it up since...

Granted, I'm a part of some HUGELY delayed projects, but usually the creator is a bit more talkative about why there is a delay, or has a good reason other than just taking their time...

That IS a good point though...

I'm off to the KS comments page!

Not saying it explains it all, but didn't he mention having unexpected problems with his caster which among other things have resulted in him feeling obligated to prep the minis before he sends them of to the caster (which i believe he claims he never had to do while working with his previous caster)? I know very little about casting so I don't know that that really means and how much work it is. But along with the whole "trollforged-issue" I guess there have been some unexpected obstacles, big and small some might have been expected while some might not have been, to clear out of the way, hence reducing the time for sculpting. And I'd say he have been quite clear about not rushing things and that this project might take some time to finish, which is one of the reasons that put me off from going for the "full package".

Personally, I don't mind waiting, I want my minis to look as awesome as those done this far, but I can see why people get a bit frustrated.

The only prep I can think he might need to do to his master sculpts are to fill in any major hollows/undercuts which can lead to the figure collapsing when it's being moulded, or maybe cutting it up for multi part casting

neither of which should take a lot of time

News:

Creator Jody Siegel 4 days ago

Just packaging a few thousand miniatures and all their little bits into tiny bags, reviewing messages for changes to orders, compiling the orders and making shipping labels, and getting very little sculpting done while packaging. Once it's done, we can finish off the ifrit, which by the way is BIG, almost as tall as a 54mm model.

Looks like I'll be waiting a bit longer then...

 Alpharius wrote:
News:

Creator Jody Siegel 4 days ago

Just packaging a few thousand miniatures and all their little bits into tiny bags, reviewing messages for changes to orders, compiling the orders and making shipping labels, and getting very little sculpting done while packaging. Once it's done, we can finish off the ifrit, which by the way is BIG, almost as tall as a 54mm model.

Looks like I'll be waiting a bit longer then...

You're not the only one at least. I'm thinking I wont get the Seadragon and Rider till at least 2016...

IF we get all of this, or at this point, ANY of it at all.

I'm having my doubts.

And it is a shame too - he's a true talent, just not for the 'business' side of things, apparently.

Not the first KS-using sculptor that this is true of...

Sadly, very true.

A bit of an update in regards to shipping and sculpting order.

Creator Jody Siegel about 3 hours ago
Thanks! I've been trying to pack things as much as possible before Christmas so that I could enjoy a few days with family and then send out a big batch as soon as I get back.
It's tough to make an estimate on when I can start on the forest elemental. I can say that it will come after the undead, and it will be the first jungle miniature to get sculpted.

Isn't today a birthday... sort of... of this successful project? And it is just two months to the delivery time, the last estimate that is, March 2014. Maybe someone could do a quick update on what was already shipped, and what is in al these mysterious "few thousand miniatures and all their little bits" that are supposedly almost packed now?

Eek... successful for Jody, at least... but not for the long-term if he doesn't start delivering, or at least, showing some sort of status updates / WIPs / etc... miniatures came in Dec 2nd, packing was to take "a few weeks of December"... I don't even know what came in or what is left to be done, but there's a whole heck of a lot in the "left to be done" column. With little to no urgency shown by the creator to complete the project without even longer and longer delay...

$60K in the bank (yes, a bit less than after KS and Amazon) must have been 'enough', I guess?

Of course, with frequent and substantive updates and an eventual smooth delivery, he stood to make a lot more...

This seems to be a major issue with some of the smaller and "one man band" creators - with all of that money given upfront, it's like a windfall - but then you actually have to do the work - and unlike regular website orders, well, you're not going to get anything (further) from sending these orders out, or sculpting those models, or working quite as hard to get it all out - meanwhile, the pile of money will slowly be pissed away, while things like postal fees, raw materials, casting are really only going to go up. So it becomes easier to put things off for something more immediate, and as the projects slip later and later, another week, another month becomes not such a big deal.. especially when there might be a commission or new unrelated product that can go to market and get paid for right now - or at least much sooner.

As critical as I've been for Mantic or CMON's "three (or more) KS at once!" policy, the upside of that is that they know they need to actually deliver in order to get the next campaign off the ground. CMON obviously needs to work a lot harder on their communication, as they go silent until they have a new KS or PM to pimp, which I guess is their own version of "delivering" some of the time... but still, they have finalised several campaigns, and they understand that if they want to keep going to the well, they need to keep delivering...

 Azazelx wrote:
This seems to be a major issue with some of the smaller and "one man band" creators - with all of that money given upfront, it's like a windfall - but then you actually have to do the work - and unlike regular website orders, well, you're not going to get anything (further) from sending these orders out, or sculpting those models, or working quite as hard to get it all out - meanwhile, the pile of money will slowly be pissed away, while things like postal fees, raw materials, casting are really only going to go up. So it becomes easier to put things off for something more immediate, and as the projects slip later and later, another week, another month becomes not such a big deal.. especially when there might be a commission or new unrelated product that can go to market and get paid for right now - or at least much sooner.

I think that sums up all the issues here perfectly.

Sadly.

Complete packages are getting partial shipments and US backers are getting tracking numbers for USPS; relevant quotes below.

zoroaster100 about 12 hours ago
@Jody: I paid for a Complete Imbrian Package. I was wondering, will I be getting a partial shipment for the miniatures that are done at this point, or is there anything further you need from me for that to happen?

Creator Jody Siegel about 1 hour ago
Yes! It will be on its way some time this week You'll get an email with a tracking number when it's ready if you're in the states. Outside of the US, the post office doesn't track shipments but you'll still get the email letting you know it's on its way.

I had such high hopes for this one - my love of Confrontation and looking for the 'next Confrontation' has cost me a lot in terms of heartache...and cash.

I understand Alpharius, I was the same way until I settled on owning a Daikinee army and just focusing on sci-fi games. If only the army I always wanted in Confrontation didn't come out just before their switch to pre-painted plastic...

 Alpharius wrote:
I had such high hopes for this one - my love of Confrontation and looking for the 'next Confrontation' has cost me a lot in terms of heartache...and cash.

He never answered your question from December 3rd in the comments, either :-/

 RiTides wrote:

 Alpharius wrote:
I had such high hopes for this one - my love of Confrontation and looking for the 'next Confrontation' has cost me a lot in terms of heartache...and cash.

He never answered your question from December 3rd in the comments, either :-/

After I receive my package, I'll catalog it, make a list of what's missing and ask the question again to see if we'll get a response since it'll be after the holidays and the first wave(?) of shipping.

I don't even remember what I asked...

Conservative estimates of what is left to be sculpted plus estimates of time for basically having them produced and shipped. All time frame type stuff.

Yeah, I remember that now.

I'm not surprised it didn't get answered in detail, but a rough list of what's left and what order he'll be working on them would be nice.

In fact...

And with that, Alpharius braved the Kickstarter comment system to ask Jody about a time line for everything else. Jody happily agreed a game plan should be drawn up and will do so after recovering from New years.

Alpharius about 2 hours ago
I was really looking forward to this one as it looked to fill that "Confrontation" niche!
Now, I can understand why details may not be...feasible at this point, but can we get a list of what is left to sculpt, what order they'll be sculpted in, and maybe a rough timeline for completion of this project?
I'd love to buy a lot more of these beautiful models, but won't until my pledge is delivered and the other models are 'in stock' at your online store.
Thanks, and Happy New Year!

Creator Jody Siegel 35 minutes ago
Yes, I think some sort of game plan for the new year is in order. I'll put one together after I recover from this New Year's celebration. We will be playing THE WISEST WIZARD!

I had to look the game up and wonder if the use of the word 'wisest' is suppose to be sarcastic or not.

Well, there we go then!

I eagerly await the unveiling of the plan, and hope that Jody can come close to maintaining it!

He didn't already have a plan and has to create one? Seriously?

More like his original plan got shafted, he made minor adjustments but should do a full revision.

Yeah, but that was a fair while ago. I thought he would have reorganised by now, sounds more like it's now a case of when he can get around to the rest?
I think his latest pack should see me getting mine, and he's very friendly through messages. Must remember to ask about adding some stuff.

How long does a game of The Wisest Wizard last?

I don't get it...

I'm more than a little worried he'll eventually flake on us and anything left pending will remain that way...

...forever!

Yeah, I don't give him much credit for acknowledging that he should come up with a plan... when Alpharius had asked the same question a month ago and seen it ignored.

Sooooo glad I only ordered a handful of already sculpted models on this one...

I got my shipment and everything so far is impressive. I should get a chance to inventory it all on Tuesday at the latest but I got the Goblin and Desert sets for sure.

Update #48 Jan 12, 2014
Miniatures Away!
1 comment Like 1 like
I've just finished putting the last piece of tape on a mountain of boxes. Everyone who's just ordered figures from the desert set and goblin set are covered as well as the complete package backers. Resins should follow next week!

Some of you have asked what's left and what order it's going to come so here's a tentative plan for the last two sets.

The ifrit is getting near completion. It had to take the shelf while miniatures got packed but now we can finish it off. The Ifrit, lich, death knight, and piper were some of the most requested items from the Kick starter so once they're done that should cover 90% of the backers.

After that we'll finish off the rest of the Undead set and get them sent out at which point I will start working on the dragon and taking breaks on it to finish off the remaining 5 models from the Jungle set and Ammit.

I'd also like to let those of you who purchased a basilisk know that you'll be getting an extra one for free. I'm doing this because while the model is a fairly good size, when I reflect back on what was paid for it in the Kick Starter, I feel it's a little higher than I'd like it to be, so getting an extra one for nothing makes me a whole lot happier, and now you'll be able to use both head variants

Also some responses to some backer questions in the comments:

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback. I love gnolls Josh. Ever since I saw that picture from the 2nd ed Dungeons and Dragons Monstrous Manual. They seem like a race that could have a lot of character and their really aren't enough of them around for my tastes. I'm always willing to revisit them at a later time.
Anthony, the ifrit still isn't done yet but I think I'll post this here so you guys can see some progress. All sculpting has pretty much ceased at the moment so that I can get these miniatures into your hands. I've changed up the pose a bit and it's a big improvement. He's leaning back against the weight of the whirling balls like a discus thrower.

I love the old 1E AD&D Monster Manual Gnolls too...

I just checked and I'm in for:

Asura and Gnoll, Ifrit, Basilisk and Death Knight

So, more waiting, but with a bonus now!

Looks like RiTides was able to stir thing up over at IMBRIAN!

Creator Jody Siegel about 3 hours ago

Gentlemen, there are some questions about timelines that are EXTREMELY difficult to answer and puts creators in a very awkward position. One of those things is a timeline. If I was doing everything myself I could probably give you a rough timeline that would maybe be within a month of two of being accurate. When you're dealing with other businesses and contracting out casting, it becomes insanely difficult to guess. I made estimates before based on the experience I had with my casters in Australia.
--
In a perfect world, I'd have miniatures mastered within two weeks of completing them and sending them off. And it would be easy to give you maybe not good, but rough estimates. Sometimes it works out that way, but as we've seen, sometimes it can take a couple of months or more to get a miniature back. So every time I get asked, why is it late? What's the status? Especially when you've already seen pictures of a completed miniature, it puts me in a hard position. If I get into specifics about what was wrong with the castings, or that I'd had to send stuff back because I wanted a better product it could be misconstrued as an attack or a complaint about a company that I work with and we all know that complaining publicly is very ugly business.
--
Beyond that, every time a miniature gets sent back, it pushes everything in the queue back. If I have to rework or modify the castings to get a good product then it makes the entire timeline inaccurate.
--
There has been a lot of hard work done by myself and the casters to get the products done right, and unfortunately it's not an exact science, so it's impossible to tell you how long or how many times it will take to make something the way we want it. You can't work with a timeline when something can take two weeks or two months to get right.
--
The best I can do is keep you up to speed on what miniatures are done, but it's impossible to say how long it will take for us to take that miniature and turn it into a product with the quality you expect.

A lot in that doesn't seem quite right, but, what are we going to do at this point?

Other than wait, of course.

Yeah, I posted one more comment there, and I think I'm done... but this is the key sentence to me:

Imbrian Arts wrote:You can't work with a timeline when something can take two weeks or two months to get right.

From seeing other sculptors and campaigns, I really disagree with this. Waiting 2 weeks to 2 months for a cast to come back correct is one thing. Tre Manor is no speedracer when it comes to sculpting, and it seems to take him just a day or two to make changes when his sculpts come back with a small uncastable section, and get it sent right back out.

But the idea that Jody cannot progress on his other sculpts while waiting for the caster to do their work is just a bit mind boggling to me, and imo a terrible excuse. Yes, he might have to make minor tweaks here or there, or communicate with the caster, but so what? The bulk of his time should still be being spent sculpting!

I feel like he must not be doing this full-time... there has to be a reason for the snail's pace (it took him 2 full months just to get the boxes mailed for the latest batch of figures, with him saying he could do no sculpting in that period because of it!) but he is not letting on what it is.

Update!

Creator Jody Siegel 4 days ago

I have answers! Re: Dan I'm almost done getting these resins out the door. I have about 20ish left so you'll be seeing them soon.
--
Loris w.r.t. bases I don't think they have to be round, but making them bigger kinda depends. If you put all of your guys on a 40mm base for example you might be able to manipulate the game's rules by taking up space. Smaller is probably ok, and 1 or 2 larger bases is probably ok, but it's something that has the potential for rules abuse, so as long as you're not "that guy" then you should be fine.
--
Peter, I will certainly try to keep you all updated on what goes on. The only problem I have with showing of WIPs is that in the past I've seen a lot of interest when a WIP is initially shown, but that interest can tend to dry up by the time the miniature is ready for release. So I'd like to keep them under wraps so that when I do show pictures, interested people can have the miniature immediately and not forget or lose interest in it.
In the past when there have been issues with a miniature I have tried to keep it to myself, only because I don't want to be seen as being critical of the caster's work. I did talk with them about discussing those sorts of issues with backers and they understand both my hesitation in wanting to loudly proclaim when there's a problem with a model and the fact that backers want to know what's up and the situation that poses in having to choose between two whether or not to talk about it or not. So in the future, when it looks like something is going to be late because of a production problem, we'll let you know why.
--
AirViper, all you have to do is send me a message and I'll update your info.

So...what's happening then exactly?
I wasn't exactly holding my breath for my pledge to get here, but holy bananas, how many miniatures did he sculpt all of last year for $30k+?

That update tells us, he's shipping some stuff, don't mess around with base sizes if you want to play his game (unless you want to, then sure), if there are production problems in the future he will probably tell us about them (but not show us WIPs). Yay.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh, and he didn't even send that as an update, so you have to be camping the comments of a 13 month+ old Kickstarter to have any idea what's happening.

Also, woops, $60k+. Ha.

It was a less than stellar 'update', to be sure.

I'm having less and less sympathy for the Artist in this one...

Creator Jody Siegel about 16 hours ago wrote:

No ship date has been set for them yet. This week is all about finishing up with the last of our resin shipments and more mould making. We've made 6 new moulds so far and the casts are looking incredibly good. But in order for it not to be a time waster we need to be casting at least 10 moulds at a time.

OK.

By "we" he means "Valiant" as far as the moulding and casting goes.

For his part, he's shown almost no progress (at least, via KS, I have no idea if he's posting things elsewhere) since AUGUST.

I unsubscribed from the updates of this campaign and don't plan to check it. Glad I got my gobbos and got the heck out of dodge... it's one thing if a creator is behind, but earnestly trying to make good and updating frequently with WIPs as they work through the sculpting backlog. It's quite another to behave as this creator is doing.

I'm glad that you've already got your minis, and sad that I haven't received mine, nor have we seen much of anything about them, as you noted.

I suppose I'm somewhat glad that I didn't sink a lot into this, but it was certainly enough.

And I certainly would've spent more here via 'retail' had this campaign been run a bit more competently.

A forthcoming game floated to the surface over at frothers

http://beerandd6s.com/index.php

and apparently (according to a post from Tre Manor) the sculpts are Jody's which if true is a bit of a disappointment what with how much still seems to be done for this one

Well, if it is true, I guess that explains the glacial pace on his own campaign that he's already received all the money for.

If it is true...

Disappointing, I think this guy has really burnt through all good will. I think my order has been waiting on one sculpt for months now.

It would probably good to post asking in the KS comments. I've given up posting there, as I already voiced my opinion, but more pressure on him to work towards completing the project in a timely fashion, the better.

I wonder if it was all down to not wanting to deliver extra minis for the Complete Imbrian Package pledges? He was on the hook to deliver extras of anything else sculpted by Jan 2014, so no incentive to hurry. He just has to include the KS figures only now... and gives absolutely no indication of when that will be.

Anyone have a direct link to where Tre says this was Jody's work?

 RiTides wrote:
It would probably good to post asking in the KS comments. I've given up posting there, as I already voiced my opinion, but more pressure on him to work towards completing the project in a timely fashion, the better.

I wonder if it was all down to not wanting to deliver extra minis for the Complete Imbrian Package pledges? He was on the hook to deliver extras of anything else sculpted by Jan 2014, so no incentive to hurry. He just has to include the KS figures only now... and gives absolutely no indication of when that will be.

So then would these beer and whatever minis count towards that if they ARE his sculpts?

Pretty miffed with this whole thing now. Are the undead minis done? Glad I didn't go in for the dragon now.

Anyone have a direct link to where Tre says this was Jody's work?

About midway down the page

http://frothersunite.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=46720&start=20

Thanks Orlando!

I suppose I'll go ask now...

So, how many models as he actually sculpted in 14 months of "full time work"?

Apparently "how you answer a Frothers guest" is with self-righteous disregard for how poorly you have run your first crowd funding project.


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I think I'm counting 12 that have gone from concept to finished or nearly finished since the KS ended?

So that's less than one model a month.
Guessing that's below the pace of most professional sculptors who aren't slowly starving to death in a shack somewhere.

I can certainly understand the need to work two jobs, but really, he should focus on fulfilling his Kickstarter commitments first, I think.

 plastictrees wrote:

So then would these beer and whatever minis count towards that if they ARE his sculpts?

Pretty miffed with this whole thing now. Are the undead minis done? Glad I didn't go in for the dragon now.

Apparently not, as they're not "Imbrian" models. His quotes on Frothers are incredible:

This is called working two jobs. I work 5 days a week just like everyone else and what I do in my free time is my own business. If I feel inspired to create drunks, I'm going to put in my 10 hours of work for that day (if it's a work day), then I'm going to create drunks.

There's no need to run a kick starter for this. I'd rather offer people a finished product that they can have in their hands when they click buy than promise them a product when I can get around to it. As "guest" mentioned, I've already run a great kick starter, but it IS delayed, so finishing that is my priority. This is simply a fun side project that my friends and I have been working on in our spare time. It does includes stats, rules, and cards for Imbrian models and gives those backers from the IA project something to do with their models while I work on finishing the rest of that line.

Yup, and I do often work in my free time. The people I live with would tell you I work more than anyone they know, but only because I enjoy what I do. In fact I find myself spending this weekend packaging miniatures so I can get the last of the resins out the door.

Nevertheless, you can't expect someone working on a project that was expected to take a year at the least from the get go to not be allowed days off, to spend time with friends and family, to recharge, to spend time on hobbies that they enjoy, for an entire year and more. I work at least 50 hours a week, you have to give me time to live and pursue other passions outside of that.

With regard to the project, I have two of for sets done and a third which is 40% complete. And anyone at any time can request finished models to be shipped to them.

I'd hate to have this thread derailed sir. If you wouldn't mind messaging or emailing me is be happy explain the details and answer questions.

It took him two months to ship the metals, going on two months to ship the resins. Hardly any sculpting progress shown since October or so, unless you count these "non Imbrian" models. Which people can use their Imbrian models to play this game with... rather than, you know, finishing the Imbrian rule set.

Absolutely incredible. What's most amazing is how brazen he is about it. Not running a KS for this other game isn't because it doesn't need one, but rather, the bad press he would justifiably get... plus, who would back it? I feel really bad for the "Complete Imbrian Package" backers now. Technically, he doesn't owe them these models, but who would've guessed he'd go "RAW" (rules as written) on that wording, and sculpt "non Imbrian" models last year?


Again, just plain incredible. I see he posted this in the KS comments this evening:

Creator Jody Siegel about 2 hours ago
Nah, Bar fights is just a small side project. I came up with the idea about 9 months ago and it seemed like such an awesome idea that my friends quickly got on board and offered to help out. The miniatures are all old, an hour here and there over the past 8 months in my spare time but we've not showed them because there's no point showing off a miniature and saying, "one day, maybe next year, You'll be able to get this mini" It's better to hoard them until you have a more cohesive vision that you can share with people.
--
But also yes, I really wanted to get this game out there so that people would have a use for some of their imbrian arts minis. I could have held on to them and kept them out of sight until the KS was done but where would be the fun in that? All of our minis would be collecting dust. The side game seemed like a great way to revive people's interest in the miniatures.
--
The biggest delay in the past couple of months has just been trying to go through orders, send stuff out, especially the resin stuff, (which I should be done with tonight) and trying to get in house resin casting going. I've finally got a really got system working and I've been using it to cast all of your bones. There are a couple of reasons doing it in house is necessary.
One is quality and price. The castings I've been able to produce are much nicer. Mould lines are barely visible and there's no shifting which would require heavy blade work. It also costs me barely anything except time.
Second. In the past we had a lot of production issues when the casters prepped the resin masters themselves. The gnoll, demonic eye, King of Ghouls, monk and some others I can't think of right now all had to be fixed by myself after the metal samples failed QC. It's a lot of back and fourth in the post, eating up time. So it's a hell of a lot simpler if I cast the miniature here, get a few awesome casts, and clean them up so I KNOW they'll fit together the way they're supposed to.
--
In-house casting is also worth it because there's zero turnaround when it comes to getting resin done. I can produce this stuff fairly quickly because I don't have to share the caster's time with other businesses and clients. I can finish a miniature, and put it in a mould the same day, and be casting miniatures 24 hours later instead of waiting a month to get them back.
--
But as I said, I'll finally able to get back to sculpting again this week, which is awesome. I've been dying to get back to the ifrit.

Still working on the Ifrit. Apparently shipping takes 4 months with no sculpting in the interim. And waiting on masters takes all your time, rather than sculpting. He keeps vaguely pointing to casting, or shipping (for months)... anything but admit he hasn't sculpted hardly anything since early autumn. Since when are casting companies like Valiant not able to make masters from a green?

This is the first mention of his casting in house, and honestly it sounds far fetched. Why just mention it now? I feel like the excuses just keep getting more elaborate here, and he continues to refuse to show sculpting progress... Which is all he's supposed to be doing. Unless he needs to cast the resins himself because the money for having it done professionally is gone...?

Whatever the real situation is, it's clearly not good. And even if it's all true, there's no transparency at all. He's been learning to cast in resin and just now mentioned it? Ugh whether it is true or not

Geez, if working 50 hour weeks isn't enough, how the hell did he plan to meet his original deadline?

Did Imbrian Arts just pull a McVey on themselves?

Good Lord, I a) had forgotten that I had even pledged for this thing, and b) just took a look and realized the expected date of shipping is February.

Of 2013!

You guys might want to contact KS, re: accountability.

At this point, the stress isn't worth it compared to the amount I put into it.

I'm going to try and forget this one exists, and then hopefully be pleasantly surprised when they eventually show up.

Jody's a fantastic talent, just maybe not the most 'business savvy' guy out there.

Yes, I am resorting to impotent fist shaking and then waiting for my minis to turn up.

I don't think lack of 'business savvy' is the issue. I don't think he loves being late, but he doesn't really seem to care, or think that there's an issue at all.
Compared to Red Box, where you could see Tre dying a little every time he updated with bad news.

The reality is, Tre was super late, but super communicative and passionate and I will be supporting future projects, kickstarter or otherwise.
Jodi is super late, has been horrible at providing meaningful updates and doesn't seem to care about losing goodwill. I won't be supporting future projects of his.

What is Cashwileys problem? Is he involved in the project, hates discussion, or just has a problem with ritides?

I think he's just a fan, no big deal really- everyone is entitled to their opinion and he's a supporter. I'm rabid for other projects and I think he just really likes this one. So really, no biggie!

Jody messaged me and said he'd post here to explain some things and that people's impressions are important to him. So, hopefully there are more updates from here on out.

Hi guys, this is Jody the horrible imbrian arts guy.

First, I want to thank RiTides for bringing this discussion to my attention. I had NO idea that people were this upset and that there was this much ill will developed about the KS or myself in general.

Your opinion mean A LOT to me, you as customers mean A LOT to me as well. I hate letting people down and I hate disappointing people and it makes me really sad to read stuff like this. I take unhappy customers very personally.

So I want to tell you all what I told RiTides, I'm happy to answer your questions about anything you'd like to know and dispel a lot of the misinformation and speculation about what's been going on. Anyone here is welcome to message me, find me on FB, email me, hit me up on skype (jodysiegel) whatever you'd like. I'm happy to answer questions and I'm very easy going. I get really wrapped up in work sometimes, so if I don't respond within 48hours, bug me again.

I've tended to stay off of forums in the past. The internet is notorious for facilitating misunderstandings and creating strife between people, and I've been very apprehensive about being vocal about the delays and their causes. I'd really hate for people to get the impression that Valiant is a bad company because I had to frequently post updates about the bad masters and miniatures that I had to turn back which failed QC, resulting in more work for myself, as I have to fix them, not valiant, and more delays for you guys. After Ed from Trollforged and I had our falling out and parted ways, the thought of having to contact my caster to tell them I had a problem with their work would make me physically ill, and anxious. The last thing I wanted to do was tell the world that there were issues with valiant's work and that they had to be sent back. I was scared valiant would be upset with me for making them look bad, and that I'd be a horrible customer to them. For that reason, I kept quiet about the issues and posted very little and kept you guys out of the loop. I'm very sorry about that. I talked to Valiant about it and much to my surprise and relief, they were ok with it. In their own words, they said, it's a process, and it's not perfect. If the customer isn't happy with it, then we have to keep working at it until it works. (This unfortunately eats up a bit of both our time) I'm also guilty of being more active in the comments than in updates. As RiTides tells me, stuff like my starting in house casting is something that should go in those updates. So I'll be doing more of that.

So, some things that jump out that I can answer immediately-

I've had no intention, ever, of trying to cheat backers out of free minis. I have plenty of miniatures that I've made over the years that I've made on the side, for fun, or because I was inspired to do so that have never seen the light of day, and that's how the beer and d6s stuff got started. It took me several months to find the time to work on them, and then I held them back because I had no reason, like the others, to share them. Here's the quote I made on NOV 25 promising free miniatures.

"So right now I have a couple of funny sculptures that I'd like to give out, but they're not really related to this game. I've been sitting on them for a while because I'd like them to be part of something else down the road. But here's a piece (and that's all you get!)
http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/jodysiegel/b630c40a-fc74-4c3f-b4d4-b22f36865839_zps17b18deb.jpg…"

I feel that after all the delays we've had in this KS, I owe my complete package guys some free stuff for putting up with the delays so graciously.

I have made comments in the past, at least one that I remember about starting casting in house. The reason for this is that in most cases, the resin masters that I have received from the casters, and the ones that get used to make the metal masters have been the cause of almost every single delay we've suffered. But it's also a lot faster and less expensive to do it in house. This takes a lot of work off of Valiant's shoulders and means that I can get resin masters made the same week that I finish a miniature rather than waiting in the customer line for valiant to do it.

About Wips. I love sharing wips. I used to do it all the time, and people LOVE seeing them, who doesn't? It's a huge boost to know that people like what you're working on and I love feedback. The downside of that though, and any sculptor will tell you. If you show the wips and then don't make the product available immediately afterwards, people lose interest in them, and when you do make them available, no one cares. People move on to the next new thing and your shop lies dormant. I've had to restrain myself and tell myself over and over, not to show off the wips until I have something to sell, because if I give in to that impulse, it's going to make it harder to live off of my sculpting. Lots of miniature businesses keep their projects under wraps until they're ready, and I'm trying to do the same for a change. The massive down side that I'm seeing, is that backers still want to be in the loop, and want to see progress. But I need to make money on these right? If they don't sell then I have nothing to spend on food, rent, utilities, etc.

My question to you guys, that I'd genuinely like your feedback on, is what is more important? Should I keep the miniatures held back so that I they don't fall flat on release, or should I share them with backers to keep them engaged?

So moving forward, I will do my best to keep you guys engaged, and I am always open and approachable to chat. I'm not aware of all the forums out there, but I'll try and check in on this regularly. The fastest way for me to get back to you is to send me a message. I'm reachable through almost all forms of social media. And let me know what I can do for you guys to keep you interested, and satisfied that I'm doing the best I can to give you awesome miniatures.

Best,
Jody

Thanks for posting,

As somebody who was very interested in your KS but didn't have money to back it at the time I'd love to see WIPs and my favourite KS projects are the ones that communicate regularly even if there is not a lot to say as it shows they're still active and engaged with the project

(I do keep a list of stuff I have to have when they are released)

but if you've found in the past that showing WIPs too early hampers future sale I can understand your reluctance to show them

Hello Jody!

Thanks for taking the time out to post here, and thanks for the renewed commitment to keeping us up to date on the progress on this Kickstarter.

Your miniatures are simply amazing, and really recall the glory days of Rackham.

Is there any timing update on the sculpting necessary to complete this Kickstarter?

And is there an update on the progress on the rules for the game based on these miniatures?

Thanks again - and welcome to Dakka Dakka!

Rearding WIPs, a great way that Privateer Press and other companies get around the issue you're talking about is by previewing parts of models, rather than whole models. It keeps the suspense up until closer to when it's for sale, but shows that they're working on awesome stuff... a similar strategy could work here.

(I'd prefer full WIP models, of course, but it's a compromise that would be much better than showing nothing)

I prefer full on WIP shots - I think that the positives and advantages far outweigh any negatives or disadvantages to Full Reveals.