Still not feeling the Epirians, but then I prefer truescale anyway, will most likely proxy them if playing. They are nice enough minis, there's just a lot of choice out there for generic sci-fi humans at the moment.. if they were made 5-8 years ago they would be the best thing on the market. Some headswaps could really bring them to life I think. Would be great as Imperial Guard for 40k.

Karist minis are all looking amazing though!

They have a really cool "Brotherhood of Nod" vibe to them, and suit the look of a sci-fi religious cult perfectly.

The Karist troopers seem to be a better size/scale for human figures than the Epirians too, which are too close to the GW cadians for my liking.

Stormphoenix wrote:

Mymearan wrote:
To me it's the square cap that really put the Contractors over the top. Aside from the fact that they should be wearing helmets, the cap really reinforces the blockyness of their silhouette and makes them look so LEGO-ish. Look at the sergeant without the cap, he looks much better than the rest of them, but still has the same shoulderpads people have been lamenting. I really think rounded helmets would make them much more appealing.

You'll see why we went with the square hats when you put the Contractors up with the rest of the army, it makes them fit in really well.

Why did you just show the one Epirian unit when it takes two of them together to look good? Both Karist units look fine individually, but apparently the Epirian's shouldn't be photographed unless they have a fat friend to stand next to to make them look better...?

So, show us the robots that make the chaps look better.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, those heads with scouters will be amazing for conversions.

Ooh, I love the pictures of the alternative colour schemes. I'd already started mulling over Karist themes - for some reason despite me hating purple, I started thinking of them in 2nd edition 40K genestealer colours. With yellow detailing like one of the characters in Neon Genesis Evangelion.

On a side note. For some reason, having read the fluff for the Epirians, I am now liking them more because they sound more and more like the NHS in the UK - "make do with what you got, you ain't getting anyone or anything new". I'm thinking a little mod work to make them have makeshift armour - bits of alien wreck tied on with string as chest armour. Grappling to survive in a role they weren't trained or equipped to deal with they just grab what they can find to protect themselves after seeing their mate getting shot to high heaven by some super-armoured religious nut who wants everyone to get swallowed up by an energy cloud!

The more I see of these miniatures, the more I like them, but the Karists will always be my favorites. (And I say that even though I intend to modify the "broken wrist" of the Tempests, which I'm not a fan of.)

I'll be there when this launches.

 Vermonter wrote:
The more I see of these miniatures, the more I like them, but the Karists will always be my favorites. (And I say that even though I intend to modify the "broken wrist" of the Tempests, which I'm not a fan of.)

I'll be there when this launches.

I thought I would be backing this but the more I see the models I more their flaws drive me nuts. I hope they get enough funding to pull a Prodos and resculpt their flawed models.

 AlexHolker wrote:

Stormphoenix wrote:
You'll see why we went with the square hats when you put the Contractors up with the rest of the army, it makes them fit in really well.

Why do people keep saying things like this as if it's a good thing? "You know those square hats you hate? Well expect to see a whole lot more like them in the rest of the army!"

You can't please everyone all the time. If they had been given propellor beanie caps someone would complain about that.

The positive point is that all the units in the army will have a clear linking design aesthetic, which is a recognition factor for a tabletop wargame army. To flip the argument, what would an army look like in which every single figure was utterly different to all of the others?

If people don't like the specific aesthetic that has been chosen, the rules are as I understand it totally playable with models from different manufacturers.

I really enjoy the Karist design, but less so their background - Twilight's Hammer Cult-esque fanatics are just not to my taste. I feel conflicted.

 Kilkrazy wrote:

 AlexHolker wrote:

Stormphoenix wrote:
You'll see why we went with the square hats when you put the Contractors up with the rest of the army, it makes them fit in really well.

Why do people keep saying things like this as if it's a good thing? "You know those square hats you hate? Well expect to see a whole lot more like them in the rest of the army!"

If they had been given propellor beanie caps someone would complain about that.

I would certainly hope so!

 Ashiraya wrote:
I really enjoy the Karist design, but less so their background - Twilight's Hanmer Cult-esque fanatics are just not to my taste. I feel conflicted.

Their background is far too complex to get across in a single post or even a short series of posts as there are many layers of motivation and conflicting goals within the faction. I (obviously) highly recommend checking out the first novel to get a better feel for how they operate and their raison d'etre.

when do they go on sale?

 the clone wrote:
when do they go on sale?

First page, first post. Kickstarter around the end of this month (unless that has been revised since).

Yeah the Karist Kaddar priesthood is all about setting people up for conversion so they can train themselves to embrace the Maelstrom when it comes and ascend. The military wing/caste is a lot more hardline in terms of claiming objectives and stuff. I think both subfactions may answer to yet another group, whatever they have equivalent to a 'high command' that gives the overarching goals which the military will do what it takes to achieve so the priesthood can do the converting.

Its kind of a weird approach though. I guess the Epirian Foundation is part of the reason for the aggressive infiltration/invasion tactics, rather than turn the religious dudes away at the door they blow them up before they can knock.

They also seem pretty put off by the Epirian use of bots, I guess the highest level/most intricate/detail oriented bot tasks require a transfer of consciousness to the bot which is abhorrent to the Karists. Something about the division of mind/body or soul/body which should be intact and trained/harmonized to better accept the maelstrom.

I think that is one of the big design influences for both factions, or at least I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

The Epirians rely a lot on technology: bots, drones, terraforming, cybernetics, tranfering conciousness to control them, and in the book one person transferring their soul into a bot after they died so that they can live on. That devotion/reliance on technology and artificial lives could extend to the design of the models to show just how much the faction is part of the technology.

The Karists seem more in tune with nature, the angels are a natural weapon, their weapons use cybel energy instead of mechanical projectiles, their biggest ships are part rock. That connection to natural things could be visualized by the way the models, armor, and weapon all feature more natural curves instead of sharp angular features.

GrimDork wrote:Yeah the Karist Kaddar priesthood is all about setting people up for conversion so they can train themselves to embrace the Maelstrom when it comes and ascend. The military wing/caste is a lot more hardline in terms of claiming objectives and stuff. I think both subfactions may answer to yet another group, whatever they have equivalent to a 'high command' that gives the overarching goals which the military will do what it takes to achieve so the priesthood can do the converting.

Its kind of a weird approach though. I guess the Epirian Foundation is part of the reason for the aggressive infiltration/invasion tactics, rather than turn the religious dudes away at the door they blow them up before they can knock.

They also seem pretty put off by the Epirian use of bots, I guess the highest level/most intricate/detail oriented bot tasks require a transfer of consciousness to the bot which is abhorrent to the Karists. Something about the division of mind/body or soul/body which should be intact and trained/harmonized to better accept the maelstrom.

d-usa wrote:I think that is one of the big design influences for both factions, or at least I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

The Epirians rely a lot on technology: bots, drones, terraforming, cybernetics, tranfering conciousness to control them, and in the book one person transferring their soul into a bot after they died so that they can live on. That devotion/reliance on technology and artificial lives could extend to the design of the models to show just how much the faction is part of the technology.

The Karists seem more in tune with nature, the angels are a natural weapon, their weapons use cybel energy instead of mechanical projectiles, their biggest ships are part rock. That connection to natural things could be visualized by the way the models, armor, and weapon all feature more natural curves instead of sharp angular features.

I have to say guys, having spent three and a half years designing our universe to have the kind of subtleties and little details you're talking about, and then co-writing two novels to try and demonstrate that, it's incredibly satisfying to me to read this discussion. I'm really delighted that having read the novels and seen what we've released so far, you're picking up all the little hints and worldbuilding in the text and imagery that we've been working so hard to build. Thank you!

Thanks for writing cool books

I'm sure there's lots of good scifi out there but the covers and synopses tend to do squat for hooking me. Most I've taken a chance on just turn me off and I get buyers remorse. I bought the MEdge novels because of the tie-in but so far I'm quite enjoying them on their own and I'm glad of the purchase for once!

 Kilkrazy wrote:
The positive point is that all the units in the army will have a clear linking design aesthetic, which is a recognition factor for a tabletop wargame army. To flip the argument, what would an army look like in which every single figure was utterly different to all of the others?

An army should have a clear linking design aesthetic, sure, but it should be something that looks good in its own right. The features you decide should be omnipresent should be features we want to see more of.

 d-usa wrote:
The Epirians rely a lot on technology: bots, drones, terraforming, cybernetics, tranfering conciousness to control them, and in the book one person transferring their soul into a bot after they died so that they can live on.

Do they handle the subject more competently than Studio McVey did in Sedition Wars? It's an interesting subject, but it tends to be handled in a rather stupid manner.

Hey will any troop types in this game use riot shields? Ruleswise, I know cover is going to be a big deal, as is suppression, so I wondered if the type of man portable shielding used in riots, or close quarters ship boarding actions was likely to make any sort of appearance.

Truth be told though, I just have a special place in my heart for big shields I can level a gun over or through a gunport. Sooooo shielding? Any part of the cover mechanic?

 AlexHolker wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
The positive point is that all the units in the army will have a clear linking design aesthetic, which is a recognition factor for a tabletop wargame army. To flip the argument, what would an army look like in which every single figure was utterly different to all of the others?

An army should have a clear linking design aesthetic, sure, but it should be something that looks good in its own right. The features you decide should be omnipresent should be features we want to see more of.

...

The point I want to make is that although you personally do not like the square hats, there will be other people who do. The designer would have been given a brief reflecting the ethos and identity that needs to be presented in the faction, and this is what he came up with. It cannot be all things to all men.

For example, I dislike the backwards bending banana magazines that Pan Oceanic troops have in Infinity, so I have not bought that faction although I like many other elements of their design. However they sell well.

I will check you guys at salute and see these minis in the flesh!

With that said Im not a KS fan and I avoid it like the plague.

Its great to see dakka involved in this project and I wish you the best of luck with the KS.
When this hits retail I will have a look into it, specially the rules.

 GrimDork wrote:
I'm sure there's lots of good scifi out there but the covers and synopses tend to do squat for hooking me. Most I've taken a chance on just turn me off and I get buyers remorse. I bought the MEdge novels because of the tie-in but so far I'm quite enjoying them on their own and I'm glad of the purchase for once!

I agree wholeheartedly with this one. I bought the first book out of curiosity and to throw a bit of support towards all the hard work you've all put in, but the world and writing are both really top notch stuff and will have me coming back for more. Even if I never play the game, the series will continue to be on the reading list

Well. Time to sniff that Maelstrom dust and get some Karists.

Ash points out a good point with the Twilight Hammer deal, still...

Pretty armor!

Besides, it seems they lend themselves well to paint.

Thanks for all the kind words, especially the kind words on the novels. If you are enjoying or have enjoyed the novels, please do leave us feedback on the amazon pages for the novels as we get a lot more random people picking up the books if there are a bunch of positive reviews associated with them, which in turn will allow us to drive the universe forwards faster and easier.

I appreciate that there is a backlog of questions in this thread now - we are bogged down preparing for the kickstarter to Launch in the very very near future, but will go back through the thread and answer the unanswered questions soon!

Who's that mean looking, bald guy?

He looks like a bouncer from a East London night club

I'll leave the book a review as soon as I'm done reading so I can give a proper feel. The authors could always put a twist that enrages me by the end (doubt it though)

 GrimDork wrote:
I'll leave the book a review as soon as I'm done reading so I can give a proper feel. The authors could always put a twist that enrages me by the end (doubt it though)

"We'really all just playing pieces in some manchild's game!"

"DUH."

ENDSCENE.

Begin Grimdork's rage
.

 malfred wrote:

 GrimDork wrote:
I'll leave the book a review as soon as I'm done reading so I can give a proper feel. The authors could always put a twist that enrages me by the end (doubt it though)

"We'really all just playing pieces in some manchild's game!"

"DUH."

ENDSCENE.

Begin Grimdork's rage
.

Oh god, its Turn Signals on a Land Raider, the book.

I'd probably buy that actually now that I think about it

Remember what happened when TSOALR tried to sell their books though..

Like the artwork on the books by the way (especially the first one), very evocative.

 warboss wrote:

 the clone wrote:
when do they go on sale?

First page, first post. Kickstarter around the end of this month (unless that has been revised since).

As well as this, has there been any discussion yet of prices? Both for the starter set and a standard pack of plastics (however they will be divided?)

There have been no retail prices put out yet as they wont be fixed until we can factor in how effective the kickstarter is at mitigating risk and estimating potential volume more accurately.

In general terms, we want to get the prices at a point where impulse purchases are realistic, yet will still ensure we dont take an overall loss on the production, plastic sculpting, tooling, packing, distribution, etc.

I can guarantee that the kickstarter sweet spot will be better value than buying all the constituents at retail so that those who back us at this early stage are rewarded financially as well as getting the product earlier than anyone else.

Pacific, here's a partial quote from earlier in the thread addressing the question of Kickstarter (not retail) pricing:

 legoburner wrote:

bbb wrote:What will the Kickstarter "sweet spot" be in terms of pledging to get the most bang for your buck?

It is highly likely that the sweet spot will be $110, though we'll have a lot of options above and below that to fit whatever amount people are comfortable spending.

I'm guessing more on the Kickstarter pricing will be revealed later this week, though, since that's when Salute hits!

I'm making room in my glass cabinet for this game by shuffling some 40k stuff out. Dakka, don't let me down!

Only possible colour scheme. "S.I.G., Commander..."

 bbb wrote:
So how is warehousing/distribution being handled? You said you were dealing with 3 plastics manufacturers, so are you having all materials shipped to one central location that will assemble the starter boxes? Do you have warehouses/fulfillment operations set up/lined up in the USA/UK? Does your team have logistics/fulfillment experience?

Since it seems like your group came together via Dakka that means that you are all spread out, so is there going to be one physical location for your operation or will you continue to run the business in "the cloud" and rent out warehouse/fulfillment services as needed?

Do you plan to continue using three plastics companies or do you plan to find just one that is the best fit for your needs?

I don't recall seeing a response to this, or was this addressed earlier? Thanks!

That's not been answered yet - we have an existing central shipping location with security, insurance, fire protection, etc where sets will be assembled but it can only cope with a certain volume. We have 2 other options lined up if volumes increase beyond the level we can cope with now, and a few others that we are talking to as well beyond that.

The extended team (non-stakeholders who are working on the project for pay, including our manufacturers) have a of logistics and distribution experience and all own and operate multiple warehouses around the world. I've also been in regular contact with almost every major wargaming kickstarter operator over the past few years and have a detailed series of models built on their successes and advice.

We will continue using multiple plastics companies because locking in a production slot is a long, time consuming process and consecutive development is the only way to pad around the timing issues that crop up when models end up being more complex than originally anticipated. We use the same design and approval process at each one and digital files get passed between them as well to ensure consistency.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
May I present - the Epirian Drones:


Spider Drones


Firefly Drones


Group Shot

The drones have 5 weapon options, though 2 are specific to each drone type and one will not have any rules written for them initially as they were done as decorative elements initially, but ended up looking so good we were able to fit them on the sprue. Lots and lots of flexibility with these models though, you'll want a good pile of them in your Epirian forces!

I really like the design of the Karist troops and would probably buy a set despite having way too much sci fi stuff already but the other ones are just too blocky for my liking.

Will take a look at the lore later today.

Will come see the stuff in person at salute though.

I like the drones, particularly the flying version. I can see how they go together with the Epicurians- there's a nice, unified look going on.

Excited to see more!

Here's a dakka exclusive - an early preview of the Epirian Drone sprue. This is not the absolute final production version - it is missing some labels and does not have 100% fill right now, but it is very close to completion (98%) and built the photographed models. The final models will look a little bit crisper and sharper than those we've painted and photographed.

 legoburner wrote:
Automatically Appended Next Post:
May I present - the Epirian Drones:

Spoiler:

Spider Drones

Spoiler:

Firefly Drones

Spoiler:

Group Shot

The drones have 5 weapon options, though 2 are specific to each drone type and one will not have any rules written for them initially as they were done as decorative elements initially, but ended up looking so good we were able to fit them on the sprue. Lots and lots of flexibility with these models though, you'll want a good pile of them in your Epirian forces!

I really like the looks of the Epirian. The drones looks very nice and insectoid.

Those Drones look great! I'll grab some as replacements for Infinity Rems (most of which I don't like) if nothing else!

I'm curious to see how that drone looks assembled and how the rules read in one spot (as opposed to individual posts sprinkled throughout the thread). Figure-wise, I'm most interested in the non-human models as the humanoid ones previewed so far don't really appeal to me but I'm always on the lookout for more mechs/drones.

There's pics!

The drones look good, and with the troops present, they really look like a coherent force.

People who were worried about the troops earlier, should be less worried.

I must have missed this question, but how much space does a
starter box occupy in a game of Maelstrom's Edge and would
there be unnecessary bloat if one were to have, say, two starter
boxes of the game?

Cant wait to see what you guys do with the female fighters.
Pale men fighting robots is fun too, I guess. Cant argue with the classics.

The spider drones remind me of the Knights of the Old Republic 2 mining droids from the first part of the game.

I was sold on the Epirians before, but now with the drones they look amazing.

 legoburner wrote:
Automatically Appended Next Post:
May I present - the Epirian Drones:

Spoiler:

Spider Drones

Spoiler:

Firefly Drones

Spoiler:

Group Shot

The drones have 5 weapon options, though 2 are specific to each drone type and one will not have any rules written for them initially as they were done as decorative elements initially, but ended up looking so good we were able to fit them on the sprue. Lots and lots of flexibility with these models though, you'll want a good pile of them in your Epirian forces!

Aww, they are so CUTE! Now I'm stoked on the Epirians - I was a bit lukewarm before, was liking the gun and the fluff, but now I'm SOLD!

There's my mech prons!

All Drone/Mech Army!

I'm not sure if the drones make the contractor boxiness totally forgivable, but they certainly help. The drones look kinda neat on their own too.

I think I would like the epirian portion of the starter box just fine, even if I wouldn't be rushing out to make 100's of them.

Drones can get a lot of usage on a tabletop. Not just for this, but in a whole lot of scenarios.

I've been wanting to do an automated facility raid for Mutants & Rayguns, and I think I've found a nice source of automated defenses now.

Drones are really nice, shame about the troopers....

The drones' bases confuse me.

While the human infantry have round 25mm bases, the flying drones have hex bases and the legged drones have no bases? Or is this all WIP and bases will be more standardized?

Drones look great...

I like how the whole force feels very uniform now. Square hats on the soldiers mirrors that of the drones.

 highlord tamburlaine wrote:
Drones can get a lot of usage on a tabletop. Not just for this, but in a whole lot of scenarios.

I've been wanting to do an automated facility raid for Mutants & Rayguns, and I think I've found a nice source of automated defenses now.

You got me thinking. Those drones remind me a lot of the drones from Armored Core MOA.

I wonder if an AC table top game exists. That would be fun to play as well! Fully modular player mechs vs each other or Vs AI drones / MTs.

Love the drones, They really give the Epirian a totally different feel to what they had before seeing them.

Love it, I think I like them more than the Karist in terms of look and feel, and to me thats everything I look for in choosing a faction/army.

I like the drones. Still not convinced by the troopers though even standing next to them.

Will the kickstarter have pledges allowing you to pledge for one force only?

 legoburner wrote:
Here's a dakka exclusive - an early preview of the Epirian Drone sprue. This is not the absolute final production version - it is missing some labels and does not have 100% fill right now, but it is very close to completion (98%) and built the photographed models. The final models will look a little bit crisper and sharper than those we've painted and photographed.

So I see two sets of legs, two wings, and two hulls. Will there be a way to set these drones up so you can swap them between walking and flying modes?

Looks like all youd need to do is magnetize the legs and hull and the wing mounts and youd be golden.

Also, the drones go a long way toward making the contractors look even better. Its a good uniform look and makes their more utilitarian look have more sense. I wish there bits for tools and whatnot because it would be cool to kit them out where it looks like they split their time between fighting and fixing the robots.

Oh yeah. There they are. My mechs have arrived and I have been proven truly wrong, the caterpillar tracks wouldn't have worked.

Yep, yep, those drones look great. Come on Kickstarter, Come on!

Think it was clever to use the same central core with different transport methods (legs/wings), it ties them together well and makes perfect sense from a real-world perspective.

I have a couple of queries following on from this:
1 - Does one sprue make either type of drone? (ie you buy a "drone sprue" not a specific spider sprue or firefly sprue)
2 - Do you mix the drone types in a unit, or do these constitute one each of two of the army troop types previously mentioned? (Sorry I can't remember what they were called - was one Hammer?)
3 - Is it two mechs in each unit, or 3 in a unit like with the engineers?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 JohnnyHell wrote:


Only possible colour scheme. "S.I.G., Commander..."

Awesome. 'Nuff said

i was wondering the same thing about base sizes and all that, do they play any part when it comes to game play?

As it stands (remember Legoburner has said this sprue is not final), the one sprue makes two of either type, or one of each.

The flying drones use different weapon mount panniers (on the sprue as the inner 4 parts). These have a notch to accept the fan/wing things.

There are several ways magnetising or pinning weapons fit and the legged/flying variants could be done, all relatively trivial if you do a proper dry-fitting run first.

I absolutely love those firefly drones, they really look great!

Not quite as stoked about the spider though to be completely honest. The weapons loadouts look cool, I'm just worried about those legs, especially at the joint. The legs themselves are basically just plastic rectangles attached together, and while they do give the impression of being very spindly/spidery that leaves me wondering how often I'll snap them if I'm not super careful (I'm a hamfisted sort of guy alot of the time anyways). Are the spiders legs reasonably strong? (I like the little clawish feet design btw, just worried about the knee joints themselves)

The Epirians will never be my favorites stylistically, but you can't argue their utility, especially since I'm one of the few gamers out there who doesn't currently own a large, standard human trooper force.

And how did it take this long for a company to produce human (yeah, not Tau), standard sci-fi military drones in hard plastic? Wasn't this kind of a no-brainer? An obvious best selling unit? How the heck have GW, Mantic, Dreamforge, etc. avoided doing them all these years?

To Maelstrom's Edge go the spoils.

 Vanguard-13 wrote:

 highlord tamburlaine wrote:
Drones can get a lot of usage on a tabletop. Not just for this, but in a whole lot of scenarios.

I've been wanting to do an automated facility raid for Mutants & Rayguns, and I think I've found a nice source of automated defenses now.

You got me thinking. Those drones remind me a lot of the drones from Armored Core MOA.

I wonder if an AC table top game exists. That would be fun to play as well! Fully modular player mechs vs each other or Vs AI drones / MTs.

MAN! I am an old fan of the Armored Core series and you're right, they do.

Based on the drones, I have to say I may be going with the Epirians after all and assuming it's like a standard starter box, looking to trade my Karists to get more of them (which based on the responses in this thread, there should definitely be some takers for ).

Heck, I may get two starter boxes and do the trade, and end up with a drone army! That is something I've definitely craved in the past but have never been able to run... until now.

The spider legs are pretty strong. You'd have to exert some force to snap 'em. More likely to bend, even if you accidentally tread on the part... not that I've uh, tested that. No.

Edit: This said, I think it fair warning to say the lug which connects to the body really, really hurts when you lean on it looking for something else you dropped on the floor.

The leg span is pretty broad on these guys and no base tool exists for them right now. We've got the CAD done and it is a fast and easy tool to make, and so it is one of our later stretch goals to make bases a reality for the spider drones. The airborne models will all use those standard flying bases simply due to tooling cost being too much for us to even consider custom bases for them as well.

The rules are quite well laid out in how to deal with models that have no bases. While we'd prefer to have bases on every model for consistency, the practical reality is that we had to choose between especially great plastic detail, or extra bases, and better models are the first choice every time. The stretch goal will hopefully not be too unreasonable to allow us to get the tool completed for the larger notched bases so fingers crossed!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

winterdyne wrote:
As it stands (remember Legoburner has said this sprue is not final), the one sprue makes two of either type, or one of each.

The flying drones use different weapon mount panniers (on the sprue as the inner 4 parts). These have a notch to accept the fan/wing things.

There are several ways magnetising or pinning weapons fit and the legged/flying variants could be done, all relatively trivial if you do a proper dry-fitting run first.

The layout on the sprue is final, it is just the labelling and getting the plastic injection fill perfect that are missing from that preview picture, so it will assemble what you see there and the painted plastics can be considered 'final'.

Regarding leg strength, they look a bit weak but they are close to the ground. I've just tried crushing a spider drone (dont worry winterdyne - an unpainted one ) and the legs simply flex until the body touches the ground. I tried striking it as well and have hurt my hand, but aside from a stress line on the plastic from where it bent and then went back in to position, the legs are fine and can take a pretty heavy beating. Yay HIPS! If they were resin they would have shattered, but plastic FTW!

for the Epirians!

Really interested to see more about the game. So far not really blown away by the models, but we each get our own opinions. I look forward to possibly using my dreamforge miniatures to use instead .

 legoburner wrote:
The airborne models will all use those standard flying bases simply due to tooling cost being too much for us to even consider custom bases for them as well.

Does that mean that the bases for the spiders/engineers couldn't be used by the fireflies? If so, is this due to the firing arcs being incorporated? It's just I prefer the bases to have ground on them, not clear (like in the pictures). Therefore I would naturally just get a couple more engineer/spider bases and use them unless that's gonna mess up the rules.

It has certainly crossed my mind to convert up and use my Crane wardrones from Anvil Industries alongisde these drones . I have really been craving is a new ruleset, and squad-based / 20-30 model size is just what I'm after. I imagine there are a lot of folks in a similar boat! So if the rules are good, and with the models being HIPS, I would bet conversions are welcome (although any good conversion has the weapons / etc clearly represented, which is what I do for all my GW conversions, too).

 legoburner wrote:

May I present - the Epirian Drones:

Those look great. The disembodied torso of a Battletech Mad Dog/Vulture as a quad 'mech or VTOL!
Will purchase a bucketload.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Vermonter wrote:
And how did it take this long for a company to produce human (yeah, not Tau), standard sci-fi military drones in hard plastic? Wasn't this kind of a no-brainer? An obvious best selling unit? How the heck have GW, Mantic, Dreamforge, etc. avoided doing them all these years?

Walking drones? Dreamforge has it's mule and Mantic have 4-legged drones in hard plastic on the way.

Epirians look better next to their robots. I look forward to seeing more of their robotic friends.

Love the drones, They really give the Epirian a totally different feel to what they had before seeing them.

In the novels we had a tonne of fun fleshing out how the Epirians use, fight with, and even form attachments with their robotic charges. For me, they're one of my favourite elements of the faction.

Here's the very beginning of the opening chapter, in which Sheriff Kyle Wynn gets in some shooting practice with his drones.

It was dark, and the night air was warm and dry, carrying the smell of hot sand in from the desert. Wynn stood, his longrifle heavy in his hands, waiting. The metal floor panels of the Sheriff’s office were cool and ridged beneath his bare feet.

Something bright moved at the other end of the long room. Several glowing drones danced and hovered in the air, slashing through the darkness like neon fireflies. Soundlessly, Wynn swung his body and maglock rifle across to face the new target, sighted along the gun’s barrel and squeezed the trigger.

I liked the Epirians to begin with. Except for the hat initially. I was undecided on that to start with, but even that started to grow on me. I really like them now with the drones. You've done an excellent job on fitting the robots and contractors together thematically.

Will you be releasing a Beta Rulebook? For Gamers to test out?

I'm very interested in the setting for Maelstrom's Edge, beyond the first two main factions I can see lots of scope for more irregular forces such as pirates, slavers (just land and people will beg to be 'saved'), smugglers, scavengers, salvage crews, local civil wars, hostile aliens looking for new homeworlds etc.

Hopefully there will be the ability to create such groups in the rules.

 legoburner wrote:

Regarding leg strength, they look a bit weak but they are close to the ground. I've just tried crushing a spider drone (dont worry winterdyne - an unpainted one ) and the legs simply flex until the body touches the ground. I tried striking it as well and have hurt my hand, but aside from a stress line on the plastic from where it bent and then went back in to position, the legs are fine and can take a pretty heavy beating. Yay HIPS! If they were resin they would have shattered, but plastic FTW!

That's really good to hear. I've shattered resin and broken off arms glued onto metal models even. I don't toss my models around or anything, just clumsily manage to knock things off tables sometimes or drop something I was actually trying to be careful with (I never ever ever touch my opponents models for that very reason).

Offhand I was wondering based on the models little clawed footsies, will these things be able to punch holes into surrounding surfaces hard enough to gain purchase and essentially crawl up walls or on ceilings like actual spiders? I realize it would be difficult to show that from a model perspective, but I could see it tactically affecting interesting results with crazy firing angles.

Epirians = Volvo's of the distant future. "They're boxy but they're good"

love the flying drones, like the walkers; lego was right the contractors don't look quite as derpy with the drones around.

Awwww, the drones are soo cute. And wow are they tiny!

I saw the pictures of them alone and thought they were bigger, then they were next to the guys and suddenly they're tiny.

Hollismason wrote:
Will you be releasing a Beta Rulebook? For Gamers to test out?

Yes. It'll be quite a short beta period so that there's no delay in getting the game into people's hands, but a beta version of the rules will be available for kickstarter backers.

I rebember reding that you plan on having 5 factions. Will another faction will make an apparition in the ks ?

Quick base question - If a model like the Spider Drone is supplied with no base, I assume it won't be using one in game, but can I give it a base anyway? Will that screw up the rules or are there liberties in the rule system that allows me to do such a thing?

so lego, my buddy, my boy, my man, what can you tell us about the karists' other units?
I'm pretty excited for this now, and with those drones looking so nice, I have to ask.

 the shrouded lord wrote:
so lego, my buddy, my boy, my man, what can you tell us about the karists' other units?
I'm pretty excited for this now, and with those drones looking so nice, I have to ask.

Well, we do know the Karists are getting some sort of Cthulu esque void monster thing. No idea what the model looks like, although I have a feeling we'll see renders of it soon as the KS is getting very close.

 MrMoustaffa wrote:

 the shrouded lord wrote:
so lego, my buddy, my boy, my man, what can you tell us about the karists' other units?
I'm pretty excited for this now, and with those drones looking so nice, I have to ask.

Well, we do know the Karists are getting some sort of Cthulu esque void monster thing. No idea what the model looks like, although I have a feeling we'll see renders of it soon as the KS is getting very close.

Not just renders

I think of the... 8?... units that are supposed to be in the core game we've seen 5, 6 are supposed to be done I think, and the other two are somewhat close?

Trying to remember exactly what Lego/Yakface said, it was something along that line I believe.

TP^DC Deputy Manager wrote:

 legoburner wrote:
The airborne models will all use those standard flying bases simply due to tooling cost being too much for us to even consider custom bases for them as well.

Does that mean that the bases for the spiders/engineers couldn't be used by the fireflies? If so, is this due to the firing arcs being incorporated? It's just I prefer the bases to have ground on them, not clear (like in the pictures). Therefore I would naturally just get a couple more engineer/spider bases and use them unless that's gonna mess up the rules.

The hex flying bases were used because they offer a nice and easy way to denote the front/rear arc (the base should be set so that the 'points' of the hex are on the right/left side of the model.

While I would love to say that you can swap out the base however you like, frankly bases play to integral a part of the game to allow players to be able to change their size as they see fit. Other companies have sometimes allowed players to change the base size of their models, and it has eventually been abused by some players to gain an advantage in the game.

However, the rules do allow bases of the same size to be swapped out (so you can replace a base with a 3rd party manufacturer's base as long as it is the same diameter). I suppose it would probably be workable to say that the hex base can be swapped out for a standard round base for those people that don't like hex bases and want to remount the flying stand onto something else. In other words, I will look into getting that bit into the final rules.

The Wise Dane wrote:Quick base question - If a model like the Spider Drone is supplied with no base, I assume it won't be using one in game, but can I give it a base anyway? Will that screw up the rules or are there liberties in the rule system that allows me to do such a thing?

Every model must be mounted on a base the same diameter that they are supplied with. However, if a model does not come with a base then it is officially a model without a base (and the rules account for models without a base). However, you are allowed to put a model without a base on a base...but for the purposes of the game you just ignore the base and treat it like a model without a base.

However, as Legoburner mentioned, hopefully the KS will be a huge success and we'll be able to include a base for the Spider Drone!

 yakface wrote:

Every model must be mounted on a base the same diameter that they are supplied with. However, if a model does not come with a base then it is officially a model without a base (and the rules account for models without a base). However, you are allowed to put a model without a base on a base...but for the purposes of the game you just ignore the base and treat it like a model without a base.

However, as Legoburner mentioned, hopefully the KS will be a huge success and we'll be able to include a base for the Spider Drone!

I hope so as it seems quite important. I'd go so far as saying that it's all about that base, about that base...

 warboss wrote:

 yakface wrote:

Every model must be mounted on a base the same diameter that they are supplied with. However, if a model does not come with a base then it is officially a model without a base (and the rules account for models without a base). However, you are allowed to put a model without a base on a base...but for the purposes of the game you just ignore the base and treat it like a model without a base.

However, as Legoburner mentioned, hopefully the KS will be a huge success and we'll be able to include a base for the Spider Drone!

I hope so as it seems quite important. I'd go so far as saying that it's all about that base, about that base...

This user's posting priveleges have been revoked

Gonna resist.... (and after he got BANED, I'm glad I did!)

I dunno if I particularly care, but not having bases for some of the models in the core set is likely to be viewed as an 'incomplete box set' with 'fake stretch goals'. Just be ready to spin that.

Given what I've been reading today about the Eldar codex, I can certainly say I'm very ready to apply money to this venture... now to see more of the factions...


I am ready to play a game written by people not under the stranglehold of middle management who don't play the game...

Wouldn't it be an option to have MDF bases (perhaps with small notches at opposite ends to indicate arcs) included with those up until the point that a base tool is funded?

 GrimDork wrote:
Gonna resist.... (and after he got BANED, I'm glad I did!)

I dunno if I particularly care, but not having bases for some of the models in the core set is likely to be viewed as an 'incomplete box set' with 'fake stretch goals'. Just be ready to spin that.

I know you're right. Some people will absolutely say that, but since we decided to go with bases of our own design (the arc notches) that also means any additional base sizes we make is another massive $$$ investment. Any model we put out that doesn't have a base is absolutely designed to be fully playable without a base (they stand really well without a base). So this is literally one of the elements that KS could allow us to improve what we're able to offer.

Yeah, I realize its gonna be a genuine cost for you guys, but some people are probably gonna troll over it, that's all I'm saying

To be perfectly honest, I'm gonna mount all of the models on clear acrylics because that's how I do... I'll just get a dry erase marker to mark firing arcs (like I might with Infinity).

Looks like the Angel Minnows are out of the bag . . .



I like them.

But I really would like to see some adult Angel models as well. Do I understand correctly that those won't be forthcoming?

Good job I was wondering how long it would be before they got noticed on the Maelstrom's Edge website

Lots of other art level previews at:
http://www.maelstromsedge.com/39/kzhebagnguqemgqr/

You should at least post the family photo too:

 Vermonter wrote:
Looks like the Angel Minnows are out of the bag . . .



I like them.

But I really would like to see some adult Angel models as well. Do I understand correctly that those won't be forthcoming?

Creepy as hell, love them.

BATS!!!

Man, they're so cute!

I like the look of the Hunter. Is the plan to make even the larger vehicles/models in plastic from the getgo?

The hunter is massively overscaled in the artwork for dramatic effect, but yes we are only working in plastic and will only work in plastic. The actual size is (grabs ruler) about 50mm with no base - about the size of a small dreadnought.

Not even caring about the size that gak looks awesome.

 yakface wrote:
However, the rules do allow bases of the same size to be swapped out (so you can replace a base with a 3rd party manufacturer's base as long as it is the same diameter). I suppose it would probably be workable to say that the hex base can be swapped out for a standard round base for those people that don't like hex bases and want to remount the flying stand onto something else. In other words, I will look into getting that bit into the final rules.

That would indeed be a nice addition... I think I would much rather use the base from the spider drone (if it gets one) in place of the hex base. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with the hex (it's certainly a good fit rules-wise) ... I just prefer it aesthetically having the round bases right through.

 legoburner wrote:
The hunter is massively overscaled in the artwork for dramatic effect, but yes we are only working in plastic and will only work in plastic. The actual size is (grabs ruler) about 50mm with no base - about the size of a small dreadnought.

Thanks. I know it says all plastic in your sig but I figured I'd confirm it in this particular case. With the post-KS world we live in, some of us have been conditioned to the big tag lines not being entirely correct when it comes to the material we'll actually be given compared with what we were at payment time (Mantic*cough*Mantic*cough*).

insaniak wrote:

 yakface wrote:
However, the rules do allow bases of the same size to be swapped out (so you can replace a base with a 3rd party manufacturer's base as long as it is the same diameter). I suppose it would probably be workable to say that the hex base can be swapped out for a standard round base for those people that don't like hex bases and want to remount the flying stand onto something else. In other words, I will look into getting that bit into the final rules.

That would indeed be a nice addition... I think I would much rather use the base from the spider drone (if it gets one) in place of the hex base. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with the hex (it's certainly a good fit rules-wise) ... I just prefer it aesthetically having the round bases right through.

That's what I felt too. I am wondering whether I may end up buying resin bases and take out chunks out of the correct positions for the firing arcs, I'm not great at coming up with bases that do justice to the miniature sadly.

warboss wrote:I like the look of the Hunter.

Oh yeah, he is awesome!

legoburner wrote:The hunter is massively overscaled in the artwork for dramatic effect, but yes we are only working in plastic and will only work in plastic. The actual size is (grabs ruler) about 50mm with no base - about the size of a small dreadnought.

Pretty please make that a stretch goal. Please. Pretty pretty please.....

Vermonter wrote:

Holy , you did it, you pulled it out of the bag. Again! Those minnows are awesome!

I openly repeat myself (with slight variation) - Pretty please make [the angels] a stretch goal. Please. Pretty pretty please.....



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 yakface wrote:
You have 5 types of units:

• Command
• Core
• Hammer (specialist/elite units)
• Vanguard (recon/scout units)
• Anvil (heavy hitters)

So I'd figured that of what we've seen so far:
Engineers and Karist troopers were core
Karist Tempest are elite

What do the drones minnows and other types listed on the ME website get classified as?

Mega congrats to you guys for this!

This is awesome. Can't wait to see all the models and factions fleshed out.

 legoburner wrote:
Good job I was wondering how long it would be before they got noticed on the Maelstrom's Edge website

Lots of other art level previews at:
http://www.maelstromsedge.com/39/kzhebagnguqemgqr/

You should at least post the family photo too:

Welp, I'm gonna be that guy it looks like. Really not liking those things. Maybe they look better in person, but overall I feel they're a weak addition for the Karists. They just don't blend in with the troopers near as well as the robots do for the Empirians. I feel like the Karists and the minnows (also, MINNOWS? At least call them scourge or bats or imps or something that sounds remotely intimidating, minnow just sounds puny for what is essentially a space bat from hell) just look way too different. I feel at the bare minimum there should be some sort of obvious handler or device fixed to them. Maybe that's what the cybel meditation stuff they do is for, to control these things, but if you took a random guy new to the background and showed him that force together, he'd think the minnows were part of a 3rd faction.

Unlike the Empirians, where at a glance you can immediately tell "ok, those models are clearly part of the same force"

EDIT: Also, really liking the look of the Scarecrow and Hunter. I remember somebody mentioning the scarecrow was fun to paint, so I can't wait to see how its model looks. The Hunter looks to be badass too, but I have a feeling its something that doesn't quite exist yet and is probably one of the models you guys are pushing the kickstarter for.

They call them minnows *because* they're shrimpy. These are *baby* angels. The adult version is probably closer to a bloodthirster

Absolutely loving it. As much as I love the drones and the look of the Scarecrow and Hunter... Still gotta love the Karists more, aliens are my main draw. Glad to see some here. Guessing they'll be part of the Karist starter army? Is everything on the studio models part of the webpage going to be in the starters?

 GrimDork wrote:
They call them minnows *because* they're shrimpy. These are *baby* angels. The adult version is probably closer to a bloodthirster

If the adults are angels, why not give the young a similar name, like cherubs? You guys can have that one free of charge.

Has anyone compiled everything Yak has mentioned about the rules?

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
Welp, I'm gonna be that guy it looks like. Really not liking those things. Maybe they look better in person, but overall I feel they're a weak addition for the Karists. They just don't blend in with the troopers near as well as the robots do for the Empirians. I feel like the Karists and the minnows...just look way too different.

You have summed up my thoughts on the minnows quite well. Love the Karists overall, but not a fan of the minnows in particular. Somewhat on the inverse, I like the robots but am not overly fond of the Contractors.

It takes all kinds I suppose; I'm still looking forward to the project overall.

Zatsuku wrote:
Has anyone compiled everything Yak has mentioned about the rules?

For those interested in a full dump of all the rules tidbits I've posted, you can go to any one of my posts in this thread and click on the 'filter thread' link (under my avatar on the far left side).

You will get a filtered version of the thread with just my responses, which should generally give you what you're looking for.


Of course, you can also use the same method to see all the stuff that Lego or any other member of the team has posted in this thread!

 yakface wrote:

Zatsuku wrote:
Has anyone compiled everything Yak has mentioned about the rules?

For those interested in a full dump of all the rules tidbits I've posted, you can go to any one of my posts in this thread and click on the 'filter thread' link (under my avatar on the far left side).

You will get a filtered version of the thread with just my responses, which should generally give you what you're looking for.


Of course, you can also use the same method to see all the stuff that Lego or any other member of the team has posted in this thread!

Isn't there a Dakka rule saying you can't compile such things without the express permission of the IP owner? By the sounds of your message you're giving permission, if that is indeed the case, a big thank you! Very excited for all of this

 Krinsath wrote:

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
Welp, I'm gonna be that guy it looks like. Really not liking those things. Maybe they look better in person, but overall I feel they're a weak addition for the Karists. They just don't blend in with the troopers near as well as the robots do for the Empirians. I feel like the Karists and the minnows...just look way too different.

You have summed up my thoughts on the minnows quite well. Love the Karists overall, but not a fan of the minnows in particular. Somewhat on the inverse, I like the robots but am not overly fond of the Contractors.

It takes all kinds I suppose; I'm still looking forward to the project overall.

Absolutely, I can understand that. I agree the empirians aren't necessarily the greatest thing since sliced bread, but they have a solid theme that links them to the rest of their army. In other words, they have good "bones" from a model range standpoint. I can easily swap a head or gun, I have a much harder time replacing the legs or torso and keeping that same theme going. I'm fairly confident a few good additions from the bits box can make them look excellent, especially if I can find a good source for tools and equipment that workers would carry. Some hip pouches here, a welder there, some sort of fancy looking PDA thing on the sarge (which dreamforge's accessory kit has some good examples of) etc. etc. and I feel they'll look great. At the very least, I think they'll take to conversions far better than the Karists will.

Hell, this actually gives me a use for all the M.U.L.E.S I got from Dreamforge accessory kits as objective markers or terrain as they look like something Empirians would use.

Thanks Yakface! I wanted to ramble about the rule snippets to some of my friends to convince them to start putting away money for the kickstarter.

 MrMoustaffa wrote:

 legoburner wrote:
Good job I was wondering how long it would be before they got noticed on the Maelstrom's Edge website

Lots of other art level previews at:
http://www.maelstromsedge.com/39/kzhebagnguqemgqr/

You should at least post the family photo too:

Welp, I'm gonna be that guy it looks like. Really not liking those things. Maybe they look better in person, but overall I feel they're a weak addition for the Karists. They just don't blend in with the troopers near as well as the robots do for the Empirians. I feel like the Karists and the minnows (also, MINNOWS? At least call them scourge or bats or imps or something that sounds remotely intimidating, minnow just sounds puny for what is essentially a space bat from hell) just look way too different. I feel at the bare minimum there should be some sort of obvious handler or device fixed to them. Maybe that's what the cybel meditation stuff they do is for, to control these things, but if you took a random guy new to the background and showed him that force together, he'd think the minnows were part of a 3rd faction.

Unlike the Empirians, where at a glance you can immediately tell "ok, those models are clearly part of the same force"

EDIT: Also, really liking the look of the Scarecrow and Hunter. I remember somebody mentioning the scarecrow was fun to paint, so I can't wait to see how its model looks. The Hunter looks to be badass too, but I have a feeling its something that doesn't quite exist yet and is probably one of the models you guys are pushing the kickstarter for.

Ehh, I think they're fine, although you could easily give them some little remote control hats if you wanted.

A unified paint scheme also helps.

 TP^DC Deputy Manager wrote:
That's what I felt too. I am wondering whether I may end up buying resin bases and take out chunks out of the correct positions for the firing arcs,

It would be easy enough to do... Just mark the correct points on the edges and then notch it in with a hacksaw or razorsaw..


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 GrimDork wrote:
They call them minnows *because* they're shrimpy. These are *baby* angels.

Pretty much this.These aren't the 'space bats from hell'... just the junior versions

I think the primary visual link between the Angel minnows and the Karists are their six pink (cybel energy infused?) eyes, three to a side, mirrored in the three pink eyes on the right side of the Karist trooper helmets.

They aren't the most menacing looking creatures, for sure, but they've got an otherworldly weird tales vibe I quite like. Still Karists all the way for me so far.



To repeat my question: Since adult Angels are depicted in the art on the website, is it fair to say that we can expect to see those as well in the KS? An earlier comment by Legoburner (I think) made me think they couldn't afford to make them as the models were too large for their budget or something.

I remember reading at some point that they were gonna focus on getting everything that theyve been working on finished and produced and ready for the box set. Along the lines of not wanting to make new stuff because of how long it would take to get it made and how much it would delay the base game shipping.

I was kind of wondering what was stopping the team from doing waves like some other kickstarters have done, make the main box game and then produce the next wave/season/generation of models that won't ship until they're produced, some months after the main game ships.

Well they are a bit of a disappointment now. So many hit an misses for this range so far that's it becoming increasingly like proxy time if the rules are any good.

 GrimDork wrote:
I was kind of wondering what was stopping the team from doing waves like some other kickstarters have done, make the main box game and then produce the next wave/season/generation of models that won't ship until they're produced, some months after the main game ships.

I'm not privy to the ins-and-outs of the decision making there, but it's worth mentioning that those 'wave'-style kickstarters are fairly consistently delayed, sometimes quite significantly. Getting a miniature from concept to cast is a long, difficult process, and a lot can happen along the way to force plans to change... and the people waiting on their kickstarter rewards generally don't like that, even if it's made clear from the start that it might happen.

Confining the Kickstarter to stuff that they know they can produce makes it much more likely to actually deliver on schedule, and has the added benefit of being able to show people exactly what they are putting their money on.

 insaniak wrote:

 GrimDork wrote:
I was kind of wondering what was stopping the team from doing waves like some other kickstarters have done, make the main box game and then produce the next wave/season/generation of models that won't ship until they're produced, some months after the main game ships.

I'm not privy to the ins-and-outs of the decision making there, but it's worth mentioning that those 'wave'-style kickstarters are fairly consistently delayed, sometimes quite significantly. Getting a miniature from concept to cast is a long, difficult process, and a lot can happen along the way to force plans to change... and the people waiting on their kickstarter rewards generally don't like that, even if it's made clear from the start that it might happen.

Confining the Kickstarter to stuff that they know they can produce makes it much more likely to actually deliver on schedule, and has the added benefit of being able to show people exactly what they are putting their money on.

If would prefer the Zombicide model of Kickstarters over "waves". Do a Kickstarter now for the starter box, finish the few missing pieces, and deliver on time. Once the next faction is close to being done do another Kickstarter to finish them up and deliver on time again. I would rather wait on a delayed Kickstarter than wait on a delayed reward. At least that way I'm not out any money!

Yeah, that works. I'm sure they've put a lot of thought into it before choosing their path. I'm just wondering what they'll do if this blows up, once everything is funded, what do they do with any further pledges?

I think they said earlier that they would look at lowering the price per model, so maybe backers will get extra sprues and boxes will be much fuller

The drones are amazing. I am so excited to field hundreds of the little things. The Epirian contractors are growing on me as well. Those drones though. Dang!

The drone sprue is literally the thing I have been begging for for years. Just ask KenofYork.

The flying drones look pretty good, but would be better if either the fans were mounted above the center of gravity, or if it had at least one additional fan. Either of these would make the platform more stable, and less prone to pitching over and smashing itself into the ground.

You guys definitely have your finger on the pulse of the adorable miniature aesthetic. Very cute drones that seem to go great with the contractors, and now the minnows? Geez!

I especially love the colour scheme of this one:

Those just make the contractors look fantastic! (Though I agree the balled fist does look out of place.)

I just noticed that the Minnows were already featured in some of the earlier Karist artwork. I'm really looking forward to those robots though.

while I'm not in love with sculpts for the contractors, I like their designs. So, I hope that eventually we'll see them get a v.2 sculpt with somewhat less heroic proportions.

Not actually a fan of any of the miniatures as this all builds up. Just not hitting the 'coolness' I'd need to invest in a whole new universe, and the fiction isn't tickling me either. Best of luck, but no matter how good the rules this one isn't for me.

 Vermonter wrote:
I think the primary visual link between the Angel minnows and the Karists are their six pink (cybel energy infused?) eyes, three to a side, mirrored in the three pink eyes on the right side of the Karist trooper helmets.

They aren't the most menacing looking creatures, for sure, but they've got an otherworldly weird tales vibe I quite like. Still Karists all the way for me so far.



To repeat my question: Since adult Angels are depicted in the art on the website, is it fair to say that we can expect to see those as well in the KS? An earlier comment by Legoburner (I think) made me think they couldn't afford to make them as the models were too large for their budget or something.

The large angels and the hunters are both late stretch goals. They are our flagship models and we'd love to get them into the boxed set, but if we have to sit on them until retail then they will drive a lot of sales too. The hunter is made up of 3 sliding core sprues and is like no other robot that's ever been made for wargaming. We will have them at Salute to look at but might keep them covered to avoid photos leaking out before we are ready, so you might have to ask to see them.

As might be concluded from that, the shadow walker, kaddar nova and handler are the models that are not yet finished in plastic but are 90% of the way there.

so both factions will hve about six different units from what I understand?
Apologies if this has already been said.

Yakface talks Maelstroms Edge

http://www.thed6generation.com//d6g-ep-165-maelstroms-edge-preview-star-wars-armada-detailed-review

Six different unit types this year, yes.

Drones look awesome!

Looking forward to this one now, getting 2 factions done completely and to a good standard sounds like a smart move, when Mantic started they did too many factions all at once to a lower standard instead of focusing and it didn't work out so well.

I will see what my local gaming group thinks of it tonight, might wait for retail with the game though since I really prefer to support the store. Will you have a retailer pledge in the KS?

Thank you for the quick responce lego, I appreciate it and can't wait for more updates. I'm unfortunately likely not going to be able to support the kickstarer, but you will have my moral support, so to speak. And once it hits retail I'll be definitely into it.

Bought the books. Hope they add to my excitement about this game. Good luck with the ks.

Okay! I'll take:

Ten Scarecrows
Ten Hunters
Twenty Five Drones
One Extra Large Fry
Three Burgers

To Go Please!

Here's the formal announcement of the minnows so that I can link it from the first post:

Karist Minnows:


From the rear, showing the complete lack of seams, amazing build quality and great curve of the wings:


A Karist family photo:


In addition, everything has proceeded as planned and we can fully confirm that

THE KICKSTARTER LAUNCHES THIS FRIDAY - 24TH APRIL

So are the scarecrows roughly man-sized and the hunters are mini-dreadnought (maybe mantic forgefather iron ancestor is a good comparison?) sized? Or are the scarecrows a bit larger than people?

The Kaddar Novas, Shadow Walkers, and handlers are all.. units? We talked about no room for hard plastic characters so will we be seeing small units of these guys? They seemed a bit rarer in the books but I suppose small units would work.


Also, see you there on the 24th, I'll be down on the first day for whatever the sweet spot is, and expect to be impressed enough to stick around

Don't think I won't be adding tentacles to those minnows though... the big ones had tentacles in the books and so will these li'l fellas.

The scarecrows are roughly man sized, but a touch lankier at about 4mm taller than a tempest elite, and taller still if you take their giant bad-ass shoulder gun into account. The hunter is mini-dread sized, but I dont have iron ancestor to compare to. The hunter feels pretty huge relative to everything else because of its bulk though.

There are one man units for sure, but they are not unique characters so you can have multiples.

Thanks for supporting us from the very beginning

Hey lego, this is probably an annoying thing to ask but what is that in AUS time? Specifically UC+10? I need to know. Also will there be early bird offers or can we jump in a day late just fine

I'll definitely be in for this one as well, can't wait for friday!

I like how diverse the factions and how different they are from each other. I think The Eprians are my faction of choice just because robots!

Couple of quick questions! How did you get the minnows so smooth? Are they one piece models?

Also are there alternate heads for the contractors? I like my humans to have helmets.

I'm sorry but the bottom half clearly looks like female anatomy.

I do think the bases need to be a little more uniform before you launch this game. Hex bases one one unit.. Circle bases for another.. no bases on another. It's one thing when it's a huge modular model but those walkers could fit on a 32 or 50 mm base. if you want them to be on Hexes, it probably makes more sense.

Visually.. models do look better if they are all on hexes or all on circular. For game mechanics, it makes more sense to do them all on hexes.

The minnows are three-piece models (not including base).
Head/body, 2 wings (including half the tail on each).

They're very, very well engineered - deceptively simple models. The sliding core moulds being used mean there's detail, top, bottom AND sides of parts (the wing slots are perpendicular in axis to the hole for the flight stand - if you can wrap your head around that). There's also a greatly reduced (to almost imperceptible levels) amount of 'flats'.

The only place that there's really a seam is along the ridgeline of the tail (top and bottom, from the back of the shell to the barb on the tail), this tends to occur because of overzealous cleaning of the part (cutting part of the detail away), or not cleaning up the injection point on the mating surface well enough (forcing a gap). Dry fit and work carefully and you can avoid that easily enough.

Cleaned up with care, a good film of decent plastic glue on each part (I use a plastic weld type product) and a good squeeze and it'll form a raised seam that's easy to scrape off once set. Or use a thick glue. If you bend the part or don't clean it up properly, you can get a slight gap along that line, which is very easy to fill (being on an axial line of a curved surface; a bit of milliput and water or liquid putty of some sort and you're sorted. Not difficult builds.

What's going on with the hexagonal bases there? Can they be on round bases too? Is there a game-reason for the variation? Looks a bit inconsistent IMO. Models themselves look ace.

 yakface wrote:

 GrimDork wrote:
Gonna resist.... (and after he got BANED, I'm glad I did!)

I dunno if I particularly care, but not having bases for some of the models in the core set is likely to be viewed as an 'incomplete box set' with 'fake stretch goals'. Just be ready to spin that.

I know you're right. Some people will absolutely say that, but since we decided to go with bases of our own design (the arc notches) that also means any additional base sizes we make is another massive $$$ investment. Any model we put out that doesn't have a base is absolutely designed to be fully playable without a base (they stand really well without a base). So this is literally one of the elements that KS could allow us to improve what we're able to offer.

Ok, I'm confused by this. So far we've seen round bases and hex bases. Which base is the "notched" base that will be the standard? It's hard to tell with the basing on the samples.

The round bases I assume are the notched ones. You don't need them on the hexagonal bases because there's a point either side that you can use for the arcs.

 motyak wrote:
Hey lego, this is probably an annoying thing to ask but what is that in AUS time? Specifically UC+10? I need to know. Also will there be early bird offers or can we jump in a day late just fine

Dunno what the time translates to, but I know they said they won't be doing Early Bird specials, which I appreciate.

Loving the drones, minnows I'm 'meh' on. Dat hunter tho...

Are the small drones and minnows organised into squads like the troopers?

Lukez wrote:How did you get the minnows so smooth? Are they one piece models?

Also are there alternate heads for the contractors? I like my humans to have helmets.

Winterdyne has covered this well, but just to reiterate, it is the quality of the sliding core engineering that made the models so amazingly smooth. The minnows paint up really quickly as well, they are a pleasure to work with on every level.

motyak wrote:Hey lego, this is probably an annoying thing to ask but what is that in AUS time? Specifically UC+10? I need to know. Also will there be early bird offers or can we jump in a day late just fine

I'm not sure, as the launch time will be when I wake up and have signed off on the last few bits and pieces on Friday We will send an email around, will announce it on our facebook page and twitter and will tell everyone we can as quickly as we can, as soon as it is live. We hate early bird pledges and will not be using any so you dont need to worry about being punished for being in a distant time zone.

AlexHolker wrote:The flying drones look pretty good, but would be better if either the fans were mounted above the center of gravity, or if it had at least one additional fan. Either of these would make the platform more stable, and less prone to pitching over and smashing itself into the ground.

If you are speaking from a robot design perspective, there is an exhaust on the back which provides thrust, the turbines provide stability and direction. The robots are retrofitted designs from Epirian terraforming efforts rather than being strict military designs so would have functional vulnerabilities compared to an optimal military construct which would probably look more like a shell with jets (one of our earlier concepts that did not get off the ground as it was a touch too boring). If you are talking about stability of the model itself, it is incredible stable as the model weighs about the same as the base with the vast majority of the weight centred directly over the stand - the model has to be tipped to about 45 degrees before it falls over so there will be no real risk of knocking them over by tapping them.

Wonderwolf wrote:What's going on with the hexagonal bases there? Can they be on round bases too? Is there a game-reason for the variation? Looks a bit inconsistent IMO. Models themselves look ace.

Pre 4th/5th edition 40k was exactly the same way with hexagon and circle bases mixed together between flying and ground based models. The flight bases do their job perfectly and the arched core to them makes them more stable than a flat disc of the same size I believe and swapping them out with smaller, circular bases would reduce stability a touch but is still viable from a modelling perspective. The circular bases contain our notches for arc markers and the hexagonal bases have outer points to show the front and rear of a model.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 HiveFleetPlastic wrote:
Are the small drones and minnows organised into squads like the troopers?

Yup!

 ImAGeek wrote:
The round bases I assume are the notched ones. You don't need them on the hexagonal bases because there's a point either side that you can use for the arcs.

You're right. Looking a bit closer I can see the notches on the sides of the base.

And here I was thinking that the Hex bases were to limit maneuvering for the flying things. ie Change one hexside facing per 2" moved or some such.

So, I've never actually bothered with using Kickstarter before. Will I be able to put a little money down, and increase that on my next paycheck? I only ask because money is tight at the moment and I wasn't certain how long the kickstarter effort will be going. If I can split a little over two pay periods it would be much easier on me to hit the sweet spot. Does it work that way? Can I do that?

You can pledge whenever with KickStarter and alter the amount any time until the campaign ends. Until the end time of the project, no money is collected and even then only if they meet their funding goal. Lego said previously that this will likely be running to early June so that it would cover 2 pay periods for most people so you have until then before money would be paid out.

KS takes your money at the end of the set time. I believe they plan it to run to the end of may/ early June so that would be when your money would be collected.

Prior to the end you can pledge as much $5Million dollar!* or as little $1 dollar! as you want and change it unlimited times untill the countdown hits 0. then you can no longer change your pledge and whatever you have pledged is collected.

*Note: pledging $5 million dollars and then canceling or changing your pledge to $1 at the end is highly frowned upon

Very interested. Please rescue me from 40k and take my money.

Awesome. I'll definitely be backing this at the sweet spot level.

I've created another thread where we can discuss the miniatures with more...candor.

 AlexHolker wrote:
The flying drones look pretty good, but would be better if either the fans were mounted above the center of gravity, or if it had at least one additional fan. Either of these would make the platform more stable, and less prone to pitching over and smashing itself into the ground.

Instability makes them more maneuverable, right? Most modern fighters need fly-by-wire to stay in the air, so why not cheapo drones? Not that I wouldn't love to see more drone designs and options.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I've created another thread where we can discuss the miniatures with more...candor.

 AlexHolker wrote:
The flying drones look pretty good, but would be better if either the fans were mounted above the center of gravity, or if it had at least one additional fan. Either of these would make the platform more stable, and less prone to pitching over and smashing itself into the ground.

Instability makes them more maneuverable, right? Most modern fighters need fly-by-wire to stay in the air, so why not cheapo drones? Not that I wouldn't love to see more drone designs and options.

"Every time you apply logic into a fantasy game, someone kills a cat girl." - Unknown.

This just gets better and better! Love those drones! If I only get time to visit one stand at Salute I'm gonna try my darnest to make it this one!

Forgive my ignorance, but how do these kickstarters work? If I don't pledge, will it still go on general sale in normal shops sometime in the future?

 Vanguard-13 wrote:

"Every time you apply logic into a fantasy game, someone kills a cat girl." - Unknown.

Win-win?


Besides, the makers of this game have repeatedly used the term "hard science fiction" to make sure we don't confuse their work about FTL natural phenomena, energy beings, mind-uploads and totally-not-psychics with "science fantasy". It's totes serial, you guys. Totes magotes.

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Forgive my ignorance, but how do these kickstarters work? If I don't pledge, will it still go on general sale in normal shops sometime in the future?

Unless the kickstarter fails, yes, it will go on general retail sale at some point in the future. Those who back the kickstarter will get it sooner, pay less and get more for their faith in us though!

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Forgive my ignorance, but how do these kickstarters work? If I don't pledge, will it still go on general sale in normal shops sometime in the future?

Yes, it will definitely hit retail ...unless it makes so much money that Legoburner can't help himself.

By the time we figure out what went wrong, he'll be sitting on a beach, earning twenty percent.

Thank you both.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 Vanguard-13 wrote:

"Every time you apply logic into a fantasy game, someone kills a cat girl." - Unknown.

Win-win?

Besides, the makers of this game have repeatedly used the term "hard science fiction" to make sure we don't confuse their work about FTL natural phenomena, energy beings, mind-uploads and totally-not-psychics with "science fantasy". It's totes serial, you guys. Totes magotes.

Having done a Masters in Astrophysics and a PhD in nanophysics prior to writing the background to Maelstrom's Edge, I could write you a truly realistic, only based on real physics science fiction universe. But I don't think it would be nearly as much fun to have a space-based setting where you have to spend thousands of years to get between planets.

No space-based science fiction universe doesn't bend the rules of science as we currently understand it. I'm very proud of what we've created though, and I think we've presented a universe that gives a nice balance between fun factions, units and settings whilst also feeling plausible and believable.

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Forgive my ignorance, but how do these kickstarters work? If I don't pledge, will it still go on general sale in normal shops sometime in the future?

Technically yes. However, keep in mind that the Kickstarter is to raise money to make the product launch happen in the first place. If they can't afford to make these miniatures without that fundraising, or if they can only make a few of them, then an unsuccessful campaign would mean that we'll either be seeing a much reduced product at retail or none at all.

So far legoburner and co. seem pretty confident, which is exactly what they should project to sell their project, and certainly having DakkaDakka as a platform to publicize their kickstarter is going to help them. But it's not a foregone conclusion that this or any kickstarter campaign will be a rip-roaring success. I'm not sure how they plan to structure their campaign, but doing everything in hard plastic means that stretch goals are likely to be large and few, so momentum might be an issue. I hope that as long-time gamers and cognoscenti, they have done their homework studying the successful and failed strategies of other ks campaigns. If the campaign stalls or crawls for too long, it can backslide and ultimately fail.

In short, particularly for a new company, every backer's support matters, which is why I intend to be there at the start.

 darrkespur wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 Vanguard-13 wrote:

"Every time you apply logic into a fantasy game, someone kills a cat girl." - Unknown.

Win-win?

Besides, the makers of this game have repeatedly used the term "hard science fiction" to make sure we don't confuse their work about FTL natural phenomena, energy beings, mind-uploads and totally-not-psychics with "science fantasy". It's totes serial, you guys. Totes magotes.

Having done a Masters in Astrophysics and a PhD in nanophysics prior to writing the background to Maelstrom's Edge, I could write you a truly realistic, only based on real physics science fiction universe. But I don't think it would be nearly as much fun to have a space-based setting where you have to spend thousands of years to get between planets.

Isn't that what higher dimensional theoretical topology is for? The whole making a right angle to all known angles thing that facilitates a 0D "fold" to 1D, 1D "fold" to 2D, 2D "fold" to 3D transition, and therefore a 3D "fold" through the fourth dimension to instantly be anywhere else in 3D space?

 judgedoug wrote:

 darrkespur wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 Vanguard-13 wrote:

"Every time you apply logic into a fantasy game, someone kills a cat girl." - Unknown.

Win-win?

Besides, the makers of this game have repeatedly used the term "hard science fiction" to make sure we don't confuse their work about FTL natural phenomena, energy beings, mind-uploads and totally-not-psychics with "science fantasy". It's totes serial, you guys. Totes magotes.

Having done a Masters in Astrophysics and a PhD in nanophysics prior to writing the background to Maelstrom's Edge, I could write you a truly realistic, only based on real physics science fiction universe. But I don't think it would be nearly as much fun to have a space-based setting where you have to spend thousands of years to get between planets.

Isn't that what higher dimensional theoretical topology is for? The whole making a right angle to all known angles thing that facilitates a 0D "fold" to 1D, 1D "fold" to 2D, 2D "fold" to 3D transition, and therefore a 3D "fold" through the fourth dimension to instantly be anywhere else in 3D space?

There's lot of lovely mathematical theorems describing different methods of higher dimensions (such as string theory), and some of them would neatly solve a lot of issues in physics. But so far the LHC has seen no evidence of additional mass to W or Z bosons that might suggest such dimensions exist, so all they are in current science is a neat mathematical idea.

We wanted to include FTL in our universe and decided to go with a combination of dark energy and extra dimensions. The resulting design imagines that there is a field of dark energy (or cybel energy, as we've called it) that normally we can't see, that is attracted to mass. Objects of large mass attract sufficient quantities of dark energy that the boundary between the dark energy dimension and realspace becomes thin enough to tunnel into. These tunnels form a web of filagreed energy stretching between nearby stars, acting as a wormhole for ships to pass through, shortening trips that would take decades to just a few days or weeks.

The larger the mass of a celestial object, the more cybel energy it attracts, and the thicker the filament it extends out towards other objects of mass. This means that the larger, more stable tunnel entrances are found around supermassive stars and black holes, and tunnels between two such objects of large mass become main thoroughfares for travel across the spiral arm. Tunnels between smaller masses are riskier, and the tunnel can become dangerously narrow towards the mid-point between the two masses, especially if there is a large mass distorting the tunnel somewhere along its length.

Entry into the cybel network requires a vast amount of energy, channelled into a precise electromagnetic wave which tears a temporary gateway into the tunnel. The larger the mass close to the entry point, the less energy required to enter, as the wall of the tunnel is weaker. This entry energy also provides the ship with sufficient momentum to travel far enough along the tunnel to enable the end-point mass to start pulling the ship towards it. Navigational control of a ship is very limited and similar to sailing upstream to the midpoint of a tunnel and then flowing downstream to the end of a tunnel.

Most ships do not have the necessary power to enter the cybel network on their own, so they rely on the use of cybel gates. These gates are space stations orbiting stars and other objects of large mass that harvest cybel energy refined directly from the tunnels. The gates are self-sustaining, using the cybel energy from the networks to open a gateway into the cybel network. The gate accelerates ships as they enter a cybel tunnel with enough momentum to emerge safely through the twin gate at the other end of the tunnel.

Cybel gates are point-to-point, linking two gates together and taking much of the danger out of cybel travel. Most pilots prefer to travel using gates - the gate will handle entry for you, performing all of the energy calculations necessary in order to deliver you safely to the gate on the other side, providing a safe transition back into real space. There may be multiple gates in a system, each heading to a different destination. As a result, a ship travelling to a system more than one node away on the network is required to exit the network at each gate. They would then head to the next gate on the route, perhaps docking to resupply and exchange information with the Comm Guild stations near each gate.

The cybel gates are built at the point where the gravitational pull of the parent mass is acceptable and yet the cybel network is still strong enough to provide enough cybel energy to facilitate an easy, stable transition. Too close to the parent mass, and the energy requirements to enter the network are low, but ships would be unable to escape the greatly magnified gravitational pull of the parent mass. Too far away, and the barrier into the cybel network is too strong, leaving the gate unable to draw enough energy to create an opening into the network. Gates are in a fixed position and do not orbit their host mass, as they need to be aligned precisely in the correct direction for travel. When the gate is closed, it is covered by an iris whose edges contain electromagnetic wave emitters similar to a cybel engine. The iris covers a pinpoint tunnel which the gate uses in order to keep a steady flow of energy into its power supply. When a ship needs to enter or exit the gate, the iris opens, at the same time tearing open an entry into the cybel tunnel.

One of the things I love about the setup of the cybel network and Maelstrom is that communication gets passed down along the cybel gates, deposited at the Comm Guild stations as ships pass through a star system. This allows information to circumvent lightspeed, but it also means that information in the Maelstrom's Edge universe is fragmented and incomplete, more like a telegraph system than the internet. And, as the Maelstrom comes closer and destroys or disrupts transport routes, the information starts to dry up or become incomplete. Whereas before you might have regular news updates from your neighbouring systems as traders passed through, now it becomes much dicier for people to move around star systems at the edge. Also, travel within a star system is still limited by conventional engines, so whilst it might take you a few days to get between star systems using the cybel network, it can take weeks or months to get between worlds in the same system, making it that much harder for people to escape the Maelstrom.

I don't suppose we could get a little sneak peak at the different kickstarter levels ahead of time? Pretty please

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 AlexHolker wrote:
The flying drones look pretty good, but would be better if either the fans were mounted above the center of gravity, or if it had at least one additional fan. Either of these would make the platform more stable, and less prone to pitching over and smashing itself into the ground.

Instability makes them more maneuverable, right? Most modern fighters need fly-by-wire to stay in the air, so why not cheapo drones? Not that I wouldn't love to see more drone designs and options.

Negative stability does make it easier for an aircraft to move away from level flight, but only if it actually has sufficient maneuvering capability to compensate for that negative stability. It's like putting a boulder on top of a hill - the boulder's natural tendency to roll downhill makes it easier to move than if it starts off in a crater, but that doesn't help much if you're not strong or fast enough to hold it on top of the hill until you want it to move. Assuming the fans can be tilted, the drones would be able to balance themselves the same way you can balance a broom on your hand, by constantly flying the fans back and forth to keep them under the drone's center of gravity, you can't do that and keep your pitch and position stable so you can actually shoot people.

 AlexHolker wrote:
Negative stability does make it easier for an aircraft to move away from level flight, but only if it actually has sufficient maneuvering capability to compensate for that negative stability. It's like putting a boulder on top of a hill - the boulder's natural tendency to roll downhill makes it easier to move than if it starts off in a crater, but that doesn't help much if you're not strong or fast enough to hold it on top of the hill until you want it to move. Assuming the fans can be tilted, the drones would be able to balance themselves the same way you can balance a broom on your hand, by constantly flying the fans back and forth to keep them under the drone's center of gravity, you can't do that and keep your pitch and position stable so you can actually shoot people.

If that's you query then we are good - there is a big port on the back for forward thrust which also provides more aggressive pitch control

Can we have full sized drones as a (late) stretch goal?

 darrkespur wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 Vanguard-13 wrote:

"Every time you apply logic into a fantasy game, someone kills a cat girl." - Unknown.

Win-win?

Besides, the makers of this game have repeatedly used the term "hard science fiction" to make sure we don't confuse their work about FTL natural phenomena, energy beings, mind-uploads and totally-not-psychics with "science fantasy". It's totes serial, you guys. Totes magotes.

Having done a Masters in Astrophysics and a PhD in nanophysics prior to writing the background to Maelstrom's Edge, I could write you a truly realistic, only based on real physics science fiction universe. But I don't think it would be nearly as much fun to have a space-based setting where you have to spend thousands of years to get between planets.

No! Please no! I can't even get into Revelation Space because the lack of FTL is so depressing! If you release a spaceship mini that's 99% fuel tank, I will cry.


I just like to poke fun at anyone who uses the term "hard science fiction".

No space-based science fiction universe doesn't bend the rules of science as we currently understand it. I'm very proud of what we've created though, and I think we've presented a universe that gives a nice balance between fun factions, units and settings whilst also feeling plausible and believable.

It does sound fun, but I won't know for sure until the novels hit paperback. *cough* Plausible and believable should never be adjectives that have anything to do with the firmness of a setting's science. It sounds like you get that, so I'm pretty optimistic.

What do you mean specifically by full sized drones? 8 drones will be in the basic set.

8 drones is not enough. There need to be more.


More.


MORE!

 legoburner wrote:
What do you mean specifically by full sized drones? 8 drones will be in the basic set.

Real drones (not minis, although I shall be having some of them too),

you could fly them round your game store/club etc to advertise the game (or just annoy people)

Don't waste Stretchgoals on Drones....

Here's a preview.

Stretchgoal 1: More Dakka
Stretchgoal 2: More Dakka!
Stretchgoal 3: More Dakka!!
Stretchgoal 4: More Dakka!!!
Stretchgoal 5: Enough Dakka?

 darrkespur wrote:

These tunnels form a web of filagreed energy stretching between nearby stars, acting as a wormhole for ships to pass through, shortening trips that would take decades to just a few days or weeks.

Mwaha! You answered my earlier spoiler question!

Entry into the cybel network requires a vast amount of energy, channelled into a precise electromagnetic wave which tears a temporary gateway into the tunnel. The larger the mass close to the entry point, the less energy required to enter, as the wall of the tunnel is weaker. This entry energy also provides the ship with sufficient momentum to travel far enough along the tunnel to enable the end-point mass to start pulling the ship towards it. Navigational control of a ship is very limited and similar to sailing upstream to the midpoint of a tunnel and then flowing downstream to the end of a tunnel.

Most ships do not have the necessary power to enter the cybel network on their own, so they rely on the use of cybel gates. These gates are space stations orbiting stars and other objects of large mass that harvest cybel energy refined directly from the tunnels.

Cybel gates are point-to-point, linking two gates together and taking much of the danger out of cybel travel. Most pilots prefer to travel using gates - the gate will handle entry for you, performing all of the energy calculations necessary in order to deliver you safely to the gate on the other side, providing a safe transition back into real space. There may be multiple gates in a system, each heading to a different destination.

Reading between the lines here, are there some ships flying around with incredibly powerful engines that daring commanders have used to chart the cybel tunnels prior to gates having been created in systems? Will we see pirating groups who use dangerous lesser known or more unstable routes for their own ends? Is there a possibility of rogue elements of societies setting up secret gate stations in places like asteroid or ice mining belts, possibly deep cover military groups or black project science initiatives who have reason to use secretive often dangerous tunnels in the cybel network that normally would never even be charted on a map?

They would then head to the next gate on the route, perhaps docking to resupply and exchange information with the Comm Guild stations near each gate.

I really love the idea of a Comm guild. communications and travel experts wold be incredibly powerful entities in a vast universe due to having a lot of control on the flow of information. I liken it to Commstar in the battletech universe or "the Guild" in Herberts Dune series. Love the idea of groups like this.

When the gate is closed, it is covered by an iris whose edges contain electromagnetic wave emitters similar to a cybel engine. The iris covers a pinpoint tunnel which the gate uses in order to keep a steady flow of energy into its power supply. When a ship needs to enter or exit the gate, the iris opens, at the same time tearing open an entry into the cybel tunnel.

Do aliens also use these gates or is it just a human continuum sort of thing? Can access be restricted on the gate by the organization who controls it if there is need, for instance criminals escaping, a military coup or even political pressure on trade routes? Would there ever be a case where someone in a system attempted to destroy their own gates, possibly a sovereign system first style movement, secessionists, or an act of war, maybe by one of the alien groups? Do the Comm guild retain any military might or defensive capabilities
to keep gates safe? Also, could stealth ships pass through a gate at the same time it's exposed for regular traffic? How big a hole are we talking here, like big enough for multiple ships at once? A Fleet?

One of the things I love about the setup of the cybel network and Maelstrom is that communication gets passed down along the cybel gates, deposited at the Comm Guild stations as ships pass through a star system. This allows information to circumvent lightspeed, but it also means that information in the Maelstrom's Edge universe is fragmented and incomplete, more like a telegraph system than the internet. And, as the Maelstrom comes closer and destroys or disrupts transport routes, the information starts to dry up or become incomplete. Whereas before you might have regular news updates from your neighbouring systems as traders passed through, now it becomes much dicier for people to move around star systems at the edge. Also, travel within a star system is still limited by conventional engines, so whilst it might take you a few days to get between star systems using the cybel network, it can take weeks or months to get between worlds in the same system, making it that much harder for people to escape the Maelstrom.

Sorry for all the questions. You gave me too much info at one time and my head is exploding.

 Phyrekzhogos wrote:
Reading between the lines here, are there some ships flying around with incredibly powerful engines that daring commanders have used to chart the cybel tunnels prior to gates having been created in systems? Will we see pirating groups who use dangerous lesser known or more unstable routes for their own ends? Is there a possibility of rogue elements of societies setting up secret gate stations in places like asteroid or ice mining belts, possibly deep cover military groups or black project science initiatives who have reason to use secretive often dangerous tunnels in the cybel network that normally would never even be charted on a map?

I'd like to explore many of those ideas in the future, given the chance. We see this universe setup as being a great sandbox for creating exactly those kind of scenarios. Pirates, mercenaries, exploration of worlds on the verge of destruction, battles over precious resources, secret locations and conspiracies, as a writer, I get very excited about working in a universe like that!

I really love the idea of a Comm guild. Communications and travel experts would be incredibly powerful entities in a vast universe due to having a lot of control on the flow of information. I liken it to Commstar in the battletech universe or "the Guild" in Herberts Dune series. Love the idea of groups like this.

Do aliens also use these gates or is it just a human continuum sort of thing? Can access be restricted on the gate by the organization who controls it if there is need, for instance criminals escaping, a military coup or even political pressure on trade routes? Would there ever be a case where someone in a system attempted to destroy their own gates, possibly a sovereign system first style movement, secessionists, or an act of war, maybe by one of the alien groups? Do the Comm guild retain any military might or defensive capabilities
to keep gates safe? Also, could stealth ships pass through a gate at the same time it's exposed for regular traffic? How big a hole are we talking here, like big enough for multiple ships at once? A Fleet?

The gates can absolutely be controlled - that's where the Comm Guild get their power, as they control many of the gates (although their overall hold is slipping with the disruption from the Maelstrom). They are very much in the background at the moment as we are focusing on a single star system for the first books (Zycanthus), but we're going to have a lot of fun with them later I hope!

Maelstrom's Edge is set across the Spiral Arm of the galaxy, which is the part of the galaxy that humanity has settled and terraformed over thousands of years. There are aliens, like the Angels and others, but they are the minority in this part of the galaxy. But they too use the cybel network - it's the only way to get between stars, unless you want to schlep for centuries under traditional power. You can take larger ships or fleets through cybel tunnels, but the larger the ship that wants to come through, the more energy required to get through. Many of the tunnels between smaller stars can only take smaller ships, so big ships need to take certain routes if they are to pass through. Stealth ships can sort of be a thing (like the Karist ark in the opening of the novel) by entering realspace early, before the gate, but that kind of behaviour is dangerous! (Flying through cybel space ain't like dusting crops! )

There are all kinds of interesting politics to do with the gates, especially with the Maelstrom involved (more about the relationship between the Maelstrom and cybel tunnels soon). The Maelstrom travels much more quickly down the cybel tunnels than it does in realspace, and even more so when the gate to the tunnel is opened. It's also drawn by large explosions of cybel energy. So the Maelstrom can be encouraged to move in certain directions by opening gates and destroying cybel refineries (as the processed energy from the tunnels powers ship engines and industry), or it can be slowed by keeping the gates closed or destroying them. There's loads of

Sorry for all the questions. You gave me too much info at one time and my head is exploding.

No problem! I love it when people get interested in this sort of thing!

 Phyrekzhogos wrote:


Mwaha! You answered my earlier spoiler question!

Reading between the lines here, are there some ships flying around with incredibly powerful engines that daring commanders have used to chart the cybel tunnels prior to gates having been created in systems? Will we see pirating groups who use dangerous lesser known or more unstable routes for their own ends? Is there a possibility of rogue elements of societies setting up secret gate stations in places like asteroid or ice mining belts, possibly deep cover military groups or black project science initiatives who have reason to use secretive often dangerous tunnels in the cybel network that normally would never even be charted on a map?

Hey,

The Karist Enclave pretty much does this. Their home-world is really out of the way and no one knows about it except them.

Do aliens also use these gates or is it just a human continuum sort of thing?

Yes, aliens can use it, the knowledge of cybel travel has been around a long time. Though it is a primarily human discovery.

Can access be restricted on the gate by the organization who controls it if there is need, for instance criminals escaping, a military coup or even political pressure on trade routes?

There's an iris on the gate which can restrict travel, if it isn't open, you can't get through.

Would there ever be a case where someone in a system attempted to destroy their own gates, possibly a sovereign system first style movement, secessionists, or an act of war, maybe by one of the alien groups?

Gates get destroyed sometimes, in fear of the Maelstrom spreading to their system, or destroying gates behind the last people to leave a system to prevent it's spreading behind them. The Maelstrom can spread very quickly along cybel tunnels, and can erupt out of open gates.

Do the Comm guild retain any military might or defensive capabilities to keep gates safe?

It's generally the responsibility of whoever owns the system. The Comm Guild is neutral and tries not to get involved in politics (at least openly), but does run a sort of customs and tracking on who enters the system. Their main power is knowing where and when to travel, and distributing news.

How big a hole are we talking here, like big enough for multiple ships at once? A Fleet?

It's not really about the size of the gate - you can make them as large as you want. The problem is, the larger the gate, the more power you need to run it, and the largest gates can only be set up at the largest, most stable cybel tunnels. Ships tend to enter single file.

Sorry for all the questions. You gave me too much info at one time and my head is exploding.

No worries, glad to see you getting into the background!

EdIt: Ninja'd by dark! My answers are different enough though so i'll leave them there!

MMMMkay just finished the 2 novellas. Really well written background GG.

Is it bad though that the whole na cybel communion thing reminds me of the warpstone addicted skaven?... except less drug addict and more religious.

Will all the models be at Salute or just the ones previewed so far?

 warboss wrote:
Will all the models be at Salute or just the ones previewed so far?

There will probably be a few surprises floating around...

 keltikhoa wrote:
MMMMkay just finished the 2 novellas. Really well written background GG.

Is it bad though that the whole na cybel communion thing reminds me of the warpstone addicted skaven?... except less drug addict and more religious.

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed them.

One thing I tried to bring across in the novels is the ambiguity of the Karist belief. You can choose, as a reader just as in a citizen of the Maelstrom's Edge, to believe ascension at the hands of the Maelstrom is true, and that the rapturous feelings and visions you receive when you touch na-cybel energy is a glimpse at that higher plane of being. Another perfectly valid interpretation is that the Karists are deluded addicts of na-cybel energy exposure. I love writing that uncertainty, it makes them much more interesting, and allows us to explore the meaning of faith in the face of annihilation. I hope that we've made the Karist Enclave background interesting and ambiguous enough that people will be debating this point for some time and enjoying the complexity of that dichotomy.

Question about the pledges, will they all be all be available at retail? i mean no kickstarter exclusives?
I hope you not go overboard like the raging heroes, loved the designs but i am still waiting for stuff 3 years after the kickstarter ended.

There will not be any kickstarter exclusives, the big benefits of backing us will be a much better value as thanks for the early support, being the first to get your hands on all the great models, helping us lower our risk and therefore improve the contents of the set for everyone, and knowing that you got in on this on day one.
--

Here's today's nice new things... the tokens in the boxed set. As you may have heard from rules discussion, either here or on the recent D6 generation interview about Maelstrom's Edge with yakface (starting at around 01h:24: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thed6generation/D6GEp165.mp3 ) we have a lot of suppression in our game, and that naturally means we need some nice suppression tokens:



We've also gone with stylish, retro, cardboard templates. Enough people are making plastic templates and have plastic templates in their collection that it seemed counter intuitive to invest in a tool just for them. Instead, we thought we'd tug at your nostalgia strings with some freshly designed high-resolution templates. They are double sided with different blast patterns (standard/Epirian on this side and energy/Karist blasts on the other side), and the flame template has Flames on one side and a green chemical spray effect on the other.

The tokens are all double sided with different graphics, reducing the chances that you'll run out of the ones you need at any moment in time. You'll note some cardboard objective markers and victory point trackers as well to reduce the need for scrawling scores on paper throughout the game.

Here's a close up of the suppression tokens:


Please excuse the slight visible texture on the print - these are early die-cut samples and the printing is done on a low grade inkjet printed to test the die cut. The final product will be printed with a high detail CMYK process so will be a sharper print with better colour.

There are four sizes of suppression token, representing 1, 3, 5 and 10 suppression (if I remember correctly - yakface can jump in to correct if I'm wrong!). This allows you to pile it on around a squad, but only have to move a maximum of three tokens when the squad moves all the way up to 16 suppression. Moving three models and 10 suppression tokens was obviously something we were eager to avoid!

We've gone with a thicker cardboard than other games with suppression style tokens have used in the past. This gives them more overall resilience and stability, but does have two 'costs' associated with it. The first is that die cutting technology is simply not precise enough to get the 0.5mm slot that we need for the two halves to slot together. As such, the slot is narrower than that, and so you can either not worry and just push them together and suffer slight shearing (they wont be at a perfect 90 degree angle from each other), or do what we've done in the pictures and cut a simple, straight slice next to the die cut assembly line to widen the gap and make assembly easier. It takes about 15 minutes to do the whole lot and is very straightforward - we'll do a proper tutorial before release.

The second design cost is that because these are thicker than the usual, they are printed on multi-layer card which is sandwiched together. This sandwiching does mean that there is a risk of dog-ears appearing on sharp points and large templates (the low end of the flame template is a particular risk). The dog earing occurs when one of the outer layers separates from the structural cardboard. Fortunately, these are very easy to repair with a dab of PVA/white glue, and after lots of prototypes we decide that this was the least worst option compared to going with thinner card which when damaged would be irreparable. We are also still working with our cardboard supplier to minimise any risk on this front and improve the bonding so this might not even exist as a point of note by the time everything is sent out.

While there are cardboard cutting technologies out there that would meet every potential scenario (thicker card with a laser cutter for instance), the price per sheet is so high that going with such options would either force us to drop models from the box set, ditch the 3D effect on the suppression tokens, or dramatically increase the price of the set as a whole. We've performed a lot of testing and determined that these are as good as we can make them given all of the requirements, and they fulfil their role admirably, adding a great amount of cinematic effect to every battle.

The development process for these has been very in depth, and we've tried countless revisions and options, from stackable discs (dont look as good, harder to move in great number), to plastic stands (loses the 3D effect and cheapens the appearance), to scores of iterations of different heights, spike lengths, thicknesses, cardboard types, colours, etc. Compared to the cheap and simple option of just having a bunch of square tokens, we are really proud of the quality of these and the effect they bring to the game, suppression being a centrepiece of the ruleset.

The tokens look great on the table and add a lot to the feel of the game, giving you an immediate, strong visual representation of which units are in serious trouble. Nothing beats lining up four spider drones and piling a tonne of suppression on to a unit in cover, then running in and flanking them with the firefly drones!

I really like the 3d tokens, neat idea.

I really like the suppression tokens. I remember playing with similar ones in Epic and they were a great feature. Having different art on each side is clever, too.

One concern - have you been able to easily tell the suppression markers apart in playtesting? They look awfully similar with the four different grades, and it seems like it would be easy to mistake one of the 3-tokens for a 1-token, for example.

Yes, it's not too clear from the photos, but the sizes are quite distinct and the colours are different between each one. Some people might want to mark the edges of the tokens (the exposed plain cardboard) with a different colour to increase legibility as well, but so far we've not had too much difficulty telling them apart as you learn which is which in relation to the heights of the models very quickly.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
8 drones is not enough. There need to be more.


More.


MORE!

I do agree. Drones, Mechs, Robot Suits! All of it needs Moar!

Wonderwolf wrote:
Don't waste Stretchgoals on Drones....

Here's a preview.

Stretchgoal 1: More Dakka
Stretchgoal 2: More Dakka!
Stretchgoal 3: More Dakka!!
Stretchgoal 4: More Dakka!!!
Stretchgoal 5: Enough Dakka?

"You can never have enough dakka for it is like the speed of light. You can come close but you can never attain it." - Adam L




Those Tokens look damn good!

But is that the mars rover?

Those suppression markers look...

*sunglasses*

... Epic.

The tokens are nice looking.

If they are at all similar to the way BattleSystems do their cardboard terrain then you can prevent the dog earing by coating the edges with (brush on) super glue. They makes them tough as nails.

 legoburner wrote:
Yes, it's not too clear from the photos, but the sizes are quite distinct and the colours are different between each one. Some people might want to mark the edges of the tokens (the exposed plain cardboard) with a different colour to increase legibility as well, but so far we've not had too much difficulty telling them apart as you learn which is which in relation to the heights of the models very quickly.

Thanks, that sounds good - the miniatures providing a good scale for them is a great point. I am very much looking forwards to kicking your project. I haven't ever kicked anything before, so it's going to be an exciting experience!

Good thinking Snrub, that would work very well and I'd not even thought of it being an option. Our card is not quite as great as Battlesystems stuff, card being the backbone of their business, but it would be poor form for me not to shout out to them as they were really helpful and upfront with advice when we were looking for card suppliers. We have a lot of love for them, their great attitude and their amazing card terrain.

Are there any plans for card terrain in the box or as a stretch? With the focus on cover and suppression, something like the terrain in Operation Icestom would be a great addition!

We spent a lot of time investigating card terrain but it was just not financially viable without cutting models or boosting the price of the set. While we love the look of card terrain (Necromunda more than anything), it does deteriorate fairly fast if not properly built, and it does not have as much flexibility of assembly and strength as we'd like unless you go all in like some of the other excellent companies out there.

To do cardboard terrain properly would have been a time and effort investment that does not match up with the rest of our project's skills and contacts, so it is best left to companies that focus on that sort of thing.

Plastic terrain however, you'll have to wait until tomorrow

 legoburner wrote:
We spent a lot of time investigating card terrain but it was just not financially viable without cutting models or boosting the price of the set. While we love the look of card terrain (Necromunda more than anything), it does deteriorate fairly fast if not properly built, and it does not have as much flexibility of assembly and strength as we'd like unless you go all in like some of the other excellent companies out there.

To do cardboard terrain properly would have been a time and effort investment that does not match up with the rest of our project's skills and contacts, so it is best left to companies that focus on that sort of thing.

Fair enough! The stuff is out there if people want it, after all!

Plastic terrain however, you'll have to wait until tomorrow

Ah, now I'm interested...
Even more so than I already was...

 legoburner wrote:
Good thinking Snrub, that would work very well and I'd not even thought of it being an option. Our card is not quite as great as Battlesystems stuff, card being the backbone of their business, but it would be poor form for me not to shout out to them as they were really helpful and upfront with advice when we were looking for card suppliers. We have a lot of love for them, their great attitude and their amazing card terrain.

Yeah. Fantastic guys. Their terrain is brilliant. Really glad I got in on their Sci-fi terrain KS.

On that note. An MEdge battlefield, what sort of terrain density are we looking it? And to a lesser extent would the aforementioned BattleSystems style terrain work for MEdge or is the wrong style of terrain?

 legoburner wrote:
Plastic terrain however, you'll have to wait until tomorrow

As if this game couldn't get any better.

Hey guys, while I'm sure you'll get a chance to look in here over the course of the next day or so, I know you'll be very busy packing things up/getting things ready for the event on Saturday, so I wanted to post now and make sure you didn't miss it:

GOOD LUCK DAKKA!!!!

Also, if they have any pie at Salute, please save me some. Thanks.

I'll most definitely be backing this!

 darrkespur wrote:

 judgedoug wrote:

Isn't that what higher dimensional theoretical topology is for? The whole making a right angle to all known angles thing that facilitates a 0D "fold" to 1D, 1D "fold" to 2D, 2D "fold" to 3D transition, and therefore a 3D "fold" through the fourth dimension to instantly be anywhere else in 3D space?

SNIP A LOT OF STUFF

Dude, that sounds pretty cool, actually. I'm liking the background more and more.

Wait, it's tomorrow already. Or did you mean England tomorrow?

LEGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 legoburner wrote:

The tokens look great on the table and add a lot to the feel of the game, giving you an immediate, strong visual representation of which units are in serious trouble. Nothing beats lining up four spider drones and piling a tonne of suppression on to a unit in cover, then running in and flanking them with the firefly drones!

Are there plans to partner with GF9 or Litko or another company to produce laser cut/laser etched tokens? Personally, I prefer partially translucent tokens that can be easily seen but also aren't as obvious as opaque tokens littering a battlefield.

 judgedoug wrote:

 legoburner wrote:

The tokens look great on the table and add a lot to the feel of the game, giving you an immediate, strong visual representation of which units are in serious trouble. Nothing beats lining up four spider drones and piling a tonne of suppression on to a unit in cover, then running in and flanking them with the firefly drones!

Are there plans to partner with GF9 or Litko or another company to produce laser cut/laser etched tokens? Personally, I prefer partially translucent tokens that can be easily seen but also aren't as obvious as opaque tokens littering a battlefield.

I think we'd like to have those kind of tokens eventually but it depends how well the Kickstarter goes.

This looks very interesting.

 legoburner wrote:
Plastic terrain however, you'll have to wait until tomorrow

Just going to leave that there and drop the mic, eh?

 judgedoug wrote:

 darrkespur wrote:

 judgedoug wrote:

Isn't that what higher dimensional theoretical topology is for? The whole making a right angle to all known angles thing that facilitates a 0D "fold" to 1D, 1D "fold" to 2D, 2D "fold" to 3D transition, and therefore a 3D "fold" through the fourth dimension to instantly be anywhere else in 3D space?

SNIP A LOT OF STUFF

Dude, that sounds pretty cool, actually. I'm liking the background more and more.

Thank you. I know that last week I did promise a few people some more info on the worldbuilding around the Maelstrom itself, but I was waiting for an appropriate place in the conversation to include it, so this seems like a good moment.

The Maelstrom is ultimately the core of what Maelstrom's Edge is all about, a monumental catastrophe causing previously stable galactic civilisations to tear each other, and themselves, apart. The Maelstrom's implacable advance on the worlds of the Spiral Arm is what feeds the conflict of our universe, sets friend and foe against each other and forces everyone in its path to fight for resources and survival.

When the Maelstrom erupted from humanity’s Capital Worlds a millennium ago, it destroyed hundreds of parsecs in the blink of an eye. A colossal energy storm spanning light years, the Maelstrom expanded ever onward, traversing dozens of light years in mere hours. It ripped apart the centre of humanity, destroying worlds in instants and leaving no time for escape. After this initial frenzy, the expansion of the Maelstrom slowed to a fraction of its initial speed as it left the matter dense Capital World systems, its coruscating red and purple blight on the sky becoming a harbinger of utter destruction to nearby worlds. What remains of mankind is trapped between the Maelstrom’s Edge and the rim-ward tip of the Spiral Arm. With mankind restricted to travelling between stars, the gulf between galactic arms is untraversable. The only direction to go is rim-wards, away from certain death into an uncertain future.

The Maelstrom travels slowly as it expands through empty space without anything to react with, but moves increasingly more rapidly as it reaches the star system and begins to react with the mass contained within. As the Maelstrom expands, it disrupts the flow of the cybel tunnels nearby, making them impassable to ships - cutting down the routes that people can escape from a system threatened by the Maelstrom and increasing the chances of armed conflict as factions fight for access to the choke point. Worlds close to the Maelstrom are attractive targets for resources, but being in the system is a huge risk, as the closer the Maelstrom gets, the more supply lines are destroyed as the dark energy ruptures out of the cybel tunnels, leaving only a handful of routes back out, usually near to the planet or other gravitational large object furthest from the Maelstrom's presence. The Maelstrom can also disrupt the energy of stars, causing supernovae for those unlucky enough to still be there when it happens...

As the cybel network is destroyed by the Maelstrom, the cybel tunnels shift and re-align, making even stable routes far away from the Edge unpredictable. Some tunnels break, dumping ships into deep space. Some are twisted, forming spirals which are virtually impossible to navigate. Other routes become erratic in size, requiring more energy and blind luck to get through them. Some tunnels are made unstable from the proximity of the Maelstrom, causing violent storms of cybel energy to arc along the tunnel, destroying ships unlucky enough to be caught in them. Travel between worlds which would normally take days or weeks can now take months or years, navigating through multiple smaller tunnels instead of one large tunnel.

Travellers near the Maelstrom's Edge can no longer simply journey hundreds of light years in one jump like they once did. Ships wait at each node, studying the latest Guild map to satisfy themselves that the next step isn't going to get them killed. Some get stranded, their ship unsuited to making the next jump, leaving them stuck in a star system they never hoped to visit, or having to take another more tortuous route now their original option is no longer possible. These delays and inefficiencies make keeping ahead of the Edge difficult at best.

One of the balancing acts we had to make when designing the universe was to make the Maelstrom a credible threat, one that would force the people and factions at the Edge to make difficult decisions. However, the galaxy is a big place - around 100,000 light years across. Something travelling at slower-than light speeds will take far too long to become a threat to the next star. It's the interaction the Maelstrom has with the cybel tunnels that makes it so dangerous and unpredictable.

When the Maelstrom bursts open a cybel tunnel into real space, it's extremely dangerous to anything nearby, but its progress through open space is slow (compared to FTL travel through the cybel tunnels) and predictable. Planets can see the purple stain spreading across the sky and know roughly how long they have until it reaches them.

However, if the Maelstrom infects a new cybel tunnel leading off to another star, all bets are off. The Maelstrom converts the normal cybel energy into a much more aggressive form that races down the tunnel to the mass at the other end, traversing lightyears of realspace in weeks or months. If a cybel gate on the far side is open, an explosive reaction occurs. If there's no open gate, the Maelstrom beats on the closed tunnel, weakening the tunnel until finally it break through, wreaking destruction and spreading the Maelstrom further.

I hope that you've enjoyed exploring our worldbuilding a bit more - we've done a lot of work creating the universe of Maelstrom's Edge and we look forward to showing you more in the coming weeks and months - we'll be adding background text and designer comments to the website over the course of the Kickstarter.

 darrkespur wrote:


Thank you! Glad you enjoyed them.

One thing I tried to bring across in the novels is the ambiguity of the Karist belief. You can choose, as reader just as in a citizen of the Maelstrom's Edge, to believe ascension at the hands of the Maelstrom is true, and that the rapturous feelings and visions you receive when you touch na-cybel energy is a glimpse at that higher plane of being. Another perfectly valid interpretation is that the Karists are deluded addicts of na-cybel energy exposure. I love writing that uncertainty, it makes them much more interesting, and allows us to explore the meaning of faith in the face of annihilation. I hope that we've made the Karist Enclave background interesting and ambiguous enough that people will be debating this point for some time and enjoying the complexity of that dichotomy.

You achieved your goal with me. Can you explain more on Angels? How is a name that is normally tied to warriors of heaven now used by a religious group to name a creature they seem to forcibly frenzy and send into battle.
Is there some relation between an ascended soul and an angel? IE angel is a physical representation of a successful ascension
If so why are they used as attack dogs?
Am I drawing connections that are not relevant?
Is my own communion giving me visions again?

 keltikhoa wrote:

 darrkespur wrote:


Thank you! Glad you enjoyed them.

One thing I tried to bring across in the novels is the ambiguity of the Karist belief. You can choose, as reader just as in a citizen of the Maelstrom's Edge, to believe ascension at the hands of the Maelstrom is true, and that the rapturous feelings and visions you receive when you touch na-cybel energy is a glimpse at that higher plane of being. Another perfectly valid interpretation is that the Karists are deluded addicts of na-cybel energy exposure. I love writing that uncertainty, it makes them much more interesting, and allows us to explore the meaning of faith in the face of annihilation. I hope that we've made the Karist Enclave background interesting and ambiguous enough that people will be debating this point for some time and enjoying the complexity of that dichotomy.

You achieved your goal with me. Can you explain more on Angels? How is a name that is normally tied to warriors of heaven now used by a religious group to name a creature they seem to forcibly frenzy and send into battle.
Is there some relation between an ascended soul and an angel? IE angel is a physical representation of a successful ascension
If so why are they used as attack dogs?
Am I drawing connections that are not relevant?
Is my own communion giving me visions again?

Oh, that's an interesting reaction! Angels are aliens that live out in space, feeding off the cybel energy that bleeds through from the tunnels into realspace. The name Angel came about (both from a design perspective and in the universe) because they used to visit passing ships out of nowhere, making their appearance seem miraculous. When cybel storms and the Maelstrom appear, the Angels are driven closer to worlds and even down to the surface of planets, as the energy that they usually feed off has been transformed into a much more destructive form that drives them crazy. The Karists rescue and recruit them by feeding them more benign cybel energy that they can digest more easily (and they excrete na-cybel energy, which is used in communion, so there's a certain symbiosis between them and the Karists).

The relationship between ascended and Angels is an interesting interpretation, but I'm very keen not to confirm or deny that kind of thing - it's much more interesting to have people interpret it as they see fit. Thanks for the thoughts though, it's very cool to see what people think after reading the books!

Sounds like they were regarded as rarely seen 'Mermaid' type creatures/myths before the Maelstrom forced them more in to the open? So kind of a whimsical name from before people got a good look at them or even believed the stories they heard?

 MajorTom11 wrote:
Sounds like they were regarded as rarely seen 'Mermaid' type creatures/myths before the Maelstrom forced them more in to the open? So kind of a whimsical name from before people got a good look at them or even believed the stories they heard?

Angels were certainly much rarer, even considered to be a myth in many parts, until the Maelstrom arrived. Mermaids are a good analogy - ships seeing them pass by would consider them good luck. It's only since the Maelstrom has started churning up the energy in the tunnels that they've been driven into populated systems and the Maelstrom's energy (and the Karist influence) has made them much more aggressive.

I'm looking forward to people seeing the larger Angel designs - they are really quite something! The sample of the novel is a good insight into what they act like on the battlefield for those who haven't read it yet - you can get to that at this link.

Looking forward to showing people some more of the universe at Salute this weekend. We're going to be selling paperbacks of the novels, and both Stephen and I will be there to talk about them (and sign them if you like - I haven't done that before so I better practice my signature!). I'm also working on bringing the books to other formats following the feedback from people here - I'm aiming for iBooks, Nook and Kobo. That might all take a few weeks with the launch of the Kickstarter and Salute coming up though. If anyone has any other formats they would like to read the books in, please let me know and I will try and accommodate it in the future if I can.

 keltikhoa wrote:


You achieved your goal with me. Can you explain more on Angels? How is a name that is normally tied to warriors of heaven now used by a religious group to name a creature they seem to forcibly frenzy and send into battle.
Is there some relation between an ascended soul and an angel? IE angel is a physical representation of a successful ascension
If so why are they used as attack dogs?
Am I drawing connections that are not relevant?
Is my own communion giving me visions again?

Now there's a really interesting idea!

I see a lot of 2nd Edition 40k in this. The one thing I'm interested in. Do you have any card scenery planned, similar to GW's amazing pieces from 2nd edition?

I really want to support you guys, but I don't have a credit card. Is there a way to use paypal and still get the rewards? Prepaid credit cards haven't worked for me yet, so that isn't an option.

Szeras wrote:
I really want to support you guys, but I don't have a credit card. Is there a way to use paypal and still get the rewards? Prepaid credit cards haven't worked for me yet, so that isn't an option.

From a quick skim of Paypal's site, it looks like you don't need a credit card these days... you can link a bank account or debit card instead. (You always could, but used to be you needed a credit card on file first in order to send money to anyone. That requirement appears to have been removed)


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 darrkespur wrote:
...I'm also working on bringing the books to other formats following the feedback from people here - I'm aiming for iBooks, Nook and Kobo. That might all take a few weeks with the launch of the Kickstarter and Salute coming up though. If anyone has any other formats they would like to read the books in, please let me know and I will try and accommodate it in the future if I can.

I really, really prefer to buy hardcovers where possible rather than paperbacks... so if there is any chance of that happening, I'd be all over it.

 insaniak wrote:

Szeras wrote:
I really want to support you guys, but I don't have a credit card. Is there a way to use paypal and still get the rewards? Prepaid credit cards haven't worked for me yet, so that isn't an option.

From a quick skim of Paypal's site, it looks like you don't need a credit card these days... you can link a bank account or debit card instead. (You always could, but used to be you needed a credit card on file first in order to send money to anyone. That requirement appears to have been removed)

But I don't think Paypal works with Kickstarter, so that might be the hickup.

Now in the US you can get a Paypal Debit Card that links to your Paypal account and I think you could use that card to fund Kickstarter. There is no credit required and Paypal would just take the money you spend with the card out of your linked bank account. But I don't know if that option is available in Canada.

The problem is Kickstarter doesn't accept anything except credit cards, so I can't use Paypal. But thanks for the advice!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 d-usa wrote:

 insaniak wrote:

Szeras wrote:
I really want to support you guys, but I don't have a credit card. Is there a way to use paypal and still get the rewards? Prepaid credit cards haven't worked for me yet, so that isn't an option.

From a quick skim of Paypal's site, it looks like you don't need a credit card these days... you can link a bank account or debit card instead. (You always could, but used to be you needed a credit card on file first in order to send money to anyone. That requirement appears to have been removed)

But I don't think Paypal works with Kickstarter, so that might be the hickup.

Now in the US you can get a Paypal Debit Card that links to your Paypal account and I think you could use that card to fund Kickstarter. There is no credit required and Paypal would just take the money you spend with the card out of your linked bank account. But I don't know if that option is available in Canada.

I'll check.

Ah, I misread the question, apparently. Sorry... lack of sleep and still on first coffee...

Can't you get a Credit Card that doesn't have any 'credit' as such but that you add to the card? Like a sort of pre-paid VISA card?

I can't get the paypal card unfortunately.
Also, it's all good. I do appreciate the help.

Well, the alternative is finding someone who does have a credit card and being very persuasive.

 filbert wrote:
Well, the alternative is finding someone who does have a credit card and being very persuasive.

Adding to what filbert said; if you frequent a club, you can possibly get a club backing together with one person acting as "treasurer". Granted, you would all have to trust each other for this to work out but it has happened in other kickstarters.

 Bottle wrote:
I see a lot of 2nd Edition 40k in this. The one thing I'm interested in. Do you have any card scenery planned, similar to GW's amazing pieces from 2nd edition?

Lego addressed this on the prior page, which I'll copy below. Pay close attention to the last line

 legoburner wrote:
We spent a lot of time investigating card terrain but it was just not financially viable without cutting models or boosting the price of the set. While we love the look of card terrain (Necromunda more than anything), it does deteriorate fairly fast if not properly built, and it does not have as much flexibility of assembly and strength as we'd like unless you go all in like some of the other excellent companies out there.

To do cardboard terrain properly would have been a time and effort investment that does not match up with the rest of our project's skills and contacts, so it is best left to companies that focus on that sort of thing.

Plastic terrain however, you'll have to wait until tomorrow

Are there plans for plastic tokens and templates?

You can pick up a prepaid credit card at most major retailers which would let you fund. Paypal also offer a card linked to your paypal account which should work:
https://www.paypal-prepaid.com/

Bottle, stay tuned for tomorrow's terrain teaser


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 Emperors_Champion wrote:
Are there plans for plastic tokens and templates?

Not from us. We did price them up and did some preliminary work on them but they just dont work out. We could not get an explosion design we were happy with to work in 2 part plastic either, but we'll keep tinkering with it I'm sure and maybe have something in many many years time.

Szeras wrote:
I can't get the paypal card unfortunately.
Also, it's all good. I do appreciate the help.

In the US, you can buy prepaid visa and mastercard gift cards in grocery stores, gas stations, etc and use them on Kickstarter. They usually cost $4-5 USD over the amount you put on them and can (at least in the US thanks to terrorism) only be used within the country. I don't know if Canadian gift cards would have the same restriction but if they exist up north you may want to read the fine print on the back of the package.

Szeras wrote:
The problem is Kickstarter doesn't accept anything except credit cards, so I can't use Paypal. But thanks for the advice!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 d-usa wrote:

 insaniak wrote:

Szeras wrote:
I really want to support you guys, but I don't have a credit card. Is there a way to use paypal and still get the rewards? Prepaid credit cards haven't worked for me yet, so that isn't an option.

From a quick skim of Paypal's site, it looks like you don't need a credit card these days... you can link a bank account or debit card instead. (You always could, but used to be you needed a credit card on file first in order to send money to anyone. That requirement appears to have been removed)

But I don't think Paypal works with Kickstarter, so that might be the hickup.

Now in the US you can get a Paypal Debit Card that links to your Paypal account and I think you could use that card to fund Kickstarter. There is no credit required and Paypal would just take the money you spend with the card out of your linked bank account. But I don't know if that option is available in Canada.

I'll check.

I use my debit card with Kickstarter all the time. It works fine. It just needs to have a Visa or Mastercard logo on it. Talk to your bank. If you have a checking account, you should be able to get a compatible debit card.

 legoburner wrote:
You can pick up a prepaid credit card at most major retailers which would let you fund. Paypal also offer a card linked to your paypal account which should work:
https://www.paypal-prepaid.com/

Bottle, stay tuned for tomorrow's terrain teaser

Living in Canada has very few downsides. Not being able to get a paypal card is one of them.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I do really appreciate the help though.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Kriswall wrote:

Szeras wrote:
The problem is Kickstarter doesn't accept anything except credit cards, so I can't use Paypal. But thanks for the advice!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 d-usa wrote:

 insaniak wrote:

Szeras wrote:
I really want to support you guys, but I don't have a credit card. Is there a way to use paypal and still get the rewards? Prepaid credit cards haven't worked for me yet, so that isn't an option.

From a quick skim of Paypal's site, it looks like you don't need a credit card these days... you can link a bank account or debit card instead. (You always could, but used to be you needed a credit card on file first in order to send money to anyone. That requirement appears to have been removed)

But I don't think Paypal works with Kickstarter, so that might be the hickup.

Now in the US you can get a Paypal Debit Card that links to your Paypal account and I think you could use that card to fund Kickstarter. There is no credit required and Paypal would just take the money you spend with the card out of your linked bank account. But I don't know if that option is available in Canada.

I'll check.

I use my debit card with Kickstarter all the time. It works fine. It just needs to have a Visa or Mastercard logo on it. Talk to your bank. If you have a checking account, you should be able to get a compatible debit card.

This I can do, I won't be able to fund on Friday, but once I get back home I will certainly talk to my bank. I checked online and it looks like they have that option. Thanks to everyone who helped! I'm very excited for the release!

The more the merrier, and the more stretch goals unlocked I really really want to see hunter mechs and adult angels locked in!

Maelstrom's Edge goes live on Kickstarter in just 2 more days - on Friday! Save your pennies and get in as the door opens for eternal bragging rights!

So what timezone would that be?
Since there is no exclusives I don't need to sit in front of a computer and hit refresh non stop, but I would like to back this up when it comes up.

Okay it's tomorrow in the UK now...

Plastic scenery front and centre... please...

Something stupid just occurred to me. So I know the maelstrom is pressing ever outward, eating up all the matter in its path right? But that actually doesn't tell em what it is that actually 'happens' to that matter beyond fueling more and more exploding maelstrom. What about the matter and energy back near the beginning point? Has it already blown itself out? Is that energy riding the wave forward and outward still? Like an expanding donut? What's left behind? Most importantly though, does anything "live" in the maelstrom? Maybe focusing it's drive?

Spoil me rotten, Sirs!

I thought about that too. I'm excited to find out!

 Phyrekzhogos wrote:
Something stupid just occurred to me. So I know the maelstrom is pressing ever outward, eating up all the matter in its path right? But that actually doesn't tell em what it is that actually 'happens' to that matter beyond fueling more and more exploding maelstrom. What about the matter and energy back near the beginning point? Has it already blown itself out? Is that energy riding the wave forward and outward still? Like an expanding donut? What's left behind? Most importantly though, does anything "live" in the maelstrom? Maybe focusing it's drive?

Those are indeed pertinent questions...

 Phyrekzhogos wrote:
Something stupid just occurred to me. So I know the maelstrom is pressing ever outward, eating up all the matter in its path right? But that actually doesn't tell em what it is that actually 'happens' to that matter beyond fueling more and more exploding maelstrom. What about the matter and energy back near the beginning point? Has it already blown itself out? Is that energy riding the wave forward and outward still? Like an expanding donut? What's left behind? Most importantly though, does anything "live" in the maelstrom? Maybe focusing it's drive?

Spoil me rotten, Sirs!

According to the Karists there is a sort of heaven waiting on the 'other side' ofthe maelstrom. I assume, of course, that this isn't technically what you're asking but at least some people in universe seem to think that it takes you to another dimension (the one the cybel tunnels go through?) & that this is where we would become the stereotypical "perfect energy beings" you see in some other sci-fi.

Certainly it's impossible to get through the Edge to find out, so feel free to draw your own conclusions as to what's on the other side

 Stormphoenix wrote:
Certainly it's impossible to get through the Edge to find out, so feel free to draw your own conclusions as to what's on the other side

Enlightenment awaits for us Karists.

One of the first things we did to start gaining competence with plastics was to design a sprue of terrain. Maelstrom's Edge benefits from a decent amount of terrain on the board, and as such, we wanted to be sure that we could get maximum coverage with a small amount of sprue space.

There are plenty of companies out there providing excellent MDF and full-building plastic terrain so simply doing what they have done with a different flavour did not appeal to us. Instead, we looked back in time at more efficient terrain building options and came up with a modular sprue which is scale compatible with most major terrain ranges that are already out there.

What we've created is this:




A large range of high quality plastic components, including but not limited to, doors, windows, fascias, panels, edging, pipe fittings (designed to fit standard drinking straws and small pipes), and much more.

Our terrain allows you to take a simple object, or build a simple shape out of card, balsa or foamcore, and cut some holes in it and stick in our plastic:



Then end up with a fantastic building once painted and weathered:



Here's a bunch more examples, all made using standard hobby materials and our terrain sprue:










With our terrain sprue, we want to inspire people to be better hobbyists and build some truly creative things. The terrain sprue is not in the boxed set by default as it is huge (almost A4 sized), and very heavy and very expensive to produce. If we hit $45,000, it will be unlocked as stretch goal number 2 and we'll be able to get them in to the boxed set.

Were those built by 3T?

Oh man, I haven't even seen all of these shots yet. Some of these terrain pieces are looking really sweet. I can't wait to find some spare time to get cracking at some of my own creations.

Yup, and the white building (and other white buildings on our facebook page) were done by our very own Insaniak.

For those who are less genius with our terrain, the pieces make excellent ruins if you just add some mashed up sprue and junk around them. The pieces have been designed to be very flexible as you can see!

These are exactly the kind of terrain pieces that I am always looking for. I love to buy the cheap blue electrical boxes at the hardware store and add stuff like this to turn them into terrain. I would buy these things even if I hated everything else about this game.

Looking forward to throwing money your way tomorrow!

3dog wrote:

 Phyrekzhogos wrote:
Something stupid just occurred to me. So I know the maelstrom is pressing ever outward, eating up all the matter in its path right? But that actually doesn't tell em what it is that actually 'happens' to that matter beyond fueling more and more exploding maelstrom. What about the matter and energy back near the beginning point? Has it already blown itself out? Is that energy riding the wave forward and outward still? Like an expanding donut? What's left behind? Most importantly though, does anything "live" in the maelstrom? Maybe focusing it's drive?

Spoil me rotten, Sirs!

According to the Karists there is a sort of heaven waiting on the 'other side' ofthe maelstrom. I assume, of course, that this isn't technically what you're asking but at least some people in universe seem to think that it takes you to another dimension (the one the cybel tunnels go through?) & that this is where we would become the stereotypical "perfect energy beings" you see in some other sci-fi.

Looking at the "angels" i am thinking more of Event Horizon, Hellraiser or even the warp

Ooh, I'm going to have to get my hands on some of those terrain pieces. Ideas are happening.

You glorious bastards. That is massive. That is fanfriggingtastic. If I wasn't going to jump in on this KS already, I would be now.


Top notch work Insaniak.

Gentlemen, that terrain can only be described as...

Total smegging genius! Seriously, what a fantastic idea, and one that I'm sure will end up with all kinds of use beyond MEdge and into the wider wargaming world. For those like me that lack the skill and patience to build 'proper' DIY terrain, this just might be a godsend!

As and when you fund extras for the boxed set as stretch goals, will that also mean they are included in retail boxed sets as well, or just KS ones?

Nice idea with the terrain detailling kit.

Holy sh- terrain detailing sprues? Oh man if you guys have a terrain-only pledge... My Necromunda group will be VERY happy!

Loving the look of the miniatures so far, but that terrain is a fantastic innovation from a team who have clearly been paying attention to what hobbiests are after for a long time. Hopefully there's a few more surprises along this line which really set this company apart from others.

Kind of reminds me of the Mordheim sprues. Good idea. Will those come in the boxed set?

 bbb wrote:
Kind of reminds me of the Mordheim sprues. Good idea. Will those come in the boxed set?

You seem to have missed this (understandably, since it was under all the pretty pictures):

 legoburner wrote:
With our terrain sprue, we want to inspire people to be better hobbyists and build some truly creative things. The terrain sprue is not in the boxed set by default as it is huge (almost A4 sized), and very heavy and very expensive to produce. If we hit $45,000, it will be unlocked as stretch goal number 2 and we'll be able to get them in to the boxed set.

That terrain detail sprue is a really cool idea. Takes me back to when I was getting into the game and White Dwarf still had terrain articles where they'd actually make it out of junk, this seems perfect for terrain like that, man those where the days...

 Ouze wrote:

 bbb wrote:
Kind of reminds me of the Mordheim sprues. Good idea. Will those come in the boxed set?

You seem to have missed this (understandably, since it was under all the pretty pictures):

 legoburner wrote:
With our terrain sprue, we want to inspire people to be better hobbyists and build some truly creative things. The terrain sprue is not in the boxed set by default as it is huge (almost A4 sized), and very heavy and very expensive to produce. If we hit $45,000, it will be unlocked as stretch goal number 2 and we'll be able to get them in to the boxed set.

Thanks!

Brilliant idea... I can see soooooo many uses for that terrain sprue (and many, many, many of them at that...)

I was looking forward to seeing some cool plastic terrain, instead it's basically a big version of Mantic's accessory/connector sprues and you still have to make your own terrain.

Good for those who enjoy making terrain I'm sure, but not for me. I'll stick with Battlezones I guess.

Good luck with the project guys, looks like I'll be saving up for Warpath instead.

You could just, y'know, buy terrain from one company and the game from another?

winterdyne wrote:
You could just, y'know, buy terrain from one company and the game from another?

Buy both.

Jam sets.

Terrain!

I'm actually pretty terrible with stuff like this, but I'll give it a try.

Since it hasn't already been stated (joking...) Terrain Sprue = Awesomesauce!

winterdyne wrote:
You could just, y'know, buy terrain from one company and the game from another?

Game is a cool concept from a fiction standpoint but from a model standpoint right now all I can see is "these blokes in armor are fighting these other blokes in less armor", so until I see more diversity it currently doesn't interest me.

Not trying to say I think it's bad in any way, just not my cup of tea.

 malfred wrote:

winterdyne wrote:
You could just, y'know, buy terrain from one company and the game from another?

Buy both.

Jam sets.

Terrain!

I'm actually pretty terrible with stuff like this, but I'll give it a try.

They are scale compatible - it was on my to-do list to try and get a mashup between the two done as Mantic's latest have been lovely and adding in some of the little details we have would just step it all up a notch to something truly special while remaining low effort.

I'm not quite as excited about the scenery as some people seem to be, however It does look like a solid offering. If you were intent on only creating one sprue of scenery, I think you've done the best you could with the dressing sprue. I'm sure I'll enjoy playing with the bits and pieces when I eventually get them too.

This game is really shaping up to be the hobbyist's 28mm wargame. Between the 'extra' joins on most of the infantry, and the DIY nature of the scenery, complete hobby n00bs may struggle to assemble the starter set.

At least it seems that way, in light of recent push-fit starter sets and what not. Certainly doesn't bother me a bit, I'll enjoy the extra poseability and various uses for the terrain.

It is definitely no secret that this will push the hobbyist muscles a bit, and that is largely by design as we were not very bothered about trying to create push-to-fit models. The easiest models to assemble in our set are probably a 4/10 in terms of complexity, the hardest are maybe an 8/10 due to multiple angle options and glue points (I'd class modern multipart 40k space marines at about a 6.5, largely due to mould line cleanup requirements). We'll be sure to have detailed, heavily annotated assembly guides completed before models are in people's hands to help everyone get the most out of the models. It is certainly possible to just glue the bits together and end up with some odd combinations, so having hand-holding guides will let the more inexperienced hobbyist ramp up their skills without wasting any models.

A suggestion: Maybe a KS pledge level with some of the terrain sprues and some templates, so people can see what they could easily build by just adding some plasticard/foam card/normal card.

Are there any plans for an alien faction?

If you include proper guides, that should alleviate the difficulty somewhat. Just make sure you actually do them if you mean to, its one of those things that often gets forgot by the time models are released

It seems like most companies either release a super-modular giant set of sprue that let's you customize what you are building (ala Deadzone) which then ends up requiring a ton of tooling to get enough variety, or they try to minimize their expense and you end up with the one or two basic buildings that end up looking repetitive by the time you fill up a battlefield with them. So I think that this is a great compromise between the two options.

Of course this is also the exact thing that I am always on the lookout for to make my own scenery on the cheap. And it really is something that is pretty easy to do. Here is what I always end up using as the base for these kind of things:



This is stuff that all costs between $0.50 and $5. Glue on a couple pieces from the sprue and some straws for pipes, hit it with gray spraypaint for that concrete look, quick drybrush, and now you have a table worth of terrain!



It's certainly no award winning terrain, but it wouldn't need much more work to really stand out. And it shows that cheap basic supplies together with a sprue like this can be pretty user friendly and have a great effect.

 D6Damager wrote:
Are there any plans for an alien faction?

Aren't they all, technically, alien factions?

 legoburner wrote:
They are scale compatible - it was on my to-do list to try and get a mashup between the two done as Mantic's latest have been lovely and adding in some of the little details we have would just step it all up a notch to something truly special while remaining low effort.

Your detail sprue is scale compatible with Deadzone terrain? That just jacked up my interest. I've already invested in Mantic's battlezones, so I'm not looking to buy into another building system, but a sprue of details to jazz them up with is a great idea.

If you ever get that mashup done, it would be much appreciated.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 D6Damager wrote:
Are there any plans for an alien faction?

The Karists currently hit enough weirdness for me with their Angels, but I personally think it would be a mistake to follow up the first two factions with two more human dominated ones.

Some interesting ideas with that sprue! I suppose it really is imagination's the limit there!

I just noticed the sprue comes with two computer terminals. Sweet. Always looking out for those in particular to jazz up my buildings. (Very handy for door access, command points, communications terminals, etc.) Don't have to do any cutting to glue them on, either. (They don't need to be inset.)

 legoburner wrote:
One of the first things we did to start gaining competence with plastics was to design a sprue of terrain. Maelstrom's Edge benefits from a decent amount of terrain on the board, and as such, we wanted to be sure that we could get maximum coverage with a small amount of sprue space.

There are plenty of companies out there providing excellent MDF and full-building plastic terrain so simply doing what they have done with a different flavour did not appeal to us. Instead, we looked back in time at more efficient terrain building options and came up with a modular sprue which is scale compatible with most major terrain ranges that are already out there.

What we've created is this:




A large range of high quality plastic components, including but not limited to, doors, windows, fascias, panels, edging, pipe fittings (designed to fit standard drinking straws and small pipes), and much more.

Our terrain allows you to take a simple object, or build a simple shape out of card, balsa or foamcore, and cut some holes in it and stick in our plastic:



Then end up with a fantastic building once painted and weathered:



Here's a bunch more examples, all made using standard hobby materials and our terrain sprue:










With our terrain sprue, we want to inspire people to be better hobbyists and build some truly creative things. The terrain sprue is not in the boxed set by default as it is huge (almost A4 sized), and very heavy and very expensive to produce. If we hit $45,000, it will be unlocked as stretch goal number 2 and we'll be able to get them in to the boxed set.

Very much looking forward to seeing what I can do with these sprues!

Forgive me for the long quote, but it was already two pages back so I figured I'd bring it over