Godslayer is a tabletop skirmish game set in a mythic world of bronze and blood.
Looking for a fast-paced and ferocious game that also has tremendous realism and detail?
Well this is it!
Godslayer combines playability and detail into an intuitive rules system which allows an amazing array of options, strategies
and depth, but is at the same time easy to learn and incredibly flexible and playable. It can be played at squad level with
20-50+ models or as a true skirmish with just 5-6 models. This is because the rules have achieved an outstanding combination
of playability and realism.
The Background
Godslayer is set in a mythical world inspired by classical and ancient cultures. We naturally draw a lot from the history and mythology
of Greece, Rome, Persia ancient Celts and ancient Germans, but the world itself is a dark and exotic realm of sword and sorcery where
empires battle, spear and shield, for their very survival.
With Godslayer we wanted to get away from the glutted field of high-fantasy with its medieval and renaissance themes, and turned instead
to so-called “low fantasy”. With its vast wastes, deserts and jungles, the Godslayer world of Calydorn is a fitting tapestry for the epic story
unfolding which stretches back through thousands of years of history.
In addition to the six factions which occupy centre-stage, there are dozens of other solid cultures forming the convincing backdrop, each one
created organically from logical roots. The background including its cultures was crafted in a mature and serious way to make the fantastical realms
of Calydorn intensely realistic.
Although the background is epic and ancient, it is the actions of players in the here and now which determines the fate of the cosmos.
The Factions
Godslayer takes place upon the world of Calydorn and is focused upon the continent of Ghorn, where the current six factions are all located.
14 other continents surround Ghorn and stretch across this expansive, exotic world. Each faction consists of 2-3 sub-factions which can be
combined or played exclusively for more themed warbands. Each faction and sub-faction has a different style of general play, but each has some
variety within it. That means that every sub-faction has a focus of strengths and weaknesses and typical style of play, but that can easily be
modified by adding other sub-faction models or different warlords, magical items and spells.
You can find a section devoted to each faction on our website.
The miniatures
The miniatures are metal and based on a scale of 32mm to the top of the head. They come unassembled and unpainted, so as any regular tabletop
gamer knows, they will need glueing together first. Naturally they look much better when painted, and it’s possible to find tons of miniature painting
tutorials online these days.
Playing the Game
Starter games can be played with 100 points and will last around 20 minutes.
The typical standard game is 300-350 points and this will give you a game of 2 – 2.5 hours.
A starter box game is the smallest practical game and consists of 160 points. That will take anywhere from 40-40 minutes.
400 point games will last most of an evening, and for real meaty games of 500-600 points, you will get an entire afternoon of fun.
Godslayer can be played realistically up to about 1000 points for a BIG battle.
For those that enjoy tournament gaming, Godslayer rules are tight and very well-suited to tournament play. Not only that, the factions
and models are incredibly well balanced after four years intensive playtesting.
- Profile cards list all statistics and special rules, so there’s no need to thumb through army books.
- Godslayer is a 2D6-based game which utilized an incredibly flexible action-point system.
- Models can perform actions in almost any sequence, so there are no artificial phases.
- All models have abilities as well tactics they can use by paying action tokens, for example Phalanx, Testudo, Shield Wall etc.
- Characters and warlords can order tactics to other models and units.
- The game runs on a turnaround basis where players alternately activate 2 individual models or a unit, then switch over. This keeps the tension high and
the tactical situation is continuously evolving so both players remain intensely interested in the game throughout.
- Most models have different attack options, some have multiple weapons.
- Warlords can be equipped with a different set of items from a long list of options.
All options are so clear and so simple, and the action-point system regulates the games so easily, that Godslayer is a fast and bloody game while allowing
outstanding detail and flexibility of actions.
A short overview over the factions and their sub-factions:
Banebrood – Beast-men and barbarians created by a psychic plague, and enslaved to the Urghast (the cosmic force of primal fury), dedicated to smashing civilizations and returning humanity to the law of the Jungle.
Beastspawn: Beast-men with tribal organization Bison-brood, Boar-brood, Ram-brood bull-brood etc.
Reavers: Barbarian cannibals with mutations, loosely based on Germanic barbarians and Sea Peoples.
Centaurs: New sub-faction for 2018 - nomadic creatures Including buffalo-centaurs, stag centaurs boar centaurs and more
Halodynes – Classical Greek and Macedonian-style culture worshipping the Asrae Gods
City-States: classical Greek style faction including, Hoplites, Thracian-style Hill Ogres, Myrmidon Marines and heroes
Temple: Temple warriors of the 12 gods, animated statues, Cerberoi, and the best spell-casters in the game
Amazons: cavalry-based sub-faction of female tribes, cursed by the gods to produce only female offspring
Mortans - Magnificent and macabre Roman-style expansionist Empire
Legions: Roman-style legionnaires, auxiliaries and praetorians representing the armies of the Mortan Empire
Magistratum: Undead Legionns, Necromancers and animated monstrous constructs
Technostratum: support troops for the Legions and Magistratum in the form of war-machines, alchemists and troops armed with naphtha, gas, acid and fire
Nordgaard – Viking Humans, Dwarves, Ogres and giants
Clans: Viking Dwarves of the northern clans along with giants and special units from each kingdom
Guilds: Mostly elite Dwarven troops representing the guilds of Nordgaard culture, including Einherjer warrior-priests of the gods, scouts, and prospectors.
Skannfyrd: Human and Ogre Vikings of Nordgaard, including Vargs, Valkyries, berserkers and more
Troglodytes – Mongol-style race of Elemental Shadow
Trolloth: Mongol-style Trolls of the elemental race of Shadow. Pure warriors of a feudal culture.
Shadow Trolls: Ethereal creatures of shadow with magical powers.
Really interesting and top quality miniatures, some of which I already own. Looking forward to your upcoming KS.
I would just like to raise an objection. Greek and Macedonian style culture (Halodynes)?
Like Greek and Macedonian were different cultures? Another post maintaining this historically inaccurate and misleading position that Macedonian was not a Greek culture (like the Athenian or the Spartan)?
I know that you did not have any bad intention and did not mean anything bad but I would kindly ask for a correction and the term 'Macedonian' to be deleted, because it hurts me seeing it.
Excuse me if this sounds annoying or bothersome and thank you for your understanding.
It is actually correct. The factions in the game are based mainly on ancient cultures and their myths, but also elements have been changed and mixed a bit too fit better into the world of Godslayer. The Greek in this case refers to the general picture most have of the ancient greeks and the macedonian mainly to the greek culture during the age of Alexander the great. Also some elements from 300 can be found in this game.
Duncan_Idaho wrote: It is actually correct. The factions in the game are based mainly on ancient cultures and their myths, but also elements have been changed and mixed a bit too fit better into the world of Godslayer. The Greek in this case refers to the general picture most have of the ancient greeks and the macedonian mainly to the greek culture during the age of Alexander the great. Also some elements from 300 can be found in this game.
It is ok guys. Thank you for your reply. Really appreciate it.
I honestly have no intention to turn this post into a historic discussion, as it is not its purpose. Just to point out that the classical Greek period ends actually with the death of Alexander and what is still considered as 'ancient Greek period' ends around 200 years after his death (Hellenistic period).
I stop this here and wish you all the best with what is without doubt an excellent product. I have to find the time to upload my painted Halodynes.
Huh. Looks like a cool game, and the rulebook is available as a free PDF. I know a local store owner is looking at Broken Legions, but I may show him this.
Question, though - it seems like this game has been out for a few years. Why the sudden push now?
No problem... I myself get irritated when my beloved early imperial Romans get depicted in a way that is not true to the facts, especially if someone claims the depiction to be absolutly historical accurate.
Actually the game never had a real start in the way that a Starter-Box came out and an all-out campaign was run. Then there have been some changes in the team that created the game (You know, people need to move because of their main job, etc.) and Wave 1 took quite some time to produce.
Now, everything is ready for Wave 2 to release. I.e. all sculpts are finalized and all test-casts have been made, the play-testing for all new units is mostly done. We also have finished a lot of scenery boards and taken loads of pictures that will go into the updated version of the rulebook.
All in all we now feel that we can give Godslayer the all-out start that it deserves. David, one of the creators of the game who is these days running Megalith Games still runs a comparatively small miniature-company and the Kickstarter will allow him to move things up a notch or two. The design of Wave 3 is already underway as we speak and there will be even more factions.
Also, thanks to the feedback over the years the game will be slightly improved.
Btw, there will be an article about a battle in one of the upcoming issues of Wargaming Illustrated.
And in the same issue there will be the following add
I have the rulebook and a couple of starters from when it hit retail originally. Have to say the rulebook and fluff were gorgeous as we're 90% of the miniatures.
Best way I could describe the models are as fantasy version of infinity. No bobble heads and lovely detail with very clean casts.
Also same as with inifinity non digital sculpts some were a pig to put together because of poses and small contact points.
Really love the models in this game, but I can’t really see them here. You guys need more huge, hug-res pics of single models/units on plain background that we can ogle, pics in this thread are so low-res I can just about make out some greek-looking dudes... put more focus on your amazing models! In the meantime’s I encourage everyone to go to their FB page and scroll through the pics.
I have always been fond of the bronze/ancients era and when I saw this I got excited. Upon closer inspection of the minis though, I felt kind of let down. They look like the miniatures that I was collecting in the 80's. Miniatures have come a long way since then. I still might get the rules though and use War Gods of Aegyptus figs. Also, if the setting is the bronze age, why are all the figs painted wearing steel armor? Lastly, If I remember correctly, the Greeks and Macedonians were not ethnically the same people. The Greeks saw the Macedonians as barbarians who had adopted Greek culture. That's why Phillip and Alexander subjugated the Greek city-states first, they had a chip on their shoulder. And they never took down Sparta. There is a great story about Alexander sending a message to Sparta that read" If I have to come down to Sparta to subjugate you, and if you make me fight I will destroy your cities and temples and enslave your women and children. The Spartans sent back a one word reply, "If".
Smellingsalts wrote: I have always been fond of the bronze/ancients era and when I saw this I got excited. Upon closer inspection of the minis though, I felt kind of let down. They look like the miniatures that I was collecting in the 80's. Miniatures have come a long way since then. I still might get the rules though and use War Gods of Aegyptus figs. Also, if the setting is the bronze age, why are all the figs painted wearing steel armor? Lastly, If I remember correctly, the Greeks and Macedonians were not ethnically the same people. The Greeks saw the Macedonians as barbarians who had adopted Greek culture. That's why Phillip and Alexander subjugated the Greek city-states first, they had a chip on their shoulder. And they never took down Sparta. There is a great story about Alexander sending a message to Sparta that read" If I have to come down to Sparta to subjugate you, and if you make me fight I will destroy your cities and temples and enslave your women and children. The Spartans sent back a one word reply, "If".
This is not the case Smellingsalts. Actually Macedonians and Spartans were 'ethnically' closer to each other (both were Dorians) than Spartans and Athenians. Ancient Greek states were fighting each other all the time and this is what the Macedonians also did when they became the strongest power. Actually the term 'barbarian' war initially solely referring to someone who was not speaking Greek (but was rather producing a 'bar-bar' sound). Macedonians were speaking Greek, as it can be seen in all the inscriptions found in Macedonian monuments.
It is not only a matter of adopting a culture (although culture, namely language, religion, architecture etc. is what defines someone and not 'blood' origin) but actually they were considering themselves same as the southern Greeks, while Thracians for example did not. 'Phillip' and 'Alexander' are perfectly Greek names and have an actual meaning in Greek. Aristoteles was born in Macedonia, not far from the Macedonian's capital.
Spartans were never conquered by Macedonians it is true, unlike Athenians and Thebans, defied him and also were the only Greeks who did not participate in the campaign against Persia. Another great story is this: Alexander was irked by their attitude: when he eventually sent the spoils of his victory at the Granicus to Delphi, the inscription was: 'Alexander, son of Philip, and the Greeks (except the Lacedaemonians (Spartans)) dedicate these spoils, taken from the Persians who dwell in Asia'.
Thursday I will post some more pictures of the greens, so you can see how detailed the miniatures are.
There will be also more pictures. Currently those pictures on FB are just the jpg. The RAW are being worked on and will also find their way in the revised version of the rulebook.
There are some miniatures from the beginning of Godslayer that are not up to standard and are being replaced by better versions. The Cerberus and the Bear are already the new ones.
I got a Mortan starter some years ago (2013?) and some characters. The Centurion and the Necromagus are good, as are the Legio Mortum (but I wish the scabbards were sculpted onto the bodies).
The Fluff is a bit like the Silmarillion but broader.
I will keep an eye out for more Mortan stuff that I like, as I love the Moloch and Scorpio but have yet to buy them.
I also like the look of the Troglodytes, but I find it a bit frustrating that they are not called Orcs.
I have painted a Halodynes starter box that I had bought some years ago and would also like to put some paint on Nordgaard and Wyldfolk minis. In general the sculpting quality of the minis is top level.
Btw, if you have any questions, suggestions, etc. Or if you want to see some elements of the game in more detail... just post it here. This weekend I will post an interviewe with David, the owner of Megalith Games.
The game it closest resembles is Warmahordes, but it is still quite different from it.
Activation is alternating and every unit has its own profile with special rules.
There are quite some special rules to allow a combo-style gameplay, but not so many that it overwhelmes you like with Warmahordes can be the case.
The game itself is quite scalable. You can have as few as 5 or more than 50+ miniatures on the table. Scenery on the table is needed and integrated in the gameplay.
Godslayer plays qickly as soon as you have some games under your belt. A game with 5 miniatures per side can be played within 20 minutes by experienced players.
The subfactions allow you to stay with your faction and its overall playstyle and still deviate from it to a certain degree. Here it is similar to the Sectorials of Infinity.
How important are heroes and monsters to the game play? Would a face off between the basic infantry be interesting? I dislike games where it feels like the basic units of each army are just there to die at the hands of the opponents heroes and monsters.
Heroes and monsters do play a role, but they do not dominate the game. So it is more to your liking.
If you do not consider the units and heroes as the cogs of a machine you will rather loose. So, they might be bigger cogs, but do not work without the rest.
Remus - Nemesis
The second and third Nemesis boxes will be released as part of the Kickstarter. Here is the Mortans faction Remus Caius. He can be played as a Legions subfaction character or an undead Magistratum Warlord.
And here is the Nemesis of Remus Caius - A divine fury of the Venata goddess of the Amazons. This Halodynes model, playable as a creature and as a Warlord (Amazon subfaction).
As with all Nemesis packs it comes with a background story for the two models plus 3 scenarios.
I'm glad it's coming back. The figures look great and the existing range is solid barring a few that just do nothing for me. But I don't think it's going anywhere. This is the 3rd time the game has been launched? More? I use the figures for other systems and the rulebook/setting book in slipcase is nice but as a complete package it's never taken off and I don't see what's different this time.
Last Kickstarter had cool new figures and a promised follow up, and obviously life and priorities other than little metal figures get in the way, but that was 5 years ago and nothing really happened.
I'll check out the Kickstarter I guess for any cool sculpts.
Why should it be not going anywhere?
The game has been launched once and then there has been the split-up. Now the company has restructured and
Wave 2 is already fully sculpted and ready for production (test-casts already done), nearly completely tested and only needs the KS to go into full production.
The game had a admittedly slow Wave 1 but all in all that is still more than many other games can accomplish and please don´t forget how long it took Warmachine, Confrontation or Infinity from the first release to a more or less steady flow of releases.
I guess just gut feeling and past behaviour? It's been launched mote than once at this point. There's plenty of games I love that fall into this category of existing and sort of half heartedly relaunched or sort of lurking in the background. It's not that I wish them anything but success but you hear this stuff a few times and fool me once and all that.
Also in no way comparing them to larger or more established wargames. I'm not expecting whatever companies level of support or production. I don't even necessarily think that's a good thing.
Just asking me to invest in a launch for a 3rd time is a pattern that just makes me shake my head a little. I'm not suggesting any chicanery or wrongdoing, just chuckling a little at it all you know?
I don´t know where this relaunched comes from, but there has been only one launch and then some gaps between releases that were longer than initially planned. You could consider the upcoming starter box an relaunch if you really want, but for me a relaunch is more like something did not work out and had to be redesigned quite a bit and then comes back to the market as a quite changed product.
Some changes actually have been made, but they are rather for the better of the game. Older dated designs are getting replaced with better-looking ones, the metal has been changed to a better less bendy one and some rules/stats are changed thanks to the aggregated feedback from gamers.
Fair enough, perhaps relaunch is a poor choice of words. Perhaps it would be better to say momentum has been squandered twice on the game? Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Godslayer or Megalith 10 years old this year? Just getting a very Urban Mammoth vibe from it all.
I'm actually happy that the game is getting exposure. I think it's a fun game with a great setting that I could even see myself role-playing in. I just worry about the execution of it all considering past hiccups.
Hmm, will watch this with even more interest than before! Resculpts are a significant improvement (that original porcu-bear-pine was a weapon of mass murder, not a game piece).
As far as I know the resculpts will focus on the Banebrood and Mortans which have the highest number of not so good sculpts.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Today you will be treated to the Avatars.
We present you first the drawings and then you will see how they are translated into the renderings that will be printed as masters for the casting.
I think the last Fairy girl will make a great model, can it be made with 2 pieces?
I collect Mortans, and the I got the Mortifex, which is excellent in pose and design but suffers in the execution.
The looks like someones first venture into miniatures via 3D modelling. Details are too small and the face is too shallow which makes it look more like a mask than a face.
I see similar problems with the Mortan Litchlord. The Headband looks great, but I think it lacks definition so the details would blend into the hair. The Standard is also a problem, it is attached to the body by 1 skinny Skelly arm, this needs a second point of contact, (being entangled in some flowing cloth would probably be the easiest).
Thanks for the pics, and sorry for the unasked for feedback.
Preparation of the KS took its toll, but here is a lot of information regarding the upcoming KS.
One caveat before you watch the pictures. Megalith does know that the paintjob one some miniatures is not that good.
For several reasons it is not possible to change that before the KS, but the studio miniatures getting a better paintjob where necessary is already on the schedule.
To remedy this Megalith will provide you with as much pictures of the renders and greens as possible so you can decide for yourself how detailed the miniatures are under the paintjob.
Now for something completely different:
Kickstarter Countdown 18 days!
Since we are less than 3 weeks away from the Kickstarter launch, it’s time to start showcase some of the pledges and add-ons. I will start with the Wave 2 starter-boxes.
(As a note, the paint jobs are not highest quality because we decided to spend the 10,000 EUR on sculpting the post-KS releases rather than painting. Box-art painting can be done later). First up is the Wyldfolk starter-box.
The Wyldfolk box includes the Godquester warlord who comes with 2 profile cards (one for Tuathan sub-faction and one for the Tribal sub-faction). Fiannor sub-faction will get a mounted Godquester in the near future. As with the Halodyne Godquester, he is a high-points model with lots of hard-hitting abilities and great stats. Can be equipped with spear, shield, sling, talisman, armor and potions!
The character for the starter-box is the Rhyastrad Warp-Warrior. He's essentially a Celtic berserker, based on the legends of Irish Cu Chulainn. He comes in normal form and in giant warped form, and of course has two profile cards. Sub-faction - Tuathan
The unit is the Woad Brothers. This is a Tribal sub-faction unit of professional soldier level melee troops (between militia and elite levels). You can take 7 in a unit and the starter-box comes with all 7 models. Key stats: MEL6, DEF14, ARM7, ACT4 and they carry a range2 spear with POW3. Points cost is 14 per model. They have Combat Master and Hardened Will abilities plus 3 tactics:
Gut-Twister (extra damage)
Hamstring (anti-cavalry tactic)
Shield Bash (shield attack)
Kickstarter Countdown 16 Days
Halodynes Wave-2 starter-box
The Halodynes Wave-2 starter-box for the coming Kickstarter contains the Amazon Matriarch, the Amazon Pathfinder mounted on Zempala, and a unit of 8 amazon Peltasts.
Matriarch - Infantry warlord
• The Matriarch is very much a buffer warlord, but she’s okay in melee as long as she doesn’t have to face melee-warlords head on, but she has 3 abilities and 5 unit-tactics, so she is really a buffing warlord who offers lots of new strategic options for your Halodyne warband.
• She can be equipped with bow, battleaxe, medium shield and talisman.
• Key stats: MEL7, MIS7, DEF14, ARM6, ACT6, LEAD10. When equipped with shield she has DEF15 and ARM7. Cost 43 points.
• So the Matriarch is an ideal warlord for leading an Amazons-focussed Halodynes warband if you want lots of tactics, strategies and buffing. There will be other Amazon warlords in wave-2 with more direct melee style (in fact wave-2 has lots of Amazon releases)
Fleetfoot Peltasts – Amazon infantry unit.
• These ladies represent the younger maiden warriors of the tribe. Essentially they perform like historical Greek Peltasts, with javelin missile weapon and some skirmishing abilities. They are cheap missile troops, but they have possibilities to become a powerful tool. Their Sprinting Launch tactic allows them to gain +2 POW and extra range on their javelin attacks.
• When you use the Amazon tactic Pinned Down with this unit, their attacks can stop an enemy unit or model from moving and charging. Additionally, friendly troops can charge through the Peltasts, and they can easily evade enemies with their Prepared Retreat tactic.
• They cost only 7 points per model and can be taken in units of up to 8 models.
Amazon Pathfinder – Light Cavalry Character
• This is a buffer character for the Halodynes armed with spear and bow, and mounted on a Zempala. She is light cavalry so moves very fast (up to 20 inches per turn!).
• Secret Deployment allows her to be placed anywhere on the board.
• She has an ability called Captain Unit which allows her to take a friendly unit as an attachment. Additionally, this unit gains the Wildwalker ability so they can treat difficult terrain as open terrain, making her a real strategic asset.
• She can pin enemy units and has two tactics for buffing missile attacks.
• Since she has a bow she can make missile attacks, but she is not bad in melee either.
• Key stats: MEL6, MIS7, ARM6, DEF15, ACT5, MOV4. Bow-POW2, Spear-POW4.
Kickstarter Countdown 15 days
Mortans starterbox
The Mortans wave2 starterbox consists of the Auxiliary Prefect warlord, the Cornicen character and the Provincial Auxiliaries unit.
Auxiliary Prefect
• This guy is a warlord for the Legions sub-faction. Compared to the Centurion, he is slightly less fighty and more of a buffer warlord. Nevertheless, he can do okay in melee as long as you pick your targets carefully or support him.
• The Prefect is primarily a leader of the Legion’s auxiliary troops, but his tactics are equally useful for Legionnaires and Praetorians. He is a little more subtle than the Centurion, but more versatile since he can be used to lead a scouting type warband, but he can also support a defensive Legionnaires warband effectively. So the Prefect really expands the strategic options of the Legions sub-faction.
• He has 3 abilities and 5 tactics, almost all of which are for buffing units:
Inspire gives units an action token wen e kills an enemy
Born Leader allows him to assign 2 action tokens to a unit.
Retaliation gives a unit cheaper Melee attacks if they fit last
Fortify gives units +1 ARM Combat Master gives units a fighting style when counter attacking
Caltrops is an anti-cavalry tactic.
• For 43 points, he costs almost the same as the Centurion warlord.
• He can be equipped with large shield, sword, armor and potion.
Provincial Auxiliaries (Limitanes)
• The biggest strategic gaps in the Legions subfaction at the moment are cheap troops and light troops. The Auxiliaries solve both of those limitations. At 10 points per model they are cheap enough to use as bait, but they are far more than that. As medium infantry, they do not suffer the slow-movement issues of the heavy Legionnaires, and Provincial Auxiliaries can also be used to create a horde warband for Legions.
• The auxiliaries have two different profile cards and the models have alternative arms so they can be equipped as either type of Auxiliary.
• Limitanei Auxiliaries represent standard melee auxiliaries of the outer provinces. They have the tactics:
Flankers gives them a bonus when charging engaged enemies.
Focussed Rage charge through difficult terrain
Shield Wall +1 ARM and +1 DEF Combined Attack +1 for attacking enemies together
• They are equipped with Scutum shield and Spathe sword (POW3)
• Explorates Auxiliaries are more scouty and represent the auxiliaries used to penetrate into enemy territory. They ditch their shields and take slings instead. This makes them light infantry so they can move faster and can make long-charges. They have the rules:
Wildwalker - Allows them to move and care through difficult terrain normally.
Advanced Deployment - allows them to deploy 10 inches further onto the table
Combined Attack -gives +1 for attacking enemies together
Twinshot - gives them an extra free missile attack
• They are armed with spathe sword and the plumbata slings which is a Roman weapon like a giant weighted dart fired from a sling.
Cornicen
The Cornicen is an infantry musician for Legions sub-faction who is equipped with a large horn.
He can fight in melee and is useful for achieving goals in scenarios, but is real focus is his special talent which is horn signals.
Forced March – Increases the exhaustion limit of a unit allowing them to move further
Sudden Feat – Allows a unit to perform a tactic for free
Relentless – gives units re-rolls on damage and attack on fleeing models.
Finally, his ability Reposition allows a unit to be repositioned after deployment before the game begins.
A very useful model for 26 points.
Kickstarter Countdown 13 days
Banebrood wave 2 starterbox
The Banebrood wave-2 starterbox consists of the Fomorian Baleking warlord, the Stormhorn Stagotaur character and the Goreguard unit.
Fomorian Baleking
• This massive brute (which stands 60mm tall) is based on Balor of the Baleful Eye from Celtic mythology, and comes as a variable subfaction warlord usable in all 3 subfactions.
• Each version of this guy is quite unique, so players can get a lot of use from the one model since he plays very differently with each card. Because the Baleking is a multi-subfaction warlord, Beastspawn will therefore have 3 new warlord options in wave-2, Centaurs subfaction will have 2 warlords and Reavers will have 4!
• All three versions have a Baleful Eye attack and several cool abilities, plus good melee stats and 24-27 life-points.
• Points cost is 71-73 points naked, so around 100 points when fully kitted-out. He can be equipped with lots of nasty 2-handed scythes, talismans and potions. Many of the scythes have multi-strike attacks like Circular Slash and Thrash abilities.
Fomorian Goreguard
A unit somewhere between professional soldier and elites.
• These are hand-picked warriors from various different breeds, so they have different animal heads. There are two versions:
• Goreguard Slashers have two weapons
• Goreguard Bashers have weapon and shield instead.
• They are like a much better version of Mongrels, but not as good as Gut-Hackers these, and they represent the bodyguard troops of Beastspawn warlords.
• Key stats: MEL6, ARM6/7, DEF13, POW4, ACT4. 6 life-points each and 1 points per model. Were these guys really excel is with their 3 tactics.
Stormhorn Stagotaur
• This 50mm tall brute is a pure Melee character for Beastspawn. He is a stag-head minotaur with special frenzy rules that allow him to charge multiple times per turn.
• he hits hard but his lifespan is limited. Awesome against cheap troops, but beware charging him against. He is a tool with a specific purpose.
Kickstarter Countdown 14 days
Nordgaard Wave 2 starterbox
Corrected photos
The Nordgaard starterbox contains the Gestir Captain Warlord, the Ravenwitch Spiritseer character and a unit of 5 Ogres Huscarls.
Gestir Captain
• The Gestir Captain is an Ogre with variable subfaction, so all Nordgaard subfactions can use him as their warband leader.
• Gestir were landless professional warriors who used to hang out normally as guests of a foreign king and do his dirty-work like tax-collecting and policing as well as fighting for him in battle. They were essentially mercenary bands. This guy represents the leader of a band of Gestir.
• He’s an uncomplicated, in-your-face combat warlord who is designed as an absolute melee hammer, so he doesn’t have much for buffing warbands. That said he can single-handedly destroy enemy units.
• Key stats: MEL8, MIS6, DEF13, ARM8, Life-points 21
• he can be equipped with an additional armor item and Shield, raising him to DEF14, ARM10
• he can be equipped with a POW5 throwing spear
• You want to get this guy stuck in early in the game and keep him attacking high point enemies.
Myrgaerder Huscarls
• This is a unit of professional Ogre warriors of Skannfyrd subfaction.
• Armed with Scramaseax (short sword) and spear, so they can make POW5 attacks with their axe or longer range attacks with their spears.
• Up to 5 guys per unit, each weighing in at 21 points each. These guys are not elite warriors, but they are professional soldiers forming the core of the Nordgaard Ogre armies when they march to war.
• Key stats: MEL6, DEF13, ARM8, ACT4
Ravenwitch Spiritseer
• A spell-caster character. She is the first spell-caster for Nordgaard and belongs to Skannfyrd subfaction.
The Troglodytes wave-2 starter-box consists of the Arban Warhost Captain warlord, the Woe-Chanter character and a unit of Blackhide Trolls.
Jaguta Warhost Captain
Infantry warlord of the Trolloth sub-faction. The background for the Warhost captain is that he is a leader of a small continent of 100 Trolls. So he is very much a fighting warlord, equivalent to a Centurion. For this reason he has better melee skills and less buffing skills than the Darkdawn Chieftain of Wave-1.
The wave-2 warlord is a lead-from-the-front melee fighter, but he as some abilities that affect friendly models in his vicinity
Stats: MEL9, DEF13, ARM8, ACT6, Life-points 20, points 59
Equipment options: Morning Stars, Medium or Small Shield, 1 Potion
This guy is ideal for taking down warlords, creatures and elite models due to his multiple attacks and high melee skill.
Blackhides
The Blackhides are a heavy infantry unit of Trolls armed with 2-handed flails.
3-5 models per unit and 20 points each.
They are between professional soldiers and elites. A really handy unit to back up your Ironhide Brutes.
Key stats: MEL6, DEF12, ARM8, POW7, ACT4,
Rules: Regeneration, Incite, Carnage, Hardened Will, Critical Stun, and Ignore Shields
Woe-Chanter
This infantry character is a musician, so he can channel orders from warlords to units etc, and he has 3 great magical songs for buffing units, plus one for scaring the enemy.
Besides that, he’s handy in a fight: MEL6, DEF13, ARM7, POW5, and 15 life-points.
Kickstarter Countdown - 11 days
Heroband Deals Halodynes
Some of the add-ons for the Kickstarter include warbands of Wave1 models. Each deal focuses on one sub-faction.
In addition to the super savings, each deal has a special warlord profile card for a person in the Godslayer background. These are hard-hitting warlords similar to standard warlord but each as some special rules reflecting their story in the Godslayer background.
Halodynes Heroband Deals
Bronze Avengers of Cephalos - warlord: Tarculese the Avenger
The Acropolis of Achallon - Warlord: The Oracle of Arcadia
Andromeda & the Amazons - Warlord: Andromeda of Seriphea
Godslayer Kickstarter Countdown - 9 Days
Banebrood HeroBand Deals
HereoBand deals are complete warbands, and we will have one for each of the 18 subfactions as add-ons. Each has a new, unique special warlord not previously releases, not to mention a super deal price!
Banebrood HeroBand Deals:
Cyclopeans of Charybdis - Warlord: Fellgore the Fiend
Doomherd of Minoa - Warlord: Malmane
Tartobererwald Maneaters - Warlord: Grimotha the Dread
New Stretch-Goal Mini for the coming Kickstarter
Esmeray Sanddancer
Many of the stretch goals for the coming Kickstarter will be minis for the new Mercenaries subfaction.
Esmeray is one of these, a mercenary sorceress from the Kassobari Sultanate lands of the Jamjinn Desert. A former Palace adviser, now her moon-magic is for hire by your warband...
Godslayer Kickstarter Countdown - 8 days!
Nordaard HeroBand Deals
Now here are the Nordgaard deals to preview. Each has a unique special release warlord profile card.
Dwarf-Fyrd of Staalheim - Warlord: Ragni Stormskjold
Ice-Guard of Jotundal - Warlord: Asgar Godaxe
Varvik’s Seawolves - Warlord: Varvik the Berserker
Forthcoming Banebrood release
After the Kickstarter (7 May to 4 June) we plan to push on with the next releases. One of the first after the KS will be the Banebrood Reaver subfaction releases.
First is the Flayerkin Chieftain. Flayerkin are feared even by cannibal Reavers, and this guy is the leader of a Flayerkin tribe. They specialize in Ambushes and up-close nastiness.
Godslayer Kickstarter countdown - 6 days!
Here now are the HeroBand add-on deals for the Mortans. As with the others, each has a new, unique, special named warlord card which is being pre-released on Kickstarter.
Legion of the Damned - Warlord: Castor Moribundus
Palatine Poisoners - Warlord: Lucius Venenarius
The Lost Legion - Warlord: Titus Valeris
The big Wyldfolk Godquester looks just bizarre to my eye. I can't see anything appealing. The troops look great apart from one or two strange faces and poses.
Similarly the Halodynes and Mortans have the odd strange pose or face but on the whole I like them.
The Banebrood look awful. I just... I dunno. They do nothing for me at all. Except for the deer headed guy. Fantastic. That thing looks awesome.
The Nordgaard and Troglodytes look amazing all round. Loving the new Trolls and Huscarls.
This is really pushing all my buttons right now - the combination of ancient history+wild fantasy seems similar to Mierce, but in a more accessible (both money- and ruleswise) package. Been listening to history podcasts lately so I'm lapping it up. But I do agree that the paint jobs actually make the sculpts look worse rather than better in some cases, so it's good that they are aware of it.
All in all though this is looking awesome and I can't really agree with the "hit or miss" thing, I think they're mostly hits to be honest. Although the Banebrood are certainly the weaker designs all told...
Here now are the HeroBand add-on deals for the Wyldfolk faction. As with the others, each has a new, unique, special named warlord card which is being pre-released on Kickstarter.
Herne’s Wyld Hunters - Warlord: Finn MacFey
Highland Henge Guardians - warlord: Uthyr Oakmoon
Warriors of Samhain - warlord: Cormac the Reaper
I like most of this except for the warped warrior, who... doesn't look warped enough. This is how they're described in the Tain:
The first warp-spasm seized Cúchulainn, and made him into a monstrous thing, hideous and shapeless, unheard of. His shanks and his joints, every knuckle and angle and organ from head to foot, shook like a tree in the flood or a reed in the stream. His body made a furious twist inside his skin, so that his feet and shins switched to the rear and his heels and calves switched to the front... On his head the temple-sinews stretched to the nape of his neck, each mighty, immense, measureless knob as big as the head of a month-old child... he sucked one eye so deep into his head that a wild crane couldn't probe it onto his cheek out of the depths of his skull; the other eye fell out along his cheek. His mouth weirdly distorted: his cheek peeled back from his jaws until the gullet appeared, his lungs and his liver flapped in his mouth and throat, his lower jaw struck the upper a lion-killing blow, and fiery flakes large as a ram's fleece reached his mouth from his throat... The hair of his head twisted like the tangle of a red thornbush stuck in a gap; if a royal apple tree with all its kingly fruit were shaken above him, scarce an apple would reach the ground but each would be spiked on a bristle of his hair as it stood up on his scalp with rage.
Godslayer - Blood and Bronze
Kickstarter Countdown - 2 days until we go live!
New Mercenary character:
Princess Persephone - Pawn of Fate
Persephone is a lucky charm to any warband she joins, unless of course she fumbles, which means her luck has run out...
Some say she has divine blood, but all is known for sure is that she comes from the east, from one of the dozens of fallen Halodyne states, and that she was a princess. For what she quests is unknown, but it seems she is locked in an eternal battle with fate as she is cast from place to place.
Perhaps Persepone is fated to grace your warband with her serendipitous presence...
The Kickstarter will start next Monday (7th of May) and probably delivered 3-4 months later and from then on available in retail.
Btw. Megalith is still in the process of resculpting older designs, so some of the older miniatures will be replaced by better-looking ones. The Cerberus and Ursapine are some good examples for this.
Backed. I've been looking over the rules and I feel like there is a really good game here that has been held back by some somewhat lackluster sculpts. It's not like they are terrible, its just the bar has really been raised quite high by a lot of other developers in recent years. The new stuff is looking a lot better though, I hope that trend continues. It Probably would have been a good idea to send the new models off to be professionally painted by stuidio Giraldez or someone of similar talent before this was launched.
Happy to be supporting this, I think this game if handled right, could have a bright future ahead of it.
Damn only 6? I feel like all my concerns are invalidated now after that 4 year miscalculation.
And the fact that you were insistent that the game had launched twice before? Or not that bit and just the fact you were out by 4 years...
Launched comes down to a semantics argument. I can't think of a better word for what I see, but I'll freely admit it's subjective. And we all know what Malcolm Tucker calls semantics. As for being out by 4 years I got the age of the company and how long the game had been out mixed up. However I still don't think it invalidates my concerns as I said. I love smaller games like this but so many of them just disappear and Infinity War into the wind through things like the creators having busy lives (Which they're certainly entitled to have) that momentum never quite gets recovered, and I think it's prudent as someone who was/possibly will be a customer to want explanations for these things especially if I can get them.
Despite appearances I like the game. I've played it and enjoy the Troglodytes and Dwarf heavy Nordgaard I have. Do I love every model and have I been critical of some of the stuff coming from the Kickstarter? Sure. It's all however because I'm invested. However my attitude does often stink I'll give you that.
I'll need to see if I can back fully. The date the Kickstarter ends is awkward for me and I'm not the biggest fan of the Halodynes or the Banebrood. But then that would give me 4 forces to show off...
Actually the splitting up of the company into Megalith Games and a board game venture run by the other parten took some steam out of the releases. That´s what the KS is for, to rekindle the flame and get evreything going at full swing again. Wave 3 is already being sculpted as we speak.
Had no idea about the board game venture. I find the idea of branching into Persia interesting because to me Troglodyte Ironhides had that sort of look as well as filling the Steppe Tribes niche.
I might see if I can go All In and split with a filthy Banebrood player.
It's a good game that I enjoyed a few years ago, but I got bored waiting for anything new for my Shadow Trolls so lost interest. Looking at this I see the Shadow Troll box is essentially just my entire army that I can buy again model for model, so still not too fussed.
I think maybe they launched with too many faction/subfactions.
David is these days running Megalith and André Voodoo Games if i remember the name correctly.
The problem is that you need to start with such a game somewhere and the subfactions are essential for the game. The speed will be increased in the coming months.
Duncan_Idaho wrote: the subfactions are essential for the game. The speed will be increased in the coming months.
The subfactions are important, but when you start with 3 each for all of 7 or 8 factions then it's a crazy amount of armies to fill out. I loved the games I played but it quickly became the same game each time because none of us ever had anything new. I bought my shadow trolls shortly after the first KS I think, and there's been zero new releases in a whopping five years. It's hard to stay excited about something you're collecting when you quickly get all of it and have nothing else on the horizon. Has there even been any concept art? There's certainly nothing new in this KS and I assume it will be what they release for the next year or so.
The whole Wave 2 is new and during the campaign there will be more pictures of the upcoming releases. The KS is just 48 h only. And wave 3 is already being designed, the whole concpet art being done and the sculpting already started. I even posted pictures of the new stuff in this thread.
I've just checked and the Megalith shop still has the same 3 shadow troll units (Obisidian Nightmare, Light Eater, Longshadows) that have existed since the game was launched(ish) and the Hero box has those exact same models (is the Nightmare called Drakenshade now or is that a named character or something?)
There might have been new models for the other Troglodyte subfactions but they're of no interest to me.
We are talking about the Kickstarter here, which is going to support the release of Wave 2. So instead of claiming there is nothing new you better head over to the KS and have a look for yourself. It is one thing to say there is nothing new, another that just for a subfaction there is nothing new.
All subfactions that need some more miniatures after Wave 2 will be covered in Wave 3 and 4.
I've always thought some of the minis looked cool for this game.
I wanted to start a faction of Banebrood, but I'm trying to avoid buying more goatmen (I've got piles of GW Beastmen, and Darklands Gabrax, so I'm pretty set). Are the minotaurs in that faction strictly elite units, or can they form the core troops in an army? I'm currently eyeing the 'Battle Brother Plus' pledge, as I like the idea of getting some background books as well.
I'm also hoping I can also pick and choose monsters from the other factions in this KS, just cause I like the models. It seems like most individual models aren't being offered through the KS (unless I missed it) was hoping to get stuff like the Cyclops, and Moloch as well, but I guess they're on the regular website already.
Out of curiosity I understand that the two player starter set is fixed as Halodynes vs Banebrood, but on speaking to some friends the factions don't appeal as much. Is there any scope for a choose your own faction two player starter pledge? Obviously without the foam and what have you. I'm not sure how feasible this is given you don't want a million bloated options based on vague anecdotal evidence and are particularly highlighting new content.
And thanks for getting in the single figure buy option. It seems like they still have a ways to go, but there's a lot of time left.
I'm curious how this game plays like 'Warmahordes', as I really like that system, especially where many of the units are beholden to a single character. I've also heard it's somewhat like Infinity though, which scares me, as I really hate games where it's always your 'opponents' turn...
Right now it seems that we will reach our goal, metal-TT always are slower on KS and finance more over the full length of a campaign.
The combo-system is quite close to Warmahordes, but thankfully not that complicated but still complex. It plays much faster since units are alternatingly activated. All in all the game is way mor accessible and plays faster. Also there is no chance of killing the opponent with uber-combos in one quick stroke.
You can act and react, but you need to plan this a little bit.
The first half of Wave 2 will be delivered 3-4 months after the end of the KS, i.e. everything you see in the KS. the second half of Wave 2 is the stuff in the previews and will take some more time.
What do you mean by a pledge to get stuff like that? only Troglodytes?
Those would be the starter pledges I have no interest in and the wave 1 models I already own.
To clarify, at present there's no plans for 'long-term' pledges to get just the wave 2 Shadow Trolls or similar. Okay then, maybe I'll offer a £1 pledge to show support for the game but there's nothing on offer that I want so can't see it being upped from there.
Well, what you mean is a pledge for the miniatures that we plan to release after the miniatures of the KS. Offering such a pledge is not really possible with KS.
Stretch goals got rearranged today and some more revealed.
Duncan_Idaho wrote: Problem is, if you try to reach everyone it really waters the game down.
I'm not talking about offering loads of stuff for each subfaction, but at least something?
Let me boil it down. Godslayer is a game I really enjoyed playing. I collected enough Shadow Trolls for a regular sized army. And then... nothing. No releases. The 3/4 players who had bought into it moved on to other systems. A year passes. Two. Then before you know it five years have gone by, and I release that I haven't even opened the KR case my Shadow Trolls are in since I moved house late 2014. I mean I assume the cards I need to play are in there too, but who knows?
I'm sure I'm not unique.
So a KS campaign launches up. Megalith is trying to get some Godslayer stuff going again, awesome! My Halodyne-playing friend links me to the campaign, starts getting the nostalgia going. Okay, I'm ready to drop a bit of money... but, on what? There's nothing new for me here. I got everything I needed before. Apparently there's a 2 player starter box, which is great, but hasn't got anything I want or need.
Oh awesome, some Trog news, including loads of new Shadow Troll ideas. That's something I can behind then? No, they're for after the campaign. Ok then. I mean it's only been 5 years, what's a few more? I'm trying to find a reason to help you guys out but it's not easy when you suggest I just buy everything I have all over again.
The problem is that you fastly overestimate the financial strength of a company like Megalith. What they offer already is quite a huge amount for such a small company. They had to decide for some areas since the are not able of covering all at once. To put it into scale: Privateer Press, Corvus Belli or Games Workshop could do such a thing, but Megalith is still several levels below them financially.
