I mentioned something to them regarding selling their products ASAP back in November.
They seem really hesitant in doing so because they don't want to piss off backers.
I understand not wanting to rock the boat, but when it you want your product to get exposure, wait on one guy is going to hurt you long term. People will take there gaming bucks elsewhere.
Eventually a company does have to start selling direct.
If you get caught in the kickstarter spiral, it ends up like being in a vicious loaning cycle, you keep having to pump out kickstarter work to have enough to fulfill previous kickstarters.
Soon, the only press and reputation you get are from kickstarters, and no one but a smaller and smaller group cares about your game. All because they don't see your product on store shelves, or actually being played.
Some companies thrive on that, but ask people wanting to actually play Darklands as to what they think about Mierce's handling of it, and the slow decay in their quality of sculpts.
They don't want to be kickstarter company, they want to be self reliant on their own flow of products. Sounded like they would only do a KS if absolutely needed.
This KS funded twice what they anticipated creating a bigger back log and expectations of a timetable with artists, casting company and MIKH...
Wouldn't mind kickstarting them again if they released another IP
cincydooley wrote: I'm sorry that you chose not to get split shipping, but you should have, or at the very least, switched from the models that clearly weren't close to be finished.
Actually, no, I didn't have to do anything like that. It's the project creator's responsibility to produce the content they pitched in the campaign in a timely fashion, not mine to figure out if one of their contractors happens to be glacially slow.
There are ways for them to get out of this situation that are well within the spirit of a KS campaign, as mentioned above. None of them involve selling models I still don't see on my table.
I agree, they should ship all pledges (and refund / replace for Hroka) and then start selling. It seems like they could do this as soon as Septimus and Nero arrives and are cast. Win - win!
They told us where MIKH stood. I had Septimus and Nero in my original order and removed them when it became abundantly clear that he was going nowhere fast. You could have done the same.
You don't have product right now because you chose not to have product right now.
"Paid" in the sense that your second shipment would have to paid for by either (1) Just paying for it! or (2) Adding it onto a future purchase made at the webstore.
I opted for Option (2) and eagerly await the ability to buy a lot of the models I couldn't afford at the time of the KS campaign!
His Master's Voice wrote: Um, apparently the split shipping was a paid option. So was it, or was it not?
I already said that it wasn't free.
Because that makes all the difference.
I mean, it doesn't, really. The choice to not have any of your models yet still lies with you.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
His Master's Voice wrote: Wait, so because MIKH and the company that employs him are incompetent, I'm the one to pay for the incompetence?
I think calling RRG 'incompetent' is a pretty gross stretch. They secured one of the better sculptors in the industry. They did, initially, what they had to do to work with him. They can't control when he does and does not finish what they've already contracted from him beyond filing a suit, which would be more difficult considering they're not in the same country.
I simply think your line of thinking is myopic.
I'd like the game to thrive. That isn't going to happen if they can't sell more product.
cincydooley wrote: I mean, it doesn't, really. The choice to not have any of your models yet still lies with you.
The choice to pay extra for someone else's mistake? I'll pass. I already gave them hundreds of dollars of my money.
You seem to be personally invested in the game, so I get that your outlook on the matter will be different from mine. We'll just have to agree to disagree.
cincydooley wrote: I mean, it doesn't, really. The choice to not have any of your models yet still lies with you.
The choice to pay extra for someone else's mistake? I'll pass. I already gave them hundreds of dollars of my money.
You seem to be personally invested in the game, so I get that your outlook on the matter will be different from mine. We'll just have to agree to disagree.
As personally invested as you are.
I get that you want your things. You could have had them. You could have, when it was APPARENT that MIKH wasn't going to be getting his pieces done anytime soon, taken any of the other options outlined to us in Update 67 in August. I'll remind you of them in the event that you forgot:
Here are the options we are making available to those of you with affected pledges:
Sit tight. Your package will be shipped when all minis are complete. No need to contact us unless your address has changed.
Send them with your arena mat. If you have an arena mat included with your pledge, we can ship everything except your mat and the incomplete miniatures when the first wave begins. When the final miniatures are complete, we’ll ship them together with the mat. Please email info@redrepublicgames.com with the subject line “Mat Reward Split” if you want to split shipping in this way.
I.O.U. If you are planning on making a purchase through the web store once it goes live, Request an I.O.U. to have the incomplete models included in the shipping with an upcoming order. Please email info@redrepublicgames.com with the subject line “Delayed Reward I.O.U.” to set this up.
Change your selection. If you’d like to adjust your pledge rewards and replace the incomplete models with alternatives so we can ship your rewards sooner, email info@redrepublicgames.com with the subject line “Delayed Reward Swap”.
Split it anyway. If none of the above options work for you, we can split the shipping on a one-off basis for the cost of the additional shipping. Please email info@redrepublicgames.com with the subject line “Paid Reward Split”
So again, the fact that you don't have any models is on you. You had options. You could have everything but the tardy MIKH models. RRG has been nothing but up front about MIKH's inability to get his sculpts for them finished. I removed Septimus & Nero & Hroka from my order. You had the opportunity to as well. You chose not to.
I think the viewpoint that they shouldn't sell anything from the KS until all the MIKH models are done is foolish and myopic. We obviously don't agree on that.
So guys, quick question! I am a complete miniature noobie. I have never painted nor assembled anything before. How complex is it to assemble these miniatures. I am of course not referring to the massive complex ones, such as the rhino.
Just wondering if buying any of these minis for DnD would be at all realistic for me.
Doublehex wrote: So guys, quick question! I am a complete miniature noobie. I have never painted nor assembled anything before. How complex is it to assemble these miniatures. I am of course not referring to the massive complex ones, such as the rhino.
Just wondering if buying any of these minis for DnD would be at all realistic for me.
Honestly, the Rhino looks like it will be one of the easier ones.
I'd avoid the Egyptian themed ones, to be honest. They had some smaller fiddly bits that, if you're not used to working with resin mins, you could find yourself breaking fairly easily.
Some of the other ones are quite easy to put together. Micon was easy. Gaius was easy. Those two stand out to me.
But they're still all going to be relatively delicate, so you should expect to want to store them in some foam to keep them safe when not in use.
Doublehex wrote: Thanks! I was worried that they would be complex to put together, but it seems they should be pretty easy.
I think I only had real trouble with Viatrix, Tiet-Khebi, Zahra, and Frigge (sort of). They all had some really tiny bits that were harder to put on. The Egyptian Men weren't super hard, but did also have some smaller, more fiddly pieces (specifically the fake beards).
I don't recall having any major trouble with any of the other models.
cincydooley wrote: I think the viewpoint that they shouldn't sell anything from the KS until all the MIKH models are done is foolish and myopic. We obviously don't agree on that.
Thanks for making it personal. Makes it much easier to just cut this exchange short.
cincydooley wrote: I think the viewpoint that they shouldn't sell anything from the KS until all the MIKH models are done is foolish and myopic. We obviously don't agree on that.
Thanks for making it personal. Makes it much easier to just cut this exchange short.
Nothing personal about it. I think the viewpoint, regardless who holds it, is foolishly shortsighted. And that's what I said in my previous comment.
There is nothing relevant to a person other than the thoughts he or she might have. If my viewpoint is foolish, then by definition I am foolish. Might want to keep that in mind the next time you call someone myopic.
I'll give this one more try though.
The choice between waiting for all the content to be finalized and paying for another round of shipping is not a choice at all. I am forced to either wait multiple months beyond the projected delivery date (which is what I'm currently doing, without a word of complaint) or pay extra, all because the company I have a deal with cannot extract work from their contractor. In my line of work, that contractor would have been let go without pay and his work either reassigned or cancelled. But here apparently the customer is supposed to cover the extra cost of someone else's incompetence or negligence. The fact that you do not see that as anything but RRG's problem and not mine is baffling. I fulfilled my part of the contract - the money has been transferred. RRG has not delivered on their part. It is of no concern to me why that is. They might be a plucky underdog, but that doesn't prevent them from obeying common rules.
It's clear RRG shares my sentiment, given they decided to withhold all project items from sale until they can ship them to the kickstarter backers, IN FULL.
That's enough use of words like "myopic" in this thread, referring to other posters or their views. Please make your points without resorting to derogatory language like this - it is completely unnecessary.
For myself, I think it's worth noting that His Master's Voice is international to RRG. It's much easier for domestic backers to pay for multiple shipments. I think by far the best solution is to ship all pledges once Septimus and Nero arrive, refund/replace for Hroka, and then (having fulfilled all pledges) open the webstore. I'll definitely be buying Nero as soon as it is available!
RiTides wrote: That's enough use of words like "myopic" in this thread, referring to other posters or their views. Please make your points without resorting to derogatory language like this - it is completely unnecessary.
Myopic isn't a derogatory term. It's a synonym for near or short sighted. Maybe we need a "derogatory term" glossary here on Dakka; it broadens (grows larger) every day.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
His Master's Voice wrote: I fulfilled my part of the contract - the money has been transferred. RRG has not delivered on their part.
Well there's your problem. You have no contract with them, whatsoever. You DONATED to a funding campaign. You aren't guaranteed anything.
I hope RRG opens their webstore before Hroka and Septimus are shipped. They've waited long enough.
It's clear RRG shares my sentiment, given they decided to withhold all project items from sale until they can ship them to the kickstarter backers, IN FULL.
And I don't think they should. They're costing themselves money and neutering the game's ability to grow.
I think they should have sold their product at GenCon last year before it was shipped to backers at all.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Anyway, I'm done with this portion of the discussion. I disagree with you vehemently and that's not going to change.
I'm off to the site to order the three additional models I presently can, with the hopes that the store will have more inventory very soon.
cincydooley wrote: Well there's your problem. You have no contract with them, whatsoever. You DONATED to a funding campaign. You aren't guaranteed anything.
You're right, I'm not guaranteed anything. The agreement between me and RRG is an informal one, with some KS specific stipulations. That doesn't change the fact that our deal was explicitly my patronage in exchange for physical content, before it becomes a commercial product. They seem to be honouring those terms right now.
And I made it very clear in this very thread that I'd be more than fine with RRG cancelling a portion of the project in order to ship it and be able to sell the miniatures through the store. KS projects are not precise science and sometimes MIKHs happen. We all understand that.
And I made it very clear in this very thread that I'd be more than fine with RRG cancelling a portion of the project in order to ship it and be able to sell the miniatures through the store. KS projects are not precise science and sometimes MIKHs happen. We all understand that.
Ha!
Good one!
It is probably also a good time to move past this particular part of the conversation.
I suppose we'll all see what RRG decides to do soon enough - I hope!
Alpharius wrote: As previously noted, MIKH is in the same country as Monolith's main men, and seems to also be 'friends' with them too?
SO you should be OK.
But that October shipping 'estimate'?
With all the extras unlocked AND Chinese New Year 2015/2016 AND MIKH?
Ha!
According to their kickstarter update today they are still good for the October release. I think Mikh's models was ordered long, long ago and should easily be ready in time. It's probably one that kicked this model back further down the que, but that is what Conan does.
Alpharius wrote: As previously noted, MIKH is in the same country as Monolith's main men, and seems to also be 'friends' with them too?
SO you should be OK.
But that October shipping 'estimate'?
With all the extras unlocked AND Chinese New Year 2015/2016 AND MIKH?
Ha!
According to their kickstarter update today they are still good for the October release. I think Mikh's models was ordered long, long ago and should easily be ready in time. It's probably one that kicked this model back further down the que, but that is what Conan does.
I can't count the number of times I've seen a KS be on-time and the creator in constant communication...until the pledge manager closes.
Alpharius wrote: As previously noted, MIKH is in the same country as Monolith's main men, and seems to also be 'friends' with them too?
SO you should be OK.
But that October shipping 'estimate'?
With all the extras unlocked AND Chinese New Year 2015/2016 AND MIKH?
Ha!
According to their kickstarter update today they are still good for the October release. I think Mikh's models was ordered long, long ago and should easily be ready in time. It's probably one that kicked this model back further down the que, but that is what Conan does.
If that's the case then he's certainly hearing all the lamentations of the Arena Rex backers!
For those paying attention to my little personal quest to play a game of Arena Rex with 100% painted pieces (arena to terrain to minis), here's my latest update featuring Noxius (and my newest arena hazards).
Very cool as always Gomez, thanks for linking! You're doing these sculpts justice, which is really saying something (I think lots of people are too intimated to paint them, like Kingdom Death mins).
Thanks for the feedback, RiTides - I appreciate it!
In all honesty, I think "intimidation" is my basic mental setting as well, but the excellence of the sculpts means that once you slap a little paint on them they sort of start painting themselves... Aside from Micon's skin, my three completed gladiators have been fairly straightforward jobs.
Also, RRG just threw this into the KS comments section:
Red Republic Games wrote:
Septimus and Nero are in the mail. Let's all make a sacrifice to the postal gods to ensure their safe delivery. We are so excited to see these minis and begin Wave 2 shipping!
Red Republic Games wrote:
Septimus and Nero are in the mail. Let's all make a sacrifice to the postal gods to ensure their safe delivery. We are so excited to see these minis and begin Wave 2 shipping!
Awesome news! Can't wait for them to go up for sale and I have a local friend who did not pledge for this but loves the rules of Arena Rex, so I may even be able to use them for the game they're intended for
1. Septimus and Nero are in their hands and heading off to their casting partner posthaste. They are extremely excited to see them in the flesh and get them out to backers.
2. MIKH will continue with Hroka in March.
3. Another ludus is in the works (with more still in the "proverbial whiteboard" stage) but first they are "working on titans, beasts, and gladiators for each of the current ludii".
4. RRG are in the midst of a warehouse move which appears to be upgrading their space significantly.
Hopefully a more official update is in the works soon and we get another glimpse at the future of Arena Rex (and hopefully news about expanding their webstore).
A really nice cast (and bigger than I expected at 60mm to the top of the head), but lots and lots of parts (18 or so) you need to like building
She looks amazing on the webstore, but definitely "fiddly". In fact, I really appreciate that RRG has been including a shot of the resin pieces in the bag as you'll receive them so you can see exactly what you'll be dealing with. It was pretty easy to see that she'd be rather complex and that Acerbus would be pretty straightforward despite his size.
Any chance you could post a pic of the parts out of the bag?
I'll get something done tomorrow when there's some natural light about
my one concern with her is going to be the trident, which I think is too thing to stand up to play, but a pretty easy swap for a wire one if you need to
Only draw back is the fragility of the models. They are definitely stronger than the resin used on the wrath of kings models and Studio McVey's.
Bought a few extras to see how strong they are, can flick at the swords without them damaging but won't hold up from a long drop on a hard floor.
Perhaps one day they will be big enough to be able to work with wargames factory or have metal alternatives.
Since we have Native American style gladiator and being in a "mythic" world wonder if we will get a Oriental themed or Aztec/Mayan/Inca themed Ludus or characters?
You're right - LOTS of pieces and I don't think that trident will stand up to actual playing. Maybe just clip the head off and mount it on comparably sized copper rod or wire?
And is that resin slightly more yellow than the original pieces?
First, some excellent news. Septimus and Nero have been approved for production and prioritized with our casting partner for fastest production.
We should begin receiving production shipments over the next few weeks, and will begin wave two shipping as soon as we receive any stock. We have asked that they send us partial shipments rather than waiting for the full production to complete, and will be sending orders out as inventory becomes available. We know it has been a long wait, but the miniatures look fantastic (both mounted and afoot), and we hope you’ll agree on seeing them that the wait was worth it.
MIKH is targeting May for completion of Hroka -- more to come on that in its own update soon.
Some of you may know that we have been in the process of moving our warehouse. That move will be complete this coming weekend in preparation for wave 2 shipping. We want to thank everyone again for their herculean patience.
More soon,
-RRG
Pretty blah IMO. Hopefully the next update has some actual information in it...
Yeah, just wish they'd done anything with their forums... I and quite a few others made an effort to get some life there, but then RRG let things kind of trail off to nothing... haven't checked in a bit, but I felt like their complete lack of presence killed the forum after a decent amount of post-ks excitement.
spiralingcadaver wrote: Yeah, just wish they'd done anything with their forums... I and quite a few others made an effort to get some life there, but then RRG let things kind of trail off to nothing... haven't checked in a bit, but I felt like their complete lack of presence killed the forum after a decent amount of post-ks excitement.
This, exactly. I posted almost these exact sentiments directly in response to RRG on their KS comments section a few days ago, but didn't get any sort of response. I get the feeling that they are doing a lot behind the scenes and they're consciously keeping most of their development process essentially private, but you're right - that lack of transparency and their disinterest in their own forums are hurting their game right now IMO.
In both cases, regarding lack of transparency and delay due to MIKH(!!!!), I feel like RRG was paying too close attention to their image at a weird sacrifice to their PR- I understand why they made both decisions, but also feel like it wasn't what would keep people involved/talking...
Yeah, I've been wondering about that with Arena Rex, too - it's cool that they are working so well behind the scenes, but it seems like showing some of it would have really helped keep momentum during the long MIKH-induced delay.
I know multiple backers encouraged them to start selling on the web store without having slow asses stuff done. It's really frustrating because I'd love to start growing the game locally, but can't because no one can get anything else.
OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote: I really hope that when they send out Septimus & Nero (later this month?) they then feel free to do so
the stuffs too good to languish in their warehouse when it could be in customers 'to paint' pile
Their last note in the KS comments said they'd begin 2nd wave shipments the "second week of April". Whether that's next week or the following is up in the air, I suppose, but it should be happening SOON.
cincydooley wrote: I know multiple backers encouraged them to start selling on the web store without having slow asses stuff done. It's really frustrating because I'd love to start growing the game locally, but can't because no one can get anything else.
Any idea if the company is listening to these backers? I bought Stheno and the rule book on a whim and was floored by the quality of the miniature, and immediately ordered two Acerbus models, but that is all I can find. eBay has nothing except for the KS exclusive Lupa (so I bought her), Bartertown has nothing, Dakka has nothing... getting into this game is rather difficult.
I am still in the building stage and haven't gotten to play yet, but does the game work with one gladiator on each side, or does it need each player fielding a group of gladiators to be fun?
Any idea if the company is listening to these backers? I bought Stheno and the rule book on a whim and was floored by the quality of the miniature, and immediately ordered two Acerbus models, but that is all I can find. eBay has nothing except for the KS exclusive Lupa (so I bought her), Bartertown has nothing, Dakka has nothing... getting into this game is rather difficult.
I am still in the building stage and haven't gotten to play yet, but does the game work with one gladiator on each side, or does it need each player fielding a group of gladiators to be fun?
Good luck finding someone who's willing to sell their KS pledge - there have been one or two people who were, but quite a few more in your position who were looking to buy... Like you said, the miniatures are pretty amazing and the game is a ton of fun also IMO - that plus the game being small and supported almost exclusively by people who bought in as gamers/painters rather than investors means that until they open their webstore you're probably stuck. Having said that, it might be worth a shot to just email the RRG folks directly and ask if you can buy from them "under the table" so to speak - they've been really accommodating with their backers and MIGHT (unlikely, but possible) let you do that.
And to answer your question directly, unless I was just doing a quickie demo to get the rules down the fewest fighters I'd play with is three per side. There are some rules that come into play when you are down to your last man that would lose their luster if you just played with one per side, and you'd miss out on the rules interactions/synergies between team-mates that really help the game shine.
Automatically Appended Next Post: And, for those interested, I posted another update to my AR painting progress thread - Hermes finished, and Leo moving another step along.
my one concern with her is going to be the trident, which I think is too thing to stand up to play, but a pretty easy swap for a wire one if you need to
I heard of people using super glue (the liquid stuff not the gel) on fragile resin parts such as whips. just coat the area in a thin layer of super glue and I am told it helps prevent easy snapping.
Going to try this on a mini I don't care about and give it the "flick test".
cincydooley wrote: I know multiple backers encouraged them to start selling on the web store without having slow asses stuff done. It's really frustrating because I'd love to start growing the game locally, but can't because no one can get anything else.
Any idea if the company is listening to these backers? I bought Stheno and the rule book on a whim and was floored by the quality of the miniature, and immediately ordered two Acerbus models, but that is all I can find. eBay has nothing except for the KS exclusive Lupa (so I bought her), Bartertown has nothing, Dakka has nothing... getting into this game is rather difficult.
I am still in the building stage and haven't gotten to play yet, but does the game work with one gladiator on each side, or does it need each player fielding a group of gladiators to be fun?
I would use 2 on 2 for demos.
Game can be fun with 3 on 3 to 5 on 5, we usually play 5 on 5.
Game is fairly quick and deadly. Game is generally well balance with each Ludus having a very unique play style. The Morituri (Egyptian guys) are probably the most difficult of the lot to master. They are not as straight forward as some of the rest and require a constant surveillance of the special abilities throughout the game. But they are most fun to play though.
90 percent of the games I have played go right down to the wire. It is rare to see a massive blowout by one Ludus.
zedmeister wrote: So, nothing really moving forward in terms of getting to market? Really interested in giving this a try, but I can't seem to find it anywhere...
Once again the gods spread cheeks and ram mikh in.... you all know the rest of the quote
zedmeister wrote: So, nothing really moving forward in terms of getting to market? Really interested in giving this a try, but I can't seem to find it anywhere...
Once again the gods spread cheeks and ram mikh in.... you all know the rest of the quote
Ahh, Mikh. Such a talented sculptor but can't project manage himself for toffee. Should have used Roberto Chaudon a lot more, they'd have been on their 3rd KS by now...
So, back to waiting, aye. Anyone have an idea on how much postage is from the webstore to the UK? Can't seem to get an estimate from the webstore...
it was $14.90 for my order of Stheno at the beginning of February via USPS first class (so no tracking),
but Kingdom Death which also used to offer this as a shipping option didn't have it any more when I tried to make an order on Wednesday (only a almost $50 tracked service) and some people were suggesting it was because of a recent USPS price change/hike.....
so I'm not 100% certain if my answer is really any use
I just shipped a few items to the UK last week using USPS first class, and the price was about as expected. The USPS "priority mail" rate is what skyrocketed previously - it's not really feasible to use it for shipping internationally anymore, but that's somewhat old news now (not a recent change).
The last few weeks have been very hectic! We've successfully moved our warehouse and begun shipping Wave II as of yesterday. Things are moving along well. I expect this wave will take as long as the first one. All remaining orders will be shipped with this wave. More details in an update coming this week.
Thanks for all the input and feedback. We plan to expand our webstore very shortly after the completion of this wave!
It's been a long road for us, and a long wait for some of you.
As always we thank you for your support and patience.
I wasn't sure where to post this quasi battle report, but I figured there'd be a few interested people ITT...
After a few months of not actually playing any games of Arena Rex, my son (D) and I sat down to get one in. Coincidentally, it was also the first game we've played with a (95%) finished arena and terrain, so it was a christening of sorts.
We started by rolling off for first choice of gladiators, then alternated choosing - D won and selected Hermes, Micon, and Iason, while I went with Noxius, Urbicus, and Marcus Furius.
D LOVES him some Hermes and often uses him to tie up one of my better fighters with his Aegis of Fame skill, which requires you to burn one of your Favor just to make an attack... That means if I want to cause him some consistent damage I've got to devote one of my gladiators with a decent ATK so I can increase my chances of hurting him and don't just waste that Favor. He said he picked Micon because he really wanted to get a chance to use Atlas Throw (which he did, to great effect), and Iason because of the mobility his Intervene/Support skills give - he gets to move three inches to get into position to use a Reaction: Assist, then gets to reposition three more inches.
I wanted Noxius because he can put out some serious damage with his tree (despite being pretty fragile), but I had to make sure he didn't get bogged down with Hermes since he can't spend any Favor (Hated) but would NEED to do that to even attack him. Urbicus is pretty tough on his own but a great complementary fighter, as he can use Reactions even when Fatigued, so can R: Assist more than normal. Marcus Furius is great to get stuck in between a couple enemies, as Entangle requires them to Fatigue up to disengage. My basic plan was to get Urbicus and Marcus into the middle of his guys and then have Noxius hit 'em as hard as possible.
Here's how it went down...
Overview of the arena (this is mid-battle, so ignore the position of the minis)
ACTION
Hermes and Marcus Furius headed each other off to the right side of the pit and kept each other occupied pretty much the whole game. Looking back, I think this was the battle that won the game for D because Aegis of Fame meant I kept having to burn Favor as soon as I got it to keep getting some damage on Hermes. So, while sadly-WIP Marcus Furius ended up offing Hermes after trading blows for about three turns, this fight meant I didn't have enough Favor for Urbicus and Noxius to hang in versus Micon and Iason.
This is right before the crucial turn that switched the tide of the game in my son's favor... After Marcus had done some impressive damage to Hermes and Noxius had hammered Micon down to just a few remaining Vitality in the previous two turns, Micon scored 6 net successes on Noxius ( defense roll). Because Noxius had Exhausted himself to do that damage, that meant Micon was able to push the scrappy slave four inches (three from his damage tree plus one freebie due to Noxius being Exhausted) toward the pit then hoist him up and Atlas Throw him into the pit. So not only did Noxius die but Micon scored FOUR Favor: two due to Noxii (whoever kills Noxius gets it), another because he died due to a terrain hazard, and one more for having an unapplied net success on his damage tree (Ludus Magnus passive ability). This was the point where D started piling up Favor (he got up to six here) and I was scrambling to keep even one or two on deck, which tilted the battle.
And here is your unlikely winner: shamefully unpainted Iason. After a string of killing (Marcus killed Hermes, Micon killed Marcus, Urbicus killed Micon) the game came down to him versus Urbicus. They traded damage for a few turns, with the Last Man Standing rule clearing their Fatigue, but D's stockpile of Favor meant that with his last attack he was able to add three Favor dice to a Power Attack and do eight damage to Urbicus (after his ARM kicked in) when he only had two Vitality left. Just crushed him to finish things off.
TAKEAWAYS
***We pretty much maxed out the Power Attacks when it was our respective turns. Rerolling misses really makes a difference. I'm no mathematician, but that just seemed more likely to get a decent number of successes than doing a double-attack.
***Favor made all the difference. I did a bunch of damage to my son's top two fighters right away, which was great, but it also gave him FOUR more Favor than me. That plus the fact that I had to burn a Favor just to attempt to injure Hermes meant that he was constantly able to hit me harder than I could him - adding a "double success" Favor dice to his attacks pretty much every turn really started to hurt. I went from having a clear Vitality advantage early on to scrambling to just keep guys alive. Like I said earlier, that side battle between Hermes and Marcus was what won the game for him.
***Playing with (mostly) painted minis and painted hazards in a painted arena is waaaaaaaay better than playing with paper cut-outs and random terrain markers on a kitchen tabletop. No surprise, I know, but still.
***With the news that Septimus and Nero will be headed my way soon (hopefully) I'm extremely eager to get some more minis finished. Leo and Marcus are next in line - after that, who knows? Maybe my new bullish friends...
Thanks for reading - let me know what questions or feedback you might have!
The last few weeks have been very hectic! We've successfully moved our warehouse and begun shipping Wave II as of yesterday. Things are moving along well. I expect this wave will take as long as the first one. All remaining orders will be shipped with this wave. More details in an update coming this week.
Thanks for all the input and feedback. We plan to expand our webstore very shortly after the completion of this wave!
It's been a long road for us, and a long wait for some of you.
As always we thank you for your support and patience.
At the end of this wave all Kickstarter rewards will have been shipped... mats, split rewards, and all.
What about Hroka?
The unfortunate news is that we have gotten no recent updates on the completion of Hroka and Caho-Ta. Anyone who has been following the campaign knows that it has been an agonizing wait. We feel that delaying shipping was the correct decision for Septimus and Nero, we know that the wait has been difficult. We have decided to ship rewards to all remaining backers rather than delay further fulfillment.
The better news is that all pledges that include Hroka or Hroka and Caho-Ta will receive web store credit for the full retail value of these models. The credit will not expire, and if you'd like to continue waiting until the models' completion, you'll be able to order them when they're ready. You'll be able to use part or all of that credit toward other models available in the web store, at any point, and hang onto any remaining balance.
Our sincere apologies to all who waited this long.
General Release
Our Kickstarter-funded models will be added to the web store shortly after we complete shipping. Thanks to everyone for your patience. We truly appreciate the strong and continued support for Arena Rex. We plan for the next update to this campaign to be an announcement of the completion of KS fulfillment.
Agreed, I was hoping they'd go this route, and I'm very glad to see it . Delivering the wave 2 models and opening the webstore will be a very good step for the health/growth of this game!
Well, that's too bad. About the only problems I have with a change in plan are if backers are receiving things after they're available elsewhere (in most cases) and if things claimed to be exclusive aren't.
People should chill out- the timing of when they get their toys matters less than being able to play with others with them (of course, IMHO).
I'm sure if they knew quite how long Septimius and Nero would have taken they may well have taken a different tack,
but hindsight is always clearer than things are at the time
but with minis in hand, shipping getting going and an new warehouse setup and the first of the brand new (post KS) releases hopefully they can make up all the lost ground and really thrive
(I wonder if they plan to hit any of the conventions this year?)
OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote: but with minis in hand, shipping getting going and an new warehouse setup and the first of the brand new (post KS) releases hopefully they can make up all the lost ground and really thrive
I agree, and I also definitely don't think they waited due to any backers voicing their wanting to get minis (which is just natural!) but rather because Septimus and Nero were a major part of the offerings. They're still doing things right by their backers and shipping to them first, just crediting them for Hroka. I'm very much looking forward to supporting this company!
I agree, and I also definitely don't think they waited due to any backers voicing their wanting to get minis (which is just natural!) but rather because Septimus and Nero were a major part of the offerings. They're still doing things right by their backers and shipping to them first, just crediting them for Hroka. I'm very much looking forward to supporting this company!
I agree with this very much. I feel very happy having played a part in getting these guys off the ground - they seem honest, straightforward, principled, and worried above all about doing right by their customers... from insuring the highest quality sculpts to making sure their KS delivery obligations are taken care of before pursuing the wider release of their product. Plus, their game is pretty darn fun, which helps.
I won't be there, but I'm really hoping they have a presence at Gen-Con this year to really get their name out there. I think they're sitting on something awesome and would love to see it take off.
I agree, and I also definitely don't think they waited due to any backers voicing their wanting to get minis (which is just natural!) but rather because Septimus and Nero were a major part of the offerings. They're still doing things right by their backers and shipping to them first, just crediting them for Hroka. I'm very much looking forward to supporting this company!
I agree with this very much. I feel very happy having played a part in getting these guys off the ground - they seem honest, straightforward, principled, and worried above all about doing right by their customers... from insuring the highest quality sculpts to making sure their KS delivery obligations are taken care of before pursuing the wider release of their product. Plus, their game is pretty darn fun, which helps.
I won't be there, but I'm really hoping they have a presence at Gen-Con this year to really get their name out there. I think they're sitting on something awesome and would love to see it take off.
They've been wanting to go to gencon but they wanted product to show.
Just an FYI for anyone who went with the splitting their shipping with Septimus and Nero and chose the IOU shipping option with a store order. You may want to double check with the company and make sure they have you listed as choosing that option.
Emailed them to see when they expected the KS material to go on order with the store and they told me I couldn't combine shipping with my S&N mini. Unless you explicitly requested the IOU option, you won't be able to have S&N shipped with a store order. I was able to clear it up and it was a clerical error on their part. Still had the email from August when I asked for it.
4 people in the KS comments have reported stuff arriving in the last few days (one with no prior shipping email),
but no details from any of them about what they got (but presumably Septemius and/or Nero were amongst them or they'd have been shipped in a previous wave)
FYI, here's what RRG had to say in the comments...
RRG wrote:Just a quick update. Wave 2 is going well and we are still working through shipments. Don't be alarmed if you haven't yet received a shipping confirmation email. It shouldn't be much longer now. Thank you all for your support and patience.
Chelsie
i think i will sell my full ludus magnus pledge on ebay, i f anyone is interested.
i can't find the time and players to play it, so the game is brand new
Wave II is still underway. I expect all orders will be packed within two weeks.
For those who are interested in more details, read on.
There are at least 200 packages left. They vary in size and complexity. Some days we pack 100 boxes, some days 25, some days we don't pack any and instead print shipping labels and answer emails.
Unfortunately, someone's package will be the last one we ship, it's not personal
Man, it's torture! You'd think they'd just call over some friends and get them all packed over the long weekend (holiday in the US) so they can start selling the models in the store.
The problem to having people to come in to 'help' either as frineds or part timers is, as many KS projects (eg Reaper and Impact) have found, is that they tend to increase the number of mistakes, miss packs etc
and especially for the international ones that gets very expensive very fast
(but it is a touch more frustrating as the end gets nearer)
We've finished packing orders for this KS. Shipping labels are still being created. Those still waiting for packages can expect a shipping notification Email in the next week or so.
After everything has been shipped out we'll do a KS update. In this update we'll ask to be contacted by anyone hasn't received their rewards.
Thanks all for your patience. We'll work on getting the webstore up ASAP.
Hey can anyone recommend a decent arena mat (since I foolishly didn't pledge for one during the KS)? I'm getting my Arena Rex stuff painted up soon and I'd like a nice, portable surface to play it on.
Argh, "webstore up ASAP" is just so frustratingly vague! Guildball was super clear about their webstore release date, and with my gaming group kind of choosing between the two for our next skirmish game, that made the choice really clear (our order from them shipped today, actually!).
I will still totally be picking up Septimus and Nero the moment they become available, but my window for getting my gaming group into this may have closed now...
Siygess wrote: Hey can anyone recommend a decent arena mat (since I foolishly didn't pledge for one during the KS)? I'm getting my Arena Rex stuff painted up soon and I'd like a nice, portable surface to play it on.
Right now I made a pretty cheap "arena" out of foam. It's just 2 semi circular halves. I glued 2 layers of foam on each other after I cut out pits on the top layer.
Been meaning to make stone or marble blocks with rusty shards of metal sticking out for hazardous terrain.
curious to know when their ship map will be released.
Then there is one map proposal with a river and gators used as terrain.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
RiTides wrote: Argh, "webstore up ASAP" is just so frustratingly vague! Guildball was super clear about their webstore release date, and with my gaming group kind of choosing between the two for our next skirmish game, that made the choice really clear (our order from them shipped today, actually!).
I will still totally be picking up Septimus and Nero the moment they become available, but my window for getting my gaming group into this may have closed now...
The original estimation has been June for some time now.
Great stuff, it will certainly be good to see what should (I've got my shipping email) be sailing across to me at this very moment
this bit from the comments also pleases me
Red Republic Games
@Tristan - All boxes have been packed. Yours should be on the way, check the email associated with your KS account (and it's junk folder) for a notification from Stamps.com.
Thanks all, we've nearly got all KS orders and splits out the door.
so the webstore opening fully can't be to far away
I need their webstore to open up so that I can finally get MY Septimus and Nero, as I opted for the 'ship it to me when it is ready AND I can buy something else from you' option!
He is spot on regarding the quality. Everything about the components is quality. Tokens, minis, rule book, cards. All high end and refreshing to see quality.
Game is fast paced, deadly and fun. Not many characters live at the end of the match. It's like a arcade fighter in minis form.
What if I haven't gotten my pledge rewards yet? If for some reason you have not received your pledge rewards (or tracking) and you haven't been in touch with us yet, please contact us by email:
info@redrepublicgames.com
We'll take care of you.
When will the Kickstarter miniatures be available on the web store? We have some photography and final logistics changes to take care of before the update to the web store, but we are busily progressing on that front and expect to be up and running in July. The grand opening will be broadly communicated, but you can be sure we will update here as well.
What's next for Arena Rex? As you may have seen when we opened our limited web store, we have not stopped development on Arena Rex during fulfillment. We will have more to share soon, and you can expect to see the world and characters of Arena Rex develop yet further in the months and years to come. From the beginning of the campaign we have said that this is just the beginning for Arena Rex, and that remains true today.
Once again, thank you sincerely for your incredible support in building the foundations for Arena Rex. Your patience with the unfortunate delays and your enthusiasm for the final product have been awesome, and your kind words mean a lot to us.
really nice figure, but a hint of mould distortion (or perhaps during the cutting) means a touch more green stuff work than is ideal,
but still he will be impressive (also comes with 2 types of horns to separate the ridden from the normal version which is cool)
Mine was a pretty clean cast, TBH, with only his right rear leg needing a little hot water treatment to fit perfectly. And of course I went and glued the strapped horns on without even thinking of using magnets to allow switching the two types... I was already planning on magnetizing Septimus, so I'm not sure why I didn't think of it - would've been just a little cooler for whenever I wanted to run Nero on his own, IMO. Ah well - can't complain, as bull, rider, and stand alone Septimus all look amazing. MIKH was both savior and villain for RRG I think.
cleaned up and stuck together but no gap filling (except for the nose ring that I may end up replacing with metal)
the pose means mine is top heavy and will need to be stuck to the base(not sure if a bit of judicious beinding in hot water may make the balance better)
What if I haven't gotten my pledge rewards yet? If for some reason you have not received your pledge rewards (or tracking) and you haven't been in touch with us yet, please contact us by email:
info@redrepublicgames.com
We'll take care of you.
When will the Kickstarter miniatures be available on the web store? We have some photography and final logistics changes to take care of before the update to the web store, but we are busily progressing on that front and expect to be up and running in July. The grand opening will be broadly communicated, but you can be sure we will update here as well.
What's next for Arena Rex? As you may have seen when we opened our limited web store, we have not stopped development on Arena Rex during fulfillment. We will have more to share soon, and you can expect to see the world and characters of Arena Rex develop yet further in the months and years to come. From the beginning of the campaign we have said that this is just the beginning for Arena Rex, and that remains true today.
Once again, thank you sincerely for your incredible support in building the foundations for Arena Rex. Your patience with the unfortunate delays and your enthusiasm for the final product have been awesome, and your kind words mean a lot to us.
-RRG
Not sure how it can be fulfilled when at least one miniature still isn't sculpted yet.
Not sure how it can be fulfilled when at least one miniature still isn't sculpted yet.
Because no one is waiting on that miniature, because they removed it as an option when it was apparently that MIKH had no interest in hitting any timelines?
Not sure how it can be fulfilled when at least one miniature still isn't sculpted yet.
Because no one is waiting on that miniature, because they removed it as an option when it was apparently that MIKH had no interest in hitting any timelines?
That's how?
No kidding!
I'm REALLY glad that they finally decided to move on from waiting until MIKH decided to finish what he promised to finish but clrealy wasn't going to finish...for a long time.
Now they just need to get their webstore up and running!
Any hints yet as to when in July they'll be opening up the webstore? Hopefully Nero is offered as a riderless version, since that's all I need, but I'm going to snag it either way and would like to be ready as soon as the store opens since that's the only piece I'm waiting on for a project.
I know Orlando beat me to the pictures, but I added a post to my WIP thread showing how I magnetized Septimus and Nero if anyone's interested (not a lot of progress from me otherwise, unfortunately).
This might be worth a thread in News & Rumors to let more people know, I really hope they see a big wave of orders and realize how many people have been wanting their sculpts! As long as they're all after my order, of course
I'm going to use this model alongside a few others (Behema from Mierce and an oop bull from Sphere Wars) to form a Kings of War unit, so almost a diorama since they will be based together. It will be riderless, so probably plain horns unless I can think of something nifty to do with the wrapped ones (like leading to a handler riding on Behema).
The rider sculpt is amazing, though! The whole kit has to be one of the best sculpted I've ever seen.
Some unfortunate news about no European distributor coming soon. Still a young company however, figuring things out. Hopefully they will look into a distributor at the beginning of the year or maybe someone can approach them.
Alpharius wrote: I think once I get my Septimus and Nero I'm going to have to re-evaluate whether or not I stay in with this game.
I've already got one or two super-premium priced game systems I'm in to, I don't think I can afford another!
Alpharius, why haven't you received Septimus and Nero yet - I thought all pledges had shipped a while ago, and I got mine quickly when I ordered it after the fact? (Or do you mean, when you order it, that might be it for you)
They are really fantastic - Medusa looks to be as well! Unfortunately I'm not sure that all the sculpts work well together (the sizing varies quite a bit - although that's true of people too, of course) but the best are really top tier.
Also note that Medusa is still quite a bit larger than other gladiators, despite her 40mm base. Her size is due to her mythic nature, and is not a general change in scale.
so she's another big mini like Stheno and Euryalia
I wouldn't mind paying that as she looks like a lovely sculpt and you don't need many minis to play.
Sadly I'm in the same boat as others in the UK, we need a distributor, someone please pick this up. I've sent a few emails to a few online retailers hoping one would take an interest.
I'm still waiting for whichever slacker they commissioned to finish the mounted Zephiri model I pledged for. I've got a credit note, but at this rate I expect it'll expire before the sodding mini comes out!
RRG added an article to their website. Here's the first bit...
Development Spotlight: Medusa
August 13, 2015 22:48
Hi folks, Walker here with our first blog post that goes beyond the strict news and informational format we have been using so far. We’ve been working on a content schedule for a while now in order to give you guys a little more insight into our design thoughts and process, and I’m happy to present the first entry in our spotlight series: Medusa.
Hi folks, welcome back to the second entry in our series of model spotlights. This week, we are still on the topic of Medusa, but from a different angle: her rules.
Unless you want to see most of your cohort in a pit.
Ha ha. Tell me about it. The sort-of-battle-report I posted a few pages back has a pretty standard example of how operates with a little favor in his pocket. I went from feeling fat and sassy after Noxius dealt him some solid damage to saying "oh " as Micon proceeded to pushed him halfway across the arena and chucked him into a pit. Not fun.
We're pleased to announce the opening of applications for the Arena Rex Emissary program. If you are excited about Arena Rex and want to help demo games, host events, and build a local group of players, this is a great opportunity to help do just that. You can get more details about the program by applying here. http://arenarex.com/pages/emissary-application
Piston Honda wrote: The only incentive you need for any game (especially in its infancy) is having a group you play regularly with.
Otherwise if you feel like you need compensation perhaps it feels like work and not the game for you.
Interesting. While I don't ever need compensation for showing my friends new stuff, if I'm doing it beyond simply my friends, it is nice to have some acknowledgement.
If I joined this program, a special Emissary Ludi patch, or something like that, would be cool
Yeah, not asking for pay or w/e, but some sort of perk would be nice. As w/ cincy, I've got friends I can show new games to w/o needing to coordinate with a store, try to organize an event, plan in advance enough that said event gets some attention, and/or regularly make a game night... vs. "Hey, wanna' come by and try this new game?"
No, it isn't as vibrant as a larger club, but there are plenty of games that have gotten volunteer support already, where I can have a game night without working.
I also run my own business, so if I'm going around drumming up visibility for something without compensation, you can be damn sure it'll be the thing I care about that I made.
We're very happy to announce the release of our Ludus Starter Sets!!!
Getting into Arena Rex is now easier than ever. Each starter comes with 3 miniatures, a rulebook, and a tactics card to remind you of your Ludus' unique benefits.
Wow! That is certainly not expensive... Not much more than two miniatures purchased separately, and you can an extra mini, the rule book and accessories! Is there a retailer in Europe for this?
I'm Nick, one of the creators of Arena Rex. It's quite fun for me to read these threads. I thought I'd stop lurking and say hi. Let me know if you have any questions, thoughts or insults.
Thanks for being interested in our game, it means a lot. It was a long road from KS to where we are now, we're very pleased to have survived the process relatively unscathed.
Well, those starter sets look pretty good. Not sure how I'd feel if I'd gotten a bit from each but, fortunately enough, I have 2 from 1 set and none of the others. Definitely eyeing the Legio set.
I'm not sure if the painting/photography has gotten worse, or if there's just no wow-factor of the first paintings, but the gallery pics aren't quite as exciting...
And hi, Nick- while you're here, are the volunteer positions strictly volunteer/without compensation, or are there some sort of perks like freebies or whatever?
I'm Nick, one of the creators of Arena Rex. It's quite fun for me to read these threads. I thought I'd stop lurking and say hi. Let me know if you have any questions, thoughts or insults.
Thanks for being interested in our game, it means a lot. It was a long road from KS to where we are now, we're very pleased to have survived the process relatively unscathed.
Thanks - all looks great - will you be looking for a European distrubutor in due course?
I'm Nick, one of the creators of Arena Rex. It's quite fun for me to read these threads. I thought I'd stop lurking and say hi. Let me know if you have any questions, thoughts or insults.
Thanks for being interested in our game, it means a lot. It was a long road from KS to where we are now, we're very pleased to have survived the process relatively unscathed.
I got (almost) everything and love the minis (and what little actual gameplay I've manage to bully the locals into).
I think the chance to pick and choose what you wanted during the KS makes up for the new starters looking a bit cheaper, and certainly to grow the game having an affordable starter will help a lot (and the quality of the minis will help sell things)
I'm also very happy with the shopping experience in store with sthena so I'm saving to pick up the gorgon herself (even though I tremble at the thought of trying to paint that veil)
extra brownie points as (some/all) of you listen to the Game Classy podcast
@spiralingcadaver - Yes, our emissaries will be compensated with credit for demoing the game. We are grateful.
@MrMorden - That's a tricky question, one that we are asked often. Can I flip it back on you first? We'd be genuinely interested to hear why European distribution is important to those who are requesting it. I imagine it has something to do with taxes and shipping costs, I just want to be sure there isn't another element we are missing.
@Orlando - First, thanks so much for your support of our game. Second, Game Classy is excellent.
rrg_nickp wrote: @spiralingcadaver - Yes, our emissaries will be compensated with credit for demoing the game. We are grateful.
@MrMorden - That's a tricky question, one that we are asked often. Can I flip it back on you first? We'd be genuinely interested to hear why European distribution is important to those who are requesting it. I imagine it has something to do with taxes and shipping costs, I just want to be sure there isn't another element we are missing.
@Orlando - First, thanks so much for your support of our game. Second, Game Classy is excellent.
Many European countries have crazy sales tax, I know in the UK they have 20%. In Sweden it's 25%. This is calculated on the price of the product + shipping. On top of that there's a small fee for customs administration, I think 2,5%. So instead of $50, a starter set would cost me (50+17.95)*(0.25+0.025)= $87... Obviously this isn't really an option so I can't buy your product unless you get a distributor over here, or i can get someone in the U.S. to send it privately to avoid sales tax.
Thanks for doing the math on the tax. It's helpful.
Quite honestly we aren't sure when (or if) we'll be able to work through an international distributor.
May I ask, if working through an international distributor is not feasible, what type of promotion could we run on our webstore to make getting into Arena Rex easier? We get a lot of international orders and traffic, naturally we want to cater to everyone.
I very much dislike the idea of someone wanting to play our game and missing out.
rrg_nickp wrote: @spiralingcadaver - Yes, our emissaries will be compensated with credit for demoing the game. We are grateful.
@MrMorden - That's a tricky question, one that we are asked often. Can I flip it back on you first? We'd be genuinely interested to hear why European distribution is important to those who are requesting it. I imagine it has something to do with taxes and shipping costs, I just want to be sure there isn't another element we are missing.
@Orlando - First, thanks so much for your support of our game. Second, Game Classy is excellent.
Many European countries have crazy sales tax, I know in the UK they have 20%. In Sweden it's 25%. This is calculated on the price of the product + shipping. On top of that there's a small fee for customs administration, I think 2,5%. So instead of $50, a starter set would cost me (50+17.95)*(0.25+0.025)= $87... Obviously this isn't really an option so I can't buy your product unless you get a distributor over here, or i can get someone in the U.S. to send it privately to avoid sales tax.
Yep, basically this. If I buy from outside the EU I have tu pay shipping (which right now is stupid expensive from the US), and then, when it arrives, customs fees (anything from 5 to 50 euros, it's a tad random), and then, 21% VAT from the total of the cost of the stuff, I bought, shipping costs and customs fees.
Which basically means nowadays that I just don't buy from outside the EU.
@nick: Thanks for dropping in over here - nice to see you're a Dakkaite.
As far as questions go...
What are RRG's plans regarding the official AR forums? They have the potential to be a great resource but unfortunately have more or less become a ghost-town. When I started posting my arena build and painting updates a year or so ago I would get a handful of responses, but nowadays it feels like there are a grand total of three of us who bother checking in. I'd love to see it growing again.
What does the near future look like for the game? I know you guys like to keep details under wraps, but an idea of the basic road-map going forward would help those of us who are devotees sell the game to others. How many more releases do you anticipate for 2015? What do you see as your "optimal" release schedule? How many factions will there eventually be? What other ideas do you have for "minor" ludi? That sort of thing...
The starter packs were a great idea. Do you plan on releasing new gladiators that way, or will future starters be retroactively grouped together?
How do you plan to handle future sculpting? Will you contract sort of piecemeal, as with the KS minis, or will you have a more focused group of sculptors?
rrg_nickp wrote: Thanks for doing the math on the tax. It's helpful.
Quite honestly we aren't sure when (or if) we'll be able to work through an international distributor.
May I ask, if working through an international distributor is not feasible, what type of promotion could we run on our webstore to make getting into Arena Rex easier? We get a lot of international orders and traffic, naturally we want to cater to everyone.
I very much dislike the idea of someone wanting to play our game and missing out.
Eager to hear what everyone thinks.
To be honest I just wouldn't order from the US, your individual minis are right on the bracket for the UK so its not even worth trying to buy them one at a time.
I'm not having a go at you guys its not your fault its just not a great time for purchasing stuff from outside of the EU at the moment for us.
If I want minis from the US I usually go to a big online store like www.waylandgames.co.uk or www.elementgames.co.uk which I have asked both if they can get hold of your game/minis
rrg_nickp wrote: Thanks for doing the math on the tax. It's helpful.
Quite honestly we aren't sure when (or if) we'll be able to work through an international distributor.
May I ask, if working through an international distributor is not feasible, what type of promotion could we run on our webstore to make getting into Arena Rex easier? We get a lot of international orders and traffic, naturally we want to cater to everyone. I very much dislike the idea of someone wanting to play our game and missing out.
Eager to hear what everyone thinks.
Aside from lowering prices for international customers, which obviously isn't realistic, I'm afraid there's not much you can do. There's no way to avoid the import costs without the sender declaring an incorrect (low) value on the package, which is illegal... as it is I would love to play your game but it's simply too expensive outside the US. Like GiraffeX I usually buy from Element Games in the UK if I want stuff that isn't available in Sweden, they've got a reputation for being fast, well-stocked, very helpful and cheap.
I'm going to see if the wife will let me free up some Maliafaux funds, but as a hack historian, this game is very appealing to me.
Anyone ever play "Gladius" for the old X-Box? I've always wanted a gladiator mini game.
Make some minotaurs and I'm in!
Gomez wrote: @nick: Thanks for dropping in over here - nice to see you're a Dakkaite.
As far as questions go...
What are RRG's plans regarding the official AR forums? They have the potential to be a great resource but unfortunately have more or less become a ghost-town. When I started posting my arena build and painting updates a year or so ago I would get a handful of responses, but nowadays it feels like there are a grand total of three of us who bother checking in. I'd love to see it growing again.
What does the near future look like for the game? I know you guys like to keep details under wraps, but an idea of the basic road-map going forward would help those of us who are devotees sell the game to others. How many more releases do you anticipate for 2015? What do you see as your "optimal" release schedule? How many factions will there eventually be? What other ideas do you have for "minor" ludi? That sort of thing...
The starter packs were a great idea. Do you plan on releasing new gladiators that way, or will future starters be retroactively grouped together?
How do you plan to handle future sculpting? Will you contract sort of piecemeal, as with the KS minis, or will you have a more focused group of sculptors?
And I have to ask: Any news on Hroka and Caho-Ta?
Cheers!
Hey Gomez,
Forums: Walker wants to update the forums and have a relaunch of sorts. I'm into that idea. We're both going to be more active, maybe we can do some unofficial updates and long-form rambling in there. Until this point we've been so focused on finishing KS fulfillment (which was quite the endeavor) and opening the webstore.
The Near Future of Arena Rex: I can say we have two more minis planned for release this year. One you may have seen art for, one you definitely haven't. We're still finalizing the timing of next year's releases. It's too early to say what will be "optimal" timing from a business perspective, which is the most boring perspective by the way. I'm happy to say we'll be filling out the ranks of the smaller Ludi. Our development process is continuous and purposeful, we're always working on new character concepts and scheduling time with our favorite sculptors. There will eventually be more ludi. There's one in particular we've been thinking about a lot lately. We have a pretty firm direction for another minor ludi as well, but not a concept yet. I'd rather not say much more about that right now, though it would only require the release of one more mini. I could go on in this section forever, but I'd say too much. Thanks for the frustratingly good questions.
Starters: We currently plan to have a single starter per ludus. I'm not sure if that was your question.
Sculptors: We definitely have our favorites. As new releases are made available you'll see who we've developed good (great) working relationships with.
Hroka and Caho-Ta: The saga continues. Last we heard we'd see updates in August. I'd very much like to see them completed soon.
Thanks again.
Automatically Appended Next Post: @Mymerean - Thanks. I appreciate it. We'll never be able to get the formula just right for every potential player, but we can still think hard on it.
@MWHistorian - I played Gladius on Xbox when it came out. Arena Rex is partially inspired by my vague recollection of that experience. Good times.
@nick: Thanks a ton for the responses and the insight. Your commitment to quality and long term perspective are what make me extremely happy to have been a KS backer.
(And if that "one mini" is Anum, I might pee myself a little - I'm looking forward to him that much.)
I agree with the other European posters. There is nothing wrong with your store or prices rather the problem is with our countries for making it as unpleasant as possible to order outside the EU.
I absolutely love the two models (Mago and Septimus/Nero) I've gotten from your range. Fantastic sculpting and casting!
Unfortunately our group got very interested, then with the retail release delay "Gamer ADD" kicked in and interest had moved on to playing other things - Guildball in particular. I'd say looking at what the Guildball creators have done, taking a very similar path to you, could be very helpful! They are in the UK, but supply just a few local stores in the US, so you might try that route. They also have a demoing program like what you've described.
It's great to see new game companies like both of yours thriving, and I'd love to see greater adoption of these games! So maybe you can learn from each other as you're almost sister projects from different countries with very different themes, but a lot of similarities in your company paths.
@Gomez: It's possible you'll be peeing your pants in 2015.
@durecellrabbit: I appreciate the input. Again, Gladius is/was super. The only other video game I've played that feels like a minis game is Valkyria Chronicles. Check it out if you haven't.
@RiTides: Thanks for the kind words about our minis.
rrg_nickp wrote: Benjamin Williams' painted Gorgon sisters, these are sitting next to my desk
We'll be releasing this set as a complete army next week.
Lovely paint, although for me it emphasizes how static Eurayle is in her human bits. Straight spine, arms out at roughly the same angle, no real torso rotation. Not a bad sculpt, but sort of dull.
So ... should I expect Hroka any time soon (as in, before my store credit voucher expires?) or at the very least, some other models planned imminently for that faction?
AndrewGPaul wrote: So ... should I expect Hroka any time soon (as in, before my store credit voucher expires?) or at the very least, some other models planned imminently for that faction?
As I'm sure you can imagine, we get asked this question all the time. I'd like the involved parties to know that I believe it should be done soon. I'd like people waiting to be prepared to wait for a while longer. The situation may seem complex, it's not.
It isn't in my nature to express frustration in a public forum. If that's what you're after, just reread the previous while making a really angry face and grinding your teeth.
MIKH did say he would send us WiP photos today in fact. If we receive them I'll post here.
Good news, your gift card shouldn't expire. If you have any issues using it we are really easy to get in touch with (lately).
Wehrkind wrote: Lovely paint, although for me it emphasizes how static Eurayle is in her human bits. Straight spine, arms out at roughly the same angle, no real torso rotation. Not a bad sculpt, but sort of dull.
Wehrkind wrote: Lovely paint, although for me it emphasizes how static Eurayle is in her human bits. Straight spine, arms out at roughly the same angle, no real torso rotation. Not a bad sculpt, but sort of dull.
Buh? Does not compute...
Beauty, eyes, beholder, etc. I suppose.
Eurayle is the snake one, right? Tell me, what is she doing? What would her model look like in a snapshot 1 second in the future, or 1 in the past? Judging by her hair her human body is moving right to left at a fair clip (or there is a wind going), entirely in the plane of her shoulders and belly. Ok, fine, but what does that mean for her arms? How does that tie in?
Now, maybe that right arm there is angled more forward than the image shows, with the left arm reaching backwards like she is spinning. If so, what is she planning to do with her right hand? Press a button on a kiosk? Poke someone on the forehead?
Would a top down view of the model help? I don't know, and am honestly asking because I am tempted to order the set of three, but that model sort of lets it down. What is Eurayle's motivation? What is she doing other than being half a snake?
Well-put Wher- I still like the model, but you're completely correct that her pose is a little funky and that that's a good way of determining the validity of an action pose.
Wehrkind wrote: Lovely paint, although for me it emphasizes how static Eurayle is in her human bits. Straight spine, arms out at roughly the same angle, no real torso rotation. Not a bad sculpt, but sort of dull.
Buh? Does not compute...
Beauty, eyes, beholder, etc. I suppose.
Eurayle is the snake one, right? Tell me, what is she doing? What would her model look like in a snapshot 1 second in the future, or 1 in the past? Judging by her hair her human body is moving right to left at a fair clip (or there is a wind going), entirely in the plane of her shoulders and belly. Ok, fine, but what does that mean for her arms? How does that tie in?
Now, maybe that right arm there is angled more forward than the image shows, with the left arm reaching backwards like she is spinning. If so, what is she planning to do with her right hand? Press a button on a kiosk? Poke someone on the forehead?
Would a top down view of the model help? I don't know, and am honestly asking because I am tempted to order the set of three, but that model sort of lets it down. What is Eurayle's motivation? What is she doing other than being half a snake?
This is a great explanation for how you see the miniature, but I guess I just see pieces like this a little more abstractly. Sure, my sense of aesthetics requires her to have a level of realism, and I certainly find myself getting hung up on things that I'm sure other people are just fine with (see Infelix, Mago, Ur-Kek, etc. from this same line), but I think there's a certain je ne sais quoi about her that appeals to me a ton. I personally really like the things you dislike (the turn of her right wrist, the opposition of her arms, the sweep of her hair) as I think they add a sense of movement to the model without being distracting, which I think that takes special talent to accomplish. Like I said though: I may personally have a hard time seeing this mini as anything other than awesome, but to each his own.
Wehrkind wrote: Lovely paint, although for me it emphasizes how static Eurayle is in her human bits. Straight spine, arms out at roughly the same angle, no real torso rotation. Not a bad sculpt, but sort of dull.
Buh? Does not compute...
Beauty, eyes, beholder, etc. I suppose.
Eurayle is the snake one, right? Tell me, what is she doing? What would her model look like in a snapshot 1 second in the future, or 1 in the past? Judging by her hair her human body is moving right to left at a fair clip (or there is a wind going), entirely in the plane of her shoulders and belly. Ok, fine, but what does that mean for her arms? How does that tie in?
Now, maybe that right arm there is angled more forward than the image shows, with the left arm reaching backwards like she is spinning. If so, what is she planning to do with her right hand? Press a button on a kiosk? Poke someone on the forehead?
Would a top down view of the model help? I don't know, and am honestly asking because I am tempted to order the set of three, but that model sort of lets it down. What is Eurayle's motivation? What is she doing other than being half a snake?
This is a great explanation for how you see the miniature, but I guess I just see pieces like this a little more abstractly. Sure, my sense of aesthetics requires her to have a level of realism, and I certainly find myself getting hung up on things that I'm sure other people are just fine with (see Infelix, Mago, Ur-Kek, etc. from this same line), but I think there's a certain je ne sais quoi about her that appeals to me a ton. I personally really like the things you dislike (the turn of her right wrist, the opposition of her arms, the sweep of her hair) as I think they add a sense of movement to the model without being distracting, which I think that takes special talent to accomplish. Like I said though: I may personally have a hard time seeing this mini as anything other than awesome, but to each his own.
The brief for Euryale suggested the model should have an ethereal quality to it.
Her exposed chest was something we went back and forth on. At the end of the day we decided not to cover her in some convoluted manner and hoped it would turn out more classical than cheesecake. I think Benoit was successful.
You all might be interested to know that the most common feedback we give to both 2D artists and sculptors is "smaller breasts"
Eurayle pose has always come off something that is suppose to be powerful, imposing as she towers over any and all opponents in the arena. And less Dynamic, action pose or looks ready to strike.
"I just ripped a guy's fahkin head off. Come at me bro"
Piston Honda wrote: Eurayle pose has always come off something that is suppose to be powerful, imposing as she towers over any and all opponents in the arena. And less Dynamic, action pose or looks ready to strike.
"I just ripped a guy's fahkin head off. Come at me bro"
Except that isn't body language for "Come at me" or any sort of very confident "Bow before me" sort of pose. It isn't body language for anything that I can tell. Again, she just isn't doing anything that makes sense, to me at least. Her model doesn't look like a snapshot of action (even action as "I am posing to be imposing") but rather feels more like a pose-able action figure just laid aside by a child.
I mean, say she was expressing "I just ripped a guy's fahkin head off. Come at me bro", which makes sense given she is holding a skull with some wet bits hanging off. Where is the head? Held up in the "Look at this thing!" position? No, it is behind and below her shoulder, more of the "Holding it away from a dog who is trying to get it" pose. Neither is her right hand open and upwards, the indicator of confidence and openness one expects. The traditional "come at me bro" pose has arms wide and palms out and facing the opponent, not palms turned away or down. There is just isn't anything the pose really maps to.
That isn't to say that the other technical stuff isn't good, but the pose is just off.
The chest looks fine, and does look more classical than cheese cake as you say. I do wish that you had asked Benoit "What exactly is she supposed to be doing?"
Actually, after the whole thing with the cello playing Sigmarine, I kind of want to model her with a Casio Keyboard on stilts that she is playing with her right hand there, '80's style.
AndrewGPaul wrote: So ... should I expect Hroka any time soon (as in, before my store credit voucher expires?) or at the very least, some other models planned imminently for that faction?
As I'm sure you can imagine, we get asked this question all the time. I'd like the involved parties to know that I believe it should be done soon. I'd like people waiting to be prepared to wait for a while longer. The situation may seem complex, it's not.
It isn't in my nature to express frustration in a public forum. If that's what you're after, just reread the previous while making a really angry face and grinding your teeth.
MIKH did say he would send us WiP photos today in fact. If we receive them I'll post here.
Good news, your gift card shouldn't expire. If you have any issues using it we are really easy to get in touch with (lately).
To answer your second question, yes.
Fair enough. If you've answered this elsewhere, my apologies; I'd actually sort of forgotten until I saw this thread pop back up to the top. I'll hang on for a bit.
And another one, this time on the Morituri. Have to say, they don't really appeal to me visually so I don't own ant of them and therefore have never really paid much attention to their cards, but their skull effects look quite intriguing...
Yeah, morituri rules are definitely more appealing to me than their models, too. Nice that they're doing these articles, but they don't have quite the depth I was expecting. More intro than tactics IMHO.
I'm already getting some notes together, think I'll be able to expound on zephyri in the not-so-distant future...
Morituri has been my favorite to paint so far but I am a sucker for Egyptian themed stuff.
Eurayle and Leo have been rather intimidating so they sit unpainted for now. Last time I painted a lion in came out disney-esque/cartoonish.
Septimus and otho have been a dream to paint and they fairly beginner friendly.
Currently debating between a "realistic" color pallet vs a more fantasy for sereqet. My fantasy color pallet would be a teal (perhaps a little lighter) and a bright resilient red for accent at tips of the tail, claws and maybe part of the back. Going to airbrush the feet brown and make the color gradually turn into the teal-ish color.
Thanks for these, Nick - I know I can't be the only one who appreciates these nuggets of insight (and here's hoping the Hroka/Caho-Ta mess gets resolved for you guys soon - both had a ton of promise before MIKH flatlined them).
Any thought to producing an in-depth, professional looking battle report? I think it'd be cool to see RRG's super awesome pro-painted models in some action shots, but even better would be seeing the in-game strategy and reasoning of the guys who created Arena Rex.
Yeah, I'm glad to hear the interest in videos. We will produce in-house videos eventually, battle reports, intros to gameplay, and so on.
It's time consuming to do these well. Take for example our Kickstarter gameplay video, it took the better part of 20 days to produce. Even so I look forward to putting some new videos together. If you have any other requests just let me know.
I'm thinking of buying a couple starters to demo this game in my area.
Based on my limited knowledge from the 7 minute intro video and reading character cards, I think I can kinda tell how a couple factions play, but I'm not 100% sure. Are there significant distinguishing features in style between the factions? Is one a glass cannon, one defensive, one beat stick-y, etc? I ask b/c the first couple people I know I'll demo with prefer certain play styles, so I figure if I cater the demo to their tastes, then their interest in the game would have a greater chance to be piqued!
Thanks
Automatically Appended Next Post: Ahh, I see the tactica articles on the site now! It seems that is answering my question for the most part.
For those outside the US and put off by the cost of shipping this offer from Red Republic Games/Arena Rex is well worth considering
As a thank you to all our fans and supporters we are offering free worldwide shipping on all orders over $150! This offer lasts through Friday, October 9th.
OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote: For those outside the US and put off by the cost of shipping this offer from Red Republic Games/Arena Rex is well worth considering
As a thank you to all our fans and supporters we are offering free worldwide shipping on all orders over $150! This offer lasts through Friday, October 9th.
great incentive b/c my order I'd like to get would be just under $150. So I may as well get an additional model for free shipping and just pay slightly more.
But I don't think I'll order before 10/9 (coincidentally the same day I'm playing the game for the first time lol). It should be a permanent special deal!
UPDATE: New Zephyri gladiator: Hagal! He's not Anum (yet) but still pretty cool.
He has a helluva damage tree with TONS of options... For example, in a single attack he can do up to 11 (!) damage (comparable to Leo and Acerbus) or earn two favor (which only Hermes can match). Pretty badass.
I don't love the sculpt (something about his face is holding me back) but I like it quite a bit - well enough to buy him when I get a chance. And I think his art is pretty great - this new artist (Bagus Hutomo) has a style that complements a lot of the original art (Yasmine Putri's in particular) nicely. He's also based on their "gladiator face" contest winner, which has to feel pretty awesome for whoever that is.
spiralingcadaver wrote: Really fun looking rules, but also not wowed by the sculpt. I think the head's pose is a lot of it.
The more I look at it the more I agree that the head is the key. His whole stance reads as being pretty flat as it stands - if he was tweaked to be turned to the left more with his head angled back slightly (i.e. more like in the artwork) I think it would seem a lot more "in the moment".
rrg_nickp wrote: Mikh sent some WiP shots of Hroka I thought I'd share here.
With any luck we'll see more progress soon.
One quick question. When you all read or reference PDF rulesets do you prefer to print them out, view them on a computer, or a mobile device?
I was originally into option one, but more and more I do number three (and two, since they are more or less two parts of one whole IMO). That said, my preference is always for a physical rulebook, with the PDF as a supplement.
Hroka looks great too - thanks for sharing! MIKH is really pretty insanely talented... It's too bad he and deadlines (and general professionalism by extension) can't be better acquainted.
On the question, I'm usually on a computer when searching/referencing, and if there's anything I use a lot like a table or cheat-sheet, I'll print out the given page.
And yes, unless the book's particularly long and/or poorly organized (in which case digital searchability is paramount), I prefer printed.
Agree with this 100%. She's looking great, but Caho-Ta seems even more unbalanced and front-heavy than Leo. Not sure a simple pin in the hooves will do.
And thanks for sharing, Nick.
(Also, is there an ETA for Anum yet? Waiting to see his sculpt before placing my order...)
cincydooley wrote:Agree, Gomez. My Leo broke for the first time yesterday. Right at the ankle I always expected it to. :/
I actually drilled waaaay up into his ankle and have had no problems yet. That and the fact I accidentally mounted him on a 50mm base keeps me hopeful. *crosses fingers*
Piston Honda wrote:Incidents like that make you appreciate some more durable materials.
Relatedly, I just got my Blood Rage box in the mail and HOLY is the detail good for PVC. Like, almost as crisp in some places as any resin I've got. Is this the advent of a new age where we get great sculpts that can be punted across the room without breaking?
Agree with this 100%. She's looking great, but Caho-Ta seems even more unbalanced and front-heavy than Leo. Not sure a simple pin in the hooves will do.
And thanks for sharing, Nick.
(Also, is there an ETA for Anum yet? Waiting to see his sculpt before placing my order...)
ETA 1 month. The minis are in production as we speak. As soon as playtesting is through we'll print cards and release the mini
rrg_nickp wrote: One quick question. When you all read or reference PDF rulesets do you prefer to print them out, view them on a computer, or a mobile device?
I download PDFs to read on an iPad; without that, @d buy the proper printed book or print them out.
Although, for reading on a tablet (and especially on a phone), a proper ebook - Kindle or epub, I'm not fussy - format is much better. I can adjust the text size, there's no pointless margins wasting screen space and the same document works on a phone and tablet screen at different resolutions and aspect ratios. Sadly, not many publishers use the format; only GW and Osprey that I'm aware of.
I'm using Mago for another game as a counts-as model, thought I'd share the paint job that Ramos Asura of Rollin' All Ones did for it
Only change is the feathers color has been tweaked, and the basing is to match the rest of the army he's with (just fyi). He's going to take some names!
I know the Heresy guy said that whenever he had to do cuts on his dragon sculpt he'd inevitably have to do repairs where he'd cut. So I imagine it dies require skill not only to cut in the right places for mold optimization, but also to think ahead and not sculpt any details that will get cut through later.
She looks great. Pretty simple job once it's said and done - not sure why it took so damn long for MIKH to do it. Beyond that, I'm not really sure what to say. I actually never thought this day would come...
contest for some Arena Rex goodies (if you twitter) on the latest D6 generation, it's right at the start of the show and there are 3 prizes up for grabs
If I wanted to buy the starter sets for Morituri and Ludus Magnus (my two favorites), which additional purchases would you recommend to make sure I have enough minis for some good variety? I wouldn't get many chances to buy more minis since customs+shipping to Europe are pretty killer normally. Right now I'm thinking
Morituri Starter Tiet-Khebi Thoth Ludus Magnus Starter Septimus Viatrix
Based on the models I think are the coolest. This would give me five models per team. Is that not enough to get varied games? Should I add someone like Noxius who seems like he could go in any team? Or should I get six gladiators per team?
EDIT: Ok, so I just saw that you can mix and match any gladiators in your force, but using 75% from one faction would be advisable. So what about
Motituri starter Thoth ot Thieth-Khebi Ludus Magnus starter Septimus or Viatrix Legio XIII or Zephyri starter
This would give me 11 models for only a couple of bucks more than the 10 in the first list. I would have 4 models from Morituri and Ludus Magnus, which would give me 75% from those teams in any one game. Thoughts?
Automatically Appended Next Post: I posted about your sale in the Black Friday thread:
God, this has to be when I jump in... I might not get another chance like I said! Really love everything about this game, from the models to the compact rules to the small scale to the fact that it seems like it would be a PERFECT game for me to buy and bring to the club regularly, teaching everyone else how to play. Really looking forward to it. Will definitely try to show the whole club how awesome this game is
I'm happy to say Mikh has completed the Hroka sculpt.
We hope to have it with our caster in a week or two. Thanks to everyone for their herculean patience.
Gladiators are all about the show rather than accuracy, so even if she is from a tribe where that's the case if the 'public' thinks she should have a headdress, she's have a headdress
I think the headdresses could be argued to be for warriors. Therefore, gladiator=warrior, while nearly all real life tribes tended to avoid female warriors.
Full headdresses are a ceremonial thing not particularly worn in combat since, well, they're big and impractical. They're also not primarily recognizing combat achievements (could be awarded for lots of stuff, but that's far from the only deal).
Orlando has a reasonable expectation, assuming she's stepping outside of her culture for show or something.
I think the story is that she took up her boyfriend/husband/betrothed/whatever's horse/spear/etc. after he was killed in a raid and then ran off to join an Atlantean ludus. So, probably a bit of spectacle crossed with honoring her lost love.
Regardless, I honestly never thought I'd see this day. She looks great too. Huzzah!
Say I just ordered the Sereqet on the giant scorpion which is on back order, and Noxius- Do you think Noxius will be held until Sereqet is ready, or will they be shipped out separately?
Gomez wrote: @Nick: Any time frame on Anum? I remember you hinting that he might drop before the end of the year, but that obviously came and went... Thanks!
Thankfully the holiday was busier than we expected. Good news for Arena Rex, bad news for Anum's release. It won't be too long now. He ought to be out before Adepticon.
Hemmed and hawed over just using ugly proxies and not spending a hundred bucks on six minis, but then they had that sale :-)
Got the starters for the normal looking gladiators, the goofy ones are interesting but gotta go classic. An extra two guys per side and I think I'm good for starter armies. All the pics of peoples gladiator pits are neat, hope to have my own soon
Anum has finally been added to the ranks of the Morituri...
Here is the link to the AR webstore with his background, more views, and his card. I've been waiting for this guy ever since his art popped up last year, I really dig the concept and the model turned out pretty great - though I have to admit I'm a little disappointed that Seb Archer or Benoit Cauchies didn't scupt him, but only because they're my favorite AR sculptors.
He also adds a new cohort type: Bestiae. Looks like you can take Anum plus some Acerbus/Leo/Nero and have a viable, interesting group to fight with. (Also: tiger art spotted on the Bestiae card, so, yay! More animals!)
Now I need to rattle my hobby budget a little so I can get an order in for him and Acerbus...
@Nick: Any chance we can get at least one pic of the unpainted version of Anum? I really appreciate the chance to see the untouched version of the sculpts, but he doesn't seem to have one. Thanks!
So, this game has kind of come to my attention because of a partnership with Geek Nation Tours. I'm planning on going on their upcoming trip to Greece, and apparently we get a starter set of our choice for Arena Rex previous to the trip.
The game seems interesting, and I've read through the rulebook. It seems kind of like Guild Ball, if all the sports elements were dropped. How are the Morituri as a faction?
infinite_array wrote: So, this game has kind of come to my attention because of a partnership with Geek Nation Tours. I'm planning on going on their upcoming trip to Greece, and apparently we get a starter set of our choice for Arena Rex previous to the trip.
The game seems interesting, and I've read through the rulebook. It seems kind of like Guild Ball, if all the sports elements were dropped. How are the Morituri as a faction?
The most interesting element of the Morituri is the 'death effect'. Each gladiator has a skull ability at the end of their vitality bar. When they are defeated this ability is triggered. Though you can trigger any living gladiator's 'death effect' during a clear turn by spending 2 Favor. When you build a Morituri cohort you are also designing a spell list of sorts.
Here is the Morituri ludus benefit card for reference:
Their abilities are a bit more of a balancing act than others.
But they are super fun to play.
Ur-Kek and Tiet-Khebi are pillars in my group.
Tiet has above average speed and a great attack pool. Her ability of gaining favor when she kills a gladiator is just gravy.
Ur-Kek is slower than a 3 legged giraffe but deals a lot of damage in very few success down the damage tree and can push up to 3 inches with just 4 success. Pushing is one of the most vital aspects of the game if you are playing with pits or "ring of fire".
He also has an ability to draw gladiators to him instead of other units and can potentially heal, making him a damage sponge.
Looks like a SUPER useful fighter. That 6-6-2-2 line is solid, Momentum is a great support skill, and Shelter is just awesome to help buff Assist Reactions.
Not really a fan of the Morituri aesthetic but I'm interested to see how his miniature turns out.
Love how he looks, personally. Obviously the same style of gladiator as Urbicus but with Egyptian influence. Think I might be getting a small Morituri group together after all - Khepros and Anum for sure, and maybe Zahra or Tiet Khebi to round things out.
So, RRG posted this not too long ago - "laser-etched product labels" for Adepticon. I didn't notice at first, but someone on their Facebook page pointed out the name "Valen" on the bottom of the third column, with the Legio XVIII icon next to his name. Based on his price ($18) he should be in the Field of Mars, but otherwise no news about who he might be - info. should come out soon as Adepticon is just around the corner.
I'm in the same boat as you guys - not attending Adepticon, but loving the look of those black and gold dice...
Speaking of Adepticon, RRG posted this
which shows off their booth setup. You can see what their retail packaging looks like, their demo arena, and their line of miniatures - all painted. That means guys like Leo and Septimus/Nero who have thus far only been shown off in bare resin should have painted versions popping up soon. Also, no sign of that "Valen" on the retail racks with the other Legio XIII team.
Finally they also announed this:
Looks like this weekend I'll be making that order for Anum, Acerbus, Hagal, and Euryale I'd been putting off.
15% off? Perfect timing then - I ran a demo game at my local club last week and it seemed to go down pretty well. I shall direct interested parties to their web store..
The sale was enough to convince me to grab the rulebook and the Ludus Magnus starter (a shame that it's out of stock as the sale's going on), and a friends grabbed both the Legio XIII and the Morituri starters.
Now I need to decide if I want Legio XIII or Morituri from the Geek Nation Tours trip...
So, I ran across this the other day - a 3 v. 3 demo game from Adepticon run by Walker, one of the RRG guys. It's nothing revolutionary for those of us who are already fans and play the game, but for someone who's just looking to get started it seems like it would be really helpful. Also worth noting, it sounds like AR was extremely well received at Adepticon and ended up selling out of most of their stock while there, so that's cool (though it also means that when I went to finalize my new order online last night both Euryale and Anum were sold out).
Also, TTGN posted a bunch more photos of the AR models:
and I have a local friend who did not pledge for this but loves the rules of Arena Rex, so I may even be able to use them for the game they're intended for 
defense roll). Because Noxius had Exhausted himself to do that damage, that meant Micon was able to push the scrappy slave four inches (three from his damage tree plus one freebie due to Noxius being Exhausted) toward the pit then hoist him up and Atlas Throw him into the pit. So not only did Noxius die but Micon scored FOUR Favor: two due to Noxii (whoever kills Noxius gets it), another because he died due to a terrain hazard, and one more for having an unapplied net success on his damage tree (Ludus Magnus passive ability). This was the point where D started piling up Favor (he got up to six here) and I was scrambling to keep even one or two on deck, which tilted the battle.
It should be a permanent special deal!
