Miniatures
We have had a problem with miniatures, and it is one we recognised quite some time ago. Mongoose is a publishing company that does miniatures. Compare this to, say, Games Workshop, who have always said they are a miniatures company that does games. The difference in approach is much greater than the semantics suggests.

Overall, we produce very good miniatures games. A Call to Arms has a tendency to snag anyone who tries it, and that is a trait shared by Mighty Armies, Starship Troopers and Victory at Sea. We target our game systems at ‘post-GW’ gamers, as we call them, those who have been brought into miniatures gaming by the Big G, but have since left that side to find something with an ounce more complication and strategy. Just an ounce, mind – simplicity is still a watchword in our mechanics. In this regard, we are quite happy to stack our games against of their rivals.

The issue we have had in the past, though, is that, as a publisher, we focus on the game – not necessarily the miniatures. We have plenty of miniatures gamers working at Mongoose, but the number with any decent artistic talent, or even just an artistic eye, can be counted on one hand. Add to that, in the past, their influence on miniatures has been marginalized, for one reason or another. That is now changing.

We now have new techniques involved in the sculpting process (all our Call to Arms ships, for example, are now designed by computer rather than physically sculpted), and we are looking to introduce rapid-prototyping into several new areas – this is actually a very exciting field, with new technology entering the market all the time. It will not be long before Adrian can design a new model, and then ‘print’ it out at his desk. We also (now) know which of the traditional sculptors can walk the walk. In short, we have gained a vast amount of experience, mostly from doing what you should never do! Still, they say that is the best way to learn. . .

It will be part way through 2008 before we have a fully-fledged miniatures department in Mongoose that runs as smoothly and efficiently as our publishing arm, but the groundwork is already being laid, with revised systems for creating a new miniatures line, greater input from our artistic staff, and tighter integration between game design and the miniatures that run alongside it.

Which brings us on to pre-painted miniatures. In one way or another, I still believe they are a significant part of the future of the miniatures hobby and, watching what other companies are bringing out, I am by no means alone. However, having gone through the baptism of fire in pre-paints thoroughly, I am also convinced that no one has got it strictly ‘right’ at the moment.

We all know a well targeted collectible (that is, random pack) miniatures game can work. It can also go disastrously wrong, but the basic model is sound, and it is one we have looked at for some projects. However, the goal (for us) has always been to produce a battle (not skirmish) level game ‘replacement’ that uses pre-paints throughout its range that offers everything a ‘traditional’ wargame does, minus the modelling and painting – and that is what no one has yet cracked.

Such a game has got to go beyond small skirmish level, and it must feature models that are of better quality than anything that has been mass-produced thus far, there must be a far greater range in poses, and the models must be cheaper. These last points are fundamental ones. If there is going to be a large movement towards pre-paints, they cannot just match the current bare metal/plastic ranges – they must beat them, in both quality and price. Only then will the ball start rolling.

Now, we know we can produce the right kind of game. The trick at the moment is fulfilling the quality and variation criteria without impacting on price. In a way it is the old argument with a slight twist; quality, variation, price – pick two.

There are ways round this, and we will be returning to pre-paints, though it will not be until the end of 2008 at the earliest, and more likely 2009. We will also likely be doing it in collaboration with another company, but more on that later.

So, where does that leave our current lines? Well, Mighty Armies left the Mongoose stable in a move to Rebel Miniatures this year, and it went with mixed feelings on my part. The game was always a good one, and had a great deal of potential (always fancied doing an Ancients version of it), but other projects always seemed to take precedence. At least with Rebel, fans of the game will continue getting the support they craved.

A Call to Arms
The second edition of A Call to Arms has proved exceptionally popular, building on the successes of the first. A year in playtesting was well spent, and the current rules set offers greater options for players, while bringing play balance into a very narrow and tightly defined line. In short, it is a game we can really build upon.

We will be releasing just one rules book for B5: A Call to Arms every year, usually around summer, with the first being Powers & Principalities. We are still working out the contents of this tome, but you can expect to see new ships (such as the Omicron light cruiser for EA Crusade fleets and the Vorlon Frigate), new fleets (we already have draft lists for the Hyach and Ipsha), as well as a wealth of new rules such as fighting in hyperspace, maybe a new rules sub-system for fielding massive fleets, and a few other bits and pieces we have had in the works for a while. . .

You can expect to see new models from Powers & Principalities begin appearing in Signs & Portents throughout the first half of the year.

Other books will be added to the range but, in keeping with our promise, none will be required to keep up with the latest rules. The first is the B5: A Call to Arms Painting Guide, written by Adrian and featuring some of his superb models. This will be an absolutely stunning book filled with gorgeous models, and lots of handy tips – whether you want to paint like Adrian or put together an entire fleet on Saturday morning so you can play in the afternoon. This treat will be appearing in March.

The next phase for this game is to ‘deprovincialise’ it, by introducing two new, different settings. We have already proved that the basic game system works in other genres (such as Victory at Sea), and there is plenty more we can do with space combat outside of Babylon 5. The first, provisionally entitled Emergence, charts Mankind’s first manned explorations into the Solar System, where the supernations of the Earth compete for territory and resources. It is a great deal lower tech than Babylon 5, and we are working hard to give each nation a distinctive ‘look’ with some really nice miniatures. We are aiming to make the fleet lists compatible with those in Babylon 5, allowing you to switch between the two settings at will.

We have also just started negotiations on another licensed setting for A Call to Arms, one that will feature some awesome space battles, spread across several different fleets. Even though it uses the same rules as the current CTA, this game will play very, very differently. The technology in this setting is. . . different to that in B5!

This is something we spotted when ‘messing around’ with WotC’s Star Wars spacecraft, converting them for the CTA rules. Even though many of the rules stayed the same (fighters, shields, Double Damage, and so on), the different emphasis they had on the game made for a very different experience. Rebel fighters were the craft delivering the knockout blows, for example. while their capital ships ground away at Star Destroyers. Imperial fighters were there simply to stop the Rebels craft, while their big ships were the ones that caused the main destruction – all very different from Babylon 5, and these experiments are what made us realise how much ground the core rules could cover.

And no, Star Wars: A Call to Arms is not something that you will find in the shops. However, if you come to one of our open days, you might just see a very limited run, not-for-sale hardback floating around the office. Another benefit of having your own printing facility.

Emergence has no solid release date planned, though we are currently looking at the end of 2008 – that said, it could easily be leapfrogged by the ‘other’ setting, which I think some gamers will be prepared to kill for. . .

Victory at Sea
The surprise hit of 2006 became the continued surprise throughout 2007, with gamers snatching up the core rulebook with glee, eager to re-fight the sea battles of WWII. By the time you read this, the first supplement (Order of Battle) will just be shipping, which completely revises aircraft, adds new rules for coastlines and shore batteries, and gives you more ships than you can shake a dead turbot at.

That is not all we have planned for the system, however. There are already working drafts of World War I and American Civil War versions, both of which will see print throughout 2008, and there are the beginnings of an age of sail edition, though there are currently arguments raging as to whether it should support the Napoleonic era or feature pirates! We could do both, of course – but then which one comes first?

Victory at Sea has already sealed itself as one of our second tier games, receiving regular support in the form of both supplements and articles in Signs & Portents, and it looks set to continue as such for a good few years yet. We have, at this time, no plans to do miniatures for any of the Victory at Sea games ourselves as, with the likes of Navwar, there are already huge ranges of good quality miniatures available.

Battlefield Evolution
Oh, you long suffering fans of Battlefield Evolution. Truly you know pain!

Anyone who has stuck with this game through thick and thin knows what it has to offer. Quick and easy play, fast and lethal firefights, plus scalability that allows the game to span infantry, armour and aircraft. With this base, we are not going to let the game slip from our fingers. However, there were certain issues that had to be addressed, most of which are tied into the pre-paint problems I listed above.

So, what can you expect?

Well, we got a phone call shortly after wave 3 had been released. A bunch of guys in a far off country had seen the Battlefield Evolution range and liked them so much, they told their marketing guys that they just had to get us on board to do games and models based on the projects they were working on.

Now, those of you who have been following Battlefield Evolution’s progress on our forums will know we have been placed under an NDA with regards to this new phase in the game’s development. . . and that NDA is still under effect. We had hoped that this situation would finally be resolved by the time the State of the Mongoose went out, but ‘twas not to be. There are, unfortunately, still some legal wranglings to iron out. However, we’ll tell you what we can now.

Battlefield Evolution will meld into a series of new games, all compatible with one another and the original Battlefield Evolution. They will all be based on the varied products of our new partner-to-be. We are currently looking to kick off with the first in the second quarter of 2008, featuring extremely high-tech armies waging war, but we are already talking about adding other related titles that will be appearing in the near future.

What this means is that you will have a variety of ‘settings’ (or perhaps ‘theatres’ is more appropriate) that you will be able to keep ‘pure’ by using the units featured in each game, or you can begin mixing them. For example, you might find that terrorists in [insert major American city here] are proving a bit much for the unit normally assigned to deal with them – so, take a squad from one of the other games, and see how the terrorists fare against a frontline military unit. Or perhaps the terrorists are getting beaten on a regular basis, so swap them out for a unit from an army of the future.

Each game will be completely compatible with the others, and units will be able to move freely between them (they will also include everything you need to use your current Battlefield Evolution units, thus giving current players a healthy head start in each game). However, we will also be taking the opportunity to tweak the system to reflect the scale of warfare being played out. For example, the game that features larger armies will play a lot like Battlefield Evolution does now. Those concentrating on smaller actions, on the other hand, will have a slightly more sophisticated firing and damage system – however, both games will include all the rules you need to use units from one in the other.

In conjunction with our partner-to-be, we have a two phase plan for these games. The first is to produce games strictly for the hobby games market – the majority of the miniatures will be bare metal, you will be building your own terrain, and the rules will have plenty of ‘bite’ for veteran gamers. In short, ‘traditional’ wargames. Phase two will leverage the strengths of our partner-to-be to produce a mass market pre-paint series of games, complete with starter sets and booster packs of new units – everything we envisioned for Battlefield Evolution, but with a far, far wider reach. That will come later.

In the meantime, prepare yourself for some absolutely vicious firefights.

There. Think we have managed to avoid violating any NDAs. You know have all the details except the ‘flavouring’ which, sorry to say, is the one thing we cannot reveal yet. Still, keep checking back, as we are hoping to be able to fill in the blanks very soon.

Starship Troopers
We have always said that Starship Troopers and Battlefield Evolution were tied – what happened to one would happen to the other. It made sense, as the pre-paints from one game would lead on to pre-paints for the other. This decision was made all the easier by an interruption in the licence (a debate over the licence erupted up in Hollywood - nothing to do with us, though Mongoose got caught up in it) that effectively closed the door on any new development for over a year – this was why releases suddenly stopped, though we could not say anything about it at the time (though if you do some digging about, it is now a matter of public record)!

A while ago, when the licence issues were finally resolved by the lawyers (and we got a few more years bolted on to the licence in compensation), we decided to break the chain between the games, and let Starship Troopers fly on its own – as it always deserved to do.

The game will be re-released this summer, fitter, leaner, and with at least 75% more bug-kicking action! It will not be the Evolution rules set we have already previewed, but something much closer to the first edition, with a couple of Evo ideas thrown in for good measure. For example, we have had a lot of success with the ‘one reaction’ rule, and that looks like it could stay. We will be swinging completely the other way in terms of background information, however, with far more setting detail planned for the new game. There will be a return to army lists, rather than unit cards.

Starship Troopers will be taking advantage of the new systems we have laid down for the development of miniatures, outlined earlier, and we have drafted a long term fan of the game who has proven a critical eye – David Wiggins, known as ScipioAmericanus on our forums – to lend a hand on development of the new game. Alongside the regular commentary we will keep on our forums, Starship Troopers will become much like A Call to Arms has – a game truly for the fans and by the fans.

Most important, of course, will be the miniatures. Some of the old range will stay, such as the Warrior Bugs, Marauders and Exosuits. Others, such as many of the Skinnies, will be completely revised – added to these will be a new Brain Bug (no longer made of metal) and an absolutely stonking new Tanker Bug! Others will disappear altogether, to be replaced with all new units. And flying models, led by the Skyhook and TAC Fighter, will be released as close to the new rulebook as possible – the MI have waited too long for them! Fans have been wanting the airborne units since the game was first released, and so we have made them a top priority this time round. They will be the first of the new models to be prepped after the Brain Bug. The Viking, in particular, is a model to absolutely die for, and will dominate the battlefield with its massive size!

Keep an eye out on Signs & Portents throughout the first half of 2008, as we preview the new models and rules of Starship Troopers, and also for ties to the Starship Troopers RPG, now powered by the Traveller rules set.

There is one other thing lurking on the periphery of the Starship Troopers universe. A dig through Adrian’s desk turned up some prototypes he had been working on – 6mm scale LAMI, Exosuits and Tanker Bug. Now, we have no solid plans for such a mass battle game but the models. . . do look good. Something to watch for, perhaps in 2009 or 2010. We’ll preview the first sculpts on Planet Mongoose once they had had a lick of paint, and we’ll see what you all think.

Other Games
Our R&D guys always have new projects in the works, of course. Ian Barstow has been leading World at War (working title) as a private project of sorts. 28mm based, this game brings the Battlefield Evolution rules to the battlefields of World War II – as with Victory at Sea, no miniatures are planned for this line, but we will be very interested in seeing how people take to this game. A great deal of work has already gone into this project, so expect to see it sometime around May.

For my part, I have been tinkering with something provisionally titled V-Max Racing, which may make an appearance in Signs & Portents as a free game before we give it the full green light (much as Victory at Sea did). Think of high speed hover vehicles loaded with armour and weapons, somewhere near the end of the current Century. Now put them on a race track in a wide range of defined leagues, thundering along at 400 mph through twisting circuits, dodging obstacles, while shells explode around them. Each skimmer can be heavily modified, with launch control systems, new weapons, reactor upgrades, military-spec targeting systems. . . the list is almost endless – and yes, many of these mods will be reflected on the actual models, with players able to get hold of ‘booster’ packs from specialist modification firms.

Adrian has been playing around with some concepts for these skimmers, taking basic design features, and then adjusting them to fit the style of specific manufacturers. So, for example, a skimmer from Italian manufacturer De Lucca will all have some common elements that mark them as the finest skimmers money can buy; long, sleek, agile. Those from British company Aston Greaves will be more like shire horses with Merlin engines, big brutes yet still highly desirable. Germany is represented by Kleinvogel and Japan by Fujimoto, while the US has both Bell and Universal Dynamics producing some extremely powerful machines. We even have Malaysian and Swedish manufacturers sketched out, though we’ll have to see if they make the final grade when the game is released.

We are aiming to make the models as visually appealing as possible, so this is one to look out for. All you need to play will be one skimmer and the rulebook, or you can dive right in and create an entire team and run it through a whole season of racing. We even have Jeremy Needall from the Top Thrust news channel giving his own special in-depth reviews on each skimmer (though that idea may not make it into the finished draft!).

At the moment we are still playing around with the designs of the skimmers, though the core rules are pretty much laid out. Look for this one later in 2008, unless Adrian suddenly has a spurt of inspiration!

Finally, there is Gangs of Mega-City One, a game that found its niche among both Dredd fans and those interested in skirmish games of gang warfare. We will still be publishing the occasional article in Signs & Portents for this game, but our eyes are currently looking at other events in Dredd land. As with the roleplaying game, once these come to light, we will be going at a Dredd miniatures line full bore, likely with a revised game that places more emphasis on the Judges themselves.
_________________
Matthew Sprange

Mongoose Publishing
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com

Kid_Kyoto wrote:Executive summary: Resculpts for many figures, achnowledgement their stuff was not always the best.

Agamemnon2 wrote:I wonder what a comparable document from GW would read.

Most important, of course, will be the miniatures. Some of the old range will stay, such as the Warrior Bugs, Marauders and Exosuits. Others, such as many of the Skinnies, will be completely revised – added to these will be a new Brain Bug (no longer made of metal) and an absolutely stonking new Tanker Bug! Others will disappear altogether, to be replaced with all new units. And flying models, led by the Skyhook and TAC Fighter, will be released as close to the new rulebook as possible – the MI have waited too long for them!

We will still be publishing the occasional article in Signs & Portents for this game, but our eyes are currently looking at other events in Dredd land.