Q&A Session from today's discord transcript.
Roadmap of releases would be cool to start, where are we going from here in 2020?
A: We are having Thanes, Dragonslayers, Avatara, Lineage Highborne, Huscarls, Steelshaper and Flameforged in the immediate future
(and a book)... that is right a hardback rulebook.
A lot of players have been asking about starting sets. So we are releasing a number of bundles as we speak
From Warband level all the way to an army
Q: do you have any information you could give us about the potential playstyles of the next factions to be released?
Even just as an overview of design space?
A: Wahdrun overall tough troops, mostly focused around mid-game with A LOT of Monsters and cool dino cavalry
Q: Will the companion have rules and lore for just the 4 current factions?
A: @Vanguard Paranoidhawklet The Hardcover Rulebook will be divided into a Lore section and a Rules section. The Lore section will focus more on background, from Genesis to modern times, following world shaping events in history and pre-history. The Rules part will have the Rules of Engagement... with some additions :wink:
Q:1) Lorebook? Any plans for that? Especially about the different units.
2) Any chance to see more artwork from the upcoming races?
3) Painting guides? I think this is one of the most important to have. Giving new people to the hooby simple easy guides to follow will make them more eager to start working on their models
A: Yes want to do books with all the lore in the future. 2) We will be teasing when the time is right. 3) Yeah I agree and part of being this active on Discord and social media overall is to reach a point in which we can not just tutorials but also painting streams and video guides!
Q: Will characters have their own stands by themselves or will they now come with a three model retinue?
A: The character will be on their own stand with their retinue.
Q: I’ve noticed the QR code’s on the cards don’t work for me. Am I messing up or is that feature still in the works. Possible companion app?
A: @Demus Demus the QR codes work when you scan them through our Army Builder here
https://armybuilder.para-bellum.com/
Q: i dont know if anyone has asked yet but when are the dwarf and norse objective cards coming?
A: The cards will be coming out in the near future. However, competitive play will not include these cards. Eventually competitive play will allow you to customize your Secondary Objectives based on your Army list. So don't feel that you will be left out when it comes to tournaments.
Q: I havent had the chance to play against all faction currently to have a personal opinion but how balanced do you believe they are right now?
A: @Agar (Sasorijap) We see it from a very different point of view because we have played the game with all entries in mind. We see that right now meta is based heavily around released regiments and that of course is reasonable.
I believe that the game is slowly getting to a good point of balance.
Q: Thoughts on Warmachines for 100kingdoms at some point in the future?
A:@Vanguard Paranoidhawklet I can guarantee the the Hundred Kingdoms will have some monster bases at some point. Does that help?
Q: Has preorders been put on hold due to safety issues?
A: @Walter Releases have not been affected as much. It helps alot that we produce in house in the USA and that definitely working on our favor right now
Q: We have heard talk of these wadrun and angelic undead and people keep kicking rumors that these are supposed to start showing up on the table this year (summer and fall respectively) - is there anything solid in the 5th and 6th faction seeing ilght of day this year?
A: @Vanguard Auticus 2020 will see 5th and 6th.
Q: @CM_Leandros Now the game's out in the wild and you're seeing people play, if you notice army imbalances are you changing the release schedule to try compensate for that?
A: @BTJ - Dublin, Ireland Overall, we try to decide on new releases based on the rules and gameplay they bring on the table. So for example the first expansion for the Spires were the Marksmen as they didnt have any shooting. The 100K got steel Legion cause no Cleave and so on.
We are not compensating as the meta is to an extend affected in a way we expected
Q: assuming we cannot discuss the wadrun and undead issue i have asked about, when can we expect to see 1.03 version of the rules go online?
A: @Vanguard Auticus That is when the hard back rulebook goes out. Unlike miniatures we have to depend to 3rd parties for printed material and unfortunately the virus situation is being a hold-up there
Q: here's a question - i'm working on a tabletop simulator mod for Conquest so we can play each other, and get through this beer virus malarchy... is there any pushback from the company about doing such a project?
A: @Vanguard Auticus None whatsoever, you are more than welcomed to have fun with the game!
Q: Since we already have round bases how likely is to release rules for a skirmish version?
A: @Agar (Sasorijap) very?
Q: Should we expect retinue models this yeah? Also I'm assuming the rules for them will be in 1.03
A: @Vanguard Paranoidhawklet Yes, that is correct rules for them will be in 1.03, Retinue minis will follow soon after
Q: Are the Dweghom Drakes going to be a dual kit?
And on the topic of dual kits (since I like them and that means more units for us to play with) are there any Nord Dual kits coming within the next 3-4 months?
A: @Vanguard Paranoidhawklet The Dweghom drakes will not be dual kits, these things will be massive though with quite a few alternative bits!
We want to push some Nord dual kits up, this is yet to be determined. But we will be pushing some more stuff for them to come earleir
earlier* spelling is something that happens to other people
Q: What are some classic fantasy themes that you would love to see reimagined in Conquest through new armies?
A: @Agar (Sasorijap) Not halflings or gnomes. Anything else is fair game. Whether you've seen them so far or not, most fantasy tropes or monsters are incorporated, in our twisted, grim take, at least. I would actually turn the question back to you. What would YOU guys want to see?
Q: @CM_Leandros If the Drakes won't be dual kits - will they be compatible with one another so that we can use bits for one on the other with minimal trimming?
A: @Vanguard Corvus Actually alot of our kits are designed with interchangeability in mind so you wont be disappointed :slight_smile:
Q: @K.O. I would love to see Fae, true fae rather than elves, running the gamut across different folklore.
A: @Vanguard Corvus hmmm.... Well, let's see. Different variations of the myths will be seen in different ways. For the simplest, for instance, like whisps etc, we have actually posted something that teases that. On the What's New articles, the Lore articles, let's see what you can dig up :wink:
Q: I'm not sure if this has been announced, but would you be able to give an update on when we could expect a full organized tournament play packet?
A: @Vanguard Good Egg - England There is an escalation league that comes with the
OP kit. Tournaments will follow soon after
Q: @CM_Leandros oh actually, I did have a question Regarding the packets you were releasing.
Was there any plans for people to be able to order them if they are not a retailer. There are a lot of people in the
UK who play at gaming groups and don't have a
LGS to run these events through.
A: @Vanguard Good Egg - England Yes actually, Clubs can get in contact with me and make them officially sponsored. That way they can get the
OP sets and support!
Q:
@K.O. I'll go looking! I know that the Weavers are somewhat hinted to be a Conquest twist of Fae with the various seasonal courts. But throwing it out there so you know to maybe push them up in the release line-up? :wink:
A: @Vanguard Corvus All I can say is that we listen to you guys, when it comes to big and small decisions alike. This doesn't mean we will always deliver as you have asked/envisioned, but we do take community feedback seriously. Even with releases.
Q: @CM_Leandros any chance we'll see imperial rangers and Hunter cadre for the Hundred Kingdoms this year? On that note, does Double Time stack with Vanguard?
A: @Audun54 They might be sculpted and ready for production... You didn't hear it from me...
Q: Oh yeah we aren't getting through year 0 without having the Orders for Hundred Kingdoms right?
A: @Vanguard Paranoidhawklet That would be the plan
Q: @CM_Leandros in my case, my store outright refuses to carry conquest or support events, im thinking of reaching further with my facebook group "North American Conquest: The last argument of kings" and hosting events on a longer reaching scale, if i was to try this, could i register my group for a play kit?
A: @Vanguard Orcryst - ON, Canada Yeah I'll support you no worries. Send me an email and we can talk more about how to go about that
Q: Since you said a bit about the Wadrun, any playstyle info on the Old Domion? Or is that all super secret classified?
A: @Vanguard Paranoidhawklet The mechanic revolves around power distributed through numbers. The less the stronger
Q: @CM_Leandros Does this mean that as they take casualties, they get stronger so you have to really plan how you want to deal with them?
A: @Vanguard Corvus Yep yep... As you take casualties they will grow stronger. But there's a balance to be struck. Too many and you have board control but no staying power. Very few and you are strong but can't hold all objectives
Q: What the city states are gonna play like?
@Agar (Sasorijap) We will tease when time comes
Q: @CM_Leandros What can you tease about weaver playstyle? :wink:
A: @Vanguard Corvus Same with city states, we will start teasing later
Q: Does this mean that they will have an army specific special rule? Or will there be more universal rules arriving?
A: @Vanguard Paranoidhawklet Yes faction specific rules will start showing up same with Regiment specific rules
Q: Is it easy for you to change point costs ? Will you do it ? If yes, how often ?
A: @Silva It is but there are alot better ways to balance Conquest to be honest. Balancing a Regiment via its Class is also an option in this game.
Q: @CM_Leandros is there a plan to put all of the short stories into an easier to find area of the website?
A: @Heath - Vanguard - STL,
MO Yes, yes, and yes. I know you asked one thing but I want to emphasize. One yes for we are designing the Lore section anew. Second yes cause we are working on making the entire website and easier and more fluid experience overall. And third yes cause we're working on different ways to bring the stories to you.
This may take some time but hopefully not too much.
Q: Thoughts on possible Sub-faction abilities? Like if I want to run an entirely Underspire army getting a bonus to drones or Pheromancers or something?
Or if I just want to run an army of nothing but Theist Priests and Sicarii (and now Milita I guess) having some bonus?
A: @Vanguard Paranoidhawklet So, we want to get to the point in which sub-faction armies can be played
That means special rules and the whole thing
Q: You've mentionned that players might have an impact on the future of the game through events / campaigns.
Will this impact the lore ? The future units ?
A: @Chocossimo - France for the lore part, yes, yes indeed.
@Chocossimo - France Everything honestly. Impacting the lore by necessity impacts the world of Ea and in turn everything. New rules will come up etc. So there is a lot of stuff that can and will come out of this
Q: This is grand ! But I guess these events would impact all thé factions
A: Yes and no. Meaning, some campaigns would be world-shaping in a way, but the "little" stories, the "smaller" campaigns will also be there. Yet, in the end, add all the smaller changes and the world has changed before you know it :wink:
Q: A somewhat more difficult question, are there any units from the current 4 factions that we shouldn't expect to see by the end of the year?
A: @Vanguard Paranoidhawklet This is a hard question because there are a lot in each faction. Our main goal is to populate all the factions as fast as we can and that by necessity means we have to go wide rather than deep. I won't name Regiments but there are some that will not be out this year
Q: We just saw an alternative sculpt for imperial officer. Can we expect something similar for a noble lord on horse ?
A: @Silva Actually these sculpts were for the Drillmaster. One will be out to retail and the other is a Vanguard exclusive. Yes there will be alternative minis.
Q: @K.O. Speaking of campaigns: Will there ever be campaigns where the outcome of the winning faction will grant new units to that faction? And if so, would you guys take steps to ensure that no one faction continues to dominate in campaigns?
A: @Vanguard Corvus as Leo said, shaping the lore also means shaping both mechanics and releases. Leo is the guy to answer balance goals
Yes the way we have planned on doing it will ensure an overall balance. There are alot of things going on in Ea and alot of factions will be introduced that will practically make it hard for someone to dominate
without us having to intervene
Q: @CM_Leandros Any teasers on how the retinue of each of the currently released factions will vary from one another? Will the retinues be universal within faction or will each character have access to different retinue characters?
A: @Vanguard Corvus So there are faction specific retinue rules. And yes characters will have access to different options
Q: @CM_Leandros So, there's a bunch of releases up for pre-order. Can you tell is what the next set of releases will be?
A: @BTJ - Dublin, Ireland We will be teasing that soon
:slight_smile:
I have mentioned before that there are alot coming including Huscarls, avatara, lineage highborne, flameforge etc
Q: On that note, will the retinue system effect Brute/Calvary Characters any? Will they be made stronger to balance out their lack of retinue?
A: @Vanguard Paranoidhawklet Whover has no access to retinues has new upgrades and special abilities. Access to retinue is thematic, so not all infantry characters have retinues
Hive Fleet Hercual - 6760pts
They are sooo squishy, the Ugrs charging but getting utterly wiped on the counter-attack made me 
