Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

[EDIT] Looking at our feedback from a few different sites, we want to change the name of the factions and possibly the game. Feel free to post any ideas for names of factions, etc. If we select a name that you suggested, we will send you a free model or squad from that faction when they're released!

Hi everyone,

The members of Lazuli Painting (soon to be Lazuli Studios) are working on our own skirmish miniatures game, World in Ruins. World in Ruins is a post-apocalyptic science fiction skirmish combat game. In a world destroyed by nuclear war and ravaged by plagues, there are a few remaining factions still fighting to save the world, or destroy it. Armies consist of between 10 and 20 infantry models and a few vehicles.

The Team:

Project Leaders:
Nam Nguyen ([So]Rice) and Billy Pistole (elotsip)

Miniatures Sculptors:
Alex Huntley and Maxime “Morback” Pastourel

Concept Artists:
Nina Roloff, Nam Nguyen ([So]Rice) and Fraser McGinlay (Wyrmalla)

Graphic Design:
Joe Gutierrez

Background:
Fraser McGinlay (Wyrmalla)

Rules:
Tom Pistole

Feedback:
Derek Anderson, Patrick Doty, Kenneth Chipman, Ryan Clarke, Brian Tanner, Ignacio Brizzo

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND

[Q]The world is gone. War has torn it apart and destroyed it. Bombs fell, buildings toppled, cities burned, and civilizations were annihilated as weapons of unseen power wrecked havoc across the globe. Titanic ships roamed the seas and giant planes thundered through the skies. The Earth rumbled, the land shook, and the oceans raged as fire fell from the skies. Over two thousand years of human progress was reduced to ruin.

Entire cities were leveled with thermo-nuclear weapons; the number of survivors was further reduced due to plagues and epidemics that developed in the toxic miasma. The landscape of Earth is barren, polluted by chemicals from the war. The forests not burned by bombs have developed into inhospitable, toxic jungles. Rivers are filled with acid and little sunlight penetrates the layer of ash in the sky.

The devastation was total, the planet doomed to extinction. It seemed impossible that anyone could survive. But out of the ruins, fragments of a few proud empires continue to wage their perpetual wars among each other. [/Q]

Short story:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/432383.page

THE FACTIONS

The Lazarian Empire is a collection of fragments of the most advanced pre-apocalyptic countries banded together to rebuild the world. The Lazarian Empire is highly militaristic and possesses well trained and well armed soldiers. However their numbers are few and they are consequently outnumbered by their enemies.

Direct opposite of the Lazarian Empire are the Culists. They are a group of fanatics united under one banner to finish the destruction of the world believing that only in complete destruction of the Earth can the world be rebuilt. The Cultists harness the powers of radiation and psionic powers to wage a perpetual war against the world. Experimenting and exposure to such powers is dangerous and many have become twisted and changed, their forms no longer humanoid. What this faction lacks in sophisticated war gear, they gain with mystical powers and strange creatures.

The country of Dorok is the largest military strength left in the world possessing the majority of world’s tanks and bombers. Dorok is still committed to its wartime goals, to control the world. The entire population of Dorok exists only to fuel its mighty war machine and expansionist empire. The technology in Dorok is mainly obsolete, its giant walkers and heavy tanks are slow to mobilize, but the combined power of the Dorokan army is capable of leveling mountains.

The Taleesh Guardians are an intelligent defense system developed by a pre-apocalyptic nation. Seeing their destruction at the hands of the Dorok Empire, the most advanced minds of the the Taleesh Republic developed a self-aware Artificial Intelligence to make up for its dwindling troops. The Taleesh Republic was annihilated during the war, but a few of the robotic factories survived. Only the leaders of the Taleesh Republic knew how to terminate the Artificial Intelligence systems and they are all dead. The Taleesh Guardians are still programmed to fight the enemies of the Taleesh Empire and wage war on all factions to defend a non-existent empire and gather resources to produce more machines.

Art and Sculpts

Here are some teasers of the art and sculpts:

Sounds promising. I would suggest working on your faction names though. None of them jump out as particularly catchy or interesting. I'm not sure if you are going for a post-apocalyptic earth or something else but the names just don't grab me.

The Lazarian Empire

The Technocratic Empire.
The Technocratic Alliance
The Illuminariad (Yes, it's a nod to the Illuminati)

The Culists

.
The Cult of Tomorrow aka The Tomorrowists

The country of Dorok

Affiliated States of North America
Allied States of North America
Federated States of North America
Affiliated States of America
Allied States of America
Federated States of America
Federation of Allied American States
The United American Territories
The American Federated Territories
Allied Federated Lands of the American Continent

The Taleesh Guardians

If you're basing this on Earth (you've referenced Earth a few times, so I'm presuming you are), then you should revamp the whole background of this, IMO. It resembles no country in the world. Instead, imagine it as a fictionalized corporation that designed and created AI with the intent of militarization. Now that the company is defunct, the machines are taking over (think: Skynet). As a result, it wouldn't have an official name. Rather, it would just be referred to as (a) whatever the humans call it or (b) the name of the company that created the AI. Machines don't really care what you call them. LOL

New World Intelligence
New World Creations
Advanced Robo-Mechanical Synthetics Corporation (ARMSCORP)
Simulated Intelligence Incorporated (SimTel)



Eric

For a different take on the name, how about "Ruinworld" .. same as before, just backwards

Concepts look great so far

Sorry if this is a bit rude (or pretentious), but I gave your initial bit of story telling a bit of a draft to give it a little more oomph. Exscuse if its a bit crappy, and its probably going off with a whole load of themes that your not setting out to cover, but here's just my take on what you were putting across with it. ^^'

The world that we knew is gone. The old civilisations cremated in flames of their own insightment...

A status quo had arisen. Each nation fearful at striking out at its fellows for fear of retaliation, of mutual anilation. But in one instant the balance had crumpled. Not one of them wishing to stand down, to be subjigated, to be incinerated alone. Cities burned as a sea of atomic fire of weapons swept across the globe. The last, greatest and most horrific war machines of humanity's devising arose from their silos to the lay Earth to waste in the name of conquest. Fire fell from the skies as man launched its greatest and most futilily last wars. In an instant two thousand years of human achievement was reduced to ruins.

Those who were not erased in that instant of thermo-nuclear fire were left to waste away in the world that man had created. New plagues, born from the infernal cocktail of biological weaponary that had fallen, swept across the continants, murdering without quarter, and leaving those that resisted their effects forever changed. The land was polluted beyond restoration. No crops that man had ever known would be brought forth anymore. Those forests that had not burned amidst the flames grew into inhospitable toxic jungles of alien flora, where only the brave and insane would threat to enter. The sky, which had born the tools of man's destruction, was chocked with an unpenetrable, poisonous cloud of ash and sulfur which spewed a constant hail of acidic rain that crippled all those that dared to remain upon the surface.

Devastation was total. Extinction befell the earth as had been predicted. But complete destruction had not befallen humanity entirely. Amidst the skeleton's of his glory man survived. Shaped by brutality and chaos of the new world he had risen once more. Had survived to resurface, to reclaim the ravaged Earth as his own. Survived to rebuild the old Empires and create idealogogies anew. That had survived to bring war upon his brother afresh.

...and to begin the perpetual tread towards extinction once more...

My comments on tah factions:

The Lazarian Empire: Name wise I'd say go for something emphasing the coalition or the location of the countries that have joined together to form this pact. Thinking of the Manga Eden (which happens to follow a similar plot) you have the remains of the superpowers forming together and calling themselves The Propator Federation, whilst the rest of the world is called Agnostia (agnostics being those who don't believe in the true faith, or the semi dystopian superpower that had arisen). I don't know if you want to follow the whole religious subtext thing with your factions, but the idea that the fanatics are actually called non believers by those that see themselves as the only hope for humanity might be a bit of a kicker (and Agnosians sounds cool to me ^^).

The Fanatics: Seem fair enough to me. ^^ Maybe add in some fluff about them being made like they are originally by screwed up biological weapons used in the war. The first few got messed up in the head a little, but became like prophets in those areas that didn't have any semblance of authority (especially so because they may have developed strange powers, etc, despite their physcial mutation as well). Metro 2033 handles the topic of mutation from chemical warfare pretty well if your looking for some reading material on the subject. (I'm thinking The Reavers -also cultists- from Fallout:Tactics with the concept for these guys too)=P


The Country of Dorok: I'm a litle at odds with it being called a country as well, to a reader "empire" really strikes you as a strong force, whereas country seems entirely inferior to this. This may be your intention, youknow everything's turned around in this new world. Maybe combining the background of this with the Lazarian empire and creating a new third faction that's made up of those who don't want to be part of the empire instead might be an idea? The empire is slowly expanding and taking over territories, taking away their freedom, but giving them security. Thus you've got those who bend the knee to them, and the others who'd rather rule themselves and not follow the idealologies of those that lead the world to be the way it is not.

The Taleesh Guardians: ....Really taking a lot of inspiration from Eden now aren't cha? Sounds good too. Are they still developing new tech, and thus are outpacing the already slightly backward other factions? This would either mean that you'd have some slightly busted up robots with field repairs, or in contrast to the other forces, relatively new looking technology (not to say that the most powerful factiosn shouldn't not be producing new tech, though at a much slower pace). Perhaps the use of energy weaponary too would provide a nice contrast?

But yeah, not to force you or anything, but based on the art style and background you really aught to read up on Eden:its an endless world! . Sorry if any of that was a bit pretentious or anything. =)

Thank you all for your input. I have edited the description with some of Wrymalla's ideas. The faction names are not yet decided except the Lazarian Empire.

Here is some nice fiction written by Wrymalla:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/432383.page

Is Lazarian in reference to a name, ie say Michael' Lazarian, the man who united the remains of the world under his iron fist ("we're all Lazarian's people", ooh god complex) , or is it just a name that evolved in the world after the bombs and people started calling themselve's it? I'm guessing that it was just a cool name that you guys came up with for your superpower, and nothing to do with that old arcade game from the 80s.... =)

Lazarian could reference the biblical Lazarus who was risen by Christ from the dead. That Lazarus is never really mentioned before or after so what did he go on to do with his second chance?

What sets your game apart from all the other ones set in the same genre with the same factions?

I feel mutated jungle dwellers may end up as an additional army added through expansions or later editions.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I am currently working on a vehicle to inspire your Dorok models!

You may not be able to do this as may be late to do so, but a possible new faction;
In fallout they had mad stuff such as a group which worshipped nucleur radiation.
A new cult or osmething which has formed underground which worships an old train, one of the only trains left intact on the Earth. They believe that by repairing it, it can deliver them to a bright and happy new future.
Whatcha think? They could be armed with converted tech made from salvaged technology. Where their real power lies in the use of the converted Train Security Bots.
A group of robots designed to protect the metro now reprogrammed to serve the train cult.

Cultists = The hand of Hipocracy

Are you in any way familiar with Naussica of the valley of the Wind? It's an anime with a somewhat similiar theme/plot/world background, and a faction of outdated imperialists called the Dorok.

So many replies, thanks for all the feedback!

Wyrmalla wrote:Is Lazarian in reference to a name, ie say Michael' Lazarian, the man who united the remains of the world under his iron fist ("we're all Lazarian's people", ooh god complex) , or is it just a name that evolved in the world after the bombs and people started calling themselve's it? I'm guessing that it was just a cool name that you guys came up with for your superpower, and nothing to do with that old arcade game from the 80s.... =)

12thRonin wrote:Lazarian could reference the biblical Lazarus who was risen by Christ from the dead. That Lazarus is never really mentioned before or after so what did he go on to do with his second chance?

What sets your game apart from all the other ones set in the same genre with the same factions?

Lazarians comes from the Studio name Lazuli (the country is Lazaria). Lazarus from the bible was pointed out to me on BGG, I might incorporate it, but I have to decide if I want a biblical tie.

And to Ronin's second question: The models, the quality of them even surprised me, I have a lot more pictures of them to post. The rules mechanics are being worked on, but I can guarantee they will be something new

kshaw2000 wrote:I feel mutated jungle dwellers may end up as an additional army added through expansions or later editions.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

I am currently working on a vehicle to inspire your Dorok models!

Yes! The jungle is left in case we decided to do something completely "out of Earth." Would love to see the vehicle, please PM me when you have it done!

blood lance wrote:You may not be able to do this as may be late to do so, but a possible new faction;
In fallout they had mad stuff such as a group which worshipped nucleur radiation.
A new cult or osmething which has formed underground which worships an old train, one of the only trains left intact on the Earth. They believe that by repairing it, it can deliver them to a bright and happy new future.
Whatcha think? They could be armed with converted tech made from salvaged technology. Where their real power lies in the use of the converted Train Security Bots.
A group of robots designed to protect the metro now reprogrammed to serve the train cult.

The Culists are the ones that worship nuclear radiation. I don't have it clear but they have suffered mutations and have been able to grow monsters and demons with that power. The train idea sounds little too specific, but I might find a way to use it, thank you for the idea! The robot group is the Taleesh Guardians, The cult would be too strong in my opinion with robots.

Ratbarf wrote:Are you in any way familiar with Naussica of the valley of the Wind? It's an anime with a somewhat similiar theme/plot/world background, and a faction of outdated imperialists called the Dorok.

Yes, one of my favorite Miyazaki's! That is where the idea of the jungle came from and the destruction is kind of like the Seven Days of Fire. The Dorok Empire is a working name taken from that movie (will be changed later though ).

I have made the hull but cannot mount the weapons without them falling off.

ps it is base after a sentinel


Automatically Appended Next Post:
cultist, the servants of nature, the hand of force, the patriarchs of a new age.

forces of urula (dorok best I can do for a new name!), the unlikely warriors, the tools of trade, the last hope.

the lazarian empire, the last snippet of civallisation, those without doubt, the last of the worthy.

the taleesh gaurdians, loyal servants to an unseen master, the pawns of fate, the purifiers.

now do I get free models?

The cultists are a mixed group of survivors that have decided that the only way to bring peace is to complete the destruction of the human race. They are the ones left out to fend for themselves are as a consequence have suffered more than others who have been somewhat sheltered such as the Lazrians and Dorok. These are a mixed bunch of survivors. So are horribly mutated while other are mere mortals trying to survive and doing what they must in a desolate world. Some are ex-military from the lands that were ravaged worst of all yet somehow survived while other are ordinary folks pushed into extraordinary situations, others have suffered mutations that should have killed them long ago and still others have lost all sense and are nothing but mindless killers to be released upon the foe as fodder.

The one common thread is that they blame the surviving empires for their suffering and believe that they must perish for their pain and suffering to end.

I'm leaning toward the name being the Cult of Ruin, in reference to the title of the game. Thoughts?

Concept of a cult champion. Well what'cha think (other than crappy image quality that is). ^^

I think that rocks. Very cool and along the same lines as my thoughts.

The Lazarian Empire = The Lazarian Dominion

Culists = Brotherhood of the New Flesh

The Country of Dorok = Hegemony of Dorok

The Taleesh Guardians = Revenants of Taleesh

I really had to check your company name. Thought you were Defiance games http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/360/400806.page , one of the most recent companies combining the Space Nazis with gasmask standard with Maschinenkrieger clones for heavies. Just be aware that there have been a dozen companies with the same idea that are further along in their production of those.

A generic cultist, bar his rifle (which I think would look like a cross between an FN-FAL, the US variant, and an AK-103, with laminated wood stock).



Quickies. ^^

For your Cultists, I'm thinking "The Shriven."

You've mentioned that they believe that destroying the remaining civilizations is the only way to allow the world to be rebuilt...
Not really a huge twist from that to giving Mother Earth absolution (for Her crime of allowing humanity to be 'born') by destroying all her sins (the other factions).

-Vilegrimm

Vilegrimm wrote:For your Cultists, I'm thinking "The Shriven."

You've mentioned that they believe that destroying the remaining civilizations is the only way to allow the world to be rebuilt...
Not really a huge twist from that to giving Mother Earth absolution (for Her crime of allowing humanity to be 'born') by destroying all her sins (the other factions).

-Vilegrimm

As in from Gaunts Ghosts?

I was playing with the idea that they think that the world was born in fire, thus the war was meant to be the rebirth of the planet and the creation of a paridise or the like. Cept from some of the "Unenlightened" which damned the world to be reborn thought that they could survive the destruction of the world (by hiding away in shelters, or "burying themselves in the ash" as the cultist put it, referencing how these people are closer to hell than the ones that stayed above ground) and make it over into paridise, thus why a hell on earth was created instead for them. So the cultist think its their charge to scourge them from the Earth to bring about the end of the world so they can transcend onto the next one.

I'm just throwing out these ideas for people to latch onto. But yeah, I'm thinking there's a huge pseudo god thing going on with that faction. Whether the gods they worship are purely figuraitve, or are in actually people who transcended this world to be messengers of the new world (people who mutated into supermen and dictate the ways of the cult), is uknown to me; though I'm more inclined to the later.

No, it was more from my first Cawdor gang for Necromunda, who were bringing absolution to the Underhive, one ganger at a time!

-Vilegrimm

I'm getting more of a Scavvy/Redemptionist vibe from them. Those further into the cult, or lacking in sanity, fully into the whole purge the earth thing, whereas the vagnabonds, etc that have joined it are just into surviving (if they get to burn a couple of the people that forced them into the wilderness then all the better). Some groups are content to live in the squalor of the old cities, perhaps breeding armies of foul once men, or just burning a skyscraper or two as offerings to their gods. Others are more like bandits, raiding settlements either for loot or captives (to burn, eat in some cases, or for the breeding pens-think Dragon Age/Fallout), or just to harass those the unbelievers. Cruel world. =/

And more sketch spam. My initial ideas for what a Dorok trooper would look like. It conflicts a bit with the existing fluff, so I'm not sure on it, but what do y'all think? ^^

Kroothawk wrote:I really had to check your company name. Thought you were Defiance games http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/360/400806.page , one of the most recent companies combining the Space Nazis with gasmask standard with Maschinenkrieger clones for heavies. Just be aware that there have been a dozen companies with the same idea that are further along in their production of those.

+1 to this. The market is WAY over-saturated with Space Nazis in Gasmasks. I would recommend staying away from that particular cliche at all costs-it is just old and stale these days.

Really, the whole gaming market has way too many Post-apocalyptic/Grimdark games available, to the point where I will hazard a guess that, unless you guys can think of a way to set your game apart from the rest of the pack, it will have a heck of a hard time getting off the ground.

Just food for thought.

Edit: Oh, and I would say that the below thread, or really any other thread on any forum concerning Defiance Games, would be a good read for somebody wanting to delve into actually making and selling miniatures. It is always handy to have others' mistakes from which you can learn readily available.

Link > http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?325659-Defiance-Games-Alien-Wars/page9

_Tim?

@ Some_Call_Me_Tim?

I'd mentioned to [So]Rice that the Lazarians might need a bit of a rework, but it seems as long as they've got sculpts done at the moment for them its the other factions that should have the input. I know little of how the game's actually going to play, but I've made my suggestions. I was thinking that streamlining the existing stats system that skirmish games use and adding in some new ones could work. By this I mean adding things like a enviroment factor-how well troops are at dealing with things like radiation zones, ash clouds, etc- as well as a moral stat-which fluctualates based on a soldiers/enemies actions. When its low, like when a guy's just been turned to paste nearby, then he's more inclined to flee, or worse at shooting, whilst when its high-outnumbering, having a APC or heavy backing the squad up- then they can perform special actions or the like.

Penny for your thoughts on any of that?

Thanks for all the replies, I'm currently going through to see what ideas we would like!

Concerning the Lazarians, we had sculpts, but we are looking at rethinking how they are going to end up looking, I'll post as soon as possible!

I found great inspiration for cultists mutants!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBueQvWCK-g&list=UU-2CCBdJzNxZr9drLIpplZA&index=8&feature=plcp


Automatically Appended Next Post:
the taalesh http://images.wikia.com/darksporegame/images/b/bc/Meditron_the_Repair-Bot.png

dorok

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/032/9/0/Steampunk_spider_sculpture_5_by_CatherinetteRings.jpg

http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2007/10/30/steampunk-spider_54.jpg

A beast like that would be rarely seen by Lazarian and Dorok patrols, or at least would rarely leave survivors to report back. They'd exist in the depths of a dead city's (dead city being the name for those areas lost to the cultists, ref RAGE) metro systems. Thus they could well be met in special scenarios, but rarely be met int he surface battles that occur more often (its exceptional circumstances where a raid into the city's depth can be mounted, either because it would require many men and heavy armour, or that there's few enough insane enough to enter them as part of an elite team-though hell the later's an exscuse for an expansion). So yeah, Meat Beasts would be a cool edition, but they may be a little out of our sights right now (have to ask So(Rice) on that). For the above ground skirmish games you'd see brawny mutants and many smaller ones, but really the huge ones stay in the breeding zones or at the heart of religious areas.

I pictured the Taalesh as mech suits. Standing a head or above a man, with built up shoulders and recessed heads (like the robot Cherubrim from the manga Eden, though perhaps with a lighter build). It seems the art style's edging towards realistic aestetics, with a slight anime style edge to make it futuristic looking. Thus the military robots would have to be compatible with existing human technology and battlefield protocols and tactics. It may also be that they were only deployed on a limited basis, due to an worldwide economic collapse, and that their size made them comparible to men (whilst still being as easy to kill with the heavy weapons of the age).

As for the Dorok they're all about mass produced crudeness (like an Ak-47). I'd say that robots were available in the military for most developed countries by the time of the war, but they were difficult to maintain in most cases (sept for superior Japanese, Australian and Swiss builds). Thus the Dorok probably do have access to them, but they'd rather just chuck a load of humans at a target until it falls than robots. Its my thinking that neither the Lazarians or Dorok have much respect for machines. In cases it was just robots fighting one another in the more deadly conflicts, like on the radioactive plains western Europe were men were driven to fight underground, thus the men are distainful of them (if they weren't used then the war would have been over due to the attrition). Yeah....as far of the machines go I'm thinking background and aestethic wise their inspired by the novels; Germline, Eden: Its an Endless World! and The Penultimate Truth (for the post war group they created).

Update: my take on the Lazarian Soldier concept.


Can you name all the reference's I used? ^^'

Daaang Wyrmalla, [So]Rice should hire you, as your concept art skills (indeed, just your general art skills) are miles above the current concept artist he is using. Or are you already working with them?

Edit: Oh, and if you guys need a fiction/fluff writer, drop me a PM with a suggestion for something I could write up for your game and I will happily oblige with a short piece for free that you can use. That concept for the Lazarians Wyrmalla posted in the above post gave me some ideas for a storyline (if you guys do redesign the Lazarians, I hope you go with the hooded look Wyrmalla has drawn-it looks very menacing).

Best,
_Tim?