AJAX-CHASSIS EXO-FRAME

June 19, 2017

“It is a great honor to pilot such a deadly piece of our history.” –Terry Bandwidt, Ajax Pilot Recruit

Saint Joan’s search to fulfill Isaac’s final words evolved from a strange and vengeful vision quest to a segmented journey from one hidden cache of technology to another. Following outcast rumors, translated texts, and the gasped confessions of the viciously interrogated, her travelling warband uncovered thousand-year-old samples of what the United Worlds had to offer when it was still in control of Attr. Most of these items are broken, decrepit, and little more than potential research for technicians to pore over in the future, but every so often, something is unearthed that is a truly wonderful echo of the planet’s past.

Deep in the dusty bowels of an ancient NorTec facility, half-buried by time and swallowed by the eastern salt and sand, Joan revealed an entire long-storage subfloor devoted to the powerful mechanical suit that Isaac himself rebuilt to serve him – the Ajax’s Might battle armor. While it took Isaac months to track down all the parts and components to build up his unique powersuit, this facility had dozens of them lined up in protective shells and in various states of construction or repair! Saint Joan knew while this would be a major breakthrough for Saint Isaac’s weaponsmiths, somehow this was not what Isaac’s dying statement meant. She was heartbroken, adding to her maelstrom of dark emotions, and continued in her search while leaving behind the engineers to make the most of the find.



It took only a few weeks to figure out how many of the Ajax exo-frames could be made operational. Without Isaac’s genius or familiarity of the chassis to help them, the new Ajax platoon would only number a dozen, maybe two. The new exo-suits would not be quite the “miracle of science” that Isaac’s own Might of Ajax was, but they would still be powerful, new additions to the forces of the Forsaken. All that was needed was a cadre of willing recruits to learn how to pilot the Ajaxes. With stories of Isaac’s bravery during his last stand over the Grand Templar’s remains, they were in no short supply. Training the pilots took longer than anticipated, but in just two months after discovering the secret cache, the forces of Saint Isaac had their first deployable Ajax Exo-Frames.

The newly launched Ajax Exo-Frames possess thick armor plating to protect the pilot inside, allowing them to bring two deadly weapon systems to bear. Armed with a rapid-firing blister gun in one hand and a vent-cooled flamethrower mounted to the other, the Ajax Exo-Frame is a mobile weapons platform capable of inflicting heavy casualties at several effective ranges. Enemies cannot hope to withstand an Ajax’s firepower for long.

Like Saint Isaac’s personal unit, the new Ajax Exo-Frames are powered by a refurbished NorTec fusion core. The technology behind such a powerful energy source is still one superstition away from being considered magical by the common Samarian, and Isaac’s technicians have done their best to recreate what he did with the original Ajax’s Might. Power conduits, wire harnesses, and routing nodes help them get additional power to the exo-frame’s systems, even to weapons that Isaac always thought were too volatile to pump raw fusion into. It is a dangerous gamble to wield such erratic power flow, but now that there is more than just one of these fantastic relics from the past – the engineers believe it is worth the risk.



Since his fall at the blade of Mother Blazon and the talons of her lifeless minions, the followers of Saint Isaac have felt lost without his presence on the battlefield. Seeing the Ajax pilots stomping toward the enemy and unleashing hell is inspiring and invigorating, reminding them that their patron is with them in spirit, if not the flesh. While the original Ajax’s Might sits dormant in New Ashkelon, a single previously unlit “upload successful” light blinking on its HUD, a new corps of Ajax Exo-Frame pilots remind the present about the power of the past.

 Barzam wrote:
Much as I like Isaac's cobbled together suit, I would've preferred s new sculpt for the mass produced version. Something closer to the Xenoshyft design.

PAINT SPL’ATTR – AJAX EXO-FRAMES

June 23, 2017 Community, Hobby



Though there’s an official paint scheme for Dark Age minis, that doesn’t mean everyone has to make their figures look the same. You should always look to paint your minis the way you want, adding your own personal touch and flair to them. In this Paint Spl’Attr article, Dave Taylor and Bobby Lomoggio take us through several paint schemes for the Ajax Exo-Frames, just released. Use their work as inspiration for your own paint schemes, and feel free to show off pictures of what you’ve done with your figures.

With the release of the new Ajax Exo-Frame card for the Saint Isaac subfaction of the Forsaken allowing you to take multiple of the Ajax’s Might model in your force, we thought it might be fun to show you a couple of ways to differentiate them on the table-top.



The easiest way to differentiate your Ajax suits (aka Exo-Frames) is to paint them differently. In the photo above, you can see Dave’s Ajax’s Might on the left, painted to mimic the Saint Isaac suit in the CMON studio collection. On the right, Dave has chosen the same color scheme (Isaac’s signature rust color), but has switched around some of the panels, painting rust red where there was previously metal, and vice versa. This could work quite well if you are only running one additional Ajax Exo-frame alongside your Ajax’s Might.



Another way is to add some bold stripes in a contrasting color to the same scheme as you have painted your Ajax’s Might. In this photo above, you can see different angles of an Ajax Exo-frame with bright, white stripes. According to the lore, there might be as many as two dozen of these Exo-frames that could be fielded, so the addition of a number to one of the shoulders could be helpful, and add a great, future-military feel to the model. This one very definitely stands out from Dave’s original Ajax’s Might, so there’ll be no confusion for his opponents on the table.



Bobby Limoggio has taken a different path again, and has decided to give his first Ajax Exo-frame a very different look. Although his original Ajax’s Might (not pictured) follows the standard scheme pretty closely, he has chosen to go with a dirty white look for this one. The bright scarlet/orange stripes are a nod to another sci-fi vehicle of note, but by switching up his scheme entirely, it leaves Bobby open to explore a variety of options if he decides to add another Exo-frame to his collection.

You might have also noted that Bobby went for a fairly simple, yet effective, conversion here. He turned the head of the model to look off in the opposite direction to the original. If you are feeling daring , you could also try some more extensive conversion work, particularly if you are cutting up the plastic Ajax suit from the Path To Glory starter set.

 Alpharius wrote:
In the USA, I believe Alliance is about to start carrying it (again?) or maybe they already are?

I have to think the wonky distribution is the only thing really holding this game back.

The miniatures are fantastic, the gameplay itself is great...just got to - you know - actually get it into as many shops as possible!

THE 1,000 POINT MOFFIT CHALLENGE! – OFFICIAL 2017 RULES

June 28, 2017



Since Dark Age began, there have been a few champions of the game that rose up from the ashes and climbed above the chaos to serve as demo volunteers, event coordinators, Playtesters, and even writers or editors of our game and its products. While they are Legion and they all bring new and awesome things to our community, none have gone – literally – so far out of their way to do so as David Moffit.



David is probably one of the only human beings that loves Dark Age more than its creators, and shows this by bringing thousands of points of painted miniatures with him on the road across the United States. On these journeys for his day job, he seeks out Dark Age players willing to go that extra mile to try and take on a veteran player such as he.

This is The 1,000 Point Moffit Challenge, and it is no joke.

Whether you use the Dark Age: Samaria Reborn Facebook page or contact David directly, players can try and connect schedules with Mister Moffit, try to participate in this time honored tradition, and maybe win some loot along the way!

The rules and benefits of the 1,000 Point Moffit Challenge are as follows:

– Challengers must have a 1,000 point legal Dark Age army, painted to a tabletop standard (at least 3 distinct colors on each model)
– Challengers must be willing to have themselves and their miniatures photographed by David before, during, and after the game
– The game’s Scenario is determined randomly at the time of the Challenge
– All Challengers receive a special, laser-cut token to commemorate the event; win, lose, or draw.
– Challengers that are victorious receive a prized Bludgelt!
– Challengers that are victorious also email bryan@cmon.com within 30 days of their victory being reported with a list of $60 worth of Dark Age product from the CMON webstore… this will be their additional prize!
– Challengers that are defeated by Moffit will have their names added to the Tome of the Defeated (or just a notebook that David has), and cannot Challenge again for at least 30 days.



This is a very fun way to get in larger, more epic games of Dark Age, and we hope that many of you will start to try and get your hands on some ‘gelt, earn some free stuff, and give us all the more reasons to put The Moffit to the test!

A LOOK AT THE BROODSPAWNS EVOLVED

July 3, 2017

In just a few short days, we will be releasing the brand new and terrifying “Beta” rules for the Brood – one of Dark Age’s oldest and dearest factions – and we wanted to give you folks one last peek behind the curtain about how these new rules are going to work.

In the years passed, the Brood could either be played as a complete forcelist with no particular benefit, or as one of three specific Broodspawns that added interesting bonuses at the cost of limiting which units a player was allowed to choose. As we have moved into this new era – both in game rules and in the narrative of the faction – we decided to evolve the Brood into an easier and less-restrictive way to play the models you want to play. The Brood Mere knows her children have new and unique needs that occur when away from the confines of the swamp. When these situations arise, she sends powerful commands to their genetic makeup telepathically. They suddenly have new means to deal with new obstacles – even if it is physically taxing to their malleable forms.

In these Beta Brood Rules (which are going to be fully official for event use!), before you deploy your Brood force, you choose one of four Broodspawn Benefit types. These benefits will function on ALL of your Brood models for the duration of the game. It really is as easy as that.



The Brood Mere knows that her children are not always great at solving problems or overcoming mental challenges, but a new strain of sentience can be tapped into if they have need of such things…
Broodspawn: Awakened is a way to add mental acuity and individual willpower to the Brood. Adding Masochist (+4PS) to all of its units means that Panic counters are shrugged off, On Hold uses for Evade, or some scenario-based Objective Marker interaction can be achieved much more easily.

Sometimes the Brood Mere wants her children to be nothing subtle, funneling raw rage and fury into their already bestial savagery…
Broodspawn: Eradicate is the war form for the Brood. Masochist (+2PW on melee and Bio-Gen attacks) turns good killers into great killers. It is not the finesse option, but spending just a single HP to possibly inflict a lot more damage to enemies is a worthy option.



Mobility is key in certain circumstances, and the Brood Mere knows that she can get bursts of speed out of her minions with just the right urge…
Broodspawn: Guile is key to throwing enemies off during a battle in motion. Masochist (+1MV) is useful on several levels. Secondary Objectives might require a unit to get somewhere fast, injured units can flee to safely heal, and even the diminutive little Pud Roamers – who are already going to be giving up their lives for the Swarm – have a much better range of being helpful to larger monstrosities.

Crippling enemies can be far more useful for the Brood Mere’s children than just completely destroying them, and she can add focused precision to them in order to achieve that clarity of purpose…
Broodspawn: Terrorize is how the Brood ensures that it delivers important status effects and connects with the right attacks at the right time. Masochist (+2AS on melee and Bio-Gen attacks) means that the Brood with attacks based on a target getting Hit are that much more dependable. So, things like Knockdown, Bleed, Sunder Armor, and Pull can be used more often, no matter the target. This is, of course, in addition to making normal attacks just more accurate.



No matter which Broodspawn a player chooses for their game, they will surely make good use out of this new Brood mechanic – especially when they get a host of new options on how to play with their genetic monsters!
Stay tuned for the new Brood in just a few more days!

Dark Age

10 Questions About the Future of the Brood…

We asked you, the Dark Age fanbase, to ask us 10 honest questions about the future of the Brood – to whet everyone’s appetites for the new rules coming out so very soon. These are the first 10 that qualified for answering… and we hope these answers will keep your blood up, fangs sharp, and your stomachs panging for more!

Q1 – @Ash Barker: “When will Pod get the resculpt and attention he deserves?!”
A1 – Well, as long as everything comes together as planned. The hub of Pud Roamer ferocity gets the rules attention it deserves when the Brood Beta Rules are released. Also, a well-earned and far more fearsome resculpt is on its way in 2018.

Q2 – @Randy T Guintivano: “Will there be new units added to the Brood Family and what are they?”
A2 – There are LOTS of new units being planned for the Brood faction book; monsters of several types and sizes!

Q3 – @Steven Jasiczek: “We getting an Alpha Pud or what?”
A3 – Not at this time. Perhaps the giant tooth-slug will be revisited down the road, but at this time there are no concrete plans of seeing it return.

Q4 – @Phillip Dishon: “Not counting re-sculpts, what new characters/models are on the horizon for the Brood?”
A4 – While we cannot spoil the future THAT much, we can tell you that the plans for 2018’s Brood faction book currently has sixteen new units planned, some of which are comprised of multiple sculpts. So you can see there is a lot left to discover within the Brood!

Q5 – @Adam Wan: “Does Scion find a mate and who is it?”
A5 – The Brood Mere has opened Scion up a bit more to a more… polyamorous… lifestyle. She has found several mates and the products of such interactions are numerous, unnatural, and inhuman.

Q6 – @John Carter: “Will there be a Brood faction released based on the sea creatures in the Outcast book?”
A6 – While it is somewhat premature to say such things, the sea creatures that were mentioned in the Outcast book have not been forgotten and will pop up in the narrative soon enough.

Q7 – @David McWilliam: “How is the Brood’s background reflected in the new rules?”
A7 – The Brood, narratively speaking, are in a transition from their old “vat monster bio-weapons set free” to a new sentience and a more tactically sound direction. The Brood as a whole are adapting to a world in conflict, and powerful new influences upon the beasts’ telepathic connections are making them less instinctual and more strategic with each new manipulated genetic code.

Q8 – @David Grimm: “When will the resculpts be available? Soon or next year with the full relaunch of the faction? Also, what is NOT being resculpted?”
A8 – The launch of the Brood resculpts begin this autumn with the Brood Faction Starter and will progress over the course of that time through GenCon 2018. Currently, the only two Brood models not slotted for resculpt are the Howler and the Numbskull. That being said, we will carry the blisters of “old” Brood on the webstore and available for retailers to order from us until we run out of stock or until that particular model is released in its new boxed and resculpted format.

Q9 – @Daniel Garnett: “How is the best way to deal with the Brood if your against them?”
A9 – The Brood are all about using their less-than-finite resource of HP to their advantage. Anything that can hit them, rip away their HP quick, and not let them heal that damage is key. Extreme Damage is best, but taking a moment to spend the AP and finish off a Dying Brood model will go a long way toward earning a victory against them.

Q10 – @Myles Buck: “What do they [the Brood] want in Capt. Flay’s ship?
A10 – Well, the Long Haul has been all over this end of the galaxy in search of loot – and Flay, Belle, and the rest always were on the lookout for top notch bio-chemical and xeno-science gear. Some of the things they scooped up might be more important – terrifyingly so – to the ecology of Samaria than anyone could have known.

BONUS Q11 – @Jesper Heyn: “Which minis will be resculpted and will they be in metal or resin?”
BONUS A11 – See Question #8 for what is planned for resculpt; as for the materials used… unless something happens that forces our hand otherwise, all new Brood sculpts will be resin wherever possible.

There you have it! What are your thoughts? It isn’t long now…

Dark Age

Happy Brood Evolution Day!

The time has come... now you must go, read, and tremble in fear...

The Official Brood Beta Rules are here!

THE 2017 OFFICIAL BROOD BETA RULES DOCUMENT

July 7, 2017 Background, Cards

The Brood have been evolving and genetically reincarnating for centuries, and the rapid escalation of Samarian conflicts in the last few decades has caused the most change in them to be sure. With the promise of a new Dark Age: Brood faction-focused book planned for later 2018, it was decided that we would give the age old Brood faction a rules-facelift before their full new release. Now, as of today, the gaming populace of Dark Age players and fans get to use these new rules officially.



Found at the links given below, the new Brood Faction Document and Brood Faction Cards downloads are the OFFICIAL rules for the Brood Faction to be used at all sanctioned events, tournaments, etc.

These new rules are technically a BETA of the final rules that will be used to help create those released in the 2018 book and faction card pack (along with many other new toys!). This means that, while we believe these rules to be fair and competitive in their current state, we accept that it might need a little spit and polish here and there. This official beta release gives you, the fan base, a chance to chime in and tell the development team about your experiences with these Brood rules before they go into final print next year. For those wishing to make such notes or comments, please email bryan@cmon.com with “Brood Beta Rules Notes” as the subject line.

This also means that, with the exception of Brood Faction Unit Boxes arriving in stores later this year and through 2018, ALL stat cards found in Brood blisters and card packs are not current and can be discarded. The only official stat cards in use from now until the release of a 2018 Brood Faction Deck will be those found at the link below (or the ones found in official unit boxes).

So… armed with this information, follow these links and wade into the swamp with the new and improved Brood Faction!

Faction Document
http://dark-age.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/broodbackground_3.pdf

Brood Faction Cards
http://dark-age.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/brood-web-2017.pdf

A Look at the Haniel Ranger

July 10, 2017

“Lock and load, girls and boys. Step where I step. They will never see us coming.”

The life of a Forsaken Haniel is not very forgiving, and often relatively short. Spending days or sometimes weeks hunting the enemy near to their territories puts the Haniels in constant danger, especially those that are ordered to stay active near Skarrd hunting grounds. More than a few Haniels have ended up in the cults’ larders because of a foolish misstep or a brave attempt on a priority target. Only a select gifted number of these deadly scouts venture deep into enemy turf, dodging enemy patrols and picking off stragglers, in order to return to New Ashkelon with invaluable information about wherever they have been. These career scouts are given a military rank and a new title – that of Haniel Ranger.



Haniel Rangers are a strange dichotomy. They have lived most of their military life in the wilderness as true survivors. To do so in Samaria is a remarkable feat indeed, and when you combine it with the enemy communities that the Prevailer Council direct the Haniels to scout, they are on borrowed time. Regular Haniels tough it out as best they can, but the odds of survival increase dramatically when they are with one of the esteemed Rangers.

Armed with an E-14 storm pistol, an advanced sidearm that mimics the same kinds of rounds the regular Haniels fire out of their storm rifles, the Rangers must get in close proximity to the enemy. Automated sound and flash suppression systems in the pistol’s muzzle break allow the Haniel Ranger to fire from hiding without giving up their position. With the flick of their thumb, a Ranger chooses between launching ultra-dense armor piercing rounds to shatter the protective layers of a target or sending tumbling shells of mass-reactive plastique into the unsuspecting foes. If all goes well, when a Haniel Ranger engages the enemy they will never know what hit them before it is far too late.



The combat skills of a Haniel Ranger are impressive, but it is not their trigger finger or trained aim that makes them a prime asset. It is their knowledge of enemy behaviors, patrol movements, and threatening terrain. When they move through the wilderness, they can bring a pair of lesser-skilled Haniels along in a scouting triad that can get close enough to an unsuspecting enemy to set up perfect ambushes, disable security efforts, and collect important reconnaissance. Haniel Rangers take both mental and cartographic notes everywhere they go, creating the perfect travel journal for other allies to follow as well. A Forsaken force that has employed a Ranger can be sure to know all the best routes to take, the safe places to sleep, and the next perfect place to get ready to take the enemy by surprise. Any brave soul willing to sneak forward toward enemy territory before an engagement can do so with much less fear of being discovered, should they have a Haniel Ranger to map out the paths to take or avoid.



In light of the recent gathering of Baniss tribals and Skarrd cults under Father Johann’s fearsome war banner, word spread like a chemical fire across a Trent salvage yard. Dozens of actively mapping Haniel Rangers saw the writing on the wall, sometimes literally, and came back to New Ashkelon with worrisome reports of an amassing horde. Coming off the heels of New Asheklon’s back to back sieges – robots from without and dark creatures from within – now more than ever the Prevailers and their forces need intelligence on this new threat. In a war where knowledge is as important as munitions, the Haniel Rangers are being deployed with more frequency and with one standard order above all others: get close, deal a telling blow, and live to report about it afterwards.

HANIEL TRIAD UNIT BOX AND BATTLE REPORT VIDEOS

July 12, 2017 Cards, Hobby No comments

Hello Good Samarians out there. We’ve been busy over here today. For starters, we have posted up new versions of the General FAQ as well as the Secondary Objective Cards on the website. So be sure to check those out. From there, we’ve also got two brand-new videos for you.

For starters, we have a quick video showing off the Haniel Triad Unit Box.




And then, we’ve got a battle report. This one sees the forces of St. Mark take on the Dragyri Ice Caste.



Hope you like ‘em!

July Dark Age Releases And Documents Update

July 14, 2017

It’s hot outside. And it’s hot over on the gaming tables, too. The latest Dark Age releases are now available over in the CMON webshop as well as at your LGS. This month we have the new Forsaken Haniel Triad Unit Box, as well as continuing the repackaging of the Dragyri Fire Caste. In addition to all that, we’ve also updated some of the web documents that you should all check out.



The scouting Haniels and their well-traveled Ranger unit leaders are the Forsaken’s best unit at getting in close to the enemy without their knowing about it. Before anyone can do anything about it, the Haniels are hurling specialized ammunition from their storm-class firearms into the unsuspecting enemy.



The Cinder Slaves are specially chosen servants handed overcharged chunks of crystal and sent into battle. Whether cutting up a foe with their crystals or causing them to explode dramatically, Cinder Slaves are willing to die for the Fire Caste!



Representing the penultimate form of the Fire Caste’s disregard for the honorable traditions of other castes, Brimstones wield twin flamethrowers to summon gouts of liquid flame to envelop their enemies in scorching death!



The closest thing to a traditional warrior corps in the Fire Caste, the Volcanic Helots wield sharp-bladed bardiche polearms and a touch of mysticism. They are protectors and soldiers filled with fires of their caste, and are ready to defend it with everything they’ve got.



Elite soldiers of the Fire Caste’s frontline battle efforts, the Volcanic Phalanx defend themselves with advanced energy shields while their warspears stab around the protective wall they form. They have little to fear when a Phalanx digs in its heels with its brethren.



Elite warriors of the Fire Caste, Infernos are armed with deadly pistols that hurl blasts of raw heat and trained fighters with their flashing swords. Infernos close with the enemy as quickly as they can, knowing the damage they are capable of once they engage.

So head out and pick up your boxes today.

As for the web updates, the following files have been updated: March to Immortality, Followers of Saint Isaac, Holy Prevailer Council, Unaligned Forsaken, and Dragyri Shadow Caste. Be sure you’re using the most up-to-date rules for your games.

http://dark-age.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/DA-Tournament-System-2017-web.pdf
http://dark-age.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/St_Isaac_Update_Web.pdf
http://dark-age.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Prevailers-2017.pdf
http://dark-age.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Forsaken-2017-Web.pdf
http://dark-age.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/shadow_caste__web_.pdf


That’s what we’ve got for you today. Tell us what you think about the new releases as well as the rules updates!

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE UPCOMING SKARRD UNIT BOXES

July 19, 2017

Hello all you Fine Young (and Old, we don’t discriminate) Cannibals!

With GenCon 2017 looming just a handful of weeks away and with it brings the release of the long awaited Dark Age: Skarrd faction sourcebook. As soon as this collection of great narrative, new units, old units, and all their fearsome talents is out in the wild, we will begin to transfer the Skarrd miniature range into Unit Box sets over the course of several months – all the while surprising you with resculpts and NEW units as well along the way!



The Skarrd releases begin initially with the 500 point Skarrd Horde Faction Starter – a collection of units that not only work well on their own, but can work perfectly well with any of the Cult sub-factions. The rest of the releases accompanying it will emerge throughout 2017 and into 2018, gradually replacing the blisters currently found in our webstore.




Before that begins to take shape, we wanted to share with those looking at the new Skarrd (both current players and potential new ones) just what they can expect to see coming out in these new Skarrd Faction Unit Boxes.
So, take a look at what’s in store for you, and witness how the new horrors of Samaria will be unleashed through our webstore and in participating retailers everywhere!

– Skarrd Faction Starter – $59.99 – Tribal Father (1), Warhead (1), Buzzblades (3), Harpies (3)
– Skarrd Command Box – $39.99 – Tribal Father (1), Grafter (1), Sister of Charity (1), Fetish Bearer (1), Bone Doc (1)
– Skarrd Leadership Box – $44.99 – Jon Woe (1), Saber (1), ANG-1E (1), Blazon (1)
– Blood Cult Faction Box – $69.99 – Father Mayhem (1), Red (1), Keepsake (1), Blood Reign (1), Blood Mistresses (4)
– Abomination Kit Box – $49.99 – Abomination Kit (1)
– Blood Puppet Unit Box – $19.99 – Puppet (4)
– Cult of Metamorphosis Faction Box – $69.99 – Father Johann (1), Quietus (1), Dexus (1), Dominique (1), Fallen Angels (4)
– Nightmare Juggernaut Box – $49.99 – Nightmare Juggernaut (1)
– Juggernaut Box – $49.99 – Juggernaut (1)
– Cult of Metamorphosis Grafting Unit Box – $24.99 – Thrall (1), Grafter’s Apprentices (2)
– Toxic Cult Faction Box – $69.99 – Father Curwen (1), Leisa (1), Hoodoo (1), Kaustic (2), Toxic Mistresses (4)
– Decay Cult Faction Box – $69.99 – Mother Blazon (1), The Marius Project (1), Fallouts (4), Reapers (2)
– Decay Cult Monstrous Unit Box – $34.99 – Dishonor (1), Macabres (2)
– Decay Cult Flesh Echo Unit Box – $34.99 – Flesh Echoes (6)
– Raze and Disciples Unit Box – $54.99 – Raze (1), Disciples of Raze (3)
– Church of Worms Unit Box – $29.99 – Worm Shepherd (1), Drillheads (3)
– Warhead Unit Box – $19.99 – Warhead (1)
– Golab Unit Box – $34.99 – Golab (2)
– Harpy Unit Box – $19.99 – Harpies (3)
– Fell Pack Unit Box – $34.99 – Scourges (2), Fell Packs (2)
– Warblade Unit Box – $29.99 – Warblades (4)
– Buzzblade Unit Box – $19.99 – Buzzblades (3)
– Bola Unit Box – $14.99 – Bolas (3)

Look out, starting in August… the cannibal freak mutants of the Skarrd are on their way!

THE SKARRD ARE COMING… AND THEY HAVE EVOLVED

July 21, 2017 Cards

So… we loom closer and closer to the official release of the first printing of Dark Age: Skarrd, and we wanted to whet your appetites a bit with four new and wonderful changes from the old Skarrd to the new and improved cannibal mutant armed forces.

In the past, the Skarrd cults each had their own specific traits and abilities to separate them from each other in both ability and feel on the battlefield. With the new 2017 rules release, these “Gifts of Evolution” still exist, but now take on a different style of methodology when affecting the tabletop.

In this article, we want to go ahead and show you the four different Skarrd Cult sub-factions’ new and fancy Gifts of Evolution and tell you a bit about why they exist.

First and foremost, with the narrative gathering of the Skarrd tribes at Fort Retribution, there has become an even stronger need for the individual cults and tribes to keep their individuality despite mainly all serving the same cause. This means that Cult forces (units chosen from the individual sub-faction lists) are distinct from the unaligned Skarrd Horde choices that any force may choose from. The Gifts of Evolution (previewed below) ONLY apply to the actual Cult models – Horde models working alongside the Cult do NOT gain these benefits.

Let’s take a look at the older Cults first…



Empowered by both the blood shed of their enemies and that spilled of their own warriors, the Blood Cult are filled with pre-combat blood magic rituals and the rush of combat around them. This benefits the Cult in two fashions.
First, members of the Blood Cult have mystic and mysterious ways to draw the energy out of anything they face – even that which doesn’t truly “bleed.” It is this strange and wonderful power that allows some of their attacks to cut into a victim and cause what’s inside to leak out in thick gouts. Whether it is entropic-cell glop from within a C.O.R.E. bot’s batteries, the bio-energy reservoirs of Kukulkani constructs, or even the energies that hold together Dragyri elementals – everything can bleed under a Blood Cultist’s blade.

Secondly, and arguably more commonly useful, is the thrill that Blood Cultists get when they see violence and bloodshed around them. As the combat ensues and lives are lost, Blood Cult members can be invigorated, re-rolling important dice, after enough gore has splashed the ground muddy.



The world of Samaria has evolved just as much as the Skarrd has, and the Toxic Cult has yet to master some of the new toxins and venoms that have come to the world – from the stars above as well as the abyss below. While they can be made to succumb to envenomation they have yet to put themselves through, the base effects of disease, venom, and poison still call out to the Cult. They can manipulate the filth infesting those around them in three interesting ways.

First, they can call out to someone who has been poisoned nearby to burn off the foul substance – removing the venoms from their body, but possibly in a manner painful enough to steal the breath from their lungs and even stop their heart.

Toxic Cultists can see the places on a body where poisons collect, making for perfect targets to strike from the outside –the end result being a much more efficient and deadly attack if it connects at that pocket of toxins.
Lastly, by absorbing the toxins infesting everyone around them, breathing and drinking in the essence of filth in their area, the Cultists can actually be strengthened. They fuel their physical form with it, allowing them to ignore what would be mortal wounds on lesser folk.



The Cult of Metamorphosis has always been keyed in to the energies released whenever technology of any kind on Samaria malfunctions. The more catastrophic the failure, in their opinion, the better – even if it takes the life of an ally! In Dark Age, malfunctions of attack groups and psychogenics are commonplace, and the Cult of Metamorphosis can make the absolute most out of these bad situations whenever they arise.

When a Metamorphosis Cultist is close enough to a mishap such as these, they can fill themselves with energy – some believe it to be the energy lost by the malfunctioning technology itself, others say it is just them Cultists’ excitement at the spectacle. Either way, they are thoroughly infused with potential by technology’s failures (occasionally their own), gathering up such misfortune and using it for their own benefits.



The newest of the Skarrd Cults, the Cult of Decay has a strange power over one of the oldest and most powerful forces anywhere in creation – the decline into oblivion… death. When the bonds of the physical world begin to fail around them, Decay Cultists can grab hold of the spindling threads and pull apart the weave of substance.

Decay Cultists can send a pulse of entropic energy into a target that has already begun to wither away, expending the weakened bonds in order to hopefully rip a hole into the target on the other side. This ability to reach out through the ether and rip at something already touched by death can be perfect to inflict damage at just the right time.
If using their mystical connection to death energy isn’t enough, they can also feed directly off something slipping into its demise. If a target is saturated enough with these energies that weaken and dissolve their physical strength when a Decay Cultist deals them a fatal blow, their fleeting life force can be drawn into the Cultist to mend their own.

Lastly, when something nearby is on the very brink of its existence – clinging to the fading wisps of life – a Decay Cultist can focus its own mastery over death’s embrace upon it. In the space between heartbeats a Cultist can snuff out that last spark despite any amount of medical attention or potential aid.

When the Cult of Decay has decided that it is time for a dying flame to go dark, it goes dark indeed.

***

So… with just a few weeks to go before the release of the book’s first printing, we now know just a few of the interesting new tricks these inhuman monsters have up their sleeves. It goes without saying that there is so much more in store, but now at least you can be ready for these first few changes…