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.

 miskatonicalum wrote:
I was really pleased that she came out so perfect, I've been tired of cheesecake in miniatures. This is really a chance for us to do female characters without just making overly sexualized models.

I really like that Squire, and this overall direction with the female models. Nicely done!

 Cyporiean wrote:

So... may I ask about that rakish fellow on the right-ish with the playing card looking accessory? Or will we find out more about him soon perhaps?

Thats the Thief, its a great outfit, but not a good model pose, so we're going to be getting a new one as the Kickstarter progresses.

Thanks! I can't wait for the new and improved version.

The iPhone 5 appears to be alittle better at taking pics of minis then our proper camera... so here are some new pics of the Sorcerer:

We've had some nice previews of models, now it's time to see parts of the world



Wugin, The Sundrenched Continent
On the side of Terra that is perpetually bathed in sunlight, the continent of Wugin dominates the hemisphere. On it resides three human nations: Zeutenheim in the scorched ashen wastes of the northwest, Halleford in the hilly plains of the southwest, and Yorak, the eastern kingdom in a sea of sand. Caves and tunnels cross much of the continent, making up the lands of the Dwarves. Their capital, Mechinrah, was sealed off from the surface by the Iron Crystal.

Zeutenheim, The Ashen Wastes
Before the Magma Crystal fell into the caldera of Mt. Kileen, Zeutenheim was a smokey mountainous region, full of mines and foundries. The castle of Raybin was forged out of steel and iron, smoke rising skyward from the endless foundry work. When the dormant volcano was forced to erupt, by the magical energies of the crystal, Zeutenheim’s ecology was devastated and the entire region was blanketed in ash and lavafields.

The line of Zeutenheim’s bishop-kings draws its lineage back to the dukes of Raybin during the Age of Mages. Duke Kindal IX cemented his place in history by defending the Monastery of Ulbane with a detachment of Knights during the first Dark Lord Invasion. Honored by the Church of Numina, his knights were charged with the duty of defense of mankind from the hordes of the Dark Lord and became the Crusaders of Numina. The Crusaders received castles and funding for all military campaigns. The Duke was given the honorary title of Bishop. Though the title was honorary, he took the title seriously. He began a deep study of faith and the gods. When he began to expand his realm, he took the title of Bishop-King and ensured that his heirs would also study with the Church before their ascension to the throne.

Zeutenheim requires hardy people to live in its harsh environment. Miners and metalurgists make up the majority of the population. Farms raise animals, but rarely attempt to grow crops as the constant heat kills most harvests. Instead the country must rely on imported crops which has kept them in a long standing alliance with their neighbor, Halleford.

Halleford, The Windswept Highlands
Though the Miasma from the Deep Crystal clouds the region, Halleford is still a beautiful, lush region. Plainskeep, the great stone wrought capital, surveys most of the eastern regions of Halleford, including the nation’s premier kirin stables, once used by the Halleford knights.

On the eastern coast lies the twice cursed city of New al’Jabran. Once a thriving merchant port, al’Jabran was destroyed by the Deep Crystal’s impact and a magical tidal wave. Built larger than before, New al’Jabran thrived for many years. The second Dark Lord Invasion damaged and sunk the Deep Crystal as it teetered in al’Jabran Bay, but when it was brought back to the surface, the Miasma shot forth from the crack. The entire populace was mutated in minutes, giving it an army with which to conquer the world.

Before the Miasma War swept across their lands, the people of Halleford were farmers, merchants, and kirin breeders. From the sheer bounty of the land, Halleford became the world’s bread basket, trading with their neighboring nations, explorer camps in Arganea, and even to the more civilized regions in the sunless lands. Their naval fleet kept Halleford in a place of power and prestige. Since the ruin of New al’Jabran, and the siege of Plainskeep, Hallefordans fight a nightmarish battle. With every death or prisoner, the armies of Miasma grow.

Yorak, The Desert Seas
In the ancient days of the elven Arganean Empire, the region of Yorak, and specifically its capital, Mercurious, was the seat of power. Their magitechnology transformed a once tranquil region into a torrent of sand. At the western end of Yorak is the great Breaker City. Lying high atop the sandfalls, Breaker City cuts the flow in half, revealing a grand staircase cut into the cliff side. In times of war, the Breaker can redirect sand over the staircase, sealing Yorak off from the rest of the continent.

When the Agranean Empire collapsed centuries ago, the human slaves destroyed much of their technology and structures, out of fear and hate. Since that time, the Councils of Yorak have sought to recover any technology that washed beneath the flowing sands. Excavators and scientists reverse engineer anything they find and use it to reclaim the desert to build cities for the nation’s increasing population.

The other major force in the country is the exiled Crusaders of Numina. After the second Dark Lord Invasion, and their inability to repel his forces, the Crusaders were shunned by Zeutenheim and Halleford. Since then, they have become the military and security force of Yorak, hunting monsters of the desert seas. The Council and the Crusaders often butt heads over issues, but the Crusaders continue to serve as a shadow of their former selves.

Despite the increasing prosperity of those in power and those that serve them, most of Yorak lives in poverty. With nearly zero crop sustainability, many resort to thievery or gladiatorial combat to make a living. Those lucky to live on the northern coastlines try to enroll in the Magickal Akademy, its one major transport point just small ways out to sea. The rest live off the ocean, rarely scaling the area’s cliffs up to the Desert Sea itself.

Nacre, The Flying Continent
Attuned to the element of magic, the Sky Crystal is a focal point for those studying the arcane arts. Built around it’s impact crater, the Magickal Akademy is the largest facility on Terra for mages. At it’s heart sits the Magocracy, lead by the Archmage Falkin. This collection of mages administer the college and the entire nation of Nacre.

Before the Sky Crystal lifted the region into the air, it was a mostly uninhabited mountain range. When the magically inclined flocked to their new haven, there was plenty of space to set up alchemy shops, spell research facilities, and labs to study the myriad aspects of the aether. Outside the Akademy grounds this spacing between mages keeps the continent safe from any major magical catastrophes, but mundane humans are still disinclined to visit the continent.

This isolation is reinforced by the Wizard’s Ascent being the only way up onto the landmass. Wizard’s Ascent is a town on the eastern edge of the continent populated by Air Trolls. Off the edge of the island hangs a system of cages lifted up and lowered down by the trolls. With the power of wind, the few travelers come and go via this system, released onto ships waiting below to travel the world.

Ancient Arganea, Land of the Elves
When the slaves of Yorak revolted against their Elven masters, the Low Elves of Arganea joined them. Seeking to cast off the trappings of magitechnology and return to their homeland, the Low Elves and the human slaves defeated the High Elves. Free of imperialistic rule, the Low Elves returned home, retreating into the jungles of the island nation, leaving the cities to be claimed by nature.

Millennia have passed, and rare is the elf on foreign soil. Most interactions occur on the edge of their territory, where human excavators seeking magitech stray across invisible borders. In the deep of the jungles, giant spiders and hordes of goblins make quick work of exploration parties, but some survive by the grace of wandering elves, turning the tide in their battles. Largely, they disappear as quickly as they appear, but others take the opportunity to learn of the outside world from the stories of the human explorers, or by hitching a ride on their ships back to Wugin.

To avoid the rampaging goblins and the pit traps of the spiders, Low Elves build their cities high in the trees. Such villages can run for miles without having a way down to the jungle floor. Most of these communities are autonomous, foraging and hunting close to home. Despite their luddite behavior, rumors still hold that pockets of High Elves still operate their magitech in secret, even deeper within the jungles of Arganea.

Could use a few more rivers.

So... wait, is this a Final Fantasy Tactics/Fire Emblem style turn based strategy game? Or is it a table top game?

It's a tabletop miniatures game with an art aesthetic based on console RPGs/TRPGs. If it evokes memories of those games, then that's what we're going for! Earlier in the thread you can find some of our miniature sculpts.

 miskatonicalum wrote:
It's a tabletop miniatures game with an art aesthetic based on console RPGs/TRPGs. If it evokes memories of those games, then that's what we're going for! Earlier in the thread you can find some of our miniature sculpts.

Right on, they're lovely... hmmm... yes. We shall watch this with great interest. At least for some cool minis to paint. The Dragoon looks amazing!

 KalashnikovMarine wrote:

 miskatonicalum wrote:
It's a tabletop miniatures game with an art aesthetic based on console RPGs/TRPGs. If it evokes memories of those games, then that's what we're going for! Earlier in the thread you can find some of our miniature sculpts.

Right on, they're lovely... hmmm... yes. We shall watch this with great interest. At least for some cool minis to paint. The Dragoon looks amazing!

If you are interested, there are quick start rules available, you could give the game a gander... possibly give some feed back...


Edit: New update!

Meet the Monsters Part 1

Beastmen
After the six gods created Terra, they set about creating a creature to live upon it. With conflicting ideas and ideals, the gods each gave their input, creating the Beastmen, a hodge-podge of parts and motivations.
Disappointed with their creation, the gods ignored the beastmen and moved on to other ideas. The beastmen, lost in a new world looked for a reason to live, a goal to set themselves. As other creatures were created and conflicts arose between good and evil, as the first creations, the Beastmen saw their place in the world as one of guidance. They trained and tested heroes for the adventures and quests they would go upon. Dungeoneering became the supreme art of the Beastmen. Temples, Lairs, and Dungeons were built in scores to test different skills and reward those that could complete them.
When the Dark Lord rose in Iksor, many beastmen saw him as the ultimate threat to the world, and their time as coaches and testers of heroes was coming to an end. In droves they travelled to his base and joined his army, swelling his forces in the thousands. Others felt that deviating from dungeoneering was a foolish idea. Despite this, when the Dark Lord was defeated, all beastmen were exiled from Wugin, leaving their testing sites to fall into disrepair.

Trolls
With their creature-by-committee behind them, the gods decided to each make their own followers, beginning with a blank slate, each of the gods attuned a group of these trolls to their element. Fire Trolls grew large and their skin cracked with magma. Air Troll grew tall and lithe, feathers burst from their limbs. Water Trolls began as gilled, scaled creature, but by Undinite’s law quickly changed into many different permutations: Storm Trolls commanded the weather, and Ice Lords became towering furred masters of winter. Earth trolls became squat and animalistic with dirt and mud caking their skin.
Numina, the Goddess of Light, and Wiggoth, the God of Shadow, agreed to not create trolls of their own, they would like the superiority of good and evil be an existential battle. At least, that is what they told the other four.

Dragons
In the empty region of Iksor, Wiggoth and Numina set foot on a barren stretch of land; the only time any god physically touched Terra. Here they uprooted the land creating a battlefield. Massive island peaks and cave systems became Dafram, the Dragon Spires. In this region they created warriors to fight an actual battle between the two gods, their avatars would be the dragons. The dragons Kaiser and Myria would head their respective clans into mutual destruction. The gods gave the dragons many magical powers, from flight, to attack spells, and even shape shifting, but they also sealed away their ability to lay viable eggs. The gods promised that the surviving clan would have this restriction removed and be allowed to live and raise families after their victory.
Kaiser and the Light Dragons fought Myria and the Dark Dragons for ages in open bloody combat, destroying much of Dafram and the surrounding regions. When the dragons discovered humans, and their ability to crossbreed while in human form, the manner of their war changed drastically. Both sides seeded half-breed ‘dragonkin’ across the world, using their own children to fight their war in secret, assassinating human form dragons while they slept, or leading adventuring parties into the heart of the Dragon Spires. Most dragonkin die young as other dragons hunt them, but those that reach maturity find the ability to transform into dragon form as their reward for longevity. Neither clan considers Dragonkin to be true dragons, and treat their offspring like pawns in their eternal war.

Gels
The fall of the Crystals bathed the world in magical energy, augmenting many creatures, and even creating new ones. Puddles of sludge and grim began to brim with aetheric power, especially in the region of Halleford, attuned to the Deep Crystal and its water essence. While still not creatures at this point, Gels are still moving towards places of power, battlefields, or people of strong will and heroism. If they come into direct contact with any of these things, the Gels become ‘imprinted’ gaining part of the identity of a hero, a magical artifact, or the history of a location. Slowly the Gels take true form, and set out to live lives in mimicry of their new identity.
It is not uncommon for a small party of Gels, decked out with weapons, armor, and spellbooks, to take up residence in a tavern or inn, or sign up for quests and slay monsters outside of villages. Indeed, the most famous Gel is the King of Plainskeep, the last king having stepped in it while attempting to escape from assassins. The King Gel has proven to be a more competent leader than the last, weathering the siege of the miasma hordes, with a bubbly demeanor.

Very nice squire image, I hope this translates faithfully to mini form.

This thing needs more gunblades...

I demand(read: ask super special nicely) that a not-Moogle carrying a bucket of miasma-protection be a Stretch goal/KS exclusive extra.

 Platuan4th wrote:
I demand(read: ask super special nicely) that a not-Moogle carrying a bucket of miasma-protection be a Stretch goal/KS exclusive extra.

We're still trying to figure out what exactly we want as a 'setting mascot', so it wouldn't be an early stretch goal... but we'll see what we can do, Dood.

No previews today or tomorrow, but they'll be rolling out again on Monday through Thursday, with the Kickstarter launch on Friday at noon EST.

We're excited, and we hope you are as well. There are a ton of stretch goals planned, and with your support we can keep throwing more and more miniatures into the pledges.

I'm all over this, I love the quickstart rules, looks like a perfect set up for me. Not super space consuming and a small model count with lots of emphasis on each one, and I love the throwback to some of my favorite rpgs/ strategy games. If you guys do a Dark Knight and Necromancer following the cliches (Dark Knight only character with helmet that covers whole face, Necromancer hooded old guy with a gnarly beard, etc.) from such games I think I would just about die. I'm definitely supporting this kickstarter!

Dark Knight, Dark Priest, Miasma Thralls, and Risen Warriors are going to be what you're looking for.

That sounds awesome! I can't wait to see more of the backstory and models!

Tried the quickstart rules today using my dad as a guinea pig.

I had a hard time trying to find anything overtly wrong with the rules. I was the Knight, and he was the sorcerer. We played on a 10 by 10 though, since we only had 2 models on the table. I don't have much of a battle report, but it came to blows.

My dad is not a wargamer by any stretch of the imagination, but he remembers me playing games like this when I was younger, so he begrudgingly agreed to play a quick game lol. We started at the very edge of the 10 square map (just some Gaming paper with numbers written on it).

Knight:
Heroic Charge
Brave Strike
Shield Bash
Mana Break

The reason why I did this is that I knew my awesome DEF was going to be useless against a magic user, so my only chance was to disrupt his mana flow, so he would be forced to attack me using that pitiful ATK stat.

Sorcerer:
Ice Blast
Flame Aura
Deep Freeze
Windlash

Turn 1
I started to close in, my dad didn't do much moving, waiting for the time when I would be within range of his spells (He could have done this turn one if he moved lol).

Turn 2
I won initiative again, and moved forward and used my Heroic Charge ability, to close the game and get an attack on my Dad, doing one point of damage. So, since I didn't see anything about in or out of combat, after my knight got into melee with the sorcerer, my dad started moving away and blasting me with spells. He hit me with Ice Blast, and my measly 2 MAG stat meant that I was taking some damage when I managed to block absolutely nothing. So 3 damage, ouch that hurt.

Turn 3
He wins initiative this time (could not roll a freaking 4 to save my life that time). Since he's out of my melee range atm, he shoots off Deep Freeze. Since we didn't see anything about AoE, and he could target me anyways, we ignored that part of the rule. He rolled, and got only 1 success (yay me lol), and I rolled my 2 MAG dice and got 1 succcess, negating his attack. I move up, and Brave Strike him (again, who cares about my DEF when going up against a magic user). I roll my 5 ATK dice and get 4 successes, perfect! I think, he's going down!. And then he turns around and rolls 2 6s for DEF... Its going to be one of those days huh? lol

Turn 4
He wins initiative again, moves away towards center board, and casts another Ice Blast. He rolls and gets 5 successes. I need both successes to survive to my turn. I get 1.

My knight falls, and my dad beats me lol.

His thoughts: Quick game, pretty simple, but not go fish simple (that's his standard of simple whenever I try to teach him a game).

My thoughts: That game was quick, I could see that if you were to have 10 Crystals, it might take longer but it we didn't play more than 10 minutes in our game. This is easily something that could be run after a quick explanation of the rules. Definitely not a game that requires a lot of models, but we've already seen the Adept, Cleric, Dragoon, Knight, Sorcerer and Squire. That's 6 classes right there, and would probably make for a pretty balanced game.

I can't wait for Friday lol.

Sounds like you had fun, even if you said you "came to blows". I'm glad to hear your dad grasped the game, is he a gamer/rpger/nerd? The "Parent Test" is a great way to see if the rules are understandable thanks for doing that for us.

My dad is not a gamer, painter, or nerd lol. The closest thing to "gamer" would be when he would spend hours playing Pinball back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Now that his eyesight is going, he's resorting to claw machines for his "gaming".

A big fan of games like tetris and Klax, but I would not consider him a gamer at all.

He did like it, and as someone outside of the hobby, said, "you better not waste all your money on this." Which is different, cause he usually just says waste my money... So I am taking that as permission to spend some money on this game

 Alfndrate wrote:
So I am taking that as permission to spend some money on this game

Good Stuff! We've heard similar good results from people playing with the Quickstart rules, so we hope that turns into a good Kickstarter turnout. We've got plans to throw a lot of minis at everyone, just gotta plow through stretch goals.

Today's update is the other half of the world.



Iksor, The Sunless Lands
On the far side of Terra, the islands of Iksor are wreathed in permanent darkness. Only the reflection of Terra’s two remaining moons provides any light to its denizens. Four major islands make up the Sunless Lands. Dafram is a land of spires and caves hidden in their heights. Here the eldest dragons hide and plot, seeking the downfall of their brethren. The Free Hold of Narjal is home to the Beastmen who refused the rule of the Dark Lord. The humans of Ineb-Iksor live in a small sheltered valley to protect themselves from the rampaging behemoths that stampede across most of the region. The largest island is known simply as the Dark Lord’s Domain, across it spans a massive city housing beastmen, orcs, trolls and demonites under the rule of the greatest evil the world has known.

Dafram, The Dragon Spires
Forged in a secret pact between Numina and Wiggoth, the two set their personal creations, the dragons, upon these islands to fight and determine the superiority of Light or Dark. This civil war raged for millennia, on these secluded peaks, until a dueling pair of dragons strayed over human lands on Ineb-Iksor. With the discovery of the ‘lesser races’, both sides sought more cunning measures to fight their war, seeding half-breed dragonkin across the world. Since their secret war began, the Dragon Spires have been quiet, with assassinations, shapeshifting, and betrayal becoming their method of war.

Narjal, The Free Hold
When the Dark Lord was defeated during his first invasion of Wugin, many beastmen fought under his command, but even those that had remained neutral were exiled by the humans. Unwelcome in their homeland, and unsafe in most areas of Iksor, the beastmen eked out an existence on the island of Narjal. Over time, using their dungeoneering skills, the beastmen came to dominate the land, the Free Hold turned into a haven for all travelers in a dangerous land. Since the fall of the Mage Circles, the beastmen have been able to travel freely to Wugin, and continue building and testing dungeons for would-be heroes, but Narjal remains their new home.

Ineb-Iksor, The Sheltered Land
Before the rise of the Dark Lord, the people of Ineb-Iksor lived across most of the islands of Iksor, indeed the entire continent was named after their kingdom. They were a harsh people for a harsh climate, even when the sun still shone, the behemoths charged across the landscape, wiping out entire villages. Since the climate shift and dangers mounted by the Dark Lord, the Inebians have settled into a valley safe from the outside. Only the coast is open to attack, and it is guarded by the Dragoons of Wyvern. These warrior-mages were the first to see the destruction wrought by dragons and they keep an eternal vigil over the nation, seeking out dragonkin and minions of the Dark Lord alike.

The Dark Lord’s Domain
When the trolls were created by the gods, Numina and Wiggoth refused to attune any to their elements. Whether a trick of the dark god, or simply an inevitability from Undinite’s law of change, the Dark Lord was an Ice Lord, one of the water trolls of Iksor that became corrupt, drawing upon dark power and summoning demonites. Exiled from his clan, the Dark Lord collected armies of orcs and beastmen to him. Twice he attempted to conquer the world and twice he was defeated on the edge of victory. Despite the mortality of most trolls, the Dark Lord has lived for centuries, and rebellious upstarts amongst his armies quickly discover his age has not dulled his strength. His standing armies require a place to live and the Dark Lord’s Domain acts as a massive bivouac for it. Here his legions wait for the next war, and his dark mages seek new spells of horror and demons to call into the world.

Finally read the quick start rules. I have to say, this may be my first kickstarter I'll buy into. I've added in to a friends to get certain rewards but if the dollar amount isn't crazy I'm in on this one myself. A couple of questions, I think you may have already answered this one but will it be possible to run a party of all monsters/ bad guys? Will there be terrain effects, like being on a water tile slowing movement when leaving or being on a lava tile causing a point of damage a turn, etc? Will there be campaign play available to develop and level characters?

The only party creation restrictions are: model point costs and a limit of one of each unique character. We are making a number of 'bad guys' and monsters, and when we hit certain stretch goals, there will be two 'evil' boxes to choose from.

Yes, water would slow your movement, and lava would damage you. We wont be going much beyond that. Grass tiles are not going to have a slightly different movement rate from Roads, or certain elemental attacks do more damage on Castle walls.

We have a basic campaign system with class level-ups, and item gains that will be in the core book, and depending on the stretch goals, a more complex system will see its way in, or as a PDF as a companion to a scripted story campaign. The current system is intended more for leagues to play, rather than for a developing story.

Glad you like the rules so much, we're also very excited to get the Kickstarter going on friday!

A level-up system!? This really can't get any better to me. I think a campaign/ level-up system makes skirmish games so much better (really what made Mordheim and Necromunda for me). The scale of the game, rules, art/miniature style, and campaign rules combined, I think this is literally everything I want in a miniature game. I can't wait to see the kickstarter!

I'm so excited,Friday cannot come soon enough.

Will you be releasing your own maps with the rule set? There are plenty of maps that would fit the 1" scheme but very few fit the aesthetic of the game capture the feel of it. Most maps that would work are for rpg encounters and usually don't take into account elevation. I think if you guys created a set of reversible maps similar to heroclix that would be perfect.

Atilary wrote:
Will you be releasing your own maps with the rule set? There are plenty of maps that would fit the 1" scheme but very few fit the aesthetic of the game capture the feel of it. Most maps that would work are for rpg encounters and usually don't take into account elevation. I think if you guys created a set of reversible maps similar to heroclix that would be perfect.

Its something we're working on, along with a modular MDF board. We designed the game to work with basic RPG maps as well as building your own 3D tables, when we were demo/playtesting at Adepticon we used a basic battlemap with some drawn on elevated areas marked with a little number stating the elevation.

Campaigns that we release officially will have map layouts included, though not at scale, so that you can transpose it to a battlemap, use the planned MDF board, or build your own table.

Meet the Monsters

Goblins
In the early centuries of the Arganean Empire, before they conquered Wugin and enslaved humanity, the Elves had the Goblins as their servants. These lanky creatures, a head or two shorter than humans, were quick learners but unable to comprehend the more advanced magiscience of the Arganeans, and completely devoid of magical prowess.

Using aetheric crystals, the artificial power sources for all Magitechnology, the Arganeans experimented upon Goblins, seeking away to give them magic, and in turn, augment their own. These experiments never resulted in any benefits in the Age of Arganea, but instead mutated the Goblins. They became unable to breathe normal air, requiring ground up aetheric crystals, to live. The Goblins were forced to wear gas masks, that allowed them to infuse aether into their air supply. This kept the massive Goblin population from rebelling or attempting to escape, as only the Arganeans could create more of the aetheric crystals.

When the Empire collapsed, the Goblins fought fiercely for their overlords, fearing the day when the loss of their needed drug. Despite their efforts, the Arganeans were killed or fled into the shadows of history, leaving the Goblins alone in their abandoned cities. Clans of Goblins fought each other for the supplies of crystals, wiser tribes attempting to extend their supply through limited use. Where once the Goblin population counted in the billions, merely a few million exist today. Scavengers explore the Arganean ruins searching for sources of crystal, or attack Low Elf villages, hoping to find caches of Magitechnoloy. From time to time a group of goblins going through extreme withdrawals will join together in roaming hordes, devastating anything in their path in one last desperate search before they burn out and die.

Orcs
The porcine orcs once lived in the same areas as the Ibenians, eeking out a life on the central continents of Iksor. In ancient times, both groups worshiped the Ice Lords, trolls of the water goddess Undinite, praying for warmer temperatures, and survival of their crops. When the Dark Lord was born to the Ice Lords, all their followers were taken aback. Never had a troll been attuned to Wiggoth, nor had any troll given birth to one of another element. The Orcs and Inebians were conflicted as to how to interpret this ‘miracle’. The Orcs see significance in every event, and the birth of a dark troll was the most important event they had seen in centuries. The Inebians saw the dark troll as an aberration. They argued for several months, while the Ice Lords kept the child in one of the temples that had been built for them by the Humans and Orcs.

Finally, the bickering came to a head, and the Inebians gathered a mob to slay the young troll. Before the mob could move storm the temple, a group of Orcs snuck into the Ice Lord temple and took the child away into the night. Since that time, the Orcs have been the primary followers of the Dark Lord. As he rose to power the Orcs fought in his name, claiming most of Iksor, and built temples in his honor.

Orcs are creatures that believe heavily in mysticism and the cosmic significance of every event. The birth of the Dark Lord, his invasions of the human realms, and his eventual defeat or victory. These are all important events of the Orcish faith. An entire caste of Orcs, the Astrologers, spend their lives determining the signs and portents, determining the future professions of newborns, the time to raid enemy villages, and when to return to the Dark Lord’s side for his next invasion.

High Elves
As Air Trolls travelled the world, the first species they created was the Elves. Like other trolls, they taught them magic. Those that took to it with skill were treated well and gifted areas of land to build cities and grow crops. Those that were unable to grasp the use of magic, or those that simply refused the Air Trolls’ methods, were shunned and cast aside. This created the schism between High and Low Elves. With everything they could want, the High Elves created the first nation, Arganea. Over the centuries the government became bloated and imperial, lead by a line of Emperors whose prowess with magic kept them in power.

The High Elves also created magitechnology, a hybrid of science and aetheric energy. This technology was far beyond the ken of the nations they attacked in their imperial expansion, ensuring that their wars were swift and final. As they conquered, the Arganeans enslaved those of martial skill and killed those of magical ability, keeping themselves safe from secret orders of mages, that might seek to assassinate their leaders by magic.
The humans, beastmen, and dwarves they enslaved were forced to fight in gladiatorial arenas for the spectacle and entertainment of the ruling class. To avoid the hunting and cleansing of magic users, deep in their caverns the dwarves developed a system of magical runes, forged into armor and weapons, that went undetectable until their use in battle. The Rune Fencers, with their sentient weapons, became the leaders of the resistance, able to keep their soldiers safe from the retribution of the Empire.

In a joint alliance with the Low Elves, the Rune Fencers, after millennia, would lead a successful rebellion against the Arganeans. Their cities were destroyed, and every captured High Elf was killed by the rebels. Those that escaped the chaos disappeared into the Arganean jungles, hunted by the Low Elves, but were never found. Whether the Arganeans were simply killed by the threats of the jungle, or still hide somewhere, has been a mystery for the ages.

Low Elves
Elves that were shunned by the Air Trolls were pushed into the jungles, forces to fend off great spiders and other horrors far from civilization. It took little time for the Low Elves to become masters of untamed Arganea, but they would continue to be ruled by the High Elves. Sending their armies and magisters into Low Elf villages, the Arganeans would subject them to their edicts and laws. Low Elves would often be forced out of their villages, only their forests destroyed and turned into new Arganean cities for them to live in. Others were taken off to Wugin to work as security for their Imperial ‘betters’. Though the High Elves saw this ‘raising’ of the Low Elves as charity work, most Low Elves begrudged the changes that were forced upon them.

When the humans rebelled, and rioted in the cities of Wugin, the Low Elves took the opportunity to seize their own goals, and the like minded groups destroyed the greatest civilization Terra has ever seen. Free to decide their own destinies, the Low Elves returned to the jungles of Arganea, abandoning the cities for their primitive villages. In their withdrawal some Low Elves took magitech designed by High Elves, to keep weapons or other devices out of the hands of anyone who might use them against them. Villages that hold such devices are headed by High Shamans, the Low Elven experts of magic, who guard them down through their descendants.

The quickstart rules, the level up system and the playtest all intrigue me, however the background is pretty poor. It reads like an attempt to cram every Final Fantasy reference possible into a setting, complete with world maps from someones first homebrew RPG campaign. Also, just shorten it to Magitech or something similar that rolls off the tongue.

I'll wait to see more greens.