Arena Rex: Gladiator Combat in a Mythic Age

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**spiralingcadaver**

Wehrkind wrote:
Yea, wow... when dollars per MM approach 1.0, I start getting a little squeamish. I like some fancy, boutique models, as much or more than most, but there was a good reason I never bought any KD stuff before the Kick Starter. I mean, for the price of two models you can get a whole unit box for most games, even GW! I am not saying that necessarily would or should disqualify a really nice model, but it does really make me think hard about the purchase :(

responding in no particular order:

-GW characters are around the same price as both KD and this system.

-units are always cheaper. non-character models are usually cheaper. GW actually has pretty cheap units compared to most systems, don' know why there's the "even" in there

-I have no idea how you're calculating your $:mm ratio, 'cause, well, it's not very close to 1:1

-game scale is always a factor: the smaller the armies, generally the higher the price per model. Comparing small skirmish (and this is some of the smallest there is) to large squad based-games is really a non-factor

-most of the comparisons you've made are pretty void except if you only collect to paint and not to play and you don't assign a higher value to extra-fancy models, which seems like a pretty small cross section of the gaming market

**Wehrkind**

28/35 does not approach 1? (It is .8)

GW is not generally known for being sort of silly expensive? Though you are sort of right, I note that the demons can be acquired for ~29$ for 10 unless it is a 3 man unit of big cav for 54$. So you can get two units... wait.
GW Characters are ~28$ these days? Most of the infantry sized ones are ~20$ on their site, though adding a horse gets crazy.

I understand issues with game scale, but if you need 3-4 models, and they retail for ~28$, that is pretty pricey. Not as much as a full 35 point WM/H army, but that is still a lot for a tiny handful of models.

And while there is a game attached to this, the price points are justified by some as being based on them being more detailed, boutique models. That might be so (though the renders do not seem to be super detailed more than most gaming models these days) but I have to wonder what added value is a game that may or may not be good, and may or may not be played by enough people to catch on. If it is a game you buy models for and play as a board game with one person owning all the materials, that makes for a really expensive purchase after 6-10 models.

Maybe 28$ retail for a single 35mm model is cool for some, but for me it is a price point where it becomes a tough decision even if I like it. Which is... yup, exactly what I said above.

**kilcin**

Red Republic Games wrote:Vargr is now available in the Field of Mars!

Next up, the indomitable Frigge: Raised from birth within the brotherhood, Frigge Eiriksdottir has been a terror since the age of two. Many of the Blood Brothers’ favorite stories of Frigge involve her childhood escapades throwing tantrums and stealing weapons twice her height. This continued until her demands were met and she was presented with a child’s wooden sword to match her brother’s. Her father knew that day that his only daughter was a warrior-born and the rest of the brotherhood had best try and keep up.

Following that, Free Lupa for Ludus Magnus and Ludus Maximus pledge levels!

Source

Think Vargr is pretty cool and the background fluff for Frigge reminds me of my daughter... and hey, freebie Lupa at $75k which I like the art for. Can't wait till I see some more greens/WiPs.

**spiralingcadaver**

Ooh, free Lupa was a good move, even if a ways off...

**Alpharius**

It is a good move!

And they're already at $60K, so not too far off...

**Zond**

I'm so tempted to pledge but I'm worried about good old VAT when it arrives.

**Rolt**

Quick update:

Frigge is now available in the field of mars!

Next up, a free Lupa gets added to the Ludus Magnus and Ludus Maximus pledge levels: A spectacle and executioner, Lupa is often brought into the arena to finish off foes who have been condemned, or to rouse a crowd when their interest is flagging. Crushing the heads of the fallen with great strokes of her hammer, or toying with opponents by incorporating elaborate flourishes, she ensures that even the most lackluster opponents will be drawn into a great show. Adept at creating a captive audience, Lupa ensures that the crowds always leave satisfied.

Following that, Sven! (aka Techno Viking)

Enjoy.

**kenshin620**

Techno viking? Would never had thought a KS would mention him

**grefven**

Looking really ace!

**Alpharius**

This one's slowed down a bit, but here's an update!

Model Spotlight I
Update #14 · Mar. 26, 2013 · comment

We wanted to share some more game content with you while we work on the gameplay video. The first in a series, this model spotlight will give you a closer look at Aquila and Otho. We'll be sharing more of these throughout the campaign so you can get a better feel for how each model plays. Of course, these stat cards and abilities may change after the summer playtest.

Near the bottom you'll see a sneak peek at the designs for faction dice. Once we select a prototype these will be available as optional extras. Hope you like them!

Hopefully this helps gets things moving up again!

**Sinful Hero**

This kickstarter gets more and more tempting which each update. I'll keep an eye on this one.

**Wehrkind**

The rules are looking pretty sweet! I am really curious to hear from some play testers how they end up working on the table; there looks to be some good emergent depth there.

**Charles Rampant**

Otho pleases me - the gladiator who just goes around trolling enemy models.

I also really like the LM faction logo - classy (see what I did there?) and simple, while being nicely detailed. Others are good too, but I expect to only see them across the table from me!

**Trodax**

So far I really like what I've seen of the rules; looks like it could be fun! However, it is a bit hard to judge how this will shake out at the table and it will probably need the playtesting to fine-tune stuff. For example, pushing your opponent 1" backwards seems like a common result from the damage tree, how useful this is in play really depends on... a lot of factors (terrain, how all the other gladiators are set up, if there is any benefit to flanking an opponent, what the rules are for disengaging i.e. does pushing an opponent give you the opportunity to run off and attack someone else etc. etc.). If there is often a tactical advantage of pushing your opponent, perfect. On the other hand, if there in most situations isn't much of a point of pushing your opponent, then the whole idea with the damage trees kind of evaporates for the two characters we've seen here, as players will almost always choose the high damage path. As I said, this really needs to be fine-tuned to get it right.

**Alpharius**

Update #15:

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Update #15 · Mar. 27, 2013 · comment

We know many of you have been waiting to see what the quality of the upcoming sculpts will be before backing Arena Rex. While we are still waiting on more that we can show you, we can give you a better idea of what to expect. We have posted a scale comparison to the main page, and have included it again below for easy reference. The F.A.Q. also now includes a list of models and which sculptors are attached to them, and will be updated as commitments come in. Here it is again for anyone that hasn’t checked in a while:

Aquila - Sebastian Archer
Gaius Pallidus - Sebastian Archer
Vargr - Sebastian Archer
Frigge - Benoit Cauchies
Noxius - Benoit Cauchies
Tiet-Khebi - Benoit Cauchies
Leo - MIKH
Lupa - MIKH
Otho - MIKH
Septimus & Nero - MIKH
Septimus on foot (when it unlocks!) - MIKH
Micon - Valentin Zak
Urbicus - Valentin Zak
Aemilia - Olivier Nkweti

Many of you have also been interested to find out how faithful the sculpts will be to the art. This is a little subjective, since the degree of change in translating from 2D to 3D will vary by sculptor and character. The gladiators we feel are mostly likely to see major pose adjustments from the art are Ban-Luca, Gaius Pallidus, Marcus Furius, and Otho Mentulus (100% on the pose change for this one, some of which you can see in a previous update).

Finally, we have another pledge reward available in the Extras -- arena mats! We know there has been a lot of clamoring for boards and terrain, and we are still working on more options to bring to you, but we finally got a prototype of this back from the printer, and we’re excited to be able to offer them now. For those who prefer a portable solution that gets you straight into the game, these 36” square vinyl mats turn any surface into an arena in seconds. These are shipped separately in cardboard tubes; shipping is included in the pledge amount for the arena mats.

Also, a big “Thank you” to everyone for your continued support. We’ll have more to share soon!

The mat is 3' x 3' - and is nice!

I'd still like some 'real' (3D) terrain too though...

**His Master's Voice**

Alpharius wrote:

I'd still like some 'real' (3D) terrain too though...

I'd rather see some minis. So far they previewed one finished model that's not that compelling and two very promising WIPs. That's not enough to get me to pledge. Then again, if the previews turn out to be as good as they're shaping up to be, I'll easily pledge at the top tier.

**BlueDagger**

if memory serves you can get some dirt cheap roman pillar cake toppers from US Hobby Lobby. Stuff like pits would have to be markers.

**Alpharius**

BlueDagger wrote:
if memory serves you can get some dirt cheap roam pillar cake toppers from US Hobby Lobby. Stuff like pits would have to be markers.

Good idea - thanks for the suggestion!

**Yodhrin**

Another annoying scale comparison picture. How difficult is it for these companies to just put all the models on the same bleedin' base?

**kenshin620**

Not sure how well it scales with 35mm, but the Playmobil (they sure do like "violent" topics...) roman arena IIRC works well for 28mm models if you want a 3D arena

Spoiler:

**kilcin**

Diameter is 33 inches, which is close to the 30 inches they mention for playing area, but the thing is discontinued... So close...

**Bolognesus**

Ebay has it for little more than what that mat would set you back

**kilcin**

I see one for $60 and $45 shipping, which is more then 3 times the mat for me and another for $179.99 with $18.99 shipping...
Cheapest is $65 with free shipping but it seems to be missing a few things.

**Bolognesus**

Ouch, seems they're a lot cheaper in the EU then. Sorry.

**Taarnak**

No good links removed.

Edit: Those may not be the complete Arena. Will need to check into it...
Edit 2: Nope. Partial circle only. Sorry.
Edit 3: The full Arena appears to be item number 4270.

~Eric

**Alpharius**

I think you just bought the 'incomplete' version, unfortunately!

And the ones you linked to on eBay are also the smaller, incomplete versions...

**kilcin**

Taarnak wrote:
$82.42 w/free shipping 3 Available, says New In Box.
$59.95 w/$11.50 shipping Says New In Box

Those may not be the complete Arena. Will need to check into it...

US site.

I just scored one new from Amazon for $64.00 shipping included.

~Eric

Hey, don't mean to be rude, but those two links are for the half Roman Arena, not the full circle one. Also, on the amazon front, I imagine you are the one that got one of the two here. Hate to break it to ya, but that's also the half arena.

Cherelle wrote:FYI: This item is the smaller incomplete arena setup. It is not the item number listed in the description which refers to the completely enclosed Roman Arena that costs approx $90-100. Look carefully before purchasing so that you get the item you prefer.

Source

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Curses, too slow in verifying my thoughts...

**Skorne**

Taarnak wrote:
$82.42 w/free shipping 3 Available, says New In Box.
$59.95 w/$11.50 shipping Says New In Box

Those may not be the complete Arena. Will need to check into it...

US site.

I just scored one new from Amazon for $64.00 shipping included.

~Eric

Be careful, the Roman arena appears to be the gate section, think you need the Deluxe Roman Arena (4270) for the full loop.

**Alpharius**

Yes, we know!

He had me all excited for a minute or two though...

**Taarnak**

Thanks guys. Corrected my post.

~Eric

Alpharius wrote:
Yes, we know!

He had me all excited for a minute or two though...

Me too man. Me too.