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 endtransmission wrote:

darrkespur wrote:

We certainly want there to be models for Proselytisers in the future, as well as for the special characters from the fiction. But designing and making HIPS moulds is very time and resource intensive, so monopose characters isn't the best choice for the first wave. We wanted to concentrate on multipart, multipose models with lots of different options, to give people more options to kitbash and convert. As one of the guys that invents these characters I definitely want to see them on the tabletop in the future. In this first wave I think the variety of parts and flexibility of the material will allow people a lot of scope for conversions, so I hope some of the amazing modellers and painters on this forum will create some really unique things with it!

We shall have to see what we can do to accommodate you then
I guess temporarily we will have to just use an existing model stats/role as the Proselytisers, which is fine. I'd imagine they would essentially be a Trooper squad leader once the firefight starts anyway?

I'm looking forward to seeing how you do characters in HIPS due to the investment needed and the limited usage.

I've always though the most practical way to include characters in a HIPS/sprue environment would be to include the couple odd pieces needed to upgrade a standard model.

I don't think GW ever really marketed this, but the Ravenwing Upgrade sprue had the bits necessary to upgrade a standard Terminator model to be Belial AND the bits necessary to upgrade a standard Land Speeder to be the Master of the Ravenwing Land Speeder.

Maybe something similar would work? Include a special helmet and set of arms/special weapons and all of a sudden you can build either a standard Squad Leader or the corresponding named HQ choice. This also gives people more opportunity for conversions and posing.

I like the Epireans, I have a ton of scifi troopers with guns from various companies that I want to use for a game that suits me better than 40K. I don't have any issue with the proportions and the shoulderpads I can live with since for some reason game designers everywhere are convinced that in the future all soldiers will need shoulderpads even though they've been rendered impractical centuries ago.

My only criticize for the Epirean model shown is that he needs more gear. Even if he isn't going to have a pack he still needs webbing for ammo pouches, medkit, canteen etc. Nobody goes into a battle with just a rifle and one magazine. Hopefully there are more bits available on the sprues for the Epireans, if not I'll just have to dig some out of my bits box.

If the books go to print again or you have extras, I'd be interested. I don't have a portable e-reader.

darrkespur wrote:

Apologist wrote:Any plans for HIPs terrain? The 'third army' always helps to change a fun game into a memorable experience, and really helps set the overall aesthetic and stop things becoming generic.

A third faction won't be in this release, again due to the time and cost constraints of making HIPS models - we wanted to do the first two factions right, rather than rush a third. However, we do have three more factions that we are very excited about, so if the first launch goes well, we'll be able to kick on with developing the next set of factions and models with the same level of quality.

Ah, sorry; I wasn't quite clear there – by 'third army', I meant the scenery. I think the release plan (two initial opposing armies) is a sensible one.

Off-topic, I see you're up in Oxford. Do you happen to head down the Abingdon Wargamers club at all? A mate of mine who lives in the area says it's a nice group.

 Kriswall wrote:

I've always though the most practical way to include characters in a HIPS/sprue environment would be to include the couple odd pieces needed to upgrade a standard model.

Agreed. The GW upgrade sprues were a great idea that they should have stuck to. The problem comes when you have characters that fall outside of the base unit designs as you need to add more and more elements onto the upgrade sprue. For example the Proselytisers have robes, so would effectively need a completely new sculpt to themselves

Robed legs and a different upper torso would work well.

Sorry if these questions has already being asked, but:

Will dakka still be running?

Will there be any conversion/ upgrade spruces?

I think I just figured out what I'm most excited about. It isn't the rules, which look great. It isn't the models, which so far look just grand, it's the access to the fluff and the people who imagined it/wrote it all! That's the best thing that a company can do, it's what I like most about PP and I think its what I am going to like most about this.

"Why is this like this?" "Well motyak, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"

I am actually more looking forwards to delving even deeper into the fluff than I was previously, weeeee

 Apologist wrote:

Ah, sorry; I wasn't quite clear there – by 'third army', I meant the scenery. I think the release plan (two initial opposing armies) is a sensible one.

Off-topic, I see you're up in Oxford. Do you happen to head down the Abingdon Wargamers club at all? A mate of mine who lives in the area says it's a nice group.

Terrain is definitely important and something we've thought about, but I'll say no more than that at present!

I haven't joined a wargame club since I moved to Oxford because I've been busy working on the game but I used to be a semi-regular at Bristol Vanguard when I lived there. I'll definitely check out Abingdon when I get the chance.

Very cool guys! If you want any help with video to bring this to market, shoot me a message!

- Ash

Nithoggr wrote:
Long time lurker and I had to post about this.

Do you guys have any objection on any of us writing fan fiction and maybe posting it here or somewhere else? I have no idea how people normally do this so if anyone has ideas please let me know.

No issues with people writing their own stories set in the universe of Maelstrom's Edge, but you may want to hold on until you get a sense of how much background we've already written (hint, a LOT), it'll give you loads of good ideas!

Hard plastic and 20-30 minis sounds great, looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Like the look of the rules preview too, particularly moving making models harder to hit and the suppression mechanic. Sounds promising!

Do you have any idea when you will be releasing another novel?

Also, I will save some money to back you on kickstarter

 Da Stormlord wrote:
Sorry if these questions has already being asked, but:

Will dakka still be running?

Will there be any conversion/ upgrade spruces?

In the first two pages, Yak said that they don't plan on anything to change on dakka except running some banner ads during the KS and setting up a game specific subforum. Other than that, it'll still be the same neutral ground we all love to grip about our favorite game on.

Stormphoenix wrote:

Nithoggr wrote:
Long time lurker and I had to post about this.

Do you guys have any objection on any of us writing fan fiction and maybe posting it here or somewhere else? I have no idea how people normally do this so if anyone has ideas please let me know.

No issues with people writing their own stories set in the universe of Maelstrom's Edge, but you may want to hold on until you get a sense of how much background we've already written (hint, a LOT), it'll give you loads of good ideas!

We do intend to have a regular short story collection/magazine and I am very keen that people will be able to submit their own stories for consideration in that. So please feel free to write stories in our universe, as long as you clearly state that it's a Maelstrom's Edge story if you post it online. I won't necessarily pick every story to be published but I will be looking for the best fan contributions. I've actually already accepted a story from one of the moderators for inclusion in a future collection...

But as stormphoenix (who is Jon Last, our technical writer and 'keeper of the fluff' ) said, if you wait a little you'll find we have created a huge universe of content to explore, which should aid you in your writing.

We have already asked some fantastic professional writers to contribute short fiction to future collections, I'm very excited to reveal more but I can't just yet!

 Da Stormlord wrote:
Do you have any idea when you will be releasing another novel?

Also, I will save some money to back you on kickstarter

Thank you! There's definitely plans for more novels (and I've started on the next one) but they aren't quick to write! We do however have a whole bunch of shorter fiction to share with you over the next few months.

The models and artwork are looking great

this is going to be fun on the bun

My impression is that at least some of the models have already had models made. Any chance of seeing what a sprue looks like?

Maybe start adding some of the more repetitive questions to the FAQ in the OP?

(Sprues, etc?)

I'm just about to hop on a flight, but can confirm that the first sprues will be shown in this thread, on the website and on the facebook feed tomorrow.

I think if you want more kit on your Epirians, there are a lot of options third-party for pouches and stuff. Leaving them a bit clean allows for people who don't like busy models in the 28mm scale and for people who like loads of gubbins to add them personally.

I also wholeheartedly agree with the 'build heroes/leaders into the troop sprues' sentiment. This is a great idea. It doesn't have to be an upgrade sprue either (though those are cool!), but just a 'boss head' and 'obligatory boss gear' bits and you're GTG.

Good to hear it Lego, pretty excited to see how the sprues are laid out.

Great looking stuff.

I'd like in on some of this action when the time comes. I really like the exploration aspect, sort of a "Firefly/ Defiance" feel to it.

Great work all!!

The quality so far has a lot of the stuff we've been shilled by a certain someone with the letters G and W in the name blown out of the water.



You all going to have a webpage/ download area here, or somewhere else?

Well done, chaps. Can't wait to read the rules.

Looks like a well thought out launch.
Always game for a more hard science fiction environment.
I will find a way to back this, looks like I will not need to find many reasons.

So, any threads we have on this we will get some moderators from 4chan to help out to prevent conflict of interest?

Looks good, keep us informed, I am sure we will all do what we can.

will there be options for a PDFs art book or fluff bible during the kickstarter? I definitely want the novels in paper, but something like a codex would be a great way to get the gist of the setting quickly. Also, there must be lots of design artwork in your files that would sell the look and feel of the universe.


For the professional writers you've tapped, would you say they are "about as famous as Peter F. Hamilton", "about as famous as Neal Asher", or "about as famous as Andy Remic"? If there is another author closer in genre stature, please feel free to throw his or her name out there.

 motyak wrote:
I think I just figured out what I'm most excited about. It isn't the rules, which look great. It isn't the models, which so far look just grand, it's the access to the fluff and the people who imagined it/wrote it all! That's the best thing that a company can do, it's what I like most about PP and I think its what I am going to like most about this.

"Why is this like this?" "Well motyak, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"

I am actually more looking forwards to delving even deeper into the fluff than I was previously, weeeee

Yup, that's the best thing in my opinion so far too. My personal bugbear is when companies have no communication with their buyers (it only reallyyyy applies to GW but there are other examples occasionally). I love how open the developers have been so far and really hope it continues (I assume it will though, I'm not worried that it won't).

I have a big question about the tone and backstory of this universe.

It seems on the face of it that you may have out-grimdarked the grimdarkiest game of them all, with the imminent annihilation of everything not set sometime in the inevitable but vaguely distant future, but happening right now. In other words, this reads at the moment a bit like a sci-fi "Endtimes" game, at least for the region of the universe that it focuses on: the edge of the Maelstrom. In terms of narrative, that's an interesting choice; it feels like we're beginning with the end of something rather than the beginning, presumably arriving at the climatic crescendo of everything. It's not exactly clear how long people living on the edge have got, but it doesn't look like we're talking about centuries here.

I do hope that the future will be more complex and open-ended than that. I'd like to play in a universe where the eventual dominance of one faction (like Chaos) or inevitable annihilation by a natural event doesn't render all actions ultimately futile. It would be good to game in a world where battles have real consequences, which ultimately means they affect real futures, not just how we choose to die in a few months.

There's understandably a lot you haven't told us yet, since giving away everything at the beginning is not a good way to drum up and maintain interest. So it's impossible to know if having alien/distorted life behind, within, or even causing the Maelstrom would make or ruin the setting you're building, or whether elements of magic, psionics, time-travel, etc. would fit or derail it all. I'm sure we could have some pointless flame-wars here about whether or not those are good or terrible things to incorporate, but presumably you've already made up your minds, and whatever you've decided fits in well with your vision. At present we just know that the Karists believe they can commune with the Maelstrom via trance, and there are some visual cues on their armor that may indicate that they attempt to harvest and employ Maelstrom energy on the battlefield in some capacity. I don't know if you'll be able to maintain it, but I really like the present ambiguity as to whether there is actually anything to Karist beliefs about the Maelstrom, or whether they are just dangerous delusions.

Finally, I hope you will eventually have some sort of horrific, non-human or altered human faction. It could be Lovecraftian, or cybernetic, or Artificially intelligent, or undead, or - and this would be asking a lot, but hey, maybe you're geniuses - something genuinely new, a completely non-derivative sci-fi menace. Psychologically, the Karists have a horrific edge already due to their convictions (if you're on the wrong side of them), and the Epireans, as countless sci-fi films have shown us, have plenty of horrific potential as corporations following Social Darwinist principles. But ultimately your game will fare better, I believe, if it incorporates at least one physically weird / horrific faction in its second or third wave. And by weird / horrific I do not mean Evil; even the most frightening, hideous things presumably have reasons and rationales for what they do, knowable or not. Even ticks are just trying to survive and reproduce when they attach themselves to our nooks and crannies and give us Lyme disease, after all. Little bastards.

ImAGeek wrote:

 motyak wrote:
I think I just figured out what I'm most excited about. It isn't the rules, which look great. It isn't the models, which so far look just grand, it's the access to the fluff and the people who imagined it/wrote it all! That's the best thing that a company can do, it's what I like most about PP and I think its what I am going to like most about this.

"Why is this like this?" "Well motyak, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"

I am actually more looking forwards to delving even deeper into the fluff than I was previously, weeeee

Yup, that's the best thing in my opinion so far too. My personal bugbear is when companies have no communication with their buyers (it only reallyyyy applies to GW but there are other examples occasionally). I love how open the developers have been so far and really hope it continues (I assume it will though, I'm not worried that it won't).

Thanks, there will be times when we are busy doing other things and we're all in different timezones so replies to specific questions may take some time but we'll do our best to keep communication lines open!

We are science fiction and wargame fans ourselves and so we hope we understand what you guys are looking for. There will be times we can't reveal everything but we want to be as open and honest as we can so you can get as excited about Maelstrom's Edge as we are!

BobtheInquisitor wrote:will there be options for a PDFs art book or fluff bible during the kickstarter? I definitely want the novels in paper, but something like a codex would be a great way to get the gist of the setting quickly. Also, there must be lots of design artwork in your files that would sell the look and feel of the universe.

For the professional writers you've tapped, would you say they are "about as famous as Peter F. Hamilton", "about as famous as Neal Asher", or "about as famous as Andy Remic"? If there is another author closer in genre stature, please feel free to throw his or her name out there.

This is one of those things I can't talk about, but you're in the right ballpark with that range of talent.

The rulebook will have lots of great art and fluff in it and will be available in both pdf and hard copy.

 Vermonter wrote:

It seems on the face of it that you may have out-grimdarked the grimdarkiest game of them all, with the imminent annihilation of everything not set sometime in the inevitable but vaguely distant future, but happening right now. In other words, this reads at the moment a bit like a sci-fi "Endtimes" game, at least for the region of the universe that it focuses on: the edge of the Maelstrom. In terms of narrative, that's an interesting choice; it feels like we're beginning with the end of something rather than the beginning, presumably arriving at the climatic crescendo of everything. It's not exactly clear how long people living on the edge have got, but it doesn't look like we're talking about centuries here.

One of the challenges of designing a background for a wargame is coming up with a reason for everyone to be willing to fight everyone else... and even themselves. The sheer chaos caused by the Maelstrom does a perfect job of providing that reason, IMO.

But while the Maelstrom promises imminent annihilation for those worlds on the edge, the sheer size of the galaxy means that there is still plenty of room for the story to continue. The story for individual worlds on the Edge will be short. What happens as the Maelstrom continues to advance? That's a much longer story.


The Maelstrom promises the eventual destruction of everything... but it's not certain. It might burn itself out. Someone might figure out how to stop it. The Karists might be right. Or there may be some other thing that comes along that saves the day... So it provides the perfect trigger for conflict, while still allowing for that glimmer of hope.

Interesting thoughts, Vermonter.

That's kind of what I was thinking too, they say they aren't trying to go as grimdark as 40k, but with MEdge the galaxy is actually blowing up constantly in the background no matter what you do, whereas with 40k there are just tons of threats besieging humanity.

But at the same time, the 'there is only war' line doesn't apply. The Karists fight Epirians for the right to preach their ways, the Epirian upper classes callously abandon worlds worth of settlers to their sad fate, but the planets aren't constantly being attacked by orks, or giant space bugs, or evil space terminators. On worlds far enough from the Edge, there are decades of life, often hard lives spent working your ass off to buy your family a ticket to a world further towards the outer rim... but while there's the constant wave of doom approaching, the constant threat of annihilation from various enemies is less.

More of a creeping doom than a zomg threats from every angle. And within that setting the skirmishes and wars happen when factions bump heads.

So its an interesting mix of doom/gloom and optimism. As long as you can keep moving out, there's hope for you and your descendents I guess.


As for the Karists, if you read the first novel it isn't far in before you find out they use energy from the Cybel network to power at least some of their technology, and they seem to have enslaved/indentured a race of aliens to work for their purposes. I'm not sure how sentient/intelligent the Angels are, but they're supposed to be largely amorphous critters that can assume most any convenient shape, and who seem to subsist off of the energy in the Cybel network.

*edit*
Also, what Insaniak said, I was thinking it but didn't say it. 40k pretty much wants you to believe there is no hope, there are literally just too damn many threats encroaching on humanity from within, without, and from the warp and beyond, humans will never win. MEdge still gives you hope, even though there's an obvious time limit ticking down.. there's hope in fleeing the Maelstrom's Edge.

*edit edit*
Lastly, I really have to say it's a very interesting angle to come from too. Starting at the core and working out! This in and of itself is relatively unique. Usually after you expand, you go too far and something starts eating you up from the outside in. You wake up the necrons or tyranids. Colonies get forgotten or go dark, the known universe actually shrinks because of encroaching threats. With MEdge... it seems the very opposite, your core, safety zone, everything that you know is blown up first, and you have to flee into the unknown to survive. So there's hope, but at the same time its terrifying. Maybe you'll flee the Edge just to run into some otherworldly living galaxy that decides to politely devour your entire species as they flee willingly into it's being, just a thought

Livin the dream! Best of luck, guys!