RPE/Ral Partha Europe Launches Dwarf Veteran Warband Kickstarter - Clearly Frostgrave-friendly.

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.

**Azazelx**

Our aim is to produce a warband of 10 dwarves in 28mm scale. They will be sculpted in epoxy putty, moulded in black rubber and cast in metal - miniatures the old school way!

Picture the proud dwarf king in exile, forced from his mountain stronghold. Leading a band of grizzled veterans, they hire their services out, biding their time and amassing gold and followers until the day they can reclaim their homeland. You know the story, it's the classic excuse to get a dwarf warband together, though this one needs no hobbit or human help and comes complete with its' own dwarf wizard. Perfect for dungeon bashing and skirmish games, or with the possibility of adding duplicates to your pledge you could even build a small army.

The first 5 sculpts pictured above have been mastered already, the next five will be based on these and will provide another spearman, swordsman, axeman and a pair of crossbowmen. The next sculpts are already in progress and pictures will be added as soon as we have them.
They measure approx 20mm tall and scale well with other miniatures.
Designed and sculpted for us by the talented hands of Mark Evans.

These are the different pledge levels, only the Flagon of Ale level and above qualify for the free assassin dwarf.

1 dwarf of your choice £4 posted add £2 outside UK Wee Dram
1 dwarf king £5 posted add £2 outside UK Half Pint
5 dwarves £14 posted add £2 outside UK Pint
10 dwarves £22 posted add £3 outside UK Early Bird Flagon of Ale
10 dwarves £25 posted add £3 outside UK Flagon of Ale- Army deal- king, wizard, 5 spears, 5 axes, 5 swords, 5 crossbows total 22 +freebies £45 posted add £3 outside UK Early Bird Pewter Tankard
Army deal- king, wizard, 5 spears, 5 axes, 5 swords, 5 crossbows
total 22 +freebies £50 posted add £3 outside UK Pewter Tankard- All pledges can add extra miniatures from the list below, each mini has a letter for ease of selection, simply increase your pledged amount by £2.50 for each additional dwarf you want. When we contact you after the kickstarter you can use these letter codes to easily confirm additions.
Any miniatures or extras unlocked - will be added to this list.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/550360615/dwarf-veteran-warband

It's the kind of small-scale, low-risk KS I'm still happy to back. RPE do their own casting, they're a solvent business who I've bought from before and the first five models are already done. Most importantly, I like the models.

The first stretch goal is at £1200 - all pledges at the 'flagon of ale' level or above will receive a free miniature- the dwarf assassin- Snorri Einarsson
UPDATE: Goal reached! Snorri the dwarf assassin is now unlocked and will be added free of charge to all pledges at flagon and above.

Some call him 'sensei' (because he tells them to), some call him 'the masked avenger' (because he forces them to) but most call him 'that lunatic Snorri Einarsson'.
It's rare for a dwarf to head to sea, but Snorri was always the black sheep of his family and in his youth he set out to earn his fortune on the great trading ships. News would eventually reach his clan that he was lost at sea, his ship sank with all hands, however Snorri made it to shore, shipwrecked in the Far East armed with nothing but his wits (what remained of them).
When the dwarves find themselves hard pressed a mysterious figure sometimes appears to turn the tide of battle, brandishing a pair of wickedly sharp swords that are obviously not dwarf-made. He believes his mask conceals his true identity, but every dwarf knows it's Snorri, back from his travels. Most of them think he is a bit crazy, though his prowess with swords is undeniable. They don't know where he's been or who taught him his swordsmanship, but he's definitely a good lad to have on your side in a scrap.

Stretch Goal #2 at £1500 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
If we reach £1500 we will add a dwarf apprentice miniature, this will be available to add at all pledge levels for the kickstarter exclusive price of just £2.00
Simply increase your pledged amount by £2 to add him, he will be letter code L

Stretch Goal #3 at £1750 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
Every pledge at the Flagon of ale level and above will receive a free accessory sprue, to customise their warband. Exact contents to be confirmed, but will most likely be a small assortment of belt pouches or bags, some weapons, an extra shield, that sort of thing -pictures to follow.

Stretch Goal #4 at £2000 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
Dwarf Brewmaster. This is an unlocked add-on miniature just like the wizards apprentice, he can be added to any existing pledge by increasing the pledged amount by just £2.00.
Part medic, part morale officer, this veteran brewer keeps the warband going with copious quantities of ale.
Got a bit chopped off? have a pint!
A bit scared of that goblin horde? have a pint!
sculpt is in progress, pictures as soon as available.

Stretch Goal #5 at £2250 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
More bits! we'll add another sprue of accessories to every pledge

Stretch Goal #6 at £2500 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
Dwarf King's Guard, this armoured captain is the King's most trusted companion. (He's also a major badass). £2.00 add on

Stretch Goal #7 at £3000 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
Dwarven Ranger - leather armour, cloaked, with a staff and slung bow
£2.00 add on.

Stretch Goal #8 at £3500 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
Tracker boar, not a boarhound but an actual boar, hairy fat and tusky (a lot like its' owner). This is a free bonus miniature added to all pledges at the flagon level and above. You may also add additional boars to your pledge, price to be confirmed.

Stretch Goal #9 Thug #1 add-on at £3750
This will allow you to add a lightly armed and equipped basic dwarf troop to your pledge for just £2.00 simply increase your pledge by this amount for each added thug

Stretch Goal #10 Thug #2 add-on at £4000
This will allow you to add a lightly armed and equipped basic dwarf troop to your pledge for just £2.00 simply increase your pledge by this amount for each added thug

We have some further add-ons planned, these will be announced as we progress.

**Vermis**

Gonna be honest, they're a little squat for my liking. (No pun intended) But I hope it goes well for them.

**Theophony**

would it be so hard to put all the models on the same type base?

Every kickstarter messes that up, but its bad when they choose all these alternate ranges and then have half on no base and half on the same base.

**-iPaint-**

Theophony wrote:
would it be so hard to put all the models on the same type base? Every kickstarter messes that up, but its bad when they choose all these alternate ranges and then have half on no base and half on the same base.

Realistically, you need some sort of silly putty to boost up models so they all start from the same starting level (flat part of their bases). Then, take your comparison shots from 90 degrees straight on, so you can see how they match up.

In this day and age, good quality pictures of your product should be a no-brainer.

~iPaint

**Azazelx**

I don't get it? They all seem to be on the same kind of 25mm round bases, with the exception of the figures that have integral metal bases - which you can easily extrapolate the difference of without a need to stand them on putty or glue them to a plastic 25mm slotta. I honestly don't see the problem.

**TheAuldGrump**

They are all being shown on the bases that they have - I think that is probably a better choice than trying to put the figures from other companies on bases that they would not have.

This seems more honest.

The Auld Grump

**Zywus**

I think it would be slightly better to put the models that has integrated bases on a bit of putty, plasticard or whatever so that all model's feet are on the same level. But as you say, it's really not a big deal.

As long as they're all stood in a line and the picture is not taken from an angle I'm perfectly happy with the comparasion picture.

**Azazelx**

Huh. Funded already, and the first Stretch Dwarf is unlocked already as well:

**AlexHolker**

Er... why is this a Kickstarter? If it was some newcomer to the industry funding their first miniatures it would make sense, or if it was an old hand like Ral Partha financing something with higher overheads like HIPS or a board game, but aren't metal miniatures something this company has been doing for decades without needing to ask customers to front the development costs?

**Zywus**

Kickstarter is often used, not so much for financing, but for exposure.

**Theophony**

AlexHolker wrote:
Er... why is this a Kickstarter? If it was some newcomer to the industry funding their first miniatures it would make sense, or if it was an old hand like Ral Partha financing something with higher overheads like HIPS or a board game, but aren't metal miniatures something this company has been doing for decades without needing to ask customers to front the development costs?

Shouldn't this be in every Mantic thread too? Mantic may be new to the field, but they are still an established company. But In an honest answer I think that a company can bring a project like this out and just say that they would never bring out metal ninja dwarves to an already saturated market without kickstarter to help see just how many people would back it. It is just too risky to use their own capital on this line,

**Kid_Kyoto**

And it does come up with every Mantic thread.

Sort answer is if you think a company is 'too established' to use Kickstarter, don't pledge.

Longer answer is RPE might be the heirs to a great line of models and have years of experience but I doubt they're drowning in cash. If this is the route they choose to expand their lines or even bring back OOPs ones, more power to them.

More Lead/Plastic/Resin out there is to everyone's benefit.

**Vermis**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:

Sort answer is if you think a company is 'too established' to use Kickstarter, don't pledge.

Longer answer is RPE might be the heirs to a great line of models and have years of experience but I doubt they're drowning in cash. If this is the route they choose to expand their lines or even bring back OOPs ones, more power to them.

Aye. Of all the whinges I could level at minis kickstarters, wanting to get a little bit of that hype and limelight comes pretty low down the list.

**Azazelx**

RPE isn't actually the Original Ral Partha. I think they might have started as a Euro distributor or something.

We manufacture all the Classic Ral Partha miniatures listed on our site under license.

This is what RPE have to say about why they're using KS:

Why Kickstarter? well, we are a small company without a huge budget for new miniatures. Using kickstarter lets us get a new range into production comparatively quickly and hopefully covers enough of the sculpting costs to allow us to commission more miniatures straight away. It also gives you the opportunity to get some nice figures at less than retail price with the possibility of some free extras too.

And update #2 is out:

Well, that was quick, we seem to be running out of stretch goals!

The wizard's apprentice is now unlocked and can be added to any pledge by increasing the pledged amount by just £2.00
We added another stretch goal for a sprue of accessories at £1750, that's way behind us now, so every pledge at Flagon and above will now receive a free sprue of extra bits.

Next up is the Brewmaster add on, though as we are only £15 away from unlocking it I don't expect it to be locked for much longer...

Stretch Goal #4 at £2000 Dwarf Brewmaster.
This will be an unlocked add-on miniature for £2.00
once available he can be added to any existing pledge by increasing the pledged amount. Part medic, part morale officer, this veteran brewer keeps the warband going with copious quantities of ale.
Got a bit chopped off? have a pint!
A bit scared of that goblin horde? have a pint!
sculpt is in progress, pictures as soon as available.

Stretch Goal #5 at £2250
More bits! (moar bits?) we'll add another sprue of accessories to every pledge

Stretch Goal #6 at £2500
Dwarf King's Guard, this armoured captain is the King's most trusted companion. (He's also a major badass).

I'm talking with the sculptor each day, as soon as we get work in progress pictures they will be added.

**insaniak**

Dwarf Wizards?

What sorcery is this???

Seriously, though... Minis look awesome. No money to buy in right now, though, which makes sad happen... :(

**TheAuldGrump**

insaniak wrote:
Dwarf Wizards?

What sorcery is this???

Seriously, though... Minis look awesome. No money to buy in right now, though, which makes sad happen... :(

The dwarves of yore wove mighty spells,
As hammers fell like ringing bells.
In places deep,
Where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls,
Beneath the fells.....

The Auld Grump

**Azazelx**

They seem to have blasted through all of the listed stretch goals now:

The current total is £2,771 pledged of £1,000 goal.

I just hope they don't get fethed by too much success - getting carried away with too many stretch goals and offering more than they're able to produce or so much that it ends up causing a loss or causes fulfilment to turn into a nightmare.

Stretch Goal #3 at £1750 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
Every pledge at the Flagon of ale level and above will receive a free accessory sprue, to customise their warband. Exact contents to be confirmed, but will most likely be a small assortment of belt pouches or bags, some weapons, an extra shield, that sort of thing -pictures to follow.

Stretch Goal #4 at £2000 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
Dwarf Brewmaster. This is an unlocked add-on miniature just like the wizards apprentice, he can be added to any existing pledge by increasing the pledged amount by just £2.00.
Part medic, part morale officer, this veteran brewer keeps the warband going with copious quantities of ale.
Got a bit chopped off? have a pint!
A bit scared of that goblin horde? have a pint!
sculpt is in progress, pictures as soon as available.

Stretch Goal #5 at £2250 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
More bits! we'll add another sprue of accessories to every pledge

Stretch Goal #6 at £2500
Dwarf King's Guard, this armoured captain is the King's most trusted companion. (He's also a major badass).

**Original Timmy**

Its moving along quite nicely, it has got some nice sculpted miis so far my fav is the assassin.

**bbb**

So anyone in the USA ever order from RPE? They've got some pretty cool stuff that you can't get from Iron Wind or anywhere else in the states.

**Azazelx**

So here's the latest. The campaign's crazy first few days have calmed down a little and is now at 127 backers with £3,736 pledged of £1,000 goal with 11 days to go. Pretty much the epitome of a small, modest yet successful campaign.

Stretch Goal #6 at £2500 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
Dwarf King's Guard, this armoured captain is the King's most trusted companion. (He's also a major badass). £2.00 add on

Stretch Goal #7 at £3000 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
Dwarven Ranger - leather armour, cloaked, with a staff and slung bow
£2.00 add on.

Stretch Goal #8 at £3500 UPDATE: GOAL REACHED
Tracker boar, not a boarhound but an actual boar, hairy fat and tusky (a lot like its' owner). This is a free bonus miniature added to all pledges at the flagon level and above. You may also add additional boars to your pledge, price to be confirmed.

Stretch Goal #9 Thug #1 add-on at £3750
This will allow you to add a lightly armed and equipped basic dwarf troop to your pledge for just £2.00 simply increase your pledge by this amount for each added thug

Stretch Goal #10 Thug #2 add-on at £4000
This will allow you to add a lightly armed and equipped basic dwarf troop to your pledge for just £2.00 simply increase your pledge by this amount for each added thug

We have some further add-ons planned, these will be announced as we progress.

**Azazelx**

Campaign is now at £4,548 pledged of £1,000 goal.

More pics have gone up in the past few days.

Mar 2 2016
More stretch goals and pictures

Today we passed the £3,500 mark, so that means free tracker boars for all pledges at flagon of ale level and above!
(Extra boars can be added to pledges, price yet to be decided).

Next up will be goals at £3,750 Thug #1 and £4,000 Thug #2
These will be add-on troops available for £2.00 each, leather armoured with a basic hand weapon.

The sculptor has promised us work in progress shots are imminent, in the meantime as promised, here are closeup pics of the original 5 sculpts, front and back, first up a pic of the trio I have painted so far.

That's all for now, though it's probably worth sharing this picture with you of a promotional Santa dwarf that this sculptor did for us last Christmas. He may well become a special add on to this kickstarter if enough of you would like a winter weather ready dwarf thief with sack of swag...

==================================

Update #5
Mar 4 2016

Troops and another stretch goal
Our very talented sculptor Mark Evans has taken a brief break from sculpting and being hassled by me to snap a couple of pics of the regular troop variants,

The spear hand on this chap is separate so he is an easy conversion option, he could also easily take a shield on his left arm- there will be at least one spare shield supplied in with the bonus accessories already unlocked.

Stretch Goal at £5000
We feel that the regular troops are pretty well covered now and it was time for something a bit different, though the real reasoning behind this goal is that I really want to have one:
Dwarf Sharpshooter on skis
This will be a winter clad dwarf with long musket on short cross country skis

Thanks for your continuing support!

===================================================================================

Mar 5 2016
Crossbow number 1

I've taken a break from scenery building (and eating toblerone) to do a quick update- from the sculptor, pics of the first crossbow armed dwarf:

Can't wait to get this chap in metal!

I've seen an early wip photo of the captain, he will have a shield and great axe.

As you may have noticed we have passed both the £4,500 mark and 150 backers, there was no £4.5k stretch goal, but to mark this point I've decided that each backer will get a little bag of extras from our other ranges- a couple of skulls, some rats, not a lot but just some little extra bits to spice up your basing.

Have a great weekend :-)