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 Robert Facepalmer wrote:
Osprey went back to the well in how many publications have they done for Frostgrave, while the rest of those would be lucky to get a second print. The only other game they do that is likely to be even remotely known is Gaslands.

They only other game published by Osprey that is remotely known outside of Frostgrave is Gaslands?
I mean, sure, if you ignore Bolt Action (in collaboration with Warlord Games), Oathmark, Ronin/En Garde, Lion/Dragon Rampant, Dracula's America, Last Days and several more games I'm not personally interested in (renaissance/alternative history/pulp), but have seen played in various stores and clubs over the years...

I'm not going to complain as they have gone back to THIS well, twice now!


<====== Yeah, I will have three Osprey books by Nov 2022!

I have half a shelf of Osprey wargames so...

More popular games get more supplements. It is what it is.

I mean, GW keeps going back to the well on those Warhammer games, too. Yet here we all are on DakkaDakka...

From North Star's facebook

https://www.facebook.com/northstarmilitaryfigures/

Stargrave.
A selection of Troopers put together by our Kev from the new plastic box set.
This boxed set offers enough parts to build 20 heavily equipped characters for Stargrave, ideal for use in independent crews or as members of the pirate fleets hunting them down. While this kit includes a range of weaponry and a mix of helmeted and bare heads, even more variety can be achieved by mixing in components from other Stargrave boxed sets.

Anyone know who sculpted them? They look a lot like the Copplestone Future Wars guys on my desk.

Another preview

The mercenaries minis

That looks muuuch better than the first pic.

It also needs to be said that North Star's house painter has a knack for making figures look more retro in a bad way (chunky, shallow detail) than they actually are. I'm always pleasantly surprised when I open a North Star box that the raw minis are much, much better than they look in photos.

Yeah I like Kev's painting but his style is chunky pastel layers which do sort of flatten/soften everything a little bit. I like the mercs best of those 3 images. Looking forward to the Nickstarter

Is that racoon head?

They look better in these photos, but I agree, the paint scheme is not particularly flattering.

Glad to see the quality is a little better. I also like that there are obvious engineer and scientist types, always useful for roleplaying games and the like.

Wait, are those three different kits? Or one kit with three “options”?

It looks like they took the safest, most conservative approach to Sci Fi costume design for those designs. The animal heads for aliens are nice, but could have been more ambitious.

3 different kits at launch I believe. I also heard that Ghost Archipelago died for this.

Looks kinda like a schnauzer if you ask me. Which is just as acceptable.

Dog soldiers are always cool.

I guess I'll be going in on the 'one of everything' bundle in the Nickstarter then.

I love the Future Wars / Rogue Trader 40K vibe. Like I mentioned before, it channels that direct-to-VHS sci-fi feel, and I love it.

Wow, those are the blandest, most boring miniatures I think they could have come up with. The proportions and boring poses and minimal detail make them look like they could have been made 30 years ago.

It’s clearly a red panda that isn’t red! Clearly!

Bring it, I’ll fight you like a red panda! Squeak-ssssnnnrrrr-ssnrrr-snrrr-squeak


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Psychopomp wrote:
Like I mentioned before, it channels that direct-to-VHS sci-fi feel, and I love it.

Yeah, that’s the charm. But even Don Dohler would have glued a couple thermostats to the breastplate or something...

More room for conversion opportunities.

 Albino Squirrel wrote:
Wow, those are the blandest, most boring miniatures I think they could have come up with. The proportions and boring poses and minimal detail make them look like they could have been made 30 years ago.

Most of that is just paint, trust me.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
It’s clearly a red panda that isn’t red! Clearly!

Bring it, I’ll fight you like a red panda! Squeak-ssssnnnrrrr-ssnrrr-snrrr-squeak

They're quite good at pouncing.

Looking at one of the pictures I see an X-Wing pilot style helmet and a Locutus of Borg head armed with Space 1999 style knuckleduster laser pistol.

I like them.

I think you have to balance the basic appearance with the fact that if Frostgrave pricing is anything to go by, these minis will work out at less than £1 each from a 3rd party retailer. So half the price of Cadians, and less than half the price of Catachans. To my mind the Stargrave minis are a little nicer than either of those. Sure they're not as nice as Victoria Miniatures infantry, which are more than three times the price, but that's what you'd expect, surely?

 Albino Squirrel wrote:
Wow, those are the blandest, most boring miniatures I think they could have come up with. The proportions and boring poses and minimal detail make them look like they could have been made 30 years ago.

Except no one did.

The only thing that comes close if the Maelstrom's Edge Broken.

I love, love, love the Lego style plastic kits that GW has moved away from.

I have for years and years wanted a general sci fi kit that offers that flexibility and have literally boxes of bits to make what I'd like of them.

I've seen the Frostgrave kits painted up really nicely in natural palettes, JoshInJapan has a bunch on his painting blog that look awesome. I think the bright colours they use on the minis in the promotional pictures don't really do them justice in the flesh.

They are a little blocky and chunky, but that's a style choice rather than a defect. I can see why some might find it off putting but personally as gaming pieces I like the chunkyness.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Yeah, that’s the charm. But even Don Dohler would have glued a couple thermostats to the breastplate or something...

More room for conversion opportunities.

Exalted for Dohler references alone. Nightbeast/Galaxy Invader forever!

But seriously, I love these kits because of the simplicity and modularity. 28mm is getting some new cast members once Stargrave hits.

 Ian Sturrock wrote:
I think you have to balance the basic appearance with the fact that if Frostgrave pricing is anything to go by, these minis will work out at less than £1 each from a 3rd party retailer. So half the price of Cadians, and less than half the price of Catachans. To my mind the Stargrave minis are a little nicer than either of those. Sure they're not as nice as Victoria Miniatures infantry, which are more than three times the price, but that's what you'd expect, surely?

Where I am, Frostgrave minis are some of the most expensive plastic minis outside of GW and Conquest: LAoK. WGA’s minis, even their premium-priced Sci fi minis like the Grognards and Eisenkern, are noticeably cheaper per mini with nearly as much bit utility. Mantic’s GCPS troops can often be found much cheaper, and have more style while also being capable of filling generic roles.

I’ll still likely buy a box or two for bits and alien heads, but these feel like a step back compared to the competition. I’m definitely buying WGA’s Cannon Fodder kit before Stargrave’s Crew set.

If priced the same as the frostgrave sets, 20 of these guys would cost me $32. For $35 I could get 24 of the Wargames Atlantic sci fi models, which look a lot better, or 20 of the Eisenkern Stormtroopers, which are way better.

What? My FLGS has all the Frostgrave stuff at $40!

I’m getting savaged here, like a red panda at the mercy of a fluffier red panda!

 Albino Squirrel wrote:
If priced the same as the frostgrave sets, 20 of these guys would cost me $32. For $35 I could get 24 of the Wargames Atlantic sci fi models, which look a lot better, or 20 of the Eisenkern Stormtroopers, which are way better.

They're for Stargrave though, 20 uniform stormtroopers would not a fitting warband make. It's all about giving you options to make a diverse cast of characters with.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:

Anyone know who sculpted them? They look a lot like the Copplestone Future Wars guys on my desk.

Bobby Jackson, according to this article.

I like them. The simplicity makes them a handy blank canvas.

As I've mentioned before, the retro look is what I grew up, with Star Wars, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and the original Battlestar Galactica, so it doesn't bother me. It's comfortingly nostalgic. Sure, crisper detail would be better, but it isn't a deal-breaker. Definitely a box of Crew, maybe Mercs, but the Troops can wait until I fond out how many Heavy Weapons a Crew can take, and how many you need for pirates (Joe's blog article suggests two or so, so using my 40k marines or my Necron Immortals would work for the pirates).

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
What? My FLGS has all the Frostgrave stuff at $40!

I’m getting savaged here, like a red panda at the mercy of a fluffier red panda!

"When in doubt, POUNCE!" That seems to be the red panda solution for problems. Or so red panda videos on Youtube have taught me.

Seriously, no wonder you find the Northstart plastics expensive!

Where I am they're decent value. Historicals are generally better value, but don't come with as many bits and pieces for customizing your dudes.

I dunno, the point is to make diverse warbands of space men. I think the Wargames Atlantic stuff is great, but it's more for armies, right? If I got this I'd be making a bunch of scientists and space adventurers.