Maelstrom's Edge New Releases - V2 Rulebook Incoming!

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**Spiral Arm Studios**

This fantastic gun carriage model was made by PDC Gaming for a Kickstarter campaign some years ago. We have managed to pick up one final batch of these kits - PDC Gaming are out of business, and the mould is apparently lost, so once this lot are gone, they're gone for good.

The gun carriage is a multipart plastic kit that allows you to build a track unit with either a turreted or fixed-mount weapon, and four different weapons that slot into place on either variant.

Examples of different weapon variants.

Although not being sold as a part of the core Maelstrom's Edge range, this kit is useful for those looking for a plastic track unit for conversions, or wanting to add some heavier firepower to their games. You can find unofficial rules to use the Epirian 'Thunderbolt' sentry drone in Maelstrom's Edge V2 in the Downloads section here. You can also find a walkthrough for converting an Epirian Uplink Drone using the gun carriage's track unit, an Epirian Hunter, and some other bits and pieces here.

An Epirian Thunderbolt provides some heavy support to ward off a Remnant fire team.

Start building your army of robotically offensive doom by grabbing your gun carriage from the webstore here!

**Shadow Walker**

They remind me of Grot tanks (and I like Grot Tanks).

**Tannhauser42**

I think I still have my sprues somewhere from when I backed the original Kickstarter.

**lord_blackfang**

I have mine still on sprue too. Lovely little things. Wanted them as Thunderfires but never got around to building them and now I might never, as it's become trivially easy to find a better 3d printable should I need one.

**Skinnereal**

'Thunderfires', still on sprue too. I shelved my Marines not long afterwards, but with the recent IG gun-carriages, I might have to look at the size of them again.
I never got to use the combi-bolters either.

**insaniak**

Yeah, the turreted version is an excellent thunderfire, and the fixed mount version makes a good rapier stand in. Not idea how they would scale against the new Guard weapons.

**ccs**

Those look really bland.

Paint them solid yellow or something & they'd look like generic toy stuff I see at Walmart.

**insaniak**

They were made as a passion project by a couple of gamers who happened to work for an engineering company, IIRC... so yeah, they're not on the same level as some professional kits, but they do the job, and make for a really handy base for conversions.

For anyone curious, here's the original PDC Gaming Kickstarter from back in 2013: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1474140048/toys-for-your-toys-science-fiction-wargaming-acces

**Skinnereal**

ccs wrote:
Those look really bland..

They are probably bland to:
1. Allow for customisation. Stick on an Aquila, and you're done. And,
2. To keep the GW lawyers at bay.

Paint them up how you like, and Greenstuff the hell out of them. Stick on official guns, and a bit of pipework and wiring.
These were from around the time of the Chapterhouse Studios troubles, so I expect point #2 had a lot to play in the design.

**Kid_Kyoto**

I got a few. They are great little NPC gun drones or 3rd party IG heavy weapons

**Spiral Arm Studios**

Hakoyu hail from the remote Yedo system, where their society is governed by a code of honor that is hard for others to understand. They believe that individual desires are always inferior to the needs of the group, and their culture is based on mutual respect. As most Hakoyu aren't keen on traveling away from Yedo, they are not a common sight across the spiral arm. Hence, the arrival of one amongst human populations often leads to whispers and suspicion, which is only amplified by their unique physique: four arms and a horn-like protrusion from their foreheads. Hakoyu are traditionally trained in martial arts and carry at least one blade wherever they go. They are not aggressive by nature, though, and tend to keep their calm even when pushed. When a Hakoyu does feel forced to act in self-defense, their lightning quick reflexes and zealous training mean they can cut down their opponents in a fraction of a second.

Hakoyu Grand Masters leading a counterassault against a SecDef attack force.

It's not easy for an outcast to survive alone on the Edge, and the Broken offer the Hakoyu not just a means of escape, but also a collective which can feel much like the communal family structure of Yedo. The Broken, for their part, value the Hakoyu's fighting skills and character. Wielding deadly phase weaponry, able to pass through enemy fields as though they are not there, they provide their squad an upper hand in any close quarter fighting.

The digital file includes a male and female Hakoyu Grand Master body option.

You can find the rules for using Hakoyu Grand Masters in your Broken force in the downloads section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here.

Start building your elite army of restrained but violent doom by grabbing your Hakoyu Grand Master from the webstore here!

**Spiral Arm Studios**

New STL Release for the Broken - Pa'ku Artillery!

Pa’ku are extremely rational creatures, almost completely devoid of emotion as humans understand it. If they decide that a certain course of action will cause more good than harm overall, then they have no qualms about extinguishing any number of lives to achieve it. They do not make such decisions lightly nor do they act carelessly, often driving their commander crazy as they sit pondering the pros and cons of all reasonable options in front of them. They sometimes even decide to hold a private war council with only their species present if there is a particularly complex dilemma to consider. A Pa’ku’s deliberations are ultimately guided by their own self-interest, as is the case for all creatures, but they are able to factor that bias in when making their decisions.

Pa'ku provide much needed fire support for Broken forces.

Despite their peculiarities, Pa’ku are especially desirable to the Broken. Their
impressive physiques make them suitable for carrying heavy loads, including the biggest artillery the Broken can manage to cobble together. As a bonus, the Pa’ku can extend their very long tongue with enough force to cave in a man’s skull. Pa’ku only speak to other species when necessary, and their language is difficult for most races to translate or speak. Combined with their large size, this results in them being overlooked by evacuation efforts, making the choice to join the Broken the only reasonable one they can make.

The digital file includes supported and unsupported versions of the Pa'ku parts.

You can find the rules for using Pa'ku Artillery in your Broken force in the downloads section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here.

Start building your elite army of bombarding doom by grabbing your Pa'ku Artillery from the webstore here!

**Spiral Arm Studios**

This week, we're rolling out the last of our resin-to-digital conversions with the Karist Enclave's Angel Keeper!

An Angel Keeper leads their alien charges into battle.

A strange and isolated offshoot of the Karist priesthood, Angel Keepers train enslaved Angels using regimented doses of cybel energy, and marshal these alien creatures on the battlefield.

This release required a bit of resculpting as the original model sculpt was lost, and so it had to be reconstructed from a partial sculpt. The resin original was also only designed to have one of the Keeper's two main weapons, with separate hand options holding the cybel goad and grenade launcher. The STL version now has the cybel goad in hand and the grenade launcher slung and ready when the Keeper needs it. The model also comes with two pose variants, an optional holstered pistol, and a male and female head - although the differences in appearance are minor due to the Keeper's mask!

The digital file includes supported and unsupported versions of the Angel Keeper.

You can find the rules for using Angel Keepers in your Karist Enclave force in the downloads section of the Maelstrom's Edge website here.

Start building your elite army of shapeshifting doom by grabbing your Angel Keeper from the webstore here!

**Spiral Arm Studios** · Maelstrom's Edge V2 Rulebook incoming - September 15, 2025!

Maelstrom's Edge V2 Rulebook incoming - September 15, 2025!

**Gallahad**

Cool! I’ll look forward to this.

**Kid_Kyoto**

w00t, great video!

**schoon**

Interesting background.

A bit Apocalyptic...

**bbb**

Nice video! Looking forward to the rules.

**Gimgamgoo**

Are we allowed to know the format of the v2 rulebook? Size, soft or hardback etc?

Also, will you be selling physical bases in packs for the new sized bases for those of us daft enough to rebase (particularly the models we've not painted up)

Looking forward to the new physical rulebook.

**insaniak**

The book is an A4 hardcover. And very pretty, if I do say so myself...

Bases are a little problematic at the moment... With our new warehousing arrangement, we're charged a monthly fee per product code. This is a perfectly normal and sensible thing, but at current sales volumes makes it not really feasible to keep the bases as separate codes. I would definitely like to get them available to people again, but exactly what that will look like will depend on how things go over the next few months... It may wind up being a combined base assortment box, or they may just have to remain as event-only sales.

In the meantime, we do have a base STL pack available, for those with access to 3D printers or printing services.

**Talking Banana**

I'll be honest - I haven't been an avid player of miniature games for decades. What I have been is someone who loves collecting and painting miniatures and enjoys reading the associated lore. (I just don't have a circle of miniature gaming buddies locally to explore the gaming side of the hobby.)

As a miniature enthusiast - or whatever we call ourselves these days - I've supported Maelstrom's Edge since the beginning. I love the ME backstory and lore and models and Insaniak's amazing kitbashing examples and tutorials. I love the Karists particularly, and being hooked on a faction definitely helps keep me rooted in the ME universe. I've said it before, but I'd definitely buy a deluxe hardcover edition of "The inventive art of Insaniak for wargaming and dioramas." I also appreciate what you Maelstrom's Edge guys have done in providing these dakkadakka forums to the miniatures community.

Since I'm not currently a player, a V2 rulebook isn't the most exciting news for me personally, except insofar as it might include more lore and color photos / illustrations than the old rulebook did. I am glad to see you're releasing it, though, because I like to see forward momentum on the ME project. The things that interest me most are the many new polystyrene models that have been teased over the past several months, including new models for the Karists and Epirians and models for the new Kaigus Pact faction. I don't fault you guys for going slow with those releases - this isn't an easy business to succeed in, and there's been a lot of market-influencing turmoil lately. Just saying that I for one am keeping an eye out for when you do eventually put them into production.

Finally, would ME qualify as "Grim Bright?" Or is that just nonsense?

**insaniak**

Appreciate the feedback - and for what it's worth, I too am really looking forward to getting the model releases moving again!

So far as the setting goes... 'Grim Bright' is a little clunky, but does seem somewhat apt. The background as presented for the original V1 release was definitely leaning more towards the 'just Grim' side that was originally intended. Our vision for the setting is that things are terrible, but by and large there is still hope... while many don't escape the Maelstrom, many more do. And space is large, so there's no telling whether the Maelstrom will eventually reach the entire galaxy (or just how far in the future that will be) or whether it will fizzle out or someone find some way to stop it.

So in our grim future, there's a lot of war... but also a lot of people getting on and making the best of it. Because there has to be some hope for the future, or there's no point to any of it... and hopefully we can gradually work more of that into the fiction as we flesh things out more.

**Kid_Kyoto**

If we're wish listing I would love a terrain sprue 3, or a vehicle mod sprue. The terrain sprues get a lot of use in my house.

**insaniak**

I think more terrain is on just about everyone's wishlist.

I have somewhere around a sprue's worth of bits sculpted, and several pages of sketches in my notebook. When (or if) they make it into production will depend on sales, but they're definitely on the list.

A vehicle mod sprue would be fun, but would be tricky to make it widely functional due to the extremely varied nature of sci fi vehicle kits out there at the moment.

**Kid_Kyoto**

insaniak wrote:

A vehicle mod sprue would be fun, but would be tricky to make it widely functional due to the extremely varied nature of sci fi vehicle kits out there at the moment.

My thought was more on modding toys and models to make them more sci-fi. Hatches, gizmos, turrets, stowage, treads, antigrav units and the like. The terrain sprue does some of that but I think there's room for a dedicated vehicle one.

**Talking Banana**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
My thought was more on modding toys and models to make them more sci-fi. Hatches, gizmos, turrets, stowage, treads, antigrav units and the like. The terrain sprue does some of that but I think there's room for a dedicated vehicle one.

I have no idea how well it would sell, but that's a brilliant idea.

Good mechanical insect-style walker / crawler legs would be very useful on a vehicle sprue, too. Depending on their size range, you could stick them on crates and make them "spider"-style transport robots, or on larger things and make them vehicles.
(A lot of other companies' products already look like model tank kits with mechanical insect legs stuck on. With ME vehicle bits, you could just take a normal tank kit and kitbash one yourself.)

Finally, speaking as a person who generally avoids resin products, the big exception for me is resin heads, which are so small and compact they seem indestructible. Just going to throw out there that doing resin head variant sets for ME factions would be a less expensive way (than polystyrene) to add a lot of thematic variety. I think the Broken are the only faction that already has so many head options that they don't really need it. (Although personally I never say no to more unique alien heads.)