Dang. Those prices make me regret not throwing in for encounters because I needed to clear out space in the hobby room before buying anything else. But on the other hand, I mostly just wanted the trees so maybe it works out.
- Kazumi Temple needs a slight tweak before they can release it to retail (but they can't find the files at the moment).
They can't find the files. That's unfortunate, but kind of funny, and very relatable.
I'm glad they're still interested in releasing the Kazumi Temple; I'd heard that the set sold poorly during the KS, so I figured they'd just shelved it. Slann scenery isn't easy to find, especially if you don't have a 3-D printer handy.
Does anyone know when or if Archon are going to turn their attention back to sci-fi releases, terrain or otherwise? (Beyond Starfinder figures, I mean.). Do they still plan to release their own 40K hard plastic rival some day? They debuted that little "Starcide" promo box of figures in the past, and while the name "Starcide" wasn't so good, some of those designs - the snake men particularly - looked great.
They’ve said they’ll go back to Sci-Fi at some point but the funding figures show that the money is in Fantasy. Rampart made €338k vs €938k for Encounters and €1.4m for Woodhaven.
They still have their sci-fi game in development you might need to go back a few pages to find it.
I honestly just don't trust them to get the scale right. The D&L 3 townfolk were ridiculously small.
I'm probably sitting this one out.
I'm very picky about how miniatures look together on the table, and since the vast majority of my collection is roughly 32mm in height...I don't have use for Archon's stuff which looks small even next to the diminutive Frostgrave plastics.
lord_blackfang wrote: Weird to invalidate the 200 or so models they already released tho.
While invalidating current miniatures might be odd, given there were lots of complaints about the scale being small, it might make sense to do the shift now rather than continue to see the complaints.
Not sure if that will be the case though.
DaveC wrote: They’ve said they’ll go back to Sci-Fi at some point but the funding figures show that the money is in Fantasy. Rampart made €338k vs €938k for Encounters and €1.4m for Woodhaven.
They still have their sci-fi game in development you might need to go back a few pages to find it.
Outside of GW, this is generally the case, right? That fantasy outsells sci-fi? There are certainly many miniature companies whose lopsided fantasy to sci-fi publishing ratio suggests this is the case. I suspect many of them now see GW's 40K success as fool's gold, given how hard it's been for a major sci-fi rival to endure over time and find anywhere near the same level of commercial success. And I suppose one could argue that in a way, 40K is science fantasy, benefitting from the Warhammer association and Gothic trappings in ways that could have crossover appeal to fantasy fans.
(For the record, I strongly prefer sci-fi to fantasy and mostly buy non-GW products, so I'm not writing any of the above happily.)
It's nice to hear Archon haven't shelved all plans for sci-fi, at least.
On the subject of miniature sizes, as someone who hasn't bought any of Archon's fantasy minis, here's my two cents: When I hear miniatures are "too small" (and smaller than Frostgrave is certainly too small for me,) that's a lost sale.
lord_blackfang wrote: Weird to invalidate the 200 or so models they already released tho.
While invalidating current miniatures might be odd, given there were lots of complaints about the scale being small, it might make sense to do the shift now rather than continue to see the complaints.
Not sure if that will be the case though.
Are there some comparison shots, all I found they look fine sized to me. I would prefer them not to go too big, but I guess it depends what minis you are putting them with.
lord_blackfang wrote: Weird to invalidate the 200 or so models they already released tho.
While invalidating current miniatures might be odd, given there were lots of complaints about the scale being small, it might make sense to do the shift now rather than continue to see the complaints.
Not sure if that will be the case though.
Are there some comparison shots, all I found they look fine sized to me. I would prefer them not to go too big, but I guess it depends what minis you are putting them with.
While they seem to be roughly in scale with what would be regular 28mm miniatures, I have seen some complaints on the forum and in kickstarter about the size or the thinner proportions.
If I end up getting one of those sets I might get a picture with some other miniatures.
The thinner proportions were definitely a thing, but the size thing seemed pretty overblown.
Yeah, they may not be as tall as modern GW stuff like roided out chaos marauders or some of the Conquest models that have giant blood in them, but with "average" sized human models they'll work quite nicely. I thought Empire, Frostgrave, and LOTR stuff should work quite nicely with the Woodhaven offerings.
Plus you can always cheat with basing shenanigans if need be.
> I have seen some complaints on the forum and in kickstarter about the size or the thinner proportions.
Good point. Proportions can definitely differ between companies on the same scale. I've heard the term "realistic" proportions contrasted with GW. No need to buy a miniature that doesn't fit your collection!
> That fantasy outsells sci-fi?
Yep. With generic fantasy, you can pretty much make a generic fantasy miniature that fits in with the Tolkein-D&D-HeroQuest mishmash out there. I think part of the popularity of generic fantasy are the boardgames and RPG's that are generic fantasy based, such as D&D.
With SF, most of SF are specific franchises, often IP-related, and typically incompatible. That is, you can't exactly drop in a Star Trek or Firefly character into a Star Wars or Aliens universe, not that you can't homebrew a rules set for a crossover. Plus retail companies (eg. boardgames) would have to pay a licensing fee, which they don't need for generic fantasy.
- D&L Encounters - shipping started today expected to take 3 to 4 weeks to complete, 1000 to 1500 expected to ship next week.
EDIT the mats won’t arrive until next week so if you have one in your order you’ll be waiting a bit longer
- Retail releases 26th February -
D&L Sewers includes Nubble mini,
Fantasy props pack 109 pieces inc bridge,
City scatter bits 93 pieces,
City Streets includes street lamps,
Wooden Cottage,
Roof Set,
Rampart Kazumi Temple,
Wolverine Tank,
MoTU Battleground Wave 4 - The Power of the Evil Horde
MoTU Battleground - Hordak on Mantisaur - trade shows or online direct only from Archon preorder 13th to 26th February limited release only available around trade show
dates also available from Legion Distribution stand at Cannes International Games Festival.
- MoTU Fields of Eternia new dragons expansion (no minis printed materials only)
- D&L 5 Deuslair - no launch date yet - when it's ready - end of March start of April but might be May depends on what they have ready to show, Jarek wants 3D minis to show rather than concept drawings.
various large minis shown - custom bases where required - see pictures
Base pack for smaller minis
KS exclusive mini for returning backers at €89 or above (mentioned Roblin related)
Community SG - first one for 8,000 followers on prelaunch page
First 48 hour backer mini
Only D&L 5 & 6 KS planned for 2023. No Rampart this year
"Lasers" - likely to become part of Rampart rather than D&L - also other project planned with "lasers" components. Focus on fantasy for D&L "lasers" needs to be it's own thing.
Curved walls planned for D&L 6
No Woodhaven minis (Townsfolk etc.) available in D&L5 only Encounters minis. No plans to upscale Woodhaven minis.
Bases from Encounters are slightly shorter in height than the Woodhaven set. Bases only in increments of 25mm for grids (25,50,75) so don't expect 40mm 60mm etc.
Expect more giants.
For D&L 6 Caves - 3 themes - Regular caves, Lovecraft/horror/body horror, 3rd is a surprise
D&L 5 Bestiary - 5e compatible but also allows for open play for other systems. Hardback book.
Thanks for the info! More they show less interested I am in Duslair. More giants is definitely good news as the current one has no options unless you count shoulder sitting goblin as one. So hopefully will they release a kit that could be close to current GW Mancrusher Gargant with variety of heads, armament etc. but cheaper (especially after the recent price increase announcement from GW).
Deuslair didn't really interest me but I think an €89 pledge will probably be worth backing even if I'm not interested in some of it. I'm more interested in the Desert themed add on.
Someone was not paying attention when they shot the Kazumi box art pics. One of the six-window walls is upside down. Check the upper left and upper right rear box art pics...
Was there more info about the pledge levels, etc? Found this:
"Plenty is no plague - 400+ models in the campaign
You’ve never seen something like this before! Over 400 miniatures will be available in Archon Studio's upcoming campaign! And not just any kind - no PVC, but the quality and detail are already known to some. Today, however, let's focus on the campaign's content.
Epic conflict of three factions
In the world of Deuslair (or at least in the part we explore) we have three different main factions at our disposal:
(Humans with dark pacts, demihumans, chaos)
Buy what you want - four pledges, four themed add-ons, and over a dozen optional ones!
The whole campaign will be divided into four pledges. In addition to a large number of new models (including the big ones!), Archon Studio's bestsellers from previous campaigns will also be available (a dozen or so optional extras in total!). Pay attention to the hashtags! #new #bestiary
- Encounters Shipping
2350 parcels shipped (45%) to date
Expecting mats next week, shortage of large packing material is slowing down larger orders.
- Archon online store shipping rates to be reviewed options for free shipping above a certain amount.
- Neoprene mats looking at doing something in house for future projects, shipping might be an issue, might cost more.
- Deuslair (D&L 5)
Preview page in March - week 1 (not necessarily first week of March) show first pledge level and accept feedback. Week 2 2nd pledge level, week 3 3rd pledge level and so on. KS goes live end of 4th week.
Multipart minis - Bodies - variants will be mirrored so 2 bodies (just mirrored) and have additional add on detail pieces for more variation. Multiple weapon/arms/heads.
Mini count - if a graphic says you get x4 of a particular mini that counts as 4 minis (out of the 400+) even if there are parts to build more variants, you only get 4 bodies so it counts as 4. Animated graphics on KS page will show all variants.
More Dragons as SG. Rat dragon, Mimic (tree) dragon mentioned.
Mimics
Basilisk
Owlbear Family on 50mm base
Purple worm is on 50mm base
- MoTU wave 5
release 22nd April
gameplay rules 2 v2 (pdf version for free)
2 boxes (MOTU & EW) - 3 minis each
wave 6 being worked on
GW Vampire mini is a bad choice for scale comparison as they are large even by GW standards.
Hmmm. That scale picture isn't really allaying my concerns. The Reaper one is much more paintable for someone at my level with slightly exaggerated features like the head and hands.
I probably just need to plan on all the humans being a loss.
skrulnik wrote: <snip>
- MoTU wave 5
release 22nd April
gameplay rules 2 v2 (pdf version for free)
2 boxes (MOTU & EW) - 3 minis each
wave 6 being worked on
<snip>
Dave, any word on what characters are in the wave?
They only showed Fisto and Webstor no word on the other 4.
skrulnik wrote: <snip>
- MoTU wave 5
release 22nd April
gameplay rules 2 v2 (pdf version for free)
2 boxes (MOTU & EW) - 3 minis each
wave 6 being worked on
<snip>
Dave, any word on what characters are in the wave?
They only showed Fisto and Webstor no word one the other 4.
Woo! Multipart! I'm too much into WYSIWYG miniatures, so can get some mini's with weapons that match the stats. Good to see weapon variants, then, although range vs. melee is the most common stat block difference. Looks like the variants are for bodies we'd get multiples of. Multipart is a great addition when you have monsters of the same race but different equipment.
Anyway, in USA and got my FedEx notice a few days ago!
My box arrived yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Deuslair freebie box...I may have to watch the upcoming project more closely.
And the Land of Giants terrain pack is awesome. Exactly what I had hoped for as dual duty for Kingdom Death and AOS.
Nice looking minis for sure. I've been buying D&D/Pathfinder prepaints recently and the return to the older smaller scale is really evident for me now. I went to the FLGS for the first time this weekend since the pandemic started and I was shocked to see the scale of some figs like the Conquest ones. Highlord's videos obviously show the scale well but it's totally different when you see it in person (especially the Conquest cavalry!). Alternatively, I also saw the Horizon Zero Dawn boardgame and its true 25mm hero figs looked positively tiny and reminded me of old Ral Partha figs I'd buy roughly 30 years ago in terms of size... or at least I think they did given the little detail I could make out on them without my dollar store magnifying glasses I use for painting now!
I'm getting a bit excited to see what they include, but I'm still working my way through all the stuff I got from the Woodhaven KS .. if I were sane I would sit this one out but I have a hard time turning down a bargain
Got my Encounters (well, the first pledge of two). Really nice stuff but scale is a bit all over the place again. Gypsy wagon's draught horse is practically GW scale megachonker, most NPCs are the slim 28mm like Woodhaven, the druid is slim 35mm that would look the most at home in Zombicide or similar.
And of course there's the "buildings" that have an interior floor space of about one square metre, not even for one person to lie down.
- MoTU: Fields of Eternia should clear customs and arrive in the warehouse on Monday
- Encounters shipping expecting to finish by 30th of March, Mats are in but large boxes are still proving difficult to source.
- D&L 5 50 SG planned
- Orcs are classic "pig" orc design
- HOMM Pledge manager might be pushed to June due to shipping cost quotes
- No price rises on D&L 5 KS but expect next KS to rise in price due to inflation/plastic costs.
- Skirmish game planned for D&L minis at some future point.
- No plans to expand the tree designs - yet
- MoTU wave 6 preview see pic
- D&L 5 preview 14th March - first 2 pledge levels plus some add ons.
- New scale pic added (Jarek's been reading the thread )
- Ice Elementals concepted
- Super SG - Disciples of Chaos boss - acknowledged KDM influence.
- Proving a lot more difficult to get Sci-fi concepts than fantasy - a lot of stuff ends up 40K influenced but they want their own style.
- expected turn around on KS is 8 to 12 months the faster they deliver the less overheads and more money they make on it.
- the 9 month delay on MoTU FoE means Archon lost money on the project.
You can pledge for add ons only under the €1 pledge.
Estimated delivery late 2023 TBC
Due to costs Super SG are only available from the €189 pledge (and up)
The book isn't optional they want people to get to know their lore and background.
Encounters mats should be add ons
They can neither confirm nor deny that there is a pirate sky ship
No spell effects too late to add now
For me it will depend on the SG and super SG there's bits in every set that interest me but no one set that I think is a must buy. The core set on it's own for €89 doesn't really interest me only the Stone Wards and Jannah stand out for me so I could happily skip the core set. The €189 pledge will have to justify its cost and have some great Super SGs or a few add ons only might be an option?
The core set doesn't do much for me either. Like the pirate/water set though. Have no desire for anything 5E related so none of the pledges stand out as being worth it to me due to the added cost of those books (in hardcover no less).
I'll follow to see what gets unlocked but considering there's very little I want/need it will be a high bar.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
DaveC wrote: only the Stone Wards and Jannah stand out
Those are the two that stand out to me as well. The Fire Decipel is also good but outside of that the core is meh.
Sadly i think i'm in the same boat, i've no interest in D&D 5th so the book is going to be glanced at at best
the core set's a maybe depending on some decent stretch goals
and although the Adept set is an even bigger saving it's hitting the 'too expensive for a casual purchase' in todays financial circumstances even if they did scatter a similar number of super stretch goals as last time
I'd consider backing for the $100 level if I can swap out the core set and book to get other things if the base SG are good. There's no $1 pledge but it seams like they're pretty good at letting people do things like that in their PMs.
I'm assuming the Super SG are some of the larger figures we saw in earlier previews that aren't on the KS page.
Monkeysloth wrote: I'd consider backing for the $100 level if I can swap out the core set and book to get other things if the base SG are good. There's no $1 pledge but it seams like they're pretty good at letting people do things like that in their PMs.
The €1 pledge is there
Pledge €1 or more
Enter Deuslair
With this pledge, you'll be able to:
✅ Customize your pledge with add-ons only
✅ Access the Pledge Manager later on
✅ Stay informed with newsletters via email
✅ Join in on the fun of world creation with Deuslair
So it is. I didn't see it when I checked earlier. Must have overlooked it.
Looks like they're planning on adding 2 more pledges to the preview page over the next few weeks.
I doubt they'll be anything to spark intrest in anyone new if the first two didn't as they're likely way more expensive pledges with buildings.
They're going pretty hard core with their own setting vs generic and I find it funny they said they're having trouble not making sci-fi stuff that looks like 40k yet made basically mixed Age of Sigmar with Legends of Sigmun in a lot of these designs.
> They're going pretty hard core with their own setting
Archon's been the "rule of cool" where they'd take a miniature that would be generic, add something, and make it too specialized to use. (: Like one harpy attacking a pig is fine for a one-off, but you wouldn't want five models like that!
It's a risk, but, considering that Reaper, CMON, etc. are in the generic cheap fantasy miniatures market, Archon going in this direction is an attempt to push their own niche. Can they do it? Who knows.
I don't like the Bestiary Book, either. I don't even have any 5E core books, though I have the Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign. Guess that means during the holidays, I can pick up a 5e PHB for $20 from Amazon and I have enough 5e, not that I ever play RPG's anymore.
Well, the $100 level should be a good value for a crapload of mini's I'll still never get around to painting!
ced1106 wrote: > They're going pretty hard core with their own setting
Archon's been the "rule of cool" where they'd take a miniature that would be generic, add something, and make it too specialized to use. (: Like one harpy attacking a pig is fine for a one-off, but you wouldn't want five models like that!
It's a risk, but, considering that Reaper, CMON, etc. are in the generic cheap fantasy miniatures market, Archon going in this direction is an attempt to push their own niche. Can they do it? Who knows.
The thing is the plastic sprue market for generic stuff isn't very crowded. Mantic to a degree and then the really expensive D&D stuff. So they would have a spot in a different lane then Reaper and Wizkids.
I don't like the Bestiary Book, either. I don't even have any 5E core books, though I have the Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign. Guess that means during the holidays, I can pick up a 5e PHB for $20 from Amazon and I have enough 5e, not that I ever play RPG's anymore.
The issue I have with the book, well outside that I really am unlikely to ever play 5th again, is they do nothing to sell me on why I'd want to play in their setting and buy the minis for their setting. If they want me to be excited for things that aren't more generic then they need to actually sell me on why I would want to invest in their line as minis, no matter the price, are still a bad deal if you'll never end up using them.
Nice minis but I have no clue what I'd do with them, and only the purple worm really stands out as something cool and coherent. Weird jumble of factions and weird distribution of factions among boxes.
Maybe the super stretch goals are good enough to throw 189€ into it, but if most prospective backers feel like us, probably not.
For me it is the worm, lamassu, and maybe 2-3 other miniatures that I would want to use for mini agnostic wargames/wargame-RPG hybrids. The rest is not my style.
The vast majority of comments in the preview section are for a pledge without the book or for it to at least be a PDF so people that don't want it don't have to pay to ship it. They're either going to have to provide that or allow for people to trade out the book for other thigns.
Battle System's Townhouse from their Village Set. The Maladum dungeon-themed miniatures game and terrain set has just started on KS.
Terra Tiles game tiles, pre-order on Ravenkeep.
Dog-faced kobolds from RBJ Games.
Ghost trees from Mantic.
"Bestiary and an RPG campaign book will be free PDFs now. Hardcovers, on the other hand, will be available as add-ons. In return, each pledge gets +1 add-on to choose.
So... which +1 add-will you choose and why?
Also, add-in may be "We are still working on it but the draft says: 369 E, with 9 add-on of your choice and free Tarasque, how does it sound ?
"Super Stretch Goals will include some Dragons such Drake and Mimic and a number of DnD, large, classic encouters
That's a much better solution but I'm still a wait and see as I have so little interest in the core set that getting just the Stretch goals and SSG by themselves might be a better way to go if those are any good as I just will never use 99% of what's in that core set.
- Encounters shipping 500 parcels left, finished next week
- MoTU FoE 2900 parcels shipped to date
- Gamefound may start charging for the Pledge Manager from May (its currently free subject to conditions) so that's a cost that needs to be considered and the HoMM PM might need to open in April to avoid charges.
- Vehicles planned for MoTU Battleground, She-Ra planned for future
- Someone asked about a generic accessory sprue for Deuslair - pouches, daggers or basing details not considered yet but Jarek likes it so who knows.
- New concept artist hired for Sci-Fi minis who can do more unique, Archon IP designs.
- Rampart City Ruins retail release in April.
- Free shipping from Archon webstore will happen but minimum spend not announced yet.
- New base pack for Deuslair (see pic) - 25 individual designs, 2 tools - 25mm on 1 tool, 50mm on the other
- Deuslair SG - They intended to do classic D&D designs for the minis but sculpting happened during the time Hasbro was going to crack down on their IP, so the minis were redesigned to be more unique. Now that Hasbro has backed down they can do the classic D&D stuff as SG (they are still concepts).
- Giant Kraken is a Super SG (half the size of Tarrasque).
- 2 Dragons as Super SG. More than 5 Super SG.
- Yetis mentioned.
- Preview changes - SG and Super SG available for €59 as a paid add on only (not an add on you can pick from the pledge level) - but you must have a minimum pledge of Novice (€89) can't get them at the €1 add on pledge. So you can get the Core set, 1 Add on, SG and add the Super SG for €148.
Szymon_ArchonCollaborator
…you'll be able to purchase the SSG's separately after you purchase the novice pledge, bringing the cost somewhere between the novice and the adept pledge.
- Game Master pledge - 9 add ons plus Tarrasque - €369
- 5 Tools already made, Stone Wards 2 to a sprue
Crunched some numbers. Let me know if I overlooked something...!
Counting the core set as two add-ons, and SSG as one add-on. Might be undervaluing the SSG?
Rounding prices because math.
Novice: 90EU : 4 Add-ons. No SSG. 23EU per add-on.
Apprentice: 150EU : 5 Add-ons, including SSG. 30EU per add-on. Marginal cost of 60EU for SSG.
Adept: 190EU : 7 Add-ons. 27EU per add-on. Marginal cost of 40EU for two add-ons.
Acolyte: 270EU: 10 Add-ons. 27EU per add-on. Marginal cost of 80EU for three-add-ons.
GM: 370EU: 14 Add-ons. 24EU per add-on. Marginal cost of 100EU for four add-ons.
So the Novice is the best value, unless you want the SSG's, then it becomes the Adept?
Adept will get you the core plus three of the four new add-ons. Backers are asking for a pledge with core plus four add-ons.
Many of the sculpts came from the Archon LOAD KS, from quite awhile back. The miniatures were in the Unicast resin, so were more expensive.
Early tools - looks better than the renders flash needs some work. The wings look optional for the Harrat. If nothing else it’ll be a good source of bits
lord_blackfang wrote: Plastic airship sounds neat right now, but based on past experience and the artwork it will turn out to be 20mm scale or something.
Yeah, looks like you'd at most get 2 characters side by side in there from the scale shot.
On the upside, the ogre isn't holding something stupid, which had become Archon's trademark. I'm stunned they didn't have it carrying two pigs.
ced1106 wrote: "The capacity is for 6 miniatures, and the graphic will be adjusted accordingly.
Hmm, so roughly the size of the swamp boat. Unfortunately not really big enough to maneuver figures on. Could work as a small assault skiff for a bigger vessel I guess.
From the AMA Jarek said the Airship will fit 6 minis on 25mm bases and the plan is to have the cannons and blades optional. This is part of a larger plan that they have
- 10 Super SG planned they showed a Turtle Dragon
- SG and SSG add ons will only be available in the PM and may cost more than the €59 initially quoted if they get really big.
- MoTU wave 5 previewed and work on wave 6 is well underway wave 7 planned
- Weapon sprue is a go concepts done will be SG and available as an add on in PM - Free Shipping on Archon store over €100 for EU & UK and 150 for US
- Going to open a branch in Nottingham
- Stronghold set is new for retail.
ced1106 wrote: That Grand Stronghold looks *nice*. I don't recall it available through the KS? Any idea how much it would cost to make from the individual sets?
A lot more than the €159 price there's at least 8 Castle sets (8.3 if each set has 6 regular walls and the stronghold has 50 - not sure how that works out as sprues have a set amount of pieces, they might be preclipped) @ €27 each retail (€216) before you add the roof, trims, battlements etc. At the KS price of €17 that would be €136 plus the extras.
Set your clock for TOMORROW 11 AM PST/ 2 PM EST... Dungeons & Lasers ® V: World of Deuslair 5E is LAUNCHING! 🚀
Don't miss your chance to pledge early! All backers in the first 48 hours (starting from the Novice pledge) get an Owlbear Family mini as an Early Bird bonus reward!
Might as well add that I crunched some numbers on the Reaper forums, and found the Novice pledge best if you only want the SG's, and Adept if you want SG's and SSG's.
fwiw, the Reaper Bones Dragon Turtle sold for $15, as did their Kraken (full model underwater).
I'm just not sold on the core set as I know I'll use very little from it and so I'll just follow here to see what the SG and SSG end up being as missing on some owlbears really isn't that big of a deal.
I'm just not sold on the core set as I know I'll use very little from it and so I'll just follow here to see what the SG and SSG end up being as missing on some owlbears really isn't that big of a deal.
I've signed up at the Novice pledge for now - though I'll wait to see what gets revealed in the next two weeks to see if the fairly sizeable jump to get the SSGs is worth it (and if the regular SG's are enough to sell me on it generally).
Went for Apprentice for now will decide in 2 weeks when it's all revealed.
€200k - Airship unlocked
Launch AMA
- Core set might be rapid shipping if they can get the bases tool done in time.
- Bases are more costal themed this time
- D&L1 v D&L5 - costs 6 times more to manufacture now. 40 tonnes of plastic required for D&L5.
- price for SG and SSG add on will only be known in PM.
- SSG and SG are not one per backer so if you stack multiple pledges on the same account you will get multiples.
- the only 1 per backer minis are the Owlbear, Lord Bulbolder and the Kobolds/Roblin - will be available as paid add ons.
- Larger Airship planned but not for this KS - modular and expandable.
- Alt languages - post campaign survey need at least 400 backers to pick a language to make it viable
- (from KS comments) if you back for €1 in the first 48 hours and up to at least Novice in the PM you will qualify for the Owlbear.
- No new mats planned for this KS, caused delays to D&L4 shipping, looking to bring this in house for the future
- SG and SSG if all unlocked will have a retail value of approx €700
- The large 4 armed fae is a mid campaign SSG.
- Kraken is planned to have 2 separate tentacles - might add more if there is space on the sprue.
- books will be printed in Poland so no waiting on China shipping.
€511K - Fire Wyrm is the next SSG @€650K. It will probably settle down soon into a slow climb to the last few days. I don't think they expected to be at this point yet but their target is 7,000 backers which at the current average of €176 would put them over €1.2m
Update mentions that "One last thing, Lord Bulbolder will now be available to previous backers of ALL of our campaigns, not just D&L Backers. If you’re here from HoMM or MOTU: Fields of Eternia, then we’ll do our best to accommodate you 😀"
I have to say that I'm not happy about the owlbear. Mostly because I have a huge weak spot for juvenile versions of various creatures so that alone was a reason to back. I've also enjoyed painting my earlier Dungeons and Lasers figures so what's a little more to add to the pile of shame?
One thing I actually don't like is the typical pirates theme. To me, that just doesn't fit with the rest of the fantasy figures because it reflects a vastly different era. But fortunately they're not core set minis or the like.
I am very happy with the owlbear, mainly because the model isn't posed as a gimic. If the owlbear was carrying its cubs it would be a waste of plastic, yet another gimic miniature. As it happens the adult owlbear is standing in a useful pose and the cubs are separate, though together. I can live with two baby owlbears on one base, it limits their use to that of a target, so long as the adult is able to fit on a separate base.
I don't know what the optional parts are but if it includes different cubs
Automatically Appended Next Post: I have now double backed, second backing is for one Euro. There is a good chance it will stay there.
Frankly I am not impressed with the meat and potatoes of the Kickstarter, the Core set and formal add on's have their own odd style to them I am not keen on. There are some great miniatures, but only a few.
The stretch goals on the other hand are awesome, and we are only getting started.
Deuslair is not for me, I don't like the art style, I greatly prefer generic fantasy rather than weird fantasy. The whole world seems reminiscent of Dark Crystal, and personally that does not appeal. I can see how it will be treasure to others though, And I have noticed the thinly disquised Skeksis.
Wolf Drake added to the SSG which is now up to 6 unlocked - I could use that as an alt. Vengorian Lord for SBGL . The SG gaps have been reduced now that it's slowed down. I'm still waiting for that one (or 2?) thing that makes me go yeah that's the one and my pledge is locked in.
Kraken tentacles to be increased to 4 but will be a later SG.
I only had a chance to quickly go through the AMA this morning but there’s nothing much new to report. There might be more add ons in the PM. Jarek has an AMA on Friday so might get more news then.
Currently €842k with 6 days to go.
Roblin won the €850k vote. Hopefully there are options to have Roblin and the mount separate. Sleipnir might come back around before the end.
Honestly I really like the dragons but I don't think they're worth backing just to get.
I'm willing to be sold on their game world and thus their non-generic designs but Arcon are pretty much ignoring that with barely even basic lip service so I don't feel I should invest in a line they really don't seam to have that much interest in themselves.
Picked up Five Leagues from the Borderland and the fey ice queen faction looks like a good overlap with the Deuslair miniatures. Elven Woods fits on a 2x2 table, and has mini's for the Camp location as well.
D&L4 backers received the Deuslair Sample Pack, so I did a quick paintjob. The harder plastic is easier to work with (eg. filing off mold lines) than the soft boardgame and Mantic plastic.
No idea why the pic is upside-down. Click on it to see the picture right-side up. Will link to a pic later today.
Nice value KS but looks like the first Archon KS where I'll be dropping out before the end. As a wargamer the only bits of interest to me are a few large models that are mostly Super Stretch goals and they can't justify adding another 50 sprues to the pile I'll never touch.
lord_blackfang wrote: As a wargamer the only bits of interest to me are a few large models that are mostly Super Stretch goals and they can't justify adding another 50 sprues to the pile I'll never touch.
Same for me. I will wait for the retail to get few models I care for.
lord_blackfang wrote: Nice value KS but looks like the first Archon KS where I'll be dropping out before the end. As a wargamer the only bits of interest to me are a few large models that are mostly Super Stretch goals and they can't justify adding another 50 sprues to the pile I'll never touch.
Likewise - most of the models feel very setting specific and wouldn't integrate as well into my existing collection of models for D&D. It was the same concern when the KS launched, but none of the stretch goals are absolute must-haves for me.
Archon's push for an entire "non-generic fantasy" RPG world *is* a risk, and, since they're also offering the "generic fantasy" terrain from D&L4 in the KS, I think it's a mistake for them to not allow backers to exchange the Desulair-specific core set for an add-on. At least, during the previews, they went from making the RPG Bestiary hardcover a required item, to an add-on. With three factions, Archon should have made the focus a wargame, rather than RPG, or perhaps both. I think they should have at least given a shot (if they didn't) to work with a smaller wargames ruleset company (eg. Song of Blades and Heroes) for Archon to create a supplement or something. Myself, I picked up "Five Leagues from the Borderlands", a narrative solo/coop miniatures skirmish game, and noticed that the core set and other sets fit nicely with 5L's unseelie Ice Queen faction, as well as ferals and birdfolk for player warband characters. The Elven Woods set, btw, has a campsite for the Camp locations. Anecdotally, most of the popular miniatures, except for the giant unseelie fae queen, have been for the "generic fantasy" figures.
Well, there's always D&L6: Caves later this year. But you'll miss the duck.
I think it is a good change to see more different creature/race types being released.
The old saying of "you cant please everyone at once" pop's to mind.
The terrain sets are well worth getting for most gamers.
Love the look of the Dragon Turtle too.
Overall it's pulling in as much as any of their previous D&L campaigns so they've got to be pretty happy with that. Though the cost of the book (writing, editing, art) probably has this a bit less profitable then just the terrain. Should get pretty close to a million euros.
I dropped my $1 as I'm just not seeing it worth to drop the amount I'd need to for the 10% of the figures/and SG that I would want.
I dropped my $1 as I'm just not seeing it worth to drop the amount I'd need to for the 10% of the figures/and SG that I would want.
At this point I'm feeling the same way the minis I do want don't justify the €148 I'd have to pay and then I'd have a load of stuff I've no use for as well. The only thing that would keep me in is another giant but it doesn't look like that's happening. I'll hang on until the last hour and then just leave €1 in just in case I change my mind later. A lot of stuff turns up from KS to KS unless it's gone to retail so there may be a chance to pick up some stuff during D&L 6 which is back to terrain and of more interest to me.
DaveC wrote: A lot of stuff turns up from KS to KS unless it's gone to retail so there may be a chance to pick up some stuff during D&L 6 which is back to terrain and of more interest to me.
That's pretty much why I had no issue walking away. The 2-3 things I want I can likely pick up later even if its via the next campaign as an add on.
I've suggested the Archon website eventually lets you "buy by the sprue", but they're not up to that point.
Anyway, John from the comments: "Add your estimated shipping cost as BONUS! Szymon from Archon confirmed this is ok in s previous comment - we can use those bonus funds for shipping! If all of us do this, we will get to that glorious Turtle! 🐢
In the end, I decided not to go for Deuslair because, although there are some great figures, there are too many that I just wouldn't find a good use for. That, and I'm pretty sure that the more standout pieces can be picked up at a later date anyways.
warboss wrote: The neon colored plastic is a bold choice.
Uhh, those are computer renders, colored so you can see which are separate parts
Automatically Appended Next Post: And a final update for Encounters
Shipping for encounters is now officially over, with the last special cases now sent out! We want to thank everyone for participating in this very successful campaign. If you haven't received your package yet, then please reach out to us via contact@archon-studio.com and we'll do our best to help you!
With Encounters now done, we implore you to check our latest campaign, Dungeons & Lasers V: World of Deuslair. The Kickstarter campaign is already over, but feel free to join us on the 23rd of May, when late pledges open. You'll also be able to grab sets from Encounters, so if there's anything that you missed we recommend joining!
Probably worth mentioning that they are working on a Mech game called Titanmachy, as well and have shown concept art in the last 2 AMAs worth a watch if that’s your thing I have no interest so won’t be covering it in the AMA summaries.
DaveC wrote: Probably worth mentioning that they are working on a Mech game called Titanmachy, as well and have shown concept art in the last 2 AMAs worth a watch if that’s your thing I have no interest so won’t be covering it in the AMA summaries.
Thanks for the pics. Some of them look interesting. Regarding the name, I can't make any sense of the second part in either language (the titan is obvious).
Sure thing! To your observation, some of the art definitely looks interesting! It as usual will be interesting to see what scale they choose. I can inevitably get mileage out of affordable plastic if they can blend into a 28mm table, and without organic proportions these have a decent chance of making it work. Even if they're a stretch for scale, Archon's Kickstarters are almost always a huge value so it could be tempting either way.
No, Mantic does not changed the material, but they changed the company making them, again.
By now there were 3 different ones in the past and now is is the 4th.
First models were made by Renedra in England (Undead, Dwarfs and Elves which
ave a design problem, not a quality one), but because they have limited capacity and their main customer is Perry Miniatures, Mantic switched to a Chinese one
That worked for a while but had long delivery times (which messed up first Basilea run as they could not wait for pre-production samples) hence they switched to another Chinese one who turned out to be not reliable with quality (Goblins, Basilea and Halflings were fine, Riftforge Orcs, EoD and Ratkin not so much)
So they changed to a european one again, Archon in Poland, who made the new Ogres
given that Archon by now has a good track record, the upcoming Mantic Models should be more reliable in quality and because they are in europe delivered faster.
So there is a difference in quality, depending on which company made the models, which in general means all the older ones and the very new ones.
Abyssals are from the old ones and given that they are already old, good models
PS: making a general statement that all mantic plastics are bad is a tricky one, you may not like the design of all of them, but those that were made by the same company making the Perry or the Conquest models, are the same quality as those.
- They've added an 8th CNC machine to keep up with production demand. Sounds like they are getting a lot of interest from 3rd parties for manufacturing and have had to turn down business. They will be moving to a new premises by years end as they've outgrown the current building and they are at the limits of the electrical supply.
- They are working on prepainted terrain and hope to have samples by D&L6. They will still come on sprue and have 5 or 6 colours and shading.
- D&L 5 - 11 tools done of 33. All sculpting to be finished by the end of July.
- D&L5 PM 29th May - Will include the Stronghold set which is proving popular so much so that they are considering releasing larger sets like this in future rather than room boxes.
- D&L 6 Caves - concepting underway - 3 themes - caves, demonic dungeon and inside of the beast.
- circles on concepts are only there to show base placement they won't be in final product.
- Prepainted option.
- Pledges for terrain sets only - there will be some thematic minis (goblins and spiders mentioned) - but they will be paid add on only not in pledges or SG.
- Expect larger sets (2 x Fantasy Core sized) than previously (as mentioned above) - easier for packing and shipping.
- Themes should blend together and with the sewer set (same connectors).
- Curved walls and walls won't be squared off so they look more natural.
- Islands for inside of larger setups
- High and half walls
- Loads of gubbins and props - compatible with previous bits.
- 30 to 40 tools planned
- Half floor tile is planned - can be used to make diagonals.
- Mentioned expanding out current themes like the Warlock set to make a Warlock's tower by adding a new sprue (probably not this KS though)
- Dungeon Crawl game planned using prepainted terrain - just unbox and play. Randomly generated dungeons.
but there's a reason all scale model companies making wwII vehicles usually end up making a Panther and a Tiger
and i'm sure these will prove popular even if there are a bunch of alternatives (tho in different materials), and well done for sticking with the sewers connectors and not developing something else
That Demon Dungeon looks great. Should make a terrific boss room for the end of a campaign. I have the old Terraclips Hell Prison set, and it worked out well for the final battle against the boss half-demon. The Dwarven Forge first KS had a demonic room set, that was just the same tiles in the KS painted red. Sure came a long way!
The Beast tiles remind me of the lowest levels of the DOOM PC game. Of course, neither Demon nor Beast will be as commonly used as the Caves, but that won't keep me from picking them up!
I'm currently painting the Fantasy Core Set, and Archon has come a *long* way since then. The sculpts are much better (and I've used the Elven Woods several times in my Five Leagues from the Borderlands campaign). I'm wondering if they'll put out a better dungeon set sometime, particularly one that has functional doors included.
Regular SG have been added for €59 but Super SG are still missing. Given the Airship is €31 on it's own I can't see the SSG being €59 so Apprentice might be a better option.
EDIT: I see from the comments they won't be adding SSG as an add on as they can't do it for a reasonable price.
The airship is in 3 sections front middle and back so that you can expand the middle sections to make a larger ship
ced1106 wrote: Comments mention a "secret code for UKGE" mentioned on a Livestream. Anyone know what it is and where to enter it?
It's a phrase you have to say in person to Jarek at UKGE to get something free. It's covered in a prior AMA - it's a reward for watchers of the AMAs so I won't post the details but all AMAs are available on Youtube.
- No sci-fi or Rampart until next year - Partnership with another IP so don't expect an expansion of the current range.
- Colour sections on images show the breakdown of parts - Yeti's horns are optional
- D&L Caves - Double length Short walls and Tall single walls - large variety to avoid repeated designs
- Sub-themes within themes - spiders lair, catacombs
- themes are not stackable like prior sets
- maybe plug in elements to vary designs even more or make transitions between themes - compatible with existing plugs
- Demonic Dungeon - "inspired" by very recently launched action rpg video game
- Inside the beast - option planned 3 colour "prepainted" with shading (additional cost) - but also regular grey plastic option.
Might as well show off some D&L4 : Encounters : Land of Giants...
Spoiler:
End of a Contract
A third ride. A third battle. The lord is indeed working us hard for his gold. The adventurers last sent to investigate these ruins and fend off the bandits have not returned. Rumors we have gathered persist that the dead are slowly taking over. Bandits alongside undead suggests more than mere bandits. And rumors also hold of enemy plans or other evidence that will aid us (or at least a more heroic "us") to take down the threats of this valley.
Map by Loke Battle Mats, Wilderness Map book and Big Book of Battle Mats. VTT mega-map KS coming.
Ruins terrain by Archon, Lands of Giants. Bridge from the Mines half-wall set, and Fantasy Dungeon terrain. Cathedral from Cursed Cathedral and Stretch Goals II sets.
"Squealers" miniatures by RBJ Games
Corpses are "Tiny Furniture's Harvest of War" miniatures. Sequel campaign coming!
Stone walls by Acheson Creations. May be OOP.
Red-grey ruins by Secret Weapon Miniatures. OOP.
Heroes and Skeletons by Reaper, Bones.
If you're otherwise interested in the core and SG's, the Archon PM has opened and may be accepting late pledges.
Otherwise, your patience should pay off, since even the Archon website is offering free shipping (over 150EU) to many areas, although retail prices should be higher.
So tree packs are coming as per Northstar site: "Fantasy Forests.
Coming later this month from Dungeons & Lasers, the Tree Pack. I think we'll be adding these to our North Star terrain collection. Will you be doing the same?
£54 for 10 trees."
- D&L 6 - working on pillar system to stack lairs - need to design edge strips to hide flat tile edges.
- trying to design a wider spectrum of themes and adding more dark fantasy - (survey has Q on this) but standard caves theme has been kept generic
- 3 core sets plus smaller themed sets like the spiders lair.
- Core sets larger than previously
- Catacombs not planned for D&L 6 - later project
- large open dungeons possible
- backwards compatible
- D&L5 designs are finalised so they won't be revised
- Army of Darkness (Evil Dead) is a big influence for Jarek.
- MoTU wave 6 plus event model at Essen Spiel
- Dragon Turtle is getting an extra sprue to make it a bit bigger
- Prepaint sample shown - expect price to be 15 to 20% more expensive but not known until system finalised
- Sample pack for D&L 6 - might be 1 or 2 sprues depending on time
- "Hills" and bridges for Caves - might be stackable
Retail releases
- Elven Woods retail release was held up due to adding a paper mat to the set.
- Tavern set - 328 pieces
- Stagecoach - individual release
- Tarrasque
I guess they need to ride the KS wave that has made them popular as suppliers of great terrain for RPGs, but surely it's hard to keep up. I have unfinished Kazumi temple stuff, and it was years ago!
Trees are stable enough. The trees actually have stumps that you can permanently or temporarily attach the rest of the tree on.
fwiw, Deuslair should still have Late Pledges available, but you must order the core set. Check the prices if it's better to buy through the campaign (must pay shipping) or website ("free" shipping over 150EU or something). Campaign's Rapid Shipping window has passed, I think.
Some pics from the latest KS update (Reminder Rapid Delivery is no longer available but not yet switched off)
AMA 28th July
- MoTU Battleground more vehicles and terrain early 2024
- Prepainted option for some previous KS sprues as an option in D&L 6 Caves, can add more paint options for the same sprue - change details etc. Finish can be matt or gloss or a mix. Prepaints are still on sprues.
- Prepaint process not currently suitable for minis.
- Stronghold and Tavern have been popular.
- Sci-Fi version of D&L 5 would likely need to be with licensed partner.
- Confirmed they haven't been paid by Ninja Division and everything they've done is at their own expense.
- Mantic manufacturing under NDA so can't discuss (sounds like more coming though) , another larger company has contacted them about plastic manufacturing. 25% of business is customer manufacturing and not looking to expand beyond that.
- D&L 5 see pics limited progress due to holidays.
- D&L 6 - reviewer sprue in progress - only going to D&L 5 backers if budget allows.
- D&L 6 - KS or Gamefound - not decided yet - Gamefound would allow for the stretch pay option. https://help.gamefound.com/article/262-stretch-pay-paying-in-installments - Not all concepts will end up as sculpts
Yeah basically D&L5 being fantasy minis and D&D inspired but a sci-fi equivalent is not something they would do without some form of partnership with another IP like Starfinder which is how Jarek gave a bit more background. ND contracted Archon to do wave 1 production for the KS back in 2015 but never paid and left a large debt which nearly sunk Archon as well. Archon took over the licence and production with the agreement of Paizo and have worked through production and fulfilling the KS at their own expense. Its about 36 min into the AMA.
Seeing some nice generic Sci-Fi miniatures would be great to see.Plenty of scope to do civilian types along with lots of weird Alien races.
The Robots and vehicles of all types.
Maybe even time to see Archon's own Sci-Fi range being released?
Greebles for kit bashing terrain would be nice to see and also flora and fauna for different types of planet's.
Regarding minis I understand they'd wish to get an established IP, generic dudes are well served with Stargrave and Atlantic kits and generic monsters aren't in high demand since you can just use whatever.
But I can't really think of an IP that would be appropriate (well known in gaming circles, with a large scope but not massively expensive like Star Wars)?
Well, I may or may not kill for an official XCOM plastic range, but that feels like it doesn't have the breadth necessary for a range the size of D&L
I know a sci-fi setting that I wouldn't mind seeing represented in plastic, but I doubt my books will ever be famous enough for that.
There are many well known sci-fi IP's that could work for a company like Archon, but the ones that would have enough variety to make a few dozens of miniatures that are easily distinguishable are usually expensive and related with famous book series, tv shows or movies, which could work but would likely be beyond the price range of Archon.
The IP's with lower license costs are unlikely to be famous enough to be easily recognizable so Archon would have to make them attractive by themselves, which wouldn't be much different from doing their own line with no third party IP.
They will likely have to found something in between, famous enough to be recognized and affordable to the point that it makes sense financially.
Doing an existing IP would mean higher prices for the figures.
Archon have shown some great designs for the Aliens in thier range which seems to have been on hold for quite some time now.
If you go by Star Wars you have plenty of options for different World type terrain and races to populate it too.
Vehicles of different types would be really nice to see along with street vendors.
Battle Angel Alita movie has a good variety of types to take inspiration from and Blade Runner.
I don't think Archon will license a well known IP anytime soon, they did it in their Prodos phase, and it burned all parties involved. I think they will be more than happy finding a partnership with another company, and producing terrain for that IP.
Miguelsan wrote: I don't think Archon will license a well known IP anytime soon, they did it in their Prodos phase, and it burned all parties involved. I think they will be more than happy finding a partnership with another company, and producing terrain for that IP.
M.
AvP was a fiasco but their Masters of the Universe board games and wargames are going fine
Maybe they should try partnering with GW for DL5? :p
In truth, I wouldn't mind if they just take the not-D&D fantasy line and sci-fi them up. Otherwise, they could do a lot of humans-with-animal-heads or humans-with-bumpy-foreheads or humans-with-pointed-ears sort of take on things.
Got my Elven Woods from the local retailer, and I really like the kit. The only negatives are too many connection points with the sprue which results in a lot of cleaning necessary. Recommended for anyone lacking a terrain for their fantasy games.
> Maybe they should try partnering with GW for DL5? :p
Well, they do miniatures for other companies, though Mantic's the only one I'm aware of. I'm curious what other companies use them.
> Otherwise, they could do a lot of humans-with-animal-heads or humans-with-bumpy-foreheads or humans-with-pointed-ears sort of take on things.
That reminds me -- Osprey Games works closely with Northstar miniatures for their Frostgrave / Stargrave game line, including swappable heads. Five Parsecs and Five Leagues from the Borderlands doesn't have a miniature game line... (;
> Got my Elven Woods from the local retailer, and I really like the kit.
EW is my most played terrain set. Lots of detail, yet very generic. Would prefer bare rocks that stacked for more versatility. Archon also sells the trees as a ten-pack, if you already have rocks...
Might as well show a pic!
* Archon Elven Woods set, Torture Room set, D&L stretch goals including bridge
* Loke Battlemats Box of Adventure: Valley of Peril, and RPG Toolkit: The Long Road
* Tiny Furniture trees
* Secret Weapon OOP ruins
* Mantic Terrain Crate trees, Mantic skeletons
* Reaper miniatures
Five Parsecs and Five Leagues from the Borderlands doesn't have a miniature game line... (;
Parsecs does now via titanforge and Modiphius (who own the lines). STLs only. If Modiphius really wanted physical models for those lines they'd just make them themselves I'd wager.
- working with Jervis Johnson and Andy Chambers on a wargame, no other details given but it was in response to a question on 40K style terrain
- Don't use AI to generate art, sometimes for rephrasing language translations but should not be affected by KS new AI policy. https://updates.kickstarter.com/introducing-our-new-ai-policy/ - Prepaints - low res test underway 80% to 90% there - see pic
- D&L 6 - more concepts shown, lava stream - smaller than river.
- The rest is HOMM unboxing so I'm finishing the summary here
DaveC wrote: - working with Jervis Johnson and Andy Chambers on a wargame, no other details given but it was in response to a question on 40K style terrain
Huh.
It's not Titanomachy, right? Andy is working on a mecha brawler also, but it has a different name
Miniature Market has a sale, including an Army Painter GM Character Paint Set, $30 for 20 paints and 5 figures.
Note that each paint is only 12ml compared to 17ml standard. 9 sets left. Sale ends Monday.
https://www.miniaturemarket.com/amygm1004.html
@Archon Studio - please consider an animal pack that would give players more than the current 3 miniatures per species. Most games, be it RPG or skirmish/wargame, require usually 5+ of the common animal threats so for example 3 giant wasps are not enough. It would be nice to have an animal pack that would give a player most commonly encountered animal foes in good numbers, like 6+ wolves, 8+ giant rats, 10+ swarms (whatever species) etc. etc.
Shadow Walker wrote: @Archon Studio - please consider an animal pack that would give players more than the current 3 miniatures per species. Most games, be it RPG or skirmish/wargame, require usually 5+ of the common animal threats so for example 3 giant wasps are not enough. It would be nice to have an animal pack that would give a player most commonly encountered animal foes in good numbers, like 6+ wolves, 8+ giant rats, 10+ swarms (whatever species) etc. etc.
Good point. I know other backers who say this. Even if you hypothetically bought multiple sprues from Archon for a creature, Archon puts sorta-themed other stuff on the sprue, so you'd get critters you may not want. Unfortunately, Archon seems to be leaning towards the "display" hobbyists (eg. the harpy attacking a pig and wyrm eating a human is fine for display, but having three of them looks redundant) while trying to cover as many different things as possible. At best, you'd want to use the Archon miniature as an elite mini, and look for companies (eg. boardgames) that put out multiples of the same sculpt.
I have some of the same issues with some of the specialized terrain pieces in the SG sets. I like their iron bar door, but my dungeon's going to need more than one! I also remember backers wanting many more torches than the SG's had to offer.
ced1106 wrote: you'd want to use the Archon miniature as an elite mini, and look for companies (eg. boardgames) that put out multiples of the same sculpt.
I use hard plastic only so board games with their PVC are not an option. That is why I hope companies like Archon, WGA etc. will finally put some proper animal kits on market some day.
ced1106 wrote: you'd want to use the Archon miniature as an elite mini, and look for companies (eg. boardgames) that put out multiples of the same sculpt.
I use hard plastic only so board games with their PVC are not an option. That is why I hope companies like Archon, WGA etc. will finally put some proper animal kits on market some day.
I've been asking the CEO for an animal kit too, so I'm hoping that it's something we'll be able make soon. Unfortunately, it'll likely have to be part of the next miniature campaign, which is quite some time away (unless we're able to release it directly to retail).
I've been asking the CEO for an animal kit too, so I'm hoping that it's something we'll be able make soon. Unfortunately, it'll likely have to be part of the next miniature campaign, which is quite some time away (unless we're able to release it directly to retail).
A direct retail would be great as currently there is a big gap on the market for HIPS models like that. Wolves (normal sized), rats (both normal and giant), boars, bears, giant (flying too) insects etc. etc. gathered in 1-2 packs, and in good numbers (like at least 6 wolves etc.) will sell for sure.
I've been asking the CEO for an animal kit too, so I'm hoping that it's something we'll be able make soon. Unfortunately, it'll likely have to be part of the next miniature campaign, which is quite some time away (unless we're able to release it directly to retail).
A direct retail would be great as currently there is a big gap on the market for HIPS models like that. Wolves (normal sized), rats (both normal and giant), boars, bears, giant (flying too) insects etc. etc. gathered in 1-2 packs, and in good numbers (like at least 6 wolves etc.) will sell for sure.
For what it's worth Reaper does have quite a few products like that. Soft plastic but Bones has gotten a lot better.
I've been asking the CEO for an animal kit too, so I'm hoping that it's something we'll be able make soon. Unfortunately, it'll likely have to be part of the next miniature campaign, which is quite some time away (unless we're able to release it directly to retail).
A direct retail would be great as currently there is a big gap on the market for HIPS models like that. Wolves (normal sized), rats (both normal and giant), boars, bears, giant (flying too) insects etc. etc. gathered in 1-2 packs, and in good numbers (like at least 6 wolves etc.) will sell for sure.
Alright, I'll see what I can do. We do have a small gap next year where we don't have anything major planned, hopefully we'll have an animal kit by then.
I've been asking the CEO for an animal kit too, so I'm hoping that it's something we'll be able make soon. Unfortunately, it'll likely have to be part of the next miniature campaign, which is quite some time away (unless we're able to release it directly to retail).
A direct retail would be great as currently there is a big gap on the market for HIPS models like that. Wolves (normal sized), rats (both normal and giant), boars, bears, giant (flying too) insects etc. etc. gathered in 1-2 packs, and in good numbers (like at least 6 wolves etc.) will sell for sure.
Alright, I'll see what I can do. We do have a small gap next year where we don't have anything major planned, hopefully we'll have an animal kit by then.
I've been asking the CEO for an animal kit too, so I'm hoping that it's something we'll be able make soon. Unfortunately, it'll likely have to be part of the next miniature campaign, which is quite some time away (unless we're able to release it directly to retail).
A direct retail would be great as currently there is a big gap on the market for HIPS models like that. Wolves (normal sized), rats (both normal and giant), boars, bears, giant (flying too) insects etc. etc. gathered in 1-2 packs, and in good numbers (like at least 6 wolves etc.) will sell for sure.
Alright, I'll see what I can do. We do have a small gap next year where we don't have anything major planned, hopefully we'll have an animal kit by then.
I think an animal kit would do well. The trick would be to make the creatures cool looking yet generic enough for multiple settings. But it is definitely a niche that is currently open.
Warlord Games already has a decent farm animals kit in plastic so I would recommend wild creatures for dangerous encounters rather than domestic or farm animals. And I would suggest pack or swarm animals rather than large solitary apex predators.
Edit: And interesting yet not overly unique poses, ie carrying so merging or standing on distinctive terrain. So not a statue looking standing still placid wolf but not a wildly leaping one with a rabbit in its mouth that has graveyard ruins integral to the sculpt. Sculpts should reflect the need to make packs of the creatures with minor changes by the hobbyist to reflect individuals within the pack.
I've been asking the CEO for an animal kit too, so I'm hoping that it's something we'll be able make soon. Unfortunately, it'll likely have to be part of the next miniature campaign, which is quite some time away (unless we're able to release it directly to retail).
A direct retail would be great as currently there is a big gap on the market for HIPS models like that. Wolves (normal sized), rats (both normal and giant), boars, bears, giant (flying too) insects etc. etc. gathered in 1-2 packs, and in good numbers (like at least 6 wolves etc.) will sell for sure.
Alright, I'll see what I can do. We do have a small gap next year where we don't have anything major planned, hopefully we'll have an animal kit by then.
I think an animal kit would do well. The trick would be to make the creatures cool looking yet generic enough for multiple settings. But it is definitely a niche that is currently open.
Warlord Games already has a decent farm animals kit in plastic so I would recommend wild creatures for dangerous encounters rather than domestic or farm animals. And I would suggest pack or swarm animals rather than large solitary apex predators.
Edit: And interesting yet not overly unique poses, ie carrying so merging or standing on distinctive terrain. So not a statue looking standing still placid wolf but not a wildly leaping one with a rabbit in its mouth that has graveyard ruins integral to the sculpt. Sculpts should reflect the need to make packs of the creatures with minor changes by the hobbyist to reflect individuals within the pack.
I've been pushing as hard as I can for more generic poses/miniatures and providing the team with some examples. I don't want to discourage our 3D artists as they're very talented and clearly put in a lot of work but sometimes it can be a bit too much if we're trying to make generic fantasy.
Szymon_Archon wrote: [
I've been pushing as hard as I can for more generic poses/miniatures and providing the team with some examples. I don't want to discourage our 3D artists as they're very talented and clearly put in a lot of work but sometimes it can be a bit too much if we're trying to make generic fantasy.
One of things to make models both more generic and more attractive for the wider audience would be to stop putting things on the models that are mandatory for building them instead optional. For example, Pepe the Giant with its massive boulder, which could be a fun addition but there should be other options to build your giant, otherwise why bother to buy more than one (when even converting it would be a lot of pain just to remove the boulder etc.)? ''Diorama'' things should also be strongly reduced.
To clarify, I've been lurking in this forum for quite some time, and for the most part, I agree with a lot of the things said here. We still have a lot of progress to make and I appreciate the feedback.
Right now, I can only offer suggestions to the team, but we are starting to make some changes to make sure that the miniatures and terrain are more generic.
Szymon_Archon wrote: To clarify, I've been lurking in this forum for quite some time, and for the most part, I agree with a lot of the things said here. We still have a lot of progress to make and I appreciate the feedback.
Right now, I can only offer suggestions to the team, but we are starting to make some changes to make sure that the miniatures and terrain are more generic.
Szymon_Archon wrote: To clarify, I've been lurking in this forum for quite some time, and for the most part, I agree with a lot of the things said here. We still have a lot of progress to make and I appreciate the feedback.
Right now, I can only offer suggestions to the team, but we are starting to make some changes to make sure that the miniatures and terrain are more generic.
Do you mind me asking what differentiates the Fantasy Miniatures set from the other two? I believe the packaging is more or less made in the same way, it's just that the fantasy miniatures set has fewer miniatures that are also just larger which makes them easier on the eye.
Do you mind me asking what differentiates the Fantasy Miniatures set from the other two? I believe the packaging is more or less made in the same way, it's just that the fantasy miniatures set has fewer miniatures that are also just larger which makes them easier on the eye.
I meant a proper presentation of the minis on the photos. First two show mostly group/crowd pics of grey minis, where on the third we have back of the box with all the minis from the set but each one is shown separately, and in colour too. It is much easier for customers to see what they will be buying.
Thanks for the input Szymon and I’d agree with the others that whilst it’s great to allow the sculptors freedom to include their own details sometimes someone needs to reign that back a bit and make sure the minis are as useable as possible and not too specific. Pepe is a great example he makes a perfect mancrusher substitute but his set up with the rock underarm means you’ll only ever use the one. I have a second Pepe but he’ll need a lot of work to make him look different.
In other news a few prototype teasers from Discord. Looking good but the corners need some work I get the angle design and it works for dungeon walls but for more organic designs it looks a bit off needs more texture or something or a cover piece for exposed corners.
Those are very nice looking tiles.Not sure how the pieces for the hole in-fills will effect the miniatures from the gaming point.They would be nice additions for base detailing though.
Maybe something with a lower profile would be best.
@Szymon_Archon
Just saw Heroes of M&M minis, and many of them are really to my taste. Any plans to release them in packs outside of the game? I think most of them are ideal for RPGs or miniature agnostic games.
- Caves - Super SG are for sub themes - spiders nest theme is one of them, also Goblins lair - 9 themes planned - can pick 3 as part of pledge - also purchaseable separately
- 4 or 5 sets from prior KS as prepainted add ons - bigger sets than before
- plugs designed to blend themes and hide joins, but there will always be some squareness in places though
- Dragon Turtle in tooling
- "Simple" add ons for D&L 6 as they have to be able to prepaint them as well
- Sorcerers Spire set for retail €159, might be a prepainted version later
- Working on several IP games - looked for Wing Commander but it's not available, GI Joe not available either as it competes with the toy line.
I didn't like the Warlock's Altar set. The bookshelves looked 2D, and you had those magic stars EVERYWHERE. Would have just liked some summoning circles, as either floor tiles or round discs you painted.
Hard to tell with only 1 angle looks like around 7 to 9 sets there’s probably 21 doors (3 per set) but it’s hard to make out the number of long and short walls. I think there are over 50 shorts (6 per set) which is why I’ve put up to 9 sets.
Edit fantasywelt have it for order €159, 29 doors, 29 long, 58 shorts so 10 sets
Shadow Walker wrote: @Szymon_Archon
Just saw Heroes of M&M minis, and many of them are really to my taste. Any plans to release them in packs outside of the game? I think most of them are ideal for RPGs or miniature agnostic games.
Shadow Walker wrote: @Szymon_Archon
Just saw Heroes of M&M minis, and many of them are really to my taste. Any plans to release them in packs outside of the game? I think most of them are ideal for RPGs or miniature agnostic games.
I have so much joy with Elven Woods kit. After building all I started thinking about converting some pieces. One of my ideas is below on pics. There are 4 hill types in the kit, each x3. I took my least favourite type (one with the marble columns etc.), and combined two copies of it into one bigger hill with a (non Archon) tree on top. Some gaps filling etc. later there was a terrain piece that IMO looks good, and only needs to be painted (knowing me in the far future or never ).
I could never figure out why no one licensed and produced a Star Craft game before. (Well, except for that one with the boardgame-grade PVC figures.) Except, perhaps, that the video game series hasn't had a new installment for a long time. Still, the nostalgia force has always been strong with Star Craft.
There are plenty of biomorphic aliens available these days, from 'Nids to the original, actual Aliens. But I'd still love to have some Zerg, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Wouldn't mind some Protoss Zealots and Dark Templar, either.
I imagine with Starcraft there might have been some hesitation of infringement on the Aliens franchise back in the day when it might have garnered the attention of a lawsuit with Fox - and the situation between Blizzard & GW back in the day, as word is that Starcraft was originally based on 40K's tyranids, which in turn was strongly based on Alien/Aliens & the bugs of Starship Troopers. (Though there was an RPG in the 90's - TSR's Alternity, and a FFG Starcraft boardgame)
I think they've definitely become their own thing since their beginning, and they're more open to licensing out Starcraft these days.
Talking Banana wrote: I could never figure out why no one licensed and produced a Star Craft game before. (Well, except for that one with the boardgame-grade PVC figures.)
@Szymon_Archon
For the possible future monsters packs (that could use Heroes of M&M minis BTW) I suggest to use bestiaries from the most popular mini agnostic games to get what people might want, and therefore buy. For example, here is a list of solo monsters that could be encountered in the third edition (by Modiphius) of Five Leagues from the Borderlands:
ogre, troll, minotaur, werewolf, golem, giant lizard, spitting lizard, manticore, griffon, giant, wraith, wight, death knight, fiend, undead construct, elemental, giant spider, wyvern, hydra, monster lizard, drake.
There was a small range of Starcraft miniatures released Years ago.Not sure how many there were in the range though.I have one.
Found this link with some nice figures from Starcraft including the one which i have.She is painted white in the second off last picture with a shield.
https://imgur.com/gallery/CpqTQuf
Shadow Walker wrote: @Szymon_Archon
For the possible future monsters packs (that could use Heroes of M&M minis BTW) I suggest to use bestiaries from the most popular mini agnostic games to get what people might want, and therefore buy. For example, here is a list of solo monsters that could be encountered in the third edition (by Modiphius) of Five Leagues from the Borderlands:
ogre, troll, minotaur, werewolf, golem, giant lizard, spitting lizard, manticore, griffon, giant, wraith, wight, death knight, fiend, undead construct, elemental, giant spider, wyvern, hydra, monster lizard, drake.
Oh, when it comes to the HoMM miniatures, they will still have to come out under the HoMM brand, as they're a licensed product. We will likely release a miniature pack for at least the core factions as I'm pretty sure the core box is gonna be released to retail without miniatures.
Also, I feel like I'm aware of what generic monsters people would want, but I don't think that everyone is on board a lot of the time. Well, it's always something that I will push for. While I'm a big fan of Dark Fantasy series like Berserk, I still really like High Fantasy and it's just much easier to sell as you don't need to build an entire world around it. I think I'm gonna need to prepare some examples to show to the team, something that comes to mind is an amazing mod for Europa Universalis IV - Anbennar. It's as generic as you can get but it still has tons of lore and is overall a really fun experience.
Szymon_Archon wrote: Also, I feel like I'm aware of what generic monsters people would want, but I don't think that everyone is on board a lot of the time. Well, it's always something that I will push for. While I'm a big fan of Dark Fantasy series like Berserk, I still really like High Fantasy and it's just much easier to sell as you don't need to build an entire world around it. I think I'm gonna need to prepare some examples to show to the team, something that comes to mind is an amazing mod for Europa Universalis IV - Anbennar. It's as generic as you can get but it still has tons of lore and is overall a really fun experience.
I would "partner" with a company with an established generic fantasy miniatures agnostic ruleset (that's a lot of words), with an owner who's easy to work with.
Ganesha Games, located closer to yourselves in Poland that myself in the USA, has (at least) two such rulesets, Advanced Song of Blade and Heroes, and Sellswords and Spellslingers. ASoBH has army lists of several different races, so you would design the miniatures around them. S&S, a solo miniatures game, also has a beastiary, so you know what miniatures the game would need for the core book. How many is a different answer, but the game designer, Andrea Sfiligoi, is easy to work with. GG does have an existing metal miniatures partner, but I would contact them, anyway. Additionally, ASoBH has a "make your own army unit" webpage, so you can create ASoBH stats for your existing Deuslair and Woodhaven miniatures. Andrea is active on the various FB fan pages for his games.
Five Leagues from the Borderlands is another popular ruleset, licensed from Nordic Weasel Productions to Modiphius Entertainment. While ME has miniatures for its own wargames, 5L does not have an official line. I've written a list of miniatures recommended for the game on the 5L fan FB page. Each enemy type has up to two or so of each of three different elites (sergeant, lieutenant, captain), so there's room for elite sculpts as well as minions (I'm currently recommending the Oathmark sets for minions). Enemies are divided into melee and ranged (specifically slings, bows, and crossbow). Ivan, the game designer, is active on the FB fan page.
While I still need to play them, One Page Rules might be another company to check out. They have rules for multiple genres, including SF. They do have .stl's for their various genres, so I don't know how much opportunity there is with them. But they've been around as a free ruleset, and now are popular enough to have paid content.
Honorable mention for Savage Worlds, which heavily supports miniatures. However, their most popular genre is Deadlands, a wild west horror RPG. It started as a miniatures skirmish game, but I doubt if there's much interest in wild west horror. Frostgrave is also popular, but is partnered with North Star Games (Osprey miniatures?).
All of these are great suggestions, but our current goal is to make something for ourselves. A decent chunk of our income comes from manufacturing for other companies already, and we're planning on working with more companies in the future, but as a company, we also want our own horse in the race.
Szymon_Archon wrote: All of these are great suggestions, but our current goal is to make something for ourselves. A decent chunk of our income comes from manufacturing for other companies already, and we're planning on working with more companies in the future, but as a company, we also want our own horse in the race.
Or just put "compatible with Mork Borg" on the darker fantasy stuff...there is a market for that...
Honorable mention for Savage Worlds, which heavily supports miniatures. However, their most popular genre is Deadlands, a wild west horror RPG. It started as a miniatures skirmish game, but I doubt if there's much interest in wild west horror.
Zombicide: Undead or Alive would like to have a few words with you .....
I actually bought ZUA for use in Deadlands, myself.
Honorable mention for Savage Worlds, which heavily supports miniatures. However, their most popular genre is Deadlands, a wild west horror RPG. It started as a miniatures skirmish game, but I doubt if there's much interest in wild west horror.
Zombicide: Undead or Alive would like to have a few words with you .....
I actually bought ZUA for use in Deadlands, myself.
Whilst also now also covering feudal Japan, Vikings, Spanish Conquistadors and, soon, 1930's Egypt along with a variety of other worlds, Shadows of Brimstone started out as a Weird West miniatures board game and has a good range of miniatures with more western ones being released all the time (the next setting includes mounted weird western enemies and heroes).
- New offices should be up and running by year end.
- Currently working on a 6 month turnaround for projects - 3 months design 3 months manufacturing
- Pirate Airship - final renders in next few weeks - still working on the design
- Prepainted terrain - other companies have enquired about it but Archon want to launch their own stuff first.
- Dwarf Mine and Elven Tree prepaint samples shown. Stone will be a grey from the plastic itself with various shades added.
- Rampart terrain with graffiti
- Design considerations for future prepaints might mean more flat panels/elements
- No sprues supplied for Caves - just the tiles or parts
- pledges (see image if anyone can translate from Polish please)
- Rocky caves - 4 unique sprues - 13 sprues total - inc Hill sprue
- Belly of the Beast - 4 unique sprues - 13 sprues total
- Demonic Caves - 4 unique sprues - 13 sprues total
- SSG - 3 free sets in pledge 9 total - first 3 are Spiders Nest, Maw of the Abyss, Chambers of Agony then Goblins Lair, Warriors Tomb, Evil Eye Hive, Ritual Site, Combat Arena, Carnage Tract
- SG - 10 sprues - 60 to 70 props
- Add on optional buys - boss and minions for the 3 main themes - miniatures optional only
- Spiele Essen - MoTU mini - She-Ra with Swiftwind
- pledges (see image if anyone can translate from Polish please)
From the top:
RC:
3x hill
2x short wall, 1x long wall, 4x short half-wall, 2x long half-wall
3x curved half-wall, 2x curved wall, 4x corner, 2x prop
2x curved half-wall, 4x square floor, 1x rectangle floor
BB:
3x hill
2x short wall, 1x long wall, 4x short half-wall, 2x long half-wall
4x curved half-wall, 2x curved wall, bridge
2x corner, 4x square floor, 1x rectangle floor
DC:
2x short wall, 1x long wall, 4x short half-wall, 2x long half-wall
4x curved half-wall, 2x curved wall, prop
2x corner, 4x square floor, 1x rectangle floor
RSG:
About 60-70 props (small like torch, bigger props would mean less props on the sprue)
RCM/BBM/DCM:
About 6 models, 25mm base
1 boss on 50mm base, 4 minions on 25mmm base
Additional:
Ilość ramek do pudełka = number of sprues in a box
elementy=elements
Request to people with both Archon's dragon (any) and wyvern - could you please make a size comparison pic with them together? Also, is the body hanging from wyvern's claw optional?
Shadow Walker wrote: Request to people with both Archon's dragon (any) and wyvern - could you please make a size comparison pic with them together? Also, is the body hanging from wyvern's claw optional?
Thanks for the translation appreciate it. I haven't got a Dragon assembled to compare but he is a bit smaller than the original Dragons not by much though. I can confirm the body is optional and the base has 2 options - tree or wrecked boat. Here's the assembly guide https://archon-studio.com/files/manuals/d&l4-creatures-pack/#page=20
Shadow Walker wrote: Request to people with both Archon's dragon (any) and wyvern - could you please make a size comparison pic with them together? Also, is the body hanging from wyvern's claw optional?
Thanks for the translation appreciate it. I haven't got a Dragon assembled to compare but he is a bit smaller than the original Dragons not by much though. I can confirm the body is optional and the base has 2 options - tree or wrecked boat. Here's the assembly guide https://archon-studio.com/files/manuals/d&l4-creatures-pack/#page=20
Thanks Looks like it could be, with a little work, based without both boat and tree.
Another size comparison request. This time I would like to know how big is Archon's werewolf. If anyone could post it with some human, non Archon model (GW, Mantic, Fireforge, Northstar etc.), please
What do you guys think/need about fantasy terrain that Archon has yet to made? For myself I would like to have some properly scaled (read: Mantic, Fireforge, GW minis) fantasy village buildings (very useful for various fantasy games, especially skirmishes), and some ruins (the Land of the Giants is close but I would like to have some average building walls etc. rather than some sculpted columns etc.).
Szymon_Archon wrote: Personally, I'd like to see massive trees that have houses on them and are connected with bridges. What do you guys think about this idea?
Hmmm, a set of three trees connected with bridges, as a small village for some small folks, like hobbits etc?
Also, Baba Jaga house. You know you want to have one even when you would never use it One more thing about the normal village buildings - I would like to have a medieval look = GW Bretonnia rather than GW Empire.
@lord_blackfang I've seen that set a couple of times, it definitely looks amazing and I'll have to ask if we can make some more freestanding structures and not dungeon tiles
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Hmmm, a set of three trees connected with bridges, as a small village for some small folks, like hobbits etc?
Yep, more or less something like this, although I associate it more with Elves personally. Of course, you'd be able to use it for whatever you want
Mordhiem style ruined buildings would be my top choice I’m sure at this point they can be done with modular panels the problem with D&L panels is they weren’t originally designed to make buildings so the compromise with the trims stands out as do the corners the new Osgiliath buildings are a great example of how to do this type of kit now.
Something is wrong with the link, cannot see the image.
That's weird. I uploaded it as an attachment, should hopefully work now. Using the image tag doesn't work because it's a webp file so I changed the format to png.
That's weird. I uploaded it as an attachment, should hopefully work now. Using the image tag doesn't work because it's a webp file so I changed the format to png.
WEBP files almost always do not work as attachment. JPG or PNG are the best for this.
WEBP files almost always do not work as attachment. JPG or PNG are the best for this.
This should work then. I was talking about something that more or less looks like this.
It looks cool but it would mean rather huge kit or several to build something even slightly similar like that for elves (or at least human size beings), like you had in mind?
If you're taking requests, I'd love to get curved and diagonal walls for all the themes. Also more solid walls in the cottage/mansion sets. It's difficult to make anything with internal walls when 3/4 of the pieces are doors and windows.
+1 Ruins. I know D&L has some ruins terrain accessories (painting the horse head now!) but I'd like enough to cover a good portion of the board. Standalone wall pieces would be preferable to the walls attached to a game tile floor, so I can see the battle board artwork.
It looks cool but it would mean rather huge kit or several to build something even slightly similar like that for elves (or at least human size beings), like you had in mind?
I was thinking of proposing it as a large set, like the tavern and the stronghold. A lot of the sprues could easily be repeated to create a large tree.
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Bossk_Hogg wrote: If you're taking requests, I'd love to get curved and diagonal walls for all the themes. Also more solid walls in the cottage/mansion sets. It's difficult to make anything with internal walls when 3/4 of the pieces are doors and windows.
I'll ask for it the next chance I get, although we do have our hands full with the caves campaign.
Would it be an idea to make the Tree buildings,walkways and such to fit say a Pringles tube so it would cut down on costs?
I know that a person did some plastic sheets Years ago to make buildings to use for the Twilight game (not as in the movies with Vampires) but the Fantasy one.
http://worldoftwilight.com/ They used Pringle tubes then added stairs,roof,doors.
It could be another option.
Bossk_Hogg wrote: If you're taking requests, I'd love to get curved and diagonal walls for all the themes. Also more solid walls in the cottage/mansion sets. It's difficult to make anything with internal walls when 3/4 of the pieces are doors and windows.
YES. I agree completely but would add sets like the Stone Tower etc.
If Archon gets deep into the terrain game, I'd absolutely love if they took a cue from the semi-recent GW Middle-earth terrain kits like the Rohan House that can as a standalone build a house, or be modified with multiple kits to your satisfaction to build bigger, customized buildings, is outstanding. A big heavy box of Archon-quality sprues that could build 6 houses or a huge tavern or anything in between would fly off the shelves, I'd think.
Edit: And I guess you can sorta achieve that already with the big stronghold box and otherwise, but I think parts designed specifically as terrain, rather than dungeon tiles, would be a huge step ahead.
I'm running a bit behind today - new IPs as posted above and pics below - not something of interest to me so I’ve skipped that part.
here's the rest
AMA 29th September
- Airship - 4 sprues total (1 doubled up) - clear plastic stand
- Caves if you want minis only just buy add ons
- Mini add on packs
- Silk and Steel - Goblins and Spiders - 9 minis - Spider Rider + Goblins + Goblin King
- Demons Domain - Skeletons and Imps - 11 minis - Skeletons + Imps + Horned Demon
- Malevolent Menagerie - Evil Eyes and Abominations - 10 minis - Parasite + Evil Eye + Abomination
- Confirmed they only manufacture for Mantic no input into the designs
- D&L 5 expecting to be 2 months early - subject to any disruption caused by the factory move
- Kraken on 3 sprues
- Displacer rider is under scaled and needs to be fixed
- MoTU wave 7 Q1 2024 - planning to extend license for a further 3 years - Germany biggest market.
- D&L 6 caves - plug holes now added - hazard tiles (unpassable) - added more definition between stone and flesh on Belly of the Beast set.
- scaled back on the more unique elements on the walls like bodies
I have to be honest, a M&M wargame is a thing I was dreaming of since my first contact with a tabletop wargame as a kid. High hopes on that one. Especially curious regarding the game design approach.
Also that Kraken looks juicy, really looking forward to this one.
Glad to see Mantic's plastic improving through Archon! Although I'll wait and see about the sculpt quality and pricing.
No interest in Archon's boardgames since way back with LOAD and I have a backlog of games to play an mini's to paint (including Archon . You can review for yourself the BGG comments on their games.
Heroes of Might and Magic, another 4x game, had positive reviews.
Astra newsletter link : https://masteroforionadastra.com/
Great to see updates on the work in progress.
Looking forward to getting this KS bundle in.
Just wondering if this set below could have more Demons rather that Skeletons?
manic _miner wrote: Great to see updates on the work in progress.
Looking forward to getting this KS bundle in.
Just wondering if this set below could have more Demons rather that Skeletons?
More Demons would fit in better with the title and Cave type i think.
So right now, we plan on having 6 Skeletons, 4 Imps and 1 Demon. We want to have enough miniatures for a regular encounter as it was a common criticism that our miniature sets never had enough of a particular creature for a full encounter. Personally, I would have replaced the "Belly of the Beast" theme with a crypt and added a Lich with Skeletons into it, but it is what it is. We might have more Demons in our next campaign, but the focus for caves is meant to be the terrain and not the miniatures.
No interest in Archon's boardgames since way back with LOAD and I have a backlog of games to play an mini's to paint (including Archon . You can review for yourself the BGG comments on their games.
Heroes of Might and Magic, another 4x game, had positive reviews.
Keep in mind that the HoMM board game isn't out yet, but we have done plenty of open tests and demos and the feedback was very positive from those that actually played the game. It's hard to pinpoint how much of that was nostalgia, but the game should definitely live up to expectations. I think we're also planning to start doing TTS demos with our future board games as they're a pretty valuable source of feedback (although don't quote me on that).
@Szymon_Archon - except, hopefully arriving soon, animals pack, would there be possible to have other similar boxes? For example undead, heroes/characters, daemon etc. etc.? All with a proper numbers per category
Shadow Walker wrote: @Szymon_Archon - except, hopefully arriving soon, animals pack, would there be possible to have other similar boxes? For example undead, heroes/characters, daemon etc. etc.? All with a proper numbers per category
That's what I'm also hoping for, although it's gonna take some convincing :p
Just a heads up but the CEO also reads this forum so I'm really hoping that we will start making more generic miniatures because we really do have the ability and skill to make detailed and high quality minis, I feel like we're just really lacking in the design department when it comes to making generic high fantasy. I think we wouldn't have this issue if we already had an established IP or if we were working to make miniatures for an existing IP (like D&D or Pathfinder) as they'd need to go through an approval process, but I do think it's about time we learnt how to actually do it ourselves.
The_Real_Chris wrote: I remember a very long hot seat MoO2 game at uni that ended through lack of endurance more than anything else.
Any 4X game with hotseat is great. One time, me and a friend did a hotseat game of Civ V and we set the turn timer to 10 seconds. Genuinely lots of fun, very similar to playing bullet chess.
Shadow Walker wrote: @Szymon_Archon - except, hopefully arriving soon, animals pack, would there be possible to have other similar boxes? For example undead, heroes/characters, daemon etc. etc.? All with a proper numbers per category
That's what I'm also hoping for, although it's gonna take some convincing :p
Just a heads up but the CEO also reads this forum so I'm really hoping that we will start making more generic miniatures because we really do have the ability and skill to make detailed and high quality minis, I feel like we're just really lacking in the design department when it comes to making generic high fantasy. I think we wouldn't have this issue if we already had an established IP or if we were working to make miniatures for an existing IP (like D&D or Pathfinder) as they'd need to go through an approval process, but I do think it's about time we learnt how to actually do it ourselves.
If Archon can crack the issue of broadly appealing generic fantasy sculpts then one niche that is not really catered for that Archon could consider is the ability to offer kits to make the same characters in different versions, meaning given how well Archon has done with transparent/translucent HIPs.
Archon could make adventuring party kits like North Star do for Frostgrave but the add additional sets that allow an undead version (admittedly this would require the expense of a new mould though), a mounted version (sell mounts in a separate kit so players could change/upgrademounts), an “invisible” version (same mould, different plastic.
Make it clear and players could even use washes to make ghost versions of their characters).
As for mounts, create models that can be without a saddle, with a saddle to ride, with baggage to make them a pack animal and maybe undead versions?
The appeal of the North Star Frostgrave kits is that they are relatively plain and simple. Easy to modify to fit a number of different settings, games, eras, IP‘s with just a little customer modification. And it is relatively easily to make an undead version of a character if you have the right sets (for example cultists box is pretty good for this) and you can make some mounted characters with the various Oathmark cavalry but nothing in transparent plastic.
If kits could be made to be compatible with Wargames Atlantic, Victrix, North Star… even better! Kitbashing can take kits right through the gamut of games, genres and settings. Sci-fi, post-Apoc, Fantasy, you name it.
> Easy to modify to fit a number of different settings, games, eras, IP‘s with just a little customer modification.
What I particularly like about Oathmark sets is that you can choose which weapons you want for your models. So, if I'm playing a solo miniatures game, I can find distinguish the ranged units from the melee ones. Likewise, I can equip my hero with what's on the character sheet, not what model that's "close". Archon is already doing this with their Deuslair PC set.
Although I could just drill holes in foamcore strips I'd like to see some bits that let you make freestanding walls. I have some 2D battlefields and dungeon maps that I'd like to add walls to, but not floors.
Just a heads up but the CEO also reads this forum so I'm really hoping that we will start making more generic miniatures because we really do have the ability and skill to make detailed and high quality minis, I feel like we're just really lacking in the design department when it comes to making generic high fantasy. I think we wouldn't have this issue if we already had an established IP or if we were working to make miniatures for an existing IP (like D&D or Pathfinder) as they'd need to go through an approval process, but I do think it's about time we learnt how to actually do it ourselves.
Best thing about generic miniatures is that they do not require any IP Take Bretonnia ones as example. Majority of minis would be at home in most fantasy settings. Generic undead, orcs, kobolds, gnolls etc. also are easy to create. Basically you have tons of possible kits to release without worrying about any IP, and at the same time a huge market to explore. I bet your dragons are very popular, and the reason is simple - you could use them for various fantasy games. More of that, and the customers will be happy to buy. Also give at least few options, like different weapons, and you have a golden mine. Release another giant, could be even modified Pepe, but this time give it at least two heads, two weapons, mayby some bare hands as options. Simple things like that would for sure make your minis hugely popular.
Shadow Walker wrote: @Szymon_Archon - except, hopefully arriving soon, animals pack, would there be possible to have other similar boxes? For example undead, heroes/characters, daemon etc. etc.? All with a proper numbers per category
That's what I'm also hoping for, although it's gonna take some convincing :p
Just a heads up but the CEO also reads this forum so I'm really hoping that we will start making more generic miniatures because we really do have the ability and skill to make detailed and high quality minis, I feel like we're just really lacking in the design department when it comes to making generic high fantasy. I think we wouldn't have this issue if we already had an established IP or if we were working to make miniatures for an existing IP (like D&D or Pathfinder) as they'd need to go through an approval process, but I do think it's about time we learnt how to actually do it ourselves.
Best thing about generic miniatures is that they do not require any IP Take Bretonnia ones as example. Majority of minis would be at home in most fantasy settings. Generic undead, orcs, kobolds, gnolls etc. also are easy to create. Basically you have tons of possible kits to release without worrying about any IP, and at the same time a huge market to explore. I bet your dragons are very popular, and the reason is simple - you could use them for various fantasy games. More of that, and the customers will be happy to buy. Also give at least few options, like different weapons, and you have a golden mine. Release another giant, could be even modified Pepe, but this time give it at least two heads, two weapons, mayby some bare hands as options. Simple things like that would for sure make your minis hugely popular.
Oh trust me, I know we're sitting on a gold mine. The NPC and Townsfolk miniature pack are among our most popular kits in retail, and for good reason. Not sure why, but we have issues with creating generic kits, although this should start to change with the Caves campaign. The miniatures and creatures from those sets should be generic, and if I find anything that seems weird, I plan to immediately point it out to the team
Not trying to stroke my own knob here, but I really do think I'm pushing as hard as I can for more generic stuff. Maybe it's time I propose some sets to the big man himself?
I'm afraid not, I'm still recovering from the disaster that was Gen Con. Never have I had so many delayed and canceled flights.
In all seriousness, I'm usually the one to go to trade shows when nobody else can. My position is Customer Service, but I handle all sorts of odd jobs like proofreading, community management, writing updates, and testing games. This does mean that you won't usually see me at trade shows unless I want to go privately (Pyrkon in Poland for example), although I can act as a replacement when necessary. I believe the CEO might be at Essen Spiel for some time, and he's always down to talk about pretty much anything, you just gotta catch him first as he's a busy man
Generic figure sets would be great to see.A few ideas would be miniatures from different climats and such that they would be wearing different types of clothing.Then you could do sub sets of the different class sets from the lowly to the Elite of the area.
+1 for generic stuff. I'm painting some dungeons and lasers and it is astonishing how much of a missed opportunity the bases are. You have 3 50mm stone base on the sprue. One is a generic stone base, one is a cobblestone and the other is cobblestone with a giant goo puddle with hands reaching out of it. WHY? 1/3 of the bases being weirdly specific isn't the ideal ratio. For the 25mm bases there are only TWO generic cobblestone bases out of 32, but you made sure to include a base that is rows of cabbages.
Take the goblins from D&L. The basic goblin design looks good but but they are so irritatingly wacky that I have no use for them. One is a dumbass lighting sticks of dynamite strapped to his back, another is shooting a bow with his foot, and the third is drawing his sword rather than just wielding it, which is like what 99% of us want in a miniature. WHY? You went 0 for 3 on goblins! Like who there is going to concepts of battle ready mooks and going "that one needs to be holding a pig, that one needs to be picking his nose with both hands, and that one needs to be eating his shield"?
It's what I call the Archon Almost. Figures that could be good but ruined at the last minute by some oddball nonsense. Please stop listening to the few vocal people in your comments section that keep screaming "LOL MOAR random!". I'm begging you, please stop sticking farm animals on things.
Woodhaven was brilliant in the design concept artwork. And the plastic was on the right track but felt not quite finished. It did not deliver on what was shown in the artwork. A missed opportunity as Archon moved on rather than worked to complete Woodhaven.
And then of course there was, “the doors drama.” Same with the Rampart terrain, although that time is was “the floors drama.”
I have been called a diorama gamer but it looks to me many of the terrain Archon makes seems designed and marketed for staged diorama photos rather than actually gamed on by the designers. I may be wrong of course but it feels like the design process is the same as a movie where the director does not have a core idea that ties their story together and instead makes a series of cool scenes and hopes they will ties themselves together.
Having so many uniquely one-off sculpts for miniatures is the same kind of thing. It is as if a piece gets green lit because a design sketch looks cool without considering how that miniature might fit into gameplay… or selling multiples of the same sculpt to the same customer.
For me North Star really cracked their Oathmark and Frostgrave lines by making things so modular. It makes it easy for me to justify buying multiples because I can put things to many different purposes.
And Boss Hogg makes a good point about the bases. I was excited about them originally but once I got my hands on them and realized just how uniquely specific many of them they are… it does not encourage buying additional sprues of those bases.
Archon gets things so often, so very close… but not quite there. Not yet. However, I still have hope though because Archon has shown great potential.
I recall hearing that the Kazumi Temple Rampart sets did not sell well. But it it one of my favorite sets and considering the big player base of GW Seraphon/Lizardmen it should sell well. I want to see it sell well and so even more can be designed and sold to folks like me.. But it will not sell well without good floors (and roofs) so that customers can create buildings without having to build those from scratch.
Having so many uniquely one-off sculpts for miniatures is the same kind of thing. It is as if a piece gets green lit because a design sketch looks cool without considering how that miniature might fit into gameplay… or selling multiples of the same sculpt to the same customer.
It's funny you bring this up, as I said this verbatim during one of our meetings. Miniatures and terrain should be cool and functional, not just cool. I was mainly talking about the Caves terrain though, as I personally don't like the Belly of the Beast theme or the Demonic Caves themes (as they aren't very generic in my eyes, even if they are "cool"), but to each their own. I will say that we are paying more attention to this now, especially when it comes to how much space the miniatures take up (because of poses that would cause it to extend past the base). We want the miniatures we make to actually fit on the terrain we're selling, and not clip against the wall.
For me North Star really cracked their Oathmark and Frostgrave lines by making things so modular. It makes it easy for me to justify buying multiples because I can put things to many different purposes.
100% agree there. Not only are the kits very modular, but they also save a LOT of money on production by having everything on one sprue. I sent the CEO some examples so he can review them.
Archon gets things so often, so very close… but not quite there. Not yet. However, I still have hope though because Archon has shown great potential.
Thanks. I also really think that there's a ton of potential, but with that potential comes space to improve.
I recall hearing that the Kazumi Temple Rampart sets did not sell well. But it it one of my favorite sets and considering the big player base of GW Seraphon/Lizardmen it should sell well. I want to see it sell well and so even more can be designed and sold to folks like me.. But it will not sell well without good floors (and roofs) so that customers can create buildings without having to build those from scratch.
The Kazumi Temple kit wasn't very popular during the campaign but it sold decently well when it was released to retail, my guess is that people generally wanted a specific set, and not everything else that came with it, like the Stretch Goals. When it comes to "unfinished ideas", I'd say that Rampart was the biggest culprit, because the themes were too different from each other and none of them received enough support in the form of Stretch Goals or addons.
All in all, I hope that you'll be able to notice some changes with our future campaigns and turn that Archon Almost into an Archon Always.
For me North Star really cracked their Oathmark and Frostgrave lines by making things so modular. It makes it easy for me to justify buying multiples because I can put things to many different purposes.
100% agree there. Not only are the kits very modular, but they also save a LOT of money on production by having everything on one sprue.
And you already have one advantage over Northstar = you do not produce minis with those awful/hard to remove integral/puddle bases. Another thing is to make them proper size = bigger than Northstar (read Mantic, Fireforge fantasy/modern historical, GW scale).
Archon could always do both. Archon's "cool" figures could focus on leader units, player characters, and solos, which you wouldn't want more than one figure for. Generics would be for gamers who want more than one figure. Generics might be easier to assemble and have less minute detail (I'd still want different weapons), while solos would have more options. I've been on KS since Bones I, so already have plenty of generics (yet never enough of something unusual, like five kobold archers...). I'm always looking for uncommon and unusual miniatures, myself.
I like some of the crazier things but agree that they can work better if they're more like optional details. I personally am not the biggest fan of dead enemies and the like on bases and on active pieces of the model (trophies work fine for instance) because it can limit them more to specific enemies and the like. It's the same with bits of ruin and the like. Those just don't fit into many settings whereas a stolen goat fits into far more settings.
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