Shatterlands - Kickstarter for Second Set of Figures

I had the opportunity recently to preview (and try my paintbrush out on) the second issue of figures for "Shatterlands," the 28mm blackpowder fantasy skirmish game from Stonegate Forge. The company is currently close to fully funding the Kickstarter campaign that would allow them to put these figures into general production, so you should definitely take a look at their KS page.

If you're not familiar with the game, it's a really fun take on skirmish gaming, with a sort of French and Indian War feel reimagined in a fantasy setting. It has a number of innovative features, including character-specific scratch-off cards that let you track both damage and improvements for a character across a whole campaign. You don't known in advance how quickly or how significantly a character will advance in skill level until after each game, when you scratch off a given trait and see the result. Also a neat system of color-coded dice that let you see at a glance how good a particular character is at getting the job done, without having to memorize a long list of modifiers. For example, in general you want to roll low, so if you see a character is rolling a 20-sided die when shooting, rather than a 6-sided, you might not want to try to use that guy as a sharpshooter. The game is unlike any other I've played of this type, and always makes for some tense moments and a good immersive sense of story.

From a painter's point of view, this is another set of fantastic figures. The sculpting is extremely crisp, the poses are very attractive and well chosen, and the casting is top notch. Mold lines are very, very slight, and flash was nonexistent.

The extension includes 6 new figures, 3 Dumah Rangers (in colorful uniforms) and 3 Rappani (in black with bows and arrows). You have the option of equipping the Dumah Ranger on the right (in blue jacket) with either a rifle or a combination crossbow/ musket, as I have chosen here.

Warlord Games 28mm Praetorians

Here is a unit of 28mm Praetorian Guardsmen that I've just completed for a commission. These are some of Warlord Games' plastic offerings, and I think they are very attractive figures. Each one is comprised of 5 parts: body, weapon arm, shield, head and crest. Detail is pretty crisp, and there are some nice touches, like the 5 different faces included for the regulars. There is also a new arm pose not included in the regular legionary box set - an upright javelin held close to the body.

My only complaint about this set is the shield decals. The graphics themselves are perfectly fine, but in every other way they are extremely frustrating. They have too much "flash" of clear film around the edges, they had to be soaked too long to remove them from the backing paper (I tore several even after soaking more than 45 seconds) and - probably because of that - adhesion to the shield is extremely weak. They started curling off immediately, and I had to develop a routine where right after applying the two halves to one shield I would immediately coat it in matt varnish to get it to stick. It made for a slow, excruciating process, which is not how decals have to be. I've only had good experiences with other brands.

Still, they do make for a nice looking unit, and are an economical option.

Shatterlands - New Fantasy Skirmish Game from Stonegate Forge

I recently had the pleasure of painting up some miniatures for Stonegate Forge's upcoming skirmish game Shatterlands. The figures were sculpted digitally by the clearly very talented Bobby Jackson, and produced by Iron Wind Metals. I was extremely impressed by the level of detail, the very attractive proportions, and the excellent casting. Stonegate Forge is a small family run company (though with a lot of experience in the industry - Mark Rubin's credentials go way back to his Ral Partha days) and they clearly prioritized quality in the production of the figures.

The setting of the game is the fantasy world of Atelon, in which two peoples with radically different cultures and ways of life have clashed for generations. One is a technologically sophisticated people, the other a more fanatical society of magic-using forest dwellers. However in the territory between their homelands where they clash - the "Shatterlands" - neither the most sophisticated technology of the one nor the magic of the other functions as they are accustomed to. The result is a "black powder" fantasy world where the struggle takes on the dimensions of a French and Indian War skirmish game.

The really distinctive aspect of game play is in the character cards that represent each figure. Each character's ability in any given task is represented by a color-coded die of few or many sides.  As you are generally trying to roll low in the game, a more capable character will use fewer-sided dice, making it easier for him to accomplish a task. As the character takes wounds or stress or becomes exhausted, he is penalized by having to use more or bigger dice. Wounds are attributed to specific areas of the body, and have specific effects on abilities. He took a major wound to the leg? He's not running anywhere for the remainder of the scenario, and may not even be on his feet any more, though he may still have a role to play.

The designers had the very interesting idea of using pre-printed cards with scratch off elements that allow most of the in-game wounds to be temporary matters that heal when the scenario is done, while letting more serious injuries become permanent changes to the character card. Experience-based improvements are also permanent. So the implications for campaign play are pretty powerful. If you take good care of your characters they will improve with experience. Bad luck or bloody-minded decision making will take a heavy toll on them.

The game is currently being kickstarted (it was demoed at the Fall In convention in Lancaster PA this past weekend) and you can learn more about it here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1508069849/shatterlands-skirmish-warfare-in-the-banakur-fores