The Weeks Ahead

It's about time I posted an update again, so here I am: talking about next week, the week after that, and probably the week after that too. And then further on. Because there's quite a lot going on at Mierce Towers...

The Future

The ongoing sale of our older painted miniatures has, among other things, enabled me to a) stop pushing sales and b) start thinking about The Future. No, not rocket cars; not even rocket backpacks or rocket powered pigs. I'm talking about May's host, getting ahead of the releases, Darklands 3rd and kickstarter projects...

Brunchaath's Herd

Firstly, the battle host for May should be available early next week; Rafael has taken a little longer this time around simply because there's so much good stuff coming your way.

As mentioned in the last blog, May's host will include:

• Great Cleaver Brunchaath

• Herdspear Brunchaath

• Herdax Brunchaath

• Darkstone with Captive Pin Up

This month's pin up comes attached to a darkstone, a nice object to stick on the battlefield for your gabrax warlocks to increase their sorcerocity. Which is a good new word.

(When I do the warlocks digitally there'll be a non-pin up darkstone).

• Baagath's Herd, Great Cleaver Gabrax Unit
• Baamath's Herd, Herdspear Slan-Gabrax Unit
• Baabath's Herd, Herdax Slan-Gabrax Unit
• Graach's Herd, Gabrox Unit

As you can see, those gabrox are bloody amazing. I love 'em!! Around about the same size as the mallax and other 50mm monstrous infantry, these guys are a great way to keep your sheep/goat herde horde first in the baaaashing stakes!

Anyway - I've decided that, once I get the tarvax resculpted digitally, the gul-gabrox will disappear from the musters, as will the gul-tarvax; it'll just be gabrox (50mm) and tarvax (60mm). I will... wait for it... have some awesome 80mm tarvax warriors though!

Getting A Head

Now he's finished sculpting the gabrax host, I am going to get ahead of the monthly releases by asking Rafael (or, more likely, Rafael and someone else) to produce two battle hosts for me in May. That means I have one for June, released a bit like this in the first week or so, but crucially I can work on the one for July early, which means I can give it to you on the 2nd of the month (the 1st is reserved, to ensure subscriptions are collected properly).

It also means I may well be able to produce a stock of the miniatures for said battle host in time for its release - synchronising the digital and physical world in a manner not seen since the Matrix. Er.

This is something I've wanted to do for ages, because I know you guys are wanting to grab the last few hosts in physical form - but I can't yet until the backlog is sorted.

Booting the Backlog

On that note, the jute infantry hosts will start shipping next week! It's been a bit of a mammoth task but hey, old me overpromised and underdelivered: but I always get there in the end.

I will be sending most of the jute infantry hosts with ograx of Baalor, if you have any, so watch out for movement on your old order soon.

And also watch out for those e-mails from Evri, if you're outside the UK. The amount of returns we get because people don't pay their customs duties is... well, daft. A lot of you, I think, get e-mails from Evri in your spam folder, so make sure you add their e-mail to your contacts list!

Darklands the Third

So, onto Darklands. It's time, ladies and gentlemen! I am starting work on the rules next week, by dint of not doing owt else, and I'm hoping I'll have something proper to playtest by the end of May. Then I'll be farming it out to my playtesters (send a mail if you want to be one) along with some profiles and then, in late June / early July, I'll be running a kickstarter project for Darklands the Third.

The cover for Darklands 3rd - Attack at Amwythig. Jutes v Welsh!

On this project will be a starter host (around about the same size as the ones I'm doing digitally) for each kindred - possibly one for each realm as some kind of stretch goal; there may be some new miniatures, maybe not, but we'll see. Don't bank on any, but if there are, they'll be just a noble or two. Each starter host will be available digitally and physically, and profiles will be available for them either on the project or just after.

It's not going to be designed to make much money - just enough to cover the costs of printing the book and any miniatures, really - but it will drive the game forward!

After that - we'll see...