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 Frostgrave ships on July 21, 2015(This may be a little anemic until then.) Frostgrave - Fantasy Wargames in the Frozen City  Amidst the frozen ruins of an ancient city, wizards of different creeds are locked in a ferocious struggle. Each of them must seek to discover the treasures of a fallen empire and master long-forgotten but incredibly powerful magical lore. Each player takes on the role of a wizard from one of ten schools of magic, and builds his band of followers. While the wizard's apprentice will usually accompany his master, more than a dozen other henchmen types are available for hire, from lowly thugs to heavily armored knights and stealthy assassins. Wizards can build their magical knowledge by unlocking ancient secrets, with the potential to learn up to 80 spells in total. As players gain power and wealth, they can develop their headquarters on the outskirts of the city, turning one of a dozen different basic locations into bastions of their art, equipping them with alchemical laboratories, mystical forges, astronomical telescopes and other magical resources. While individual games of Frostgrave are quick and can easily be played in an hour or two, it is by connecting these games into an ongoing campaign, that players will find the most enjoyment. The scenarios given in the book are merely the beginning of the limitless, thrilling adventures that can be found amidst the ruins of the lost city. TL;DR You play Wizards and their hired warbands, looting an ancient frozen city. It's a wizard gang-war, and the monstrous locals don't like it. The full game is a 96-page hardcover that costs less than  on Amazon, and you probably own more than enough models to play it already.Frostgrave is an upcoming game written by Joseph McCullough. As far as I can tell, this is his first full published game, but not his first published work. According to the Osprey: Osprey Publishing posted:Joseph A. McCullough is the author of several non-fiction books including A Pocket History of Ireland and Osprey’s Zombies: A Hunter’s Guide. In addition, his fantasy short stories have appeared in various books and magazines such as Black Gate, Lords of Swords, and Adventure Mystery Tales. He also co-wrote The Grey Mountains, a supplement for the Middle-Earth Role-Playing game. The art is done by Dmitry Burmak, and it's gorgeous. Osprey has an interview with him here, and you can check out a small gallery of his work here. Models:  Frostgrave doesn't care what models you use! But they licenced some badass ones from North Star, and you're going to want them. This box set of hard plastic figures allows you to build 20 different Soldiers to play in the game Frostgrave. To help you design the perfect Wizard's warband, the box set contains 100 weapon/ arm variants, 40 heads and over 30 pieces of equipment. No two Wizard's warbands should ever be the same! Available here for £20.00. North Star also produced a bunch of wizards and apprentices, which can be seen at the bottom of this (click for big) image:  GW's Empire Free Company  (GW Free Company_ I have a feeling that these guys will also be a popular option. (You can get these just about anywhere... for now) SAGA  If you want something a little more historical-looking, SAGA figures might fit the bill. Many are already dressed for cold weather because they come from the land of the ice and snow. Doctor Borris posted:I wanted to post this as an alternative to the Frostgrave box. And don't forget about Bones. Terrain I've been looking at stuff! And it seems like the following things might be the fastest way to go from zero-to-Frostgrave:   Pegasus Hobbies Gothic City Buildings Large Set. This is a box packed full of 3" fantasy city walls for about $30. You get quite a bit of it.  Frontline Gaming F.A.T. Mat Alpine 4'x4' mat is perfect if it fits into your budget, but linoleum tile squares are a great bargain alternative.  For scatter terrain, goon Germ produces some of the best resin walls and obstacles I've owned. ($13 a bag.)   If you're on a budget, World Works Games offers up some great looking print-and-play options. The Streets of Himmelveil set is clearly your best bet, but the Oubliette of Peril has a nice cold-pallet stone theme happening, and emphasizes walls and arches.   And finaly, If your two greatest passions are plaster casting and Lego, check out Hirst Arts right now. Other stuff: TALES OF THE FROZEN CITY is a short-story compilation, written by the game's designer.  Long ago, the great city of Felstad sat at the centre of a magical empire. Its towering spires, labyrinthine catacombs and immense libraries were the wonder of the age, and potions, scrolls and mystical items of all descriptions poured from its workshops. Then, one cataclysmic night, a mistake was made. In some lofty tower or dark chamber, a foolish wizard unleashed a magic too powerful to control. A storm rose up, an epic blizzard that swallowed the city whole, burying it deep and leaving the empire as nothing more than a vast, frozen wasteland. The empire shattered, and the magic of the world faded. As the centuries came and went, Felstad passed from history to legend and on into myth. Only a few wizards, clinging to the last remnants of magical knowledge, still believed that the lost city had ever actually existed. But their faith was rewarded. After a thousand years, the fell winter has passed. The snows have receded, and Felstad has been uncovered. Its buildings lie in ruins, overrun by undead creatures and magical constructs, the legacy of the empire's experiments. It is an evil, dangerous place. To the few hardy souls who inhabit the nearby villages, the city has acquired a new name, 'Frostgrave', and it is shunned by all right-thinking people. For those who seek power and riches, however, it is an unparalleled opportunity, a deadly maze concealing secrets of knowledge long forgotten...This new fiction anthology collects ten stories of wizards and adventures as they venture into the ruins of the Frozen City. TL;DR Do you like fluff? This is the fluff. Thaw of the Lich Lord  Thaw of the Lich Lord is a complete campaign for Frostgrave that will challenge both new and veteran players. Through a series of linked scenarios, players discover the existence of a new power in the Frozen City, one who was old when the great city was still young, and who saw both its rise and its disastrous fall. Warbands will confront the Lich Lord's minions, race against his agents to seize possession of mysterious artefacts, and brave the perils of Frostgrave in search of his lair. Eventually, they will need to muster all their courage to venture into the depths of the city and face the Lich Lord himself. Not all wizards will seek to stop the Lich Lord, however, and full rules for giving into his corruption and following the dark road to becoming an undead lich are presented for those who crave power and immortality above all else. While the campaign presents many new threats against which wizards and their warbands must test themselves, including an expanded bestiary, it also offers additional resources, such as new henchmen that can be recruited and unique magical treasures that can spell the difference between survival and oblivion. TL;DR Undead expansion! Liches get stitches in the frozen hood. Lich Lord! Lich... players? (Not too much is known about this now.) THIS NOVEMBER Reception: "... I urge those of us who remember the AD&D adventures of our youth, have ever read a fantasy novel or seen a fantasy movie, to seek out a copy of this tome and sally forth on the road to adventure!" --Wargames Illustrated Wargames Illustrated has an optimistic blurb, and an article in (I believe) this month's issue. "This book contains everything you need to build your warband, play a long campaign and have a great time with it. Its a fantastic looking book, the artwork is beautiful, and it is full of stunning painted models... a fine addition to any gaming shelf." --The Garage Gamers The Garage Gamers have a pretty favorable one up. "[Frostgrave] allows you to play a game that has the narrative feel of an adventure by J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, or George R. R. Martin, rather than play a medieval wargame with spells and monsters added on. The simplicity of the rules systems also contributes to this atmosphere of heroic fantasy. Frostgrave is one of those gameswhere the rules allow a game to be played, rather than the game being an enactment of a rules system." --Wargames: Soldiers and Strategy "Frostgrave has a real flavour of the old school, fun tabletop adventuring that was prevalent when I first got into D&D... Recommended – especially for the money." --Miniatures Wargames Magazine moths fucked around with this message at 05:32 on Jul 24, 2015 |
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Jul 9, 2015 02:23
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Mechanics Frostgrave is D20 based, with spells on cards and ... we'll know more when it's out. Warbands Your warband consists of a Wizard, his or her apprentice, and up to eight piles of hired muscle. Joseph gives some advice on his blog for how they'll be kitted out. If you want to start gluing your plastic mans together now, here are some possible options: War Hound 10gc Animal, Cannot carry treasure or items Thug 20gc Hand Weapon Thief 20gc Dagger Archer 50gc Bow, Dagger, Leather Armour Crossbowman 50gc Crossbow, Dagger, Leather Armour Infantryman 50gc Two-Handed Weapon, Leather Armour Tracker 80gc Staff, Bow, Leather Armour Man-at-Arms 80gc Hand Weapon, Shield, Leather Armour Treasure Hunter 80gc Hand Weapon, Dagger, Leather Armour Knight 100gc Hand Weapon, Shield, Mail Armour Templar 100gc Two-Handed Weapon, Mail Armour Ranger 100gc Bow, Hand Weapon, Leather Armour Barbarian 100gc Two Handed Weapon Apothecary 100gc Staff, starts each game carrying a healing potion Marksman 100gc Crossbow, Hand Weapon, Mail Armour (Wizards start with 500gc, an apprentice costs 200) Campaign The Campaign system strings your games together, in a model reminiscent of some beloved past skirmish games. You can capture territory and establish a base of operations, soldiers can presumably die or become mangled, your Wizard can grow in strength and learn new spells  (More when it comes out.) Shopping List!!! Darren MacLennan posted:Found this on rpg.net, here. All hail LittleRedFox: 5-8 Soldiers From Wardog Thief - just a Dagger Thug - Hand weapon (i.e. Sword, Axe, Mace club, etc) Archer - Bow, Light Armour (i.e. Leather) Crossbowman - Crossbow, Light Armour Infantryman - Two-Handed Weapon (i.e. Two handed sword, Ax, etc), Light Armour Tracker - Staff, Bow, Light Armour Man-at Arms - Hand weapon, Shield, Light Armour Treasure Hunter - Hand weapon, Dagger, Light Armour Knight - Hand weapon, Shield, Heavy Armour (i.e. Chainmail) Templar - Two-Handed weapon, Heavy Armour Ranger - Bow, Hand weapon, Light Armour Barbarian - Two Handed Weapon Apothecary - Staff, Potion Marksman - Crossbow, Hand weapon, Heavy Armour. 5 Treasure Tokens (4 Normal and 1 Special) Up to one each of A Wardog (For a Kennel) An Imp, Minor Demon and Major Demon (For Demon Summoning) An Imp (For Imp) A Zombie (For Raise Zombie) A Bear, Snow Leopard or Ice Toad (For Animal Companion) or a Wolf but wolves are less effective Snow Leopards. A Small, Medium or Large Construct (for Animate Construct) An extra Soldier (For each of being based in an Inn and Illusionary Soldier) A Treasure Token (For each of Reveal Secret and Fool's Gold) For Spell Effects you might want: A three inch radius rough ground template (for Mud) A three inch diameter circle of protection (for Circle of Protection) 1+ one inch radius insect clouds (for Plague of Insects) A 6" long x3" high x 1" wide Wall of Fog (for Fog) A 6" long x3" high Wall (for Wall) A Wizard Eye (for Wizard Eye) 3 explosive runes (For Explosive Rune) 1+ skeletal hand reaching out of the ground markers (For Bones of the Earth) 1+ Doorway sized holes (for Crumble) Some way to represent figures under the effects of Beauty, Glow, Monstrous Form, Mind Control, Plane Walk, Strength, Shield, Elemental Hammer, Enchant Weapon, Enchant Armour, Time Store, Fast Act, Decay, Slow, Fleet Feet and various levels of Curse For Scenarios and Random Encounters you may also want: Buildings including 4 broken walls, two ruined buildings, a tower, a mausoleum and six huts, four 2 inch teleporter discs and a well 8 or so Skeletons A Genie 6 Statues 2 Giant Worms 2 Armoured Skeletons 2 Ghouls 2 Zombies A Wraith A Vampire A White Gorilla A Bear A Boar 4 Giant Rats 2 Ice spiders 2 Wild Dogs 2 Wolves 2 Ice toads 2 Trolls A Frost Giant A Small Construct A Medium Construct A Large Construct An Imp A Demon A Large Demon A Werewolf (Wolfman form) moths fucked around with this message at 05:07 on Jul 24, 2015 |
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Jul 9, 2015 02:23
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Warband Complete Gallery:Springfield Fatts posted:
Still yet even more resources! Something of an F.A.Q. is collected in this Google Doc! Monopthalmus posted:It's not listed in the OP (maybe I missed it later in the thread), but I just discovered these nice and cheap PDFs for winter ruins terrain. Rulebook Heavily posted:Frostgrave Battlescribe Repository update 2 rolled out. Contains: every single spell in the game and ability to select them for scrolls, grimoires and your spells known for your wizard. Does not contain: magic items, magic weapons or armor (because they're a pain to do right now since every single soldier has their own selection loadout to an extent) and also because I'm back to warhammer repositories. Enjoy until I get around to finishing it! ParsleyTroll posted:The mini-campaign The Hunt For The Golem is out! Three linked scenarios and some new treasure, a lot of it real neat for enchanters. I like it! moths fucked around with this message at 13:16 on Oct 7, 2015 |
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Jul 9, 2015 02:24
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Thanks for the thread, though I wonder if this game will have enough to talk about. Well, it saves from cluttering up the warhammer thread. Lots of important discussion there  This game looks really good and the rules are cheap and you can use any miniatures you want, so you should all try it out. Since we don't have the rules yet, I'll ask about miniatures. I've ordered a box of the generic soldiers for my brothers warbands but i'm probably going to make a Dwarf one for myself. For the core of it i'm going to go with http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/dwarfs/1278-dwarf-pathfinders-regiment-box?search_query=dwarf+pathfinders&results=1 but for my wizard and his apprentice i'm having a hard time. Anyone seen any awesome Dwarf wizardy type models? The rune priests are ok but don't really grab me. I'm buying the Empire battle wizards for one of my brothers wizards, they look great.
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Jul 9, 2015 02:36
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If you don't mind pricier terrain, 4ground has a line of City of
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Jul 9, 2015 02:36
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I was bullish on this at first because the whole 'Nickstarter' thing was a bit weird, but I can't resist the beautiful old-school models and paint. Love it.
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Jul 9, 2015 02:37
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Are there any examples of gameplay anywhere?
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Jul 9, 2015 02:43
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I've been thinking about grabbing some Discworld minis for this. There's no shortage of wizards there, and the city watch would make good soldiers. Plus, you can't go wrong with Cohen the Barbarian.
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Jul 9, 2015 02:45
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Yeah the Nickstarter thing initially put me off, too. Everything about this looks awesome, and I'm really excited for it. IDK if it's going to be a big enough game to merit its own thread, but I'll be happy if people post pics of their warbands and wizards. e: S.J. posted:Are there any examples of gameplay anywhere? There's a short battle report here but I haven't seen any videos.
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Jul 9, 2015 02:46
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I tried to find stuff on YT but apparently Frostgrave is also the name of a lovely satanic metal band from Israel.
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Jul 9, 2015 03:02
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It's still not in print so I don't think there are any published game reports. I've preordered anyhow, it should scratch the Mordheim itch.
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Jul 9, 2015 03:08
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Frostgrave Gaming Resources! Wizard sheet and spell cards are up, we can get an advance look at the kind of magic wizards will be using.
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Jul 9, 2015 03:10
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A couple Frostgrave links that help shine light on the mechanics: http://thegaragegamers.blogspot.com/2015/05/frostgrave-fantasy-wargames-in-frozen_25.html http://dalauppror.blogspot.com/2015/06/frostgrave-review.html And links to the author's blog: http://therenaissancetroll.blogspot.com/2015/05/building-frostgrave-warband.html Gameplay seems to be opposed d20 rolls, with stats represented as bonuses to your roll. Everybody has multiple wounds, and damage is figured out in hand-to-hand by who wins the roll off, then loser's armor is subtracted from winner's roll to determine final wounds lost. Only the wizard gains XP. Soldier mooks can be given one magic item each, though. Not a huge fan of opposed roll systems in general, but this one looks like it will be interesting due to the variations of of spells you can have your wizard learn.
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Jul 9, 2015 03:11
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Well poo poo, looks like my unused Warmachine infantry might yet have a use!
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Jul 9, 2015 03:19
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MrFlibble posted:Thanks for the thread, though I wonder if this game will have enough to talk about. Well, it saves from cluttering up the warhammer thread. Lots of important discussion there If you are after Dwarves that are special characters the answer is always Reaper Miniatures. Search for Dwarf plus one of these, wizard, priest, cleric, Druid, or just browse the 8 pages of dwarfs until you find the one you like. E: add dwarf Mage to that search, there is a good female figure option Indolent Bastard fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Jul 9, 2015 |
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Jul 9, 2015 03:52
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Awesome, I was just wondering if there was a thread where I could discuss this game. Just found out about it today and it looks pretty loving sweet. Also, here are some pictures of the North Star Frostgrave Soldier sprues. I assume you get four of this sprue to a box since it says 20 soldiers.   Seems like a lot of options there. Galaga Galaxian fucked around with this message at 04:25 on Jul 9, 2015 |
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Jul 9, 2015 04:20
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Indolent Bastard posted:If you are after Dwarves that are special characters the answer is always Reaper Miniatures. Search for Dwarf plus one of these, wizard, priest, cleric, Druid, or just browse the 8 pages of dwarfs until you find the one you like. Thanks for this, but online stores in the uk seem to have spotty stock with the Reapers range. I'm sure i'll find something, or look into doing a conversion with the half of the pathfinders box I won't need.
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Jul 9, 2015 04:37
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MrFlibble posted:Thanks for this, but online stores in the uk seem to have spotty stock with the Reapers range. I'm sure i'll find something, or look into doing a conversion with the half of the pathfinders box I won't need. Blacktree Design has a ton of dwarfs: http://www.blacktreedesign.com/uk/search.php?mode=search&page=1
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Jul 9, 2015 04:40
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How does this stack up compared to the premier skirmish wargame, Age of Sigmar?
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Jul 9, 2015 04:41
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Well. It appears to have rules and also models. Therefor Mathematically and from a emotional point I would say it cannot be worse then "good". However it is possible the main rulebook is literally just blank pages forcing you to use mordaheim rules instead and it literally is no game but cool models which change my answer to "good". Speaking of which I am excited to see how this plays. Mordaheim in a ruined city with good experience rules and a commander system sounds like a blast. Doctor Borris fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Jul 9, 2015 |
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Jul 9, 2015 04:48
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Shadeoses posted:How does this stack up compared to the premier skirmish wargame, Age of Sigmar? Well, it has rules. And models. And points? It's a good start, ya know?
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Jul 9, 2015 04:50
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Shadeoses posted:How does this stack up compared to the premier skirmish wargame, Age of Sigmar? You could easily use the models and rulers from your Age of Sigmar box to play this game. Therefore I see AoS is a very overpriced miniature source, with free kindling.
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Jul 9, 2015 05:17
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I dunno, what would the Wizard and his apprentice be? Also I somehow doubt buying a few Knights would be worthwhile over a wider assortment of thugs and scoundrels. That said, given some WHFB Elves are all I got at the moment, I might just have to go that way, a one or two Wizard Elves with a few Swordmaster "Templars" with him.
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Jul 9, 2015 05:20
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Those early reviews are pretty glowing. It's clearly targeted as a Mordheim replacement but sounds a little more robust. I wonder if osprey would consider a mass battle system next?
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Jul 9, 2015 05:35
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The only thing I don't like about it is how there's no experience for your soldiers. Only having two characters who grow seems too little for a campaign, even just little stat bumps would help get you attached to your soldiers and make it mean something when they die. Easily houseruled I guess.
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Jul 9, 2015 05:49
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Actually I'm not even sure the apprentice gets experience and stuff.
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Jul 9, 2015 05:50
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Not separately, but the apprentice has stats based on your wizard's, and knows the same spells, so any growth your wizard gets gets passed along. It is even less personality for the group though.
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Jul 9, 2015 05:54
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I looked for a generic miniatures thread to ask, but there wasn't one so... OP lists several good sources for hirelings, but what about wizards? People need to link some good sources of Wizardly Wizards besides the North Star ones and the obvious GW kits/minis.
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Jul 9, 2015 06:28
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Reaper has plenty of good wizards for you to use.
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Jul 9, 2015 06:38
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Galaga Galaxian posted:I looked for a generic miniatures thread to ask, but there wasn't one so... It's funny that S.J. posted, because I was about to say that some of the Hordes warlocks, particularly Circle Orboros, could make some awesome-rear end wizards: http://privateerpress.com/hordes/gallery/circle-orboros/warlocks Pickings are a bit slimmer on the Warmachine side, but there are some that don't look too high-tech. Big props to you if you run Old Witch as your wizard. http://privateerpress.com/warmachine/gallery/khador/warcasters/old-witch-of-khador-scrapjack
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Jul 9, 2015 06:58
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Yeah, I guess I should've said "Besides Reaper" too. But while I'm at it, MrFlibble, here is a dwarf wizard I ran across poking through their stuff. A couple of those Orboros guys look neat. Especially the one with the scythe.
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Jul 9, 2015 07:17
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If people want more kits that are appropriate for the time period/climate: Vikings/Saxons: http://www.grippingbeast.co.uk/Plastic_Figures--category--32.html Mongols: http://fireforge-games.com/webstore/mongol-horde Helldorado also has some cool stuff if you're on that gritty fantasy/Dark Souls kick.
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Jul 9, 2015 10:01
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I'm interviewing the writer, Joe M, for our blog Freshcoastgaming.com if anyone has some questions they'd want him to answer.
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Jul 9, 2015 11:24
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This game looks really, really neat, though I'm not sure I really have the time to start up--and try to get going locally--ANOTHER game right now, alas.
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Jul 9, 2015 11:50
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With the rules being cheap and agnostic about which dolls you use, I can't see a downside to picking this up. They did a good thing by letting me use my pile of Reaper Bones but actually putting out minis cool and reasonably priced enough I probably want to pick them.up andyway with the sprue troops. I look forward to more info.
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Jul 9, 2015 13:36
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muggins posted:I'm interviewing the writer, Joe M, for our blog Freshcoastgaming.com if anyone has some questions they'd want him to answer. Did they write the rules with a specific base size in mind? I don't have the rules yet. Did they pull inspiration from any other specific games, perhaps Mordheim? How does he feel about people in the US using proxy models out the rear end because they don't want to pay shipping from the UK? Any additional prospects for US distribution?
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Jul 9, 2015 13:41
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I notice the Osprey site says the rulebook is 136 pages while Amazon states 96 - is that just an Amazon bad pre-release info error?
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Jul 9, 2015 14:04
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signalnoise posted:Did they write the rules with a specific base size in mind? I don't have the rules yet. The plastics're on 25mm rounds, if that helps. I thought I'd heard about a US stockist, but I can't for the life of me remember where or who, so I may have imagined that.
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Jul 9, 2015 14:25
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Wake me up when there's dwarves *burrows into car engine*
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Jul 9, 2015 14:29
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The Warband rules are generic, you can just use Dwarf minis. A Sigilist wizard could be used as a Runesmith.
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Jul 9, 2015 14:38
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