What I’m Working On

Okay, the truth is, I haven’t been working very much for the last three weeks. It’s the ‘Summer Holiday’ here, and I have been taking some time off to play with the kids, to read, to paint, to cycle, and to just generally recharge my batteries. 

That said, there has still been a lot going on, and a few projects that are nearing completion.

Stargrave – The first supplement, Quarantine 37 is currently available for pre-order (with some special tokens if you get it from North Star). Meanwhile, I have finished writing the second supplement, The Last Prospector, and am working with Osprey to get it polished up. I have also started work on the third supplement, Hope Eternal, which is mainly going to be one, epic solo or co-operative campaign.

Frostgrave – December will see the release of the Blood Legacy, the second Frostgrave expansion since the launch of Second Edition. This book is basically an excuse for players to buy some awesome vampire and giant models! I’m really looking forward to the release of this one, as it’s got some really different kinds of scenarios in it. The last thing I did before I shut it down for the summer was to submit the manuscript for the book after that – Fireheart. This supplement is devoted to building weird constructs and playing with really strange and deadly terrain on the table.

(I am currently in discussion with Osprey about possible supplements for both games beyond what has been mentioned here.)

The Silver Bayonet – Of course, in November, I have a new game coming out, The Silver Bayonet. This is a skirmish, warband game set in a world of Napoleonic Gothic Horror. It uses a completely new system. It’s a little simpler, and a little less ‘swingy’ perhaps, than most of my other games, but hopefully gives everyone an excuse to paint up a few Napoleonics and a hobgoblin or two! It also includes several solo scenarios, so you can get started right away!

Spellcaster – It’s been a long time since I released an issue of my Frostgrave magazine, but hopefully it won’t be too much longer. I now have all of the pieces for Issue 7 turned over to the designer.

Rangers of Shadow Deep – The long-awaited Dungeons Dark, part 2 of The Rescue is now with the designer, so hopefully will be seen in the next few months. I have already started sketching out the final part, though it’s a long way off.

Other – I have been working on a mini-miniatures game that I’m planning on releasing in the next volume of Blaster (Volume 4). If you are unaware, this is a wargaming anthology series I’m a part of.  I don’t want to say much about the game yet, but it will be a full set of rules, allow you to use miniatures from literally any time-period, and uses a minimum of terrain. Watch this space!

Stargrave - Best Miniature Rules at UK Games Expo!

I am excited to learn that Stargrave has won both the Judge's Award and the People's Choice Award for Best Miniatures Rules at this year,s UK Games Expo! 

Not only that, but the Stargrave miniatures also won both awards for Best Miniatures Range!

Many thanks to everyone who voted and everyone who has supported the game. Stargrave has only been out a short time, but the response has been tremendous! 

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the show this year, but I am already making my plans to be there next year. 

Playing Frostgrave!

 

Chris' knight proved how strong the giant was by getting stomped flat. The archer decided to run.

A few weekends back, I had a couple of friends down for a bit of dice-rolling action in the Frozen City! This not only represented the first time that I had played a wargame with another human being in over a year, it was also the first time that I had played Frostgrave: Second Edition primarily for fun!

We all created new wizards and warbands for the occasion. I brought Scarfollean the illusionist. Pete brought an Enchanter, while Chris showed up with his Bretonnian themed thaumaturge. Since there were three of us, I set up a hexagonal table, using masking tape to mark out the boundaries. That way we could set up in alternating angles, ensuring that we were all equidistant from the centre of the table and one another.

The spider is just marking the deployment zone, luckily for Pete's warband!

The game also gave me a chance to test out a few mechanics that I’m planning to use in Frostgrave: Fireheart, a future supplement.

The first game featured several teleportation discs scattered around the table. Whenever a figure stepped on one, there was a chance that they would be teleported to one of the other circles. This was especially important since many of the treasure tokens were sitting on top of them!

Pete's warband cautiously advances.

The game got off to a cautious start, with no one really wanting to make the first move and expose themselves, but the teleportation discs ensured that didn’t last. My man-at-arms ended up on the complete opposite side of the table and went into hiding to avoid the other two warbands. Meanwhile, a large chunk of Chris’ Bretonnians were transported right into the centre.

In fact, things seemed to be going really well for Chris until a frost giant showed up in his deployment zone. A pair of his archers nobly dived off a tower to escape its wrath. From here on, it became a comical game of dodge the giant, as the lumbering brute managed to teleport all over the table, eventually threatening each warband in turn.

My woman-at-arms teaches Pete's thug a lesson about wandering off alone.

When the dust finally settled, everyone had made it out with at least a couple of treasures, and the giant was left ruling the battlefield!

After a lunch break at the local pub, we were back at the table for Game 2!

In this game, a giant turbine was placed in the middle of the table. At end of each turn, there was a chance of it randomly activating. If it did, it would spin around randomly, and when it stopped, it would turn on. This would push all the figures in front of it away, while sucking in all those from behind (and not nice things would happen to anyone who got sucked in…) So, of course, most of the treasure tokens were sitting just next to the turbine.

Pete's treasure hunter face-plants after diving off a tower with treasure.

Scarfollean really found his stride in this game. I used transpose to great effect, grabbing treasure, and switching the treasure carrier with another member of the warband. Also, Fool’s Gold came in real handy to snatch treasure from other warbands.

Meanwhile, Chris found the perfect firing spot for this archers, and poor Pete’s wizard went down early to a rain of arrows. Unfortunately, things then took a turn for the worse for Chris as a series of monsters all showed up behind his warband, forcing him to beat a hasty retreat off a different table edge.

Chris' Bretonnians accidently secure the centre in Game 1.

In the end, only a couple of figures were sucked into the turbine, much to the disappointment of the players. (That’s when you know you’ve got a good scenario, when the players are kind of disappointed when their own figures don’t get mauled). My tricky Illusionist won the day in that game, making off with four treasures, and advancing to Level 5.

It was a great day of gaming, laughing, and shooting the breeze, and hopefully there will be lots more days like it in the future!

Thanks to Pete for all of the photographs!

The frost giant continuing its rampage around the table!

Daleks in Stargrave!

 

I just received the new issue of Wargames Illustrated (Issue 404), which has my article on using daleks in Stargrave! Along with the basic rules, I've also included two scenarios, one solo and one competitive, so players can bring in these alien menaces no matter your situation. 

You can find Wargames Illustrated at better new stands in the UK, or you can order it from North Star no matter where you are in the world!

Fireteam Alpha

 

I've been continuing work on my 'Starhawk Down' project, and have just finished my first fireteam of colonial marines. They are a rough and tumble lot. None are wearing the exact same armour, and it's all been pretty heavily battered, but that just shows these are veterans.

I also finished up another junk-modelling building, which you can see behind them.  Again, this is a low-detail, get it done quickly, piece. I want a decent table full of these buildings, so I really don't want to spend too much time on them.

Next up, the opposition! 

Blaster Volume 3 - Featuring Shadowgrave II

Volume 3 of Baster has just been released in both PDF and print-on-demand from DriveThruRPG.

It contains the second part of my Shadowgrave series, which brings rules for the Cthulhu Mythos to Frostgrave, Ghost Archipelago, and Rangers of Shadow Deep. This part looks at Mythos magic, including a new list of spells. There is also a host of new mythos creatures to challenge your heroes, and a scenario for each of the three games! 

That said, my contribution is not the main feature of the book. That goes to Sludge War by Sean Sutter. This is a full set of rules for fighting battles in a muddy, black powder, fantasy world. It's grim, but it will have you reaching for your bits box to see what cool figures you can assemble for it!

There's more though - the book also contains expansions for Gaslands, Gamma Wolves, and This is Not a Test! So, check it out!

Stargrave Award Nomination

Stargrave has been short-listed for 'Best Miniature Rules' at this year's UK Games Expo to be held at the end of the month in Birmingham. This award was won by Frostgrave in 2016 and Frostgrave: Perilous Dark in 2020.

Meanwhile, the Stargrave Miniature have also been short-listed for 'Best Miniature Line'.

I believe anyone can vote for these awards as long as they create an UK Games Expo account. 

Cast your votes here.