Jon Paulson (Mecha Front) Is taking Pre-Orders

Our friend Jon Paulson has been busy at work on a new 15mm scale mech. His newest incarnation of walking baddies is the Lynx. that stands 75mm high!.

I have known Jon for some time now, not only is he a great guy, I can tell you he takes great care in his castings.

The first run of 100 will be in resin, If it is not up to snuff it will not go out the door. The man loves his work and it shows.

You kind find these wonderful kits and others at Mecha Front

From his site:

This is a pre-order item.

In order to fund this item I need to sell 25 copies of the model. Once I have all 25 pre-order slots filled it head out for printing and molding. This process will take aproximately 30 days from the point that funding is achieved.

I will accept pre-orders until Feb 15th (or until all 25 slots are filled) If the project does not fund by the the 15th I will refund all pre-orders purchases in full.
Any additional models (such as the raptor or goshawk) that are ordered at the same time as this item will not ship until the lynx itself ships out.
 
The Lynx is the standard medium class mecha utilized by NorAm Forces. 
The Beta configuration is armed with 4 medium auto cannons.
Measures aproximately 75mm.

Model is made from resin and is supplied unpainted and unassembled. A total of 10 pieces and includes a 60mm base.

Looking Towards the Next Phase: Iron Core Game Development

I still have some files to deliver to WGF, the box art and instructions will all need to be completed shortly after China is through working their magic but the majority of the work has left my hands and is now in the capable hands of the Wargames Factory engineering team.

Now would be a good time to introduce a partner to the DreamForge Iron-Core project, I would like to take a moment to welcome Robey Jenkins.

Robey runs a website and podcast called Precinct Omega, it is through his podcast that I first became acquainted with Robey. Two traits struck me while listening to his podcast, his love of tabletop games and his ability to tear apart their workings, analyze each component and understand how one part relates to the next and then make critical or creative observations about the core mechanics was impressive.

Robey and I think alike, perhaps too much so? But he is far more precise than myself. I can tell you what I like, what I do not like and where I would like to go with a rules section but Robey had a knack for putting the pieces into the puzzle and explaining why in his opinion, the rules section worked or did not work. I have roughly 130+ pages of an overly complicated, poorly written rough draft completed. I tend to work by roughing in complete systems and then working backwards to find a way to simplify the rules section or decide to scrap that section all together. Clearly this work habit is counter productive when you involve another person. It is my hope that Robey will help me curtail some of my habits while injecting a fresh and creative way at looking at each section of rules.

I spoke with Robey a couple of times, first an introduction and then to go over what I wanted Iron Core to look, play and feel like. Robey kindly agreed to review my draft and give suggestions and pointers. He came back with proposal that touched on the systems I had provided but more importantly he proposed a creative way, a system that would add depth and tactical thinking without the use of tables, charts and die rolls. I am a huge fan of rewarding a well thought out strategy while minimizing the prospect of an “I win button” through unit selections or a simple set of opening moves.

Shamefully, Robey’s proposal sat in my email for quite some time as I worked my way through stage 2 of the Kickstarter and all of the finding a new home issues that real life through my way, damn messy stuff that real life… My apologies Robey.

As I mentioned Robey and I think alike, we like tactical games, games that make you think and reward you for doing so. Adding places into the game where each player can affect the game without needing to roll a die, refer back to charts or add a slew of dice modifiers to resolve, points of opportunity, points in the turn sequence for where everyone playing will have the opportunity to have an impact. In short no one sleeps while the other player moves their pretty models about. Can we achieve all this and still have a fast playing and more importantly enjoyable and marketable game? I think we can and I believe that we can check many of the tick boxes.

Honestly I could go on for pages talking about specifics or qualities in a game I find important but that is not what this post is about.

I would like to end in saying that while I am not a fan of design by committee; I absolutely adore customer feedback and when we enter Alpha and Beta I hope to see many of you there testing, breaking and making suggestions to make this the best game possible.

A War of Resources

 

More ramblings from a cluttered mind….

As we move towards the development of the next faction, I will try to give some insights into the conflict between the Eisenkern and Shadokesh Empires. Please keep in mind that this is still a draft and open to revision and correction but it will touch on both cultures, the war and why anyone in their right mind would build a huge walking target such as the Leviathans.

The Prize

Ardinium: A rare, naturally occurring mineral that neutralizes the effect created by tears in the Veil and the broad spectrum radiation leaks created by Void space incursion. Ardinium is used to shield Iron Core Reactors, sensitive electronics and more recently it has been introduced as a component in building materials to mitigate exposure for the occupants and equipment.
(Faster than light travel is only possible in the Veil and re-entering normal space without a receiving gate, tears a hole in the Veil that releases immense energy. Any unshielded tech within several AU is usually destroyed)

Ardinium Oxide: When Ardinium is exposed to the Void or the energy of an Iron Core Reactor it develops a purple blue crust of oxidization. This material when properly processed and when a sufficient charge is applied will repulse itself from a non-charged object or attract itself to a like charged object much in the way a magnet pulls or pushes. This is the base material all TR bands are constructed from. Without this material the huge Leviathans would not be possible.

 

 

The Shadokesh

The Shadokesh care little for human society; until recently they have been completely indifferent to the plight of humanity, thrive or fall, humanity is viewed as nothing more than another animal species hardly worthy of distinction. This view has changed drastically. The shift in this attitude came when the Shadokesh realized that three of the major worlds in the Eisenkern Empire contained vast quantities of Ardinium, the key component used in all Shadokesh technology. This awareness came when the Eisenkern Empire launched its first retaliatory offensive against a Shadokesh rim world in response to a cleansing of one of the Eisenkern border colonies. The Eisenkern Empire landed on Sokesh Prime, fielding twenty Leviathan Mortis and handily took the Shadokesh outpost. 

Scans of the new human technology revealed their origins as simplistic copies of Shadokesh technology but what intrigued the Shadokesh was the quantity of Leviathans far outstripped what was lost or what could have been salvaged in the minor engagements with the primitive humans. This could only mean that the humans had discovered Ardinium and it was surmised, given the time between the first encounters with the Shadokesh and this attack that they must have access to a large supply of this rare ore. Experience told them it would take far longer to amass this quantity when compared to the amount of Ardinium the Shadokesh had been extracting from their core worlds. 

The Shadokesh set out to map and scan Eisenkern space, sending drones to every corner of the Empire. They found three worlds at the core of the Empire brimming with Ardinuim. The ore so plentiful that the primitive race was using it in their fabrication of buildings and other structures as plating of their steel reinforcements buried within the concrete and even mixed into the concrete itself. If a Shadokesh could be offended, surely they would have been at such an egregious display of excess. Fortunately for humanity, the Shadokesh are incapable of feeling such an offence. Unfortunately, this did not change or soften the outcome. The first Great Call (gathering of the collective consciousness) after the analysis was concluded, decided humanities fate in the blink of an eye. Extermination and reclamation of all settlements containing the precious resource. 

This would be the start of the great purge. Settlement after settlement was methodically sacked and its once proud cities rendered for the minerals they contained. Only a tide of Iron would halt this onslaught; Leviathan construction had not yet reached its peak and the Mortis needed refinement and a more robust design. The Crusader class was still in its infancy and not yet available in any quantity that would change the outcome. The fate Eisenkern Empire was sealed, they needed time, time they did not have.

As fate would have it, when the Shadokesh met with a Dhar-Hazier Queen and her envoys and decided they were of no use or threat to the Shadokesh Empire and were promptly dispatched. This miscalculation may be the only reason the Eisenkern Empire still exists. The Dhar-Hazier Clans declared open war on the Shadokesh, sending genetically altered and tailored soldiers and equipment flooding across the border into Shadokesh space. The Shadokesh quickly realized that their efforts would need to be turned towards another front, the Dhar-Hazier were a far more formidable foe than originally anticipated.

Shadokesh Walkers

The Shadokesh use walkers primarily as tools, flexible extensions of their own physicality, mining, building and subjugation devices, only more recently have they been primarily used as weapon platforms. Shadokesh walkers are faster, more agile but more susceptible to damage, their shielding provides them with an equalizer against the more heavily armored Eisenkern Leviathans.

Leviathans

What is a Leviathan, why build a large walking target, what tactical purpose could such a device possibly serve?

Leviathans are weapons of terror, they are tools of distraction and a means to bolster morale. Leviathans were designed to hold city blocks, a statement, “Here I am, I own this, come and take it”. They are anything but subtle.

The Eisenkern Empire developed the Leviathan because it was the perfect tool to fit a need. It could go toe to toe with the Shadokesh walker. The Shadokesh primarily target cities as this is where they find they resources they are after. The soldiers defending these cities found themselves face to face with the towering Shadokesh walkers and in desperate need of being bolstered, not just in firepower but in steadfast will. Even the brave Eisenkern forces would crumble under the sheer terror of a Shadokesh walker rampaging towards their lines. The Eisenkern trooper needed a big brother that could beat the snot out of the neighborhood bully.

Very early conflicts with the Shadokesh led to some unusual observations of Shadokesh behavior. The Shadokesh, when unchallenged will go about their work tearing down buildings and rending resources with little regard for the occupants or soldiers until they are deemed a threat. This stems from the fact that the Shadokesh do not perceive humans as a true threat, more as a nuisance to be swatted when it becomes annoying. This would give precious time for the Eisenkern troopers to maneuver, this also left the civilians some options for egress before all hell would break loose.

The act of remaining seemingly oblivious would soon end as the Shadokesh begin to understand human tactics, in response the Shadokesh began annihilating a city’s population by releasing feral Shadokesh to clear out a city.  Essentially, allowing the Feral Shadokesh to reap the city of its biological infestation so that the core force could concentrate on the work at hand. This could not be allowed to continue. The Eisenkern forces needed to find a way to distract the Shadokesh, allowing the citizens time reach evacuation points so the soldiers could concentrate on the Shadokesh without fear of inadvertently killing friendlies.

Assaults by infantry and armor only peeled layers from the Shadokesh forces, just enough to deal with the perceived threats. The Eisenkern forces needed a larger hammer a weapon that could not be ignored, the Leviathan was that tool.

2013 What a Year!

Bleary eyed and I hope just a little wiser I woke to the first full day of 2014. I laid there for a while, thinking back, reflecting on all that has happened over the last year, what a ride! What an amazing adventure!

I have all of you to thank for it.  When I reflect on everything accomplished so far I know just how fortunate I am to be doing what I am doing. Plastic model kits… are you kidding me! How fracking awesome is that!? When we complete stage three, there will be 34 kits in total…. Let that sink in for a moment…. 34 new kits!

I am excited about what the New Year may bring and hopeful that the coming year will see a new faction and at the very least a Beta of Iron Core for all of you to help me break and fix. I hope that we can create a game worthy of the tremendous effort that has been made so far and the mountain of work that lay ahead; one that all of you will be proud enough of to call your own and  one that you know you helped to make a reality.

I am truly grateful to have your help and support. THANK YOU!

Just before the Christmas holiday, Wargames Factory China was kind enough to send me a gift. To be precise, John my account supervisor pulled some resources together, painted up some Stormtroopers and 15mm scale Leviathan Morti (?) and posed them on some awesome Tablescapes boards.

As many of you may know WGF are making the Tablescapes for our friend Justin over at Secret Weapons. Justin lives fairly local to me and I have had the great pleasure of spending some time with him, discussing mold work and musings of our little corner of the hobby. He makes some great bases and I am excited to see the Tablescapes boards making their way to their backers.

This is my first look at the assembled 15mm scale Mortis and seeing them painted up and ready for serious havoc vs the 28mm scale Stormtroopers was a real treat. Thank you John!

 

 

 Med center

 15mm Scale Leviathan Mortis

 

 Nicely detailed Secret Weapons Tablescapes

 

Thank you again for all your support, thank you to WGF for helping me make some fantastic products and thank you John for the great Christmas shots.

 

All the best,

Mark Mondragon
DreamForge-Games

 

TGN is back with another heaping helping of awesome! : Leviathan Mortis build diary (part 2 of 2)

Polar Bear over at TGN/CMON just posted up his build diary with loads of pics, build notes and a great video showing the movement range of the Mortis as well as a little bit of Christmas cheer, in the form of lights! He had some very kind things to say about the kit and some very informative notes on his build.  

You can find the build diary and video HERE

 

“DreamForge-Games is still a growing company, and if they keep making kits like this, they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with in the very near future. Putting together a Leviathan Crusader earlier this year left me with a feeling of being on top of the world. I felt like a spaceship was going to land and tell me I was The Last Starfighter. But I knew another challenge would come calling: The Leviathan Mortis. The yin to the Crusader’s yang… or is it hang to the Crusader’s yin? … Anyway, I knew it was coming and I was ready. But an extra challenge was thrown at me along the way. Would I survive? Would my sanity remain… intact isn’t the right word since I’m not totally here to begin with, but… now I’m rambling. Read-on and check out the assembly photos as I put my new Leviathan Mortis (named Monday, as he is the sworn enemy of Friday, the name of my Crusader) together.

 

Lots more to read and see, well worth the visit. 

 

If you have not seen it yet, you can find the video HERE

Thank you Polar Bear-TGN and CMON for the very kind review!

It may be worth mentioning that DFG is not affiliated with TGN or CMON but I am a huge fan of theirs and Polar Bear does loves the walkers ;)









  

Eisenkern Assault Troopers

As China works away on stage 3 Kickstarter completion, I will try and get teaser shots out for the items that will be delivered for the Kickstarter backers and eventually into retail.

First on the list if the Eisenkern Assault Troopers. This will be a five man box set and like our Stormtroopers, they are of multipart, posable miniatures. In the next sneak peek I will go over the box contents and give some insight as to the customization and options that will be provided with this set.

 

 

Assault Troopers are fully encased in power armor and armed with an energy blade to make quick work of heavily armored targets or lighter fortifications.  Their ranged weapon is either the MP72, a stockless assault rifle that fires explosive 20mm rounds or the M402 eight shot 40mm grenade launcher for those stubborn targets. Each trooper wears the fluted armor of an assault trooper and a heraldic tabard bearing his households colors.

Assault Trooper are indoctrinated from the Valkir, those soldiers who show exceptional courage, drive and aggression while serving with the Valkir may be offered a place within one of the Ritterorden “knightly order” Modeled after the 14^th century knightly households, the Ritterorden act as a semi-autonomous military. Although closely tied to the parent faction each Ritterorden has its own traditions, uniforms and chain of command that are unique to that household. Regardless of which household a trooper serves under, Assault troopers value aggression above all ells , charging in where angels fear to tread is just another day at work for these soldiers.

 

(some shots from the rear)

 

This is not the final box art but in order to render that image I need to handle each model and assign textures in preparation for the final render. Having completed these test renders it seemed like a good time to give you a look at what painted models may look like. The tabards and heraldry displayed in these images are those worn by the Teutonic Ritter, serving directly under the Emperor as his honor guard.


If you remember the test print, this is the model that was used to make that print. CAD work for minis can be a funny thing, the mini looks pretty packed with detail but when you look at a blown up render... not so much ;) It takes a bit of practice to understand detail size and what works, hopefully I got this one right. Another aspect that gets tricky is the models bulk, when you look at the print it looks trimmer, more lean than the render, first couple of tests prints with the Stormtrooper came back looking way too thin, even though the CAD model looked spot on.

The test print looked good so now it is up to WGF China to work their magic.

 

Unboxing Video Series of the Leviathan Mortis, courtesy of Tabletop Gaming News & Cool Mini or Not

I had a very unexpected and happy surprise when I was on one of my frequent trips to Tabletop Gaming News.

They are doing a video series on the Leviathan Mortis, starting with an overview and moving into more detail as they assemble the kit. Here is the first video in the series.

I knew Polar Bear was waiting for the Mortis, which he named Monday, to fight against his Crusader. he named Friday. What I did not know is that he would be doing a video diary... Thank you guys! XXXOOO

Can't wait to see the next vids!

You can see more videos on the Leviathan Crusader here and here

Assault Trooper test print

Here are some shots of an Assault Trooper, warts and all. I did not spend much time cleaning up the print because it was not going to be used as a master, just to test fit components such as the shoulders, tasset and tabard; so there are some very rough spots on the outside of the shoulders, the sword blade edge and a few other places where the build lattice was attached.

The Heavy troopers are scaled to be a good match with the Stormtroopers. About 1mm taller than the Stormtroopers (some shrink can be seen in the print), and a bit more bulk overall. Keep in mind when comparing to other mini lines, the Stormtroopers will be on the tall side, so although these may look a little small, they are large enough to look like steal the milk money from many of the other popular mini companies lines and small enough to look like Eisenkern Stormtrooper sized person could actually fit into the suit. 
  
WGF China informed me that they are making progress with the Heavy Troopers so it seemed appropriate to post this. Enjoy!