Allright, allright, allright! So here we are, 10 years since we first showed up at Gen Con with some elves on a sprue and a couple of boxes to a full on 20×20 ft booth with all new hotness like Hellboy: The Board Game, Deadzone, The Walking dead: All Out War, Kings of War and Vanguard.
Today I’d like to chat about Mantic Open Night. So a quick little history. Open Night was born from a want to have an Open Day but not having a HQ in the states, so we decided to have them at our two biggest conventions, Gen Con and AdeptiCon. Now here we are on year seven at Gen Con and to commemorate our 10 years at Gen Con we will be offering a limited edition pint glass at Mantic Open Night at Gen Con.
Pint glass mock up
Over the last couple of years we had a few snags with businesses closing in the downtown area. With the closing of the Hard Rock Cafe we’ve been forced to relocate to Kingsmakers,a board game parlor with a bar.
So here are the deets! Saturday night August 3rd starting at 8pm going till close. Tickets can be bought on the webstore and are $30. For your ticket price, you’ll get a drink ticket, good for any beverage at the bar, the limited edition pint glass, $20 voucher good for anything at the booth, and other little goodies.
The evening will start with a nice Q&A with Ronnie and the Mantic boys. From there we will break for open gaming. Some of the games to be played will be Dungeon Saga: Bar Room Brawl. There will be a quick play test of the new Kings of War RPG. Doom Ball, the favorite Veer-myn sports pastime will rear it’s head again. Hellboy will also be available to be played as well as Here’s Negan. It is also a good time just to hang out and catch up with the Mantic Staff and just shoot the breeze.
Tickets are limited so grab your soon and don’t miss out on the 10th anniversary for Mantic.
Get your tickets here!
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Allright, allright, allright! It’s been 10 years since Mantic showed up at Gen Con with a sprue of elves and a cocky English man with a penchant for losing hats. There are plenty of things in store for the 10 year anniversary but let’s talk about Gen Con.
Gen Con is just around the corner and we need to talk what’s going on. Let’s start with the Gen Con events. As with all events we hold, all miniatures are provided with the exceptions of the tournaments.
First event on the list is Warpath: Firefight. We have several Learn to Play events on Thursday and Sunday. Come down and play a few rounds and take the next step up from Deadzone.
Friday has us hosting a Warpath: Firefight tournament. Bring 1500 points in this 3 round and see if you can grab the crown!
Next on the list is Kings of War. Kings of War has several events, the first being the big game. This is a giant battle the will consist of 10,000 points a side. This table is huge and is a glorious battle.
If you’re new to a mass battle war game also available are a few Learn to Play Kings of War events.
Friday night sees a fan favorite coming back to the event hall. The Kings of War: How You Use It Tournament. In this tournament you play a different army each round. All armies and lists will be provided. This tournament really tests your skills as a general. Are you a real tactician or rely on list builds.
Saturday is the Kings of Gen Con tournament. This is an escalating tournament where your list increases in point every round.
If Kings of War wasn’t enough, there will be a ton of Hellboy: The Board Game. In this timed special scenario, the team with the best time will be named The BPRD: A-Team. The winners will be announced Sunday.
The Walking Dead is next on the list. There are several events available to the Walking Dead fan. For example, there are several Here’s Negan: Rise of the Saviors events. This is a custom scenario where Negan’s Lieutenants are clearing a hidden section of the Sanctuary and must get Negan safely through or suffer his wrath.
Back again to Gen Con is The Walker Challenge. This was a highly demanded event which pits 6 heroes against each other for the last of the supplies. On another note, the hero who slays the most Walkers will take home a zombie 3up.
For all you sports fans, Dreadball will be available on Thursday and Friday. The Thursday event will be an Ultimate Dreadball featuring Giants! All teams will be provided for these events.
Friday brings the General Control Cup Dreadball Tournament. This NADC qualifier will determine who will take their team to the National Championship Tournament.
Lastly are the Kings of War: Vanguard events. This is Mantic’s brand new skirmish game featuring small warbands. For this game there are several Learn to Play games scattered throughout the weekend. If this kind of game peaks your interest, sign up and Learn To Play.
Coming next, what’s the new hotness in the booth!
The post Gen Khaannn! appeared first on Mantic Blog.
This week sees the release of the super duper new Basilean army sets. You can now order the revised Basilean Army and Basilean Mega Armies, which come packed with new miniatures, like the hard plastic Men at Arms, Sisterhood Scouts and Gur Panthers.
But who the heck are the Basileans? Why are they fighting all the time? Why do they wear so much blue? Do their giant, angry cats like to chase giant balls of yarn?! Well, in today’s blog we’re delving deep into the background of the Basileans to explain all this and more… well, perhaps not the giant cats bit.
Conservative by nature and paralysed by ritual it may be, Basilea still reflects some of the ancient glories of Primovantor. Its cities are the largest, its princes the richest, its mages the most powerful of all the kingdoms of Men. Basilea insists that it is the only true protector of Primovantor’s legacy.
Temples are still maintained to the long-gone Celestians in Basilea, while the worship of their good aspects, the Shining Ones, is an integral part of life. It is a kingdom where time has stood still, where some of the glories of the elder days might still be found. Noble Paladins devote their entire lives to battle and prayer, undergoing arduous quests to prove their purity to the Shining Ones. Many Orders of the Sisterhood guard the borders. Purity, courage, and strength are the watchwords of these warrior virgins.
The Hegemon of Basilea is king and high priest both. It is within his power to appeal directly to the Shining Ones. These remaining noble aspects of the Celestians dwell atop the mountain of Kolosu, an impossibly high pillar of rock, and from there they watch over the Hegemony. They rarely manifest directly, although it is not unknown for one or the other of them to take to the battlefield even in these lesser times, but will send their servants to the aid of the Basilean armies, should the occasion warrant it. These are the Elohi, angelic beings of immense power, who appear in the guise of beautiful, winged humans armoured all in gold. In war they are all but unstoppable, as terrible in combat as they are merciful and kind out of it.
But alongside the purest aspect of true faith and benevolence, Basilea has its sinister side too. Free thinking of any kind is not easily tolerated, and Basilean culture therefore remains hidebound and unchanging. Periodic panics about agents of the Wicked Ones sweep the nation, leading to innocent and guilty alike being condemned to death by mass drowning in the Cleansing Pools.
The Hegemon does not rule unchallenged; blood feud is all too common, driven by fires of honour and religious fervour that cannot be quenched. Orcs press upon Basilea from the north, while relations with the Dwarfs to the east are at their lowest ebb. And atop their pillar of stone, the Shining Ones watch, for the most part silent. Protectors of Mankind, some say, capricious immortals who toy with the lives of lesser beings, say others.
The Basileans are adherents of the Shining Ones, and large numbers of paladins, warrior monks and battle nuns are found in their armies. The angelic Elohi fly above the hosts of Basilea, lending their pure voices to the battle hymns of holy warriors, and their strength to the army’s assault.
Basilea’s wealth means that its footsoldiers march to war clad in the finest plate and bearing the very best weapons that money can buy. Vast armies of them march to protect its borders, bolstered by the elite religious warriors of the Paladins on foot and atop mighty warhorses, and the fanatical sisterhood, fighting on foot or riding to battle mounted on war panthers or chariots puulled by these magnificent, if terrifying apex predators. Their warmachines are intricate and well built, and their magical support is second to none, Basilea having the highest concentration of magical colleges anywhere in the world.
With these forces alone, Basilea could endure for centuries as one of the great powers of Mantica. When the forces of the Shining Ones are added, the eternal supremacy of the Golden Horn is assured. Elohi march alongside the troops of Basilea, living manifestations of divine fury, each the equal of many dozens of men. It is no surprise that Basilea has become as arrogant as it is fervent. There are simply no powers in the world who can match it. For now.
The new Basilean army sets are available in stores now, or you can order direct from Mantic Games.
The post Who are the Basileans? appeared first on Mantic Blog.
It’s amazing to think that it’s been less than a year since
Vanguard was released at retail. In that relatively short space of time we’ve
released seven warbands (Nightstalkers, Basileans, Northern Alliance, Abyssals,
Dwarfs, Forces of Nature and Goblins), an equipment deck and held a sold-out
tournament here at Mantic HQ.
However, that’s really only the beginning of the Vanguard
story. In the months to come we’ll be releasing the Ice & Iron supplement,
featuring new campaign play and updated unit stats, alongside the new Undead
faction. We’ve also got the Trident Realm release and our second sold out
tournament (32 players, no less) at Mantic HQ in November. It’s all going
rather swimming – and we’re just referring to the Trident Realm!
Martin’s dwarfs, who even starred in their own video.
Now cast your mind back to the launch of Vanguard and you’ll
remember that we produced a serious of My Warband, My Story blogs. These blogs
charted the progress of Mantic staff as they built and painted their warbands
(or didn’t, in the case of Dave).
In typical hobby fashion we all changed and swapped as time progressed too! Martin started with Northern Alliance, then moved on to Dwarfs and eventually ended up with a Nightstalkers faction. Rob cracked on with Abyssals, then decided he should do Trident Realm and finally stayed true to his greenskin roots with a goblin warband.
Rob’s goblins in all their sneaky goodness.
As we enter the next few months of Vanguard releases, we
really want YOU – yes you, reading this blog – to get involved with your
Vanguard hobby progress. We’re looking for six players from four gaming clubs
or stores to produce a series of My Club/Store, My Story blogs! That’s right,
you could be telling the world about your Vanguard games and gangs!
We want to chart the story of players receiving their
warbands, building and painting their minis and then dabbling with their first
games. In fact, it would be great to see the progress of a full campaign too
and hear about how characters progress… or get killed in truly spectacular
fashion.
As part of this, we’ll send the four clubs/stores enough warband
starters and boosters for each of the players, along with the rulebooks and
dice required to get playing. Yes, YOU dear reader, could get everything you
need to start playing Vanguard at your club.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED!
If this sounds like something you want to get involved with
then we need the following details:
YOUR NAME
NAME OF YOUR GAMING GROUP
LOCATION OF YOUR GAMING GROUP
SIZE OF THE GROUP
ANY LINKS TO A GROUP BLOG/WEBSITE/FACEBOOK PAGE
HOW OFTEN THE GROUP MEETS
NAMES OF PLAYERS TAKING PART
HAVE YOU GOT ANY EXPERIENCE PLAYING VANGUARD ALREADY?
WHY YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE A GOOD CHOICE!
Just email all this information to rob.burman@manticgames.com
In return for receiving some wonderful Vanguard goodness, we
would like you to provide regular (at least once a fortnight for three months) updates
on how your Vanguard journey is shaping up. These updates can be via your own
club blog, gameplay videos, hobby videos, Facebook updates that we can share on
the Mantic page or blogs sent in for publication on the Mantic Blog.
The post Vanguard: Your Club, Your Story appeared first on Mantic Blog.
Great news Deadzone fans! Command Protocols: Escalation is shipping and in stores from today. This awesome 120-page supplement is the latest major upgrade to our sci-fi skirmish game and comes packed with new units, updated stats and new ways to play.
Over the past couple of weeks, there’s been plenty of great Escalation coverage from a number of YouTube channels and podcasts, so we wanted to make sure you didn’t miss a thing. Below you’ll find all the coverage so far and we’ll be adding more as it comes through.
FAMILY OF GAMERS 777
Andrew ‘Coach’ Jashyn has been busy. As a member of the Deadzone RC, Coach was instrumental in the creation of Escalation – so he’s been going in-depth over on his YouTube channel.
DEADZONE THE PODCAST
Over on Deadzone the Podcast, the guys get together to review the Asterians, Marauders and Forge Fathers.
DREADPATHZONE
Next up, Tyler and Jesse from Dreadpathzone talk Mazon Labs, Nameless and Plague. More tentacles and teeth than you can shake a stick at.
WEIGHT OF FIRE
Last but not least (for the moment anyway) is Andy ‘Dr. Deadzone’ Sharp with the Weight of Fire podcast. This is a deeeeeeeeeep dive into the Veer-myn, GCPS and Rebs.
Command Protocols: Escalation and a whole bunch of other great Deadzone releases are shipping from TODAY! Check them all out here.
The post Deadzone Escalation Available NOW! appeared first on Mantic Blog.
We are in the middle
of the year (where did it go?), and Rob has made the schoolboy error of going
on holiday…leaving me to take over the newsletter, webstore and Blog – What
could possibly go wrong!?
So what’s hot?
First up, the Goblins
are in store right now…
…and I don’t care what
game you play, if you like greenskins, you are gonna love these nasty little fellas!
Get along to your local store, or www.manticgames.com and get some while the first wave is still available (these are resin, so production takes a while!).
……WARNING –
CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL – INITIATED…..
With Deadzone
continuing to grow in popularity, and welcoming new gamers the world over, we
are back with this year’s upgrade to the core rules.
The Containment Protocol: Escalation book gives
every player:
New
factions, such as a Merc force and the Veer-myn Volt-chasers
The latest
balanced and improved army lists for every faction
New
Missions – and new secret Missions
Interactive
Scenery – including computer terminals, specimen tanks and even Explosive
Barrels!
Alongside the book there is also an Incoming
Intel Deck – allowing for in-game mission upgrades and new objectives – and of
course the factions themselves are available too.
To dig deeper into what’s inside Containment Protocol: Escalation there’s new content hitting the blog and Facebook every day…
However, one of the best ways to add the Mercs, and the scenery to your collection is to pick up the Star Saga game.
Not only does it have
both of those in the box (which bought individually would come to £70) but you
also get the Mazon Labs faction in the game – meaning not only do you save
money – you get the fantastic Sci-Fi Dungeon Crawler Game thrown in!
Well that doesn’t sound very mad so far, Ronnie…
Throughout June, the Star Saga Beyond Eiras Bundle will be available at just £50!
Which for Deadzone
fans means the game PLUS 2 factions – Mercs and Mazon Labs AND Interactive
Scenery and doors
On top of which, every
bundle will come with:
Fear in the Darkness Expansion
Star Saga Character and Mission
Creator Expansion
6 bonus Star Saga miniatures,
Blaine, Kira Nikolovski, the Survivor, Hacker Half-Tail, The Fear, and Koris
Mercenaries
Beyond Eiras Mission book with 15 new missions, plus Project Pandora rules and missions
If you are just keen to give Deadzone a try – then, as always from Mantic, you’ll find free basic rules right here.
Come back Friday when I’ll be revealing all by video (!), blog and email about Mantic’s plans for the summer and beyond!
Until then, keep
rolling exploding 8’s, and sharing your hobby projects with us!!
Best wishes
Ronnie
PS. The UK Games Expo is approaching fast and we can’t wait see you there! Come and find us on stand 1-574 as we are running demos of Hellboy and Star Saga! We will of course have all our new releases, show exclusive models plus our legendary show deals. See you in Birmingham!
This being said customer service will be closed until Monday folks, but don’t worry after I am back from Expo I will get back to you.
Elvis
The post When Rob’s away Ronnie and Elvis come out to play. appeared first on Mantic Blog.
This is it Deadzone fans, the moment you’ve been waiting for! After the massive success of Command Protocols: Outbreak, we’re back for another summer of sci-fi. This year we’re kicking things off with Command Protocols: Escalation, the new 120-page supplement. But that’s not all, just check out all the awesome new Deadzone releases below. You can pre-order now from the Mantic website or your friendly local game store.
DEADZONE ESCALATION
In this new 120-page supplement, players will find rules for adding ruthless mercenaries to their games and an entirely new mercenary-based faction.
Rebs get a boost to their cause with new fighters, while the insidious Veer-myn gain the support of the technologically advanced Volt Chasers.
Plus, all existing faction lists are reprinted with the latest points and errata. What’s more, you’ll also find new multi-mat based scenarios and rules for adding interactive scenery to your battles.
INCOMING INTEL DECK
The Incoming Intel Deck is a different way to play Deadzone. Inside the you’ll find missions that change on the fly or special events that can be triggered during play.
For each mission successfully completed, you’ll earn bonus Victory Points that are added to the standard VPs achieved during the course of the mission. Although you may lose the core objectives, you can still win the overall battle by completing the most Incoming Intel objectives.
Only one deck is required per game and we’ll have a live stream soon showcasing how to use the Incoming Intel Deck in your games.
ALPHA STRIKE TEAM
Shayo Silverback is a controversial figure, even inside the Rebellion. On the one hand, he is a prized intelligence specialist, with spies hidden across the GCPS and a number of devastating raids to his name.
However, he is also ruthless and aggressive, frequently coming into conflict with other rebel leaders over his tactics and strategies. His cell has enemies everywhere, and Shayo has eyes watching them all.
VOLT CHASERS FACTION STARTER
Volt Chasers are an uncommon sub-sect of the Veer-Myn. Led by the elusive beings classified as ‘Technorati’, they have an almost religious desire to acquire and utilize advanced technology.
Many members of the nest sport electronic implants and bionic limbs, enhancing their combat abilities beyond those of normal Veer-Myn making these groups a very real threat to human colonies across the GCPS.
BOLTS/GRUNTBOT
Sick of always being inferior to his larger, more powerful Marauder allies, Bolts began modifying captured Peacekeeper armour to create Gruntbots. Nothing makes a goblin feel happier than sitting behind several inches of (mostly) bullet proof armour.
GOBLIN STUNTBOT
The Stuntbot’s capacity for destruction and thick armour makes piloting one a coveted job amongst Goblin fighters. We’ve also got a new Stuntbot Arms Upgrade Pack to add different weapons to the mighty Stuntbot.
REBS MONO CYCLE RIDER
In their constant fight against the tyranny of the Corporations, Rebs will take whatever weaponry or vehicles they can commandeer. The E-Mike is a vital piece of kit for speedy insurgencies into enemy territory and corporate facilities.
GCPS MONO CYCLE RIDER
FEROMITE/FEROMITE PRIME
Although not as devastating as the mighty Nameless Ogres, Feromites have claws that can cut through the thickest Enforcer armour with ease, while terrifying Feromite Primes become natural leaders for the Nameless invaders.
ALL OF THESE GREAT NEW RELEASES ARE AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM THE MANTIC WEBSITE NOW! CHECK OUT THE PRE-ORDERS HERE.
The post Deadzone Escalation New Minis and Book Available to Pre-order Now appeared first on Mantic Blog.
Hope you enjoyed our tease of the contents in the Escalation supplement yesterday – if you missed out, make sure you read it here. Ahead of the information overload, which starts next week, today we’re highlighting some of the new or re-released miniatures accompanying the supplement.
VEER-MYN VOLT-CHASERS
As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, the Volt-Chasers are an exciting new option for Veer-myn players. We’re creating a new Volt Chasers starter set – led by the insidious Thorn or Crone Mother – so you can run them as a pure Volt-Chasers faction or add them to your existing space rats.
REBS ALPHA STRIKE TEAM
The Veer-myn aren’t the only faction getting a new starter set. The Rebs have been joined by Shayo Silverback and his team of hardened fighters. Shayo is a new leader for the Rebs and comes with a selection of new units, like the Simian Brawler. The Alpha Strike Team will only be available from the Mantic website and will be going up for pre-order next week.
BOLTS/GRUNTBOT
It’s Bolts – the happiest goblin alive! Bolts is a new leader for the Marauders and is sure to pack a punch against your foes. This metal kit comes with an optional head piece, so you can use it as Bolts or a standard Gruntbot – a new Specialist for the Marauders.
And Bolts isn’t the only addition for the Marauders because we’re bringing back the Stuntbot. Hooray! After being out of print since time began, the Stuntbot is a resin kit that’s full of character. Escalation also brings some new weapon options for the Stuntbot and these separate arms will be available from the Mantic website so you can customise your Stuntbot’s weapon load out.
NAMELESS FEROMITE/FEROMITE PRIME
With the Nameless continuing to strike against the GCPS, more species have flocked to the cause. The latest addition is the terrifying Feromite and the new leader, the Feromite Prime. A little like a smaller Ogre, the Feromite is a dangerous addition to the Nameless faction. This metal kit can be built as a Feromite or the Feromite Prime Leader.
Talking of the Nameless, we realise that the Faction Starter has been out of stock for a while. Well, great news tentacle fans! We’re producing a new faction starter for 2019, which will be available in June. It’s also worth noting the Gunslinger has been changed to a Troop in Escalation, so you’ve got plenty of Troop options in this set.
GCPS/REBS SCOUT BIKES
Need a little extra speed for your GCPS, Enforcers or Rebs? Look no further than the Mono-Wheel Scout Bike! Previously only available for the Enforcers, we’ve created versions for the Rebs (seen above with the cool Sphyr rider) and the GCPS. We’re also re-releasing the original Pathfinder version too – so no need for all you Enforcer players to feel left out.
All of the above products will be going on pre-order from the Mantic website next week.
The post Deadzone Escalation – new minis and Starter Sets appeared first on Mantic Blog.
Deadzone fans, it’s the release you’ve been waiting for! Containment Protocols: Escalation is the latest supplement for everyone’s (EVERYONE’S) favourite sci-fi skirmish game and will be available for pre-order – along with a host of other exciting Deadzone releases – next week from the Mantic website. But what the heck is Escalation and why should you be excited?
Well, you damned heathen you should always be excited about a new Deadzone release, but just in case you need more persuading we’ve got a host of reasons below! Escalation is the hotly anticipated follow-up to last year’s Outbreak supplement, which sold out after only a few months.
While Outbreak aimed to bring all the factions up to date with the latest errata and stat changes, Escalation does so much more. As well as including any new stats, Escalation also introduces new ways to play and abilities. It clocks in at a massive 120-pages and includes everything from Outbreak and lots, lots more…
MERCENARIES
One of the biggest overhauls in Escalation is a re-working of the existing mercenaries and a whole host of new mercs, that come courtesy of Star Saga. Not only have the mercs been rebalanced to make them more competitive, the Deadzone RC has also created a special mercs faction.
This allows players to create their own elite squad of guns (or swords, or claws, or whatever) for hire. Although not designed to be used in tournament play, the Mercs faction is a great opportunity to get some awesome minis on the table and blast away at your foes!
INTERACTIVE SCENERY
Another great addition in Escalation is the inclusion of rules for interactive scenery. Again, if you’ve got Star Saga you’ll already have a host of great sci-fi scenery and we wanted to make sure you had a fun and interesting way of including it in your games of Deadzone. For those without Star Saga in their collection (shame on you) – you can buy the Starship Scenery pack separately too.
LARGE-SCALE MISSIONS
You want even more? Well, what about Large-Scale Missions? We know that a lot of Deadzone players have a huge assortment of awesome minis in their collection, but can’t always use them in a standard game of Deadzone.
So say hello to the Large-Scale Missions! Designed for between 350-400pt games (or more if you’re feeling particularly brave), these missions require two Deadzone mats to be joined together. These larger missions are a great halfway house between Deadzone and its cousin Firefight – and we can’t wait to see some of your larger games. Who knows, we might even run a tournament or two at HQ that use the new large missions! Stay tuned.
NEW UNITS!
Every faction gets at least one new unit! Some of these will be existing Warpath, Deadzone or even DreadBall miniatures that have been given a new lease life in Escalation. Whereas others – like the Gruntbot seen above – will be entirely new miniatures. We’ll be covering all the new minis in an extra blog this week.
NEW FACTION!
Well… kind of! The Veer-myn faction has been massively bolstered with the addition of the Volt-Chasers. These bio-engineered rats have some shocking (quite literally) new abilities and totally change the way the Veer-myn faction plays.
You can run the Volt-Chasers alongside your existing Veer-myn miniatures, or you can pick up the brand-new Volt-Chasers Faction Starter, if you only want to play as hi-tech ratties!
WHERE CAN I GET MORE SWEET ESCALATION PREVIEWS?
Good question, loyal reader! Firstly we’ll have an extra blog this week showing off some of the new miniatures but from Monday (May 20th) we’ve been working with some great third party outlets on providing you with all the fantastic Escalation content you could possibly want. Possibly more content than you could want.
Check out the details below to see what YouTube channel or podcast you need to tune into to get a deeper preview of Escalation.
Family of Gamers 777
Mercs faction and Enforcers (aka the Howlett episode)
Frantic Gamers
Multi-mat campaigns and interactive scenery
Weight of Fire
Veer-myn, GCPS and Rebs
Dreadpathzone
Mazon Labs, Nameless and Plague
Deadzone the Podcast
Asterians, Marauders and Forge Fathers
We’ll be sharing all this excellent, world-class coverage across social media to make sure you don’t miss a thing! Plus, make sure you head to the Mantic website from Monday to order all your Escalation goodness.
The post Deadzone Escalation Preview appeared first on Mantic Blog.
In today’s blog we’re handing over to Paul Welsh to announce the winners of our Brush with Death painting competition. Paul is a previous winner of our prestigious painting competition and we asked him to help judge this year’s contest. Before we start, we want to thank everyone that entered (it was our biggest ever) and our co-sponsors, Vallejo and Artis Opus. Without further ado, Paul it’s over to you…
With a fantastic selection of entries, judging
proved to be an incredibly tough task but what a pleasure it was to see all of
your miniatures. Whatever a person’s level, preparing and executing an entry
for a painting completion is a proud and satisfying feeling and every entrant
deserves commendation. But, after some tough judging, we do have our winners…
Let’s get started with ‘Best Army’. An incredibly dedicated and time-consuming category to enter but also incredibly rewarding. The army category has different considerations to things such a ‘Single Miniature’, as rather than simply looking at each unit and miniature individually, you need to judge the composition as a whole.
The winner of this category was Jim Cockburn.
Jim is well known in the Kings of War UK community for his glorious yellow and
black Dwarf army and he hasn’t disappointed with his take on Abyssal Dwarves.
Jim applies an incredibly distinctive ‘comic’
style, called cel-shading, using heavy layering to create strong contrast that
looks exceptional on the
table-top. Thematic basing ties the whole army together and, even up close,
intricate freehand details give these units a fun story. While this style may
not win painting awards alone, as an ensemble it is a fantastic spectacle.
Next up we have ‘Best Unit’. Similar to ‘Best Army’, this unit requires the artist to consider multiple miniatures and how they sit together as a single entity. Though, with fewer miniatures, the level of painting techniques needs to be much, much higher.
The award went to Juan Francisco González. Juan
is a previous winner of a Brush with Death award, with his Enforcer Unit. This
year he returned with this Kalyshi Deadzone Strike Team.
Juan’s technical level is of a high calibre.
Smooth blending and clean highlights show off his excellent colour choices. The
execution of the NMM (non-metallic metals) also demonstrates his understanding of higher-level techniques. A worthy
winner of a well-contested category.
Following on we have ‘New Recruits (Under 16)’, one of my personal favourites. I began entering painting competitions myself from around 13-years-old so know how rewarding it is for young painters to be able to compete and improve.
Here we have Torsten Wilkinson’s Nightstalker
Warband. Torsten is only 12 (yes, 12) and he’s made a great effort. Torsten has
put incredible effort into replicating the studio style and has pulled it off.
Blending on the Reaver ‘light to black’ flesh, as well as the
Mindscreech’s eye detail, requires a special
mention.
Now we move onto the ‘Diorama’ category. This is a tough category to judge. Dioramas need to tell a story. A moment in time captured that demonstrates skill in areas such as scenery building and scenic finishing.
Morgan Finley (aka Baron Von Uppercase) created
a fantastic piece that tells the story of a Dwarf and his Mastiff, exploring
the sewers oblivious to the fact they are being stalked by a sneaky goblin
assassin.
Not only is the composition as a whole focused on
interesting, small details such as the spilt paint by
the graffiti, the hidden details in the expertly poured resin water and
exceptional OSL effects also bring the diorama to
life.
Finally, we have the ‘Single Miniature’ category. This was an exceptional category with extremely high-quality entries. After shortlisting the favourites, judging became a tough task of picking specific techniques and how well they had been executed. This proved incredibly difficult but in the end, a winner emerged.
Kenn Mejer took the award with this brilliant
Enforcer Peacekeeper. Kenn has demonstrated expert skill on multiple levels. A
lovely transition on the yellow shield initially draws your attention while the
blue armour blends seamlessly from light to dark, with intricate edge highlighting
that delivers the feel of a high polished finish. OSL from the radioactive
waste is well executed and the base is high in detail without drawing too much
attention from the miniature itself.
What a fantastic Brush with Death this has been. Congratulations to all the winners! Each time the number of entries goes up and up. If you’re on the fence about entering, don’t worry about winning. Showcasing your art is a fantastic feeling and the community want to see it.
Thanks Paul for helping with the judging! We’ll be holding another Brush with Death competition in time for our November Open Day. So start painting your minis now, ready for entry. Thanks again to everyone that entered and good luck for the next Brush with Death.
The post Brush with Death Spring 2019 Winners appeared first on Mantic Blog.
Hello survivors, the boys over at the T&G Productions YouTube channel are back again to talk about their newest iteration of the world’s premier The Walking Dead Miniatures Game Event, Conflict 2019.
Building on the success of last year’s Conflict, the lads have set an ambitious task of making this year’s event a weekender. Conflict 2019 will be held once again at The Forge in Manchester over the 5th-6th October and will feature The Walking Dead: All Out War and the upcoming large-scale Walking Dead wargame.
The
Saturday will focus on All Out War and the expansion to last year’s Conflict
narrative campaign which focused on a civil war within the walls of New Haven,
a lone outpost against the undead horde. This year’s ominously-titled ‘The Long
Road’ focuses on the fall out and effects on the survivors, who until now had
lived safe and protected lives behind their walls. Until, that is, the explosive
conclusion of the 2018 event, which saw the Walkers lay siege to the Haven.
Event Organiser Paul Preston said: “Last year we tried something new and it worked, we held a great event that people really enjoyed, 22 players was a great achievement and we made some great friends as a result. For Conflict this year we want ‘The Long Road’ to continue the story of The New Haven survivors. This year’s scenarios are being play tested in more depth to ensure that, not only are they fair, but most importantly fun. We want to continue the narrative story as long as we can, weaving in the actions of our players at each event.”
The
Sunday of Conflict 2019 is going to be dedicated to ‘March to War’. As these
rules are currently in a play test format the guys have been busy getting to
know the game and are excited to see where they can take this for Conflict
2019, even trying out some more of their own custom scenarios with the new
format.
Speaking about the inclusion of the new system at the event, T&G’s Tom Panah said: “March to War brings an interesting prospect in the how we see Conflict 2019 playing out. With the new strategy points we are looking at ways to make these even more valuable to players. We want to build tension in these games, like the survivors face in the comics, and are enjoying finding ways to do that. When these players March to War we really want them to enjoy the choices they make and the inevitable impact this could have on their next game.”
Once again, the attendees will not go home empty handed as every ticket holder is taking home a plethora of swag in one of the event’s famed goodie bags, and there are even whispers of some more fantastic support from event sponsors. You can find out more at the ‘Conflict – A Walking Dead: All Out War Event’ Facebook group page.
Did you miss Conflict last year? Don’t worry, the scenarios and story are being released in a PDF supplement in the coming weeks. Early bird tickets for the event are available until 5th May, 2019. Check the event page for more details.
The post The Walking Dead – Conflict 2019 appeared first on Mantic Blog.
What do we want? GOBLINS! What else do we want? MORE
DETAILS! When do we want those details? IMMEDIATELY OR WHEN WE HAVE CHANCE TO
SIT DOWN AND READ THEM, POSSIBLY WITH A CUP OF TEA. Fair enough!
Anyway, after already covering key units and warband
abilities, today we’re focusing on some of the brand-new goblin units that are
being introduced this month. Alongside the existing units, you’ve now got the
option to add powerful new commanders, war machines and lots more goblin
goodies. We won’t spoil all the surprises but here are a few of the highlights.
WINGGIT
Well, were we going to start anywhere else? The Winggit is
the stand out entry in the goblin warband. Flying (or falling gracefully, if
you like) above the battlefield, safely away from the thick of the action, the
Winggit acts as a spotter and can rain bombs on your foes. The Eye in the Sky
ability has the power to give your ranged units a clear shot against key
targets. Of course, the downside is, you’re going to have to get within 9” of
the enemy, which will almost certainly put you in Charge range. Thankfully the
Winggit does have Implacable (to represent the fact it’s mostly in flight), so
at least it can avoid being Knocked Down.
MAWPUP LAUNCHER
A great partner to the Winggit is the Mawpup Launcher, which gains the Marksman ability when targeting enemies within 9” of the Winggit. The Mawpup Launcher is useful for defending objectives, like the portal, as it can sit out of charge range and lob Mawpups at your opponent. Even better, get a few Mawbeasts in your warband and they can then Walk towards the target too. Follow this up with an extra activation and your Mawbeasts can quickly get stuck and start snacking on limbs.
MAGWA & JO’OS
Talking of Mawbeasts, the goblin warband release also brings
the return of Magwa and Jo’os! Making the move from Kings of War into Vanguard,
Magwa and his giant Mawbeast are an alternate commander option for the goblins.
The main benefit of Magwa is that he gives you the opportunity to take
additional Mawbeasts, without having to add additional Grunts or Warriors. So,
if you would normally only be able to take one Mawbeast, with Magwa you can add
three(!) to your gang. Again, you can combine this with something like the
Mawpup Launcher and the Howl! ability to really start causing the opponent
problems early in the game.
SNAGGIT
Our final new unit choice is the wonderfully named Snaggit. These little gobbos are expert trappers that can be used to lock down areas of the table. You can place the traps near objectives to potentially stop your opponent’s unit getting too close. With a couple of Snaggits in your warband, there’s a great opportunity for area denial – although remember you can only have four trap markers on the table at once. Oh, and if you’re wondering what to use as trap markers, the TerrainCrate traps are 25mm square (hint, hint).
THE GOBLINS ARE AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW FROM THE MANTIC WEBSITE AND YOUR LOCAL RETAILER.
The post Vanguard Goblins: New Units appeared first on Mantic Blog.
