Relicblade: Adventure Battle Game Kickstarter

Metal King Studio hat einen Kickstarter am laufen der sich Relicblade Adventure Battle Game nennt und mit 30mm Miniaturen und Charakterkarten gespielt wird.

 

Relicblade is a small scale miniatures skirmish game created by Metal King Studio. Players take command of heroes and monsters as they battle to claim magical relics of the ancient world.

Will you lead bold heroes on their righteous quest for hope? Or will you harness the unbound fury of the Pig Men; whose craven lust for destruction is only matched by their love for snacks?

The „Bold Adventurer“ Two Player Battle Game contains the fully illustrated rulebook, 54-card deck, and two full size war parties. In addition to the core game Kickstarter backers will receive a KS Exclusive Relic Card and ALL UNLOCKED STRETCH GOALS!

 

Relicblade is quick to learn and fun to play. The characters are represented on the board by detailed 30mm miniatures while their statistics and abilities are shown on convenient character cards. The real depth comes in as players choose from 25 unique upgrades to specialize their characters to gain a tactical advantage. Will you choose to specialize your druid as a support healer, or upgrade her bear form into a close combat monstrosity?

Battles are fought over an unidentified magic item that has drawn the characters to that spot. When characters are finally able to seize the relic it is drawn randomly from the Relic Deck. Relics grant an unnatural boon and are used just like upgrades, however they far surpass any upgrade in power. But if the character wielding the relic is disabled anyone can pick it up.

Standard games of Relicblade are played on a 2’x2′ area, players usually only field between three and six characters, and the games only last around 45 minutes. Games are fast paced, dynamic, and exciting. It’s not unusual to play several games over the course of a couple drinks.

Relicblade is a good old-fashioned miniatures game.

Players dive into the miniatures hobby as they assemble, paint, and play the game. Relicblade figures are made of high quality white metal, and the miniatures are supplied unassembled and unpainted. The process of customizing and painting the characters is part of the awesome collaboration between the creator and players. The ruins of Relicblade are largely unexplored, so the depths of this savage world are open for players to invent and discover.

 

What scale are the figures?

Relicblade miniatures are made at the 30mm scale. That means from foot to eye level a character should stand at around 30mm. It’s ever so slightly larger than the well known Warhammer scale, but slightly less „heroic“ ( giant hands and weapons).

 

How Relicblade miniatures are made.

Relicblade is 100% independent and creator owned. However, the process for creating these metal miniatures is extremely similar to the production process from your favorite miniatures companies. I even use the same prototyping company, mold maker, and caster as some of my most loved games.

 

1. The first step is to create a character that is at least vaguely interesting. For the Questing Knight I did a bunch of research on knightly arms and armor. I especially lost myself in YouTube videos of Battle of the Nations and other HEMA groups.

2. Using ZBrush I create a 3D model of the figure. From the very beginning I have to consider how the model will look at the tiny 30mm scale and how it will work for mold making and casting.

3. Rapid prototypes are a quick low resolution 3D print of the model. Using the Form 1+ printer I was able to see what was working and what wasn’t. It’s extremely important to see how the parts fit together and make sure everything is at the appropriate scale.

 

 4. Once the design is finalized and all the issues are resolved, the files are sent to VisionProto for high resolution prototypes that can withstand the mold making process. These prototypes are quite costly, but offer unmatched detail and fidelity.

5. The high resolution prototypes are sent to a mold-maker and caster. The master and production molds were made by Fortress Figures. With the molds established the figures are cast by the hundreds in high quality white metal.

6. The final stage is when players paint the figures and play out legendary adventures. The final product is a collaborative art piece that unites friends, gamers, and hobbyists around the world.

 

Hier haben wir auch noch eine kleine Vorstellung des Designers Sean Sutter:

 

Greetings friends,

My name is Sean Sutter. I am a professional freelance artist and illustrator, and the lead artist on the comic book series B-Squad: Soldiers of Misfortune. As a freelance artist there can be gaps between jobs or even simple hours here and there while you wait for a sketch to be approved. Relicblade was more or less born in these gaps.

 

I’ve been obsessed with tabletop miniatures since I first walked into a game shop and saw that they existed. And like many of you, I harbored dreams of creating a game. 20 years later I realized that I’m still crazy about miniatures, but I am also an able illustrator and writer. So I taught myself how to sculpt miniatures in ZBrush.

ZBrush is extraordinary. I’ve studied drawing my entire life. I did over ten years of weekly figure drawing and have a bachelors degree of fine art. But drawing has always been a process of translation for me. While drawing I work to translate a three-dimensional idea into two-dimensions, which is always the major challenge. But once I learned the basics for ZBrush I was finally home. My thee-dimensional imagination just needs to be transcribed into ZBrush… I can’t adequately describe how artistically fulfilling sculpting is.

 

Game design has been a joy, as well. I put forward core design principals and set about creating a game. As I got deeper in the game design I obsessively asked and answered questions through every step. I would toss and turn at night trying to figure out gameplay mechanics. After months of fevered game-craft Relicblade was complete. Now, each time I play it I am delighted at how well Relicblade meets its design goals.

While learning to sculpt and filling notebooks with ideas took place in the gaps between freelance gigs, the hardcore making of the game had to be a full time endeavor. In July of 2015 I started creating Relicblade full-time. It’s been a crazy adventure so far, and I really hope with this Kickstarter it is just the beginning. I have ideas coming out my ears and a really great game.

Now that the rules, cards, and figures are in print I can take a step back and just enjoy the game instead of critiquing it. We are still finding crazy new upgrade combinations and party-builds. Just last night I had one of the most exciting games to date.

 

I hope you will step out on a limb to try this new game. There are a ton of great games out there, but I know after a few games Relicblade will be one of your favorites, too. Plus, supporting independent artists has intrinsic value. 😉

Your Friend,

Sean Sutter

 

B-Squad is a crazy action-packed comedy that follows a band of misfit mercs on dangerous and ridiculous missions. In volume one the squadies did battle with a hive-mind of wiener dogs, and a dangerous band of James Cameron cosplayers. While Eben Burgoon is writing each issue he spins a six-sided whale-bone die to determine which of the six main characters will be killed on the mission. Ridiculous. Dangerous. Expendable.

Getting paid to draw for B-Squad empowered me to believe in myself and make Relicblade. In B-Squad Volume 2 we will be empowering a new batch of artists! When you #BackBSquad you aren’t just getting a book. You’re showing artists that they deserve to get paid, and encouraging them to make something awesome.

If you back both B-Squad and Relicblade, you’ll also receive an exclusive Relic Card modeled after the very dice that slays all the B-Squad characters, The Pequod!

 

Die Pledgelevel dürfen natürlich auch nicht fehlen:

What’s a Custom Character Card?

You can tell me about a D&D character you used to play as, or any character you imagine. Then I will do an original illustration of that character. But the fun won’t stop there! I will also stick that character in a character card and make up some sweet rules and stats for your them!

Now that barbarian you have fond memories of playing back in high-school can roam the wild lands of Relicblade!

You get the original illustration and a professionally printed copy of your card (Character, or monster, or relic, or whatever…)

 

But, what if I want a miniature of my awesome character?

It costs money, but it’s pretty amazing seeing your characters come to life this way. Also, these high pledge levels really help support the studio.

 

Und zu guter letzt die Strech Goals die bis jetzt bekannt sind:

Quelle: Relicblade Adventure Battle Game auf Kickstarter