Footsore Miniatures: Waliser Kickstarter

Der aktuelle Kickstarter von Footsore läuft sehr erfolgreich und endet bald.

We are pleased to bring a range of Welsh warriors to Kickstarter. How did this come about? Read on…

Mark Farr, manager of Footsore Miniatures & Games, was born in Hereford, and his interest in everything military was kindled by being surrounded by ruined castles and fortifications everywhere he went. Their proliferation speaks of turbulent times on the Welsh/English border with boundaries constantly moving, creating ‚The Marches‘, an area steeped in military conflict. Both sides record ambushes and battles, and it is fair to say many more similar events were lost in the mists of time. This border is an area of constant conflict occasionally punctured by brief spells of peace. The inhabitants could thankfully settle down to farming and building only to see mighty Warlords want to conquer more territory. For a wargamer, it is a ‚dream‘ area of conflict to want to explore.

A chance discussion with Matt Bickley, now living in Herefordshire, made the chaps realise a shared interest in the area and the forces that fought there. Matt had recently sculpted a range of Late Saxons, and it was agreed that the Welsh, while on occasion had some miniature support, they had not been ‚done justice‘ and this travesty should be rectified.

Both wanted to cover as broad a period as possible and make it comprehensive with various Welsh troops available. Both were helped and hindered by the scarcity of information available on Welsh warriors, with a lot of historical (mis)information coming from their enemies.

Realising that a constant theme was that comparatively, the Welsh were more impoverished than their opponents (only the great Lords being able to match the counterparts with contemporary equipment and perhaps their closest and most favoured troops). It gave us a basis for our figures, leggings, tunics, plaid and cloaks. There is always a discussion about Welsh footwear. Hence, we decided some would be barefoot, some in shoes, and as a nod to contemporary descriptions (now considered English propaganda), the occasional model with only one shoe.

Our plan has provided us with a core range of warriors fighting from Early Medieval (Dark Ages) up to High Medieval (The Barons‘ War). Packs will be offered with round shields or kite/heater shields to show their progress through time. For an Early Medieval force, you can order packs with round shields. If you’re going to go later, perhaps going up against the early Marcher Lords, you can order packs with heater shields. If you want a more varied force, you can mix with the most impoverished warriors using hand me downs and the later warriors being more up to date (that is what I have done). Command packs for the different periods will be available and a smattering of different later troop types, allowing you to build either a generic force with many periods covered or a specific force with the flavour of your favourite period. Cavalry models mounted on horses or ponies have also been planned, so you can have a choice – early forces might prefer ponies later period forces horses, or you can combine them into a mixed force.

We believe this to be an excellent collaboration between Footsore Miniatures and Matt Bickley. As you would expect from Matt, every figure is a gem bringing a comprehensive Welsh range to the tabletop which has been long overdue. It is a big project, and we hope we have done the Welsh justice with the breadth of our range and the quality of the miniatures, and so we look forward to your support to bring it to life.

Mark Farr (Footsore Miniatures & Games)

The Dark Ages (Early Medieval) Pledge

This pledge is made up of 10 unique packs of Welsh figures which will be supplied with the correct period shields, weapons (spears & javelin) and 25mm or pill bases where appropriate.

The Barons‘ War (High Medieval) Pledge

This pledge is made up of 10 unique packs of Welsh figures which will be supplied with the correct period shields, weapons (spears. lances & javelin) and 25mm or pill bases where appropriate.

Build Your Own Pledge (Pick Your Packs)

If the ‚Dark Age or The Barons‘ War pledges‘ don’t work for you, you can ‚Pick Your Own Pledge‘. Using the graphics below, add up the total cost of all the packs you want and change the pledge amount on the ‚£1 – Pick your Packs and Pledge‘ to match. You can choose one pack, two packs, ten packs – as many as you like!

Later you’ll have the freedom to choose those packs (and more) in white metal in the pledge manager if the project funds successfully. If you have any questions about the ‚Pick Your Own Pledge‘ please ask in the comments or send us a message, we are happy to help.

Summary

This range is extensive, which is why we have decided to ask for help via Kickstarter to deliver it.  Our aim is to release a substantial range and to be honest we cannot afford to do this without funding. We are hoping that with your support, we can initially fund 18 packs and add more during this campaign as stretch goals.

Like many of the Footsore Miniature ranges, this new range of Welsh will be packed to work well for games like Saga, Lion Rampant and of course, The Barons‘ War rules by Andy Hobday, which we are currently distributing for him.

Stretch Goals & Add-ons

We have set a campaign goal of £9,000, which is just enough to pay for the initial sculpts and have master moulds made for eighteen unique packs. We have prepared a selection of Stretch Goals and Add-ons to extend the range depending on how successful the project is. They will all be additional figure packs, with the first of these being available at £10,000.

Proposed Timeline

If everything goes to plan this is our planned timeline for this campaign:

• August 2021 – Kickstarter Campaign
• September 2021 – Pledge Manager
• December 2021, January 2022 & February 2022 – Production
• End of April 2022 – Despatched for Delivery

Shipping

We will be collecting shipping costs after the campaign finishes successfully and once you have finalised your pledges in the pledge manager. The shipping table below is included to give an indication of what these costs will be and based on estimated pack weights.

We expect shipping prices to be roughly the same as what we are currently experiencing when it comes to shipping pledges in April 2022, but please be aware this could change.

*EU pledges via DDP or IOSS

We will be shipping all EU pledges either via DDP (delivered duty paid) or via IOSS (Import One-Stop Shop) therefore we will arrange to ship and pay the taxes at our end so you won’t have to when your pledge arrives.

Die Kampagne läuft noch 3 Tage.

Quelle: Footsore Miniatures: The Welsh