Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Frostgrave => Topic started by: spect_spidey on August 30, 2017, 10:17:29 PM
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Anyone know if there is going to be a Nickstarter for Ghost Archipelago? If there is one, does anyone know when it might start? I am really excited about the changes to the rules for this game and I think this might be the version that I will favor over regular Frostgrave. I am considering going full in on it if there is a Nickstarter so I am trying to get an idea to determine how much I am willing to spend.
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Yes. September. I'm not sure the exact date but I'm sure someone here knows. ;)
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Second week of September.
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(Please be 4 weeks [at least], please be 4 weeks [at least], please be 4 weeks [at least]...)
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Does anyone know an approximate cost for the Nickstarter?
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Second week of September.
Thank you for the heads up Joe. I eagerly await its launch.
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The Nickstarters generally have 5 levels. Level 1 is just the book. Level 5 is everything that has been produced. You can also add specific bits on - so you can decide which level/price is right for you.
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There's an "out of stock" Nickstarter item in the North Star shop at the moment....obviously getting ready to run on start date.
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There's an "out of stock" Nickstarter item in the North Star shop at the moment....obviously getting ready to run on start date.
Looks like it's quietly starting ...
http://www.northstarfigures.com/prod.php?prod=10877 (http://www.northstarfigures.com/prod.php?prod=10877)
RMZ
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Does anyone know if Brigade Games will be doing it again for those of us in the States?
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Does anyone know if Brigade Games will be doing it again for those of us in the States?
I received an email from them just the other day, confirming that they would be participating on this Nickstarter, too.
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Does anyone know if Brigade Games will be doing it again for those of us in the States?
I did one of these through North Star and I had no issues with getting my stuff. The shipping was extremely fast and well packed.
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If anyone finds out if Ghost Archipelago needs docks, lemme know! The ForgePrints AdventureScapes KS has a docks set (as well as tavern and alchemist's dungeon lair). 4x4 water game mat, and 88 pieces for $65 EB this week. I'm guessing no, but would like more info. Just got Frostgrave, but am always looking out for pirates and more beasts to play with!
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I should think docks would be useful. Like frostgrave, use what terrain you have. Don't think I've had a 'frozen' game of it at mine yet. Towns, jungles all sorts. That's the good thing about the game, use what's to hand.
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The nickstarter is live! :)
http://www.northstarfigures.com/list.php?man=254&page=1
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Placed my order at Level 2!!
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Level 3 and a whole load of extra stuff for me. Didn't want all the Heritors and Wardens, but I went for some extra dinosaurs among other things.
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I'm going to read about paypal account and if everything will go correctly I'll also get lvl 3.
Edited: found the answers for questions I posted earlier, so I deleted it -everything was in the nickstarter description
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I was looking forward to this, but now I see the metal figs, and after the quality issues I had with the rogue stars casting and some other bits I've had this year from Northstar, I reckon I'm gonna pass.
I'm still interesred in the book and the plastic crew set, just gonna hold off till later.
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Level 3 and a whole load of extra stuff for me. Didn't want all the Heritors and Wardens, but I went for some extra dinosaurs among other things.
I must be blind melon... where on the NorthStar site are you able to select individual / additional items? I only see the four level deals.
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I must be blind melon... where on the NorthStar site are you able to select individual / additional items? I only see the four level deals.
Once you've entered the code from the Nickstarter page, you should have access to all the Ghost elements... If in doubt, try clicking the 'order' button next to the Heritors or Wardens on the NS page - that should take you through to the additional stuff.
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I was looking forward to this, but now I see the metal figs, and after the quality issues I had with the rogue stars casting and some other bits I've had this year from Northstar, I reckon I'm gonna pass.
I'm still interesred in the book and the plastic crew set, just gonna hold off till later.
I've got to say, I've had nothing but bad luck on the castings from from my more recent Northstar orders... does worry me a little...
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I've got to say, I've had nothing but bad luck on the castings from from my more recent Northstar orders... does worry me a little...
Whilst I have concerns about the size of some of the metal figures, I have had no problems with the castings themselves. Clean and crisp.
One of my mates has passed on his metal figures for me to sell (he does not paint and got them as a bundle in a Nickstarter), and they too are well cast with no problems. Nor have any of my other mates commented that there are casting problems.
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Whilst I have concerns about the size of some of the metal figures, I have had no problems with the castings themselves. Clean and crisp.
One of my mates has passed on his metal figures for me to sell (he does not paint and got them as a bundle in a Nickstarter), and they too are well cast with no problems. Nor have any of my other mates commented that there are casting problems.
Ah thanks, that's good to hear - just a bit of bad luck on my part by the sounds of it....
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Once you've entered the code from the Nickstarter page, you should have access to all the Ghost elements... If in doubt, try clicking the 'order' button next to the Heritors or Wardens on the NS page - that should take you through to the additional stuff.
Thanks, I was looking for items directly on North Star page, not the Nickstarter page.
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Just waiting for payday then I'll be ordering the #3 package, plus a few extras.
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Just waiting for payday then I'll be ordering the #3 package, plus a few extras.
same here!
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To wade in I think the problem is around nickstarter time lots of castings are made so quality does slip so maybe just hold off?
One thing that does bother the Christ out of me is that two of the painter heritors have thin (too thin, looks ridiculous) straight swords that seem to be bent...somebody please straiten them out and take new pics!!!
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One thing that does bother the Christ out of me is that two of the painter heritors have thin (too thin, looks ridiculous) straight swords that seem to be bent...somebody please straiten them out and take new pics!!!
I'm pretty sure they are supposed to be curved. There is some artwork floating around showing a heritor with a curved sword, and I think the plastic crew comes with one or more curved swords. I think they are going for a pirate cutlass or Sinbad scimitar look.
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''There is some artwork floating around showing a heritor with a curved sword''
The first in the artwork defintiely has a straight sword.
''I think they are going for a pirate cutlass or Sinbad scimitar look.''
Then they have failed as they look like straight swords that have been dropped, i think the paint jobs dont help as the paint on the swords looks a little thick.
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In for lvl 2, a shark, snapping turtle and a large lizard :D
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I was having some trouble with the payment page not loading at first, but I'm in for Level 3. Already started building a warband out of some old Umbar Corsairs and Reaper miniatures.
Frostgrave plus pirates is too good to pass up.
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I've backed three Nickstarters so far, and had only 3 bad castings out of a pile of minis, and they were all promptly replaced after an email.
That said, am I the only one underwhelmed by the minis for GA? Such a cool idea, but the characters are...well, lame. A bunch of oddly dressed folks pointing just doesn't do it for me...
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Well, as for me the characters are the best part of the deal, the monsters are what could be better and specialists are just ok. Maybe it's because I'm already familiar with heritor/warden pictures from the rulebook and thats because minis seem to fit in. When it comes to monsters I was expecting some more mysterious types mentioned in the book like cortiki or soul dweller, or some creatures that would be hard to find figures for like ground sloth or giant wasps. Dinosaurs were a surprise.
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Just waiting for all crew figures to be shown before deciding upon an order; whether to get several of those, or more creatures instead. As with the normal Frostgrave range, there's always a few (be they characters or troops) that I really like, and some others that are less of a must-have.
Heresy has some nice wasp/mosquitoes by the way: http://heresyminiatures.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=361
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I am a bit disappointed that the spend goals are so high and far apart. I am also a bit disappointed with the levels. Level 1 is fine since it is just the book, but including the accessories and the novel in all the rest kind of sucks. I am not a fan of metal minis so it would have been nice to get a level with just the crew kit or a discount on them.
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Rules+crew or rules+accessory pack would be nice to have, as I'm not necessarily interested in the short stories - I simply have a pile of other books to read already!
Can't seem to find the accessories seperately on the webstore either, surely those will become available?
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Rules+crew or rules+accessory pack would be nice to have, as I'm not necessarily interested in the short stories - I simply have a pile of other books to read already!
Can't seem to find the accessories seperately on the webstore either, surely those will become available?
It is possible to customise your order already. Back Level 1 for the book, then just add what you want the elements are available - at a pre-order discount - in the store on the back end.
From the NS page:
You can add any of the Ghost Archipelago plastic or metal figures to your Nickstarter deals, just click on the order here links and type ghostly in as the password.
Try clicking the "order here" next to the pictures of the individual Heritors on the NS page - that worked for me.
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The plastic (and all the metal) figures I did see, but I don't think the Accessory Pack or the Tales of the Lost Isles are currently available seperately.
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The plastic (and all the metal) figures I did see, but I don't think the Accessory Pack or the Tales of the Lost Isles are currently available seperately.
Ah, my mistake. No, they don't appear to be... I shall ask North Star.
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The sometimes crappy castings ( double moldlines, shifted halves ) are the reason I don't back Northstar Kickstarters, although I really like the desings of most of the metals, got quite a few of them. My local shop sells Frostgrave so when buying stuff from Northstar I can check the models out before buying. Sorry Nick, but if you'd only invest a few bucks an hour in a stundent to check your castings befire sending them out if would increase both your sales ( e.g. 2 friends of mine don't buy FG simply because of the casting issues ) and the reputation of Northstar miniatures.
Edit: not to bash, just giving feedback, because I really want to buy more of your models... ;)
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''The sometimes crappy castings ( double moldlines, shifted halves ) are the reason I don't back Northstar Kickstarters''
Same I ordered from the frostgrave lich lord before chistmas, got home that christmas(this is now a wee bit after buying) to find that a lot of the castings were awful...and probably too late to take back.
I would say given how much I spent and how many needed serious work that it in a way put me off frostgrave, I too like the minis but I cant bring myself to risk it again.
Also I am loving some of the new metal minis but some...look not great/detailed and honestly seem not much better than the plastic kit...freebooter and mercenary looking at you - I will say I have noticed both are now off the website...
I want to get involved but honestly im wary to buy anything beyond the book.
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I didn't go for that many metals. The plastics are far better, and I love the game itself.
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Lookig at the minis...the crew is a well done kit, feels varied and useful..not sure of the point of the single hand weapon option for crew in the rules though.
The specialists are a mixed bag for me, some seem great and characterful, some seem a bit redundant, it annoys me you need to use of specialist slots if you want to get any ranged troops in there.
As to the minis themselves, I know in the fluff they aren't crew/don't have nautical experience but the lack of an overall aesthetic is bad, take the hunter and crackshot, one looks like a samurai and one like a fantasy Clint Eastwood...both cool minis which I am tempted to get but...they do't fit in to me tbh.
The warden designs are all good, all look like they'd appear in a nautical setting, some of the heritors do not although i get they are supposed to come from all over.
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Still not backed this one as I'm on the fence about the pledge levels. I'm not interested in a novel and would only be interested in a pledge for the book and accessories pack. But at 39 quid it's a bit expensive.
And Ghost Archipelago as a setting is awesome, but it will require a lot of new scenery to get playing and currently this keeps me at distance.
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The things You listed Kommando are some of the things that make GA more appealing to me than regular frostgrave :)
Lookig at the minis...the crew is a well done kit, feels varied and useful..not sure of the point of the single hand weapon option for crew in the rules though.
It seemed strange to me as well -why take single weapon when there are options for single weapon and shield or two handed weapon for the same points (free, actually). In one of the reviews on Youtube someone pointed out that single weapon or single weapon+dagger figures are not slowed down while carrying a treasure. This, plus central treasure rule and not guaranteed collection of treasures left after killing all enemies could make players to consider picking the treasures instead of only killing enemies, as most of my frostgrave games looked like.
The specialists are a mixed bag for me, some seem great and characterful, some seem a bit redundant, it annoys me you need to use of specialist slots if you want to get any ranged troops in there.
Well, to be honest about estethics I plan to convert specialists from plastics, minis aren't that great for me also. I wonder how the female crew minis would look like. But, when it comes to the rules and shooting restrictions -thats another change I like. In my frostgrave games there were usually 4+ shooting characters in each band plus mage and apprentice with spell givong shooting attack. Again, one more reason not to pick a treasure that slowed You down and reduced fight, making You an easy target.
As to the minis themselves, I know in the fluff they aren't crew/don't have nautical experience but the lack of an overall aesthetic is bad, take the hunter and crackshot, one looks like a samurai and one like a fantasy Clint Eastwood...both cool minis which I am tempted to get but...they do't fit in to me tbh.
The warden designs are all good, all look like they'd appear in a nautical setting, some of the heritors do not although i get they are supposed to come from all over.
My interpretation is that only regular crewman are pure sailors -rest of the guys are... well specialists -Your heritor (also, not necessarily pirate or sailor) hires a warden and bunch of different individuals each one great at what they do -that's why they look not like regular troops with same theme repeated. I think of GA of not like pirate/nautical game, for me it's "exotic" fantasy -so it seems ok to enhance exoticism by including some guys from different corners of the frostgrave world :)
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Still not backed this one as I'm on the fence about the pledge levels. I'm not interested in a novel and would only be interested in a pledge for the book and accessories pack.
Though I backed at level 2, I have the same feeling. I feel the novel is shoehorned into the package and I'm not interested in it at all, but I didn't find an option to take a level 1 pledge and add the accesories pack as an additional item. I suppose that's a deliberate choice to sell more novels.
I still backed to get a chance to win one of the free sprues.
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not sure of the point of the single hand weapon option for crew in the rules though.
It seemed strange to me as well -why take single weapon when there are options for single weapon and shield or two handed weapon for the same points (free, actually).
It's less encumbrance when swimming or carrying treasure. Armour and shields give negative modifiers to Swimming Rolls, while a model carrying certain equipment (shield, staff, bow, crossbow, two-handed weapon) is at -1 Fight while also carrying treasure. The flip-side is, of course, reduced combat effectiveness.
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Still not backed this one as I'm on the fence about the pledge levels. I'm not interested in a novel and would only be interested in a pledge for the book and accessories pack. But at 39 quid it's a bit expensive.
Though I backed at level 2, I have the same feeling. I feel the novel is shoehorned into the package and I'm not interested in it at all, but I didn't find an option to take a level 1 pledge and add the accesories pack as an additional item. I suppose that's a deliberate choice to sell more novels.
The Accessory Pack is now there as an add-on, so that's entirely doable - just add it to the Level 1 pledge.
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The Accessory Pack is now there as an add-on, so that's entirely doable - just add it to the Level 1 pledge.
Thanks for the heads-up.
No option for me though, since I allready pledged and paid as level 2 to make the deadline of the first 5 days. I'll contact Nick at Northstar this weekend to see if I can retro-actively change it.
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Good to know, thanks!
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Pledged at Level 2. I wish there had been the level one and accessory pack option at that time, but oh well.
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The Accessory Pack is now there as an add-on, so that's entirely doable - just add it to the Level 1 pledge.
Excellent!
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My interpretation is that only regular crewman are pure sailors -rest of the guys are... well specialists -Your heritor (also, not necessarily pirate or sailor) hires a warden and bunch of different individuals each one great at what they do -that's why they look not like regular troops with same theme repeated. I think of GA of not like pirate/nautical game, for me it's "exotic" fantasy -so it seems ok to enhance exoticism by including some guys from different corners of the frostgrave world :)
This is pretty much my understanding too, assuming a Heritor sails all around the world they're likely to pick up skilled individuals from whichever port
they come across them at regardless of their land of origin.
To me it's just an opportunity to make up more interesting background stories for the Heritor & crew, but that may be due to an overdose of tabletop
RPGs... :D
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This is pretty much my understanding too, assuming a Heritor sails all around the world they're likely to pick up skilled individuals from whichever port
they come across them at regardless of their land of origin.
To me it's just an opportunity to make up more interesting background stories for the Heritor & crew, but that may be due to an overdose of tabletop
RPGs... :D
I am going with an all Asian band. Arabic and Japanese dominating with a smattering of Chinese, Mongol, and Indian. Well, my Bosun is from East Africa so I'm cheating a bit.
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Personally, I have the CMON Rum and Bones kickstarter (2 versions) with various figs- 4 versions of books per force and then then loads of heroes. With all these and few painted I'm no buying extra figs for this, no matter how nice they are. :)
Now if only I can paint them half as good as some people do...
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I am going with an all Asian band. Arabic and Japanese dominating with a smattering of Chinese, Mongol, and Indian. Well, my Bosun is from East Africa so I'm cheating a bit.
Variety's the spice of life. :)
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I really think they missed an opportunity with the launch of GA. I think it would have been awesome to do a plastic multi-part Heritor/Warden kit. They could have done one sprue with five body options on it. Maybe a female or two on the sprue. And sold two sprues to a box. I would be all over that. The plastic crewmen are nice, but I just don't see any options in them to make a Heritor or Warden. I am not a fan of metal minis. For regular Frostgrave I did a kitbash with Cultists and Soldiers boxes to create my wizard. I might be able to do that will the various plastic kits combined. I will just have to wait and see. I really would like some female plastic options in the Frostgrave line though.
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Im a +1 on spidey's comment, I'd love to see a generic female warband in the frostgrave/GA line.
As far as I can see there is only the shield maidens that comes as a multi part kit.
I have a set but they all come in chain mail :(
I'm not a WYSIWYG fanatic, near enough is good enough, But there is a gap in the market as far as female warbands go.
And Annie would be all over them as well :)
That being said Ive got my nickstarter order in for the new GA warband,I'll throw some female heads on them and see what they look like.
Plus I think the barbarian/gnoll arms will give some of them the bare arm look I think that will go with the setting.
Roger
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I will third the request for an all female boxset. I think it would sell much better than they apparently think it would.
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Amazons tribe would be appropriate for lost isles.
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Backed at Level 3, and added an extra Heritor/Warden pair, all the specialists, female crew, and a few other extras. I'll be able to make two warbands with plenty of options.
I'm really looking forward to trying this, it sounds like a few tweaks Joe has made to the rules, and the different setting, will give it a very different feel from Felstad.
And the plastic Snakemen and Drichaeans on the horizon sound great!
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To reply to earlier comments;
I forgot about the swimming rules lol, that makes more sense.
I did say i understood that heritors/specialist are not sailors...
A heritor box set while useful would ultimately make less money than selling metal minis.
As an avid player of skirmish games, I on some level do think restricting missile weapons is good.
An all female box set I don't think would sell, while i see a big push for more women in games the fact is most aren't and never will be interested, even among men I am seeing it shrink in some places as computer games and more ''prestigious'' forms of hobbies come to the fore, without wanting to sound mean he new female crew option does nothing for me(kinda sick of the whole dread/bandanna pirate look).
I have to say the stretch goals are kinda rubbish.
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Maybe a full kit dedicated to Heritors/Wardens is not ideal, but I think selling an individual sprue with options to make Heritors/Wardens, females, and specialists would be nice. The crewman set just doesn't have a body or some of the items needed to flesh out a crew. The previous kits all had a few pieces or a body that could stand out a bit from the rest to give you some of the other specialized soldiers, a wizard, or a captain.
On a side note, I do wish that Captains or something similar were included in GA. I like the ideas of Heritors and Wardens, but I think a Captain to lead the crew would be nice as well. Maybe allow warbands to be 12 members? Then you could have each sort of with three crew members whether regular or specialists. And there would be three phases, the Heritor, the Warden, and the Captain. Allowing for three group activations if you would like before regular crewman activate. I guess the main reason I would want this is I really liked the tricks of the trade and it gave a wizard something to do with all that gold he was getting in Frostgrave.
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I suppose the Triple Sprue Challenge does sort of show that quite some interesting leader figures can be constructed from the plastic kits already, and I can imagine that with a limited number of plastic kits that can be produced, something entirely novel like snakemen is preferable. That said, Nick did mention on Facebook that an all-female set is under consideration, depending on how well the current box sells. They did think of having a mixed male/female box, but that would actually just limit options (e.g. rather than 5 bodies with 8 different heads, there'd be 3 male/2 female bodies with 5 male/3 female heads, meaning a group of women would end up looking very similar).
Speaking of the Triple Sprue Challenge by the way, it is a pity both it and the Nickstarter end on the same day, as entry in the former makes participating in the latter a bit less attractive, dreaming to be among the lucky winners as one of course hopes to. Perhaps something to consider for future contests if this one proves successful (and I do hope more will follow, having both enjoyed creating something myself and seeing some of the wacky entries that have been shown already!).
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I am certainly noticing that Osprey and Frostgrave promoters could be more in sync.
The whole thing with amazon selling the books way cheaper springs to mind.
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The whole thing with amazon selling the books way cheaper springs to mind.
Much as I wish it were otherwise, Amazon price at whatever discount they want, and there is nothing we can do to change it.
That said, Nick did mention on Facebook that an all-female set is under consideration, depending on how well the current box sells. They did think of having a mixed male/female box, but that would actually just limit options (e.g. rather than 5 bodies with 8 different heads, there'd be 3 male/2 female bodies with 5 male/3 female heads, meaning a group of women would end up looking very similar).
This is exactly the situation.
Maybe a full kit dedicated to Heritors/Wardens is not ideal, but I think selling an individual sprue with options to make Heritors/Wardens, females, and specialists would be nice.
We have considered this over the last few years. Right now, producing an individual sprue is just not viable, I'm afraid - we'd need to sell four times as many as a crew box, or charge a whole lot more per sprue - the cost of producing that one sprue isn't significantly less than producing the contents of an entire crew box. Also, as above, attempting to put that much variety onto the one sprue would really only result in reduced variety across the board.
I guess the main reason I would want this is I really liked the tricks of the trade and it gave a wizard something to do with all that gold he was getting in Frostgrave.
You'll like the Heritor powers, then. Unlike Frostgrave, where Wizards and Apprentices worked off the same spell list and the Captain Tricks of the Trade offered an extra 'system', that's already there with the Heritor powers and the Warden spells. Also, don't worry about amassing gold - there's new ways to spend money (for example, if you want to recruit replacement specialists or go 'shopping' for gear, you have to pay for a long sea voyage...).
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I can understand the logistics of doing female or specialty parts in a sprue. But I really think they are missing out. There are plenty of heads and male bodies to be had from tons of miniature companies. But how many female kits are out there? I can only think of Shieldwolf's kit. And that kit doesn't really "fit" either of Frostgrave's settings. I do think the female crew metal offerings are a step in the right direction, but as of the time I am writing this there are no pictures of the minis. I am always leary of purchasing anything that I cannot see beforehand. Of course as I have mentioned before I hate working with metal miniatures. I prefer plastics.
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I would like to see this too..... but there are some very sweet female figures out there already....
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I would like to see this too..... but there are some very sweet female figures out there already....
In plastic?
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No, none are in plastic... sorry, that went right over my head....
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I have been a bit disappointed with the spend goals here. One I think they are too far apart. 10,000 each goal is pretty steep. That is a lot of books. Plus I would have figured something "bigger" with a little more substance to it for the launch of a completely new rulebook. I participated in the Nickstarter for the Folio and that one being just a compilation supplement had a free plastic sprue, 2 free metal minis, a free metal head, and a free special mace hand. So far with this one we have a crew sheet, 5 treasure tokens, 1 metal mini, and the possibility of another metal mini. If someone has participated in several of the past Nickstarters, then they will have more than enough treasure tokens. LOL The crew sheet will be good for one Heritor and crew then be discarded. The snakeman is kind of cool, but will look out of place until the plastic kit is released and he has some brethren to hang with. The same goes for the possible warrior when that goal is reached. Here's hoping the next goal has a wow factor to it. I already have a copy of the book and accessory kit on pre-order from my local shop. I guess what I am saying is that the freebies aren't enticing enough to warrant the purchase of an extra book for me. I keep hoping for something better otherwise I will just wait until release and order me a set of the plastic crew and maybe a warden. I just am not seeing many of the metal sculpts that impress me. Many seem very soft in detail and uninspired.
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^^ I tend to agree with spect_spidey here.
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Though I agree that the new miniatures are understated, I want to say that I actually -like- that? Hear me out: this is an opinion influenced by the over-saturation of big and elaborate aesthetics in miniature design. I went all in on this nickstarter (level 4), because to my surprise I have really very much enjoyed the previous Frostgrave miniatures even when they were "uninspired". I have not found them to be soft on detail, just ... simpler. Less gaudy. And simple can be good, since it is rough finding fantasy miniatures that aren't all swinging over-sized weapons, shouting wildly, and scale-creeping into insanity.
Spect-spidey, Karadek, you have a valid point. It's just not one that applies to me, and I want to supply a counter-point to keep things from seeming too negative.
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I agree in that I prefer less overly designed minis so I can put my own stamp on them.
I also agree with spec spidey in that the stretch goals are (compared to before) absolute shite, also lets e real here, they ALWAYS say the nickstarter minis are exclusive...they never stay that way.
I think that we don't have an obligation to be positive Kegluneq, honest feedback is better than unrealistically concentrating on the good, nickstarters in the past have been great but I am noticing that the last few weren't as good.
I'll be honest although I have pledged I am now considering pulling out, the stretch goals do nothing for me(to be fair to the roster thing, you could photcopy it) and while the minis are nice...part me thinks I should just wait until the rulebook is cheap and do a custom warband
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I agree with Keg.
I like the understated nature of the figures for Frostgrave and now Ghost Archipelago. Mark Copplestone and the other sculptors are from the same stable and I like their style.
I have no time for the OTT stuff GW and imitators produce. It takes much longer to paint and is not enjoyable.
The metal miniatures from Northstar have been crisp castings and the sculpting is nice and easy to paint, so I don't get the "soft" issue at all. The plastics if any are the "softer" of the options in terms of sculpting. Both are still good and I have most of them. If I had more room, money and most importantly TIME to paint them, I'd get more.
That said, I am not impressed with the stretch goals so far, which is a shame, as the basic game and offerings seem very very good as usual.
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Though I agree that the new miniatures are understated, I want to say that I actually -like- that? Hear me out: this is an opinion influenced by the over-saturation of big and elaborate aesthetics in miniature design. I went all in on this nickstarter (level 4), because to my surprise I have really very much enjoyed the previous Frostgrave miniatures even when they were "uninspired". I have not found them to be soft on detail, just ... simpler. Less gaudy. And simple can be good, since it is rough finding fantasy miniatures that aren't all swinging over-sized weapons, shouting wildly, and scale-creeping into insanity.
Spect-spidey, Karadek, you have a valid point. It's just not one that applies to me, and I want to supply a counter-point to keep things from seeming too negative.
Please don't mistake what I am saying believe me I love simpler designs. I really like the crew plastics. I would have liked to see a bare chested or vest only torso in the mix, but I can understand why there isn't one. The animals and dinosaurs look pretty decent, but I can find suitable prepainted minis of these creatures on the cheap. Some of these just feel real soft and almost a cop out.
For example the Heritor IX, the pose seems awkward and is so softly sculpted that I have a hard time telling if they are wearing pants with their boots or even if this is a male or female.
Heritor X with her hands on her hips. Her upper and lower arms appear to be bare, but seem to be the same width.
The one Wave Warden has plenty of exposed skin, but there is no definition to the limbs. They remind me of a Batman the Animated Series character.
The Pearl Diver has the same issues as the Wave Warden I mentioned.
While I know that you cannot expect minis to fully capture the artwork they are expected to represent, I always felt like the earlier Frostgrave stuff resembled the artwork and captured the feel of the art very well. A lot of these, I compare it to the artwork and I have a hard time seeing how the sculptor came up with what they did from the art. I don't know who did the first three or so series of sculpts for the metal Frostgrave minis, but those I felt looked really good and made me consider hard to get them since I am not a fan of metal or resin. I prefer my minis to be plastic and preferably multi-part. That is why I always love the Frostgrave plastic kits. I always look forward to what the plastics look like for the next Frostgrave expansion and I always purchase a box. I am even eagerly awaiting the dwarf and elf plastics from Northstar. I don't really play anything that I could use them for other than Frostgrave. But they have so much character in the sculpts. They just ooze excitement and call to be painted much like the Frostgrave plastic kits.
The Ghost Archipelago metals do not saying anything to me. They seem subpar, bland, and lack personality for the most part.
There are a few exceptions. Heritor IV and the two Storm Wardens look pretty good. They feel dynamic and powerful in the sculpts and stances. They are ready for action. I think they did an excellent job of making the female crew look like they match the plastic crew kit. And when I look at the Crackshot, I see an overconfident snooty know it when it comes to using a crossbow. He has a personality and some soul in the sculpt.LOL
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I have to say that the paintjobs really aren't doing the sculpts any favours. I don't want to diminish the painter, Just they seem a big muddy and make it very hard to read the figures.
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...good stuff...
And those are reasonable statements, and if you're not feeling the sculpts then yeah, providing feedback is good. I don't feel an obligation to be positive, I just am positive on these minis and felt it was also worth mentioning that.
All the heritors look good to me. Not "amazing" but I've got plenty of flashier miniatures. They're filling a niche I need. These minis will be used for D&D as often as I'll be able to talk my crew into Frostgrave or Ghost Archipelago, and so this is going to be a great bunch of non-traditional druids, rogues, and explorer types.
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I think some of the minis are excellent and while not very suited to ga..would indeed make excellent characters for other games....I agree with spect in that ome of the poses are very badly sculpted, a couple of the heritors are too androgynous(the one spect mentioned and the one with spear shield and bow).
Also, some of the specialists are excellent and some are quite crude in comparison..was it just Mark Copplestone sculpting these?
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I really wanted to go all in on this but the sculpts look too much of a mixed bag, especially the heritors and extras, some of which look really rough. The plastic Drichaeans and Tribals sound interesting down the line. Snake men less so.
I'll still do level 3 with a few of the extras but it'll be 80 or 90 quid instead of 200 which is a shame. More for otherworld or westfalia.
The next stretch goal is only 5k so perhaps things are slow against projections
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I'm tempted by the book, the novel, the accessories set, and possibly a box of plastic models. The plastic models being low priority as I already have some LotR corsairs that I never got around to doing anything with.
However, that's Level 3 which seems a pretty expensive deal at £62. Yes, you also get two metal figs and some treasure tokens, but still... :?
The next level down is £38 for the same without the figs.
Maybe (probably!) I've been spoilt by launch bundle offers for other games, but I kinda feel like Levels 2 and 3 should be around £10-15 cheaper. I'll keep watching, but I suspect that I'll be picking this up later at retail where I can likely get a better discount. :(
I have to say that the paintjobs really aren't doing the sculpts any favours. I don't want to diminish the painter, Just they seem a big muddy and make it very hard to read the figures.
I absolutely feel the same. No offense to the painter, but better paintjobs would make the models easier to "see" clearly. As it is, I'm not feeling hugely inspired by them.
I think some of the minis are excellent and while not very suited to GA..would indeed make excellent characters for other games....I agree with spect in that some of the poses are very badly sculpted, a couple of the heritors are too androgynous(the one spect mentioned and the one with spear shield and bow).
Also, some of the specialists are excellent and some are quite crude in comparison..was it just Mark Copplestone sculpting these?
Also agreed. Also not to diminish the sculptor's efforts, but quite a few of the minis don't seem as interesting and as well-finished as the FG models to me.
However, it might simply be down to painting/presentation, and I may feel differently about them after people get hold of them and start posting up their own versions.
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Re-reading my post, I didn't mean to sound so negative! However, after the glorious effort that went into FG, I suppose I expected GA to launch with even more polish right out of the gate, and that may have been unrealistic on my part. Even so, I think I'll wait and see for now.
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I don't think it is unreasonable, do far all the frostgrave nickstarters ave been good with a noticeable maintaining of quality.
My theory is thus, I have noticed the releases that stick to the ''original pattern'' do best, that is, plastic boxed set, themed wizards and themed specialists, I think the wardens although not the bt in execution have a fine concept.
I think the heritors should have had more of a ''theme'' to them, the wizards had a wizard/apprentice with magic school to inform design...heritors should have gone similarly, do sets of male and female heritors each based on an 'archetype' for instance, assassin or heavily armoured bruiser etc.
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I'm in. The rules will be fun, the stretch goals minis are cool and make me look forward to Future releases, and the new Savage is a must-buy. I'm not crazy abt the regular minis, but I'm a Nickstarter fan and I want to see GA do well.
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Can I use my savage core amazon's?
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Can I use my savage core amazon's?
Of course! My gaming pal is doing exactly that! I used their Simians as my FG band.
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Here are a few videos I found on Youtube of someone painting two of the GA minis.
Here is a tutorial for a Vine Warden: https://youtu.be/SzqbliX4D2E
Here is a tutorial for a Heritor: https://youtu.be/v0KIgutUKE8
I think these two videos help raise the status of these two models. For me, it takes them from meh to okay. I can appreciate them better, but they still seem lacking. I can't put my finger on it. The only words that keep coming to mind is lifeless or lacking personality. The sculpts definitely look better in these videos, but they feel like they could be from any miniature line. They miss that spark that I feel a lot of the original Frostgrave models had. And it is a shame because I really like the changes to the rules that I read about. I honestly think that I will probably play GA more than regular Frostgrave although I will miss having captains.
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After sone soul searching I discovered that I've only went "all in" with the gnolls, and now the snakemen are the ones holding my interest. Maybe we have been given too much, too fast on what to expect from GA future...
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The whole thing with amazon selling the books way cheaper springs to mind.
Well, in the long run, you want to do more than sell product through a month-long crowdfunding project, and Amazon should have more exposure (and lower shipping prices) than a webstore or OLGS. Given that part of the sell of Frostgrave is that you can use your own miniatures, I'd say that it's audience would be more interested in a discount for the rulebook, rather than buying miniatures they may not want or need.
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Well, in the long run, you want to do more than sell product through a month-long crowdfunding project, and Amazon should have more exposure (and lower shipping prices) than a webstore or OLGS. Given that part of the sell of Frostgrave is that you can use your own miniatures, I'd say that it's audience would be more interested in a discount for the rulebook, rather than buying miniatures they may not want or need.
Or in my case, you might want some of the miniatures (mainly the plastics), but your FLGS's distributors don't carry the miniatures and so eBay, overseas, or Brigade Games is the only way to get the miniatures. It really sucks. It is hard to get exposure for a game when there is a just a few books on the shelves. You show it to people and start talking to them about it and they are like "I really like some of the miniatures in the book. Where are they?" And I have to reply "Uh, well the store can't get them so you either have to buy online or use some of the miniatures that the store does carry." It doesn't go over too well I hate to say. It has definitely made it hard to get any type of Frostgrave community going here. It would be nice if Osprey had some kind of promotion program for people demoing their games. But I get it gaming books is just a small part of their business.
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was really hoping that one of the stretch goals would be a dinosaur of some sorts, or some other snakeman to go with the first one.
ah well, can't have it all I suppose ;)
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Or in my case, you might want some of the miniatures (mainly the plastics), but your FLGS's distributors don't carry the miniatures and so eBay, overseas, or Brigade Games is the only way to get the miniatures. It really sucks.
Oh! Miniatures. Yeah, no disagreement for that side of the business. Even for Reaper, you pretty much have to order direct if you want a specific miniature. A miniature is expensive, yet any discount doesn't save you more than a few bucks, and shipping's not worth it if you only find a few items that you want. I can't find Frostgrave mini's on Miniature Market, and FRPGames is now Games Kastle (which does have Frostgrave at MSRP : https://www.gamekastle.com/online/index.php?m=list&psearch=frostgrave ).
The problem is that metal miniatures have a low barrier to entry, so distributors can't carry all miniatures from all manufacturers. (And even manufacturers will not always carry items in stock when you order from them.) I guess once 3D printers print at high resolution, we can print miniatures directly from the designers. (Not any time soon, unfortunately.)
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Hmm, 35,000 goal was hit earlier today, but no new stretch goal posted yet. I am curious to see what they will post to sweeten the pot. Maybe a free plastic sprue? Anyone else have some speculation as to what the next goal will be? Anyone think we might hit two more goals? I am admit though that I am still holding out to see if the freebies will make it worth it for me to buy another book. I already have one on order with my local shop. I figure even if he can't get the miniatures that buying the books from him will allow me to play down there and try to get a community going.
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There is an info on northstarfigures website that there won't be more spend goals.
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I'm in for level three.
while somehow FG didn't quite do it for me (although in truth I didn't give it enough of a chance actually, to say the least), GA looks to be just about everything I want from Fantasy skirmish gaming in terms of setting and presentation. Hoping it does very well and is supported and expanded over time.
I've picked up some lucideye figs too, which look as though they should be a good match.
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There is an info on northstarfigures website that there won't be more spend goals.
That is a shame. I can't justify ordering another book for some treasure tokens and three minis. :'(
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Those aren't just "three miniatures", they're NICKSTARTER EXCLUSIVES!!! lol
My guess is that, since I'm seeing this as a pre-order on Amazon and such, this is more of a retail pre-order, where the books have already been printed, than a KS, where only the prototypes have been made. Given how quickly the books were delivered in the past, I'm thinking they're waiting for the numbers from the Nickstarter, Amazon, etc. to determine the print run, and all the metal molds have been paid for. They're not offering plastic sprues, because the cost of the molds for them are very high and not worth the risk of not enough backers purchasing the product. The description of the exclusive miniatures states that they are for *plastic* figures, so there's an intention for GA to have plastic figures, just not now. At least compared to other KS, I don't think there's a real need for a crowdfunded project, so there's no need to pile on the incentives (like, perhaps, there was in the past). It's an opportunity for the hardcore to get these miniatures Nick doesn't intend to sell, and for customers who can't otherwise get the books.
That's just reverse engineering, though.
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That's the thing, the seclusive never stay exclusive do they?
Apart from objectives, i've seen the special edition minis offered subsequently before.
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That's the thing, the seclusive never stay exclusive do they?
Apart from objectives, i've seen the special edition minis offered subsequently before.
You are correct. And even the treasure tokens are available for sale. The Pacts tokens are for sale and the "exclusive" head/mace from the Folio. Heck even the free Sigilist wizard and apprentice from the Folio can be bought. So I agree, there is a pretty good chance that these three miniatures will be for sale as well.
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Yep, metal moulds are expensive (especially when its a freebie) retiring it straight after is throwing money away.
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So some FR fans have issue with miniatures NOT bying Nickstarter exclusive? I actually dislike Kickstarter etc. exclusives in general :)
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I might be wrong here, but was there not a figure called "the savage", a conanesque mini that was going to be included in the NS? What happened to that one? ???
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He's a specialist crew option, available as an add-on or seperately for whenever the figures go on general release. Never part of Nickstarter goals though.
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The "savage" looks like the Frostgrave Barbarian ditched his furs to run around the jungle. Really cool.
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Yep, metal moulds are expensive (especially when its a freebie) retiring it straight after is throwing money away.
Metal molds are much cheaper than plastic ones (hundreds vs. five thousand and upwards). IIRC, the metal figures won't be made because they were used as models (prototypes) for plastic figures (?). So there's no need to bring the metal version to market.
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I'm sure I've seen it somewhere but now can't find it, when will the Nickstarter stuff be posted out?
Thank you.
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On GA facebook there was info about next week (third week of October).
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Yes back end of this month (october) I was told - I phoned Northstar up last week to see if they could tack a small extra item (for my b'day) on to the order to save P&P.
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Thanks Gents