I’m not scared, you’re scared.
Oh, and, happy GenCon! Check out the end of this post for an Event Weekend Exclusive.
Alright, Let’s Do This
We’re officially launching Metal Neko Games and project STARFALL™ as of today! I can no longer run from my responsibilities, haha ahaha… ah…
Help me.
In all seriousness, I can’t be more excited to see this finally coming to fruition. Last night, I held the very first cast of the very first model in my hands for the first time. That’s quite a few ‘firsts.’
Hello there, little Sub-Master. You’re going to be cloned in Resin A BILLION TIMES at the very least.
While, rationally, I know we’re still a long way off before I’ll be able to walk the aisles of a hobby store and see my logo far too many times than can possibly be good for me, staring at those cooling hunks of metal made it all seem so much closer than I’ve ever dreamed.
There were problems, of course. Minor splotches that were missed in cleaning; the hem of the dress formed incorrectly. All the same, I found the moment personally gratifying–rewarding, even. We’re still early in the development stage of the game itself, of course, but seeing the physical results of our efforts and designs was, in a word, motivating.
I was surprised to realize that finding room for improvement quickly became a driving force behind our continued work and design efforts. It’s a good feeling.
The Game
We’ve known since the beginning that we wanted to take a setting that we develop through multiple game systems. There are plans in motion for an RPG, a large-scale army game, and eventually Victorian Steam Ships in Space–with ridiculous weaponry, of course!
Early on however, we decided we wanted to start with the small-scale skirmish game. This would allow us to explore our design concepts in a small, controllable environment and give us the opportunity to produce larger models with display-quality details.
Bigger is better, right?
STARFALL: Age of Mercenaries™ is still a few months away from any serious public/semi-public play-testing, but I wanted to share a bit about the structure of the game and our approach to distribution (when that becomes relevant, anyway).
A game of AoM consists of two teams of five characters controlled by opposing players, representing members of a chosen Mercenary Company–the names of a few of these are listed under the image gallery. Each team has three named, unique characters: a Leader, a Lieutenant, and a Specialist. The other two characters are unnamed scrubbos designed by the players themselves. Each Company will have a limited list of basic profiles, upgrade options, equipment, and alchemical nonsense from which the player can build these two scrubbos to fit their play-style.
From a logistical standpoint, this means that our “Faction Starters,” so to say, will consist of the three named models for beginning play. The sculpts for the named models are, of course, more intricate, and more, well, specific, to the character. The scrubbo models, however…
That’s a surprise for another day.
A game consists of 2-4 stages of a Narrative Scenario. With the exception of the final stage for most scenarios, stages are not timed nor paced out over a number of round–you play until the story moves forward.
Organized play and Competitive play will have their own scenarios designed to be conducive to their respective audiences/venues while keeping with the same basic spirit.
Why Narrative Scenarios, as opposed to asymmetrical goals or other more ubiquitous War Game tropes?
In short, I like coming away from the gaming table with a good story to tell. After a while, “my dice rolled better/worse and then the clock ran down,” starts feeling too repetitive. I crave those cool moments in games that have everyone groaning or cheering; those moments of collective “Awesome” that keep me coming back to the table.
Sure, when the game begins, both players know what will happen at each stage of the scenario–and how to progress the game along. However, if your MacGuffins and your Special Buttons That Just Need A Good Pushing are more than just a simple Objective Zone template, it adds an element of story that makes each game memorable.
But, more on that another time.
The First Model
I am happy to announce the availability of our first Event Exclusive sculpt through our friends at Metal Oak Casting Studios.
Elizabeth Radcliffe, the first Captain for the Blood of Croatoa company. You’ve probably seen her face before: we’ve previously previewed her as a bust! This is an alternate sculpt with the Young Miss outside of her personal Alchemical Combat Suit. While it isn’t “Limited Edition,” per se, it is only available during Event weekends!
We’ll be revealing more about her history and her role with the Croatoans in the coming weeks.
More to Come This Weekend!
Check back Saturday and Sunday for more updates and sculpt previews. Sunday, we’ll have another short story for you introducing the first Mercenary Company!
Metal Neko Games 