Warzone Eternal

August Update
30 days ago – Mon, Aug 19, 2024 at 08:55:53 PM

Hello Warzone Eternal backers, happy August. For those in the northern hemisphere, I hope your summer is winding down nicely. 

Here at Res Nova HQ, other than a brief respite at GenCon (and while RN wasn't at the convention in an official capacity, it was great seeing many of you there!), we've been slogging our way towards our Kickstarter fulfillment goal. As I have mentioned in a few places previously, the aim was to have all components of the Kickstarter in hand by the beginning of September so that we could start shipping later that month. That, unfortunately will not be happening due to an unexpected obstacle which is entirely unrelated to the most likely culprit in a project like this – miniatures production – as that is still moving forward swimmingly. See below in this update for more details there.

Instead, last month I was informed that Muse on Minis would be closing their doors effective immediately, and that Warzone Eternal would be their last project. Just before GenCon, I received the first shipment of product from them, which amounted to less than half of the contracted acrylic deliverables. While Muse proposed a few paths towards getting the balance of the Warzone Eternal project completed, none of them included any level of certainty that this would occur, as their manufacturing capacity was significantly reduced. As a small company myself, I understand the impact that even small hiccups can cause to a going venture, and would have been happy to offer Muse the chance to try and finish the project in most circumstances. But with production of the acrylic suddenly becoming an uncertainty this close to wrapping up all production on the Kickstarter, that wasn’t a gamble I wanted to make.

So, part of my time at GenCon was spent looking for alternative partners. Fortunately, that was a short process as a company with which I’m quite familiar and with whom I’ve worked flawlessly in the past agreed to step in and complete the contracted production run. And just to cover my bases, I engaged another manufacturer who noted that they had the production capacity to pick this up should the first solution fail.

However, neither of these companies had space for an unexpected project of this size in their production queue, so we have to take our place in line. At this point, the end of September, at the earliest, looks likely. If that changes, I'll let you know here.

To say this was a surprise is an understatement. Muse had been a well-established company for many years and produced some of the nicest acrylic game accessories in the market. For those who swung by the Res Nova booth at Adepticon, Origins, or PAX Unplugged, you saw in our demo sets the quality of the product they produced. So this news is not only a disappointment for the Warzone Eternal project, but a definite loss to the miniatures gaming community. The folks at Muse are good guys, and we're sad to see them go.

Fiction PDFs

While the first two of our new Warzone Eternal short stories were distributed through Backerkit back in May, I just realized that the remaining four had never been sent out. You should find those - "Blackwater West" by Chant Evans, "The Price of Heroism" by Richard August, "The Intruder" by Bryan Borgman, and "Nightwatch" by Jake Krajeski - in the digital downloads section of your Backerkit account now.

Follow this link if you've misplaced your Backerkit invitation.

Production Status

As of today, here is the production status of the various elements of the Kickstarter products:

• Miniatures - In Production. Miniatures continue to arrive at Res Nova and our production partner thinks that our goal of early September (likely nearer the mid-point of the month) is still attainable. Below are some shots I grabbed of a random collection of models that arrived last week.

• Rulebook - In Production. Layout continues.
• Unit Cards - In Production. Final pre-print setup is being completed. PDF versions of the final cards should become available via the Res Nova website later this month.
• Acrylic - See above.
• Dice - In hand at Res Nova.
• Shirts - In hand at Res Nova and bagged for shipping.
• Decals - In hand at Res Nova.
• Short Story Compilation - In hand at Res Nova and bagged for shipping.

Unit next time!

Alex / Res Nova Games

July Update
2 months ago – Thu, Jul 18, 2024 at 06:00:06 PM

Hello Warzone Eternal backers! Checking in with another monthly update. 

Origins

Last month Bryan and I headed to Columbus, Ohio to attend the Origins Game Fair, the annual convention put on by The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA). For four days we ran demos and hung out with Warzone fans new and old (including a number of you backers!). We had a print proof of the Kickstarter-exclusive short story compilation on hand for people to flip through, but the preview that excited most folks who stopped by were the prototypes of the Mishima Samurai we had on hand. 

These line troops of the Lord Heirs will be released as part of wave 2, after the Kickstarter has been fulfilled, and as with the Algeroth Immaculate Fury revealed at Adepticon in March, are a sneak peek at our efforts to continue supporting Warzone Eternal into the future.

Manufacturer Trip

As soon as I got back home from Columbus I jumped on a plane and flew out to meet with our new miniatures manufacturing partner. They had intended to get up and running on our project right away, but this was going to be my chance to see their process in detail as well as their progress.

And they were indeed up and running! In fact, earlier this week a first shipment consisting of more than 4000 completed miniatures showed up at Res Nova HQ. More such shipments should be arriving throughout the next month. 

While at their facilities I snapped a number of pictures for those of you who may be interested in the process.

Mats by Mars

Some of you may have already seen this mentioned on the Warzone Eternal Facebook page, but we're happy to announce that our friends over at Mats by Mars have included Warzone Eternal amongst the range of games they support with their fabulous game mats. You can now choose a Warzone Eternal overlay, which marks out all of the deployment areas for the game's standard scenarios (thanks to Zach Grogan for compiling those), for nearly all of their 36"x36" mats.

Take a look at them here: Mats by Mars

Check Your Backerkit!

With production on all elements of the Warzone Eternal Kickstarter closing in on the end, it's imperative to know that we're not missing anything. While the completion of your Backerkits suggests you have all reviewed your accounts and verified that things were correct, I'd ask that you take one final look again to make sure that nothing seems off. 

Follow this link if you've misplaced your Backerkit invitation.

For instance, I had found that a number of you who selected the A La Carte option were entitled to Cartel Agent models that the Backerkit system had not added. That has been corrected, but I'd like to make sure that no similar issues exist that will require lengthier and costlier corrections later.

If anything seems amiss, please send me a message here on Kickstarter and I'll take a look.

Production Status

Finally, as has become the custom with these updates, we have a rundown of the production status of the various elements of the Kickstarter products:

• Miniatures - In Production. As noted above, production is well underway and miniatures are starting to arrive at Res Nova.
• Rulebook - In Production. Layout continues, but a few sample spreads from the book can be seen below.

• Unit Cards - In Production. Final review has been completed and we had a meeting with our print partner at Origins to discuss pre-print setup. These have been sent off for print proofs.
• Acrylic - In Production. The most recent update from Muse on Minis stated that all of the measuring widgets and objective counters had been cut and printing was being finalized. Acrylic cutting on the gameplay counters had just begun.
• Dice - In hand at Res Nova.
• Shirts - In hand at Res Nova.
• Decals - In hand at Res Nova.
• Short Story Compilation - In hand at Res Nova.

Until next time!

Alex / Res Nova Games

Origins, Tournaments, & Progress Updates
3 months ago – Tue, Jun 18, 2024 at 07:30:56 AM

Hello Warzone Eternal Backers,

Hope you're all staying cool (or warm for our southern hemisphere friends) as summer rolls in like a Gehenna Puker.

But summer temperatures mean summer conventions, and Bryan and I are off to Origins this week. For those who haven't made the trip to Columbus, Ohio before, Origins is a great mid-sized show that represents the full range of the tabletop gaming hobby. If you are making it in for the convention, swing by booth 214 and say hi. Bryan and I will be running demos all show and, as with the Immaculate Fury at Adepticon, we should have a prototype of another wave 2 unit on display.

I hope to see some of you there!

First Ever Warzone Eternal Tournament!

While the first Warzone Eternal championship won't be occurring until Adepticon of next year, a group of Warzone fans in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, kicked off the WZE tournament scene by hosting the first ever Warzone Eternal tournament in early May. Nine players, representing Bauhaus, Imperial, Mishima, Cybertronic, and Algeroth battled it out over two days, with Tomas Kohoutek's Mishima emerging as the victor (congratulations Tom!). I suppose that makes Tomas the reigning Warzone Eternal world champion.

Thanks to Mancini (a regular on the fan-run Warzone Eternal Discord channel) for some great pictures.

Packaging

As noted in an earlier update, models for Kickstarter fulfillment will be packed securely in zip top bags (see the April 23rd update for full details). A few people noted that they were collectors, as much as painters or gamers, so the retail packaging was something that was desirable to them, even if it meant paying higher shipping costs than other backers due to the volumetric space taken up by boxes. I invited such people to contact me via Kickstarter messaging to let me know that they would like retail packaging. To date, very few people have sent a message, so if this is something you desire as well, please be sure to let me know as soon as possible.

Production Status

With each passing week, we get closer to completion on this project and more red "completed" checkmarks get added to my whiteboard. Here's where things stand currently:

• Miniatures - Production continues and I will be flying out to our partner's facility the day after I get back from Origins to review the progress and discuss next steps. Pictures will be in the next Kickstarter update.
• Rulebook - Text layout is complete as well as basic page graphics. Rules explanation diagrams are being finished and artwork and fiction inserted.
• Unit Cards - Layout is complete and files are prepped to go to the printer, but still need to undergo one more quality review to ensure that no stats or special abilities were transcribed incorrectly.
• Acrylic - In production. Muse had to revise their delivery date to late June due to production on the project prior to ours running long.
• Dice - In hand at Res Nova.
• Shirts - Complete and arriving at Res Nova tomorrow.
• Decals - In hand at Res Nova.
• Short story compilation - In production with printer. Estimated delivery to Res Nova of early next week.

Unit next time,

Alex / Res Nova Games

May Update
4 months ago – Mon, May 27, 2024 at 05:10:07 PM

Happy May Warzoners (and Happy Memorial Day for those observing in the US).

Things continue moving along here at Res Nova HQ, with Origins rapidly approaching. You'll be able to find Bryan and I at booth 214 where we'll be running demos, showing off a bunch of spectacularly painted models, and, maybe, bringing along a sneak peek of some future models.

But while future models are fine, I know we're all eager to reach fulfillment on last year's Kickstarter. So, diving directly into a status update on the various aspects of that project:

• Miniatures - Production continues and a trip to their facility to see their process in-person is intended for next month. Presuming that trip happens, pictures will follow. At this point, no hiccups have been reported that would throw a wrench in the works of our timeline.
• Rulebook - In layout.
• Unit Cards - Layout is completed and files are being prepped for print.
• Acrylic - In production. Last update from Muse suggested delivery to Res Nova by early June.
• Dice - Production completed and several thousand new dice are in hand at Res Nova.

• Shirts - Production complete and shirts are in transit to Res Nova.
• Decals - In production.
• Short story compilation - Laid out and printer proof is in process. The cover/spine spread can be seen here:

Speaking of the War Stories book, all backers should have just received, or should shortly be receiving, the first batch of digital reward downloads. This includes the first two short stories featured in our compilation, "5 Whys" by David Voderberg and "Mother May I" by Bryan C.P. Steele. These files feature the page design created by our graphic designer, Matt Sturm, as they will feature in the print version of the book.

Additional digital rewards you should have received include the pre-supported STL files for the basing detail kit designed for us by Mike "Epic Duck" Cousins. Once you've printed these out and made use of them, please post pictures to the various Res Nova socials or the fan-ran Discord channel. I'm looking forward to seeing your creations.

Also in the digital rewards is the PDF sheet of print and play counters for you to use. There have been some excellent fan-made versions created over the last many months (thank you in particular to Marijn Bierhof for his spectacular work in this regard), so these will provide an option for those of you looking for tokens featuring the artwork used on our acrylic pieces. Bleed area and cut lines are include to help.

Our final digital reward for this batch comes from our friends at Secret Cow Level, and is a code for 5 digital card packs for their online version of the Doomtrooper card game. Grab the codes, download the game from Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/723410/Doomtrooper_CCG/), and check it out.

If for any reason, any of the digital rewards aren't showing up correctly for you, please send me a message through Kickstarter.

Until next time,

Alex / Res Nova Games

The Sun Rises On Venus...
5 months ago – Mon, Apr 29, 2024 at 06:30:27 AM

Hey everybody! Bryan here!
So, with everything is starting to fall into place and layout to head off to the printers soon. For the last couple months, we had playtesters focusing on the Graveton Protocol narrative scenario pack to make sure it is fun and interesting for players... especially the aforementioned Graveton Protocol Unique character Units! 

In the last week or so, I've seen a few comments about Graveton, and I figured it might be fun to give you folks a little tease about who will be arriving to Warzone Eternal when the Graveton Protocol goes live! 

Without spoiling their stat cards just yet (as final playtesting wraps up on them), I figured I could at least let everybody know a potential option for one of their Faction Starter Box miniatures!

Without further ado, let's meet the supporting cast of Graveton Protocol!

Junior Marshall Waltman (Venusian Ranger)

Considered an anomaly amongst the Venusian Rangers, Junior Marshall Waltman left the comforts of his position as the Information Dissemination Officer of a noble house in order to join his unit. His strong personality and ability to steer the minds of others found him a shortened path toward becoming one of the esteemed Venusian Marshalls. While he has yet to finish the training regime necessary to gain his mount and earn the official title, Waltman is dedicated to the cause. Only through the mastery of his Venusian surroundings, leading his fellow Rangers through the weeds in hopes of finding his glorious regalia waiting for him when he returns to the compound after each successful mission.

Capitol Corporation

“Nitro” (Free Marine)

Some heroes find themselves on propaganda posters and all across the Capitol Media Corps airwaves. Some heroes do press junkets and sign autographs. Other heroes, heroes like the woman called Nitro, are only known by the other soldiers who have seen her trudge through the muck and mire alongside them. No one knows exactly why Nitro ended up in the Free Marines; only that she wears the colors proudly and bears the scars of dozens of mission survivals on her face and demeanor. When the Capitol brass needs her to lug his modified M50 with the underslung grenade tube into the thickest and hottest of conflicts, Nitro doesn’t hesitate.

Cybertronic Corporation

“Reaver” (Chasseur)

After a commonplace Chasseur stopped a heretic cell from completing a fortnight of X-mas bombings in the Pagoda Center on Luna City, the Executives enrolled him in an experimental process to create a new kind of cybernetic urban enforcer. Thus, his old persona was overwritten and only Reaver remains – a brutal, close combat expert equipped with reinforced, tungsten edge cyber-claws. Re-deployed to a hotbed of close quarters fighting, the Graveton Archipelago, Reaver seeks to prove the efficiency of the procedure, opening the door for more of his kind in the near future.

Imperial Corporation

“Trencher Dave” (Trencher)

Deployed as a base defense member of the 3rd Imperial Trench Battalion, Private David Flatte never had aspirations to be a hero, but he defied all odds at the Ad-Con penetration into Dark Legion territory. Killing several inhuman monstrosities before getting wounded himself, Private Flatte would’ve been just another number on the medics’ rosters – but a freelance press agent caught the whole thing on video. Moved to a Venusian deployment to bolster the local troops, the now-famous “Trencher Dave” does his part from within the Imperial forward base at the Graveton Archipelago.

Mishima Corporation

Captain Hiroko (Hatamoto)

Known best for a legendary kill total – supposedly – of Dark Legion monstrosities along the shores of the Graveton with a scavenged submachine gun after his Airbrush ran dry, Captain Hiroko is doubtlessly a hero to the local Mishiman populace. He is everything a Hatamoto is trained to be; skilled, honorable, and fearless in the execution of his duties. When Kenji Hiroko dons his brightly colored armor and straps on his aunt’s battle-tested blades, there is nothing he won’t do for the Daimyo.

The Brotherhood of Man

Brother Samael (Sacred Warrior)

The Cardinal protects those who bask in His glory, but His teachings also say that one must seek to destroy the Darkness in order to preserve the Light. Brother Samael personifies that concept more than any other member of his peers on Venus. Having seen his brothers and sisters fall to the blades and bullets of the raging conflicts rife on the Graveton Archipelago, Samael fills his mind with their faces and his heart with rage as he charges into combat. He is always eager to wet his anointed blade; never failing to etch a hashmark in his pauldron for each and every kill made in his fallen comrades’ honor.

Dark Legion (Algeroth)

Phobosh the Devoted (Necromutant)

Risen up from the ranks of a Venusian gutter cultist, Phobosh gave themself over to the Apostle of War years ago. Their local leaders fell to Inquisitors’ flame and blades, leaving a young and ambitious cultist to petition Algeroth directly through rite and sacrifice. When the Centurions came and took them away to be mutated with the Dark Symmetry, they gleefully ended their former life and entered one of direct servitude to the Dark Legion. Phobosh brought with them the mentality, the psychic imprint, of life as a cult member – and Algeroth’s lowest minions seem to follow suit.

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Discuss!